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27,400 | 2 | Book by Ricklen, Neil; Title: Mommy and Me | [
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27,401 | 1 | Yum! This delicious counting book offers much more than the numbers one to ten. Each page is a feast of sweet, sugary treats--coconut kisses, peanut-butter cookies, Linzer hearts, and more are carefully concocted and counted by mouse chefs. The tempting desserts are made all the more delectable by Robert Sabuda's brilliant pop-up constructions that leap from the pages, practically into your salivating mouth. Aesthetes will swoon at the magical beauty of this exquisite book, and the engineers in the crowd will wonder, "How did he do that?" Sabuda's astounding creations may be too delicate for excessive youthful probing, but the sing-song rhyme, counting exercises, and joyous paper explosions of confectionery delights make this a wondrous read-aloud for the sweet-toothed of all ages. (Ages 3 and up)Cookie Count is a mouth-watering book of lavish suprises -- a baker's bounty of ten pop-up spreads. Award-winner Robert Sabuda's intricate paper engineering, along with his whimsical art, creates a book that will be counted as a family favorite for years to come.; Title: Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-up | [
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27,402 | 0 | Ann Turner is an award-winning screenwriter and director, avid reader, and history lover. She is drawn to salt-sprayed coasts, luminous landscapes, and the people who inhabit them all over the world. She is a passion­ate gardener. Her films include the historical feature Celia, starring Rebecca Smart—which Time Out listed as one of the fifty greatest direc­torial debuts of all time; Hammers Over the Anvil, starring Russell Crowe and Charlotte Rampling; and the psychological thriller Irresistible starring Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, and Emily Blunt. Ann has lectured in film at the Victorian College of the Arts. Returning to her first love, the written word, in her debut novel The Lost Swimmer, Ann explores themes of love, trust, and the dark side of relationships. Her second novel, Out of the Ice, a mystery thriller set in Antarctica, was published to great acclaim in Australia and will be available in the United States in 2018. Ann was born in Adelaide and lives in Victoria. Visit Ann’s website at AnnTurnerAuthor.com.; Title: Katie's Trunk | [
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27,403 | 8 | Kindergarten-Grade 3. This modified version of the classic tale has the feel of an impromptu bedtime story. The awful stepmother is the next-door neighbor, who looks like a Lane Smith creation. The Disneyesque witch is a humongous food-lover named Glut Annie Stout (note the initials) who spends her days baking and eating, using the children as her clean-up crew. When she locks Hansel in the pantry, Gretel shoves Glut Annie into the larder, phones 911, and has the fat lady arrested by the police for "kidnapping, being mean to children, and eating an entire smorgasbord without a license." The children are returned to their loving father, who opens a successful health food store. The tale is so infused with DeLuise's own personality that adult readers might well envision him reciting it aloud. Garish is a fit descriptor for both the story and the art. Text appears within illustrations, in colored boxes (some surrounded by contrasting striped borders), in conversation balloons, and as asides in large colored letters near the bottom of some pages. Every scene is filled with brightly colored, heavily detailed cartoon images, but much of the humor in the pictures will be lost on children. Like the gingerbread house, this book has little appeal once you get inside.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Hansel and Gretel | [
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27,404 | 1 | PreSchool-Grade 2-Albert the duck and his animal friends share another adventure. Following a series of clues, the gang searches for 18 pumpkins that have been stolen from Patsy Pig's patch. After investigating a dead tree, the library steps, and a playground, the detectives are able to uncover only four of the missing gourds. Then they find a note that instructs them to retrace their steps and look again more carefully. Children will enjoy returning to the scenes of the crime and hunting through the detailed illustrations for the partially hidden pumpkins. The final double spread reveals the thief, Patsy Pig, who devised this clever game to amuse her friends. Filled with dark shadows, Tryon's illustrations provide the perfect setting for the story, while the characters' use of flashlights to spotlight clues, light the paths they take, and reveal objects in the night add additional flare to the mysterious ambiance. A terrific Halloween story that does not have ghosts or witches, this book will be fun to share in October; however, children will enjoy hunting for pumpkins throughout the year.Olga R. Barnes, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NCCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 5^-8. Children unfamiliar with Albert the duck and his animal buddies will start off wishing for a who's who of characters here, but they'll eventually catch on and be able to enjoy the fun. Led by Chief Inspector Albert, Miss Maple, Sam Slade, and Shamrock Homes embark on a quest to find 18 missing pumpkins, with clues taking them from the pumpkin patch to the library, to the dead tree, to the playground. Certain words in the clues are colored red and appear in puzzle-shaped pieces, which are later pulled together to guide children to pumpkins that Tryon has hidden in her illustrations. Suitably dressed in detective-style attire, the animals make a fetching group as they search dark landscapes by flashlight till the mystery is solved. Children will have a great time doing their own detecting on Halloween or anytime. A mystery story plus hidden pictures equals a double dose of entertainment. Stephanie Zvirin; Title: Albert's Halloween: The Case of the Stolen Pumpkins | [
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27,405 | 0 | This first book in a new series of unsolved mysteries may well have amateur sleuths lying awake at night. When the crewless ship Mary Celeste was found adrift in 1872, there were no signs of pirates, mutiny, cholera or weather damage, and its cargo of raw alcohol was intact; only the lifeboat and navigational instruments were missing. A girl narrator introduces the story of the ship's discovery by the crew of the Dei Gratia. Her notes on a spiral steno pad, plus nautical definitions on multicolored Post-It notes, are tipped into the book's main action as the 19th-century seamen rummage through the ship and attempt to reconstruct what happened. The book ends with a review of such possible explanations as "The Drunken Crew Theory" and "The Sea Monster Theory," and questions help detectives evaluate whether each theory fits the clues. Mother-daughter team Yolen and Stemple (who previously collaborated for Meet the Monsters) spin a suspenseful account and add further significance and factual detail through the clever informal format. Roth's (Fishing for Methuselah) watercolor-and-pencil artwork combines realistic nautical touches with the human camaraderie of life at sea. Young Sherlocks will be eager to set sail on this team's next course. Ages 6-up. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 3-5-Fans of detective stories will be thrilled to try their hands at solving this true historic mystery. In 1872, the Mary Celeste sailed out of New York and into the realm of bizarre puzzles. When found by the crew of the Dei Gratia less than a month after setting sail, the brig was in seaworthy condition and almost completely in order, but everyone on it had vanished. The tale is told by a fictional character who shares her methods of investigation and the known facts of the case. Warm, double-page watercolors with details highlighted in pencil show each aspect of the discovery and exploration of the derelict ship, and enhance the drama of the story. Maritime terms and supplemental information on the individuals involved appear on panels drawn to resemble sticky notes and lined notebook papers that are superimposed on the illustrations. The book includes a listing of a half dozen of the most popular theories, accompanied by questions that can be answered from the text, thus encouraging readers to exercise keen observation and deductive reasoning to form their own opinions. While the answers to the mystery of the Mary Celeste may never be known, this is an intriguing story.Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History | [
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27,406 | 0 | Grade 4-7-Each of the young characters in this action-based series experiences a natural disaster that requires courage and decisiveness. In Fire, readers are eyewitness to the devastating Chicago fire of 1871 through the perspectives of Nate Cooper, an orphan who lives with his aunt and helps out at her boardinghouse, and Julie Flynn, daughter of a wealthy merchant. Their paths cross as each child becomes caught up in the drama. The plot moves quickly describing both the heroic and evil events that arise from such a tragedy. Julie is portrayed as privileged, pampered, and unable to take care of herself without her father or Nate to help her. Her character and the pejorative use of a "Negro" character are disappointing, even given the historical context. The last hours of the Titanic are seen through the eyes of Gavin Reilly, who is working his way from Ireland to America as galley help aboard the ocean liner, and Karolina Green, who is returning to America with her aunt and mourning the death of her parents in England. Details that show the enormity of the ship and the elaborate lifestyle of its first-class passengers are woven throughout the story. The fast-paced plot and innocent friendship between the young characters will interest fans of the movie. It is important to note that this story has a much happier ending.Joan Zaleski, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: SURVIVAL! Fire (Chicago, 1871) | [] | Train |
27,407 | 20 | Greene's (Barnyard Song) cumulative, rhyming story will entice younger readers with its sing-song read-aloud rhythm and attention to the animals in the manger: "This is the cow in the sweet-smelling hay,/ the cat and her kittens and three mice at play,/ that lived in the stable where Jesus was born." But adherence to her chosen format makes for a few forced phrases; fans of cumulative holiday tales are likely to prefer Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe's 1996 This Is the Star. Gaber (The Brave Little Parrot) layers rich acrylics on sturdy Bristol board, giving her compositions both heft and depth, and capturing the bustle and excitement of the holy night. Ages 3-6. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.This cumulative rhyme offers a charming introduction to the nativity story. It describes the place where Jesus was born--the stable and animals--his parents, the visit from the shepherds, and the appearance of the angels. The strength of the book is the repetition in the text, which never becomes sing-songy. In the first half of the book, the rhyme steadily builds, beginning each line with "This is . . ." In the second half, it's reversed, ending at the beginning. Younger listeners may not understand a phrase or word here and there, but the illustrations should keep them focused on the actions. The sweetest of the many warm and earthy paintings is at the center of the book. It shows the newborn Christ being admired by three little kittens. Even the endpapers tell a part of the story. A good selection for larger collections. Shelley Townsend-Hudson; Title: The Stable Where Jesus Was Born | [
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27,408 | 1 | Text: Spanish (translation) Original Language: EnglishCuando la gallina Rosie sale de paseo, i un zorro hambriento decide seguirla! Rosie disfruta su agradable paseo, sin reparar en ningun momento en su perseguidor, que sufre una serie de desastres comicos, desde caerse a la laguna hasta ser perseguido por un enjambre de abejas. A los ninos pequenos les encantara este divertido paseo por la granja, mientras aprenden los conceptos de "sobre", "debajo", "alrededor de" y "a traves de".; Title: El Paseo de Rosie (Rosie's Walk) (Spanish Edition) | [
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27,409 | 2 | K-Gr. 2. Rylant continues her winning, 15-year-old Ready-to-Read series about a boy and his adored mutt, Mudge, with a Valentine's Day story. Henry's parents are off to a Sweetheart's Dance, and Henry is off to Mrs. Hopper, the baby-sitter. Henry is reluctant at first; he likes Mrs. Hopper, but her house, with its dark stone and "droopy trees," is scary. Luckily, Henry has enormous, happy-go-lucky Mudge, and once inside the Hopper home, Henry finds a real treat. Mrs. Hopper's father was an actor, and her house is filled with music and costumes--all the makings for an evening of fun. As usual, Rylant tells her warm story in clear, even language, introducing interesting words, such as gargoyle, that new readers will relish. As in Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House [BKL Ja 1 & 15 03], the cheery, colorful illustrations are by Bracken, who nicely continues the style set by the series' longtime artist, Sucie Stevenson. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedCynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.; Title: Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House | [
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27,410 | 11 | Grade 1-6. Basho, the most revered of Japanese haiku poets, walked through many parts of the country recording his travels in diaries of prose and poetry. This picture book offers Western children a glimpse of the 17th-century poet's classic work. Each double-page spread describes, in art and text, a notable event from one of his trips, and includes one relevant haiku and one kanji, or ideograph borrowed from written Chinese. Demi's richly colored paintings, executed with Asian brushes on textured rice paper, are freer than those found in much of her previous work, with the figures larger and more expressive. Readers familiar with Basho and his haiku will find a romanticized and tidied-up portrait of the stark, austere poet who was more interested in inanimate objects than the animals that surround him in Demi's pictures. That said, the author and artist accurately convey the sensibility of a man who was famous for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, for maintaining his individuality while prizing community. They have created an inviting introduction to his life and language. The widespread interest in haiku and in Japanese culture make Basho's story a valuable addition to any collection.?Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 3^-5. This unusual picture book follows the seventeenth-century poet Basho on a journey across Japan. Based on his journal of prose and poetry, this is no travelogue, but a reflection on what the poet saw, what he did, and who he met as he traveled. With the exception of a verse by Issa, the haiku that appear in the book are Basho's own. While the text is agreeable enough, the book's page design and artwork are exceptional in their refreshing sense of freedom and spontaneity. An illustration note identifies the medium as colored ink applied with brushes, evidently on rice paper, but this doesn't begin to suggest the pictures' exquisite clarity of line and purity of color. Though surely inspired by Japanese art, the paintings are suffused with Demi's own sense of page design, decorative art, and good humor. Each double-page spread includes a segment of the story, a painting of Basho on his journey, a haiku reflecting some aspect of the text, and a word that appears in three forms: a painted Japanese character, its transliteration, and its translation into English. The Japanese characters are cogent visual expressions of concepts such as river, fire, or world. The same word appears in the haiku on that spread. A beautiful book and a fine resource for children studying haiku. Carolyn Phelan; Title: Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho | [
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27,411 | 2 | Inspired by Look's memories of her Chinese immigrant grandmother, this nostalgic book is liberally sprinkled with Taishanese, and the feelings conveyed are just as authentic as the language. When Katie accompanies GninGnin, her grandmother, to the crab cannery, she learns how long and hard GninGnin works as she cracks 200 pounds of crab meat a day (and earns "enough for bus fare and a fish for dinner... and someday, maybe enough to help you go to college"). Filled with poetic details (in GninGnin's kitchen, salted fish hang "like laundry above our heads"), the narrative will appeal to all those immigrant families that sacrifice to provide their children with a better life. The first-time author doesn't flinch from describing the harsh conditions in the chong, or cannery, but her story focuses on the strength and dreams of the women who work there. When Katie is tired from standing, GninGnin informs her, "There's only one place to sitAon the toilet upstairs." Katie asks, "How do you keep going?" and her grandmother says, "Don't you know that I'm a famous actress making a movie in a crab chong?... How can I give up when I'm the star?" Johnson's (Alphabet City) pastels, each framed with a plain, solid-colored border, favor close-up views, suggesting a series of intimate moments, even within the cannery. Sometimes sketchy, the illustrations imply a mood rather than tell a story, and in this way intensify the emotional content of the text. Ages 5-9. (May) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-4-Inspired by the author's memories of her grandmother, this gentle story is carefully and precisely told. On one of her Saturday visits to GninGnin's Chinatown apartment, Katie asks to see the crab cannery where her grandmother toils during the week along with other immigrant women. In a first-person narrative filled with sensory details, the girl conveys the harsh realities of work in the steamy, smelly factory. A day of cracking crabs and shaking out their meat earns only "...enough for bus fare and a fish for dinner...and someday, maybe enough to help you go to college." GninGnin keeps fatigue and boredom at bay by laughingly pretending to be a movie star. Johnson's expressive pastel-and-watercolor illustrations are rendered in muted colors and set within wide, softly colored margins. Focused on revealing sensations and emotions, the artwork is very different from the precise architectural depictions in Johnson's Alphabet City (Viking, 1995). Though they seem casual and loose, the illustrations are carefully composed, with gesture and expression contributing to the psychological depth of the poetic text. This account of a girl's loving relationship with her grandmother is dramatized with details as specific as the Taishanese dialect that they speak. From her, Katie learns that good food and dreams of a better future are important enough to work hard for, but that love is a sustaining gift.Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Love As Strong As Ginger | [
