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7,600 | 16 | "Bow-Wow is like Bee-Bop; you can read it quick or spend your time with it. Either way, it swings."--Mo Willems MARK NEWGARDEN is a cartoonist, author, and screenwriter. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.MEGAN MONTAGUE CASH is an illustrator and designer. She is also the author and illustrator of I Saw the Sea and the Sea Saw Me. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.; Title: Bow-Wow Attracts Opposites | [
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7,601 | 2 | THEODORE TAYLOR (1921-2006), an award-winning author of many books for young people, was particularlyknown for fast-paced, exciting adventure novels. His books include the bestseller The Cay, Timothy of the Cay, The Bomb, Air Raid--Pearl Harbor!, Ice Drift, The Maldonado Miracle, and The Weirdo, an Edgar Award winner for Best Young Adult Mystery.; Title: The Weirdo | [
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7,602 | 2 | Grade 8 Up—In this conclusion to the trilogy, Seeker, a Noble Warrior, is using his extraordinary powers to track down and kill the last two remaining savanters, evil creatures that drain the lir (life) out of their victims in order to prolong their own. Seeker has tracked them from the ends of the Earth, and to kill them is his final mission. What starts as a hunt turns into a philosophical debate. Each of the three Noble Warriors is presented with both an external battle of swords and flesh and an internal battle of faith and understanding. The setting for this story is a pastoral world much like our own 150 years ago. There are deserts and mountains, green valleys and deep seas that Seeker spends most of the book running through, which keeps the tempo of the story up. The other main characters seem to sit and contemplate their existence, occasionally moving for a fight or a short trip. Their focus is on the nature of the world, their place in it, and whether their god—the All and Only—exists at all. Unfortunately, the theme is sometimes too obviously superimposed on the plot. Relationship patterns and scenes among the characters are recycled over and over again. Wildman and Caressa, for example, have the same argument numerous times, and it's hardly worthy of two military leaders such as themselves. Still, the book is worth purchasing for fans of the series.—Jennifer-Lynn Draper, Children's Literature Consultant, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Dispersed along with other warrior-monks after the destruction of the Nomana monastery (Jango, 2007), Seeker struggles with the burden of saving his faith, whilehis former companionsfind solace among the joyful followers of a new spiritual leader. In the finale to Nicholsonssweeping Noble Warriors trilogy, the characters inner journeys can slow the books momentum,especially asmystical visions and abstract dialogues lead Seeker closer to an understanding of himself and his god.Returning readers in the midst of their own, spiritual questioning will likely bemost receptive to this unusually contemplative series closer. Grades 7-10. --Jennifer Mattson; Title: Noman: Book Three of the Noble Warriors | [
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7,603 | 2 | Starred Review. PreSThis dreamy bedtime book doesn't have a single unnecessary word. Alice bounces on her bed, wide awake and making demands. She will only sleep in a room in which everything is blue. Mama brings in flowers, a cup of tea, and an extra quilt. Each time, the child queries the not-blueness, but Mama whispers "Smell." "Taste." "Touch." And when the light finally clicks off, the moonlight streams in, and in its light, everything is blue, and Alice isfast asleep. Tusa's illustrations, done in ink, watercolor, and gouache, show a child progressing from Pippi Longstocking-like energy, through acceptance, drowsiness, and finally sleep. Their soft colors and simple lines are perfectly suited to the simplicity of the language. This lovely book works well as a one-on-one bedtime read, but it would also be the perfect final selection for a pajama storytime.Marian Drabkin, formerly at Richmond Public Library, CA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In a blue room, / Alice bounces, / wide-awake past bedtime. And Alice is firm in her desire to sleep only in a room thats blue, so when Mama brings inviolets and lilywhites, Aliceprotestsuntil she sniffs them. And even though the tea is orange, a sip makes her drowsy, and the green quilt is comfy and warm. Its not until the lights are off and moonlight bathes everything in blue that Alice gets her wish. Debut author Averbeck provides a spare, charming textfor the talented Tusa towork her artistic magic. The ink, watercolor, and gouache artwork keeps its eye on Alice while incorporating whimsy and suffusing the pictures with love. Theres just one problem: Alices room is not blueits yellowand although this may be artistic irony, literal little ones will note the discrepancy. The night spreads are so comforting, though, young listeners will be soon nestling under covers. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper; Title: In a Blue Room | [
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7,604 | 16 | BARNEY SALTZBERG is the creator of the bestselling Animal Kisses, Peekaboo Kisses, and his most recent Goodnight Kisses, as well as numerous other picture books. He lives in Los Angeles, California.; Title: Hi, Blueberry! (Fuzzy Lift-The-Flap, Light-Up Books) | [
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7,605 | 16 | "[Vivas] proves herself once again to be in the upper echelon of illustrators."--Booklist (starred review)"A beguiling cumulative story . . . playful, affectionate . . . A delight."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)SUE WILLIAMS is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including Let's Go Visiting and Dinnertime! She lives in Adelaide, Australia. JULIE VIVAS is the illustrator of Let's Go Visiting as well as the Mem Fox classics Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge and Possum Magic. She lives in Sydney, Australia.; Title: I Went Walking/Sali de paseo: Lap-Sized Board Book | [
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7,606 | 2 | Praise for Al Capone Does My Shirts:[set star] "Fascinating setting . . . hysterically funny scenes . . . a great read."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)[set star] "Told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers."--School Library Journal (starred)[set star] "Fast-paced and memorable."--Publishers Weekly (starred)Praise for Notes from a Liar and Her Dog:[set star] "Funny, moving, and completely believable, this is a fine first novel."--Booklist (starred)[set star] "Choldenko has a wonderfully witty way with words."--School Library Journal (starred) "Choldenko has a flair for titles: Notes From a Liar and Her Dog, Al Capone Does My Shirts, now this. But books don''t fly on titles alone. Choldenko also has a spiky wit, an empathetic eye for kids'' foibles and fears, an ear for their distinctive voices and an impressive range. . . . If a Tree Falls unfolds in the less exotic setting of a fancy private school, but it treads more explosive ground as it switches between the viewpoints of two seventh-graders there -- Kirsten, who is white, and Walk, who is black. That catchy title is a metaphor for the uprooting that takes place when Kirsten and Walk learn they have a whole lot more in common than their "brilliance." At the same time, it signals this book''s real appeal for pre-teens: While it treats issues of race, class and marital discord fearlessly, it''s also one of the funniest they''ll read this year. " (The Washington Post Book World 2007-10-07)"Choldenko''s talent for characters and conversation brings the two voices instantly to life in alternating points of view...This will appeal to a wide range of middle-school readers and would make a great book-club or classroom discussion." (Kirkus Reviews 2007-08-15)"Choldenko convincingly covers the middle school scene . . . sparkling characterization and touches of humor . . . tumultuous twists that ultimately convince Kirsten that, indeed, she does matter." (School Library Journal 2007-08-01)"The issues raised are spot-on for this age group. . . . (an) under-the-microscope examination of the often cruel, always dramatic dynamics of junior high." (Publishers Weekly 2007-07-01)GENNIFER CHOLDENKO is the author of Al Capone Does My Shirts and Notes from a Liar and Her Dog as well as several picture books. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area. ; Title: If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period | [
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7,607 | 2 | "First-rate entertainment. Readers will relish every moment of this impeccably paced fantasy and its winning depictions of the unique perspectives and quandaries of four unlikely companions."--Publishers Weekly, starred review"Sophisticated and funny . . . A tender tale delivered by a sure hand."--Kirkus ReviewsCYNTHIA RYLANT is the acclaimed author of more than a hundred books for young people, and her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon.ARTHUR HOWARD is the illustrator of the Mr. Putter & Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant and the Bubba and Beau series by Kathi Appelt. He has also written and illustrated five picture books of his own. He lives in New York City.; Title: Gooseberry Park | [
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7,608 | 1 | "Familiar animals, repetitive text and heavily outlined page-filling graphic illustrations add up to a lot of laughs. This is a book that toddlers and new readers will reach for again and again." (Kirkus Reviews)* “Thomas, in a rollicking and highly promising debut, makes this book a laugh-out-loud pas de deux between Dick-and-Jane-get-stylish typography and the supremely silly visual evocation of high anxiety.” (starred review) (Publishers Weekly)“Fat Cat’s sheepish grin is the running punch line in this cheerful, boldly designed picture book. Fun to read aloud, it would also make an effective early reader for preschoolers. . . . By the end, the cow, a pig, a dog and a chicken can be thankful to a mouse for providing a nice fat chair.” (New York Times Book Review)JAN THOMAS has worked as a biologist, a firefighter, and a graphic artist. What Will Fat Cat Sit On? is her first book for children. She lives in Socorro, New Mexico.; Title: What Will Fat Cat Sit On? | [
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7,609 | 2 | DAN GREENBURG is the creator of the enormously popular Zack Files series of middle grade novels as well as the author of a number of bestselling adult books, the best-known of which is How to Be a Jewish Mother. He lives in New York.SCOTT M. FISCHER illustrated Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet and has also created art for Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. He lives in upstate New York. Chapter 1The Man Who Knew Too Much—or, Possibly, Too LittleThe face of the woman behind the reception desk at FBI headquarters in downtown Cincinnati was oddly familiar and a bit unsettling. Something about her skin didn’t look quite right. It looked like the skin of a dead person. It looked like you could peel her face right off her skull. “Yes, may I help you?” asked the woman, but there wasn’t much help in the voice. “We’re Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin,” said Wally. “We’re here to see Special Agent Cromwell.” “And you have an appointment?” said the woman. “Well, no, but we’ve been here before,” said Wally. The Shluffmuffin twins were ten years old, had red hair and freckles and a tendency to attract creatures with sinister intentions, most of whom were not even human. “And what was this in reference to?” said the woman. “Well, we gave him some pictures,” said Cheyenne. “Pictures . . . ?” “Of the six buses that disappeared in downtown Cincinnati,” said Cheyenne. “And pictures of the people who were on the buses when they disappeared. Agent Cromwell said he was going to show them to people in his department and then get back to us, but we haven’t heard from him in over two weeks.” “And these pictures were taken where?” said the woman. “It doesn’t matter,” said Wally, deciding against saying they were taken in the cave of the Ont Queen, ruler of all giant ants in the state of Ohio. “Can we just please see Agent Cromwell?” “No.” “Excuse me?” said Wally. “Special Agent Cromwell no longer works here,” said the woman. “No? What happened to him?” said Cheyenne. “He’s dead.” “Dead?” said Cheyenne. “But we just saw him two weeks ago. He seemed fine.” “Yes, two weeks ago he was fine,” said the woman. “But now he’s dead. It was very sudden. Sudden and tragic. We were all quite stunned.” “What did he die of?” Wally asked. “Heart attack,” said the woman, suddenly losing interest in the discussion and turning back to papers on her desk. “Is there anything else? I’m afraid we’re quite busy here today.” “Who’s taking over for Agent Cromwell?” Cheyenne asked. “Nobody.” “Well then, can we at least get our pictures back?” Cheyenne asked. “And what pictures would those be?” said the woman, studying her papers. “We just told you,” said Wally. “Pictures of the six buses that disappeared downtown?” The woman reached into a drawer, pulled out some printed forms, and held them out to the twins without looking up. “Fill these forms out in triplicate,” she said, “stating what property you are claiming and the circumstances under which you are claiming it, attaching a notarized statement of value and a proof of loss form, and then we will process your claim. When the process is complete, somebody will be in touch with you.” “And when do you think that might happen?” asked Cheyenne, taking the forms. “Twelve to fourteen weeks,” said the woman. “This is our busy season.” “Never mind,” said Cheyenne. She gave back the forms. As soon as they got into the elevator and pushed the down button and the doors slid closed, Wally announced: “Cromwell was murdered.” “Are you sure?” Cheyenne asked. “I’m positive.” “But why?” Cheyenne asked. “He knew too much.” “How do you know that?” Cheyenne asked. “I just know,” said Wally. “He either knew too much or he knew too little. He didn’t know just enough. If he had known just enough, he’d be alive today.” “How much is just enough?” said Cheyenne. “That is something we will never know,” said