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27,800 | 16 | Two books in the Slide 'N' Seek series by Chuck Murphy also feature sliding covers and pages. In Colors, children slide open a color square to discover an animal associated with that color. For example, a red square with different shaped circles provides clues to the ladybug hidden underneath; an orange striped square slides open to reveal a tiger. In Counting, a large numeral accompanies the number spelled out on each page. Youngsters slide open the numeral five to discover five jeweled rings and underneath 10, the last page, are 10 blocks with the numbers 1-10, so they can review the numbers all over again. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Colors (Slide 'N' Seek, 1) | [
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27,801 | 0 | 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: Screaming Mummies of the Pharaoh's Tomb II (Tales From the House of Bunnicula) | [
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27,802 | 3 | David Lewman has written more than sixty-five books starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, the Fairly OddParents, G.I. Joe, the Wild Thornberrys, and other popular characters. He has also written scripts for many acclaimed television shows. David lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Donna, and their dog, Pirkle.; Title: Joke Book | [
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27,803 | 2 | In the third installment of Haddix's series about a futuristic society in which families are forbidden to have more than two children, Nina, a secondary character in Among the Impostors, is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned by the Population Police. Her interrogator gives her an ultimatum: either she can get three other child prisoners, illegal third-borns like Nina, to reveal who harbored them and where they got their fake identification cards, or she will be executed. Nina sees a chance to escape the prison (which seems rather convenient at the time) and, taking the prisoners with her, quickly discovers their street smarts. But when their food supply runs out, Nina seeks the boy she knew as Lee (the series' original protagonist). Haddix expertly describes the impact of Nina's upbringing in hiding (she doesn't know how to swim; the sound of students laughing loudly reminds her of the first time she overheard children playing outside and could not join them). As with the last book, there are dense revelations at the end (including an explanation of Nina's ease in escaping prison), and some of them may test readers' willingness to suspend disbelief. Even so, the author delivers more than enough suspense to keep fans hooked and to intrigue new recruits as well. Ages 9-14.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Grade 5-9-Haddix continues her science fiction dystopian tale about illegal third children in this sequel to Among the Hidden (1998) and Among the Imposters (2001, both S & S). Nina is imprisoned by the Population Police for being an illegal child. She is given the opportunity to save herself by spying on the other three children who are in the jail cell with her. Nina finds herself both drawn to them and fearful for her own life. When she has a chance to escape, she decides to take them with her and is surprised at their survival skills as they fend for themselves in the wild. Then, Nina is captured again. This time, though, she has an even harder decision to make-will she put her life in danger in order to save her friends? In a surprising ending, Nina finds that the children she rescued and the man from the Population Police who arrests her the second time are part of a group dedicated to saving third children like herself. While the book could stand alone, it is much more interesting and meaningful when read after the two previous volumes. As a character, Nina is well drawn and believable but it is the agonizing moral decisions that she must make that elevate the book beyond the average tale. Haddix is a superb storyteller and her view of a future world short of food that allows only two children per family is both scary and plausible.Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TXCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Among the Betrayed (Shadow Children) | [
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27,804 | 0 | New York's Brooklyn is a wondrous composite of legends and history. Settled in 1636, Brooklyn has attracted a wide variety of ethnic groups over the centuries, and the resulting diversity in style and culture gives Brooklyn a flavor all its own. Brooklyn Pops Up was created to celebrate the special spirit of this place. From the Brooklyn Bridge to the Grand Army Plaza to Coney Island, a dozen illustrators and paper engineers such as Maurice Sendak, Robert Sabuda, Carla Dijs, and David A. Carter bring the magic of Brooklyn to vibrant life. Giant green leaves in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden fold back to reveal happy frolicking critters--a honey-sucking bee, a nut-nibbling squirrel, and several hide-and-seeking children. The Prospect Park Carousel bursts out of the pages, with ecstatic children riding marvelously decorated horses. Even the cover boasts an interactive scene by Sendak; readers slide a flap from side to side to make famous Brooklynite Walt Whitman emerge from his own book, while two children clutch it affectionately. Each two-page spread includes a few paragraphs about the subject at hand: Learn the strange, ill-fated history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Discover how the beautiful, quintessential Brooklyn brownstones came into existence.Whether from Brooklyn or Borneo, readers will enjoy lifting flaps and popping open pages in order to visit this city of stories. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter; Title: Brooklyn Pops Up | [
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27,805 | 0 | In 1744, John Newbery started a bookshop in London and hung out a sign reading "Juvenile Library." Over 200 years later, while attending an American Library Association conference, a book publisher named Frederick Melcher had a brainstorm. Why not establish a children's literature award and name it after one of the first people to see the possibilities of publishing books aimed at children? The Newbery Medal was launched in 1922, and since then, each year has brought a new crop of distinguished American children's books, ripe for the picking. Newbery Girls gathers selections from 15 of the best-loved Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor books published in the 20th century. Featuring such unforgettable and diverse heroines as Caddie (Caddie Woodlawn), Claudia (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler), and Yolanda (Yolanda's Genius), the collection honors the books loved best by girls (and boys!) throughout the century. Each excerpt, with text unchanged from the original, can stand alone as a short piece of fiction. However, no one would argue that the best way to thoroughly enjoy these Newbery girls is by reading the classics in their entirety. Get a tantalizing taste with the selections from Newbery Girls; but be sure to enjoy the full repast, as well! (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie CoulterGrade 2-8-These 15 selections gleaned from award-winning or honor books feature strong, courageous, and fun-loving female characters; a stunning variety of settings; and, of course, the kind of writing that makes readers sit up and take notice. Elizabeth Coatsworth, Marguerite Henry, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Eloise McGraw, and E. L. Konigsburg are among the authors whose work is represented. The excerpts, ranging from 8 to 28 pages, are organized chronologically by publication date of the original title (1930-1997) and are introduced by a sentence or two to orient readers. Hitty, Caddie Woodlawn, Sarah Noble, and Dicey Tillerman join company with Arha, newly removed to The Tombs of Atuan; Catherine, adjusting to a stepmother in A Gathering of Days; and Nadia, from The View from Saturday, resentfully commuting up and down the east coast like a sea turtle. Most readings are strong enough to encourage children to seek out the whole book and some stand alone as read-alouds with classroom discussion possibilities. Barbara Elleman's inviting introduction explains the origin and award procedures of the Newbery; warns readers that early selections (thankfully unedited) may reflect a prior era's different sensitivities to race, gender, and ethnic backgrounds; and exhorts readers to "join our adventures." A great resource for school or library shelves.Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Newbery Girls: Selections from Fifteen Newbery Award-winning books chosen especially for girls | [
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27,806 | 13 | In this sympathetic follow-up to Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores, Howe and Walrod depict a girl mouse's frustrated singing attempts and leaven it with humor. "Horace and Morris but mostly Dolores loved to sing." When they make music, Horace hits "the high notes." Morris provides "the low notes." Dolores, whose voice-bubble "La la la" is inscribed in a wavery line, sings "notes no one had ever heard before." No one minds, least of all Dolores, until she suggests the three audition for Moustro Provolone, a choral director with an artistic curl in his mustache and a collection of metronomes and record players. Aspiring performers will share Dolores's painful shock at the call-back sheet: "Horace. Morris. Chloris. Gus." Where other authors might show a child finding consolation in a different talent, Howe takes the difficult route. Dolores adores singing and rebuffs a pal's patronizing remark that "the audience is important too." In a kindly resolution that calls to mind Kevin Henkes's deft handling of grade-school matters, Dolores pens an imploring note to the Moustro, who raves at her rhymes: "This would make a great song!... Of course you must be in the chorus to sing it." Dolores gets lessons, and Walrod's endearingly odd acrylics picture the tin-eared chanteuse trying her best among her pearly-toothed peers. Howe and Walrod never treat success as a given and, as in the previous book, they suggest persistence serves a mouse well. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2-A touching and funny sequel to Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores (Atheneum, 1999). When the three mice friends try out for chorus, Dolores, who often sings "notes no one had ever heard before" doesn't make the cut. She writes a pleading letter in rhyme to Moustro Provolone, asking him to reconsider his decision. He decides that the letter would make great lyrics to put to music, and, of course, Dolores must help sing it. He concludes that, "-everyone has a place in the chorus. Some singers just need a little more help." Walrod gets an astonishing amount of expression into the characters' faces, and their strong friendship as well as a satisfying ending make this tale a winner.Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library District, ILCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (but what about Dolores?) (Horace and Morris and Dolores) | [
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27,807 | 2 | Gr 2-4-A fourth grader looks back over his years in school and his early experiences as a "bully magnet." Even as a preschooler, Jake was the perfect victim-medium sized, moderately smart, and not inclined to tattle to the authorities. He relates how, in second grade, he came up against a SuperBully, Link Baxter, who taunted him on the bus, ruined his schoolwork, and generally made his life miserable. When the boys were paired up to do a Thanksgiving project, Jake was forced to do all the research. As it turned out, however, the SuperBully was a talented model maker and sometimes forgot to be mean when he was involved in creative work. Then, moments before their class presentation, Jake discovered that Link was terrified of public speaking. Although briefly tempted to take revenge, he instead agreed to let Link be a silent participant while he gave the oral presentation. While the tone of the book is light and humorous, it is a realistic look at a common problem. There is no instant change of heart, although the two adversaries end with a reluctant respect for one another. More important is the peace theme-Jake recognizes that "behind-[every] bully face, there's another face. A real face." For a slightly younger audience than the author's Frindle (S & S, 1996), this title is a must for character-education and conflict-resolution programs and will have strong appeal to transitional readers.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, ILCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Jake Drake, Bully Buster : Ready-for-Chapters | [
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27,808 | 2 | PW gave a starred review to this "memorable" novel narrated by an eighth-grader whose beloved grandfather has Alzheimer's disease. Ages 9-12. (June) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Graduation of Jake Moon (Aladdin Fiction) | [
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27,809 | 2 | Continuing the story of Luke Garner, a third child born under a futuristic government that only allows two children per family, this sequel to Among the Hidden picks up with Luke finally out of hiding and going to boarding school under an assumed identity. While Haddix is often able to capture the suspense of her earlier work, this installment gets mired in too many confusing details, and the conclusion is flimsy. As Luke's initial bewilderment at Hendricks School for Boys subsides, he begins to notice that some students behave strangely some appear to respond to several different names, and others are constantly holding themselves, rocking. When he discovers a bunch of other "exnays," or third children, meeting in the woods, he hopes that he's finally found a community where he belongs. But Luke is still frightened of being turned over to the Population Police should he trust these kids with his true identity? The descriptions of the school, windowless and built like a labyrinth, combined with accounts of obtuse school staff, give Haddix's story the appropriate nightmarish quality, and readers will understand Luke's constant feelings of anxiety. Other plot points are harder to follow, such as the confusing test the exnays put new kids through to see if they are third children. In the end, Mr. Hendricks, the school's founder, shows up to shed light on all the mysteries, but his explanations are less than believable, and questions left unanswered point too obviously to another sequel. Ages 9-14.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Grade 5-7-Luke, a third child, hides quietly in his house, eluding the Population Police because he lives in a society in which families are only allowed two children. Now he has a chance to come out of the shadows by taking on an assumed identity and leaving home. This sequel to Among the Hidden (S & S, 1998) has Luke, now Lee, entering the Hendricks School for boys and a completely new existence where he feels lost and confused by his surroundings. He has gone from a furtive solitary existence to one in which he is never alone, from being desperate for company to being hazed by his classmates, particularly his roommate, "the Jackal." Lee learns to cope with the changes before him by escaping through the door to the outside. The story is artfully told with suspense and interesting twists. As Lee's confusion dissipates, readers begin to see what is going on. Lee is a fully realized character, developing courage and a true sense of self. Peripheral characters are not as fully developed, serving solely to further the story. Repeated references to Jen, another third child from the first book and martyr to all third children, may cause readers to wonder what they have missed. By the end of the story, the main character evolves into "L" and the author has created the possibility for another sequel. This compelling read can be enjoyed alone but it's sure to leave readers wanting to know the whole story.Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Among the Impostors | [
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27,810 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 2–The three mouse friends are back in a story about Dolores's new and unfortunate allergy. When she eats cheese, she sneezes and breaks out in itchy spots. Dolores could not imagine life without cheese. It was her favorite thing to eat! Can she quit it cold turkey? Even with the town's Everything Cheese Festival coming up? Soon Dolores learns that she can go on after a setback, and also that, when it comes to making lunches, a little creativity goes a long way. Fans of the other books about these appealing rodents will find the same rhythmic ease in the writing, and the same light touch with a message. Walrod's colorful cartoon-style artwork adds lots of humor and personality. Allergy sufferers will find this reassuring in a nondidactic way, and all kids will smile, even without saying cheese.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.James Howe is 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 children’s literature. The author has written six highly popular sequels, along with the spinoff series Tales from the House of Bunnicula and Bunnicula and Friends. Among his other books are picture books such as Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores and 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, and Also Known as Elvis. A common theme in James Howe’s books from preschool through teens is the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.; Title: Horace and Morris Say Cheese (Which Makes Dolores Sneeze!) (Horace and Morris and Dolores) | [
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27,811 | 2 | Kirkpatrick Hill lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was an elementary school teacher for more than thirty years, most of that time in the Alaskan "bush." Hill is the mother of six children and the grandmother of eight. Her three earlier books, Toughboy and Sister, Winter Camp, and The Year of Miss Agnes, have all been immensely popular. Her fourth book with McElderry Books, Dancing at the Odinochka, was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Hill's visits to a family member in jail inspired her to write Do Not Pass Go.; Title: Toughboy and Sister | [
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27,812 | 3 | Beatrice Gormley has written a number of books for young readers, including several titles in the Historys All-Stars series, as well as biographies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and John McCain. She lives in Westport, Massachusetts.; Title: Laura Ingalls Wilder: Young Pioneer (Childhood of Famous Americans) | [
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27,813 | 1 | You may already know an old lady who swallowed a fly, but you're about to meet her chief competition: "a frog on the log in the middle of the bog." Author Karma Wilson (Bear Snores On) teams up with illustrator Joan Rankin in a delightfully bouncy, rhythmic jaunt through the culinary exploits of said frog. Young readers will quickly get the hang of the story, as the amphibious protagonist swallows most of the insect population of a bog. Starting small ("He flicks ONE tick/ as it creeps up a stick"), he quickly works his way up: "ONE tick, TWO fleas, THREE flies (Oh my!),/ FOUR slugs (Ew, ugh!) in the belly of the frog/ on a half-sunk log/ in the middle of the bog." As the greedy frogs belly grows, we are treated to a hilarious view of the claustrophobic quarters within. Is there any hope for these hapless bugs, or are they destined for digestion? Rankins watercolors are both beautiful and comical, appealing to readers of all ages. Highly recommended! (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie CoulterPreSchool-This imaginative counting book will keep children laughing as a little frog eats his way through a variety of swamp delicacies, including "ONE tick," "TWO fleas," "THREE flies (Oh, my!)," "FOUR slugs," and "FIVE snails." Upon consuming each snack, "the frog grows a little bit bigger." After he has reached massive proportions, he is suddenly startled when the log he has been resting on develops a pair of yellow eyes and wide jaws. He screams "Gator!" opening his own mouth so wide that the creatures he has eaten are able to escape from his crowded stomach. The countdown is from five to one as the frog shrinks back to his normal size. Happily, the gator loses interest and swims away, because "the itty-bitty frog/isn't big enough to chomp." This gastronomic adventure is told in catchy rhyming verse, complemented by soft, dreamy watercolors that perfectly re-create the bog. The illustrations are enhanced by humorous details, including a flea circus set up in the background, the frog's jaunty sun hat, and the expressive faces of the swamp creatures crammed into the frog's belly. Reminiscent of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," this quirky counting book makes a fine companion to similar titles such as Marilyn Singer's Quiet Night (Clarion, 2002) and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel, 1969).Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MACopyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: A Frog in the Bog | [
