Reviews
School Library Journal - When the Wind Blew
In this sweet, reassuring story, Little Bear and Big Bear must move in the aftermath of a very bad storm. The wind has knocked down all of the trees and made their current home unlivable, so the bears seek a new den. Little Bear notices his surroundings and the beauty of nature, asking… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Roof Octopus
What could be more delightful than a huge and friendly octopus on the roof? That at least is the premise of Branam’s debut—which Coelho (Boat of Dreams, 2017) illuminates with views, usually canted or vertiginously angled, of a smiling, golden cephalopod hanging colorfully spotted… View →
School Library Jouranl - Invisible Lizard
Napoleon is a vibrant chameleon. Unfortunately, all of his colors blend perfectly with the background of his home in the rain forest, making it nearly impossible for anyone to see him. How is a guy supposed to make new friends if he’s practically invisible? Napoleon tries everything to… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Invisible Lizard
Napoleon, a colorful, “spiffy” chameleon, lives on an equally “spiffy” tree limb and blends in so well with his surroundings the other jungle residents cannot see him.With his charming personality, Napoleon tries to entice and engage Polly, a squawking parrot, and View →
Kirkus Reviews - When the Wind Blew
A young bear cub learns what truly makes a home.Big Bear and Little Bear wake up one morning to find that a storm has knocked down all of the trees outside their den. Little Bear peers cautiously around. All he can see are broken limbs and ragged stumps. He doesn’t understand. What View →
Publishers Weekly - The Skydiving Beavers
Striking a down-home tone, Wood (Esquivel!) unspools a real-life story of animal conservation. In 1948 Idaho, beavers presented a dilemma to a growing resort community: “The people were muscling in on the beavers’ habitat. And the beavers were trashing the people’s habitat. A real turf… View →
Booklist - Tig Ripley Hard Rock
When things get too complicated for Tig Ripley and her best friends (who are also her bandmates), all Tig wants is a little bit of harmony. Suddenly, last year’s Mean Girl is being nice (too nice?), and Tig’s cousin Kyra, whom Tig feels insanely guilty about wanting to kick out of the… View →
School Library Journal - Bright Futures World of Work
Gr 4-7–These interactive titles use clues readers can match to their own interests in order to arrive at one of the eight careers featured in each volume. Students are also prompted to write their thoughts on downloadable activity sheets. Job descriptions are brief but conversational,… View →
School Library Journal - Women Innovators
K-Gr 3–Labrecque provides slim biographies on familiar (Lovelace; Anderson) and less familiar (Mather; Brill) women inventors. Following a brief introduction to the topic science field, basic facts of the subject’s life and work are presented. Readers learn that Elion “made medicines… View →
School Library Journal - Out of School and Into Nature
Gr 1-4–Readers are introduced to naturalist Anna Comstock’s enthusiasm for nature right from the opening sentence: “From the time she was no higher than a daisy, Anna was wild about nature.” Comstock’s (1854–1930) early love of the outdoors inspired her course of study at college, where… View →
School Library Journal - Tig Ripley: Hard Rock
Gr 6-9–A well-paced sequel to Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel. The girl band Pandora’s Box is back together and experiencing growing pains. Tig’s cousin Kyra is not pulling her weight as a musician, which may or may not be the result of her parents’ divorce. Tig has to navigate the dynamics of… View →
School Library Journal - Global Citizens: World Religions
Gr 5-8–A standout for its organizational format, which will help readers grasp the spiritual and worldly aspects of each religion. Marsico treats the religions and their followers respectfully and examines their historical and contemporary cultural influence. Themes and student inquiry… View →
School Library Journal - Extaordinary Engineering
Gr 1-3–Readers are introduced to remarkable feats of modern engineering in this awe-inspiring series. Basic scientific concepts, such as inertia, centripetal force, and kinetic energy, are appropriately defined for students using straightforward language and simple sentence structure.… View →
School Library Journal - Why Did the Farmer Cross the Road?
PreS-Gr 2–James puts a new spin on the timeless joke in her first picture book. In this quirky tale, Donkey awakens the farmer, alerting him that the pigs have left the farm. The farmer states, “That’s not possible” and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, the pigs are walking through town,… View →
School Library Journal - Gods and Goddess of the Ancient World Series
Gr 3-6–Short, simple sentences provide reluctant readers access to their favorite characters from Greek mythology. More than just retellings, these volumes introduce the complex motives behind the gods’ and goddesses’ actions (jealousy, revenge, vanity, etc.) and make real-world… View →
Kirkus Reviews - The Skydiving Beavers
An Idaho game warden invents an ingenious solution for a growing town’s wildlife problem in this tale set in 1948 Idaho.Characterized as “a lovely place” and so portrayed in van Frankenhuyzen’s golden meadows and hilly vistas, the town of McCall would be… View →
Foreword Reviews Willow and the Wedding
Willow and the Wedding encourages self-expression, positive thinking, and pursuing whatever makes you happy. View →
Publishers Weekly - Out of School and into Nature
Slade (The Music in George’s Head) and Lanan’s (The Story I’ll Tell) account of the life of artist and naturalist Anna Comstock unfolds against an airy, pastoral landscape, where she observed the local flora and fauna of the countryside. As Comstock grew older, so did her love for… View →
Booklist - Out of School and Into Nature
In this picture-book biography, the life of naturalist, artist, and education reformer Anna Comstock is told with easy-to-follow facts, Comstock’s own words, and charming illustrations. Comstock was born in 1854, and instead of taking the traditional route for women at the time, she went View →
Kirkus Reviews - Little Red Rolls Away
Little Red, a small barn, is moved from his home, much to his distress.Red wakes up one morning to find that his friends Bossy Cow, Piglet, and Rooster are missing. It gets worse. Machines rumble in, hoist up Red, and haul him away, first on a flatbed truck and then on a barge. As Red… View →