Wally. “You think it was because of the pictures?” said Cheyenne. She sneezed and blew her nose into a tissue. Cheyenne was allergic to absolutely everything. “Oh god, Wally, I’d hate to think it was because we gave him those pictures. I’d hate to think we caused his death. Do you think we caused his death?” Wally nodded. “I’m sure of it,” he said. “But then what happened to our pictures? The whole thing sounds so bogus to me. A sudden heart attack, right? The onts must have a mole in the Cincinnati office who killed him. It might even have been that stupid receptionist we just talked to.” “Why do you say that?” Cheyenne asked. “Did you get a good look at her face?” said Wally. “At her skin? Her skin looked like those rubber masks that Dagmar and Hedy used to wear.” Cheyenne shuddered. Dagmar and Hedy Mandible were the two mysterious ladies who’d taken them out of the Jolly Days Orphanage to their home in spooky Dripping Fang Forest for a trial adoption. After discovering the Mandible sisters weren’t ladies but giant ants breeding a race of super-ants to enslave humans and end life on Earth as we know it, the twins managed to escape. “I hate to say it, but I think you’re right,” Cheyenne murmured. “I sure hope she doesn’t think we suspect her.” “We didn’t do anything to make her think we suspect her,” said Wally. “Lucky I still have the negatives,” said Cheyenne. “I’ll get some more prints made. Who can we take them to, though?” “Well, we sure can’t trust anyone in the Cincinnati office,” said Wally. “Let’s go to that FBI place in Quantico, Virginia, where they train their agents. Where they have the guys who profile serial killers and stuff. I doubt the onts have planted anybody in Quantico yet.” “How will we get there?” Cheyenne asked. “We don’t have money for planes.” “We’ll take the train,” said Wally. “It’s cheaper than flying and a whole lot safer.” The elevator arrived at the main floor. The doors slid open and the twins stopped talking, fearing they might be overheard. The receptionist switched off the small silver tape recorder on her desk. She hit rewind and then play. The voices from the elevator were thin and tinny but very clear: “. . . to that FBI place in Quantico, Virginia, where they train their agents. Where they have the guys who profile serial killers and stuff. I doubt the onts have planted anybody in Quantico yet.”e: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" “How will we get there? We don...; Title: Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Eight: When Bad Snakes Attack Good Children | [
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7,610 | 13 | "A hip, funny play."--School Library JournalGary Soto's first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, won the California Library Association's Beatty Award and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He has since published many novels, short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and young people. He lives in Berkeley, California. Visit his website at www.garysoto.com.; Title: Novio Boy: A Play | [
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7,611 | 2 | * "A fast-moving, rollicking, yet serious tale, [that] will keep youngsters thinking."—School Library Journal, starred review"This skillfully told, fast-paced fantasy ranges in mood from serious to scary, but it's always laced with humor."—The Horn Book  Children's Choice Award Nominee A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year School Librarians International Honor BookBRUCE COVILLE is the author of over 100 books for children and young adults, including the international bestseller My Teacher is an Alien, the Unicorn Chronicles series, and the much-beloved Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. His work has appeared in a dozen languages and won children's choice awards in a dozen states. Before becoming a full time writer Bruce was a teacher, a toymaker, a magazine editor, a gravedigger, and a cookware salesman. He is also the creator of Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company devoted to producing full cast, unabridged recordings of material for family listening and has produced over a hundred audiobooks, directing and/or acting in most of them. Bruce lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, illustrator and author Katherine Coville. Visit his website at www.brucecoville.com.  ; Title: The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book | [
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7,612 | 2 | DAN GREENBURG is the creator of the enormously popular Zack Files series of middle grade novels as well as the author of a number of bestselling adult books, the best-known of which is How to Be a Jewish Mother. He lives in New York.SCOTT M. FISCHER has illustrated many book jackets and has also created art for Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. He lives in upstate New York. CHAPTER 1 I’d Like an Appointmentwith the Giant Octopus, PleaseMidnight in the basement of Cincinnati’s Horace Hotchkiss Aquarium. Puddles on the concrete floor. The festering smell of a fish market on a hot day. “Keep your trap shut and follow me,” warned a voice in a harsh whisper. The Jackal, a figure in a black leather trench coat, turned toward the voice. It had come from a man wearing a wet rubber scuba suit dripping with slime. It was the job of the man in the scuba suit dripping with slime to clean the giant tanks in which the aquarium’s most dangerous inhabitants were imprisoned. The man’s name was Sledge. He had a two-day growth of beard and a deeply scarred face, the result of confrontations with creatures that didn’t appreciate his housecleaning. A large part of Sledge’s lower right lip was missing, revealing a disturbing sneer of teeth. It was fortunate he worked nights and rarely came in contact with the public. Sledge led The Jackal into a dimly lit storage room. On its floor, black hoses coiled like sea snakes. “Okay, chief, tell me what you want,” said Sledge, his voice as low and deep as a foghorn. “But make it snappy—I don’t have all night.” Deliberately taking more time than he needed to, The Jackal removed a stiff pack of stinky French cigarettes from his trench coat pocket, put one between his lips, set it on fire with a wooden match, inhaled deeply, then exhaled a cloud of putrid smoke. “One evening after the aquarium has closed,” said The Jackal, “a friend of mine, a young man, a professional daredevil, wishes to enter the tank with your giant octopus.” “Absolutely, positively, totally, and completely out of the question,” the tank cleaner snapped. “What a pity,” said The Jackal, puffing on his cigarette. “Why?” “Why?” Sledge snorted, laughing nastily. “The octopus would snake her tentacles around your friend’s body and squeeze him like a tube of toothpaste. Her beak would open him up like a can of sardines, and she’d feast on his guts. His screams would die inside big bubbles of air. A truly ghastly death.” “My friend is, of course, aware of the risk,” said The Jackal, inhaling more smoke from his vile French cigarette. “The risk is frankly what makes him do it. My friend has wrestled the man-eating crocodile, survived the attack of the giant grizzly, fought off the jaws of the great white shark. He does this for a living, you see. He’s quite well-known. Perhaps you’ve heard of him—his name is Wally Shluffmuffin.” “I don’t care how well-known he is,” said Sledge. “The name means nothing to me, and your friend is a fool. He wouldn’t last sixty seconds with this creature.” “I, on the other hand, believe he would last sixty seconds,” said The Jackal, with a grim smile. “I plan to videotape him from the other side of the glass. I already have a deal to sell the tape to a big TV reality show. My TV people will pay the same whether he lives or dies. Frankly, they’ll pay more if he dies. I can sign a legal paper absolving you and the aquarium of all responsibility. I can make this venture very much worth your while.” “You don’t say.” “I do say.” “How much worth my while?” The Jackal smiled again, a different sort of smile. “Very much worth your while.” He opened the black leather suitcase he’d been carrying. It was filled with bricks of newly minted hundred-dollar bills, Benjamin Franklin with pursed lips staring disapprovingly out from every one of them. Sledge didn’t react to the contents of the open suitcase for the longest time. Then, at last, he spoke. “Midnight next Thursday,” he said. “A back door will be left unlocked so you and your friend may come in unobserved. Your friend will enter the tank of the giant octopus and remain there for precisely six minutes. He will be permitted no scuba or other underwater breathing apparatus, no speargun or knife, no weapon of any kind. If he survives, you will both exit the aquarium as soon as the six minutes are up. If he does not survive—which he won’t—the creature will ingest all traces of him and you will exit immediately. I will sign no papers. We have never spoken of this matter or anything else. I have forgotten your friend’s name and I do not wish to know yours. We have never met.” Sledge grabbed the handle of the suitcase. His hand was seriously deformed. It looked as though it had no bones. It looked less like a hand than a tentacle with a double row of suckers. Text copyright © 2007 by Dan GreenburgIllustrations copyright © 2007 by Scott M. FischerAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be submitted online at www.harcourt.com/ contact or mailed to the following address: Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.; Title: Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Six: Attack of the Giant Octopus | [
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7,613 | 1 | Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 5–The lovable diapered possum, Mama's sweet little patootie, stars in another charming book, this time a variation of the Southern folktale Sody Sallyraytus. On Epossumondas's birthday, Mama's plans to make his favorite light fluffy biscuits come to a halt when she discovers that she is out of sody sallyraytus. She asks one after another of the guests to scoot over to the store to buy some, and, unfortunately, they meet up with a hungry GREAT, HUGE, UGLY LOUISIANA SNAPPING TURTLE! It's up to Epossumondas to rescue them. Salley's text is alive with the colorful expressions of the South (Well, I swaney and Honey, you're gooder 'n' grits), which make the story a delight to read aloud. Stevens's hilarious mixed-media illustrations are a perfect match for the narrative. The visual details create lovable characters as well as a truly frightening villain. Mama's purple glasses and shoes, Epossumondas's diaper and the inexplicable safety pin hanging on his tale, and the Louisiana setting are all unforgettable. Children will love listening to the tale and will laugh out loud at the verbal expressions and the artwork. This one belongs on the shelves of every library, but it won't stay there long.–Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.COLEEN SALLEY was a professor of children's literature for thirty years and now travels widely as a professional storyteller. A native of Louisiana, she lives in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana.JANET STEVENS is the author and illustrator of many popular and award-winning books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Tops & Bottoms. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. ; Title: Epossumondas Saves the Day | [
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7,614 | 2 | PreSchool-Grade 2—Baron von Baddie is an evil genius who creates rampaging robots and chaos wherever he goes. Luckily, Captain Kapow arrives regularly on the scene to apprehend his nemesis, jail him, and wait for the Baron's inevitable escape so the two can repeat the process again. One day the Baron accidentally succeeds in freezing the Captain solid and begins a life of uninterrupted crime—building new robots, changing the days of the week around, and eating a mountain of doughnuts. It only takes a couple of weeks, though, before the mad scientist realizes that his life has turned boring and he misses the Captain. After he creates a heat ray to unfreeze the superhero, the duo happily goes back to their good guy/bad guy routines. The mixed-media collages have a goofy retro-cartoonish panache that pairs well with the tongue-in-cheek text. The pages abound with heroic action, and the artist ably depicts the square-jawed, muscled Captain and diminutive gloved and lab-coated Baron. An insouciant romp with broad appeal.—Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.While superheroes may be super, they sure can be boring. This picture book takes an archvillain as its herothe (very kid-looking) evil genius, Baron von Baddie. Every dastardly plan he comes up with is foiled by his foe, Captain Kapow, until one day the Baron accidentally triumphs over the forces of upstanding citizenship and freezes Captain Kapow in a block of ice. He revels in his newfound freedom to inflict evil with utter impunity, and sets about building giant robots, changing Tuesday to Wednesday, and eating donuts. Soon, though, he realizes that without a nemesis to act as a foil, being an evil genius quickly grows tiresome, so he unfreezes Captain Kapow, and the two return to their normal catch-and-escape ways. The cartoonish cut-paper illustrations are imaginative and fun, and von Baddies facial expressions while plotting various bits of light villainy are especially amusing. This gentle finger-waggle at bad behavior doesnt try to have too much of a moral, which is why kids growing tired of goody-goody heroes will like it all the more. Grades K-2. --Ian Chipman; Title: Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident | [