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27,814 | 2 | Grade 2-4A fictionalized account of Robinson's first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as seen through the eyes of Joey, a batboy. He has attended games with his father since he was a toddler, and he's been a fan of dem bums for years. He meets the star player in the locker room on Robinson's first day as a Dodger, and though the man is friendly, Joey remembers that Pops says, it ain't right, a white boy serving a black man. He gives the first baseman the cold shoulder and refuses to clean his shoes as he does for the other players. As Joey watches Robinson endure the prejudice of fans and players on other teams, he comes to admire him both as a ballplayer and a man. Eventually, both the boy and Pops admit that he earned his place in history. An afterword gives more information on Robinson's career and legacy. Pinkney's watercolor illustrations, awash in bright hues and expressive details, enliven the characters with sinewy, curvaceous lines. The slight story is saddled with a simplistic ending, but it merits praise as a thoughtful lesson in tolerance; teachers, in particular, will appreciate it as a jumpstart for discussion.Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 1-3. In March of 2005, Myron Uhlberg paired with illustrator Colin Bootman to recount the Jackie Robinson story from the perspective of Uhlberg's father, a deaf man who drew personal inspiration from Robinson's stoic endurance of prejudice during the landmark 1947 season ( Dad, Jackie, and Me). Now, Lorbiecki and Pinkney tell the fictional story of the Dodgers' new batboy, Joey, whose father doesn't believe a young white kid should be shining the shoes of a black man. Joey tries to reflect his father's views, but he is quickly won over by Robinson's skill on the field and his gentlemanly behavior in the locker room. Lorbiecki tells the story directly, with little moralizing, and Pinkney's evocative watercolors are nicely integrated with the text and vividly capture young Joey's growing respect for Robinson. Unfortunately, the illustration of Robinson hitting his first home run shows Jackie jammed by the pitch--a pop-up would surely have been the result of that swing. Still, Pinkney's signature style is much in evidence here and will certainly please his many fans, young and old. Children may also enjoy Carin Ford's biography of Robinson, reviewed on p.68. Bill OttCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Jackie's Bat | [] | Train |
27,815 | 10 | Gr. 3-5. This large-format book showcases Wyeth's beautiful, dramatic illustrations for The Last of the Mohicans. More than three times larger, at 11 1/2 by 9 3/4 inches, than the pictures in the familiar Scribner Classic edition, these reproductions are more clearly defined, more intensely colored, and probably closer to Wyeth's original 42-by-30 inch oil paintings than the older prints. It would be misleading to imply that children are clamoring for a short version of Cooper's 1826 novel or that even a respectful adaptation such as this one can capture the spirit of the original. Still, the familiar title and stunning illustrations will attract parents, and possibly children, to the handsome volume. Carolyn PhelanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedBorn to a Quaker family in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1789, James Fenimore Cooper wrote many books about the American frontier, including The Leatherstocking Tales, of which The Last of the Mohicans is the second work. He died in 1851.; Title: The Last of the Mohicans (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) | [
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27,816 | 2 | It is refreshing to see new girl-friendly twists on old themes that empower girls to believe in themselves and their abilities. (Jeanette S. Gadeberg, Author of Raising Strong Daughters)"Provides positive female role models.(Nicole Bondi, The Detroit News)Girls to the Rescue will please and inspire girls." (Womens Circle)Forget about glass slippers and helpless damsels. The moral of this story is: Girls can do anything, even save the day! (Peggy Orenstein, author of School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap)Girls to the Rescue is a powerful antidote to all those helpless, hopeless princess stories. These stories are amusing, poignant, inspiring, and ultimately healing. (Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls)Inspiring. (Mary Hance, Nashville Banner)Must reading. (Lee Littlewood, Copley News Service)Delightful. (Lynn Gibson, Spokane Spokesman-Review)Inspiring reading. (Kansas City Star)Girls to the Rescue turns a new page and Prince Charming is history. (Sallie Han, New York Daily News); Title: Girls to the Rescue, Book #7: Tales of Clever, Courageous Girls from Around the World | [
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27,817 | 2 | As he did in Firefighters A to Z, Chris L. Demarest now follows the firefighters of the forest in Smokejumpers One to Ten. "One lightning bolt, in a flash, strikes a tree. Two pilots radio in what they see." Dramatic pastels illustrate the action in this informative counting book. Ages 5-8.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2-This rhyming counting book, from 1 to 10 and down again, starts with 1 lightning bolt striking a tree that sets off a series of events leading to smokejumpers aptly performing their duties to help put out a forest fire. The colorful pastel illustrations are action-packed and make up for the sometimes weak language. Two additional illustrations, one diagramming a smokejumper outfit and the other showing wildland firefighter gear, frame the counting. Unfamiliar terms such as "misery whip" and "slurry" are explained in an appended author's note aimed at older or adult readers. This section discusses smokejumping as a career, training, equipment, risks, and safety issues. Elaine Landau's Smokejumpers (Millbrook, 2002) is loaded with photographs, but is for an older audience. Children will pick up Smokejumpers One to Ten right away-the cover is compelling. All told, this is a good choice for browsing and will be useful for fire-safety units.Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Smokejumpers One to Ten | [
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27,818 | 0 | This intriguing work reenvisions the time-honored tale of midnight magic as a strand of narrative poems. Beginning with Cinderella in her old age, first-time author Whipple gives voice to the cast of characters, from the remorseful father, now a ghost, to the unrepentantly greedy, grasping stepmother (Ah, rich, rich, rich. I love the rhythm of rich!), and stepsisters (While we're dancing, sleep in ashes and brush the soot from off your lashes). Readers hear from the fairy godmother and the royal family as well, including the besotted prince (Wait! Who's that? Smile like moonbeams on a splashing spring). Whipple renders moments of melancholy (Father comes to my dreams, though he is gone. ... It seems right to dry tears with sackcloth and ashes says Cinderella) as fully as comic touches (e.g., the rat-turned-coachman cries, Where was my tail, long and slim, a-switching? Totally gone! Just a memory of motion) even the glass slipper gets a turn (I grieve for the glow of my mate). This fresh, engaging presentation of the Cinderella story unfolds like a lyric opera. Larded with wit, the volume returns to Cinderella, who offers up a sage gem: The music of true Magic sang only that once for me. After, I had to compose the music of my life. Beingessner alternates small inset portraits and vignettes with full-spread paintings of the godmother's gifts and the climactic moment at the ball; her swirling line and color conjure up the story's magical setting. Ages 8-12. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Grade 3-6-An imaginative extension of the classic fairy tale and an interesting examination of point of view. In 33 poems, readers hear from the evil stepmother, the prince, the fairy godmother, the ghost of Cinderella's father-even the rat who becomes the coachman. Cinderella herself begins and ends the book. In the prelude, she speaks as an elderly woman. "I remember the voices of my young life/like melodies on sheets of song/long stored in a dusty box./I bring some out for you." Whipple finds story and emotion in unlikely places. For example, each of Cinderella's shoes speaks ("I was born for dancing/and the warmth of small feet"). Each one pines to be reunited with the other in a way that reflects the prince's search for Cinderella. The smooth writing has a relaxed, conversational flow. Luminous gouache paintings use soft, clear colors and flowing lines to present scenes in an attractive and traditional way. This book has excellent potential for classroom use, both for creative-writing activities and for reading aloud. It will also be enjoyed by children who simply love the story. It's satisfying to see a fresh take on a European folktale that isn't a parody. Gwen Strauss's Trail of Stones (Knopf, 1990; o.p.) also treats folktales poetically, but is for an older audience and covers several different stories rather than just one.Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, ILCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella | [
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27,819 | 0 | Dubbed "very short stories for little listeners," this selection culled from the author's 1970 debut book of the same name is paired with effervescent all-new art. Exuberant silliness buoys each of the nine brief tales, including a high-concept yarn about an underutilized and disgruntled black crayon who finally convinces a young artist to put him in the picture, and a romp that finds a boy and his cat swapping outrageous tall tales about their day ("I went out West, looking for tigers. If you don't believe me, look how dirty my hands are. It's dirty work, looking for tigers"). A generously sized format affords Priceman (Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin) plenty of room to coax maximum mileage out of all the fun. Expansive watercolors explode in a glorious burst of color and energy atop the ample white space, as brush strokes swoop and swirl and twine a series of droll spot illustrations around the text. An inspired pairing. Ages 3-7.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 3-Culled from a longer collection of the same name (Doubleday, 1970; o.p.) and newly illustrated, these nine brief stories combine the whimsical magic of nursery rhymes with the familiarities of everyday life, fashioning a fanciful world that invites young imaginations to soar. The anything-can-happen tone is set in the title piece, in which a boy and his cat meet at lunchtime and compare their morning adventures, which include a visit to the North Pole, a tiger hunt, and an encounter with a bunch of fur-grooming monkeys. In "Small Between the Rain," a youngster shrinks himself down to a size that enables him to run between the raindrops, but he ends up falling into a puddle. In "Going to Work," a boy takes his sick father's place on the job. Told in simple language and packed with child appeal, these tantalizing tales are neatly tied together by Priceman's glorious gouache illustrations. Capricious and colorful, the artwork swirls around the text, providing lots of eye-catching action, intriguing visual surprises, and a needed sense of continuity. With their loose lines, flowing curves, and bright color combinations, the pictures have a childlike quality that matches the tone of wonder that infuses the stories. This is a great choice for sharing aloud, and for inspiring children to describe the things that sometimes happen to them and create their own tales.Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library JournalCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Things That Sometimes Happen: Very Short Stories for Little Listeners | [
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27,820 | 2 | PreSchool-Grade 1Little Bo Peep has trouble sleeping, and she cannot count sheepshe's lost them! She spent the afternoon searching for them with the help of a farmer (in a dell), two kids named Jack and Jill, and Humpty Dumpty, but to no avail. Her brother, Little Boy Blue, convinces her that telling their parents would be disastrous, and so Peep hides the fact that the sheep are lost. But come bedtime, her conscience just won't leave her alone. When Humpty brings the animals home, she is able to confess. With a gentle parental reprimand, the youngster is able to rest. Written in verse, this story about truthfulness borders on didactic but Wakiyama's playful, retro-style oil paintings save the day. Their whimsical look keeps the book fresh and childlike; in vivid and saturated colors, the illustrations show Peep's unease through sharp angles and up-close perspectives. The writing style, subject, and artwork make this a good companion to this duo's Goldie Locks Has Chicken Pox (S & S, 2002). A fun addition for children ready to graduate from Mother Goose.Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, ORErin Dealey was inspired to write this story after her daughter's particularly itchy bout with chicken pox. She is an English and drama teacher who lives in Placerville, California, with her husband and her no-longer itchy daughter. Goldie Locks Has Chicken Pox is her first picture book.; Title: Little Bo Peep Can't Get to Sleep | [
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27,821 | 7 | Gr 4-8-After a fight with his mother, 13-year-old Qwerty Stevens retreats to the backyard to dig off his bad mood. He unearths what he thinks is an early Thomas Edison phonograph, a not-completely crazy thought as Qwerty lives in what was once the inventor's backyard. To his surprise, though, his find turns out to be a device that sends Qwerty first to Spain, then back in time to Edison's lab, where the inventor is hard at work on the lightbulb. Through a series of mishaps, Qwerty's older sister, the only other person who knows how to work the machine, ends up with him in 1879. The two teens realize they are stuck in the past unless the famous inventor can get them home. The story is chock-full of interesting tidbits about Edison's life, opinions, and staff, and provides a good glimpse of life in the 19th century. In one scenario, Qwerty escapes outside to "shoot some hoops" with Jimmy Naismith and helps "invent" basketball. Gutman includes photos and patent drawings to bring more detail to Edison's work, as well as a subplot involving a man who has a get-rich-quick scheme and follows Qwerty back in time. Overall, this is an entertaining novel that should draw fans of time-travel stories, Gutman's other books, historical fiction, and light fiction. Pass it on to readers who are looking for something good and funny.Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Dan Gutman is the author of many popular books for young readers, such as The Kid Who Ran for President, Honus and Me, The Million Dollar Shot, and Landslide! A Kid's Guide to the U.S. Elections. He lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey, with his wife, Nina, and their two children. You can visit Dan at www.dangutman.com.; Title: The Edison Mystery : Qwerty Stevens, Back in Time | [
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27,822 | 2 | Snort, a mean red dinosaur, Always gets his way. He told me not to tell you more. That's all I have to say. Snort, Dozy, Hey-Ho-Howdy, Sob, Zoomer, Tremble, and Smooch are the "seven nifty dinosaurs in one swell book" by the ever-popular Sandra Boynton. Each dino is given a two-page introduction, with rhyming verse and playful illustrations. Dozy, "a lazy green, / with floppy scales of tangerine," spends her time lying around sipping lemonade. She'd rather eat her birthday cake candles than expend energy blowing them out. Zoomer, on the other hand, is a "jazzy orange dinosaur" who speeds wherever she goes. Then there's Sob, a "sad blue dinosaur," who mopes and sprawls and sighs... until no one's around--"then he gets up and dances"! These fabulous and funny characters, in Boynton's trademark bright blocks of color, make learning about emotions, expressions, and personality types fun for the very small reader. Color-coded picture tabs allow even nonreaders to find their favorite dinosaur at a glance. For another Boynton board book in this format, try Snoozers: 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie CoulterSandra 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: Dinos To Go : 7 Nifty Dinosaurs in 1 Swell Book | [
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27,823 | 2 | Grade 3-6-When Allied forces invaded Normandy in the summer of 1944, 100 girls were forced to leave the orphanage that they called home on the bank of the Orne. For 38 days they lived in a mine, then walked 150 miles before they reached their destination of Beaufort-en-Vallee. This book reproduces pages from the girls' illustrated account of that time and journey. Each right-hand page offers an image from their journal. The colored pencil on newsprint pictures include the artist's name and age and are accompanied by a few lines of handwritten text in French. An English translation appears on the left in a typeface resembling handwriting of the journal. The pleasing design will invite readers to examine the detailed drawings. An introduction and afterword explain how the author's aunt received the girls' journal, a map of their journey, and the appended black-and-white photos. A straightforward, moving account of young victims of war.Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 3-6. In 1944, 100 girls left their Normandy orphanage to evade the impending battle between the German and American armies. In this collection of annotated drawings, the girls describe their journey: how they hid in a mine, passed German tanks and dead soldiers, waved white flags, and finally were able to greet the American troops. The charming crayoned pictures and original French descriptions appear opposite the English translation. The girls' observations, full of small details and candid feelings, are remarkably touching nearly 60 years later. Appended photographs show the kids at their new post-war home with the author's explanation of her personal connection to the story. Libraries have material on the World War II evacuation of British children, but this is a rare glimpse of the withdrawal of French children. Although cataloged as fiction despite the subtitle, this will get the most use if placed with similar titles. Linda PerkinsCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: The Orphans of Normandy : A True Story of World War II Told Through Drawings by Children | [
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27,824 | 6 | Kids who love Lee Wade's interactive Cheerios board books, The Cheerios Play Book and The Cheerios Animal Play Book will be delighted come Christmastime to discover the latest: The Cheerios Christmas Play Book. Grownups can read along with children as they fill in the missing O's with their favorite cereal. Elves need pompons on their shoes, snowmen are missing decorations on their funny hats, and reindeer are sorely lacking in shiny noses. Recessed circles allow children to place Cheerios in just the right places to complete the scenes. Wade's simple, richly colored illustrations are tremendously appealing. The text is equally uncomplicated, with a repeating theme: "One tree needs ornaments. Can you add some?" Save the "don't play with your food" rule for later--this surprisingly cute board book is sure to be a favorite with the Cheerios-chomping set. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter; Title: The Cheerios Christmas Play Book | [