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27,412 | 5 | Grade 4 Up. These tales are truly marvels?in both their meaningful content and in the teller's lyrical mastery of language. "The Harp of Dagda" is representative of the selections: it has a plot laced with adventure, a larger-than-life hero, a touch of magic, and an underlying message (here, about the power of art, the "web of captured dreams"). World culture has been ransacked for these valuables, mostly unknown (like the Hawaiian pig-faced god who courts the fire goddess, Pele, by slanging her in an insult contest), but even the known are so artfully retold that Rip Van Winkle and Sir Patrick Spens are given a new lease on life. The pictures are lively, amusing vignettes that do not compete with the superior text. A lapse in the source notes for a King Arthur story moves the Saxons back a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 500 B.C. However, this criticism is an insignificant speck of tarnish on a truly gleaming collection.?Patricia Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RICopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 6^-8, younger for reading aloud. In this collection of 23 myths and legends, some stories are as familiar as Rip Van Winkle and the Tower of Babel, whereas others may be new to most readers. McCaughrean leads off with a Bolivian legend about how the early Spanish conquerors were outsmarted when they tried to strip the land of silver and enslave the people. She also includes a Scandinavian variant of how the sea became salty and a retelling of a Native American folktale about how a raven put the moon in the sky. Willey's rich illustrations enhance the text, though in the Maori tale "Dream Journey," they create some confusion: the text describes a large blonde woman, but the pictures depict a black woman. The author cites sources for some stories but not for others. Karen Morgan; Title: The Silver Treasure: Myths and Legends of the World | [
27350
] | Validation |
27,413 | 2 | Alma Flor Ada, an authority on multicultural and bilingual education, is the recipient of the 2012 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and in 2014 she was honored by the Mexican government with the prestigious OHTLI Award. She is the author of numerous award-winning books for young readers, including Dancing Home with Gabriel Zubizarreta, My Name Is Mara Isabel, Under the Royal Palms (Pura Belpr Medal), Where the Flame Trees Bloom, and The Gold Coin (Christopher Award Medal). She lives in California, and you can visit her at AlmaFlorAda.com.; Title: Me llamo Mara Isabel | [
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27,414 | 0 | Grade 4-7-Each of the young characters in this action-based series experiences a natural disaster that requires courage and decisiveness. In Fire, readers are eyewitness to the devastating Chicago fire of 1871 through the perspectives of Nate Cooper, an orphan who lives with his aunt and helps out at her boardinghouse, and Julie Flynn, daughter of a wealthy merchant. Their paths cross as each child becomes caught up in the drama. The plot moves quickly describing both the heroic and evil events that arise from such a tragedy. Julie is portrayed as privileged, pampered, and unable to take care of herself without her father or Nate to help her. Her character and the pejorative use of a "Negro" character are disappointing, even given the historical context. The last hours of the Titanic are seen through the eyes of Gavin Reilly, who is working his way from Ireland to America as galley help aboard the ocean liner, and Karolina Green, who is returning to America with her aunt and mourning the death of her parents in England. Details that show the enormity of the ship and the elaborate lifestyle of its first-class passengers are woven throughout the story. The fast-paced plot and innocent friendship between the young characters will interest fans of the movie. It is important to note that this story has a much happier ending.Joan Zaleski, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Titanic (Survival! Series, Book 1) | [
22101
] | Validation |
27,415 | 2 | Another addition to the Unsolved Mystery from History series, The Wolf Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple, illus. by Roger Roth, urges readers to act as detectives. The volume presents the evidence, then asks aspiring detectives to evaluate: were two girls brought to an orphanage in India abandoned by their parents or raised by wolves in the wild?Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 3-5-An unnamed narrator invites readers to investigate a historical mystery. In 1920, two sisters supposedly raised by wolves were taken to an orphanage in India. Joseph Singh, a missionary who cared for the girls after their discovery, offered varying stories as to how they came to be under his care. It's not only a mystery as to who the girls were, but also what the man's true motives were. Investigators are helped along throughout with explanations of such terms as "sal forest" and "bullock." Notes written on lined paper as if from a journal; the words and their definitions, which are set in small boxes; and text in large boxes are all superimposed on double-spread watercolor illustrations. The art serves to put the information offered in proper perspective. Evenhandedness is apparent throughout. The authors mention that scientists doubt the existence of feral children. It is suggested that individuals who seem as if they might be wild often have handicaps such as autism, deafness, or retardation. More telling, "Scientists have concluded that even a healthy child would not survive for long with only an animal mother." This seems to imply that Singh was at least an opportunist. Although the mystery is not solved, four possible explanations are appended, and readers are asked to form their own opinion. Tasty fodder for emerging detectives.Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WICopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery from History | [
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27,416 | 15 | A vision of cosmic interconnectedness starts off strong but gets a bit overdone in this message-driven picture book. "The world isn't finished yet," runs Wood's (Old Turtle) leitmotif, declared on the first page. "It's still being made." A breeze, for example, makes ripples and waves on the water, which wears down sand and pebbles, "and the world is changed." Yoshi (The First Story Ever Told), who was inspired here by her daughter, Hibiki Miyazaki, follows Wood's scene-changes with naturalistic, mostly full-spread watercolors: she shows a boy playing at a New England seashore; an antelope darting across the African savannah; a hilly Andean terrain crisscrossed by farms and trod by burros. Each setting is teeming with numerous elements (e.g., for the savannah, there is also an ancient baobab tree, bushbabies, baboons, various species of birds, etc.), each enumerated by the text and credited with "help[ing] to make the world." Meanwhile, "you" (an African girl reclining in the shade of a tree; a Japanese child looking at her reflection in a pool of koi; etc.) "help to make the world, too." But there are so many significant words on the page, paired with the often busy illustrations, that readers may have trouble keeping up. The simplest scenes are most successful, especially the last, which returns to the seashore to depict the moon gleaming over the bay, lighthouse and beach house, accompanied by one simple, poignant line of type. Ages 3-7. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 2?This picture book explores the variety and beauty of nature and the impact that every living thing makes on the Earth. Lyrical text and full-page watercolor illustrations wrap readers in a view of a planet that is always changing: "Everywhere you look/and everywhere you listen,/someone or something/is helping/to make the world." A boy on the North American coastline experiences transformations at the beach as the morning breeze causes waves that alter the shoreline and a wildflower gives a butterfly "a sweet sip of nectar." As the child enjoys nature's beauty, he, too, helps to make the world. From this setting the story moves around the globe to the African plains where another child observes the plants and animals native to that region, and then it's onward to similar scenes in Asia and South America. As the story comes full circle, nighttime arrives in North America and the boy is tucked into bed. The illustrations are realistic with impressionist overtones that successfully reflect the mood of the text, creating a soft and gentle presentation that broadens a young child's awareness of our planet, its beauty, and everyone's ability to affect change.?Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Making The World | [
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27,417 | 17 | Kindergarten-Grade 3-A picture-book biography about the first black female aviator. The author begins with Coleman's childhood and ends with the successful launch of her career, mentioning her premature death only in an author's note. Most double-page spreads contain a full-page illustration opposite nearly a full-page of text. The pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures take full advantage of the watercolor palette, showing brightly clad people in engaging settings. Puffy clouds float across skies that range from teal to lavender, royal blue to gray. The text relies heavily on dialogue. Although some excerpts from letters are included, no source notes are given for them or for a recurring refrain that Bessie sings several times. This accessible book is more substantial than Reeve Lindbergh's Nobody Owns the Sky (Candlewick, 1996) and is an adequate choice for those who don't mind poetic license in a biography.Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, ILCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Joseph (Jump Up Time, p. 1119, etc.) uses a strong, steady present-tense narration to tell the story of Bessie Coleman, African-American, Texan, and world's first black woman aviator. What makes this treatment appealing is that Coleman's life lends itself to hyperbole, but Joseph reigns it in, imbuing the story with power and dignity. It will make readers angry at the injustices of the era: Jim Crow laws, whites-only ticket lines, Coleman's trip to France to get her pilot's license because her aspirations were considered absurd in the US. Joseph allows inspiration to form from a quiet presentation of facts; adding to the aura of possibility and grace under fire are Buchanan's sure, atmospheric ink-and-watercolor illustrations. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Fly, Bessie, Fly | [
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27,418 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this 18th adventure of these two pals, Rylant and Stevenson have combined their keen perspectives on growing up, their sensitivity to the concerns of children, and their senses of humor for another totally satisfying book. Henry knows his "careful" cousin Annie will be nervous about her move. In fact, the girl is so anxious about leaving her friends, changing schools, and the fate of her favorite clothes (frilly dresses, shiny shoes, and lace hankies) on the moving truck that she breaks out in red blotches. On the big day, Henry helps her deal with her anxiety just as he would-he tells her to crawl under the blankets in the back of his family's car with Mudge, his affectionate large pup and best friend. Hiding out during the move and making a "new-house wish" is the perfect prescription for Annie's fears. The pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons perfectly express the emotional nuances of the text.Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, IDCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 2^-3. You might think that after 17 books about sweet Henry and his drooly canine companion, this series of beginning readers would be wearing thin. Not so, judging by this fresh and soothing entry that gets to the heart of a problem lots of children have to face. Annie is Henry's cousin, and though she's a little obsessive about her frilly dresses and her shiny shoes, she can still throw a mean Frisbee and is lots of fun. Henry is delighted when he hears that she's moving next door, and he's very understanding--even sharing his beloved Mudge--when he realizes Annie has a case of moving-day jitters. Stevenson's exuberant art adds a great touch of comedy to a story that will make children long to have an intuitive cousin like Henry living in the house next door. Stephanie Zvirin; Title: Henry And Mudge And Annies Good Move Ready To Read | [
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27,419 | 2 | Copper-haired, fair-skinned Margaret strikes a blow for womankind in this high-spirited tale set in ancient Ireland. Margaret is content to run her small farm in County Donegal until the day a magnificent ship, captained by young Prince Simon, anchors nearby. Simon stirs Margaret's heart and her sense of adventure and she pleads to accompany him on his journey. He agrees, but a battle with a sea serpent sends Margaret ashore alone, where she takes refuge with an old hag during a storm. Margaret soon learns that her hostess is a sorceress who will not allow her to reunite with Simon until the young woman slays a monster. San Souci's adaptation of a traditional West Irish tale races along at fever pitch, bringing Margaret to the brink of disaster again and again. He carefully integrates magical elements into the action and also challenges young readers with a sprinkling of words authentic to the time and place (byre, kine, maw). In her picture book debut, Comport uses dark and rugged pastels and varying perspective to capture the drama of Margaret's adventures. Her vivid, crashing waves, rearing horses and bellowing monsters enhance this exciting read. Ages 5-10. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3 A quintessential hero tale with a feminist twist. Beautiful and courageous Margaret meets a handsome prince, Simon, and joins his seafaring crew. After she is separated from the ship, she defeats a sea serpent and is washed ashore to a witch's hut where a magic sword hangs. Rediscovered by Simon, Margaret prepares to leave but the old woman imprisons them with her sorceress's powers and demands the death of the giant at a nearby castle in return for their release. Simon fights and loses his life. Upon learning that she is the intended champion of the enchanted sword, Margaret faces the giant and wins. When the hag regains the castle, a magic potion restores her youth and Simon's life. All live happily ever after. An author's note credits this rousing adventure to a Gaelic source published in 1893, but contemporary readers will delight in the action, plot twists, and the familiar character types. The telling is tightly tailored and sometimes even terse; the dialogue is declarative and occasionally stilted. But the events that unfold are thrilling and ultimately satisfying. Done in vivid, fiery colors, flashier than those usually associated with traditional folklore, the full-page pastel illustrations give the overall effect of vigor and great drama. A surefire hit for storytimes, this is just plain good fun for fans of fairy tales and hero quests alike. Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure | [
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27,420 | 2 | Karas (Home on the Bayou) foreshadows the imminent arrival of the wind in a "tidy town" right from the dedication page, where newspapers fly, heads are unhatted and a girl chases after her jump rope. The story opens as a curl of wind looms large over the earth then hits an orderly community hard. Karas fashions a simple village of a bakery, flower shop, school, a factory with double smoke stacks and an array of boxy homes with pointy rooftops. A little boy starts his day in a neutral brown, navy blue and cream-colored bedroom with a perfectly made bed and a bureau filled with primly stacked shirts, then heads to school. But the wind interrupts his regimented routine. With the bluster's arrival, Karas introduces purple, gold and scarlet into his palette; the carefully aligned buildings now bob on the horizon like so many harborless ships. The type, too, whirls and swirls across the page. But while pandemonium strikes the villagers, the boy seizes the moment, inhaling "the breath of long-ago kings and queens" as Karas adjusts his style to one brimming with medieval images of castle turrets and crowned heads. His illustrations link past and present, characterizing the wind as a timeless force to be reckoned with, as well as a fleeting glimmer of nature's power. Readers will likely feel they've been carried away on a journeyAand may see the next gusty breeze quite differentlyAafter experiencing Karas's fitting homage to a natural wonder. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3AWhen a wind sweeps through a tidy town, upturning its "ho humness," one boy notices not the havoc it creates, but the wind itself. He breathes in all the places and times the wind has been, and sends his own name with it as it travels on into someone else's afternoon. Karas's quiet, simple text is carried by his whimsical and exuberant illustrations. Scenes of the tidy town begin in neat, straight pencil drawings on beige paper. The wind brings in color (gouache and acrylic paints), movement, tilting perspective, and general excitement. Sidelights of the tidy town's occupants and their comments create a good variation of pace. The book is a well-conceived whole from its title page verso to the textured paper used in the illustrations that communicate the thrill and wonder of a windy day. As a quick read-aloud or favorite lap book, this is certain to be a pleaser.ANina Lindsay, Vista School, Albany, CACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Windy Day | [
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27,421 | 7 | PreSchool-Grade 2. Simon's inventive nighttime fantasy is set in a rural area of Martha's Vineyard. Under a melon-sized moon, pajamaed twin brothers cavort with a choir-directing tulip, a guitar-strumming apple tree, a mandolin-playing mouse, jitterbugging sheep, and chattering flamingos, while on the sidelines jauntily dressed cows applaud in appreciation. For the most part, Simon's words trip easily off the tongue, but, at times, readers will need to adapt their pronunciation to make the rhyme work ("The queen bee looked so mean/when we ran we got tangled/in her wide crinoline"). Delamare's acrylic illustrations, while well drafted and filled with precise detail, have an enameled look that seems a shade too harsh for a nocturnal adventure. Irene Haas's fanciful and delicately rendered A Summertime Song (McElderry, 1997) offers a more dreamlike reverie; however, children liking a large dollop of wackiness in their fantasies will enjoy the fun this duo provides.?Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Late one summer night, twin boys wake to the sound of hoots and howls. Peering out their window they see a strange sight -- it may be time to sleep everywhere else, but on this Martha's Vineyard farm all of the animals and vegetables are just waking up and putting on thier clothes! A field mouse invites the boys to join in the midnight celebration, and they find themsleves caught up in a very different kind of nocturnal adventure.Carly Simon's rollicking, rhythmic text is a delight to read aloud. Together with David Delamare's dreamlike illustrations it creates an imaginative fantasy that will capitivate readers.; Title: Midnight Farm | [
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27,422 | 2 | Text: Spanish (translation) Original Language: EnglishHoy es el cumpleanos de Henry. Asi que Henry y su perrazo Mudge van a celebrar con globos brillantes, carreras de sacos de papas, regalos y una pinata.Va a ser el mejor dia del ano!; Title: Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All (Spanish Edition) (Henry & Mudge) | [