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7,615 | 11 | Brimming with useful information in both text and sidebars, this sturdy, large-format guidebook covers a broad array of topics,everything froma brief history of Washington, D.C.,to practical advice onhow to get around the city. Originally published in 1989,the book has been substantially revised and updated. The books main strength is its child-friendly introduction to notable government buildings, memorials, museums, and other attractions. Among the many new destinations described are the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the International Spy Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and theU.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The extensive appendix now lists 128 places to see and gives their locations in the city and online. Shades of blue and red add color to the pages, which usually include graphic elements such as photos and line drawings. An attractive, practical guide for young visitors to Washington. Grades 4-6. --Carolyn PhelanRichard Brown is a published author, editor, illustrator, narrator, and a photographer of children's books. Some of the published credits of Richard Brown include A Kid's Guide to Washington, D.C.: Revised and Updated Edition, I'm Going to Read (Level 2): Halloween Party (I'm Going to Read Series), I Love Baby, and I'm Going to Read (Level 2): Hooray for the 4th of July (I'm Going to Read Series). ; Title: A Kid's Guide to Washington, D.C.: Revised and Updated Edition | [
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7,616 | 2 | Starred Review. PreS"There was one little baby/who was born far away./And another who was born/on the very next day./And both of these babies,/as everyone knows,/had ten little fingers/and ten little toes." So opens this nearly perfect picture book. Fox's simple text lists a variety of pairs of babies, all with the refrain listing the requisite number of digits, and finally ending with the narrator's baby, who is "truly divine" and has fingers, toes, "and three little kisses/on the tip of its nose." Oxenbury's signature multicultural babies people the pages, gathering together and increasing by twos as each pair is introduced. They are distinctive in dress and personality and appear on primarily white backgrounds. The single misstep appears in the picture of the baby who was "born on the ice." The child, who looks to be from Northern Asia or perhaps an Inuit, stands next to a penguin. However, this minor jarring placement does not detract enough from the otherwise ideal marriage of text and artwork to prevent the book from being a first purchase. Whether shared one-on-one or in storytimes, where the large trim size and big, clear images will carry perfectly, this selection is sure to be a hit.Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.*Starred Review* A standout for its beautiful simplicity, this picture-book collaboration between Fox and Oxenbury aims a message of diversity and tolerance at very young children. The first lines set up the texts repetition and rhythm: There was one little baby who was born far away. And another who was born on the very next day. And both of these babies, as everyone knows, had ten little fingers and ten little toes. The subsequent spreads followthe same theme in similarly bouncing, rhyming lines: babies around the world may be different (one baby is born near ice, another in a desert tent), but the refrain of each babys 10 fingers and toes reminds us of what we all share. Oxenburys spare pencil-and-watercolor pictures, set against pure white pages, zero in on pudgy little hands and feet, offering many interactive opportunities for young viewers to point and count. Clusters of adorable multicultural babies from around the world toddle across the pages until just one child receivesthree kisses on the nose from her loving mom, a sweet gesture that parents will want to act out with their own children. A gentle, joyous offering. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Gillian Engberg; Title: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes | [
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7,617 | 2 | "[A] lighthearted, off-beat slice of life . . . Breezy and entertaining."--Kirkus Reviews"This rollicking novel about the painful beginnings of adolescence should have wide appeal."--The Horn BookGary Soto's first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, won the California Library Association's Beatty Award and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He has since published many novels, short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and young people. He lives in Berkeley, California. Visit his website at www.garysoto.com.; Title: Mercy on These Teenage Chimps | [
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7,618 | 16 | PreSchool-Grade 1—This picture book is based on the familiar nursery rhyme, "One Potato, Two Potato." One by one, 10 potatoes pop out of the ground to experience silly, unrelated things: a big black crow flying over them, being covered in snow, a rodeo. Two fruits, Tomato Flo and Watermelon Moe, join the fun briefly before the potatoes roll back to the garden and "Tally-ho!" into the ground. The fuzzy-edged, childlike illustrations were done in Adobe Photoshop and complement the bouncy tone of the text. This will be fun to share, and even young children will soon have the rhyme committed to memory.—Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."This book gets sillier and sillier without ever forsaking its low-key cool, and that''s no small potatoes. Readers may think they''re in for a rehash of the classic counting rhyme ''One potato, two potato, three potato four.'' But Potato Joe and his fellow spuds quickly prove that theirs is no meat-and-potatoes affair; in fact, if it can rhyme with potato, they''re all over it: playing tic-tac-toe, spotting a big black crow, holding a rodeo, flirting with saucy Tomato Flo." --Publishers Weekly, starred review (Publishers Weekly 2008-06-16); Title: Potato Joe | [
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7,619 | 2 | GEORGE SHANNON is a teacher, librarian, writer, and storyteller. His children's books include Lizard's Song, Climbing Kansas Mountains, and The Secret Chicken Club. He lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. LAURA DRONZEK, a painter whose work has been exhibited nationally, is the award-winning illustrator of Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! and White Is for Blueberry, both also written by George Shannon. She lives with her husband, author-illustrator Kevin Henkes, in Madison, Wisconsin. ; Title: Rabbit's Gift | [
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7,620 | 16 | When three little mice run from a cat, they find a cluster of brightly colored squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, ovals, and diamonds where they hide until he leaves. Soon they are moving the shapes about to create pictures: a house, a wagon, and even a cat. After the real cat pounces, they hatch a clever plan to scare him away. Just as visually appealing as Mouse Paint (1989) and Mouse Count (1991), this little book features simple, elegant page design using cut-and-torn-paper collage figures silhouetted against a clean, white background and framed by a strong black rectangle. Walsh accomplishes her purpose of teaching shapes subtly and playfully through the text and illustrations. Though the statement "any shape with three sides is a triangle" wouldn't pass muster in a geometry class, it may not raise much concern in the preschool or kindergarten classroom. Parents and teachers can easily extend the lesson and the fun by providing cutout colored-paper shapes for children to play with after the story ends. Phelan, Carolyn; Title: Mouse Shapes | [
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7,621 | 2 | KATHI APPELT is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including Oh My Baby, Little One, illustrated by Jane Dyer. She lives in College Station, Texas. ARTHUR HOWARD is best known as the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant’s Mr. Putter & Tabby series. He has also written and illustrated five picture books of his own. He lives in New York City.2004; Title: Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives | [
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7,622 | 11 | star "Wonderful . . . All geography lessons should be this much fun."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)star "A mini-quest complete with adventure, danger, and suspense. Youngsters will delight in the whimsy."--The Bulletin (starred)DARCY PATTISON, darcypattison.com, (darcypattison.com) author of both picture books and novels, has been published in eight languages. Her books include 19 Girls and Me (Philomel,), Searching for Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), The Scary Slope (graphic novel from Stone Arch). Her books have been recognized for excellence by **starred reviews in Kirkus and BCCB, Child magazine Best Books of the Year 2003, Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year 2003, and various state award reading lists. As a writing teacher, Darcy is in demand nationwide to teach her Novel Revision Retreat. Her books about writing or teaching writing include Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise (Mims House) and Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity (Cottonwood Press). Darcy is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Awards, Individual Artist Award for her work in children's literature. Forthcoming in 2012 is a companion book, Desert Baths (Sylvan Dell), a story about how desert animals take a bath..JOE CEPEDA has illustrated many books for children, including What a Truly Cool World by Julius Lester, Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron, and Searching for Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison. He lives in Whittier, California.joecepeda.com; Title: The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman | [
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7,623 | 2 | "A sweet read."--Discovery Girls magazine"Entertaining . . . A good selection for reluctant readers as well as those adjusting to the pressures of growing up."--Kirkus Reviews"Delightful."--School Library Journal"Ida embodies the universal longing to connect with a kindred spirit."--Publishers WeeklyJULIE BOWE lives in Wisconsin. My Last Best Friend is her first novel for young readers. ; Title: My Last Best Friend (Friends for Keeps) | [
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7,624 | 17 | Gr 5-8Another wonderful addition to the series, detailing common knowledge and little-known facts about historical figures. Krull asks the question, What were these men and women like as human beingsin the laboratory and out of it? She answers it well, giving a multifaceted picture of 20 scientists' personal lives and professional accomplishments, though more information about some of the lesser-known individuals might have provided a better idea of their work. Readers learn about great discovery and great quirkiness. James D. Watson and Francis Crick figured out the structure of DNA, but apparently Watson was in it just to meet girls. Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity but described his good friend Marie Curie as not attractive enough to represent a danger to anyone when she became enamored of a married man. Edwin Hubble had a passion for the stars but had the obnoxious habit of trying to sound smarter than his guests by wowing them with obscure information he looked up in an encyclopedia before parties. A strong point of this volume is the inclusion of some important women (Barbara McClintock and Grace Murray Hopper, for example) who aren't often mentioned in biographies of this type. The oil paint illustrations are whimsical and fun and break up the text, making the amount of information more manageable. This estimable introduction to a variety of scientists will also appeal to fans of irreverent history who aren't quite ready for Georgia Bragg's macabre How They Croaked (Walker, 2011).Trina Bolfing, Westbank Libraries, Austin, TX(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.This latest in the Lives of . . . series is summed up by the subtitles What the Neighbors Thought. The authors delve into intriguing, obscure, and peculiar facts about 20 famous scientists from all fields of study, regions of the globe, and eras of history. Even with the brevity of each biography, the authors manage to paint an honest and multidimensional portrait of each individual. The real people behind infamous discoveries include one who could write while at a full gallop on horseback, some who were arrested for not wavering from their beliefs, others who were born to slaves and peasants, and several who were disliked by their teachers. Women are well represented, including Grace Murray Hopper, named the first Computer Science Man of the Year. As in each edition of the series, Hewitts highly caricaturized illustrations enhance the engaging narratives. This collective biography is perfectly suited to thematic research as well as to reading for pleasure. Grades 4-7. --Erin Anderson; Title: Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought) | [
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7,625 | 1 | Cookie usually had puppies easily, but they were always so wonderful and special that I worried excessively each time. Considering that she had five litters of never less than eight pups and twice twelve- altogether over forty pups- this constituted a large measure of worry.; Title: Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers | [
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7,626 | 5 | Grade 3-6-- From a first glimpse of the jacket, readers will know that this is not just another retelling of an old story, but something entirely different. And so it is, for Willard and Moser have reworked the foundations of the tale to create a book that startles and surprises (and absolutely satisfies) readers. While the plot is remarkably true to the original, the setting will catch readers off guard--New York at the turn of the century. The rough-hewn, prosaic American backdrop may seem at odds with the magic of the tale, but Willard's poetic prose, filled with vivid images and intricate period detail, and Moser's strong, evocative black-and-white wood engravings root the tale firmly and naturally in this place; the characters fit it perfectly. Beauty is a sturdy, pragmatic young woman--kind, courageous, and rational. She is human enough to resent her sisters' greed, while her intelligence allows her to see the Beast's sorrow and gentleness despite his ugliness. And this is a truly horrible beast--one that walks upright with a grossly distorted, but all- too-human face (rather like George C. Scott as Mr. Hyde). This is a masterful collaboration, with text and illustration anticipating and echoing each other. The language is direct, yet rich in images; the pictures are solidly rendered, with delicately sensuous undertones. They have an intriguing depth and dimension, like old photographs that capture real moments in time. This is an astonishing and beautifully made book, with an original vision and unique voice. Don't miss it.- Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gaineville, FLCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Beauty and the Beast | [