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27,825 | 2 | Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newbery Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.; Title: Tracker | [
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27,826 | 2 | Patricia Lakin, a former elementary school teacher and an award-winning author, has written more than fifty published works. Her books, both fiction and nonfiction, span multiple age groupsfrom toddlers to middle graders. Patricia lives in New York City with her husband, Lee Koenigsberg. They have two grown sons, Aaron and Benjahmin. When not reading, writing, or researching, she can be found traveling with Lee to far-off places in the world.; Title: Helen Keller and the Big Storm | [
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27,827 | 3 | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the celebrated and prolific author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery Medal book Shiloh, and the popular Alice series. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland.; Title: Bernie Magruder and the Haunted Hotel | [
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27,828 | 3 | "I have a funny feeling today will be a busy one," the train conductor thinks to himself in the opening of Wormell's (Blue Rabbit and Friends) latest success. And he's right. Hilariously rotund Mrs. Walrus, Mr. Bear and Mrs. Elephant each pour themselves into a car of the train. In town, they virtually clean out the shelves of the fishmonger, baker and greengrocer. Wormell portrays the tiny locomotive as the wooden-toy variety, with open cars in bright colors of red, blue, yellow and pink, linked by tongue-in-groove hitches. The cozy train is overwhelmed by its passengers, precariously balancing their packages. Just when the dwarfed conductor seems to be at the end of his rope, Mrs. Elephant sneezes, hurling the riders and their groceries hither and yon and derailing the train. A distinctly British brand of ingenuity and unflappability in the face of calamity informs the animals' calm response ("It's just a question of leverage," says Mrs. Elephant matter-of-factly to the panicked conductor, as she helps put the train back on its tracks). But even readers on this side of the pond will find the resolution witty. Wormell humorously emphasizes the animals' amazing girth in contrast to the toy train's diminutive size, while simultaneously evoking the calm beauty of the Victorian picture book. Every tableau is a feast of elegant, formal lines and patinaed colors. Ages 3-7.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreS-The conductor of a small toylike train has a funny feeling that his day is going to be a busy one. His first passenger going to town to do shopping is Mrs. Walrus. "Oh dear-She won't fit. But she did." The little train puffs and chuggas to pick up Mr. Bear next-and he's enormous, too, but he fits. The man's concern deepens as he approaches Mrs. Elephant. On the return trip, the huge animals and their massive purchases miraculously still fit into the little train. "It's just a question of balance," says Mrs. Elephant. Then disaster strikes when a bee flies into her trunk. Wormell's characters are delightfully illustrated in clear, bright oil-pastel crayons that define elements but with a soft edge that lends an old-fashioned quality to the artwork. Preschoolers will love the repetitious "puff-puff, chugga-chugga" as the little train makes its way along the track, and the concluding statement at the end of each double-page spread ("And it was"/"But she did"/"So they did," etc.) adds to the fun. However, when the conductor leaves the animals asleep in a big heap and goes off to his cottage for his good night's sleep, children may wonder how the animals are going to get home. Still, the book guarantees preschool audience participation and it's also good for a one-on-one lap-sit.-Patti Gonzales, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Puff-Puff, Chugga-Chugga | [
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27,829 | 15 | Native American legend and Goble's (The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses) award-winning artwork coalesce to bring another mythic tale grandly to life. Recounting the origin of both Blackfoot tipis and their symbolic designs, Caldecott-winner Goble employs several distinct media: black-and-white diagrams, photographs and his trademark watercolor and gouache paintings. Napi, the Great Spirit's helper, was inspired by the shape of a leaf to provide the first man and women with a tipi for shelter. Eloquently melding geometric and naturalistic free-form designs, Goble places this initial story inside a large painting of a cottonwood leaf and demonstrates its inspiration by superimposing a tipi diagram over the leaf shape at the bottom of the page. A spread then gives intricate step-by-step instructions of how to pitch a tipi. Through the sweeping panoramas of his watercolors, Goble next relates the story of how spirit paintings came to exist on Blackfoot tipis. When Sacred Otter and his son become trapped in a blizzard, the man dreams that he visits Storm Maker's tipi. Full-spread vertical views of the tipi's exterior and interior reveal Goble at his finest, intermingling texture, form and color. "When the warm weather returns, paint one just like it. Then your family will be safe from storms always," Storm Maker commands. Goble's instructive storytelling prepares readers for this stunning visual adventure. Ages 5-8.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 2-5-Goble borrows the story of how Napi taught Man and Woman to pitch their tipi from the Siksika (Blackfeet) Indians of northern Montana and uses it as the framework for this picture book. It recounts the time Storm Maker saved Sacred Otter, a leader of his people, and showed him the designs for his tipi. The artist's familiar, colorful graphic style is well suited to this text. Directions for making a paper tipi as well as line drawings detailing Napi's instructions are included, as is a full-spread, color photograph of a contemporary summer camp with tipis. For those who found Goble's Star Boy (Aladdin, 1991) popular, this will be a welcome addition. It could be used in storytime with his other tales or teamed with Harriet Taylor's When Bear Stole the Chinook (Farrar, 1997), or used with Bonnie Shemie's House of Bark: Tipi, Wigwam and Longhouse (Tundra, 1990) for a curricular unit on dwellings or homes. Teamed with the autobiographical Hau Kola (Richard Owens, 1994), it could be part of an author study on Goble or coupled with E. Barrie Kavasch's Blackfoot Children and Elders Talk Together (PowerKids, 2001), it could be part of an in-depth look at the Siksika.Dona J. Helmer, College Gate School Library, Anchorage, Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Storm Maker's Tipi | [
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27,830 | 1 | Tad Hills adds two titles to the My Fuzzy Friends Board Books series. Die-cuts on each spread invite children to touch the animals' fur. For example, the "baby horse" in My Fuzzy Farm Babies asks, "Can you comb my soft mane with your fingers?" In My Fuzzy Safari Babies, youngsters can touch a panda cub and others. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: My Fuzzy Farm Babies: A Book to Touch & Feel | [
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27,831 | 0 | In this gloriously madcap setting of Lear's classic, the famous nonsense poem of a nautical romance receives star treatment. Knight (Eloise) conceives of Lear's verses as a series of theatrical tableaux, with elaborate sets and exaggerated expressions big enough to be seen from the last row. He casts an eccentric old fellow who looks suspiciously like Lear (who appears as a bust on the title page) as Professor Comfort. The gentleman invites two schoolchildren (the boy bears an odd resemblance to an owl, the girl to a cat) in for tea and a little poetry. As he reads, the children morph magically into the animals in the poem, the walls of the cottage fall away and the pea-green window seat becomes the famous boat, adrift on a briny sea. The Owl and Pussy-cat court, marry and dance in the dazzling landscapes of the Land of Bong before turning back into children and running home for dinner. The illustrations reveal more delights with every inspection: hints of the animals to come can be detected in the children's clothing, earnest flying fish in the Land of Bong call the children's names as their mothers in the real world hunt for them, a replica of the professor's cottage constructed entirely of edibles appears in the Land of Bong. In Knight's hands, Lear's poem assumes a complete and memorable visual life of its own it is a ticket to the best sort of entertainment. All ages.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Ages 4-8. When Otto and Polly attend Professor Comfort's Story & Music Hour, they're in for a treat: a reading of Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," and unexpected adventure as they magically transform into the poem's main characters and enter the story. Then the poem ends and so must the dreamy experience. Originally published in 1983, this welcome reissue is a visual feast, both romantic and playful, with a charming animal cast and lavish, fantastical landscapes rendered in lovely pastel hues. Seek-and-find detail abounds, enhanced by larger page size. There are also subtle changes in font and artwork, including different cover art. For the musically inclined, there's a new score by Douglas Colby included on a foldout flyleaf. An affectionate homage, this illuminates the poem's timeless ability to transport readers and listeners to a wonderful fantasyland. An introduction and brief biographies of Lear and Colby are included. Shelle RosenfeldCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Hilary Knight's The Owl and the Pussy-Cat reissue | [
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27,832 | 2 | "Strasser powerfully lays out the desperate realities of living on the street."--Denver Post"Gritty and harsh."--VOYA"After reading this book, you'll feel as if you spent a few hours in the shoes of a homeless kid."--YMTodd Strasser has written many critically acclaimed novels for adults, teenagers, and children, including the award-winning Can’t Get There from Here, Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, If I Grow Up, Famous, and How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, which became the Fox feature film Drive Me Crazy. Todd lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools. Visit him at ToddStrasser.com.; Title: Can't Get There from Here | [
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27,833 | 0 | Kathleen Kudlinski was born in Pennsylvania. When she grew up, she studied art and biology at the University of Maine. She became a science teacher, but when she stopped teaching, she tried writing. She is the author of books about Rosa Parks, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dr. Seuss, and many more.; Title: Rosa Parks (Childhood of Famous Americans) | [
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27,834 | 11 | "America is our country. It is the place we call home," begins this unabashedly patriotic picture book. Each spread focuses on a defining aspect of the nation, from the flag's symbolism to the country's ethnic diversity. Borden (The Little Ships) brings little individuality to this familiar subject. She praises America's "very first people... whose words bring wisdom to all who listen" as well as "those of us who came later: many kinds of people from many countries of the world. We are one family, and one team. We are Americans." The author touches down in farming country ("America is... old barns and country roads, fields of corn and wheat"), on busy urban streets ("America is skyscrapers, tall, with many windows, up, up, up"), the prairie ("tall grass, and wind, and stars") as she introduces the basic elements of democracy ("America is... the land where we are free. To live. To speak out. To worship. To work. To play. To follow our dreams"). As the text travels from New England to the Pacific Northwest, Niagara Falls to Western rodeos, Schuett's (Purple Mountain Majesties) stirring illustrations take full advantage of the sweeping scope. Her mixed-media paintings offer expansive vistas as well as focused vignettes, all peopled with a multicultural cast. Ages 6-9. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Kindergarten-Grade 3-"America is our country. It is the place we call home. We are the nation whose name means freedom to people all over the world." So begins this extended attempt to define a country in a picture-book poem. Beginning with the basics of 50 states, moving through traditional symbols, and on to varieties of occupations, transportation, communication, and geography, the recurring emphasis is on " a nation where fifty states meet, where we are all one." Diversity of place-farms to skyscrapers, rodeos to Niagara Falls-and people are presented as creating one "family, and one team." The full-color acrylic, gouache, and ink illustrations are attractive and expansive, but also reinforce the cliched nature of the text. The title page's eagle perched against a star-spangled sky, the Statue of Liberty silhouetted against the flaming sunrise on the next page-it's a bit of overkill, but right in keeping with the romanticized, idealized, traditional images that the author presents. The cast of children and parents is nicely individualized in terms of ethnic features, but there is a sameness to their postures and expressions that saps the vibrancy from the diversity. The treacly acknowledgment of Native Americans-"the proud tribes who live in peace with the earth and the sky "-is no less a stereotype for being positively inclusive. America is many of the things mentioned here, and the poet is entitled to her vision, but relentless wishful thinking denies the complexity of a nation that also includes homeless children, hungry families, and people of color whose experiences belie the "we are all one" refrain. For all its good intentions, this selective series of platitudes isn't going to enrich children's knowledge or experience in any significant way.Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: America Is... | [
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27,835 | 0 | Grade 5-10-To benefit ProLiteracy Worldwide, Paulsen has assembled a stellar lineup of children's and young adult authors to contribute original short stories in which books change lives. Paulsen's emotional introduction explains how books turned his life around for the better. It is an excellent preface to a diverse, entertaining collection. Jennifer L. Holm's intriguing "Follow the Water" features the first teenager on Mars, who compares her life on the Martian colony to the description of the Red Planet from an old science-fiction novel. In "Barcarole for Paper and Bones," M. T. Anderson created an intricate mystery about the written records of a deserted ship. Joan Bauer, Marion Dane Bauer, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Kathleen Karr, A. LaFaye, Gregory Maguire, and Ellen Wittinger also contributed stories that display a wide range of emotions in a variety of genres. There is a selection in this collection that will appeal to almost every reading taste.Edward Sullivan, White Pine School, TNCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4-7. In this collection assembled to benefit literacy, Gary Paulsen brings together 10 stories by fine writers for young people, with books playing a central role in some stories, and a tangential role in others. Ellen Wittlinger's "Wet Hens" revolves around a well-known children's book, Roxaboxen. Other books will be less well known among the target reading audience, but children will find humor, pathos, magic, intrigue, and sf in stories by Ellen Conford, Joan Bauer, Margaret Peterson Haddix, M. T. Anderson, and more. The looseness of the theme results in a variety that offers something for most readers. Although it's a shame that the book opens with a dry foreword, and that Paulsen himself doesn't contribute a story, libraries looking for short-story collections will find this a solid addition. Kathleen OdeanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Shelf Life: Stories by the Book | [
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27,836 | 0 | A 14-year-old boy, newly arrived in 1941 Hawaii, witnesses the attack on Pearl Harbor. In a starred review, PW said, "Mazer successfully fuses a strong portrayal of Adam's transformation with both a vivid account of the attack and subtle suggestions of the complexities of Japanese-American relations as played out in particular lives." Ages 10-14. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.Harry Mazer is the author of many books for young readers, including Please, Somebody Tell Me Who I Am; My Brother Abe; the Boy at War trilogy; The Wild Kid; The Dog in the Freezer; The Island Keeper; and Snow Bound. His books have won numerous honors, including a Horn Book honor and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults citation. Along with his wife, Norma Fox Mazer, Harry received an ALAN award in 2003 for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont.; Title: A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor | [
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27,837 | 2 | "Readers will likely warm up to this appealing novel's perceptive, independent-minded title character." (Publishers Weekly)"A warmhearted tale of a self-possessed girl who is determined to make life better for her parents." (School Library Journal)"The combination of cozy and challenging elements will make this a good fit for many young readers." (BCCB)"This thoughtful story shows a girl's faith in family, the importance of welcoming new students, and that money really isn't everything. Recommended." (Library Talk)Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of many critically and popularly acclaimed YA and middle grade novels, including the Children of Exile series, The Missing series, the Under Their Skin series, and the Shadow Children series. A graduate of Miami University (of Ohio), she worked for several years as a reporter forThe Indianapolis News. She also taught at the Danville (Illinois) Area Community College. She lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio. Visit her at HaddixBooks.com.; Title: The Girl With 500 Middle Names | [
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27,838 | 3 | Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 4In this hilarious book, a monkey's craving for a banana turns the streets of a busy city upside down. The mostly wordless tale is told through rhyming street signs and delightfully detailed watercolor paintings. On the first spread, a juggling performer, dressed in a motley jester's costume, watches as his wild-eyed monkey runs away. The creature heads down the street and bounds into a bin filled with bananas. While the grocer rails at the monkey's owner, the animal runs across the street clutching his prize. Next, it tosses the peel onto the sidewalk near a trash-can sign that reads, Please Put Litter in Its Place as a motorcycle sputters past with two tough-faced riders. After pulling over under another sign (No Parking in This Space), the pair dismount, and, of course, the driver slips on the peel. When this and future mishaps occur, suspense, thrills, chaos, and comedy result. Readers will soon understand that all of the background characterssmall figures holding cell phones, Rollerblading, pushing baby carriageswill soon be drawn onto center stage. The book ends with an aerial map of the city block and a key identifying the locations of the signs, allowing kids to retrace the action. A glorious escapade packed with child appeal.Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.A rambunctious monkey gets away from his juggler and grabs a banana from a shopkeeper's display. And so it begins. Tossing the peel aside, he watches as he sets off a chain of bumbling, tumbling events. A Hell's Angels type slips on the peel, causing a ladder to tremble, knocking off the painter, who falls into a shopping cart, which causes a traffic jam . . and so it goes, with dogs barking, people falling, and the juggler chasing the monkey throughout the oversize pages. This wordless picture book has a lot going for it: a frenetic energy that translates to the page, interesting perspectives and bird's-eye views, and all the while capturing the excitement at this series of unfortunate events. Readers, however, will have to be old enough to understand and follow the domino effect of the action (and know what it means to slip on a banana peel). Happily, Small's sprightly artwork, executed in ink and watercolor, is just made for a second look. Ilene CooperCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Once Upon a Banana | [