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27,423 | 2 | Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novelMissing Mayreceived the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.; Title: Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea | [
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27,424 | 0 | If you could ask your favorite author any question, what would it be? How do you write a book? Do you have brothers and sisters? Where do you get your ideas? What do you like to do when you're not writing? What is the best thing about being a writer?Noted children's literature historian Leonard Marcus asks 15 popular children's book authors these questions and more in this fantastic introduction to the people who made Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, and The Babysitters Club series possible. Complete with birth dates, childhood (and grownup) photos, manuscript pages, and other interesting memorabilia, the interviews provide a brief but in-depth look (six or seven pages per author) at the lives of kids' favorite writers, including Jon Scieszka, E.L. Konigsburg, Judy Blume, Laurence Yep, Gary Paulsen, and Johanna Hurwitz. Virtually every author claims that the way to become a writer is to read and write. A lot. All the time. So get to it! (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie CoulterMarcus here compiles brief interviews with 15 well-known children's book authors. Using a similar set of questions for each interview, he offers a sense of the diversity of approaches to the writing life and balances his queries between those pertaining to the writers' childhoods and to their current careers. The authors' responses are insightful and often humorous: Blume explains her inventive approach to sixth grade book reports, "I didn't want to report on the books I was reading, so I made up books for my reports, coming up with a title, an author, a theme, and the major characters"; James Howe offers advice to aspiring young writers ("Writing is like digging in the sand for buried treasure: You have to be willing to do a lot of digging. Most of what you unearth won't glitter"); and Ann M. Martin comments that, as a child, "I didn't see writing as a career option. For a long time, I think I thought all writers were dead!" Marcus uncovers some intriguing morsels: when E.L. Konigsburg published her first two novels in 1967, one won the Newbery Medal, the other a Newbery Honor citation, and Russell Freedman retypes each of his book manuscripts on an antique typewriter at least four times. In addition to the editor's well-crafted introductions to the writers, the volume contains contemporary photos and childhood snapshots, reproductions of edited manuscript pages and a selected bibliography of each author's oeuvre. An excellent choice for aspiring writers and avid readers. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Author Talk: Conversations With Judy Blume, Bruce Brooks, Karen Cushman, Russell Freedman, Lee Bennett Hopkins, James Howe, Johanna Hurwitz, E.l. Konigsburg, Lois Lowry, Ann M. Martin,and others | [
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27,425 | 15 | When a snowstorm blows into town, the narrator wonders who will come to the Christmas Eve service. The answer? Everyone! Donning scarves and skis, the congregationAfurred and feathered, two-legged and four-leggedAgathers at the little blue church. And when a shivering stranger in a tattered coat arrives (and is welcomed), it's truly Christmas. In a stylish debut, Tylden-Wright combines an up-to-the-minute use of perspectives and textures with the retro appeal of an old-fashioned Christmas card, blanketing the scenes from Spinelli's (When Mama Comes Home Tonight) rhythmic verse text in drifts of frosty white as light spills warmly from glowing candles and windowpanes. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 2-On Christmas Eve, as snow blankets his community, a minister waits and wonders who will make it to the evening service. The lyrical text describes the arrivals: "The starling came/on snowy wings across a starless sky./The starling came,/frosty and fuddled,/to huddle on a cushion in candle glow,/beneath a branch of the shining tree./The starling came." The bird is followed by the custodian, Tom Cat, a small boy in his mother's arms, a field mouse, the organist, a moth, and the soloist. The small blue church begins to fill up; however, it is not until the last guest, a stranger, arrives that Christmas comes. The colored-pencil illustrations highlighted in gouache supply warmth to the narrative and the brightness of the last spread brings a glow to the story. Soft and sweet, this title invites readers and listeners to ponder the true arrival of Christmas.-T.T. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Coming Through the Blizzard: A Christmas Story | [] | Train |
27,426 | 0 | Grade 1-2?This retelling of the founding of Rome is an admirable introduction to myth. Twins Romulus and Remus are found and raised by a female wolf. As they grow older, Romulus has an interest in making things, while Remus enjoys hunting with his wolf brothers. Romulus builds a city, which he names after himself, and is made king; Remus leaves to go off with the pack. While this story keeps much of the old myth intact, it softens the tale for young readers, leaving out such details as jealous gods and Remus's untimely death. The Rome of this book is a kinder, gentler place than is generally depicted, and there is no mention of divine intervention. Deftly illustrated with bright watercolors, the figures echo Roman mosaics. One small quibble: the text stresses the point that Romulus is a little bigger than Remus, but in the illustrations both boys appear to be the same size. Otherwise, the art is a fine complement to this story. Mythology titles for beginning readers are scarce; this one fills that gap nicely.?Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, ORCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Anne Rockwell (19342018)has written numerous books for children, includingAt the BeachandThe First Snowfall,both illustrated by Harlow Rockwell.; Title: Romulus and Remus (Ready-to-Reads) | [
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27,427 | 11 | Dolores Johnsonis the talented author-illustrator of many books for children, includingNow Let Me Fly, What Will Mommy Do When I'm in School, andSeminole Diary, which was anAmerican BooksellerPick of the List She writes, "My editor was the first person to suggest to me that I write a book about Kwanzaa, and I am so glad she did. In writing this book, I was able to explore new territory other than my usual fiction stories. I was able to examine history, design crafts, experiment with recipes, as well as offer all children a way to participate in a fascinating cultural celebration." A graduate of Boston University, Ms. Johnson was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut. She now lives in Inglewood, California; Title: Now Let Me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family (Aladdin Picture Books) | [
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27,428 | 15 | Wood (Old Turtle) joins serene settings and dreams of adventure for a vivid romp through a child's imagination. Readers will relate to the ruddy-cheeked, blond city-dweller, who with hands clamped tightly over his ears yearns for respite from "whistles shrieking and grown-ups talking and engines roaring and ... grown-ups talking...." In prose saturated with simile and metaphor, Wood suggests numerous subdued spots for solitude from ponds and deserts to caverns and museums and then interjects the boy's fantasies into the mix. "You could look in the desert, where Old Man Saguaro reaches for the sky, and far-off thunderheads bloom like sky-flowers over the mesas. ... And you can be a Pony Express rider galloping through the Old West." That fantasy can loom larger than life is reflected in the layout of each spread: a small painting of the boy in his quiet place faces a full-page rendering of his daydream. For example, readers glimpse the boy leaving footprints on a beach; opposite, he's a flag-planting conquistador on a sandy shore. Andreasen (The Stars that Shine) laces his realistic oil paintings with a touch of otherworldliness. In muted hues and soft edges, the artist conveys far-ranging settings the boy, who seems at home in a Rockwellian yesteryear, envisions himself also as prehistoric caveman, swashbuckling treasure-finder, spaceman, etc. These scenarios will hold children rapt until the concluding thought perhaps a bit lofty for the very young that people hold within themselves "the very best quiet place of all." Ages 3-7. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Grade 2-4-A boy feels the need for a calm, noise-free spot. He seems to live in a time decades ago if the cars and clothes in an early illustration are representative; however, most of the other full-page oil paintings are flights of fancy. While a variety of escape solutions are presented in text and art, they each seem to have negative aspects to them: the lilac bush is too close to home and "someone calls you to clean your room," the woods are "too dark and deep," the beach is "not your cup of tea," the desert is "a bit too dry," the fish in the pond "aren't biting," the cave could be "too cold and damp," legs are "too tired for climbing" to the top of the hill, "it's too warm for snowdrifts," the museum is closed, and the library isn't open. The final option of finding the quiet within may seem ideal to those who know the way to that place, but most children won't have the map. It seems a shame that all of the rich daydreams are shown to be potentially flawed rather than stops along the way. This is a lovely presentation of a concept that is sure to enchant adults and elude the audience for whom it may have been created.Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: A Quiet Place | [
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27,429 | 0 | Joey Bishop witnesses a kidnapping and comes to regret his reputation for making up stories. Later, when he is kidnapped himself, Joey must rely on his own wits to escape the culprits. Ages 8-12. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Willo Davis Roberts wrote many mystery and suspense novels for children during her long and illustrious career, including The Girl with the Silver Eyes, The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Megans Island, Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, Scared Stiff, The Kidnappers, and Caught! Three of her childrens books won Edgar Awards, while others received great reviews and other accolades, including the Sunshine State Young Readers Award, the California Young Readers Medal, and the Georgia Childrens Book Award.; Title: The Kidnappers : A Mystery | [
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27,430 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 3Fans will welcome another installment in this popular series. In this adventure, Henry and his lovable dog visit Great-Grandpa Bill in the house where he lives with lots of other grandpas. The two friends go exploring and come across a pond that looks like a great place for a swim. Knowing that they should not go in the water alone, they return to the house in search of a buddy. All of the grandpas head off to the pond with the boy and the dog, resting on Mudge whenever they get tired. They all have a great time swimming in their skivvies and telling old stories. Brief chapters with entertaining watercolor illustrations make this book an excellent choice for beginning readers ready to make the transition to short chapter books.Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.*Starred Review* K-Gr. 2. This Ready-to-Read title about Henry and his big dog Mudge is even more joyful than the others in the popular series. In four simple chapters The Great Grandpas tells how Henry and Mudge visit Great Grandpa Bill at his house with a lot of other very old grandpas. Henry brings gifts--food, games, puzzles--and while the grandpas play checkers and cards, Henry and Mudge run in the nearby woods and discover a pool. Then everyone wants to swim, and Henry, his dad, and the grandpas strip to their underwear and have a great time in the water. Mudge is there, too. In fact, when the grandpas get tired, they lean on Mudge, who doesn't mind at all. Rylant manages to make things idyllic without being soppy, partly because the mischief is both cozy and farcical; and Stevenson's clear, active line-and-watercolor pictures individualize the grandpas and show their affectionate bond with Henry and the huge, slobbering mutt. A sweet story, perfect for children who are capable of reading simple stories on their own. Hazel RochmanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas (Henry & Mudge) | [
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27,431 | 2 | LaFaye's beautifully written first novel is filled with poignant insights into a hurt child's fragile psyche and resilient spirit. Set in a small, early-1930s Louisiana town, the story is narrated by 11-year-old Nissa Bergen, who is urgently trying to gather the broken pieces of her life after her mother abandons the family. Nissa's desperation borders on unnerving, but LaFaye lightens the story with Nissa's memories of her mother's refreshingly candid and whimsical nature. Nissa's father, a quiet, gentle man who has obviously been a parent to both Nissa and his wife, explains that Heirah Rae left because he couldn't make her happy. At first Nissa accepts this, but as she goes deeper into her pain and anger, she sees that her mother's special qualitiesAher free-spirited nature and unmitigated nonconformityAare the same ones that have brought reproach on the family from the community. LaFaye's poetic images paint a clear picture of impetuous Heirah Rae, a woman capable of both growing gloriously delicate purple roses and burning a whole garden to the ground ("Like the fire, Mama jumped from one place to the next. Papa was worried about the house, but she flew right to a whole other idea. She planted her hands on her hips... then said, 'I could also pack up and leave.'" Readers will likely yearn for days similar to the best ones Nissa shared with her mother, when they chased butterflies, gazed at stars on their roof and danced in fancy dresses on Friday nights. But they will also applaud Nissa's courage in facing the truth about her mother's lack of responsibility and her father's need for a stable home. This bittersweet, moving debut reveals a writer capable of plumbing the depths of a painful situation to surface triumphantly with compassion and humor. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 6-9-Nissa, 11, lives in the tiny Louisiana town of Harper in 1933, when her mother decamps, leaving a confused and grieving daughter behind. During the year that follows, Nissa tries to come to terms with her loss, with her father's growing attachment to another woman, and with her feelings of guilt and yearnings. The historical, small-town setting lends a slower, more innocent tone to the story than a modern setting might give, yet the feelings expressed are universal and deep. The author creates a believable set of characters and a realistic environment, and sustains them well with a lyrical and leisurely use of language. Readers will care a great deal for Nissa and her family. The readability level is low enough for intermediate grade students, but the complexities of the emotions and the situations the characters must deal with are adult in nature, even though the narrative is softened with euphemisms.Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KSCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Year Of The Sawdust Man | [
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27,432 | 2 | An extended family's beach outing provides the perfect opportunity for all the relatives to point out the green-eyed, ponytailed narrator's myriad family resemblances. The girl reports their remarks with preternatural patience: "My feet are Dad's, / except my funny little toe,/ which is a lot more like Aunt Jen's./ My voice is like hers too,/ quite low." Ultimately, however, she clears her throat and declares that the whole is much more than the sum of its parts: "I am positively/ absolutely/ altogether/ no one else but/ ME." Kuskin's (The Philharmonic Gets Dressed) rhyming text ably captures the forbearing tone of a heroine who is clearly the apple of everyone's eye. Wolcott's (Dog Days) exuberant, full-bleed, double-page gouache and watercolor spreads play up the girl's spirit, thinly veiled in the text until its conclusion. Working in flattened perspectives and deep, dense colors, the artist creates a series of witty tableaux: a comparison of family toes, a swim where all that's visible of those in the sapphire water (including a dog) is one arm and a side-turned head. Readers will likely appreciate the familiarity of the situation and savor Wolcott's pictures of a memorable waterfront picnic. Ages 3-7. (June) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 1-During a day at the beach, a much-loved, self-assured child relates how her family members claim that she's a combination of various features inherited from them. "Everybody says I have my mother's eyes, her pointed chin. My coloring is like my dad's, I'm also like him, being thin." While agreeing with her family that she is made up of many separate parts, the suntanned, green-eyed girl assures them that she is still one whole person, "Me." The richly hued gouache-and-watercolor paintings joyously reflect the many sights, sounds, and recreations enjoyed during the outing. Swimming, building a sandcastle, biking, and sliding are just some of the activities that engage the girl while her admiring clan looks on. The extended family's happy day begins and concludes on the endpapers: cars loaded down with beach paraphernalia are shown going to the sea in the morning and coming home after dark. A reassuring lesson of belonging and being unique.Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: I Am Me | [
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27,433 | 7 | Susan Fletcher is the acclaimed author of the Dragon Chronicles, composed of Dragon's Milk, Flight of the Dragon Kyn, and Sign of the Dove, as well as the award-winning Alphabet of Dreams, Shadow Spinner, and Walk Across the Sea. Ms. Fletcher lives in Wilsonville, Oregon. Visit her online at SusanFletcher.com.; Title: Flight of the Dragon Kyn | [
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27,434 | 0 | The Horn Book The beginning reader couldn't ask for a better pair of companions.School Library Journal Bravo Henry and Mudge. May they go on forever!School Library Journal There are four sparkling winners here: Henry and Mudge and Rylant and Stevenson.Kirkus Reviews Warm, loving, and gently philosophical, these stories about an only child and his closest companion deserve a place in every library collection.Henry and his 180-pound dog Mudge are best friends forever. And in this fifth book of their adventures, they share the joys of winter.; Title: Henry And Mudge In The Sparkle Days | [
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27,435 | 2 | This arrived too late for more timely holiday mention but deserves year-round inclusion, pairing Tudor's classic drawings with a treatise on holiday traditions from around the world; from homemade valentines and Easter eggs to family celebrations. -- Midwest Book ReviewTasha Tudor (19152008) was a Caldecott artist with more than ninety books to her credit. She was known across the world for her glowing watercolor depictions of the American rural scene of a century ago and for her exquisite paintings of children, flowers, and animals. Tasha Tudor was also the illustrator of A Childs Garden of Verses, The Night Before Christmas, The Springs of Joy, A Tale for Easter, A Time to Keep, The Dolls Christmas, All for Love, Pumpkin Moonshine, A is for Annabelle, and 1 is One, a Caldecott Honor Book.; Title: A Time to Keep | [