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7,627 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 2—Little Rabbit wants to attend the circus, and his mother says that he can, but first he has to clean his totally trashed playroom. After a failed attempt, he sneaks away to join the circus. If he can sell 100 tickets to his new act featuring the Meanest Mother on Earth, the ringmaster will be happy to have him join. Little Rabbit easily sells the tickets after spinning a web of exaggeration extolling the traits of his "Mysterious Marvel of a Maternal Monstrosity." He touts her as having two heads with green teeth and enjoying punishing the small and innocent. When he lures his mother to the Big Top, the crowd turns on him due to his false advertising. The woman guarantees to show them something really terrifying—Little Rabbit's playroom. The crowd is awed by the "Emporium of Odiferous Oddities," and Mother instructs them to take a souvenir or two on the way out. Soon the room is tidy and Little Rabbit declares that next time he will simply do it himself. Using single and double pages, the artist populates this story with an array of animals, plenty of detail, and the perfect mix of colors. Children should relate to this circus tale, and parents will enjoy how the mother saves the day.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Little Rabbit from Imagine Harry (2007) continues his adventures when the circus comes to town. When Mother says he must clean his room before he can go, Little Rabbit tells the ringmaster he has the Meanest Mother on Earth and can put her on display. That night at the big reveal, the crowd is displeased. Mother Rabbit doesn't even have two heads to think up mean ways to punish the small and the innocent. The Klises once again offer delightful storytelling and art, with winsome, decidedly toylike animal characters. Young fans will enjoy Little Rabbit's antics, even if his room does end up getting cleaned. Grades 1-3. --Courtney Jones; Title: Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth | [
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7,628 | 13 | In this subtle offering, a young boy explores the fact that everyone feels sad at times. Accompanied by Blues Guy, a sad-eyed man with a slumped demeanor and a trumpet, the two discover that everyone gets the bluesrodeo clowns, bullies, beauty queens, and even animals. They commiserate together, singing Ive got the blues so bad, / I want to cry, cry, cry, / I feel so bad and mad and sad inside! The story comes full circle when the boys blues have gone, tears have dried up, and things look a whole lot brighter. Roths washed illustrationshand drawn, combined with collage, and designed in Photoshopperfectly reflect the soulful, searching tone of the story. The interweaving of feeling the blues and blues music might be a challenging concept for a young child to grasp; choose your audience wisely, and pair this with Jamie Lee Curtis Today I Feel Silly: Other Moods That Make My Day (1998) and Michael Rosens Michael Rosens Sad Book (2005). Grades K-2. --Linda SawyerLeslie Staub is the illustrator of the bestselling Whoever You Are by Mem Fox and the author/illustrator of Bless This House. As a native of New Orleans, she wrote Everybody Gets the Blues after living through the Katrina disaster. She now resides an hour north in Folsom, Louisiana.R.G. Roth is the illustrator of This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt, which was a Nick Jr. Magazine Best Book, and a variety of other picture books. He lives in Hudson, Ohio, with his wife and two daughters. ; Title: Everybody Gets the Blues | [
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7,629 | 2 | PreSchool-K–In this charming story, a young fox is distraught over the arrival of a new baby and the seeming cessation of his father's love and attention. Braun's lovely, richly colored illustrations show Little Fox earnestly performing naughty and nice tricks in an attempt to gain back his premier status in the household. His Very Bad Song should delight any preschooler who has encountered an odiferous baby. Of course, the story ends with a comforting reassurance that Little Fox will be loved forever and ever by his daddy, and they share honey cake in front of the fire. This is a warm and funny addition to a crowded genre. It is notable for its focus on the father-son relationship and the cleverness of Little Fox as he clamors for attention.–Tamara E. Richman, Somerset County Library System, Bridgewater, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In this golden-bright book, Lobel takes a crack at the new sibling theme. The first double-page spread shows the paradise lost: a thatched cottage in a thriving English garden. The next shows Daddy Fox bending over a cradle with bewildered-looking Little Fox standing to the side. To Little Fox, the new baby is a series of disappointments. It can't play yet; Little Fox mustn't wake it; and Daddy Fox ignores Little Fox as he tends to the new arrival. This leads Little Fox to a spirited, extended tantrum, ending with his hiding in the cupboard and thinking "Very Bad Things." Meanwhile, the house is filling with the aroma of a honey cake that Daddy is baking. Braun uses yellows, russets, and golds thoughout the sprightly pictures to lend a warm feeling to the story, which ends in a big hug after Daddy and Little Fox chummily eat delicious honey cake. For more books about little ones and their dads, see the Read-alikes "A Day with Dad," in Booklist's June 1 & 15, 2005 issue. Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Too Small for Honey Cake | [
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7,630 | 2 | WILLIAM NICHOLSON is the author of the acclaimed Wind on Fire trilogy as well as the screenplays for Gladiator and Shadowlands. He lives in Sussex, England. www.williamnicholson.co.uk; Title: Jango (Noble Warriors) | [] | Validation |
7,631 | 1 | BARNEY SALTZBERG is the creator of the bestselling Kisses novelty series. He lives in Los Angeles, California.; Title: Peekaboo, Blueberry! | [
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7,632 | 11 | Grade 5–8—Ten short stories deal with the trials and tribulations of growing up. In "Seeing the Future," 13-year-old Letty Rodriquez has landed the cool guy, but wonders if keeping him is worth the sacrifices she will have to make. Lisa Torres is a dreamer. The scenes she sketches in "Capturing the Moment" testify to her unique vision and artistic talent, qualities those around her don't share or understand. In "Where Did I Go Wrong?" baseball leaguer Mickey Cortez has just struck out, ending a game, and he is feeling down. On his way home, he meets Raul, who offers him 30 dollars for a couple of hours of work, and all of a sudden his life is looking up. When the work turns out to be illegal, Mickey begins to wonder if Raul is that cool guy he envisioned and must decide what to do. Each story offers an insightful look at a moment in a young person's life. Soto writes with humor, wit, and a voice that will appeal to tweens and teens alike. This work is a terrific addition to the growing collection of literature that features Hispanic protagonists.—Sheilah Kosco, Bastrop Public Library, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Pivotal moments in the lives of California Latino teens and tweens provide the starting points for Sotos collection of10 new stories. For Letty, its the realization that her boyfriend loves her money more than he does her; for Hector, its the announcement of his parents plan to divorce; for Laurita, a Chicana, its the discovery that shes illegal; and for Lisa, its the experience of a moment of beauty in her otherwise drab life. Other stories are less focusedfor example, the episodic, day-in-a-life Where Did I Go Wrong?and some veer dangerously close to the didactic (D in English). Nevertheless, Sotos affection and concern for his characters is evident throughout, while his greatest gift to readers may be the attention he focuses on meaningful lives, experiences, and occasional injustices that might otherwise go unobserved. A helpful glossary of Spanish terms and phrases is appended. Grades 5-8. --Michael Cart; Title: Facts of Life: Stories | [
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7,633 | 5 | Grade 6–9—Rylant retells the stories of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche in this trim, handsome book. Written in a modern style with an old-fashioned feel, the selections sit well with other titles in the genre. The collection is fashioned to relate tales of love, pride, struggle, and triumph; Rylant has chosen a good complement of myths to retell, sticking to the standard versions of each one. Accompanied by full-page black-and-white illustrations and sprinkled with decorations, the whole package is nicely done. Readers who enjoy a good romance or just a well-told tale will be satisfied with this small book, and those looking for material for reports will find the necessary elements within. Collections needing fresh additions to their mythology section should consider this one.—Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."Rylant’s clear explanations of relationships between gods and mortals as well as the underlying motivations and significance of each myth avoid condescension without sacrificing the details, richness and conventions of the original stories. Ellis’s formal black-and-white drawings are reminiscent of stylized classical Greek art and illustrate a dramatic moment from each myth. The small, square format completes this accessible and classy introduction to Greek mythology."--Kirkus Reviews"Rylant offers simplified, accessible versions of the myths and curtails their more troubled meanings. Ellis’s soft pencil drawings bedeck this elegant-looking little book with visions of flowers, garlands, and comely maidens."--Horn Book". . . hones six myths into clear, accessible stories for younger readers. Plainspoken and captivating, they draw readers into the sagas . . . The stories grab attention with intriguing introductions . . . Ellis, illustrator of the Mysterious Benedict Society books, employs delicate pencil drawings to render the characters amid the organic: flowers, fruit, leaves and twisting vines. The small format reflects the book's purpose: to be a pleasurable sampling of some well-known Greek myths, their ideas and morals distilled to their core."--Publishers Weekly"The collection is fashioned to relate tales of love, pride, struggle, and triumph; Rylant has chosen a good complement of myths to retell, sticking to the standard versions of each one. Accompanied by full-page black-and-white illustrations and sprinkled with decorations, the whole package is nicely done. Readers who enjoy a good romance or just a well-told tale will be satisfied with this small book, and those looking for material for reports will find the necessary elements within. Collections needing fresh additions to their mythology section should consider this one."--School Library Journal“There is fluidity in the telling . . . a useful contrast to more irreverent or raucous retellings, especially in a setting where the focus is on the message more than the cultural significance.”--The Bulletin; Title: The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greeks Myths, Retold | [
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7,634 | 2 | Gr 13Mr. Putter and his trusty cat, Tabby, adore their friends, Mrs. Teaberry and her rascally dog, Zeke. They enjoy one another's company and often celebrate holidays and accomplishments together. When it is time to celebrate Mrs. Teaberry's birthday, Mr. Putter and Tabby brainstorm a perfect gift for their green-thumbed friend: a trip to the conservatory! Being quiet and still becomes too much to bear for the energetic Zeke, who runs wild, quickly followed by his friend Tabby. The adults become flustered. However, the enthusiasm of their canine and feline companions yield unexpectedly funny results. The simple pencil, gauche, and watercolor illustrations beautifully reflect the warm relationship among the four close characters. There is a nice balance between intriguing text and creative pictures, making this a wonderful choice for developing readers. VERDICT Fans of this beloved series will welcome this new volume into their collection, and it will make an excellent choice for storytimes about pets and friendship.Maria Alegre, The Dalton School, New York City"Howard's pencil, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are amiable and expressive. A treat for fans of the Mr. Putter & Tabby series."—Booklist "There is a nice balance between intriguing text and creative pictures, making this a wonderful choice for developing readers. Fans of this beloved series will welcome this new volume into their collection and it will make an excellent choice for storytimes about pets and friendship."—School Library Journal; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Smell the Roses | [
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7,635 | 2 | "Dripping with charm."--VOYA"Lots of silly fun and a warm, feel-good feeling await readers."--School Library Journal (starred review)"An unconventional style and offbeat sense of humor that will delight readers."--Kirkus ReviewsJEAN FERRIS has written many popular books for teens. She lives in San Diego, California.; Title: Love among the Walnuts | [
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7,636 | 2 | PreSchool-K—It's Cow's birthday, and Pig and Mouse decide to bake a cake. They follow the standard recipe, mixing eggs, flour, and sugar, but Duck wants to add a turnip. Outvoted, the duck nevertheless persists in trying to contribute the special ingredient, even as the others top off the finished treat with candles. A surprised Cow is overjoyed to be feted, and on seeing her friends hold up their gifts exclaims: "Is that what I think it is? Oh boy, this is the best birthday ever…a turnip." Told in simple language, this whimsical story is illustrated with somewhat abstract cartoon drawings in bright colors and strong black lines. Some of the spreads have a cluttered appearance that may be a bit confusing to the very young, but children will delight in the humor.—G. Alyssa Parkinson, Highland Township Library, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.JAN THOMAS is the author-illustrator of What Will Fat Cat Sit On? She lives in Socorro, New Mexico.; Title: A Birthday for Cow! | [