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27,839 | 0 | Harlow's (Star in the Storm) novel, set in 1919 Boston, touches on some tough issues, including child labor, death and the Great Molasses Flood (due to the explosion of a molasses tank). After the death of 13-year-old Joshua's father, his Boston Brahmin mother takes in boarders (whom Josh has to call aunt and uncle to throw off the neighbors), and the boy must quit school to help earn money. Newsboy kingpin Charlestown Charlie (a tough Irish immigrant) presses Josh into service as a "newsie," and Josh is also hired to sneak story leads to their boarder, "uncle" Marc Muggeridge, an editor for the Boston Traveler. Though the author stacks the odds against Josh, the conflicts tend to fizzle. For example, Mr. Muggeridge feeds Josh the idea that he should buy his own papers rather than work for Charlie and then offers to fight Josh's battle for him. Likewise the picture of rough-and-tumble street life seems fairly tame. The titular song refers to the loss of the hero's famous soprano voice (a talent that makes him known even to the mayor) and his refusal to sing even at his father's funeral until he shares his gift to help a victim of the molasses flood. Despite colorful details based on actual events, the novel's ending wraps everything up a bit too neatly. Ages 9-12.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 4-6-A fast-paced novel with a likable main character. World War I has ended and the influenza epidemic has taken Joshua's father. His mother, formerly one of Boston's elite, is struggling to make ends meet because of her husband's debts. She takes in boarders whom her son must call "uncle" and "aunt" so the neighbors don't know she's running a boarding house, and Joshua must give up his private school and find work. Harlow quickly sets up this background, then begins the boy's adventures the day he becomes a newsboy. The plot moves swiftly as he falls in with Charlestown Charlie, who oversees the newsboys in downtown Boston; meets a reporter who will pay for the stories Joshua can bring him; and learns about the darker side of city life when he meets a girl who sells papers to help her sick mother. The climax of the story is based on the Molasses Flood of 1919, when a huge tanker full of molasses exploded in Boston's North End, killing 21 people. The conclusion is somewhat pat; Joshua's mother sells property and is no longer poor. One hopes that the boy won't forget his friends or the lessons he's learned. Harlow skillfully integrates historical fact to make a colorful setting believable. An afterword gives other interesting details. A worthwhile title for historical-fiction collections.Sally Bates Goodroe, formerly at Harris County Public Library, Houston, TXCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Joshua's Song | [
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27,840 | 11 | Grade 1-3-Helen Martini cared for both lion and tiger cubs in her New York City apartment before building the Bronx Zoo's first nursery back in 1944. This simple account of how her husband and then Helen herself became animal keepers draws on Martini's long out-of-print adult book, My Zoo Family (Harper, 1955). Lyon places an introductory segment before the title page, inviting readers into the experience of the first lion cub Martini took in: "Suppose you were a lion cub-abandoned.- and a man came in the cage and lifted you into a case and put you in a car to go home with him." The story is then told in the third person to convey the early days of home animal care by the Martinis and the development of the nursery. The first golden cubs give way to a fine array of animals that have thrived in this much-needed facility. Catalanotto adds a bold graphic dimension to the story with torn-paper strips mounted as irregular picture panels on many pages. Charcoal sketches on brown paper are intermingled with full-color views. On a couple of pages, multiple images of Helen appear in a frame to emphasize the chaotic busyness of caring for energetic cubs and performing the many tasks of readying the nursery. A brief author's note adds a bit more information about the subject. This handsome and intriguing real-life story will be savored as independent and shared reading and useful as simple nonfiction for varied classroom purposes.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, BostonCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.K-Gr. 3. This picture-book biography recounts the remarkable story of Helen Delaney Martini, the founder of the Bronx Zoo's animal nursery. The childless Martini began taking care of baby tigers in her apartment, when her zookeeper husband brought the infants home. Later, she volunteered to set up a nursery. She eventually became the zoo's first woman zookeeper and successfully mothered 27 tigers, assorted primates, and other animals. Lyon's succinct, yet elegant, prose emphasizes Martini's dedication to the animals in her care, detailing how she and her husband often spent evenings at the zoo tending to the needy babies. Catalanotto's watercolor, charcoal, and torn-paper art is particularly effective here. Appropriate for a story set in the 1940s and 50s, his charcoal drawings suggest old newsreels. Vertically torn paper panels, which enable him to depict several different scenes in one spread, also add to the nostalgic aura. An author's note fills in some details of Martini's life and mentions her autobiography, My Zoo Family (1955). This will be popular with animal fans and classes studying zoos or careers. Kay WeismanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Mother to Tigers (A Junior Library Guild Selection) | [
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27,841 | 1 | Most dairy cows are content to stand and graze and chew. But not Moo. She forsakes her life of "waving wheat" for ocean waves in Lisa Wheeler and Ponder Goembel's witty and wonderful rhyming picture book Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea. Children will be immediately swept up in the story of a cow who seeks bluer pastures and hoofs it to the bay: "Yo-ho-ho / And a shiver-me-be / Whoever heard of a cow at sea?" The feline crew of a fishing boat agrees to take Moo on board if she will pay her way in fresh milk. It's a deal: "Moo loved the way the ocean sang. / 'Like moo-sic,' she would utter, / as rocking, rolling ocean waves / would churn her milk to butter." Once aboard, she befriends her sea cousins, the manatees, which turns out to be fortuitous--when she's thrown overboard in a "sudden, savage gale," they come to her rescue. But, what's this? The goggle-sporting sea cows take her to a crusty cattle barge of pirates led by Red Angus! Moo is dismayed: "Moo's heart was pure, so she was sure / it must be a mistake. / Looting steers? Cow buccaneers? / She felt her stomachs ache...." But when Red Angus gazes into Moo's eyes, his heart warms and his rough edges smooth: "In Moo he'd seen his dairy queen / and now he must reform." Adventure, romance, and darn-good storytelling combine with perfect meter, delightful puns (milk it, Lisa!), and fantastically lively, artful, and expressive illustrations to make this one of our favorite picture books of the year. Highly recommended. (Ages 3 to 7) --Karin SnelsonYo-ho-ho and a bottle of milk? Yes, the creamy white drink plays a role in this bouncy bovine picture book, in which a cow finds adventure and true love on the high seas. Compelled to follow her dreams, dairy cow Moo leaves behind the farm's fields of waving wheat for the rollicking waves of the ocean. A stint as galley cook to the feline crew of the Cat's Meow is cut short by a storm that tosses Moo "into the brew" where she is quickly rescued by a pair of her cousins, the sea cows, and escorted to a cattle barge. But the gang with studded ears on board turns out to be a bunch of "looting steers cow buccaneers." Luckily Moo wins the heart of captain Red Angus and encourages him to abandon his pirate ways for married life on the Jersey shore. Wheeler's (Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion) rhyming verse, filled with silly cow puns, features a breathlessly outr story line. Goembel's (Hi, Pizza Man!) dusky acrylics introduce a cast of bipedal critters who teeter wildly between anthropomorphism and realism, upping the humor considerably. The goggle-sporting manatees and hook-handed cat captain Silver Claw will likely have readers giggling. Ages 3-7.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea | [
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27,842 | 18 | Grade 3-5-This handsome, well-researched picture book introduces John Harrison, the 18th-century English carpenter turned clockmaker who spent more than 40 years perfecting a device that solved the centuries-old problem of determining longitude. Beginning with Harrison's childhood, Borden presents biographical tidbits that bring the man to life, show how he differed from "most other village folk," and set the scene for his later accomplishments. With no formal training in clock making, he followed his instincts and used trial and error to build innovative timepieces. The narrative next describes the difficulties involved in determining east/west positioning at sea, explaining that captains could calculate longitude if they had an accurate shipboard timekeeper (a task impossible for 18th-century pendulum clocks). The prize offered by Parliament for a solution to the problem is also mentioned. The rest of the book details Harrison's dedication, perseverance, and ingenuity, as he struggled to build and perfect an accurate sea clock and fought to have his invention acknowledged by the Board of Longitude. The writing has a measured pace that helps readers to keep the details straight and the scientific concepts are clearly explained and smoothly incorporated into the text. Blegvad's precise illustrations create a strong sense of time and place. Alternating between black-and-white sketches and watercolor paintings, the pictures show Harrison hard at work, offer close-ups of his various inventions, and provide glimpses of his England. Taking a slightly different approach and providing more depth, this book makes a solid companion to Kathryn Lasky's The Man Who Made Time Travel (Farrar, 2003).Joy Fleishhacker, School Library JournalCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 2-4. Like Kathleen Lasky's The Man Who Made Time Travel [BKL Mr 1 03], this handsome picture book biography recasts the story made famous by Dava Sobel's Longitude (1995) in terms children can enjoy. In unintimidating free verse, Borden narrates the life of John Harrison, the village clockmaker who invented the chronometer--an accurate "sea clock" that allows captains to ascertain their longitude and avoid veering off course--and then spent decades fighting for recognition. The text reads beautifully but sometimes risks oversimplification ("[he] had more courage than all the pompous astronomers and mathematicians put together") and is occasionally vague (Borden explains that Harrison's clock had no pendulum, but doesn't say what it used instead). Blegvad's artwork charmingly depicts Harrison's eighteenth-century milieu, though more direct support of the content may have been warranted. Young readers will nonetheless find plenty to inspire them in this scientific Cinderella story; however, many may reach for Lasky's version first for its more appealing title and Hawkes' illustrations, which favor the dramatic over the picturesque. Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude | [
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27,843 | 0 | A strong and memorable heroine narrates this compelling debut from Wait, which effectively evokes life in 1806 Maine. After the death of her 30-year-old mother during a pox epidemic and the prolonged absence of her mariner father, 11-year-old Abigail must work for young Widow Chase to earn room and board and to keep her four-year-old brother, Seth, from being sent to the orphanage. "This house is not ours; we are only waiting here until something else happens," Abbie tells herself. However, while they wait, practical and observant Abbie ascertains Widow Chase's dire financial situation, notices that the woman is expecting a baby and schemes a plan using the widow's millinery talents to support and keep them all. Seth's romanticized view of his seafaring father and his high hopes for the man's return (despite the mariner's spotty history) heighten the tension. Throughout, Wait weaves in customs (such as tolling bells when a person dies), language and geography that capture this bustling town by the sea. Ages 8-12.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr 4-6-A strong novel. Abbie Chambers, 11, finds work as a housemaid when she and her 4-year-old brother lose their mother to the smallpox epidemic of 1806. The girl holds little hope that their seafaring father will rescue them from their destitute state while young Seth pins all his hopes on the man he has rarely seen. Life in Wiscasset, ME, (then a territory of the State of Massachusetts) is well captured, as is the longing and dread that the two children experience in their rootless state. In the end, the siblings and their benefactress, the pregnant Widow Chase, gradually become a family. Wait's writing is sufficiently accomplished and Abbie is an interesting enough character to prevent the message about the nature of family from overpowering the story. This title will appeal to fans of the "Dear America" series (Scholastic) and to those who may have graduated from the "American Girls" series (Pleasant Co.). The author provides a picture of life and social issues in early 19th-century America while, with only a few very minor exceptions, keeping true to the voice of her preteen narrator.Sue Sherif, Alaska State Library, AnchorageCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Stopping to Home | [
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27,844 | 2 | Like Plourde (Snow Day, reviewed above) and Couch's two previous collaborations (Wild Child and Winter Waits), this lushly illustrated book heralds a change in the seasons, but also demonstrates the universal experience of sibling rivalry. When Mother Earth wakens her daughters, March, April and May, they all vie for their mother's attention each asking if they dressed the fastest. Mother Earth replies judiciously, "You are the fastest March I ever did see./ And the fastest April I ever did see./ And the fastest May I ever did see." Similarly, when each girl sings a spring song, Mother Earth shushes their bickering by telling them, "The truth / I love you ALL the best." The girls delight in their mother's politic answer as they wake up the world and shout for summer to come. Each of their songs reflects the characteristics of that month (March, for instance "howls and growls/ like a monsoon,/ then whiffs and puffs/ a quieter tune"). Couch fills his evocative acrylic-and-pencil illustrations with a haze of lavender shadows, infused with soft yellow sunlight and spring green. In one particularly exquisite painting, Mother Earth takes the form of a graceful tree wearing pink blossoms in her hair, reaching out her branch-like fingers to awaken the sleeping children. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.reSchool-Grade 1--"Spring's Sprung! A new day's begun." As with Wild Child (1999) and Winter Waits (2001, both S & S), Plourde and Couch evoke a whimsical impression of the season. Using washes of liquid acrylic paint with details done in colored pencils, the illustrations glow with an ethereal light that beautifully matches the mood of the text. In this story, Mother Earth rouses her daughters, March, April, and May, so they can awaken the world and welcome the season. However, "The sisters squabble like siblings do. `Mother loves me more than she loves you.'" Each wants to be favorite, to be the fastest, to sing the best. Thankfully, their parent is gentle and wise. "A mother's heart is big enough to grow and grow, and stretch and stretch. The truth-I love you ALL the best." After the playful months wake the world with their song, the book ends with a hint of what is to come: "-time to wake one more girl. So, March, April, and May simply say, `Summer, oh, Summer, come out and play.'" Although the rhyming text is occasionally forced, the concept is laudable, and readers who have enjoyed the previous titles will want to check out this one as well.Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Spring's Sprung | [
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27,845 | 2 | Oswald the octopus, whom youngsters may recognize from the Nick Jr. series, moves to Big City and meets many pleasant neighbors in this thoroughly polite picture book. Oswald, a violet-blue orb resembling Pac-Man with tiny tentacles and a bowler hat, drives into town with only "his pet hot dog," Weenie, for company. Right away, the two have trouble moving a piano into their building: "`Whew!' said Oswald as he caught his breath. `Creak!' said the stairs as the piano started to roll down them.... `Splinkie, splinkie, splinkie,' said the piano as it rolled down the sidewalk." To recapture the runaway instrument, Oswald enlists the help of a lazy penguin named Henry, a flower called Daisy and a baker-insect named Madame Butterfly. By the time the group pushes the piano back home, lonely Oswald has seven new friends. Yaccarino (Deep in the Jungle) adopts the earnest tone of a "Dick and Jane" reader. Weenie often says, "Bark! Bark!" and Oswald is described as a "friendly fellow." The author/illustrator balances the old-fashioned sincerity with smooth, digitally rendered images of oddball characters like his tentacled hero (who doffs his hat at each introduction), a stiff tree that walks on its roots and a snowman who sells ices. This cheery story of cooperation introduces a group of optimistic characters that readers may well hope will be back for more adventures. Ages 3-6.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2-Oswald and his pet hot dog, Weenie, make the big move to the city. The octopus is nervous about making new friends but Weenie is confident that they'll do just fine, which turns out to be true. The precipitating factor in meeting a whole slew of city folks is the runaway piano that Oswald and Weenie are trying to move up the stairs of their new home. Before they know it, a penguin, a daisy, a snowman, and others are lending a hand. Each helper utters a unique exclamation, and soon there is a chorus of "'Umph, umph,' said Oswald. 'Bark! Bark!' said Weenie. 'Hoo-wee,' said Daisy," and so on. Preschoolers can join in on the refrain especially since the story is lengthy. The computer-generated artwork is postmodern 1950s. As in Yaccarino's An Octopus Followed Me Home (Viking, 1997), the text and deep pastel images float upon crisp white backgrounds. The city skyline is actually made from common objects such as a fishbowl and a rocket in clever disguise. If your patrons are fans of the Nick Jr. preschool program, Oswald the Octopus, this is a necessary purchase. Otherwise, other books on relocating and making friends such as Judith Viorst's Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move (Atheneum, 1995), Robin Ballard's Good-bye, House (Greenwillow, 1994), or David McPhail's A Girl, a Goat and a Goose (Scholastic, 2000) are more accessible to most preschoolers. Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Oswald | [