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27,436 | 2 | PreS-Gr 1Showing love can be much more powerful than expressing it in words. Whether a granddad is teaching, sharing, watching, cheering, or keeping a child safe, it's important to understand that those activities reveal how deeply he cares. A variety of grandfather/grandchild scenarios, including squirrels, pandas, koalas, hippos, and owls all reveal the same thing: Grandpas love their grandchildren and communicate their love in a multitude of ways. Holding hands on a walk, teaching shoelace tying, showing and sharing a coin collection, playing old and new games, and dancing and reading together are a few of the examples displayed in Bell's joyful, softly hued pencil illustrations. With an "actions speak louder than words" theme, the grandfathers depicted here speak volumes and confirm the importance of spending quality time with their grandchildren. Similar in tone to the author's When a Dad Says "I Love You" (S. & S., 2013), this charming title celebrates intergenerational relationships.Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WIDouglas Woodis the author of A Quiet Place as well as theNew York Timesbestselling Cant Do series. His booksOld TurtleandOld Turtle and the Broken Truthwere both international bestsellers. He lives in a cabin in the woods of Minnesota. A studied naturalist, Douglas shares his knowledge of nature as a wilderness guide. Visit him at DouglasWood.com.; Title: When a Grandpa Says "I Love You" | [
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27,437 | 12 | Learning to use a dictionary is an important skill for young scholars, and MacMillan offers a great edition for 8 to 14 year olds. The Dictionary for Children is sensible, well designed, and illustrated with plenty of pictures. Each letter gets a mini-exploration of its role in sounds and spelling; for example, "B has only one sound in English, as in bad and both, but it is sometimes doubled as in rabbit. The letter B is also silent in some words such as climb, comb, or plumber." Definitions are clear but not oversimplified, and homonyms are identified so that spellers won't be confused: words that sound like flue "are flew and flu." The type is large enough to be readable, and the tone is serious but not pretentious. The MacMillan Dictionary for Children has long been a favorite with kids, and this version, revised for the 21st century, is even better than previous editions.Grade 3-8. Modeled closely after the 1989 edition, this revised dictionary contains 35,000 entries with well-placed, full-color photographs and illustrations on almost every page. Many timely words have been added?karaoke, Velcro, Internet, online, alimony, rap (music), and telecommunications?but not modem or clone. When there are multiple meanings, each is numbered. Illustrative sentences often follow definitions. The syllabication, pronunciation, plural, and parts of speech round out each entry. Homophones are listed; for selected words, examples of synonyms are used in sentences. Word histories are given for interesting cases and are set off by red bars. Green bars indicate language-usage notes, explaining words such as ain't, among, capital/capitol, real/really, emigrate/immigrate. Spelling tips are offered at the beginning of each letter section. An excellent usage guide, an extensive history of the English language, and a pronunciation key are provided. A final reference section contains portraits and brief facts about the presidents, flags with brief statistics about the countries they represent, several maps, and weights and measure conversion charts. This version updates the presidential information and expands the flag section but does not include a time line. Attractive and easy to use, this new edition has retained the best of its predecessor and has modernized its look and contents.?Priscilla Bennett, State University of West Georgia, CarrolltonCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Macmillan Dictionary for Children | [] | Train |
27,438 | 20 | Grade 2-5-Gerstein has retold and illustrated the Biblical story of the Jewish girl who became Queen of Persia and saved her people from genocide at the hands of an evil prime minister. He has followed the Old Testament tale closely, adding only a dream of two battling dragons and the morning star that awakens Mordecai to the fact that his cousin Esther must approach the king and beg him to save her people. Detailed, gouache cartoon illustrations in a palette of muted pastel colors are filled with pattern, effecting a strong Persian flavor. Most pages are bordered in a parchment yellow that's reminiscent of the Hebrew Book of Esther (the megillah), which is printed on a parchment roll and read in synagogues on the eve of Purim. While the king is shown as a jolly, round fellow, hawk-nosed, white-faced, pointy-bearded Haman is a grotesque, Punchlike character whose raven-haired wife resembles a witch. His traditional tricornered hat, which dictates the shape of the hamantaschen pastries served on the holiday, appears here as a tall miter. An author's note offers some facts about the characters and the celebration. This appealing retelling is appropriate for both public library and Judaic collections.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gerstein (Absolutely Awful Alphabet, 1999, etc.) retells the tale of Queen Esther's plight, making the origins of Purim and its lessons shine. The well-known events of the tale are well told: When the wealthy king of Persia selects the beautiful Esther as his new wife, her cousin Mordecai warns her not to tell the king she is Jewish; Haman concocts his devious plan; Mordecai saves the king from poisoning, etc. Unlike Cathy Goldberg Fishman's On Purim (2000), which makes the origins of Purim secondary to the preparations for the celebration, Gerstein offers in-depth portrayals of the principal characters. He rounds out the story in the depiction of Esther's devotion to Mordecai, the king's growing affection for his queen, and his gullibility at the hands of the villainous prime minister. Colorful illustrations shimmer with the vibrant hues of Persia, with lush purple, orange, and yellow mingling to vivid effect. Eminently readable, this biblical tale of evil vanquished and innocence saved contains an important message about strength of character that speaks to all children, regardless of their faith. (Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright 2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Queen Esther The Morning Star | [
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27,439 | 6 | If only words could describe Chuck Murphy's Color Surprises as well as his gasp-inducing pop-ups manage to capture the essence of each color of the rainbow. Each page of this little wonder--one of the best, most artistic pop-up books we've ever seen--features a single, solid-colored square. With a quick pull or gentle push, however, one of nature's creatures slithers, flies, or bounces out of the square and (almost) off the page. Red is a gracefully unfolding starfish, and blue is a pleasantly popping parrot. We'd love to give the rest away, but half the pleasure of this fine book is in the discovery. A great gift for any adult on your list, but kids who like animals (meaning all kids) will love it, too. (Ages 3 to 103); Title: Color Surprises | [
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27,440 | 11 | School Library Journal Has the most extensive survey of African American history ever included in a children's book on Kwanzaa.Booklist Promotes the holiday as an opportunity for all Americans to study and to celebrate the African American culture.Dolores Johnsonis the talented author-illustrator of many books for children, includingNow Let Me Fly, What Will Mommy Do When I'm in School, andSeminole Diary, which was anAmerican BooksellerPick of the List She writes, "My editor was the first person to suggest to me that I write a book about Kwanzaa, and I am so glad she did. In writing this book, I was able to explore new territory other than my usual fiction stories. I was able to examine history, design crafts, experiment with recipes, as well as offer all children a way to participate in a fascinating cultural celebration." A graduate of Boston University, Ms. Johnson was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut. She now lives in Inglewood, California; Title: The Children's Book of Kwanzaa: A Guide to Celebrating the Holiday | [
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27,441 | 13 | Marie Hammontree (1913–2012) was born in Indiana and lived there her entire life. She was the author of several books, including Will and Charlie Mayo, Boy Doctors; A. P. Giannini, Boy of San Francisco; Albert Einstein, Young Thinker; Mohandas Gandhi, A Boy of Principle; and Walt Disney, Young Movie Maker.; Title: Walt Disney: Young Movie Maker (Childhood of Famous Americans) | [
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27,442 | 0 | Gr. 1^-2. Lured away from his family by the enticement of the circus, Lowly Worm performs under the Big Top and immediately becomes a star. Soon the circus moves on to Pleasantville, but Lowly decides to stay in Busytown, where he belongs. Adapted from the animated television show The Busy World of Richard Scarry, this colorful book will undoubtedly attract beginning readers as well as preschoolers. The simple story and artwork, the well-established characters, and the clarity of the emotions portrayed make this an appealing story for young children. Carolyn Phelan; Title: RICHARD SCARRYS READY TO READ BOOKS LOWLY WORM JOINS THE CIRCUS (The Busy World of Richard Scarry) | [
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27,443 | 2 | Gr 4-6--Marie is a young Parisian in pre-Revolutionary France, and the slight story tells of cousins earning money by making sachets. It is the better of the two books. Juliet is an 11-year-old girl celebrating a seasonal feast day in medieval England. It is the tedious tale of commoners seeking medicine for an ailing falcon. Both novels have afterwords explaining the historical time periods during which they take place. Both also have glossaries that are of dubious value. A leper, for example, is defined as "one suffering the disease of leprosy" with no entry for leprosy. The books emphasize historical accuracy (one chapter in Juliet contains a conversation written in authentic old English), but sacrifice plot and characterization in the process. Each story is accompanied by cheerful and informative illustrations. Advertisements for dolls representing the main characters are appended. Marginal purchases.Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TXCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Marie: Summer in the Country (Girlhood Journeys) | [] | Train |
27,444 | 2 | The finale to Naylor's Shiloh trilogy "retains the same flavorful style" of its predecessors, said PW, and favors a "high-action plot, involving dead bodies, runaway prisoners and life-and-death rescues." Ages 8-12. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc."Reads like a nail-biting mystery...Gripping and ultimately satisfying. [A] masterfully written conclusion to a sterling trilogy."-- "Booklist, " starred review; Title: Saving Shiloh (The Shiloh Quartet) | [
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27,445 | 2 | In this accurate appraisal of nighttime fear, a bona fide Bogeyman describes his terror tactics. The disembodied Bogeyman, represented as two icy-blue hands with spiky scarlet fingernails, traps a boy at bedtime. As the boy keeps his arms and legs away from the under-the-bed abyss, the monster-protagonist clears up misconceptions, insisting that he doesn't say "boo" ("Boo's a baby word, Bubbie"), and that he doesn't plan to "get ya" ("If I got ya, what would I do with ya?... My job is to scare ya. I don't want to raise ya"). The Bogey's only mistake is admitting his allergy to smelly socks, and the boy's alarmed expression turns to a sly smirk as he realizes how to banish his nemesis. YA novelist Park (Mick Harte Was Here) expertly toys with her victims. Her narrator is both coy and creepy. Likewise, Kroninger's (If I Crossed the Road) cut-paper-and-cloth collages balance humor and horror. As smiling ghosts and skeletons dance on the bedroom walls, looking like run-of-the-mill Halloween decorations, the faceless, flirtatious Bogeyman instills real fright. Varying type styles and colors emphasize key words, and amateur actors can have a blast performing the sinister monologue. The stinky-sock loophole comes at just the right moment, releasing readers into knowing laughter; still, only true skeptics should dare this before bedtime?unless adequately armed with dirty laundry. Ages 4-9. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-4-Park's Bogeyman grabs ankles, playfully tickles a child's arm while he hesitantly pokes into a dark closet in search of pajamas, and otherwise scares the pants off of nervous Nellies. However, he claims he is first and foremost a true professional who strictly abides by the terms stated in the "Official Bogeyman Contract." A recent tabloid headline, "Evil Bogeyman Bellows Boo: Boy Scouts Go Berserk," has really gotten his dander up. With a "psssssssst" he gets the attention of a wide-eyed boy on top of a bed and proceeds to whine incessantly about the slanderous publicity, sounding a lot like his wolf buddy in Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Viking, 1989). Kroninger's brightly colored paper collages are terrific and the layout, a mix of expressive typefaces with artwork that practically pops out at readers, sets just the right tongue-in-cheek tone for this giggly read-aloud. The Bogeyman's silly histrionics, full of threats, confessions, and complaints, are perfectly conveyed by the long, skinny, ice-blue arms with red fingernails that stretch out from under the bed. Rather than dispelling the notion of a bogeyman, Park and Kroninger go one better: they let children in on the secret of scaring him away for good. A special treat for Halloween, this book is also a year-round panacea for anyone who's ever been afraid of the things that go bump in the night.John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TXCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Psssst! It's Me...The Bogeyman | [
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27,446 | 2 | In this far-fetched yet engaging novel by LaFaye (Strawberry Hill; The Year of the Sawdust Man), her customary lyrical language takes a backseat to original plot twists. Ebon Jones feels like a boring misfit in his idiosyncratic and creative family of storytellers, sculptors, set designers and costumers. The boy usually acts as audience and gopher for his beloved and playful dad, but when his father has an accident while constructing the local Halloween haunted house, Ebon takes on a different role. While everyone else tries to cope with the tragedy in his or her own way, only Ebon can make contact with his dad's "spirit" and solve the puzzle to bring him back from a coma. Ebon, who is not yet a teenager, musters the courage to temporarily leave his own body behind to save his father's, in what his father later calls a "reverse seance." All the characters are quirky yet warmly believable, including Ebon's mom, who is simultaneously the pillar of the family and the sculptor of "fire-spitting" gargoyles. LaFaye creates enough curiosity about Ebon, his family and their predicament in the first couple of chapters to hook young readers into a story that is at once realistic and fanciful. Ages 8-12.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 3-6-Ebon Jones, the nine-year-old narrator, has always felt like the least exceptional member of his unusual family. His father, in particular, is an odd duck who keeps erratic hours, delights in esoteric minutiae, and involves the family in elaborate games. When Dad lapses into a coma after suffering a fall, however, it's ordinary Ebon who begins to hear him speaking, who begins to see him materializing around their house, and, strangest of all, who enables his mother and siblings to experience Dad, too. Counter to all scientific and medical expectations, perhaps thanks only to Ebon's steadfast love and overwhelming need to have his father back, the man recovers completely from his concussion. Best of all, having rejoined the family, he seems resolved to maintain closer relationships with them. LaFaye has written before about children with nonconformist parents, but this is her first attempt to do so in a contemporary setting-modern Minneapolis. Somehow, the suspension of disbelief necessary for enjoying this novel is a little more difficult than for her books set in the South some 50 years ago. Nonetheless, Dad, in Spirit is original, provocative, and ultimately joyous.Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Dad, In Spirit | [] | Validation |
27,447 | 10 | Vigorous illustrations of 1920s scenes animate this uneven melodrama, a blend of nostalgia and science fiction. Johnny, a youth wearing knickers and argyle socks, follows broadcast adventure serials. When his beloved radio gives up the ghost, Johnny takes it to an inventor for repairs. The man doesn't know much about appliances: "My specialty is time travel," he says. But he applies "a small charge of electrostatic magnetism," and the radio revives. Better yet, it now announces the news a day in advance (a la TV's Early Edition). Johnny earns his "on the spot" nickname by showing up at the scene of a bank holdup and a fire (and helping out), but the lure of easy money threatens on a day at the races ("It's not gambling... We know which horse will win," the inventor begs). Sorel, known for his New Yorker cover art, constructs an enticing cinematic world of brownstones and sepia-tinted interiors. His gestural scribbles of ink, applied in darting and sweeping zigzags, give the impression of rapid progress, while his earth-tone watercolor palette suggests budding technology. Yet the plot fails to ignite, then wraps up too neatly. The time-travel genre cliches (the boy, the eccentric inventor, the discovery, the abuse of power) recall the convoluted plots of radio shows, but Johnny's moral dilemma is solved too readily when his parents junk the "broken" Zenith and buy a Philco. Ages 5-9. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 2-5-Sorel's ebullient yet relaxed line sweeps across the pages, propping up his subdued colors and propelling this 1930s story into a splendid science-fiction adventure. Johnny, a radio devotee-especially of the "Don Winslow of the Navy" series-is distressed when his machine gives out. With the hope of getting the radio fixed, he takes it to his eccentric neighbor Mr. Zaga, an inventor who dabbles in time travel. The radio responds to a charge of "electrostatic magnetism," but not in the way the boy had imagined: now it reports tomorrow's news! With this foresight, he becomes a hero by photographing a bank robbery in action and rescuing a child trapped in a fire. The local newspaper then dubs him Johnny-on-the-Spot. Mr. Zaga, however, has bigger dreams and involves the boy in a get-rich-quick scheme at the local race track. The plan nearly backfires, giving Johnny concern about his prophetic radio. Sorel deftly ties up the story with a couple of surprise twists, providing a well-conceived ending that sits well with this lighthearted, into-the-future romp.Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Johnny on the Spot | [