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7,637 | 0 | Grade 68A delicious collection of nine funny, frightening, and thoughtful short stories. Coville has a true gift for creating characters and setting, such as the creepy pond at her Auntie Alma's that Margaret is mysteriously drawn to, or the haunted mansion where young ghost communicators Nine and Chris find themselves stranded on a stormy evening. There is something for most readersa bit of fantasy, a smattering of humorous reality, a dose of science fiction, and a dash of mystery. An author's note explains the origins of the stories. Teens are sure to find the author's insights entertaining and will certainly gobble up these eerie tales.Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.All the stories in this collection feature encounters with the supernatural, but they vary greatly in tone and content. A few of the selections, such asa tale about aboy who is genetically related to the Frog Prince, are ironic and funny; others fit more neatly into the supernatural-horror genre, such as The Mask of Eamonn Tiyado, which features creepy descriptions of peeling faces. A storyabout a boy with silver eyes who has beentouched by a unicorns magic captures the mood and feel of a folktale. Characters Nine and Cara,who appearedin Covilles previous works, return in a story about a ghostwho returnsto the grave. All of the stories are well paced, and most furnish a surprise at the end. Because of the diversity among the entries, most readers will be able to find something to their liking. Grades 5-8. --Todd Morning; Title: Oddest of All | [
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7,638 | 2 | "[A] very fun mock thriller . . . Brilliant."--Kirkus ReviewsALISON MCGHEE's best-selling novel Shadow Baby was a Today Show Book Club pick, and her picture book for adults, Someday, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. She is the recipient of many fellowships and awards, has three grown children, and lives a semi-nomadic life in Minnesota, Vermont, and California.; Title: Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth | [
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7,639 | 0 | Grade 6–10—In this first-person novel, Meyer takes the facts of Darwin's life and enlivens them with fictional dialogue and thoughts. Charley's unhappiness at boarding school, his fascination with science and collecting natural objects, and his relationships with friends and family are all explored. His time aboard the Beagle makes up close to half of the book and is filled with adventures with gauchos and Galapagos tortoises, the latter of which he captured for food for the journey home. Meyer also fleshes out Darwin's infatuation with flirtatious Fanny Owen and his problems with the Beagle's troubled captain, Robert FitzRoy. Charles presents himself here as self-effacing, awkward at times, yet warm, well liked, and ambitious in his scientific pursuits. This portrait fits with documented research and Darwin's own journals. Meyer's writing has a light touch that capitalizes on the humorous, romantic, and exciting events in the man's life while introducing his scientific pursuits and the beliefs of his time. Ending with his marriage to Emma Wedgwood and before the publication of his theory of evolution, this novel paints a readable and detailed portrait of the young Charles Darwin.—Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Even Charles Darwin suffered bullies and stammered when talking to girls, and these are exactly the details that will make Meyers account of the famous naturalists formative years so appealing.There are also challenges: some readers will be tested by the numbing accounts of the finery of nineteenth-century England, and others will find the historic voyage of the HMS Beagle that occupies the books latter half to be meandering. But patient readers and fans of Jane Austenstyle prose will be rewarded with an utterly authentic chronicleof thwarted romance and grueling exploration. The motherless Darwin is nine when the book begins and nearly 30 when it ends, and younger readers will identify with the intelligent but restless boys unwillingness to follow the staid career paths endorsed by his family and friends.Those already interested in Darwinism will find his early inklings of natural selection and doubts about religion fascinating; there are plenty of vivid historical detailsthat willkeepmost other readersentertained as well. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus; Title: The True Adventures of Charley Darwin | [
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7,640 | 15 | [set star] “A work of art in every regard.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)“Poignant, lyrical . . . [A] gem.”—School Library Journal “Elegant.”—The New York Times Book ReviewPEGGY CHRISTIAN has been a reading specialist, a bookstore manager, and a teacher of language arts and writing. She lives in Missoula, Montana.BARBARA HIRSCH LEMBER's books for children include two nonfiction titles, A Book of Fruit and The Shell Book. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ; Title: If You Find a Rock | [
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7,641 | 2 | Praise for books in the Mr. Putter & Tabby series: [set star] “Will keep readers glued to the pages.”—School Library Journal (starred) “Besides being wonderful fun, this is a great way to introduce new readers to the chapter-book format.”—Booklist Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.    ; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby See the Stars | [
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7,642 | 0 | Grade 6–9—When 11-year-old Harriet becomes the letter writer for Mother Whitehead, her blind stepmother, she also begins writing to her Uncle Andrew, an estranged "black sheep" of the family living in England, whose unconventional views on God, slavery, and family she discovers she shares. And when the slave preacher Nat Turner makes her believe "that God is forgiving and good" rather than "angry and ready to punish and send us to hell forever," she copies a map of Southampton County, VA, for him so that he can preach at neighboring plantations. The full weight of this last choice becomes clear on August 22, 1831. Rinaldi spares no one the brutal trauma of Nat Turner's slave rebellion; though she escapes, Harriet envisions her family members' graphic deaths. Neither does the author gloss over the fundamental barbarism of slavery, of murder in the name of maintaining "control" of one's "property," which lead to Turner's and his followers' wrath. Significantly, in the death of Margaret Whitehead, Rinaldi borrows from William Styron's controversial The Confessions of Nat Turner (Random, 1968), unnecessarily sexualizing the motive for the one murder Turner committed himself. Ultimately, however, Rinaldi depicts a world full of historical detail, one without clear answers, and leaves her readers to consider the controversial Turner and the impact of murder.—Bethany Isaacson, Wheaton Regional Library, Silver Spring, MD Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for her ability to bring history vividly to life. She lives in central New Jersey.; Title: The Letter Writer (Great Episodes) | [
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7,643 | 0 | "By the second spread, with miners working in their long johns or, discreetly, "in the vanilla," listeners will be thoroughly hooked. The humor is broad and the language inventive, yet reminiscent of the times."--Kirkus Reviews  "Johnston creates an unrepentantly exaggerated version of events that is sure to entertain, offering more factual information about Strauss in an author's note. Using a bright idea of his own, Innerst (Lincoln Tells a Joke) chronicles the raucous action in acrylic paintings on a canvas of, yes, old Levi's jeans. The denim's texture provides an appropriately rugged tone to the colorful proceedings."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "An outlandish whopper of a tall tale, this story just begs to be read aloud with an old-timey Western accent. Johnston weaves together fact and fiction, resulting in a hilarious narrative about how Strauss became the denim king... A first choice for any collection, this book is worth its weight in denim–or gold."--School Library Journal, starred review "Johnston antes up the readaloudability with traditional tall-tale banter and a bold-faced "Dang!" every time Strauss gets a brainstorm. Innerst extends the fun by painting the sartorially challenged miners on, what else, blue jeans, craftily leaving the blue untouched for jeans, tents, chalkboards, ocean, and bay, and letting flat-felled seams do double duty as the floor of a covered wagon or the roadway of the Golden Gate Bridge."-BulletinTONY JOHNSTON's numerous books for children include It's About Dogs, illustrated by Ted Rand, Very Scary, illustrated by Douglas Florian, and The Day of the Dead, illustrated by Jeanette Winter. She lives with her family in California.; Title: Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants | [
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7,644 | 16 | PreSchool-Grade 2—Kids will have a grand time poring over the pictures in Ehlert's latest offering. A variety of animals, from insects to birds to giant mammals, is represented in her trademark cut-paper collage style. The artist uses scissors, pinking shears, and a hole punch to transform brightly colored papers into squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, diamonds, half circles, ovals, hearts, and teardrops of different sizes, which she then fashions into a menagerie guaranteed to spark readers' imaginations. Each creature is coupled with a short, humorous poem that is sure to delight: "If her tail's raised/give a skunk room,/unless you like/pee-yoo perfume." And who can resist this ditty: "A cat/is a purr/wrapped up/in fur." Young children will enjoy identifying the animals while older kids will be inspired to grab some scissors and paper to create their own geometric zoo. Teachers can use this book to jump-start art and creative writing lessons, but kids will just like it because it's oodles of fun.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Celebrated collage artist Ehlert delivers another picture book in her signature style, this one pairing animal portraits with poems that nod to Ogden Nash. Although the poetryis uneven, with lines that often dont scan,its brevity will be a windfall for memorization assignments,and the best entriesofferquick gulps ofkid-friendly humor: If her tails raised / give a skunk room /unless you like / pee-yoo perfume. Unsurprisingly, itsEhlerts ingenious animal portraits that will draw repeated viewings. Though some may wonder abouther idiosyncratic color choices (the rabbit has orange ears andblue feet), most kids, especially those familiar with the tangram picture-puzzles Ehlerts work often resembles,will marvel at her ability to cull animal essences from the simplest forms: aperfect circle for a raccoons haunch, a heart for a lobsters tail. Along with Ehlerts Caldecott Honor Book Color Zoo (1997),suggest her newest as inspiration forart projects, especiallythoseintended to meld art and geometry. Preschool-Grade 1. --Jennifer Mattson; Title: Oodles of Animals | [
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7,645 | 2 | PreS-Gr 2A warthog narrates this bouncy rhyming text to explain the uniqueness of each zoo animal, pointing out that the creatures don't mind having features that could be considered flaws. "I have TUSKS! I have WARTS! But I like what I see! In my own special way, I'm as cute as can be." There is no real story line, just a strong message of positive self-esteem: "We are all the way we are all meant to be!" Big, bold watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations pop against white backgrounds, and a variety of fonts emphasize the special characteristics of each animal, such as the long nose of the elephant or the pink feathers of the flamingo. Some spreads require that the book be rotated 90 degrees, keeping the reading experience dynamic. At the surface level, the book is a paean to diversity and the beauty of each individual. However, logic breaks down when comparing human diversity to that of animals in the zoo. For example, a child unhappy about towering over friends won't be comforted to hear that "No one laughs at Giraffe 'cause he's LANKY and TALL. Here at the zoo, there is room for us all," since it can easily be argued that all giraffes are tall by nature. VERDICT The book might work as "quick and dirty" bibliotherapy or as a discussion starter, but examining it too closely will deflate its message.Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL; Title: Wild About Us! | [
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7,646 | 0 | STEPHEN SWINBURNE is the author of numerous children's books about nature, including Safe, Warm, and Snug, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, and Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf, with photographs by Jim Brandenburg. A lifelong naturalist, he lives in South Londonderry, Vermont.; Title: A Butterfly Grows (Green Light Readers Level 2) | [