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27,846 | 0 | Kathleen Dueys works include the middle grade American Diaries and Survivors series, as well as the well-reviewed chapter book series The Unicorns Secret and its companion series, The Faeries Promise. She is also the National Book Awardnominated author of Skin Hunger. She lives in Fallbrook, California.; Title: The Mountains of the Moon | [
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27,847 | 13 | If your mother is even one-half worth her salt then sooner or later she's bound to make the acquaintance of a famous Hollywood Movie Mogul who will insist you simply must must must drop in for a visit." And that's how Eloise, Nanny, Weenie and Skipperdee land in glittering Hollywood in this rollicking if overlong caper penned by screenwriters Stem and Weiss, who competently mimic the distinctive voice created by Kay Thompson. Choosing the mode of transport favored by "many famous studio types," Eloise and her traveling companions board a train for Los Angeles, where the Mogul's chauffeur gives them a tour of the town's hot spots before delivering them to the pleasingly pink Hollywood Hills Hotel. Not surprisingly, the aspiring young actress manages to steal the show as she eventually (in the book's last third) gets her (brief) moment in the spotlight in a movie starring a "boy genius who solves crimes for the President." Enik's (Love and Kisses, Eloise) flourishes-filled, animated pen-and-ink illustrations feature pink and turquoise watercolor washes, and pay homage to Knight's Eloise art. A bustling, full-color gatefold reveals Eloise joyfully romping through a studio back lot. The text and pictures have a more contemporary feel than those in the original tales, but the creators have mostly kept the essentials intact, and that's rawther good news. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."After [50] years, a rambunctious 6-year-old named Eloise is poised to become an overnight sensation in Hollywood and on the bookshelves." -- Daily Variety; Title: Eloise in Hollywood | [
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27,848 | 2 | The sequel to Big Al, Big Al and Shrimpy by Andrew Clements, illus. by Yoshi, explores the friendship between the mismatched fish; an unlikely turn of events signals certain change in the smaller fish's popularity. The full-bleed spreads of the ocean depths are every bit as appealing as in the previous book. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 2-Shrimpy becomes friendly with Big Al after playing tag, and the larger fish helps him do things he could never do on his own. One day, Big Al's fin gets stuck in a crack in a rock, and it's clever Shrimpy who comes up with a plan to save him. The story is enhanced by the lovely underwater scenes, which are done in embroidery, paint, and batik on silk. Yoshi pays good attention to detail; when the text indicates that 3 groups of 10 fish help Big Al, readers see 30 fish doing just that. When the author states that Shrimpy could fly through the water faster than ever before, the illustration shows him clinging to one of Big Al's fins as they swim along. Occasionally, the dark text requires good lighting to see clearly as it is on top of darker coloring, and the text is occasionally a bit choppy. Where needed, add this title to the list of books available on differences and those that show how size doesn't matter.Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, ILCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Big Al and Shrimpy | [
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27,849 | 2 | Kirkus Reviews Delia and her friends are delightful, and the reader is rooting for them all the way. A fast-paced, multilayered story.School Library Journal The author [creates] vibrant, engaging characters with unique voices....Draper adeptly paints a convincing portrayal of how young people think, act, feel, and interact with one another.Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books A well-paced and engagingly detailed exploration of a double-sided world of public and private truths that teens will find very familiar.Sharon M. Draper is a New York Times bestselling author and recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was most recently awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years. Shelives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.; Title: Double Dutch (Aladdin Fiction) | [
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27,850 | 12 | With 35,000 entries, 1,100 color photographs and a reference section including a thesaurus and maps of the world, the Macmillan Dictionary for Children 4th Revised Edition makes a handy resource. Other features include spelling hints, brief etymologies for selected words, and expanded illustrations with labeled parts.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Revised edition of a resource intended for ages 8 through 12. In our last survey of children's dictionaries [RBB O 15 00], we found this one to be better suited for students at the upper level of the age range, compared to other dictionaries designed for the same audience. RBBCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Macmillan Dictionary for Children | [
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27,851 | 2 | An accomplished photographer with work in major museums in New York, London and Paris, Fisher creates a tongue-in-cheek volume from a baby's eye view in this captivating debut. The opening spread, for example, shows big brother from the knees down; his black sneakers, wrinkled red socks and blue Band-Aid dominate an image framed in a white border. On the left, toddler-friendly type declares: "This is my big brother." The brother looms large in the next spread, sporting a plastic tool belt and yellow hard hat ("Everyone makes a fuss over how big I am, but my brother is really big"). Pairs of photos expand the effect: a shot of big brother with an "open wide" expression offering a spoonful of strained carrots ("My big brother feeds me," says the baby) is followed by a photo of the older sibling's food-speckled face ("And I feed my big brother"). Later, dual shots of a peek-a-boo game in progress draw readers into the action. In the end, big brother turns the tables: lying on the floor he puts a mirror to baby's face, revealing the narrator for the first time. With just a whiff of irony, this attractive volume unveils not only a talented photographer, but an author fully attuned to her subjects. Ages 3-6. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreSchool-Grade 1-Big brother is so big he doesn't even fit on the cover of the book. All readers see are his untied sneakers, his baggy red socks, and his bandaged legs stretching up off the page. He is so big that he can do just about anything: play wonderful music (he beats a drum and blows a whistle), engage in important work (he's wearing a toy construction hat and tools), and train for the circus (he balances a large ball on his feet). But this boy is not so busy that he can't find time for his younger sibling. They play together and he even endures being splattered with food and listening to ear-offending "singing." This ode to the wonders of a boy whose simplest deeds take on heroic proportions in the eyes of a young sibling is related in brief, simple sentences and illustrated with close-up, full-color photographs, framed in white and placed opposite huge type surrounded by white space on the left. When big brother is standing, he is viewed from the perspective of someone very low to the ground looking up. It is only in the last frame, where the child is mirrored in a toy, that readers learn the supposed "narrator" is a baby. This will make a fine read-aloud, but it'll probably appeal more to older siblings than to the lap set.Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: My Big Brother | [
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27,852 | 6 | What's this--a new Eloise, never before seen or published? News doesn't get better than that. Kay Thompson first wrote Eloise Takes a Bawth in Italy in the 1960s with Hilary Knight and pal Mart Crowley; it has been marinating until now for a release with all-new drawings by Hilary Knight. Of course, this time Eloise is not in Moscow, not in Paris, she is simply in the bawth at home in the Plaza Hotel. With Eloise, though, nothing is simple. Perhaps especially the notion of taking a bath, where you have to "skibble into the bathroom and take off all your clothes," then strike a pose and look in the mirror, and splawsh, and sing, and bathe with turtle Skipperdee and dog Weenie. And pretend to be the "loosest cannonball in all the Caribbean" and "Little Miss Mermaid but let's keep that between us." But what's this? Could Eloise's bathtime shenanigans be causing a drip that "has begun to drop within the walls and hallowed halls of the stately old Plaza?" Drenching the elite at the Venetian Masked Ball in the Grawnd Ballroom, no less? Fabulously decadent scenes of Eloise enacting wild battles and undersea dives in the bathtub on the "tip top floor" of the Plaza contrast deliciously with the resulting swampy splendor of the ballroom. Extended fold-out cross-sections of the hotel's plumbing system and a spectacular, colorful, double gatefold illustrating the underwater ball ("the sensation of the social season" thanks to Eloise!) add drama and silliness as well. A splawsh indeed! (Ages 6 to 106) --Karin SnelsonEver-irrepressible Eloise absolutely loves taking a bawth, and her devotees will absolutely love seeing her "splawsh, splawsh, splawsh" her way through a delightfully disastrous-yet ultimately propitious-time in the tub. "You have to be absolutely careful when you take a bawth in a hotel," announces the famous Plaza-dweller, who ignores her own advice and turns on all of the faucets ("Let that water gush out and slush out into that sweet old tub tub tub and fill it up to the absolutely top of its brim so that it can slip over its rim onto the floor if it wants to"). A judicious use of blue on Knight's trademark pen-and-inks traces the flow of water as it seeps from the penthouse through the floors of the Plaza Hotel into the grand ballroom, where workers feverishly prepare for the Venetian Masked Ball. Featuring two gatefold spreads, Knight's drolly detailed pictures depict the hotel's startled guests and employees as water gushes from such unexpected sources as elevator buttons and chandeliers. Oblivious Eloise, meanwhile, blissfully imagines herself driving a speedboat full throttle, water skiing and battling pirates in the Caribbean. A postscript (cleverly presented as a message in a bottle) explains that Thompson and Knight collaborated on this book 40 years ago, and it has been brought to light with the help of playwright Crowley. Since the buoyant art and humorously bubbly text surely rise to the level of its precursors, it's high time this book appeared, "for Lord's sake," as Eloise herself might say. Ages 5-up.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Eloise Takes a Bawth | [
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27,853 | 15 | Henny Penny's sky-is-falling tale has been retold often enough that few probably even remember its source material--but that doesn't stop another retread, this one surprisingly conservative in its story-telling liberties, by Margie Palatini (The Web Files) and dignified illustrator Barry Moser.Little Chucky Ducky was just drying off from a swim when he "heard the ground grumble. He felt the ground rumble. And then, with a stumble, Chucky Ducky went down in a tumble!" With that, Chucky Ducky takes off: "'Why, it's a quake!' he quacked. 'I have to warn my friends!'" So then Lucy Goosey, Brewster Rooster, Vickie, Nickie, and Rickie Chickie, et al., receive frantic and noisy warning. Eventually, a "wormy weasel"--a "sneaky," "very hungry," and "lying, conniving, wily" weasel--steps in to take advantage, cleverly disguised as Herman Ermine. Will the fowl and their farmyard friends find the true source of the seismic surprise before they end up as "one big banquet buffet"?For sure, the wacky Palatini does better with less restraint, and when she's teamed with an illustrator less precise than Moser (of the Pennyroyal Caxton Press edition of The Holy Bible). But surely Earthquack! is what it is, and accomplishes its goals with sufficient poise and skill. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul HughesEarthshaking rumblings make for a skittish duckling (and other nervous farm animals) in this somewhat long-winded variation on the Henny Penny theme. After completing his morning laps, a jittery Chucky Ducky fervently attempts to warn the other skeptical and pun-fully named animals (e.g., Lucy Goosey, Sue Ewe, Billy the kid) of what he's sure is an earthquake (He heard the ground grumble. He felt the ground rumble). Oh, it can't be that baa-ad, retort the lambs while the pig grunts, Hogwash! Several lengthy episodes of earth crumbling and animal tumbling pass before a hungry weasel (sporting a white coat and masquerading as Herman Ermine) provides a refreshing detour and real tension to the story. Moser's (Sit, Truman!) realistic watercolors play up the climax, as they place the large, expressive characters front and center against mostly white backdrops that darken when the lip-licking weasel hits the scene. Palatini's (Bedhead) frequently rhyming and sometimes clichEd prose dabbles in cultural references that may elude younger readers (Joel and Lowell Mole, who cause the earthshaking commotion while looking for their cousin, Garret Ferret, ask, Does anybody know the way to San Jose? We think we took a wrong turn at the Lincoln Tunnel). Children may be left scratching their heads as the tale concludes that Chucky Ducky, right from the beginning, was all wet. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Earthquack! | [
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27,854 | 15 | In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. One by one, many of the seeds are lost -- burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean, eaten by a bird. But some survive the long winter and, come spring, sprout into plants, facing new dangers -- trampled by playing children, picked as a gift for a friend. Soon only the tiniest seed remains, growing into a giant flower and, when autumn returns, sending its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again.Eric Carle is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of more than seventy books for very young children, including The Tiny Seed, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me,and his most well-known title, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Born in Syracuse, New York, Eric Carle moved to Germany with his parents when he was six years old. He studied at the prestigious art school, the Akademie der Bildenden Knste, in Stuttgart, before returning to the United States, where he worked as a graphic designer for the New York Times and later as art director for an advertising agency. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, now considered a modern classic, has sold nearly fifty million copies and has been translated into sixty-five languages. With his late wife, Barbara, Eric Carle cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts in 2002. Eric Carle lives in the Florida Keys.; Title: The Tiny Seed | [
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27,855 | 11 | Booklist A wonderful celebration of food and culture, friends and family.Kirkus Reviews Rosa-Casanova's first book is a terrific blend of a cumulative tale, a cook's tour of ethnic cuisine, a genuine sense of apartment life, and an unforced display of affection.Mama Provi and her granddaughter Lucy live in the same tall apartment building -- Mama Provi on the first floor, Lucy on the eighth. When Lucy has the chicken pox and can't come down to visit, Mama Provi decides to make a trip upstairs with a big pot of her tasty arroz con pollo. But on her way up the seven flights of stairs, she meets a neighbor on every floor. En un dos por tres (in Spanish this means "lickedy-split"), the chicken and rice are joined by Mrs. Landers's crusty white bread, Senor Rivera's frijoles negros, Mrs. Woo's tea, and more . . . and Mama Provi arrives at Lucy's door with a tremendous feast!; Title: Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice (Reading Rainbow Books) | [
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27,856 | 5 | "The watercolors are the real draw here," said PW of this "gently appealing pourquoi story." Ages 4-8.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Douglas 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: Rabbit and the Moon (Aladdin Picture Books) | [
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27,857 | 2 | Sophia's artistic master is good at some things he draws intriguing interpretations of his dreams, for instance, and he can "stir two bad smells together and make a third completely different smell" but as the king's alchemist, he's a flop. And with the king's visit pending, the poor fellow has been neglecting his pet as he tries desperately to find the formula to turn lead into gold. Sophia, who is as smart as she is loyal, eventually takes matters into her own paws and sets up a laboratory of her own under the table. Her efforts are successful, but the real surprise in this tale is what the king spots as treasure; suffice it to say that the alchemist's job is changed to "painter to the king." Jackson's (The Old Woman and the Wave) tale is somewhat scattered. For example, subplots featuring an imp and an angel may be inspired by late-medieval work but feel tangential. On the other hand, the writing is descriptive ("a finger-joint of candle"). The busy spreads incorporate acrylic paintings, rendered in a palette of terra-cottas and ochers spiked with blues and greens, sepia-like vignettes, and atmospheric, detailed sketches "by" the alchemist. As in the text, there's often too much to take in. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 1-3. In this splendidly spun fairy tale, the king's alchemist is in big trouble, and his doting dachshund Sophia is worried. Although her talented master is capable of producing many interesting things in his workshop--bad smells, for example--he simply cannot make gold from lead. When the king decides to pay the alchemist a visit, both dog and man panic. Feverish dreams haunt the would-be alchemist, who each morning sketches and paints his tormented visions and tries to analyze the "handwriting of the universe" in search of recipes for gold. Alas, he does not discover the precious formula in time for the royal visitation. But the king is delighted with the alchemist's visionary artwork, and he dubs the artist "painter of the king." Sophia does not have to reveal the gold she has made as a backup. Jackson's artwork shines in this eye-catching picture book that features a delightfully original blend of expressive acrylic paintings, pen-and-ink drawings, and Leonardo da Vinci-style sketches and scribbles. Text and art: lively and lovely. Karin SnelsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog | [
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27,858 | 2 | "Greene's rhyming, mewing, cockadoodledooing text rollicks along with animal sounds that just beg for a group voice".-- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksBuzz, buzz, mew, mew, cock-a-doodle-doo . . . the barnyard is humming with a happy song. But when Bee buzzes in with a sneeze, the animals' voices soon turn to sniffles and snorts! How will Farmer cure this case of the barnyard flu?; Title: Barnyard Song | [