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27,448 | 2 | The bouncing, methodical rhyme scheme that served Plourde well in her humorous Pig in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud and her recent Moose, of Course! works against the theme in this bedtime book. As Mother Earth repeatedly tries to put her daughter to sleep, she's met with the same reply, " 'Not for a while,' said her wild child," who comes up with a variety of stalling tactics, including a song, a snack and, of course, a kiss goodnight. Each spread offers a number of clues as to the wild child's identity, most of which are smoothly integrated into Couch's (Moonball) artwork. While he keeps the girl visibly human in face and stature, fall leaves make up her hair; and hills, streams and stones comprise Mother Earth's beautifully sensuous lines and curves as she gives her daughter the gifts of the season (e.g., a snack of "Crunchy, munchy,/ chewy chestnuts./ Plumpy, lumpy,/ pulpy pumpkins"). His subtle brushwork and golden palette convey a dusk slowly metamorphosing to nightfall. Unfortunately, the jarring closing lines, which describe the mother's kiss, end the book on an eerie note: "A gusty, blustery, twisty embrace./ A crystalish, icicle-ish,/ icebergy kiss." Couch's artwork, showing Mother Earth tucking the girl (revealed to be Autumn) into bed, softens the imagery, but readers may well be put off by the cool language for a ritual usually characterized by warmth. Ages 3-8. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.chipmunks patter..." to the last caress, "A whooshy, whirlishy,/windswept snuggle," Mother Earth tries to put her wild child, Autumn, to bed. Washes of liquid acrylic in warm browns, greens, and russets fill each double-page spread; the monumental Mother is molded from mountains with tresses of sun-streaked clouds. Autumn is attired in flaming foliage-a whirling dervish of energy. Plourde's inventive rhythm and rhyme keep step with the activity in the forests and fields. Both storytime audiences and individual readers will delight in detecting the changing form and palette used to depict Mother Earth as time passes, and they will rejoice that just as Autumn drifts off to sleep, another child appears: Winter! Pair this with Chris Van Allsburg's The Stranger (Houghton, 1986) for a program presenting intriguing fall personalities. Wild Child will go "a-swooshing" and "a-swirling" off of your shelves.Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Wild Child | [
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27,449 | 2 | Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novelMissing Mayreceived the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.; Title: Special Gifts : Ready-for-Chapters | [
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27,450 | 2 | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 135 books, including the Newbery Awardwinning Shiloh. She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To hear from Phyllis and find out more about whats in store for Alice, visit AliceMcKinley.com.; Title: Reluctantly Alice | [
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27,451 | 2 | The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books The charming stories are going to make second- and third-grade girls blissfully happy.Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.; Title: Some Good News | [
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27,452 | 1 | PreSchool-Grade 2?In Zalben's third book featuring Pearl and her little brother Avi, the children's twin cousins Sophie and Harry come to spend the eight days of Chanukah with them. Pearl is less than thrilled, but the joy of the holiday brings them all together and the visit turns out to be a success for everyone. As Pearl and her family (depicted as sheep) celebrate each night, readers are drawn into their cozy life while learning a bit about the holiday and getting ideas for craft projects, recipes, songs, and activities. The strength of this book lies in the depiction of Chanukah as a time to celebrate and enjoy the company of friends and family. The illustrations, rendered in gold leaf, colored pencils, and watercolor, are warm and appealing. The craft instructions vary in the amount of detail given, but motivated adults should be able to follow them.?EMCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 4^-8. In a companion to Pearl Plants a Tree (1995) and Pearl's Marigolds for Grandpa (1997), the family of rams celebrates Hanukkah with a visit from cousins Harry and Sophie. Interspersed between short vignettes about Pearl and her family's activities are directions for making menorahs, dreidels, and puppet shows; recipes for latkes and jelly doughnuts; a recounting of the Hanukkah legend; songs; and more. Directions are clear, but most projects will require adult assistance. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations teem with intricate details and portray a loving family engaged in typical holiday activities and occasionally annoying each other. A perfect choice for young families establishing their own traditions or as a resource for teachers in religious schools. Kay Weisman; Title: Pearl's Eight Days Of Chanukah: With A Story and Activity for Each Night | [
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27,453 | 18 | In her standard approach, combining text, realistic art and maps annotated with historical information, Harness (Ghosts of the White House) presents a spotty portrait of Mark Twain and the majestic river that inspired much of his writing. The opening history of the area surrounding the Mississippi River devolves into meandering sentences that readers may find difficult to navigate (e.g., "As far back as three thousand years ago, people in the valleys of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers were building big burial mounds, and the river people built some of North America's first cities, such as Cahokia in what is now called Illinois"). Harness sometimes strains to interweave the story of Samuel Clemens's life and career with that of the stately steamboats' heyday. The connection is initially obvious: as a youngster, Clemens watches the steamboat operators in awe?and with envy; later he works as a pilot on the Mississippi until the outbreak of the Civil War. But as Clemens's exploits take him far from its shores, the book skips haphazardly between highlights of his life, both personal and professional, and key developments on the river where steamboats were being usurped by the more efficient railroads. The twain do meet at story's end, yet the split focus makes for a fragmented narrative that gives neither the renowned novelist nor the Queens of the Mississippi their due. Harness's detailed, energetic watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations supply a vitality and focus missing from the text. Ages 6-10. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 3-5-Harness uses Mark Twain as a focus for a historical look at the Mississippi River and the steamboats that plied her waters. A double-page spread depicting the river's early users leads into a map of the Mississippi's various tributaries and the 2,348-mile journey it makes from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. In her signature style, Harness briefly describes the Mississippi's history, while surrounding images and hand-lettered information expand the presentation. When the author reaches the early 1800s, steamboats are introduced and then, in 1835, young Samuel Clemens comes on stage. Here, Harness touches on his determination to be a river pilot and his years as a newspaperman and writer, and then returns to the river and its role in the Civil War. She concludes with the decline of the steamboat and neatly ties Clemens's last years and death back to his Mississippi River days. The time period, deftly captured through dress and background details, sets the scene for a particularly warm and vivid portrayal of the famous writer. This book makes a great companion to Kathryn Lasky's biography, A Brilliant Streak (Harcourt, 1998), and to her novel Alice Rose & Sam (Hyperion, 1998), which features Sam Clemens as a major character. A fine link to the Mississippi River, to steamboats, and to Mark Twain and his books; Old Man River would be pleased.Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Mark Twain And The Queens Of The Mississippi | [
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27,454 | 1 | One beautiful summer day Lottie, a chicken, is squeezing lemons when a package arrives. It's a red-and-white polka-dotted beach towel from her Aunt Mattie with a note that says, "This might come in handy this summer." Boy, does it! Young readers will revel in the simple story of a day at the beach with absurd little twists. Lottie's friend Herbie is a duck, has a boat, and wears a hat labeled "Capitano." When he picks her up from the shore for a boat ride and the motor "gets tired and goes to sleep," they sail back with the help of the beach towel, of course. Petra Mathers, creator of Borreguita and the Coyote and Grandmother Bryant's Pocket, not only exposes the indispensable nature of one humble beach towel, she also creates a quirky story of friendship and a funny take on how one thing leads to another. In Lottie's closing letter to her aunt, she writes, "Thank you so much for my new beach towel. Without it I might be in the hospital with burnt feet or lost at sea with Herbie. There might not even have been a wedding. But let me start at the beginning." Charming illustrations and an elegant, sunny design are bound to make this winning picture book a story-time favorite. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin SnelsonIn the spirit of her Sophie and Lou, Mathers captivates readers with this unorthodox oceanside outing starring two charming feathered friends. As Lottie, a chicken, prepares for a picnic with her duck pal Herbie, a package arrives: a red-and-white polka-dotted beach towel sent by Aunt Mattie, who thought it "might come in handy." Aunt Mattie was right: by day's end the towel has, among other things, helped Lottie carry her ice cooler across the burning sand ("Hop off the towel onto the cooler. Towel, cooler, off, on... all the way down to the water"), served as a sail for Herbie's boat and provided a stylish if unconventional headdress for a bride whose veil has blown away. That night Lottie sits down to write the thank-you note to end all thank-you notes, while the towel dries on a clothesline under a starlit indigo sky. Mathers paints a portrait of a winsome heroine characterized by unflagging practical resourcefulness and bursts of romantic inspiration. She achieves this end through the expert crafting of a low-key yet humorous text and droll art. For example, in a double-spread of four panels, Mathers depicts Lottie when she first reaches the beach and challenges a wave; then as the wave sweeps her up so that only her feet show, next in a barrage of bubbles and finally the discombobulated chicken says, "Is that my foot? Silly me, it's a starfish." Mathers builds pleasingly uncluttered compositions with simple lines, flat perspectives and bright colors, using detail sparingly but whimsically (after lunch Mattie knits a lime-green three-toed sock). A sunny, summery book that captures the feel of a long, eventful day at the beach, and one that will be remembered for many seasons to come. Ages 3-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Lottie's New Beach Towel | [
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27,455 | 2 | Daddy and Me (Super Chubby); Title: Daddy and Me (Super Chubby) | [
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27,456 | 11 | Grade 1-4-A fictionalized account of a wedding in an Amish community. The story is told by the younger sister of Anna, the bride-to-be, and follows all the activities, customs, and rituals associated with the event. The author includes a few phrases in German that add to the cultural flavor of the narrative. The realistic illustrations are colorful and attractive, with the text on the opposite page surrounded by a quilt-like design border. This informative title can be used when comparing cultures within the United States, and also when discussing wedding traditions.Susan Knell, Pittsburgh State University, Pittsburgh, KSCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 5^-8. Narrated by the bride's younger sister, this picture-book account of an Amish wedding describes the exciting events that take place before, during, and after the special day. As the girl talks about the preparations and details of the ceremony, youngsters learn a great deal about the unique customs of the Amish people. Patrick's realistic illustrations, though sometimes a bit stiff, are nicely done, showing authentic Amish dress and capturing the simple grace and peaceful way of life of the people. Used with other resources, such as the two listed in the afterword and Ammon and Patrick's fiction picture book, An Amish Christmas (1996), this will give youngsters a wonderful sense of the Amish culture. Lauren Peterson; Title: An Amish Wedding | [
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27,457 | 1 | C.W. Anderson wrote and illustrated over thirty-five horse books, including the books in the popular Billy and Blaze series.; Title: Blaze and the Gray Spotted Pony (Billy and Blaze) | [
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27,458 | 13 | Kindergarten-Grade 3AIn this new entry in the series about best pals Pinky and Rex, their friendship is put to the greatest test ever. Pinky decides he wants to be an actor when he grows up and tries out for the lead in Davi, Boy of the Rain Forest. He convinces Rex to accompany him to the auditions for moral support. She isn't interested in acting at all. A big surprise awaits them when the cast list is posted. The play has been renamed Bahi, Girl of the Rain Forest, and Rex has the starring role. Pinky, who has been cast as a monkey, is angry with her. The two eventually realize that their friendship is much too valuable to lose, and Pinky tells Rex that she is good as Bahi. It is Pinky, however, who saves the performance from disaster. Howe fills the story with humorous scenes. Sweet's watercolors capture the action and complement the light mood. The ending, in which Pinky and Rex both order a hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream "Because sometimes best friends just have to have the same thing," is totally satisfying.ASuzanne Hawley, Laurel Oak Elementary School, Naples, FLCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.James Howeis the author of more than ninety books for young readers.Bunnicula, coauthored by his late wife Deborah and published in 1979, is considered a modern classic of childrens literature. The author has written six highly popular sequels, along with the spinoff seriesTales from the House of BunniculaandBunnicula and Friends.Among his other books are picture books such as Horace and Morris but Mostly Doloresand beginning reader series that include the Pinky and Rex and Houndsley and Catina books. He has also written for older readers.The Misfits,published in 2001, inspired the antibullying initiative No Name-Calling Week, as well as three sequels,Totally Joe, Addie on the Inside,andAlso Known asElvis.A common theme in James Howes books from preschool through teens is the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.; Title: Ready To Read Pinky And Rex And The School Play | [
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27,459 | 15 | Grade 4-8-The subtitle for this book modestly describes what Settel delivers with panache. Among the creatures described are swallowtail butterflies (with slimy larvae), predatory fireflies, murderous cuckoos, parasitoid wasps, regurgitating birds, and a few bloodsuckers (ticks, lice, bats, and lampreys). Chapter headings such as "Dog Mucus and Other Tasty Treats," and lovely lurid prose describing the brainwashing behavior of fluke parasites will definitely hook the book's intended prey. Vivid comparisons make the astounding facts comprehensible to young readers: "Some ticks take in so much blood, they swell to nearly four times their normal size. That's like an adult human expanding to the height of a two-story building!" The format differs from that in Theresa Greenaway's Really Fearsome Blood-loving Vampire Bats (1996) and the rest of "The Really Horrible Guides" (all DK) due to its emphasis on text over illustration, but the small, full-color photos are clear. A useful glossary defines the italicized scientific terms sprinkled throughout the text. This offering is another strike against the undeserved reputation of science books as dry, dusty tomes of little interest to children.Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MOCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Not just another gross-out book of animal oddities, this attractive volume presents its material as wondrous science instead of sensational effect. The chapter heads are a bit over the top--" Murderous Nest Mates," "Gulping Eyeballs," and so forth; but, of course, kids will love them. They'll also like the variety of unusual creatures Settel introduces in straightforward terms--whether it's the nefarious cuckoo that insinuates its young into another bird's nest or an African frog that drops its eyeballs into its mouth. Most scientific terms are explained quite clearly in the text, and a glossary is appended. Color photos, sometimes a bit too small, show each animal. The selected readings are mostly adult titles. Some children's titles would have been a good addition, as this is one of those books kids won't want to end. Stephanie Zvirin; Title: Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts About How Animals Adapt | [
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27,460 | 5 | Kindergarten-Grade 4-Aardema first related Koi's adventures in Tales from the Story Hat (Coward, 1960; o.p.). Her revision is accompanied by Cepeda's ebullient oil paintings; his vivid colors, often presented in unexpected combinations and applied thickly, add texture to the already dynamic compositions. When Koi is cheated out of his inheritance by his older brothers, he leaves his Liberian village to seek his fortune elsewhere. He carries his only legacy: a bundle of kola nuts. Along the way, the young man shares his meager resources with a snake, an army of ants, and a crocodile. Koi is, therefore, empty-handed when he arrives at the next village and is challenged to perform three tasks to earn the chief's daughter's hand (and half of his kingdom). With a little help from his friends, Koi succeeds on all counts and ruminates on a variation of the golden rule on his wedding day. Ideophones enhance the narrative, which is presented with Aardema's consummate ear for folktale rhythms and patterns. A helpful glossary provides pronunciation and background for unfamiliar words. Use this story in concert with John Steptoe's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Lothrop, 1987) to present a masculine and feminine version of goodness rewarded.Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.An irrepressible youth turns a missed opportunity into good fortune in this frenetic retelling of an African folktale from Aardema (This for That, 1997, etc.). When his father, the chief of his people, dies, Koi is out hunting and so misses the division of property among his brothers (including the distribution of ivory tusks), leaving him with a lone kola tree as his inheritance. Undeterred, Koi sees this as a chance to explore the world. On his journey, he encounters several creatures who are in need of assistance: a snake with a sick mother, a frantic army of ants fleeing the Forest Devil, and a penitent crocodile facing the wrath of the Rainmaker, whose dog he ate. Koi's kola nuts are always the answer to the desperate animals' prayers. When he comes upon the realm of Chief Fulikolli, a ragged Koi accepts the challenge of winning the hand of the chief's daughter and one half of his chiefdom. With the aid of the grateful creatures, Koi performs three seemingly impossible tasks. Laced with the liberal humor that is Aardema's hallmark, Koi's story and his sturdy spirit will draw readers in, as will the many uses of the kola nut and the lesson of doing good for others. In Cepeda's vibrant illustrations, the Liberian landscape glistens and its people dance across the page, while the last sceneof Koi as a chiefis a portrait of ebullience rewarded. (glossary) (Picture book/folklore. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia | [