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7,647 | 2 | L. A. MEYER is the author of the Bloody Jack Adventures series, which has been praised for its spirited heroine and rousing sense of adventure. Mr. Meyer lives in Corea, Maine. Chapter 1 "Is it not a glorious day to be alive, Higgins?" I ask, sitting on the hatch of my fleet little schooner with my back to the aftermast and my legs sprawled out before me, looking up at the trim of the sails. I’m clad in my usual sailing gear of light cotton shirt, short buckskin skirt, bare of lower limbs and bare of feet. The breeze ruffles through the stubble of hair that is regrowing itself on my head and the sun feels good on my face. "It is indeed, Miss," says my very, very good John Higgins, Confidant, Personal Assistant, and Highest-Paid Employee of Faber Shipping, Worldwide. Highest-paid, that is, when Faber Shipping has any money at all to pay anything to anybody. Right now, my corporation consists of two small boats, the Evening Star and the Morning Star, and the Nancy B. Alsop, my beautiful little Gloucester schooner and current flagship of Faber Shipping, Worldwide, on which my bottom now rests. "However," continues Higgins, nudging, once again, my ankles back together and pulling the hem of my buckskin skirt back down over my knees, over which knees it had crawled up a bit, "you really should stay out of the sun as it is not good for your complexion. I assume you’ll be taking your lunch up here on the hatch?" I nod and smile up at my good friend and protector. "You spoil me too much, Higgins." "Well, Miss, we must keep you tidy, mustn’t we?" says Higgins. He reaches over and runs his hand through my hair, which is now about three inches long. "Soon we’ll be able to comb this, which will be a relief. I will be back directly." I had lost my long, sandy locks in a not-very-pleasant incident on my way down the Mississippi River this summer. To make up for my loss of coiffure, I have purchased, in various ports, a collection of wigs, some rather fancy, some very plain, and I must admit I enjoy prancing about in some of the gaudier ones when we are in foreign ports—I have one especially outrageous long, curly red one festooned with yellow ribbons, which comes all the way down to my bum. Higgins, upon seeing me wearing it for the first time, visibly recoiled and said, "God, that’s ghastly," this being the only time I think I have ever moved him to taking the Lord’s name in vain, which is something, considering what I have done in the past to offend both his sensibilities and his sense of propriety. Ah, yes, that was all in good fun, but here, in the sun and amongst my friends who all know me for my eccentricities, I wear no wig at all. The Nancy B is headed south to pick up more sugar in Jamaica—that’s what we’ve been doing during the past few months since we left New Orleans. We haul granite down from New England—it doesn’t bring much, but it’s good ballast and from what else are they gonna make fine buildings and tombstones down there in Jamaica? Sand? Coral?—and so after we off-load and sell that, we buy sugar and haul it north from the Caribbean to Boston to be made into rum by the many distilleries there. Then we turn around and do it again. And yet again. Nice and safe and calm—running the Nancy B as a coaster, seldom out of sight of land. That’s the new levelheaded Jacky Faber; no more impulsive plunging into awful situations and then desperately struggling to get myself out of them. Nay, I am doing what I have always said I wanted to do, which is to have a fine ship like this one and haul stuff from a place that’s got a lot of that stuff, and take it to another place that ain’t got a lot of that stuff and is willing to pay for it, and so prosper. I had thought about sailing across the Big Pond to set up a smuggling operation running the British blockade of France, and maybe after Jaimy gets back to London next year and we are wed, we might give it a try—after all, the stores of Fletcher Wine Company must be getting mighty lean. Maybe I’ll write to Jaimy’s father and see what he thinks about participating in a little mischief—and tell him about how his son looked when last I saw him on the deck of HMS Mercury, all decked out in his new lieutenant’s uniform and looking oh-so fine. Maybe I’ll write and say . . . Nay, I won’t write to him at all, I know I will not, for I also realize that most of the Family Fletcher has very little use for one Jacky Faber, former privateer, who stole from them not only the affection of their beloved son, but also a good deal of their fortune, at least in wine, that is. Besides, running a blockade ain’t nice and safe and calm, which is what I have resolved to be. Jaimy and I will work out what our lives are to be like when he gets back from Japan and we are united and . . . Ahem. Back to business. This is the state of Faber Shipping, Worldwide, on this early September day in 1806: Holdings: The aforementioned two small boats and the Nancy B. Alsop, a two-masted schooner, sixty-five feet in length and named after my mother. We’ve also got nets, traps, and other rigging, plus various armaments. Since acquiring her, we have fitted her with swivel guns fore and aft—I learned about the usefulness of those little pepper pots this past summer when sailing down the Mississippi River on my keelboat, the Belle of the Golden West. We’ve added two standard nine-pound cannons mounted on either side. Sure it’s extra weight that could be better used for cargo, but the piece of mind the guns afford outweighs the loss of freight tonnage, for there are pirates abroad in these waters, some of whom I know by name, and many of them do not hold me in the highest regard. After all, I did spend the summer before this one cruising and carousing around the Caribbean on my lovely Emerald. Personnel: Miss Jacky Mary Faber, President Mr. John Higgins, Vice President and Chief Consultant Mr. Ezra Pickering, Esquire, Clerk, Secretary, and Treasurer. From his law office on Union Street in Boston, he manages the books, bails me out of jail (when he can), and makes sure that all is neat and tidy, legalwise. Miss Chloe Abyssinia Cantrell, Freeborn Person of Color, Accountant, toiling in Mr. Pickering’s office and under his kind tutelage. She also gives harpsichord lessons to the sons and daughters of the local gentry. Mr. James Tanner, Seaman, Coxswain to the President, and First Mate of the Nancy B, where he now stands at the helm. Mrs. Clementine Amaryllis Tanner, wife to Mr. Tanner, newly installed in comfortable lodgings on State Street and employed at the Lawson Peabody School as serving girl and assistant cook to Mrs. Peg Mooney to help pay for said lodgings, till such time as she learns to read and write well enough to be of use to Faber Shipping. Hey, if being a chambermaid was good enough for me, it’s good enough for her. Peg reports that she is cheerful, does her job well, and goes about her tasks singing, which is good. Mr. Solomon J. Freeman, newly freed Person of Color, in charge of the Evening Star and the Morning Star, and the staffing and manning thereof for the purpose of setting and hauling fish and lobster traps in Boston Harbor. He has shown himself to be very good at that. He takes instruction in Language and the Classics from Miss Cantrell, which I think will be to his benefit. Furthermore, he has found outside employment with Messieurs Fennel and Bean in their theatrical productions as both musician and sometime actor. He is becoming quite the man-about-town and is enjoying to the fullest his new life as a free man. I tell him to be careful, but he doesn’t listen. Oh, well, when did I ever listen to good advice, I ask myself, and the answer to that is seldom, if ever. Master Daniel Prescott, Ship’s Boy and Reluctant Scholar. He has been unofficially adopted by Faber Shipping. He is with me on this voyage, as is Jim Tanner and Higgins. John Thomas and Smasher McGee, Seamen, Roughnecks, and the rest of the crew of the Nancy B. And that about sums it up, businesswise. Now back to thoughts of Lieutenant James Emerson Fletcher. The sun is on my face and the ankles have drifted apart yet again. Ummmmm . . . "Daydreaming, are we, Miss?" asks John Higgins, placing a cup of steaming tea in my hands and a tray of bread and cheese next to me as I stretch and lean back against the mast, reveling in both the soaring beauty of this fine early fall day and the beauty of the taut, perfectly trimmed white sails above me as the Nancy B rips along. "I suppose, Higgins." I sigh. "Just counting the days, weeks, and months till we go back to London." I figure we’ll cross in the spring, as soon as it’s warm enough—I don’t like the cold, and I sure don’t like ice in the rigging. Jaimy said he’d be back in a year or less, and I do want to be there to greet him. "I, myself, will not be averse to once again enjoying the charms of that fair city," says Higgins. "I look forward to our arrival there." "I just bet you do, Higgins," says I, glancing at him with a knowing smirk. "Enough of this colonial life, eh?" "Boston has had its own charms, believe me, Miss. I have made some very good friends over at Harvard College. Many are the nights we have passed discussing various... philosophies," he says with a sly smile playing about his lips, "but it cannot be denied that I will be glad to see London again." "And I." "Skipper! Ship, dead ahead!" ...; Title: My Bonny Light Horseman: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, in Love and War (Bloody Jack Adventures) | [
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7,648 | 0 | Grade 6-9 This novel about the ill-fated queen covers her life from age 13 when, as an Austrian princess, she prepares to marry the French dauphin to her death by guillotine in 1793. The final section is told by her daughter Marie-Therese, the only family member to survive the Revolution. Meyer writes in a lighthearted, casual style, vividly portraying the historical era and aptly defining unfamiliar vocabulary. However, Marie-Antoinette's occasional sympathy for the poor and interest in politics is inconsistent with her flighty, self-indulgent character as presented in most of the book. (Frankly, she comes across as a total airhead.) In addition, after the first 100 pages, The Bad Queen turns into a speedy recitation of events, skipping through years at a time with little insight or development and little spark or personality from the narrators. Kimberley Brubaker Bradley's fascinating novel The Lacemaker and the Princess (S & S, 2007) features Marie-Therese and does an excellent job of integrating events leading up to the French Revolution with life at the palace of Versailles. Although it doesn't have as much material on Marie-Antoinette, it's more interesting and better written. Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In this latest Young Royals tale, Meyer portrays the teenage Austrian princess dealt to France in marriage by her mothermight there be a sympathetic figure behind the persona of the woman mainly known for her extravagance and gruesome end? With the gorgeous clothes, sumptuous surroundings, and seemingly limitless wealth, Marie becomes a prisoner of royal pomp and circumstance with no concept of governance or political savvy as France descends into a revolutionary bloodbath. Historical-fiction fans will be swept up in the cruel fates of the monarchs and political forces, particularly as the drama escalates into horror. Grades 7-10. --Anne O'Malley; Title: The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette | [
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7,649 | 0 | Grade 36Rex returns with a sophisticated and stylish sequel to his sidesplitting Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (Harcourt, 2006). From a stream of consciousness that seems to have retained and remixed an assemblage of horror movies, literature classes, comic strips, and observations of the human condition, the narrative flows despite multiple mediums and frequent interruptions. Children who have seen the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein will get the most out of the framing story, told initially in sequential panels and featuring the conically coiffed mate-to-be in a lively exchange with her mother over marrying someone with green skin and the looming wedding expenses coming just hours after the girl's funeral. Interspersed with the marital plot are blog posts from the Headless Horseman (exhibiting photographs of his decomposing head and the sensible canned substitute) and glimpses into Edgar Allan Poe's study, rendered in shadowy charcoals. These scenes are hilarious for students in the know. Rex channels the tortured poet's meter, internal rhyme scheme, and alliteration throughout his parody during which Poe struggles for the right choice in a crossword puzzle involving the wife of a "veep": "But what the devil is a veep?" he weeps, as lo, the clock strikes four. Quoth the raven, 'Tipper Gore.'" Godzilla haikus, a Peanuts-inspired Dracula Junior, endpapers that give the raven the last word-there's something here for the kid in everyone. This gifted artist, whose clever wordplay reveals a wonderfully warped sense of comedy, has whipped up another winner.Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Dynamic and dreadfully funny, this companion to Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (2006) continues to follow the exploits of Frankenstein (the monster, not the doctor) and a ragtag cast of monsters in loosely connected scenes, all illustrated in diverse styles and written in a variety of forms, most of them rhyming. Franks betrothalbookends the magazine-like segments, beginning with a chapter in comics formatin which he visits his fiances parents, followed by another chapter, at the books end, with a more traditional picture-book format presentation of Draculas unfortunate encounter with garlic bread at the wedding reception. In between, the headless horseman updates his blog, and there are recurring vignettes of Edgar Allan Poes creative process, to which the raven quoth: What a bore. Not just for Halloween, nor just for the young, this offerseveryone something to laugh about, from jokes about the Sphinx using the expansive desert as a litter box to alien e-mail spam (that would be E.T.-Mail, of course) promising bigger . . . antennae. The quick pacing and dynamic design will appeal to all attention spans, and so next the raven should quoth: We want more!; Title: Frankenstein Takes the Cake | [
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7,650 | 2 | Daniel loves his new pet. But what will happen when it hatches a surprise?Book Details:Format: PaperbackPublication Date: 3/1/2008Pages: 28Reading Level: Age 4 and Up; Title: Daniel's Pet/Daniel y su mascota (Green Light Readers Level 1) (Spanish and English Edition) | [
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7,651 | 2 | Praise for Harcourt's Green Light Readers:"A must-have for any family with a beginning reader."--Boston Sunday Herald"You can't go wrong with adding several copies of these terrific books to your beginning-to-read collection."--School Library Journal"A winner for the beginner."--BooklistBERNARD MOST has written and illustrated many popular children's books, including The Cow That Went OINK, If the Dinosaurs Came Back, How Big Were the Dinosaurs?, Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?, and Where to Look for a Dinosaur. He lives in New York.; Title: ¡A que no me alcanzas!/Catch Me If You Can! (Green Light Readers Level 2) (Spanish and English Edition) | [