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27,859 | 2 | On the occasion of her son's graduation from high school, Sandra Boynton, the well-loved creator of books and cards featuring hippos, dinosaurs, and sheep, has written a celebratory book for "onwardly mobile" readers. Everyone on the planet will compare this title to Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go, and we will, too. Yes, they're both delightful, silly picture books with vaguely unidentifiable critters as the emcees, rejoicing in the reader's recent graduation or other success. Festive exclamation points abound, along with rhyming, and alternating cheering and questioning ("Now what will you do?"). But Sandra Boynton is Sandra Boynton, and Dr. Seuss is Dr. Seuss, and ne'er the twain shall meet. Boynton's more contemporary text and illustrations feature a cow doing yoga ("OOM") and a headphone-clad fellow listening to "great rock-and-roll," among her other trademark characters flying away under balloons, partaking of chocolate, and scrambling up mountains. A box on the first page with "CONGRATULATIONS" across the top and "To" and "From" below make it perfectly clear that this is a book for giving. Behind all the goofy faces and simple rhymes is a very real, very sweet sentiment of pride and support that any loving friend or family member will be glad to share with that special successful person, young or old. Boynton's style can be recognized a mile away in such classics as Dinos to Go, Hippos Go Berserk!, and Moo, Baa, La La La!. (All ages) --Emilie CoulterLike Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, Boynton's latest picture book seems geared more for the graduation gift market than the children's bookshelf. She strikes up a chipper note from the start, offering introductory congratulations of an unspecified nature to the reader ("You did it!/ You're done!/ You made it!/ You're through!") then asks, "Now what will you do?" A tongue-in-cheek dash, in rhyme, through the many options life holds follows ("Do you long for adventure?/ Do you love to read maps?/ Would you rather stay home/ with your chocolate,/ perhaps?"). If Boynton treads a well-worn path here, offering advice that is somewhat generic and bland ("Whatever you do,/ whether near or so far,/ I know you'll be great./ You already are"), the artwork plays against the relentlessly upbeat tone and helps to hoist the book above greeting-card sentiment. Filled with her trademark bestiary of droll, quizzical characters, from a cow meditating in the lotus position ("oom") to a frog with an outboard motor attached to his lily pad ("some like to go fast"), the amusing scenarios will prod laughter from young and old alike. All ages.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Yay, You! : Moving Up and Moving On | [
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27,860 | 1 | Just about everyone is familiar with the awe-inspiring dinosaurs of long ago: Tyrannosaurus rex, brontosaurus, pterodactyl. But they weren't the only tough guys in town. In fact, before, during, and after the Age of Dinosaurs (also called the Mesozoic era), creatures beyond our wildest dreams roamed the earth, paddled the seas, and flew through the sky. Howard Zimmerman, author of Dinosaurs! The Biggest Baddest Strangest Fastest, shares some incredible facts about these bizarre reptiles and mammals. Take, for example (before it takes you!), the Diatryma, a giant flightless bird (up to 9 feet tall) with thickly muscled legs, three large clawed toes on each foot, and a huge, powerful, hooked beak. Or the monstrous, sea-dwelling Kronosaurus, over 45 feet long, its 10-foot-long skull filled with needle-sharp teeth. Then there was the ferocious Hyaenodont, a mammal that, like modern hyenas, fed on the bodies of dead animals, as well as hunting and killing its own prey.Zimmerman divides this oversize volume, lavishly drawn by the world's top illustrators of prehistoric animals, into three main sections: Pterosaurs: The Sky Dragons; Marine Reptiles; and Mega-Mammals and Other Prehistoric Beasts. Each description is fairly succinct, easy to follow, and packed with facts and details about the animals' size, eating habits, looks, and when and where it lived. Zimmerman also includes a listing of Web sites for additional information. Utterly fascinating, this book will keep kids--and adults--mesmerized for hours. (Ages 7 and older) --Emilie CoulterDinophiles will want to check out Beyond the Dinosaurs!, Howard Zimmerman's follow-up to Dinosaurs! The Biggest Baddest Strangest Fastest in the same tall, skinny format. Vivid descriptions of beasts that coexisted with dinosaurs, among them the flying Quetzalcoatlus "the size of a small airplane" with its 40-foot wingspan accompany color illustrations by a variety of artists. Scenes of predators with prey and similar moments of high drama dominate.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Beyond the Dinosaurs: Sky Dragons Sea Monsters Mega-mammals And Other Prehistoric Beasts | [
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27,861 | 2 | Sharon M. Draper is aNew York Timesbestselling author and recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for bothCopper SunandForged by Fire, and was most recently awarded the Charlotte Huck Award forStella by Starlight. Her novelOut of My Mindhas won multiple awards and was aNew York Timesbestseller for over three years. Shelives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.; Title: Romiette and Julio | [
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27,862 | 0 | Deborah Hopkinson is the author of numerous award-winning children's books, including Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, winner of the International Reading Association Award, Girl Wonder, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award, and Apples to Oregon, a Junior Library Guild Selection. She received the 2003 Washington State Book Award for Under the Quilt for the Night. She lives in Oregon. Visit her on the Web at www.deborahhopkinson.com.; Title: Prairie Skies: Cabin in the Snow | [
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27,863 | 2 | "Draper does not write books; she writes parables."Sharon M. Draper is aNew York Timesbestselling author and recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for bothCopper SunandForged by Fire, and was most recently awarded the Charlotte Huck Award forStella by Starlight. Her novelOut of My Mindhas won multiple awards and was aNew York Timesbestseller for over three years. Shelives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.; Title: The Battle of Jericho (The Jericho Trilogy) | [
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27,864 | 2 | PreSchool-KThis heartwarming book shows various animal dads as they provide comfort, safety, companionship, and steady support to their youngsters. The straightforward text rhymes, although not in a set pattern, and is loosely repetitive, thus sounding soothing and sweet without becoming singsong. While the majority of the verses are stated in general terms ("Some daddies/comb your hair"), the last two pages are more personalized ("And my daddy... is the best,/the very best,/...daddy of all"). Most of the pastel paintings feature animal families; a bird sings his child awake, a luminescent fish builds a house, and a tall flamingo urges his nested offspring to "Keep trying!/Keep trying!" A human child and father appear at the end. The artwork is intimate and the focus is soft, yet all of the scenes are immersed in rich colors. As a bonus, the illustrations establish an expansive sense of place, moving readers from mountains to desert to river valley. The majority of the pages pay tribute to the glorious natural world, giving the book universal appeal.Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Marion Dane Bauer is the author of My Mother Is Mine, a companion to The Very Best Daddy of All; Grandmother's Song; Sleep, Little One, Sleep; and If You Were Born a Kitten, as well as many other books, including the Newbery Honor Book On My Honor. She lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.; Title: The Very Best Daddy of All | [
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27,865 | 17 | Author-illustrator Demi has created a simple, straightforward, and reverent biography of India's "great soul." So simple and factual, indeed, that it might be a rather ordinary book, except for Demi's memorable, color-saturated, very Indian illustrations. We follow Gandhi from his hard, lonely education and apprenticeship in England and South Africa through the nationwide strike he led after the Amritsar massacre, to Independence and his eventual assassination. No major milestone in his life is left out, and each is dealt with in a short paragraph (typically 50 words), on its own page with accompanying illustration; 8 or 9 of these may want more substance. In between, however, this is an excellent introduction to the subcontinent's most famous son. (Ages 5 to 10) --Richard FarrThe highlight of this portrait of Gandhi is Demi's (Buddha) artwork, featuring gold borders and accents, splashes of brilliant color and small-scale images. With their fine balance of simplicity and elegance, the paintings gracefully reflect their subject. Readers aware of Gandhi's lasting influence may be surprised to learn that he was a small, shy boy and a weak student who barely graduated from high school and failed classes in college. Demi traces his transformation, as a law student in London, into an English gentleman and his years practicing law in South Africa, where he first encountered racism. At that point he became "determined to root out the disease of prejudice" this would plant the seeds for his life's work. Returning to India, he used nonviolent tactics to fight against its rigid caste system and oppressive British rule. The formal prose occasionally becomes awkward and a bit overblown (e.g., "Gandhi and his followers worked to accept the good and bad in life, to meet challenges with humility and calm, and to bring harmony to the world"). But the author's passion for her subject comes through ("It is my own great hope that we will all try to live our lives in Gandhi's honor in truth, peace, and love," she writes in an endnote) and may well inspire readers to learn more about this extraordinary leader. Ages 7-10.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Gandhi | [
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27,866 | 2 | Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, is the author of several childrens books, including Ballerina Rosie; Tea for Ruby, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser; and the Little Red series as well as a memoir, Finding Sarah. The Duchess is a devoted spokesperson for many charitable organizations, including Changes for Children. She has two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.; Title: Little Red's Autumn Adventure | [
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27,867 | 0 | Stephen Krensky is the author of more than a hundred books for children, including How Santa Got His Job (an ALA Notable Book) and Big Bad Wolves at School. He and his wife, Joan, live in Lexington, Massachusetts. You can visit him at StephenKrensky.com.; Title: Pearl Harbor : Ready To Read Level 3 | [
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27,868 | 2 | When Little Red and her friends plan a "buzz of a day" picnicking in Bluebell Wood, none of them anticipates the dreadful noise that disrupts their placid gathering: "SPLAT SHWOOSH THWACK THUMP SQUEAK SPLOSH." Little Blue and the others are all for skedaddling, but brave Little Red insists: "If someone was in trouble, she and her friends should try to help." Young readers will be as anxious as the cute little protagonists, wondering what could possibly be making that big scary noise, and hoping its not as bad as it sounds. Luckily, the story behind the noise is not, in fact, as bad as it sounds, and the day ends as happily as it began. Sarah Ferguson (a.k.a. The Duchess of York) writes on the back cover, "When I was a little girl, I wanted to have a friend like Little Red. Shes sweet and brave and funny and kind." And so she is. Illustrator Sam Williams creates a friendly, old-fashioned backdrop to the Duchess's quaint story about courage and friendship. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie CoulterPreSchool-Grade 1-Little Red and her friends Little Blue, Roany the Pony, and Gino the Dog all leave Buttercup Cottage for a "buzz of a day" picnicking on sherbert sandwiches and chocolate cake in Bluebell Wood. During their feast, a terrible noise leads them to a bunny stranded on a lily pad during a game with frogs. Digging into her magic sack of smiles, Little Red finds a rope that allows Roany to make a successful rescue. Although wordy and containing numerous British phrases, the story itself is serviceable. It is the cloyingly sweet pastel-pencil and watercolor artwork showing these doll-like characters journeying through picturesque fields and flowers that drives the book over the edge. It's all too saccharine for most children.Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Little Red | [
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27,869 | 4 | Grade 1-4Like Lichtenheld's Everything I Know about Monsters (S & S, 2002), this pseudo-nonfiction book presents a wealth of made-up stuff. It's chock-full of fun fake facts about automobiles, such as "Red cars are the fastest kind" and horses invented cars (hence the term horsepower). Other sections focus on the history of motor travel (beginning with cavemen putting steering wheels on animals), how cars work ("the transmissiontransmits; the suspensionsuspends"), and how to be a passenger ("Your next duty is to test the power windows. Down. Up. Down"). The book ends with tips for kids on how to design and draw their own vehicles. The conversational text is plentiful, but is made less intimidating by the plethora of wacky cartoon illustrations. Using ink, colored pencil, gouache, and watercolor, Lichtenheld depicts everything from an ancient Egyptian dune buggy to a "Heli-Hat" to a detailed map of a family road trip. The illustrations and the narrative have just enough body and potty humor to amuse readers but not gross them out. The result is Mad Magazine, Jr. meets Auto Repair for Dummies. The mix of madcap illustrations, irreverent text, and kid-friendly humor is sure to attract even the most reluctant readers.Catherine Callegari, San Antonio Public Library, TX Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 2-4. Lichtenheld, the author of other witty compendiums such as Everything I Know about Pirates (2000), takes a similarly wacky approach to cars. Although the book is classified as nonfiction, the author claims expertise on made-up cars, not real ones, so readers will learn, for instance, that two horses (Winnie and Nay) in Ohio invented the first car in 1904. The section on how a car works reads like a test paper by a student who is totally unprepared, but still game: "Some other car parts you should know about are the transmission, which transmits; the suspension, which suspends; and the pistons, which, well . . . they work real hard too." Just as funny and accessible as the text are the colorful, cartoon-style illustrations with their helpful and amusing labels. Some kids will giggle through the whole book, and few will read it without cracking up at least once or twice. With an eye-catching jacket and a terrific section on how to draw a car, this large-format book has something for everyone (except maybe someone who actually wants to know about cars). Carolyn PhelanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Everything I Know About Cars: A Collection of Made-Up Facts, Educated Guesses, and Silly Pictures about Cars, Trucks, and Other Zoomy Things | [
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27,870 | 12 | Finding the right (appropriate/proper/correct) word can be so demanding (difficult/tough/hard), sometimes. But a good thesaurus can help find the word that expresses just what a writer or speaker wants to say, clearly and exactly. The Simon and Schuster Thesaurus for Children is an excellent (fine/admirable/great) beginning thesaurus for kids. Although not comprehensive, this handy resource includes over 800 main entries, with 5,000 synonyms--which should be plenty for most young writers. Children will find themselves returning to this handsome volume time after time as they build their vocabulary, avoid word repetition, improve their writing skills, and make correct word choices. Each alphabetical entry gives the part of speech, definitions, and example sentences, and provides easy-to-use cross-references. A complete index, a list of common phrases and idioms, common grammar problems, "word banks," and other features make this up-to-date thesaurus a reliable reference tool for budding writers and plain old students alike.And since no desk should be without a thesaurus or a dictionary, the Macmillan Dictionary for Children, another Simon and Schuster reference book, makes a dandy companion to the Thesaurus for Children. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter; Title: Simon & Schuster Thesaurus for Children : The Ultimate Student Thesaurus | [
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27,871 | 3 | Tom Lichtenheld knows plenty about monsters, and fortunately for 8-year-olds everywhere, he's willing to share his secrets in Everything I Know About Monsters, the sequel to Everything I Know About Pirates. Presented as a field guide of sorts, the instructive book begins with a diagram of a typical monster, with the usual characteristics from hopelessly bad hair to weird feet. The guide, which delves into monster psychology (very simple) as well as monster hygiene (very minimal), is divided up by type of monster such as: "Under-the-Bed Monsters" (lazy, eat dirty socks, scared by smiley-face night-lights), "Basement Monsters" (Sock Suckers, Ankle Fiends, Tool Ghouls), "Attic Monsters" ("sit around all day reading old National Geographic magazines that your parents are saving for no apparent reason"), and "Outside Monsters" (such as Big Foot "a Boy Scout gone bad" and Swamp Thang). A handy Monster Avoidance Chart may help kids get a good night's sleep.Monsters are also discussed from a cultural perspective in sections such as "Man-Made Monsters" (Frankenstein, robots) and "TV and Movie Monsters:" "Lots of monsters audition for parts in monster movies, but they never get the parts because they're such lousy actors." Even space aliens, "not officially part of the monster kingdom," are given play, because they're "fun to draw." The Official Mad Scientist Monster Maker includes three columns of words that kids can mix and match to create a monster name, such as Creepy-Eared Knucklehead or Bat-Nosed Belcher. Lichtenheld's comical, color-rich illustrations capture Essence of Monster most gruesomely, and each double-page spread boils and bubbles with funny captions, cartoons, side jokes, and general silliness. And remember, "If you do see a monster don't overreact. It only encourages them." (Ages 6 to 10--not for kids who are still afraid of monsters!) --Karin SnelsonThe Many-Mouthed Midnight Muncher and the Big Butted Bug Eyed Terrible Tongue Twister are among the horrible creatures pictured and explained in Everything I Know About Monsters by Tom Lichtenheld. Illustrated in campy cartoon style, the sequel to Everything I Know About Pirates contains a tongue-in-cheek Monster Avoidance Chart, a monster brain analysis and the truth about Big Foot (he s a Boy Scout gone bad). (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Everything I Know About Monsters : A Collection of Made-up Facts, Educated Guesses, and Silly Pictures about Creatures of Creepiness | [