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27,461 | 2 | Publishers Weekly Rylant's confident and sweet-natured girls are the kind of girls-next-door that anyone would want to know better.The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books The charming...stories are going to make second and third grade girls blissfully happy.Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novelMissing Mayreceived the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.; Title: In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen (Cobble Street Cousins) | [
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27,462 | 5 | In this sly picture book, Ada and Tryon make a return visit to the storybook backdrop of their Dear Peter Rabbit. While the sequel succeeds as a stand-alone, it offers double the fun in tandem with its predecessor. The exchange of letters among familiar charactersAGoldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, Peter Rabbit, Little Red Riding Hood, Baby Bear and, of course, the Big Bad Wolf (aka Fer O'Cious)Acontinues as the pigs invite their pals to their new, wolf-proof home for a housewarming party. The wolf, however, has been spying on the pigs, and he hatches a plan of his own, suggesting that his cousin join him in an ambush. But the wolves haven't counted on Baby Bear's mother and her swift reflexes. The mixing and matching of nursery favorites provides a lively framework for the epistolary conceit and allows even the youngest readers access to the inside track. Amusing details, meanwhile, hook older readers (Goldilocks, for instance, is imagined as Mr. McGregor's daughter, and resides on Veggie Lane). Tryon enriches her delicate pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations with an abundance of delicious visual tidbits, as in the cover art, which shows the wolf on a stakeout, peering through a telescope at his prey. The ending hints of more adventures to comeAgood news indeed. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3ALike Dear Peter Rabbit (Atheneum, 1994), this charming book tells its story through an exchange of letters. Here Ada chronicles the attempt of the three little pigs to plan a housewarming party. Meanwhile the villains from the previous title are still up to no good, spying on the residents of the forest and planning an attack on the homeward-bound guests. Fortunately, the surprise is on them and the two wolves lose both their pride and their fur. This is fairy-tale fun at its best. Following these well-loved characters on a new adventure tickles the imagination with fanciful "what ifs." Tryon's wonderfully intricate colored drawings, with their delightful details and carefully wrought scenarios, bring the action to life. Perspective plays an important role in many of the pictures, from the wolf's telescope-lens view of his victims, to an interior scene of Peter Rabbit's den. Warm colors and sharp details pull readers right into the Hidden Forest. The climactic scenes are on wordless double-page spreads that perfectly convey a sense of frivolity and fear, while the final letter leaves readers hoping for yet another installment. Get on the mailing list for these letters.ABeth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Yours Truly, Goldilocks | [
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27,463 | 1 | Pop-up books have come a long way, baby, and Chuck Murphy, creator of our all-time favorite, Color Surprises: A Pop-Up Book, and the astounding One to Ten: Pop-Up Surprises!, surely deserves some of the credit. In Black Cat, White Cat: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites, youngsters will love interacting with the myriad meowers, all displaying a state of opposites. On the first page sits a dignified, green-eyed black cat, simply labeled "Black cat." Lift the cat, fold it left, and out springs a white cat chasing after a big red ball! On another page, "High cat" perches atop a pop-up ladder, as "Low cat" slinks by below. With the simple downward tug of a tab, "Young cat" magically forms jowls and a bigger head to become "Old cat." No run-of-the-mill, two-dimensional illustrations could communicate the concept of opposites as effectively as this artful book. But even those who have already fully grasped "near and far," "day and night" won't be able to resist these nodding, leaping, prowling cats. (All ages) --Karin SnelsonA pop-out book that combines paper engineering and artwork to convey concepts that illustrations alone could not. Cats may be the ideal subjects for exploring opposites related to motion. These cats' adventures take them high and low, near and far. Murphy (Colors, 1997, etc.) creates realistic cats climbing pop-up ladders, hopping through windows, and perching on ledges. Readers pull a tab to turn a young cat into an old cat: A kitten's face fills out with the jowls of the elderly. The cat remains in place for ``day cat, night cat''; the pull-tab replaces the background of sun with stars. It's a great combination of feline antics and 3-D engineering. (Pop-up. 4-8) -- Copyright 1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.; Title: Black Cat, White Cat: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites | [
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27,464 | 1 | Gr 2-4-The Pig family is back, starring in another mathematics adventure. This book tackles the concept of probability in the perfect environment-a carnival, complete with games galore. As they enter the fair, the piglets want to go on the rides, while their parents want to start with the booths. Since they can't be in two places at once, Mr. Pig decides to flip a coin, and thus probability enters the story line. After an invigorating ride on the roller coaster, the pigs try their luck at numerous games of chance, providing lots of opportunities for discussing concepts. Like the other offerings in the series, this title is designed around the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics's Thirteen Standards, making it a useful tool in the elementary classroom. Math questions related to the story are located at the end, which are especially handy since many of the new standardized math tests combine reading and listening skills along with problem solving. The colorful ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are a bit busy, but work well with the carnival setting. The odds are high that this title will be another piggy hit.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Pigs at Odds: Fun with Math and Games (Pigs Will Be Pigs) | [
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27,465 | 15 | PreSchool-Grade 1-Arnosky uses rhyming verses to describe the activities of a mother manatee and her baby. As the story unfolds, children learn a little about the environment in which these large mammals dwell, discover what they eat, and catch a glimpse of some of the other animals that live in and along the Crystal River. A close encounter with a motorboat's propeller provides a moment of danger and an opportunity to discuss an ecological issue. Peace is restored soon after, as "Baby and mom/murmur soft sounds/as sparkling fish surround them/and the water calms down." Rendered in acrylic and acrylic washes, the paintings feature cleanly drawn, realistic images of wildlife. Each spread contains a page of text with a small picture set against a muted yellow background, and a full-page illustration bordered in the same color. An intriguing introduction to these gentle giants.Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ages 3-6. Arnosky's latest picture book for young children introduces a manatee mother and her baby as they swim in Florida's Crystal River. The sunlit watercolors create one idyllic scene after another, but there's danger on the river as well, when a motorboat roars by. The text offers information and a light narrative line, told through short lines that rhyme, or nearly rhyme: "And the things that look like boulders / in the middle of the stream/ aren't big old boulders after all. / It's a group of manatees." Though the verse stumbles at times, the visual interpretation of manatees is not only effective but also accessible to young children. Parents and preschool or primary-grade teachers looking for manatee books will be pleased to find this offering by Arnosky, an artist known for his keen observation and sensitive portrayal of the natural world. Carolyn PhelanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: A Manatee Morning | [
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27,466 | 11 | Blegvad wittily refreshes his late friend and collaborator's waggish poem about a hardworking, much-put-upon wife and her hortatory husband with this masterfully illustrated edition. As he mentions in a foreword, Blegvad models his Mary on the pen-and-ink version drawn by Bodecker himself in his nonsense collection Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear! (reissued in 1987 and still in print); Blegvad, however, works in watercolors, splendidly reproduced here with a limpid clarity. The heroine, Mary, is a reedy woman. Her nose has a shape that would not be out of place on a snowman, and her white hair is tucked tidily into a bun?at least as the verse begins. Her husband delivers all the lines: "Not a minute to be lost,/ in a minute we get frost!/ In an hour we get snow!/ Drifts like houses! Ten below!" He puts Mary through her (nonstop) paces as the rhythms escalate: "Churn the butter, smoke the hams,/ Can tomatoes, put up jams." In the company of a black cat, Mary toils inside and outside her well-appointed home, oiling snowshoes, stoking fires, attending to sometimes ludicrous tasks (she "strings the beans" by hanging them on a clothesline). With each pause in the verse, Mary sags, her hair unraveling, her shoulders stooping, but she rallies with each new volley of rhyme. Of course, the husband, lolling in a rocking chair, gets his due in the end; what readers get is an absolute treat, two consummate artists making the most of a good joke. Ages 7-up. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 4-In one of the poet's best-known nonsensical rhymes, indefatigable Mary, a slight but steady old woman, rushes about preparing the household for winter, inside and out, while her idle husband sits by and fusses about the changing season. As she toils, her wispy white hair escapes from its bun and her ire rises until she reaches the end of her rope and retaliates. Blegvad has taken the poem and turned it into a charming picture book in loving tribute to his poet friend. Using Bodecker's own clever, expressive line drawings [see Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear! And Other Nonsense Poems (McElderry, 1976)] as the basis for his illustrations, the artist has enlarged each one to a full-page watercolor painting, adding several scenes and lots of endearing details, including a ubiquitous black cat. A visual and whimsical delight.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear | [
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27,467 | 5 | In this haunting tale of unrequited love, a mandarin's beautiful daughter hears the "deep and sweet" voice of an unseen fisherman as he sings, and imagines him to be a mandarin's son in disguise. The girl pines away for him until the bewildered singer?dressed in rags and stinking of fish?is brought before her. When she sees him, she laughs at her own folly; the fisherman, however, has instantly fallen in love with her, and her laughter causes him to die of heartbreak. His heart becomes a crystal, which winds up a teacup for the mandarin's daughter; she sees in her tea the fisherman's sad eyes and repents of her thoughtlessness. Shepard (The Sea King's Daughter) paces his polished storytelling to accommodate atmospheric details (e.g., the girl sits on a bench by a moon-shaped window), although the ending feels hurried by comparison. Debut artist Fiedler reinforces the weight of the prose with densely hued paintings of almost theatrical tableaux: the girl lies listlessly on her bed, enveloped in a mosquito net that almost looks like a light flowing over her; the crystal heart glows as it is placed in the fisherman's empty boat. Despite the Vietnamese setting, this sophisticated story has much in common with Hans Christian Andersen's sorrowful romances, and its words and images will likely linger with readers. Ages 6-9. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 1-4-In this attractive retelling of a folktale from Vietnam, a young maiden of the privileged mandarin class comes to understand the results of her heartless behavior toward a poor fisherman. From her tower room overlooking the Red River, Mi Nuong hears a beautifully sung melody float up from a fishing boat. She fantasizes that the singer is young and handsome and perhaps the mandarin destined to marry her. When an old man in ragged clothes is finally brought before her, she laughs and closes the door on him-but not before he is smitten with love. He returns home to die, his wounded heart turning to crystal from the pain of her laughter. Friends set the crystal heart adrift in his boat, where Mi Nuong's father finds it and has it made into a teacup. Drinking from it, the young woman sees the fisherman's face and again hears his haunting melody. One of her tears falls into the cup, thereby releasing his soul. Fiedler's textured, impressionistic oil paintings are as spare and elegant as Shepard's retelling. Except for two double spreads, the illustrations are framed in white and placed opposite the text, which is handsomely set within ample white margins. The palette is generally subdued yet bursts forth with luminous reds and oranges, from something as small as the father's belt to the brilliant blood-orange sweep of the Red River. The art shows a significant Chinese influence. A fine selection for reading aloud or savoring alone.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Crystal Heart: A Vietnamese Legend | [
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27,468 | 7 | Haddix (Running Out of Time) chillingly imagines a dystopia in this futuristic novel. Born into a totalitarian state that brutally enforces a two-children-only policy, 12-year-old Luke Garner, an "illegal" third child, has spent his entire life hiding from anyone outside his immediate family. His troubles multiply when the government makes his dirt-poor parents sell the woods surrounding their farm in order to build a housing development for "Barons" (the privileged elite), and it therefore becomes too dangerous for Luke to go outside. Next, the Garners are hit with a crippling tax bill and ordered to sell their hogs, so Mom has to get a factory job. Luke spends every day alone, hidden in his attic room, until he meets Jen, a "shadow child" secreted in the Baron house next door. She turns his whole world upside-down, introducing him to her secret Internet chat room and giving him literature analyzing the government's repressive policies. After Jen's foolhardy rally of shadow children ends in bloodshed, Luke is faced with a decision that will irrevocably determine his fate. The plot development is sometimes implausible and the characterizations are a bit brittle, but the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep readers hooked. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 5-8-Born third at a time when having more than two children per family is illegal and subject to seizure and punishment by the Population Police, Luke has spent all of his 12 years in hiding. His parents disobeyed once by having him and are determined not to do anything unlawful again. At first the woods around his family's farm are thick enough to conceal him when he plays and works outdoors, but when the government develops some of that land for housing, his world narrows to just the attic. Gazing through an air vent at new homes, he spies a child's face at a window after the family of four has already left for the day. Is it possible that he is not the only hidden child? Answering this question brings Luke greater danger than he has ever faced before, but also greater possibilities for some kind of life outside of the attic. This is a near future of shortages and deprivation where widespread famines have led to a totalitarian government that controls all aspects of its citizens' lives. When the boy secretly ventures outside the attic and meets the girl in the neighboring house, he learns that expressing divergent opinions openly can lead to tragedy. To what extent is he willing to defy the government in order to have a life worth living? As in Haddix's Running Out of Time (S & S, 1995), the loss of free will is the fundamental theme of an exciting and compelling story of one young person defying authority and the odds to make a difference. Readers will be captivated by Luke's predicament and his reactions to it.Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Among The Hidden | [
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27,469 | 1 | Get ready to blast off with Captain Bug Rogers on an intergalactic pop-up adventure.David A. Carter is a master paper engineer and creator of the Bugs series, which has sold more than 6 million copies. Also the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Color series, featuring One Red Dot, Blue 2, 600 Black Spots, Yellow Square, and White Noise, he lives in Auburn, California, with his wife and two daughters.; Title: Bugs in Space : Starring Captain Bug Rogers | [
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27,470 | 0 | Kindergarten-Grade 1-Two simplifications of well-known cautionary tales. Instead of just watering down the stories, however, the reteller whitewashes their entire purpose, eliminating the language and charm that young children love, to say nothing of the social values. Goldilocks has three bears of indeterminate relationship or size, even though the illustrations depict them as papa, mama, and child. The time-honored order of porridge, chairs, and then up to bed is also altered. The entire text is in dialogue, yet not a single quotation mark or "said" is included. Things just happen, and Goldilocks leaves none the wiser. The Three Little Pigs continues in a similar vein. There is a lot of huffing and puffing but no message about the rewards of a good work ethic. Instead, the wolf goes head first down the chimney, but lands tail first in the pot only to get up and leave with a good-bye. The watercolor cartoons in both titles are equally styleless. Beginning readers deserve better, and librarians should not be attracted to this bland series because of the familiarity of the titles.Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Three Little Pigs | [
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27,471 | 2 | Sandra Boynton is a popular American humorist, songwriter, children’s author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated more than forty books for both children and adults, as well as more than four thousand greeting cards and four music albums. She has designed—for various companies—calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys.; Title: Snoozers : 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids | [