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7,652 | 2 | PreSchool-KBaby Harry is always "HUNGRY!" His first tantrum brings a snack bar from Mom, who then serves his imperious demands with blueberries and a box of alphabet cookies. "MORE!" yells Harry, who proceeds to consume the contents of the refrigerator, a mailbox, a car, and so forth, growing, like his appetite, to Kong-like proportions along with attitudes to match. He ultimately reaches for the crescent moon, but falls asleep in his tracks. By the time his parents bring him home, Harry is the right size for his crib, but soon his stomach's rumbling for breakfast. Salerno's illustrations stylistically match his art in Susan Middleton Ely's "Bebe" series (Harcourt), with Harry as a round-headed baby wearing only a diaper, living in a retro world of men in ties and moms with flip hairdos, clad in stretch crop pants and flats. The bright gouaches on watercolor paper are Photoshop enhanced and appealing. The fantasy's escalation will amuse many, but Harry's diminishment may puzzle others, as will the lack of consequences for consuming mountains, roads, and bridges.Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Harry Hungry! | [
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7,653 | 11 | Product Description Zooom! Wooeeee...! "Make way!" The big city sure is a speedy, noisy place for a country truck like Blue. Everywhere Blue looks, he sees buses, police cars, taxis, vans, a street sweeper, and even the mayor's limousine. With everyone pushing to be first, soon there's a giant traffic jam! But even a wrangle-tangle is no match for Little Blue Truck, who comes to the rescue in true Blue style. Brimming with bright colors, sounds, and city energy, this new adventure makes working together and taking turns more fun than ever. A Look Inside Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (Click on Images to Enlarge) Zooom! Roared trucks down the avenue. Whooee...went a siren. PreSchool-Grade 1—Little Blue Truck rides in rhyme again, this time carrying crates of lettuce to a metropolitan market. His bug-eyed headlights show appreciation for the city views, as well as discomfort when the faster-paced vehicles harass him. From a double-decker bus to the mayor's limousine, traffic irritably jams into a crunch intensified by the limo engine's demise. The portly, gray-haired mayor uses Little Blue as a podium, instructing citizens to follow the truck's advice to travel "one at a time." The resulting courtesy creates a smooth flow, even when a marching band joins the line. Everyone cheers for the little truck, who leads the way with the mayor as his passenger. McElmurry's gouache scenes are spot-on. Simple compositions in calming indigo and cream in the country starkly contrast with the jam-packed city scenes where a crush of buildings barely shows the sky. The urbanites are a rich mix of ethnicity and purpose: coffee drinkers, construction workers, dog walkers, briefcase carriers, they all pound the pavement. The tale is a fine illustration for classes studying urban and rural settings, and the simple plot is a treat for even very young listeners.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA END; Title: Little Blue Truck Leads the Way | [
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7,654 | 15 | Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4—This delightful picture-book biography of the environmentalist has engaging illustrations and accessible, succinct prose. When Wangari Maathai was growing up in Kenya, the land was covered with trees. But on returning to her homeland from America, where she was educated on scholarship, she discovered a hot, dry, barren land, stripped of the trees she loved as a child. Starting in her own backyard, Maathai planted trees and encouraged other women to do the same. More than 30 million trees have since been planted by the members of her Green Belt Movement. Maathai was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2004 in recognition of her work. The acrylic illustrations have a warm folk-art influence. The pictures are both literal and symbolic, and framed in complementary lines of color. An author's note and a quote from Maathai are included. This book would be a superb choice for read-alouds or assignments.—Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Like Claire A. Nivolas Planting the Trees of Kenya (2008), this powerful picture-book biography introduces Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. As in Nivolas title, Winter follows her charismatic subject from her rural Kenyan childhood to her adult life as the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has profoundly improved her countrys health and economy. Winter distills Maathais inspirational story into spare words and images. As inher other similarly formatted picture books, such as The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq (2005), Winters acrylic paintings employ rich, opaque hues and elemental shapes that illustrate specific details while conveying a broader sense of her subjects remarkable influence. An authors note fills in biographical facts, but children may still have questions about specific events, such as the violent protest battles that leave Maathai bloodied. Paired with Nivolas slightly more comprehensive approach, this title offers a welcome introduction to Maathais awe-inspiring work and to the subject of activism in general. Grades 1-3. --Gillian Engberg; Title: Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa | [
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7,655 | 11 | "The tough-girl/good-guy romance is a refreshing twist, and Marisa and Rene are unique and long-overdue characters."--The Bulletin"With humor and insight, [Soto] creates memorable, likable characters."--BooklistGary Soto's first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, won the California Library Association's Beatty Award and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He has since published many novels, short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and young people. He lives in Berkeley, California. Visit his website at www.garysoto.com.; Title: Accidental Love | [
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7,656 | 1 | As in her Caldecott Honor Book, In a Small, Small Pond (1993), Fleming creates a vibrant, exciting portrait of often-overlooked creatures. Here she uses expertly crafted fiber collage to celebrate beetles, and both words and picturesvibrate with the relentless energy of her subject. The rhyming couplets call out descriptions of beetles with the pounding rhythm of a chant: "Striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles." The beautiful images, colored in bright, saturated shades shot through with electric jolts of neon, magnify the places where beetles hideunder leaves, inside pavement cracksdrawing young children into the secret insect world where predators sometimes lurk. The final spread shows the beetles' activity as a wild, joyful dance, which may inspire preschoolers to try out a creepy-crawly boogie of their own. Agreat choicefora restless crowd demanding a high-voltage read-aloud. Engberg, Gillian* "Beetles come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, and Fleming gives an exuberant shout-out to a slew of them in this eye-catching catalogue of backyard nature. . . . Part boisterous read-aloud, part field guide for entomology enthusiasts, this arresting volume has something for everybuggy." (starred review) (Publishers Weekly 2007-07-24); Title: Beetle Bop | [
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7,657 | 0 | Grade 2–5—Dragons, centaurs, hobgoblins, and 11 other mythical creatures of worldwide origins feature in Larios's short poems and Paschkis's distinctive folk paintings. Caught for eternity in compromising situations, some creatures, such as the gargoyle, wax melancholy. "How can a beast fly/with stone wings?/I fly when the bells ring/and the hunchback is home." As in Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary (Harcourt, 2006), this bright compendium pairs each poem with a richly drawn and colored scene. An element from the painting is echoed in a decorative letter announcing the poem's title. Though brief, the selections sometimes carry sophisticated cultural references, making this title more relevant to an older audience than the earlier collection. Of the thunderbird, for instance, Larios writes, "Cedar scented,/he carries the wind/in his bent beak./Rainmaker./Whale hunter./Great Tlingit chief." The final page carries a brief paragraph describing the area of origin and the behavior of each creature. It's all a quick and alluring peek at some of the best-known denizens of folklore. Storytellers and classroom teachers will find many uses for these poetic nuggets and the art, both of which will be savored by folklore and fantasy readers of all ages.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.* "Using poems and pictures, this modern bestiary proves a fascinating introduction to mythical creatures from different cultures. . . . Each creature is described in a poem capturing some of its unique features as well as its mystery. . . . End-pages ingeniously unite the curious creatures providing the perfect start and finish to this little masterpiece." (starred review) (Kirkus Reviews 2008-02-15); Title: Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures | [
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7,658 | 1 | Product Description Epossumondas is the silliest, most lovable possum south of the Mason-Dixon line. In his fourth book, will he still be his mama's sweet little patootie if he heads into the swamp, just where Mama told him not to go? After all, the swamp is home to the fearsome and legendary loup-garou! Epossumondas isn't a naughty possum, but he sure is forgetful, and into the swamp he goes. There he meets all manner of scary creatures--but are any of them the loup-garou? And will he ever make it home to Mama? Maybe he will, as long as he remembers to do what possums do best: play possum. A Look Inside Epossumondas Plays Possum (Click on Images to Enlarge) Epossumondas is lost Epossumondas plays possum Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4—In this series, a diapered possum child with a human mama reenacts Southern folktales with flair and gusto. Here, Mama warns the little guy to stay out of the swamp, where the scary loup-garou awaits. Distracted by a pretty butterfly, Epossumondas enters the swamp anyway. He never meets the werewolf, but he encounters one dangerous predator after another. Luckily, instinct kicks in and he plays possum, thus being rejected by creatures who "don't eat no dead meat." When a carcass-eating buzzard comes along, Epossumondas is saved by his own ticklishness—the horrified bird drops him, crying "I never, ever eat no live meat!" The folksy text lives and breathes like a storytelling performance. Epossumondas and his mama have so much character that this unlikely family is quite believable. The sketchy, mixed-media illustrations convey the humor of the antics while providing a fairly realistic depiction of Louisiana swampland and its inhabitants. As always, Stevens has portrayed Epossumondas's mama as a Salley double, bringing the storyteller into her own tale. Funny, scary, and clever, this story has everything it needs for broad kid appeal.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL END; Title: Epossumondas Plays Possum | [
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7,659 | 1 | Grade 1–4—When Nurk opens a letter addressed to his grandmother, Surka, his first concern is that he has committed mail fraud. After discovering his adventurous grandmother's journal, in which she vowed to take risks, his second thought is that he should return the missive. He builds a boat out of a snail shell and heads down the river. He discovers that the letter was sent by the Princess of the Dragonflies, soliciting Surka's help. The king informs Nurk that the prince needs rescuing from Grizzlemole, an oversize blind mole and a generally terrible creature. Nurk bravely takes on the quest and, with help from passages in the journal, succeeds fairly easily. Each chapter includes an undistinguished heavy-line black-and-white ink drawing. Vernon's writing shows some flair, but overall the story's effectiveness is hampered by some slow parts and a plot that relies on predictable contrivance and coincidence.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.URSULA VERNON is a freelance illustrator, artist, and, in her words, a "creator of weird thingies." Nurk is her first book for young readers. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.; Title: Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew | [
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7,660 | 13 | "What a generous spirit behind this book: one that celebrates the crooked quirks of its characters. I love Zoe's parents and her friend Wheeler, but most especially I love Zoe. She's perfect, in the most deliciously crooked kind of way."--Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons "An impressive and poignant debut novel . . . filled with hope and humor."--School Library Journal "Immediately engaging . . . Zoe’s world is drawn with sometimes painful precision, her emotions are revealed with empathy, and her story unfolds realistically, without the miracles she hopes for, but with small, sometimes surprising changes . . . sometimes funny, sometimes tender, this is a promising debut."--Booklist "Short, funny chapters full of exaggeration and exasperation provide lots of laughs . . . Readers with their own dreams, weird obsessions, and quirky hobbies will be heartened by the message that a few bumps, compromises, and sour notes along the way can pay off in a major key."--The Bulletin Linda Urban's debut novel, A Crooked Kind of Perfect, was selected for many best books lists and was nominated for twenty state awards. She is also the author of Hound Dog True, The Center of Everything, Milo Speck, Accidental Agent, and the chapter book Weekends with Max and His Dad, which received two starred reviews. A former bookseller, she lives in Vermont. Visit Linda online at lindaurbanbooks.com and on Twitter at @lindaurbanbooks.; Title: A Crooked Kind of Perfect | [