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27,872 | 18 | Packed with photos (color and black-and-white), maps, personal stories, and concise, readable descriptions of the major events of World War II, bestselling author Stephen E. Ambrose's The Good Fight is a stunning resource for students of history. Though this horrific war has been written about innumerable times over the last half-century, this chronicle for young readers (14 and older) is one of the most vivid, insightful, and straightforward perspectives around. Ambrose pulls no punches. In the first paragraph of his introduction, he reminds us that "more people were killed, more houses, apartment buildings, factories, bridges, and other works of man were destroyed than ever before or since." From Hitler's rise to power to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor to the air war over Europe to the War Crimes Trials, the major events of the war are thoughtfully examined and depicted.Each chapter features one of the most important campaigns, players, situations, or battles, with a full-page, often chilling photograph covering half the two-page spread and inset photos on the narrative page as well. Quick Facts boxes appear in every chapter to highlight interesting and relevant details. Large campaign and battlefield maps are interspersed throughout. Readers will come away with a painfully real sense of what life was like in the 1930s and '40s for the soldiers, families, women workers (Rosie the Riveter is included, of course), heroes, and victims of this most devastating, cruel war. (Ages 14 and older) --Emilie CoulterVeteran adult historian Ambrose (D-Day June 6, 1944; Citizen Soldiers) hits the mark with this patriotic photo-survey of America's involvement in WWII. His highly visual and textually concise approach make clear the giant scope of a war that truly spanned the world. The author covers a great deal of factual information by breaking down the events into digestible sections of one to two spreads each (the D-Day invasion, photos of the concentration camps, and the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki each have two spreads). Topics vary from the origins of the war in both Germany and Japan to Japanese-American relocation camps to the Manhattan Project and women in the work force, always keeping an eye to the human side of war and sacrifice. Carefully selected quotes reinforce the individual's experience, such as Major Richard Winters's reaction when his troops liberated concentration camp prisoners at Dachau: "Now I know why I am here." Ambrose also points out the irony that the U.S. battled a racist Hitler with a segregated army, and effectively argues that the exemplary performance of African-American troops paved the way for integration in the army and, eventually, for the civil rights movement. Haunting and powerful full-page and inset photographs bring each subject to life, including Joe Rosenthal's famous flag-raising after the battle of Iwo Jima. Because of the brevity, some issues such as Russia's temporary alliance with Germany are not discussed. The format succeeds in allowing Ambrose to flash back and forth between events around the globe, creating a heartpounding urgency. Ages 9-up.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: The Good Fight : How World War II Was Won | [
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27,873 | 0 | Gr 2-4-The first title in a projected series of beginning chapter books introduces reluctant readers to Heart Avamir, an abandoned girl with no memory of her origins, who wakes up one day in a strange feudal community. She lives with the hard-hearted curmudgeon who found her, but it is the neighborhood apothecary, Ruth, who names and befriends her. When the girl finds a wounded mare limping around untethered, she claims it for her own and nurses it back to health despite her guardian's protests that the animal would be better off sold for slaughter. In addition to the limp, the mare bears a deep scar on its forehead, which Ruth acknowledges but is a bit too quick to dismiss. Readers will already have guessed that the mare is really a disfigured unicorn and that Heart, who was found wearing a blanket emblazoned with unicorn figures, is destined to care for the animal. Duey uses simple but evocative language; few words are more than two syllables long. The text is set with wide leading and interspersed throughout with moody, evocative black-and-white illustrations. A cliff-hanging ending rounds out this portion of the narrative. This is a good alternative for children who have outgrown easy-readers but who are not quite ready for longer, denser works of fiction.Catherine Threadgill, DeKalb County Public Library, Atlanta, GACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr. 2-4. Heart Avamir remembers nothing prior to her rescue as a toddler by Old Simon, and her life since has meant lots of hard work as they struggle to stay alive in their feudal village. Simon is not affectionate, so it's to the village healer, Rosa, that Heart turns when she discovers a starving, injured white horse wandering in the woods. Duey manages a remarkable feat: she has written a beguiling story of love and healing in an easy-to-read style, with short sentences and simple words that flow smoothly across the pages. The impoverished village setting is vividly portrayed, and Heart is admirably strong without being unbelievable. Rayyan's lushly detailed black-and-white illustrations, one per chapter, add to the charm. The book's format and typeface will lure readers who are looking for fantasy that's a bit more challenging than what they'll find in the Magic Treehouse series. As the first book in a quartet, this doesn't come to a full conclusion; instead it sets up readers for the next book in the series. Susan Dove LempkeCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Moonsilver (The Unicorn's Secret #1) | [
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27,874 | 0 | Gr. 2-4. When the first book in the Prairie Skies series opens, it's 1885, and Charlie Keller's family is leaving Massachusetts with other abolitionists bound for Kansas to prevent its becoming a slave-holding state. Charlie's concerns are more immediate--he is distressed to leave his grandfather and old dog, and the train and steamboat rides are exhausting, filthy, and tedious. The characters are engaging-- especially Charlie; his two sisters, Ida Jane and Sadie; and his new puppy, Lion--and the story ends on a note that's designed to hook readers into the next volume. As with books in Kathleen Duey's Unicorn's Secret series, this Ready for Chapter Books entry breaks a long story into manageable parts for younger readers who may find a full-length novel too daunting. An author's note at the end explains Hopkinson's loving research and nicely distinguishes between fact and fiction for children just learning about historical fiction. Susan Dove LempkeCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedDeborah Hopkinson is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including A Band of Angels, Fanny in the Kitchen, and Under the Quilt of Night, a sequel to her award-winning Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. She lives with her husband and two children in Walla Walla, Washington.; Title: Prairie Skies: Pioneer Summer | [
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27,875 | 0 | Laura Godwin grew up in Alberta, Canada. She has written many well-loved books for children, including Barnyard Prayers, Little White Dog, Happy & Honey, and co-authored The Doll People, The Meanest Doll in the World, and The Runaway Dolls. She lives in New York City.; Title: Happy and Honey (Happy Honey) | [
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27,876 | 0 | Gr. 2-4. The story of Heart Avamir and the unicorn mother and child she befriends continues in this second part of a fantasy quartet. Knowing they are in danger if they are seen, Heart takes shelter in a cave and manages to keep the three of them alive. When Moonsilver, the young unicorn, is shot by a hunter's poisoned arrow, Heart must risk revelation to get him the help he needs from her healer friend, Ruth Oakes. Kathleen Duey again creates a story with dramatic tension and plenty of endearing touches (Heart's new puppy is almost too adorable). The book is easy enough for second-graders and uses satisfyingly rich language. Susan Dove LempkeCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedKathleen Dueys works include the middle grade American Diaries and Survivors series, as well as the well-reviewed chapter book series The Unicorns Secret and its companion series, The Faeries Promise. She is also the National Book Awardnominated author of Skin Hunger. She lives in Fallbrook, California.; Title: Silver Thread | [
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27,877 | 15 | The world rejoices each time a rare giant panda is born. When tiny Hua Mei was born on August 21, 1999, her caregivers gave her extra protection from any potential dangers. For the first weeks of her life, this baby could be viewed only with a camera in her den at the San Diego Zoo. She and her mother, Bai Yun, spent the time bonding--panda papas have nothing to do with the raising of their cubs. Gradually, as Hua Mei grew bigger and stronger, she began to play and eat on her own, and the world was finally allowed to see her when she was about five months old.Who can resist the allure of a cuddly baby panda? Joanne Ryder, author of many popular books about creatures great and small, including Earthdance, traces the young life of a panda with minimal text and many remarkable photos from the Zoological Society of San Diego. Curious readers will learn that, at birth, panda cubs are more than 800 times smaller than their mothers and that they are blind for the first few months of life. Parents and kids will love reading this book together and contemplating the parallels between fragile panda cubs and human babies. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie CoulterThe first giant panda cub ever to survive in captivity in the Western Hemisphere takes center stage in Little Panda by Joanne Ryder, with photographs that follow her from a "pink and pale" cub to the thriving black-and-white Hua Mei (her name means "China-USA") who lives in the San Diego Zoo. With abundant accessible details included in factoids ("Her fur feels much like a German shepherd's), a minimum of text and a maximum of photos, this volume will win Hua Mei many fans. ( Mar.) Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo | [
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27,878 | 2 | Grade 4-6-When a new girl moves into the East Tennessee Children's Home, her charisma has an immediate effect on Maddie, the story's narrator. Maddie's scrapbooks filled with pictures of the houses she dreams of living in serve as a catalyst for Murphy, as she gathers a fledgling group of unlikely friends around her. Together they build a fort, and spend time there dreaming of futures that compensate for their pasts. Maddie's own history, including a mother who abandoned her as an infant, pales beside Murphy's stories of her parents, well-respected research scientists who died tragically. When Murphy leaves suddenly and her past is revealed to have been an alternate reality to the truth she cannot accept, the group that is left must struggle to deal with their own difficult lives and Murphy's place in their memories. While insightful readers will suspect the newcomer's lack of truthfulness early on, that won't stop her compelling personality from leaping off the pages. Maddie is the more staid character, but still a distinct and likable person. The foster children's backgrounds are believable, diverse, and engaging, and readers familiar with eastern Tennessee will appreciate the references to real towns and cities that are sprinkled throughout the text. Despite being a remarkably different story from the author's Dovey Coe (Atheneum, 2000), this novel also offers unique and memorable characters.Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, ILCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 5-8. Maddie knows how to tell a story, "When I was just a baby, a ghost saved my life." That's what she tells people at the East Tennessee Children's Home because "it makes them think I'm somebody special, even if I don't look it." When a charismatic new girl appears at the home, Maddie is impressed. Murphy inspires Maddie and other kids to build a "fort" that serves as their retreat. There, the children fill scrapbooks with pictures of fantasy homes, tell stories, and daydream about their futures. Maddie relates some of their personal histories, but only learns the truth about Murphy after her mother takes her away. As the story ends, Maddie contemplates a major change in her own life. Imagination and stories are key survival tools for these emotionally vulnerable, but resourceful, foster kids. Maddie has a knack for close observation and ironic insight, yet the voice and views are consistently those of a perceptive 11-year-old. Her lively telling makes this a choice read aloud. Tough issues, difficult situations, engaging characters, and a tentative ending provide ample discussion possibilities. Linda PerkinsCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Where I'd Like To Be | [
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27,879 | 2 | PreSchool-Grade 2-Plourde and Couch's quartet of picture books personifying the seasons comes full circle with this exuberant celebration of summer. Enthusiastic and full of energy, young Summer spends her time swimming, building sand castles, picking berries, and camping in the cool forest. Under the watchful eye of Mother Earth and Father Time, the youngster rushes from one activity to another. The two admonish her not to neglect her chores but she is having too much fun to stop her frolicking. It is not until she pauses on a mountaintop that she realizes what her negligence has done-the Earth is dry and brown. Promising to work around the clock, Summer sprinkles water until the rivers flow and the animals begin to stir. Rendered in acrylic paint and colored pencils on museum board, the illustrations glow with the shimmering heat of a sultry day and the coolness of a summer's evening. The yellows, greens, and blues match the energetic tone of the rhyming verses. This title continues the New Age approach evident in this team's other season books: Mother Earth is camouflaged as part of the topography and Summer's short golden hair looks like sun rays around her head. Children familiar with the earlier titles will welcome Summer and her infectious love of warm, carefree days.Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MNCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.PreS-Gr. 1. Summer is much too busy swimming, building sand castles, and hiking to do her chores. Mother Earth and Father Time keep reminding her of her responsibilities, but it is not until Summer sees the brown, dried-up earth does she realize the price of her neglect. Watering can in hand, she works day and night until the earth begins to turn green again. As in her title Winter Waits (2000), Plourde delivers her message about responsibility gently, but firmly. The bouncy rhyming text is matched with layered, bright yellow and green full-page artwork that shows a jubilant Summer playing with abandon on the beach, turning somersaults, and splashing in a waterfall. Teachers may want to use the characters of Summer, Mother Earth, and Father Time to introduce metaphor and personification to elementary students. Karen HuttCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Summer's Vacation | [
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27,880 | 16 | Paper engineer and author Matthew Reinhart teaches word pairs in Animal Popposites: A Pop-up Book of Opposites. Framed in white, colorful cards open to reveal the opposing word in 3-D detail. "Dark," for example, shows two raccoons rummaging through the garbage at night; the flaps fold out to reveal "bright," which places the raccoons beside a beaming pop-up firefly. Ages 3-6.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Matthew Reinhart, a graduate of the Pratt Institute, is the highly acclamied author of Animal Popposites, TheArk, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book forLittle Simon.His pop-up career began while working withRobert Sabuda on books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Movable Mother Goose, beforebreaking into the world of pop-ups on his own.Matthew lives in New York City.; Title: Animal Popposites: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites | [
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27,881 | 14 | Rhyming couplets explain the holiday in Judith Moffet's Chanukah Lights. Stories, songs, spinning dreidels and fried latkes lend a festive feel. This addition to the Night Glow board books series boasts collage illustrations with glow-in-the-dark accents.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Chanukah Lights (Night Glow Board Book) | [
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27,882 | 2 | This is an enjoyable story that sports-loving girls will love, and it fills a real need for sports fiction.ForeWord MagazineLONG SHOT by Timothy Tocher is an exciting sports book. Any girl who likes basketball should find it a great book to read. YoungSt.Louis.comTimothy Tocher lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State with his wife, Judy. He is the author of 4 sports based novels and 1 book of nonfiction for middle grade readers. Timothy's stories have appeared in Girls to the Rescue, Books #6 and #7, Newfangled Fairy Tales, Books #1 and #2, and Cricket magazine. His humorous poems have been published in Kids Pick the Funniest Poems, No More Homework! No More Tests!, If Kids Ruled the School, Rolling in the Aisles, Oh, My Darling Porcupine, What I Did on My Summer Vacation, and other anthologies.; Title: Long Shot | [
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27,883 | 6 | And finally, the Look Baby! series adds two titles by Margaret Miller. Close-up photos of baby faces appear in Boo! Baby and the babies are dressed up in costumes. In Peekaboo Baby youngsters can play their favorite game.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Boo! Baby (Look Baby! Books) | [
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27,884 | 14 | Publishing a book that appeals to young fans of both Christmas and Nick Jr.'s Bob the Builder might seem like a terribly risky proposition. But if your child just happens to fall into that demographic, here's the book for you.Based on an actual episode of the hugely popular show, Bob's White Christmas brings together a bunch of the regulars for some low-key holiday fun: Scoop gives Bob a hand clearing a path to Farmer Pickles's place ("Can we plow it?" "Yes, we can!"), all the machines pitch in to decorate a tree ("Can we trim it?" "Yes, we can!"), and Spud the scarecrow gets quite a scare from a supposed "snow monster" ("Whee! Whoo-hoo! Look out!").Just as on the show (a hit in 100 countries and counting), Bob and his likeable pals work together, solve problems, and have all sorts of fun. And kids should especially like a chance to stare at all the TV stills. Now what's Bob up to in that fake white beard anyway? (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes; Title: Bob's White Christmas (Bob the Builder) | [
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27,885 | 0 | Stephen Krensky is the author of more than a hundred books for children, including How Santa Got His Job (an ALA Notable Book) and Big Bad Wolves at School. He and his wife, Joan, live in Lexington, Massachusetts. You can visit him at StephenKrensky.com.; Title: Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig | [
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27,886 | 2 | Grade 3-6This exceedingly handsome book tells of the famous women warriors besieged by an Egyptian and Assyrian army. Their queen uses both craft (her sister infiltrates the camp) and valor against the enemy, and personally goes head-to-head with the prince. Their daylong combat begins with insults but ends with a declaration of love that, after sweaty hours of lethal opposition, must be based on character rather than beauty. Bower takes the tale from a Hellenistic scroll, adding a few details. (Since the figures are all posed in archaic profile/frontal combination, the question of the sacrificed breast doesn't arise; in any case, the queen fights with spear and shield, not bow.) Budding Egyptologists and archaeologists will be enthralled by the hieroglyphs on endpapers and many pages. There are splendid frescolike panels; other spreads provide a drawing, text, and hieroglyph version of that portion of the text printed in bold. The deceptively simple-looking outline drawings will encourage imitation, though Bower's elegant spareness and lapis/sienna colors will be hard to equal. Five pages of information (including map and book list) at the end explain the source and the system of hieroglyphic writing. Hours of educational pleasure are pretty much guaranteed.Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RIGr. 4-7. In ancient Assyria, Queen Serpot rules in a place where "Amazon women lived free without men." When an Egyptian army approaches, she sends out scouts to assess the enemy, plans the strategy, and battles the Egyptian prince Pedikhons mano a mano. Darkness finally interrupts their long, grueling fight; they put down their arms, recognize each other as equals (and lovers), and join forces. Taken from a fragment in an ancient myth known as the Story- Cycle of King Petubast, this retelling focuses on facts with only the thinnest hint of passion. Inspired by Egyptian and Assyrian art, the striking watercolor-and-gouache illustrations emulate ancient reliefs and feature rich, saturated earth colors. On most pages, a passage has also been written in clear, attractive hieroglyphs. Excellent appended notes provide historical background and information about the hieroglyphs and symbols; a bibliography rounds out the book. This slender offering will enrich ancient-civilization collections and attract budding Egyptologists as well. Linda PerkinsCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) | [