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27,472 | 0 | Following the "life" of a wooden doll may seem like a strangely passive way of learning American history, but it turns out to be a remarkably gripping approach. In the course of her first hundred years, the peddler-carved doll Hitty travels from Boston to India, is abandoned for years in an attic, is shipwrecked in the South Seas, meets President Abe Lincoln, and at one point lives with a snake charmer. Seen through her hand-painted eyes, the 19th-century world is a miraculous and usually wonderful place, with some mysteries never to be fathomed. Rachel Fields wrote this Newbery Medal-winner in 1929; 70 years later Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers did what to some is the unthinkable: they adapted the classic. In their defense, they did a gorgeous job and did in fact give Hitty a much-needed new lease on life. As Wells says in her note to the reader, "no one I spoke to had actually read Hitty in at least thirty years, and that seemed a real shame."Of course, as in any adaptation, something of the original is lost. Wells even makes a few significant changes to the story. But purists take note: Wells has the utmost respect for the importance of Hitty, and Susan Jeffers's richly imagined illustrations are definitely worthy of this classic. Don't let another hundred years slip by without reading this gem! (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie CoulterField's 1930 Newbery Medal-winning classic about a doll with a taste for adventure gets resized, relocated and redecorated in this handsome storybook adaptation. As in Field's version, this Hitty begins her memoirs in 1829 Maine as an old peddler carves her out of a piece of mountain ash from Kilkenny, Ireland. Mountain-ash wood, Hitty confides, is said to bring luck and to have "power against mischief"; indeed, as Hitty travels from owner to owner, she emerges from some precarious spots (a shipwreck in the South Seas, a gutter in Bombay). Wells adjusts the prose for '90s sensibilities (e.g., there are no longer any "heathens" or "savages," and whaling is said to "seem cruel and heartless, [but] at the time it was necessary. She parts company with Field altogether in creating different adventures for Hitty: her Hitty goes South during the Civil War, crosses paths with a freed slave and, many episodes later, ends up not in a shop, awaiting new destinations (as in the original), but as the prize possession of that former slave's granddaughter. Jeffers (who with Wells reprised Lassie Come Home) will surely captivate readers of all ages with her lustrous color art. Loosely reminiscent of early-20th-century illustrators like Jessie Willcox Smith, Jeffers's paintings have an appropriately nostalgic feel. The large trim size, elegant design and a layout that offers illustrations on every page add to a volume that is as charming as its subject. Ages 6-12. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Rachel Field's Hitty: Her First Hundred Years | [
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27,473 | 2 | Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously popular Frindle. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he has been nominated for a multitude of state awards,including two Christopher Awards and an Edgar Award. His popular works include About Average, Troublemaker, Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money, and more. He is also the author of the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series. He lives with his wife in Maine and has four grown children. Visit him at AndrewClements.com.; Title: Big Al | [
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27,474 | 2 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was first published in 1972, catapulting a lovable, if peevish, young hero into the world of children's literature. Since then, Judith Viorst--mother of three boys, one of whom is named Alexander--has created two more Alexander books, Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday and Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move.This wonderful Alexander-fest features the complete tales, illustrated by Ray Cruz and Robin Preiss Glasser, much to the delight of fans who want to introduce Alexander to the uninitiated. Viorst says that she has been writing always--"or at least since I was seven or eight, when I composed an ode to my dead parents, both of whom were alive and well and, when they read my poem, extremely annoyed." If you've ever gone to sleep with gum in your mouth or dropped your sweater in the sink while the water was running, you'll be able to relate to Alexander, and so will your favorite kids. (Ages 4 to 8)Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey and has lived in Washington, DC, since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. A graduate in 1981 of the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, Viorst writes in many different areas: science books, childrens chapter and picture booksincluding the belovedAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,which has sold some four million copies; adult fiction and nonfiction including theNew York Timesbestseller,Necessary Losses; poetry for children and adults; and four musicals. Her most recent books of poetry includeWhat Are You Glad About? What Are You Mad About?and Nearing Ninety.; Title: Absolutely, Positively Alexander | [
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27,475 | 0 | The premise of Hughes's (Family Pose) novel, the disillusionment of two idealistic boys one American, the other German who idealistically insist on hurrying into battle during WWII, proves more compelling than the somewhat uneven plotting and character development. The author effectively portrays the motivations of Hitler Youth leader Dieter, from his nascent aspirations at 10 to the brainwashed zealotry in the name of Hitler that leads him to lobby to be sent into combat at the age of 15. However, the back story describing the motivation of 17-year-old Spence, a Utah Mormon who joins the Airborne paratroopers to prove his toughness to the folks back home (especially one disinterested girl), feels cursory. The pace of the narrative quickens as the boys each experience the gut-wrenching and haphazard realities of war that challenge their starry-eyed, patriotic notions. Though some readers will find a few passages overblown (e.g., "None of this seemed like the stuff Spence had seen in the movies") and Spence's religious epiphany which leads to his rather convenient connection to Dieter implausible, others will appreciate this realistically harrowing depiction of the pointlessness of war. Ages 10-14.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 7-9-Parallel stories follow teenagers Spence Morgan, a farm boy from Utah, and Dieter Hedrick, a farm boy from Bavaria. Stirred by complex feelings of patriotism and adolescent insecurities, both young men find themselves fighting for their respective countries in World War II. The first part of the story follows Spence from his small-town life to the rigors of basic training as a paratrooper; Dieter has left his family in order to supervise other Hitler youth, digging trenches on the German border. Then suddenly, both teens are thrust into the chaos and carnage of the Battle of the Bulge. Dieter has his eyes opened somewhat by a disillusioned and embittered corporal in his unit. Spence learns of war's truths when his best friend dies. The novel comes alive in these final chapters, capturing the soldiers' struggles to stay warm and to overcome their fear, and the battle scenes place readers in the center of the action. Hughes doesn't flinch from describing the devastating effect of a bullet. Soldier Boys rises above the clichs of standard World War II stories and serves as a reminder that wars are often fought by young people like those we see every day in our libraries.Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, ILCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Soldier Boys | [
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27,476 | 5 | Basing his latest effort on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, DeLuise manages to despoil the original work of its mystery and turn it into a platform for ham-handed moralizing (the lessons: the best things in life are free, and feeling happy inside is what really counts). The author spends virtually the first third of the book spinning out an elaborate premise of how a king and his kingdom go from rags to riches; while this provides plenty of fodder for Santoro's exuberant comic talents, there's no reason why this story couldn't have started with everyone already rich. As overstuffed as the book feels, however, it's also missing something?namely, the funny, smart-alecky narrative winks and asides that have given other DeLuise and Santoro collaborations (notably King Bob's New Clothes) a junior version of sophistication. But Santoro's exaggerated characterizations are replete with honkable noses and eyes that might roll as easily as marbles, and few artists can orchestrate the kind of visual wit that brims in his depictions of excess. Two recipes cap the book, and the endpapers offer music, by Shelley Tenzer, for the nightingale's song. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 2?In this reworking of Andersen's fairy tale, the fortunes of an isolated kingdom are changed when gold is discovered. Soon the people have built two roads (to Hither and Yon) and a big resort called the "Golden Rainbow." King Lucky should be happy, since he "got richer and richer, and real famous, like Big Time!" But of course, "inside, you know, where it really counts" he isn't happy at all. Only the song of a nightingale can improve his spirits, but the captured bird refuses to sing and its mechanical replacement wears out. Times are tough for the king until the little bird returns and he understands her need to be free. The conversational tone and the crass modernizations detract from the original tale. Santoro's antic watercolors have cartoon charm, but are undistinguished. Two recipes (Bird in a Cage of Bread and Court Jester Cookies) and a version of the nightingale's song can't save this flat offering.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Dom DeLuise's The Nightingale | [
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] | Test |
27,477 | 2 | Grade 1-3-In this addition to the series, Howe shows his keen understanding of the struggle children go through when learning to balance peer relationships with feelings of jealousy and anger. Rex, who has always felt like part of her best friend Pinky's family, is excited about going on their traditional pumpkin-picking weekend with Pinky's grandparents, his little sister, and his cousin Abby. However, Rex soon discovers that something is different this year. Abby refuses to talk to her, makes fun of her, and continually makes her feel left out. That night, someone smashes the jack-o'-lantern that Grandpa had carved. In the morning, the culprit is revealed, along with Rex's and Abby's feelings. Howe's realistic portrayal of Abby's exclusionary tactics and Rex's jealousy, coupled with Sweet's supportive watercolor paintings, make for a believable tale. The understanding grandparents set the stage for the children to resolve their conflicts and take another step toward maturity. This sensitive story is a must for early chapter-book collections and is perfect for all seasons. It will provide solace to readers as they struggle with the realities of growing up.Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, IDCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.James Howeis the author of more than ninety books for young readers.Bunnicula, coauthored by his late wife Deborah and published in 1979, is considered a modern classic of childrens literature. The author has written six highly popular sequels, along with the spinoff seriesTales from the House of BunniculaandBunnicula and Friends.Among his other books are picture books such as Horace and Morris but Mostly Doloresand beginning reader series that include the Pinky and Rex and Houndsley and Catina books. He has also written for older readers.The Misfits,published in 2001, inspired the antibullying initiative No Name-Calling Week, as well as three sequels,Totally Joe, Addie on the Inside,andAlso Known asElvis.A common theme in James Howes books from preschool through teens is the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.; Title: Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin (Pinky & Rex) | [
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27,478 | 14 | Goethe (1749-1832) is celebrated as a great German poet, novelist, and philosopher. But in his eyes, color theory was his most significant achievement. In 1810 Goethe published Farbenlehre, naming three primary colors--red, blue, and yellow--from which all other colors could be made, and claiming that each color had an opposite, or complementary, color. But how does this relate to well-loved artist Eric Carle's Hello, Red Fox? Well, it's like this. On his special birthday, Little Frog's friends--Red Fox, Purple Butterfly, Orange Cat, and others--begin to arrive at his house for a party. Imagine Mama Frog's surprise when she perceives Red Fox as green, Purple Butterfly as yellow, and so on. Each time, Little Frog gently points out that she simply hasn't stared at each animal long enough to see his or her "true color."At the beginning of the book, readers are instructed to stare for ten seconds at the boldly colored animal on the left side of the spread, then transfer their unblinking gaze (more like glaze at this point) to the blank white page on the right. If they do that successfully, a shadowy image of the animal appears in its complementary color! Young kids may think this is magic, but actually the phenomenon taking place between the eye and the brain is called "simultaneous contrast after-image." No matter what you call it, it's amazing and fun to behold! The story itself is simple and deliberately repetitive, appealing to very young children, but the optical illusions will be a hit with all ages. Carle's bold collage illustrations are perfect for this playful spin around the color wheel, which ends with the green Little Frog turning red when Mama Frog kisses him in front of all of his friends. (Ages 4 to 8). Karin SnelsonPreSchool-Grade 6AAn introduction to the concept of complementary or opposite colors, cloaked in a story of a birthday party. Little Frog describes his animal guests to his mother, but none of them seem to be the color he attributes to themAuntil readers stare at each of them for 10 seconds and then look at the pure-white facing page for 3 seconds. Then, Red Fox, seen as green in the large, clear illustration against a stark white background, appears red. Orange Cat, depicted as blue on the left, turns the appropriate color when the same procedure is followed. The problem is that the mechanics required to illustrate the principle and make the story work are too burdensome for preschoolers. Even older children may not have the patience or interest to sit still and repeat the necessary visual exercise all nine times it takes to complete the story, and the thin plot will hold little interest for them. Carle's many fans will no doubt pick up this book, but they are likely to tire of it quickly.ADiane Janoff Queens Borough Public Library, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Hello Red Fox (The World of Eric Carle) | [
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27,479 | 11 | In love with a beautiful girl, but too shy to tell her, a young man leaves his camp in frustration. One night he receives mystical visitors who offer him a special gift -- a love flute. A gift from the birds and animals, its tells the girl of his love where words have failed.Paul Goblehas received wide acclaim for his magnificent books, includingBuffalo Woman, Dream Wolf, Her Seven Brothers,and the winner of the 1979 Caldecott Medal,The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.Commenting on his work inBeyond the Ridge,Horn Book Magazinesaid, "striking elements synthesize the graphics with the narrative and spiritual aspects of the text." TheNew York Times Book Reviewnoted that his technique is "a marriage of authentic design and contemporary artistry, and it succeeds beautifully." Paul Goble's most recent book for Bradbury Press,I Sing for the Animals,was called "a lovely, small book that movingly conveys profound belief in the goodness of creation" byKirkus Reviews,andSchool Library Journalsaid it "fits as easily in the hand as Goble's meditations about the natural world do in the heart."; Title: Love Flute (Aladdin Picture Books) | [
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27,480 | 1 | Jack London (18761916) was a prolific American novelist and short story writer. His most notable works include White Fang, The Call of the Wild, and The Sea-Wolf. He was born in San Francisco, California.; Title: The Call of the Wild (Scribner Classics) | [
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27,481 | 1 | David A. Carter is a master paper engineer and creator of the Bugs series, which has sold more than 6 million copies. Also the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Color series, featuring One Red Dot, Blue 2, 600 Black Spots, Yellow Square, and White Noise, he lives in Auburn, California, with his wife and two daughters.; Title: Birthday Bugs: A Pop-up Party by David A. Carter (David Carter's Bugs) | [
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27,482 | 2 | David A. Carter is a master paper engineer and creator of the Bugs series, which has sold more than 6 million copies. Also the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Color series, featuring One Red Dot, Blue 2, 600 Black Spots, Yellow Square, and White Noise, he lives in Auburn, California, with his wife and two daughters.; Title: Bed Bugs: A Pop-up Bedtime Book | [
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27,483 | 1 | Creators of novelty formats for other holidays now approach the Festival of Lights. David A. Carter presents Chanukah Bugs: A Pop-up Celebration. Each spread features a flap designed to resemble a gift box, one for each of the eight nights. Among the pop-up "presents": a Dizzy Dreidel Bug that spins and Menorah Bugs "lit" by silver-paper flames. Ages 3-7.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-K-Just when we thought every kind of bug imaginable had popped out from a box, along come the "Shammash Bug," the "Dizzy Dreidel Bug" (that spins on a straw when he pops up), sizzling "Potato Latke Bugs" in a skillet, and more. Carter is in good form, combining humor with handsome graphics and impressive paper engineering.-S. P.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Chanukah Bugs: A Pop-up Celebration (Bugs in a Box Books) | [
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27,484 | 0 | Marcia Sewall'schildren's books have been among theNew York TimesBest Illustrated, the ALA Notables, andSchool Library JournalandBooklistbest books of the year. Her illustrations have been selected for exhibition by the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Bratislava International Biennale. She is a lifelong resident of New England.; Title: People of the Breaking Day (Aladdin Picture Books) | [