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27,887 | 2 | Alice fans (and their younger friends) are in for a treat as Phyllis Reynolds Naylor turns back the clock on the popular series hero: Starting with Alice documents the ups and downs of Alice's third-grade year. Two additional prequels are planned, to bring the younger Alice up to the point where the original series opener, Alice in Agony, begins. Ages 7-up.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 3-6-In this first of a trilogy of prequels, the author of the "Alice" books takes readers back to the protagonist's arrival in Takoma Park, MD. Alice gets off to a rough start at her new school, where she meets three girls who snub her and soon become her enemies. She also gets in trouble for lying to her classmates about how her uncle died, and for disobeying a crossing guard. Gradually, though, she finds reasons to like her new environment, including friends Rosalind and Sara and her father's gift of a kitten, and she discovers that it is easier to be a friend than an enemy, even when the enemies are the Terrible Triplets. At eight years of age, Alice is as thoughtful and engaging as her older self. Naylor captures the problems of starting over while coping with the everyday woes of teasing and managing friendships. The otherwise light tone of the book changes suddenly in the middle when Uncle Charlie dies of a heart attack just after Alice and her family return home from his wedding. While this sudden plot twist is a little jarring, Alice's feelings are presented in a believable, sensitive manner. Elementary-school girls will enjoy this introduction, while older fans may be curious enough about the spunky heroine to read about her earlier exploits.Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Starting with Alice | [
55422
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27,888 | 0 | Kaci enjoys reading mysteries and adventure stories as long as there are other family members around and especially when she has a big bowl of popcorn nearby. Sometimes, though, she longs for a little excitement and wonders what it would be like to have a real adventure.Kaci is feeling this way at the time her family moves to a house in a new development that is supposed to be safer than their old neighborhood. She likes everything about the new place except the nosy neighbor next door, Mrs. Banducci. She's a pain, always asking too many questions. She's around the morning Kaci comes home from school to get special medicine for her allergy attack, and her questions are about the deliveries made that morning to Kaci's house. What were they? Kaci doesn't know. She also doesn't know, when she gets to her front door, why it is open. No one is supposed to be home.Although she doesn't realize it right then, this is the start of Kaci's big adventure. The new development, it turns out, is not so safe after all. A neighborhood where Mrs. Banducci is probably the only person home all day is ideal for thieves who want to break in and steal -- thieves who don't care what they do to you when they find you in a house where they don't expect you to be. Kaci's adventure is one that can even make her value Mrs. Banducci.Once again Willo Davis Roberts has created an adventure story that leaves you breathless, yet makes you feel it could happen down the street, next door, or even to you."I always thought I'd be ready for an adventure, if one ever came along. I didn't know how stupid that was until it happened".; Title: Hostage | [
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27,889 | 2 | Grade 4-6-Kate and Marylin have been best friends forever. The 11-year-olds begin to drift apart, however, when manipulative Flannery moves into the neighborhood. Partly motivated by unhappiness and insecurity, the older girl influences the passive Marylin to turn against Kate. Marylin joins the cheerleader crowd while Kate eventually gravitates toward classmates who don't follow the herd. Told from various points of view, including those of characters closely involved with the events as well as others on the periphery, the story follows these girls as they struggle with hurt feelings, peer pressure, acceptance, and self-image. Although Marylin believes Kate to be totally immature, it is ironically Kate who ends up romantically involved with a slightly geeky boy who appreciates her kindness and growing sense of self-worth. Flannery grows increasingly disconnected, but Kate learns to stand up to peer pressure. Her hard-won self-possession serves her well when she is the target of a mean prank in which Marylin participates; the tide turns, and kids will admire Kate's handling of the situation. Perhaps a bit unbelievably, the book ends with the repentant Marylin phoning her ex-best friend. Excellent characterization, an accurate portrayal of the painful and often cruel machinations of preteens, and evocative dialogue will make this tale resonate with most readers, who will see themselves and some of their peers in its pages.B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NYCopyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Frances ORoark Dowell is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author ofDovey Coe, which won the Edgar Award and the William Allen White Award;Where Id Like to Be;The Secret Language of Girlsand its sequelsThe Kind of Friends We Used to BeandThe Sound of Your Voice, Only Really Far Away;Chicken Boy;Shooting the Moon, which was awarded the Christopher Medal; the Phineas L. MacGuire series;Falling In; the critically acclaimedThe Second Life of Abigail Walker;Anybody Shining;Ten Miles Past Normal;Trouble the Water; the Sam the Man series; and The Class. She lives with her family in Durham, North Carolina. Connect with Frances online at FrancesDowell.com.; Title: The Secret Language of Girls (The Secret Language of Girls Trilogy) | [
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27,890 | 2 | Daniel Pinkwater is the author of several bestselling children's books as well as a popular commentator on National Public Radio. He writes regular reviews on Contentville.com. Daniel lives in Hyde Park, New York.; Title: The Werewolf Club Meets the Hound of the Basketballs #4 | [
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27,891 | 2 | "Fans will grab this." -- Booklist"This last of three prequels leading up to the original 'Alice' series is just as funny and touching as the previous books." -- School Library JournalPhyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 135 books, including the Newbery AwardwinningShilohand its sequels, the Alice series,Roxie and the Hooligans, andRoxie and the Hooligans at Buzzards Roost. She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To hear from Phyllis and find out more about Alice, visit AliceMcKinley.com.; Title: Lovingly Alice | [
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27,892 | 0 | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 135 books, including the Newbery AwardwinningShilohand its sequels, the Alice series,Roxie and the Hooligans, andRoxie and the Hooligans at Buzzards Roost. She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To hear from Phyllis and find out more about Alice, visit AliceMcKinley.com.; Title: Bernie Magruder and the Disappearing Bodies | [
27827
] | Validation |
27,893 | 14 | acked with pop-ups, pull tabs and liftable flaps, Richard Scarry's Mr. Fixit's Mixed-Up Christmas! follows the hero as he moves through the town, leaving Easter eggs, Valentines and birthday cakes in his wake. Brief text and funny phrases wind around the perimeter of each spread.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.reS-K-In addition to Scarry's signature little vignettes of active characters filling the pages, the pop-up illustrations here can be seen from both sides, and the book can be read upside-down. The approach works well for a book about befuddled Mr. Fixit, who gets it all wrong as he decorates-ostensibly for Christmas-all over town. Preschoolers will enjoy finding Valentine hearts, Easter eggs, birthday candles, and Halloween motifs before Mr. Fixit finally gets the Busytown Christmas tree up (or down). A fun gift book, or for libraries with toy and movable book collections.-S. P.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Richard Scarry's Mr. Fixit's Mixed-Up Christmas!: A Pop-up Book with Flaps and Pull-tabs on All Sides! (Richard Scarry Pop Up) | [
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27,894 | 2 | What a happy, happy place the world would be if daddies always did all the things they do best: bake you a magnificent birthday cake, give you a piggyback ride, hold you when you're feeling sad. In Laura Joffe Numeroff (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) and Lynn Munsinger's picture book world, they do indeed! Munsinger's adorable (but not cutesy) watercolors depict a hippo papa, fox father, bunny daddy, and more top pops, giving their little ones "lots and lots of love." Terrific detail and brief text ("Daddies can help you make a garden grow") create just the right mix in this reassuring bedtime read aloud. In one spread, the goat dad offers his daughter cough syrup and a teddy bear as she hunkers down in her tissue-strewn sickbed; in another, a bunny's father helps her blow-dry the family dog after a bath. Mommy feeling left out? Numeroff and Munsinger sing her praises, too, in What Mommies Do Best. Cuddly enjoyment for the whole family! (Ages 2 to 6) --Emilie CoulterLaura Numeroff is well known as the author of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and the flipbook, What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her horse Otis.; Title: What Daddies Do Best | [
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27,895 | 0 | "Crosshatched pencil drawings expertly capture the story's droller moments, as well as Victor's changing expressions....This brief story has an appeal beyond its reading level." -- "School Library Journal""In his arresting, informative blend of fact and fiction, Selznick splendidly captures the sense of wonder surrounding Houdini." -- "Publishers Weekly""Selznick illustrates his first book with vigorous, carefully composed black-and-white drawings; his faces express emotion with subtlety and quiet humor. The offbeat story is smoothly told...." -- "Kirkus Reviews"Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of the bestselling The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal and was a National Book Award finalist. He is also the illustrator of many books for children, including Frindle and Lunch Money by Andrew Clements, as well as the Doll People trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, and The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, which was a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Selznick divides his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.; Title: The Houdini Box | [
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27,896 | 18 | Farris's stirring memoir of her younger brother "M.L." focuses on a pivotal moment in their childhood in Atlanta. The conversational narrative easily and convincingly draws readers into the daily life of Christine and her two brothers, M.L. and A.D., as they listen to their grandmother's stories, stage pranks and romp in the backyard with two white brothers from across the street. The adults in the King family-Daddy, a minister; Mother Dear, a musician; maternal grandparents (the grandfather is also a minister) and a great-aunt-try to shield the children from the overt racism of the times; the family rarely took streetcars, for example, because of "those laws [segregation], and the indignity that went with them." When the white boys announce one day that they cannot play with M.L. and A.D. because they are "Negroes," the young Kings are hurt and baffled. Mother Dear explains, "[Whites] just don't understand that everyone is the same, but someday, it will be better." M.L. replies, "Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn this world upside down." Soentpiet (Dear Santa, Please Come to the 19th Floor) illustrates this exchange with a powerful watercolor portrait of mother and son that encapsulates many emotions, including hope, pain and love. Unfortunately, in other paintings, the characters often seem frozen in exaggerated poses, or minor figures are rendered with less skill than demonstrated elsewhere. These inconsistencies detract from an otherwise gripping volume that makes the audience aware that heroes were once children, too. All ages. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.Grade 2-4-In the straightforward style of a master storyteller, Farris recalls the birth of her two younger brothers and relates anecdotes that demonstrate both the mischievous exploits of the siblings and the love and understanding that permeated the close-knit multigenerational family in which they grew up. Using plain language, she describes conditions in the South during her childhood that separated blacks and whites- "Because they just don't understand that everyone is the same, but someday, it will be better." From their father's church sermons and his actions when confronting the hatred and bigotry, the children learned the importance of standing up for justice and equality. The warmth of the text is exquisitely echoed in Soentpiet's realistic, light-filled watercolor portraits set in the King home, in their Atlanta neighborhood, and at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The simple directness of this short biography will help young children understand the concept of segregation and the importance of Dr. King's message. An appended poem by Mildred D. Johnson reflects Farris's own message: "-it is important for young people to realize the potential that lies within each of them-." This outstanding book belongs in every collection.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | [
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27,897 | 2 | In a boxed review, PW called this novel of 11-year-old Ellie Farley, living in a coal-mining town in West Virginia, "an exquisite novel, written with love." Ages 9-12. (June) Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.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: A Blue-Eyed Daisy (Aladdin Fiction) | [
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27,898 | 15 | Grade 3-6--This companion to Demi's The Empty Pot (Holt, 1990) continues the story of Ping, who is now emperor. He desires to bring the harmony of the heavens, which he views through his telescope, to his kingdom. He issues a proclamation inviting all of the children to participate in a quest culminating in a year's time, when "we shall have a great parade, and each of you will show me what you think is the greatest power in the world." The emperor concludes cryptically, "A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown." Some youngsters determine that weapons are the answer, while others suggest beauty, technology, or money. Only young Sing ponders Ping's words. In the end, she is inspired by the lotus seed and breaks it in two for the emperor, showing him that the greatest power is life: "The nothing in this seed is the space in between where life exists." This cycle of life is perfect harmony. Ping is pleased and declares her prime minister. As in the earlier book, this one has a rich palette, attention to detail, and delightful depictions of youngsters. Though the concept of this offering is worthy of discussion and reflection, the story teeters too heavily on the abstract. The Empty Pot was a magical tale--simple, poignant, and easily understood by young and old. The Greatest Power can spark philosophical discussion but not with a clear and accessible story.--Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.K-Gr. 3. This companion to The Empty Pot (1990) continues the story of the life of Ping, the young emperor who wants to bring harmony to his kingdom. Ping sends all the children in the kingdom on a year-long quest to find the greatest power in the world, telling them, "A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown." The boys believe the power is great weapons; the girls, great beauty; the students, great technology; and the practical children, great amounts of money. When the children come to show the emperor what they have discovered, the last child in line, a little girl named Sing, remembers Ping's words. She presents a lotus seed as the powerful force of eternal life, and Ping names her the new prime minister. The text and the handsomely designed, richly colored artwork, which is touched with gold leaf, are set within a circular motif that reinforces the idea of eternity. As usual, Demi ably combines striking artwork and a meaningful story, with quiet dignity and wisdom. Julie CumminsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: The Greatest Power | [
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27,899 | 2 | Being a kangaroo certainly looks like a lot of fun, what with all the hopping and the hay eating. But who knew all that jumping around could cause such problems? Marsupial Sue, that's who, a smartly dressed young 'roo who can't abide by all the bouncing: "It rattled her brain. It gave her migraine. A backache, sideache, tummyache too."So John Lithgow recounts in 4/4 time--along with the jaunty, waltzy music and score on the CD that's included--in his second foray into children's books (The Remarkable Farkle McBride being the first). Probably best known as Dick Solomon on TV's 3rd Rock from the Sun, Lithgow brings his comic knack to this Down Under story about the importance of being yourself. Marsupial Sue might be intrigued by the idea of being a climbing koala or prawn-slurping platypus, but with Lithgow's cooing reassurance as the narrator, she eventually comes around: "Be happy with who you are. / Don't ever stray too far from you. / Get rid of that frown / And waltz up and down / beneath a marsupial star. / If you're a kangaroo through and through, / Just do what kangaroos do."Lithgow will likely never surpass the spiritual contributions he made to our world as Doctor Emilio Lizardo and John Whorfin, but don't hold that against him. Like Farkle, Marsupial Sue is surely worth a read (and a listen), especially with illustrator Jack E. Davis's cool cast of sunglass- and snappy-hat-wearing Aussie animals. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul HughesLithgow (The Remarkable Farkle McBride) follows his successful debut with another musically inspired tale, which dances in waltz rhythm through Davis's (Music Over Manhattan) cleverly drawn illustrations. This whimsical song-set-to-pictures features malcontented Marsupial Sue, unhappy because kangaroo-hopping "rattled her brain" and "gave her migraine, a backache, sideache and tummyache, too." So the Birkenstock-clad kangaroo sets off to find kindred spirits among other Australian animals. (Though all she finds is howling pain when she falls out of the koalas' tree and "typhoid, pneumonia, colic, and gout" from her seaside dallying with the platypuses.) "Marsupial Sue,/ A lesson or two:/ Be happy with who you are./ Don't ever stray too far from you," the refrain warns each time her wanderings result in turmoil. Not until she flounces and jounces with the wallabies ("Exactly like her only not quite so tall") does she realize she's happy after all doing what kangaroos do, though no explanation is given of why hopping no longer bothers her. Davis's charming illustrations, rendered in colored pencil, acrylics and ink, are full of personifying characteristics (wallabies in headphones and sunglasses on birds) that entertain on their own merit. Lithgow's ebullient encore (companion CD included) will strike a positive note with book and music lovers alike. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Marsupial Sue Book and CD | [
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