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27,485 | 0 | PreS--Eye-captivating and expressive board books for infants. One or two words are paired with full-color close-up photos of a multiethnic cast of babies. In Baby Faces, emotions are directly linked to facial expressions with such simple terms as "yucky," "yum-yum," and "uh-oh." What's on My Head? presents a variety of colorful items--such as a red fire hat, a stuffed toy puppy, and a green velvet froggy--plopped squarely on top of each child's head. These first books are sure to entice future readers with interesting sights and sounds.Selene S. Vasquez, Orange Brook Elementary School, Hollywood, FLCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Margaret Miller is the author and photographer of many books for children. My Five Senses was chosen as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" in 1995, and was a Booklist "Editor's Choice" selection for 1994. Her Look Baby series has been raved about in Publisher's Weekly and Parenting Magazine.; Title: What's On My Head? (Look Baby! Books) | [
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27,486 | 1 | Eureka! The team from television's Blue's Clues may have found a cure for the common messy room. In this sturdy board book, polka-dotted puppy Blue and her ever-perky human helper Steve play a clever game of hide-and-seek. Lurking under this faade of fun is the fact that this game can help improve concentration skills. Children memorize the toys that have erupted all over the colorful playroom floor (a scenario sure to strike a familiar chord), and when the lights go out, Blue puts one back into the basket. Now the reader must figure out which toy is missing. It's a game parents may even want to stage in their own homes, since it is enjoyable, challenging, and has a major added benefit--luring unsuspecting kids into cleaning up their rooms. (Baby to preschool); Title: Lights On! Lights Off! (Blue's Clues) | [
27688,
27794
] | Train |
27,487 | 0 | Ages 2-6. "A black baby Jesus--Hallelujah !" That's the refrain in this joyful picture book that celebrates the birth of Christ with short, vivid, chanting lines and bright, rhythmic, color-block paintings in a style reminiscent of Jacob Lawrence. Everyone in the pictures is black--the Holy Family, the shepherds, the three kings bearing gifts--and the dramatic words and geometric pictures set the people in a universe of brilliant colors, elemental shapes, and powerful movement. Inside the stable there's "A toss of hay, / A fold of blanket, / A sky-blue scarf, / and a black baby Jesus." Outside are green hills, a purple sky, a slate-gray donkey, a red velvet canopy, and a host of angels in many colors presiding over the splendor. The text is great for reading aloud, and the pictures will appeal to the felt-board crowd, as well as to a more sophisticated audience. Saint James' illustrations for Karen English's Neeny Coming, Neeny Going (1996) won her a Coretta Scott King Honor, and here again she expresses a universal theme with a childlike simplicity. Hazel RochmanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedW. Nikola-Lisa is the author of numerous children's picture books, including Storm, illustrated by Michael Hays, No Babies Asleep, illustrated by Peter Palagonia, and Till Year's Good End, illustrated by Christopher Manson.The idea for Hallelujah! came to Mr. Nikola-Lisa while he was doing research for Till Year's Good End, a book explaining the medieval labors of the months. As he perused several medieval images of the infant Jesus, the majority of which depicted a fair-skinned child, Mr. Nikola-Lisa began to wonder how people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds both portrayed and celebrated this icon of the Christian faith.Mr. Nikola-Lisa and his family live in Chicago, Illinois.; Title: Hallelujah: A Christmas Celebration | [
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27,488 | 2 | PreSAEye-captivating and expressive board books for infants. One or two words are paired with full-color close-up photos of a multiethnic cast of babies. In Baby Faces, emotions are directly linked to facial expressions with such simple terms as "yucky," "yum-yum," and "uh-oh." What's on My Head? presents a variety of colorful itemsAsuch as a red fire hat, a stuffed toy puppy, and a green velvet froggyAplopped squarely on top of each child's head. These first books are sure to entice future readers with interesting sights and sounds.ASelene S. Vasquez, Orange Brook Elementary School, Hollywood, FLCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Margaret Miller is the author and photographer of many books for children. My Five Senses was chosen as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" in 1995, and was a Booklist "Editor's Choice" selection for 1994. Her Look Baby series has been raved about in Publisher's Weekly and Parenting Magazine.; Title: Baby Faces (Look Baby! Books) | [
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27,489 | 3 | From the start of this cheerful cumulative tale, Ernst (Bubba and Trixie) gives youngsters crowded spreads chock-a-block with amusing particulars. Cereal spills from an overturned box, macaroni tumbles out of the cupboard and a marmalade-hued cat takes refuge in the arms of Stella Louella's father as the girl feverishly tears apart the kitchen in search of her missing library book?due by five o'clock that day. She consults her brother, Sam, who left it by the mailbox, which leads her to their letter carrier, who picked it up with the mail and left it at the house on the corner. He then joins the growing search party, which continues to increase as each person Stella queries directs her to someone else. The parade eventually winds its way to the library with just five minutes to go, where the kind librarian announces she had already found the book?on a bench outside the building. Aside from the bustling cartoon artwork, what distinguishes this rather predictable tale is the spectrum of voices Ernst works into her narrative. Each character chimes in a reaction to the book based on his or her occupation or interest and simultaneously offers clues to its identity. The back cover and front flap carry a clever rubber stamp-like message: "Whatever you do, don't lose this book!" Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 2-"On Saturday morning, Stella's library book disappeared, as if in a magic act." So begins this rollicking tale of visual clues and reader anticipation as a cavalcade of characters retrace their steps throughout town in order to locate the child's book. Clues to the name of the missing title are cleverly concealed in the dialogue and pictures, making this a great story for reading out loud. The search party eventually winds up at what appears to be a dead end-a bench at the corner of Tenth and Walnut. However, this happens to be right in front of the library, so Stella and crew walk inside to break the news to the librarian, whom, they discover, has the book. The day is saved. From the front cover of a library card and date-due slips to the fly papers of packed bookshelves to the borders of due-date labels framing each page, this book exudes the familiarities of readers and libraries. Ernst's homey illustrations, rendered in soft pastels and pencils, are in perfect unison with the lively tone of the story. Children will enjoy studying each page for clues and hidden jokes. Order two copies-one for reading out loud (try pairing it with Suzanne Williams's Library Lil [Bantam, 1993] for a fun literary duo) and one for constant checkout.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, N.-- for a fun literary duo) and one for constant checkout.Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Stella Louella's Runaway Book | [
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27,490 | 15 | Winter's first snowflakes have arrived, and as they dance to earth with the lingering autumn leaves, a bundled-up family and their pet Scottie head outdoors to celebrate the world being transformed. "Where oh where do the leaves all go/ when winter comes and the cold winds blow?" begins Van Laan's (So Say the Little Monkeys) poetic text. Similarly phrased questionsDall with this lilting refrainDprompt a variety of rhyming answers. Caterpillars, for instance, retreat "Inside their cocoons,/ so tightly wound,/ waiting for spring/ to bring green to the ground." Even the family's red-cheeked child has a cozy haven from the ever-deepening snow in "a warm, warm bed/ .../ snuggling deep, fast asleep." Gaber (Pierre's Dream) uses a textured, antique-looking background for her wintry skies with a hint of holly berry-red and pine-green shades, and frames her nature scenes from a variety of viewpoints. Her characters' bright faces and vibrant outer vestments offer warm relief from the frigid winter scenery. Ages 2-7. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2-This lilting book celebrates the onset of winter: "Where oh where do the leaves all go/when winter comes and the cold winds blow?" This question is repeated for flowers, caterpillars, songbirds, field mice, deer, and fish. The rhyming answers use simple and accessible language. Gaber's exuberant acrylic paintings show a child, mother, father, and dog taking a walk through the woods during a snowfall. The use of perspective in the illustrations unifies the book, as broad landscapes appear on the question pages, while close-ups of the family and the animals and plants being discussed appear on the pages with the answers. Through both words and pictures, this book conveys a sense of joy in the changing seasons. From the title page showing the characters bundling up to go outside, to the cozy views of field mice and deer cuddling close for warmth, to the final spread where the child has been tucked into a warm bed, this simple story is the literary equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day.Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: When Winter Comes | [
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36... | Test |
27,491 | 2 | Helen Oxenbury is the renowned illustrator of many classic picture books, including Were Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. Ms. Oxenbury lives with her husband, illustrator John Burningham, in North London.; Title: Say Goodnight (Oxenbury Board Books) | [
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27,492 | 1 | Gr 2-5-Through text and photos, Markle's presentation succinctly describes the birth, physical growth, and education of three gray wolf cubs during the several seasons that it takes them to mature to adulthood. The brief narrative is written in fairly simple language and is interesting enough to share with young children who may be unable to read it themselves. In covering only the basics of the animal's life cycle and habits, this title will be useful as supplemental material for reports. Excellent color photos show the canine family close up as the cubs play, hunt, nurse, and learn to contribute to life in the pack. A short glossary and pronunciation guide also serves as an index. Kay Winters's Wolf Watch (S & S, 1997), an even simpler introduction to this species, describes the cubs' first few months of life in a short, poetic text and has exceptional, realistic color paintings. Jalma Barrett's Wolf (Blackbirch, 2000) is a short, but more thorough introduction to the species on a slightly more difficult level. Michael Dahl's The Wolf (Capstone, 1997) also offers more detailed information. Neither of these latter books narrows in on one wolf pack.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr. 2-4. Markle offers a close-up look at wolf pups in this slender volume from the series that includes Growing Up Wild: Bears (2000). Beginning with the wolves' birth, she remarks on their habits and physical features as well as their growth, play, and learning. The text works well with the often striking full-color photos that illustrate the book. The cubs may look cuddly in some of the photos, but they're clearly carnivorous in others, and that visual candor matches Markle's scientific detachment in reporting details of wolf behavior. A good addition to this inviting series. Carolyn PhelanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Growing Up Wild: Wolves | [
61573
] | Train |
27,493 | 0 | David A. Carter is a master paper engineer and creator of the Bugs series, which has sold more than 6 million copies. Also the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Color series, featuring One Red Dot, Blue 2, 600 Black Spots, Yellow Square, and White Noise, he lives in Auburn, California, with his wife and two daughters.; Title: Giggle Bugs: A Lift-and-Laugh Book (Bugs in a Box Books) | [
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] | Train |
27,494 | 1 | Ages 2-5. Jesse Bear is back in another infectiously jubilant book in the Jessie Bear series. There's no hibernating for this little bear: he's all eyes, ears, nose, and paws as he explores the delights of Christmas, and his emotions are as pure and unconstrained as any toddler's. Carlstrom captures it all perfectly, always maintaining a child-centered focus. Jesse finds Christmas in watching and helping his family decorate the tree, baking cookies with his mother and grandmothers, and hearing the sweet sounds of Christmas music. He feels Christmas in the warmth of his family's love. Degen's artwork is full of child appeal, whether he's picturing energetic Jesse skating, running, or flinging sprinkles in the air, or more quiet scenes of Jesse embraced by his parents. A winner. Shelley Townsend-HudsonCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Where is Christmas, Jesse Bear? | [
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27,495 | 2 | Hilary McKay is the award-winning author ofLove to Everyone,Binny Bewitched(which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year andreceived two starred reviews),Binny in Secret(which received three starred reviews),Binny for Short(which received four starred reviews), and six novels about the Casson family:Saffys Angel,Indigos Star, Permanent Rose,Caddy Ever After,Forever Rose, andCaddys World. She is also the author ofWishing for Tomorrow, the sequel to Frances Hodgson BurnettsA Little Princess. Hilary lives with her family in Derbyshire, England. Visit her at HilaryMcKay.co.uk.; Title: Dog Friday | [
7061
] | Train |
27,496 | 2 | Wright-Frierson's (A Desert Scrapbook) love of nature and talent as a watercolorist shine forth in this peaceful portrait of life on a barrier island off the coast of southern North Carolina. During their last week of vacation on the island, the artist narrator and her daughter rise at dawn to paint the sunrise over the salt marsh. They then walk past mudflats, through a lush maritime forest to a rainwater pond and over grass-covered sand dunes to the ocean beach. Along the way, the pair spies fiddler crabs, a heron, pelicans, egrets and bottlenose dolphins. With an assemblage of pencil sketches, spot drawings, simulated photos and hand-written notes, the double-page spreads indeed have the look of a scrapbook. Flashbacks (to a summer hurricane, to an unexpected visit by an alligator) add a dash of action to the sleepy text, which occasionally meanders (as when the narrator recalls discovering false teeth on the sand and comments, "I have heard of people losing them overboard when they get seasick"). The author issues some environmental warnings (e.g., Amy makes a list of "things that wreck the beach"), and the book offers inviting ideas about creating art and crafts from found beach objects. But the graceful graphics are the real standout and are what readers will remember most about their island tour. Ages 6-up. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3?Another splendid picture book by the author and illustrator of A Desert Scrapbook (S & S, 1996), this time focusing on a North Carolina barrier island. Perfectly suited to being read aloud, the first-person narrative describes what Wright-Frierson and her young daughter observe during a September day spent exploring the island where they spend the summer. Torn-out notebook pages containing snippets of information; sketches and paintings of plants and wildlife; and photolike pictures alternate with scenes of the mother and daughter walking on the beach, lunching on the dock, and gazing out at the open ocean. The accurately rendered, muted watercolors and pencil drawings on glossy paper present a vivid portrait of island ecology and convey the author's keen sense of observation. The combination of text and artwork gives readers an appealing picture of barrier island plant and animal life, both on the dunes and in the maritime forest. A carefully detailed look at a unique ecosystem, sensitively described and beautifully rendered.?Michele Snyder, Chappaqua Public Library, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: An Island Scrapbook: Dawn to Dusk on a Barrier Island | [
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26650,
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] | Test |
27,497 | 1 | David A. Carter, paper engineer extraordinaire, is back with more pop-up bugs! Fans of The 12 Bugs of Christmas, Alpha Bugs, Love Bugs, and the other silly pop-ups in Carter's insect series, will be delighted at the new surprises in store with Easter Bugs. "Spring has sprung and left winter behind. How many Easter Bugs can you find?" Who's in the dip-dyed rainbow egg? How about the egg with baby blue dots? The jeweled egg? The purple peekaboo egg? Inside each brightly decorated egg waits a new bug, unlike any you'll ever see in nature (unless genetic engineering goes awry). There's the fluffy yellow Chick-Chick Bug, with touchable fleecy soft fur. And some shiny silver Raindrop Bugs. There's even a bucktoothed Bunny Bug with turquoise spots. For a spectacular finale, Carter constructs a basket full of every insect depicted. Kids will have a grand old time guessing what kind of creepy-crawly critter lies behind each egg. Here's one delicious Easter treat that won't cause cavities! (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie CoulterCarter (The 12 Bugs of Christmas) gussies up his tried-and-true format in this pert pop-up, this time concealing his whimsical "bugs" behind Easter egg-shaped flaps. "Who's in the ruby red speckled egg?" asks the text on the first spread; pull down the flap of the speckled egg on the facing page and out slides a tulip-shaped "magenta Blooming Bug" behind three tall pop-up leaves. Carter's creations reflect spring: readers can stroke a fluffy yellow "Chick-Chick Bug" or admire the foil overlays on "shiny silver Raindrop Bugs." On the last spread, all the bugs appear in an elaborate pop-up basket of woven cardstock. The small, fits-in-a-basket size contributes to the considerable gift appeal. Ages 2-5.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Easter Bugs : A Springtime Pop-up by David A Carter | [
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... | Train |
27,498 | 1 | With outlandish illustrations that playfully contradict the rhyming text, this sequel to Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers boldly asserts that "pandas don't pole vault/ And camels don't sing/ And you won't find a chipmunk who'll ever be king," etc. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) rCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Chimps Don't Wear Glasses | [
28014
] | Train |
27,499 | 0 | Elizabeth Silbaugh is a freelance writer and the author of Let's Play Cards. A former teacher and children's book editor, she still spends much of her time working in schools. She comes from a long line of Raggedy Ann lovers -- her grandmother introduced her to Raggedy Ann storybooks. She lives in Sitka, Alaska, with her husband and two baby daughters, Nina and Lucy.; Title: Raggedy Ann's Tea Party Book (Raggedy Ann and Andy) | [
352,
28132,
54922
] | Train |
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