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7,661 | 15 | [star] "A rollicking testament to the excitement whipped up by the wind."--Publishers Weekly (starred)FRANK ASCH has written and illustrated more than sixty books for children, including the popular Good Night, Baby Bear. He lives in Vermont.; Title: Like a Windy Day | [
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7,662 | 1 | Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3—In a primordial swamp, "One little polliwog swirled in the soup,/bouncing off bubbles—/Bloop./Bloop./Bloop." From that point, the author follows the development of one intrepid tadpole: "somewhere inside him deep in his core,/there slumbered an inner tyrannosaur." The rhyming text is image-rich, informational, and fun to read aloud: "Gone are the dinosaurs. Gone are the stompers,/the rippers, the roarers, the bone-crunching chompers./Gone are the dinosaurs, swept away…./But hoppers and croakers are here to stay." Cyrus's oversize artwork conveys information spectacularly, beginning with a dramatic wrap-around cover and continuing with interesting perspectives of dinosaurs and the prehistoric environment. Created in scratchboard and then colored digitally, the illustrations are luminous and striking. In "A Note from the Author," Cyrus gives additional background about frog fossils, their evolutionary development, and the impact of climate change on their survival. This is an exciting blend of science and literature that children will appreciate.—Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This creature tribute to frogs begins with dinosaurs tromping about the swamp where a polliwog names Rex swims, avoids predators, and changes as he grows. Opening with the lines, Deep in the goop of a long-ago swamp, / a whopping big dinosaur went for a stomp, the text retains the same rhythm and rhyme as it follows Rexs development from tadpole to enormous frog. Along the way, the verse notes that, even when he was very small, Rex had an inner tyrannosaur, an idea that will appeal to many preschoolers. An appended note expands on this idea, explaining how plant-eating tadpoles become meat-eating frogs and commenting on the amazingly long history of frogs as well as new threats to their survival. Best seen from a distance, the startlingly vivid illustrations feature bold scratchboard lines enhanced by colors and textures added digitally. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan; Title: Tadpole Rex | [
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7,663 | 2 | Product Description Every Friday Louie sees the hustle and bustle behind the scenes at his grandpa's Chinese restaurant. The chef's hands fly as he chops vegetables, the delivery boy zips in for a pickup, and the waiters holler out order after order. Then it's time to eat. Grandpa offers Louie a whole fish and crabs. "No, thank you, Grandpa!" But the dumplings, egg rolls, and chow mein sure look good. No trip to the Chinese restaurant is complete without a fortune cookie: "Happy food, happy belly, happy smile." Caldecott Honor-winner Rachel Isadora brings a dynamic restaurant to life with beautiful cut-paper collages reminiscent of Eric Carle and Ezra Jack Keats. A Look Inside Happy Belly, Happy Smile (Click on Images to Enlarge) Friday is my favorite day... There is a big fish tank in the window... PreSchool-Grade 1—This slight vignette follows Louie's weekly Friday visit to his grandfather's restaurant in Chinatown. He watches the chefs, waiters, delivery boy, and other workers go through their routines. He eats dinner with Grandpa Sam and runs into a friend. The story has essentially no plot and lacks transitions, making the reading choppy. The collage and oil illustrations are brightly colored and utilize some interesting materials, including actual fortune cookies and paper scraps. However, they are static, and the depictions of some of the Chinese characters verge on stereotypical. Isadora is at her best with the vivid fish tank and decorations; the photos of actual food and pieces of take-out menus are also effective. While the child/grandfather angle brings immediacy to the story, at heart it is just a laundry list of things that happen in a Chinese restaurant. And without cohesiveness or a strong story line, it is unlikely to warrant repeated readings. Pick up a copy of Ted Lewin's Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out (HarperCollins, 2002) or Grace Lin's Dim Sum for Everyone! (Knopf, 2001) and pass on this forgettable offering.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT END; Title: Happy Belly, Happy Smile | [
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7,664 | 2 | Gr 1-4-It is time for The Witches' Double Spelling Bee and young Cordelia decides to enter. After all, "She's studied. She's practiced. She's ready to win." Grumpy returning champ Beulah Divine, at age 203, is not about to let a little girl trounce her winning streak, so she plays dirty, turning Cordelia's ears into pears, and her hair into a chair. Young Cordelia, though, is able to both win and make a friend out of a fiend. With this "spelling spell," Shannon has used clever wordplay and created a downright fun language game. Fearing's quirky penciled cartoon images accompany this battle of the letters, showing green-skinned witches with big eyes and funny smiles. Classroom spelling bees will never be the same once young readers get their hands on this title.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.When witches gather for a spelling bee, the rules require not just orthographic expertise but magical chops, too, because each contestant has to transform one item into another with the addition of a randomly selected letter. The competition can get ugly, as young Cordelia discovers after 203-year-old champion speller Beulah Divine changes her e-a-r-s to p-e-a-r-s and her h-a-i-r to a c-h-a-i-r in successive rounds. Nonetheless, Cordelia exudes confidence in Fearings cartoon illustrations, leading a cast of pop-eyed, comically rendered witches with pickle-green skin. After a suspenseful buildup and a broad hint from her mother that may also clue in alert audiences (Shes a jealous old fiend!), the plucky challenger puts her assigned R to good use, and she is last seen flying off in triumph with a huge trophy balanced on her broomstick. The ingenious transformation that Shannon himself works will spell w-i-d-e s-m-i-l-e-s from young audiences. Grades K-3. --John Peters; Title: A Very Witchy Spelling Bee | [
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7,665 | 2 | Praise for books in the Chet Gecko series: "Zesty and entertaining . . . Young readers . . . will want to scuttle along with this schoolyard sleuth."--"The Bulletin""Those who haven't read a 'Chet Gecko' mystery don't know what they're missing."--"School Library Journal"Praise for books inthe Chet Gecko series: Zesty and entertaining . . . Young readers . . . will want to scuttle along with this schoolyard sleuth."The Bulletin"Those who havent read a Chet Gecko mystery dont know what theyre missing."School Library Journal"BRUCE HALE is the author of five picture books as well as theChet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he lives in Santa Barbara, California.; Title: Hiss Me Deadly: A Chet Gecko Mystery | [
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7,666 | 2 | Praise for Harcourt’s Green Light Readers:“A must-have for any family with a beginning reader.”—Boston Sunday Herald“You can’t go wrong with adding several copies of these terrific books to your beginning-to-read collection.”—School Library Journal“A winner for the beginner.”—BooklistHOLLY KELLER has illustrated many popular science picture books, including Growing Like Me by Anne Rockwell and Air Is All Around You by Franklyn M. Branley, as well as several previous Green Light Readers. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut.; Title: The Van (Green Light Readers Level 1) | [
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7,667 | 2 | "Timothy's chapters sketch a murky sea of racial prejudice; readers will ache with him at his losses. Phillip's chapters, in a terse first person, depict the narrowness of his mother's world with a clarity heightened by Phillip's blindness. A journey well worth taking."--Kirkus Reviews"Superb."--The BulletinTHEODORE TAYLOR (1921-2006), an award-winning author of many books for young people, was particularly known for fast-paced, exciting adventure novels. His books include the bestseller The Cay, Timothy of the Cay, The Bomb, Air Raid--Pearl Harbor!, Ice Drift, The Maldonado Miracle, and The Weirdo, an Edgar Award winner for Best Young Adult Mystery.; Title: Timothy of the Cay | [
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7,668 | 2 | Praise for Harcourt’s Green Light Readers:“A must-have for any family with a beginning reader.”—Boston Sunday Herald“You can’t go wrong with adding several copies of these terrific books to your beginning-to-read collection.”—School Library Journal“A winner for the beginner.”—BooklistDAVID McPHAIL has written and illustrated more than fifty books for children, including the ever-popular Sisters, the adventures of Big Brown Bear, and several previous Green Light Readers. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire. ; Title: Dot and Bob (Green Light Readers Level 1) | [
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7,669 | 2 | PreSchool-KThe barnyard animals are playing with a red ball that accidentally rolls into the doghouse. Who's going to get it out? Mouse says Cow is big, brave, and strong, and must go first. Cow goes in but does not come out. Pig tries next, as Mouse deems him smart, wise, and stinky. Pig takes offense at the "stinky" designation, but proceeds into the doghouse. Pig does not return either. Duck, as the loudest, goes nextand disappears just like the others. The only one left outside, Mouse timidly calls out, "Can't you come out, Duck?"upon which Dog appears in the doorway and says, "No! Because I am having duck for dinner." Mouse assumes the worst, but the last spread shows all the animals inside the dog's house sitting down to a meal. Mouse joins the party on the endpapers, just in time for dessert. The simple cartoon characters, scenery, and dialogue balloons are outlined in thick, bold lines. Colors are smooth and flat, with backgrounds done in bright blues, purple, and lime green. The pictures are large and distinct, and will work well with a group. The joke is an old one, but it's always new to kids just beginning to understand wordplay.Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: The Doghouse | [
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7,670 | 2 | K-Gr 2Rylant's adorable characters are bored, so Mr. Potter's neighbor Mrs. Teaberry suggests an adventure on a sightseeing boat. The Olden Days is the perfect vessel. Mrs. Teaberry's dog, Zeke, loves it so much that he doesn't want to leave and sinks his teeth into the mast, and the captain helps them out. Howard's delightful pictures created with pencil, watercolor, and gouache add humor and panache to the story. A welcome addition to easy-reader collections.Loreli Stochaj, Franklin School, Summit, NJ© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. www.cynthiarylant.com.    ; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Clear the Decks | [
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7,671 | 2 | PreS-Gr 2Mr. Putter and Tabby are finding winter a bit slow, so they decide to relive the childhood fun of going sledding. Calling the adventurous Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke guarantees that they are hitting the slopes in no time at all, much to Tabby's twitching discomfort. The exciting race downhill is bookended by the quieter repose of Mr. Putter and Tabby at home, having a warm bath and a nap. A comforting story to curl up with on a chilly winter day, this easy reader features the large font, simple sentences, and skillful use of white space for which the series is well known. The pencil, watercolor, and goache illustrations demonstrate the meaning of newly introduced vocabulary words and expressively convey the feelings of each character. VERDICT Rylant and Howard have mastered the balance between text and illustration for beginning readers, and this addition to the series is recommended for most collections.Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Hit the Slope | [
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7,672 | 18 | Gr 46Krull introduces middle-grade readers to a diverse cast of 17 explorers in this latest offering from her series. A short, two-to five page chapter is devoted to each explorer, incorporating a biographical sketch and a short discussion of the explorer's contributions. The subjects are presented chronologically, beginning in the medieval period with the Norseman Leif Ericson and finishing with the astronaut Sally Ride. Readers learn about these historical figures' adventures while also getting a taste of each explorer's personality and character. Brilliant, full-page caricatures of the explorers in light color introduce each chapter, their oversize heads adding an additional dimension of personality to the narrative. Hewitt's painted maps are splendid, revealing the twisting paths of many adventurers, including Capt. James Cook's winding sea routes and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's snaking trails. In addition to the famous personages of Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan, special attention is given to less fabled discoverers, including Mary Kingsley and Isabella Bird. This work is a survey, providing summarized information, so the detail is shallower than volumes specializing on a single explorer or specific expedition, such as Richard Kozar's Lewis & Clark (Chelsea House, 2000). But what the book lacks in detail, it gains in an exceedingly diverse cast of historical figures, thus introducing young readers to the women, Asians, and African Americans who contributed to world discovery. Krull does not sugarcoat the history; the negative impacts of discovery upon native peoples are discussed, such as the violence resulting from Columbus's expeditions. A strong addition to middle-grade nonfiction collections.Jeffrey Meyer, Mount Pleasant Public Library, IA"Readers will enjoy delving into the exploits of intrepid explorers across time, and, literally, space." —Kirkus "Hewitt's humorous caricatures, large of head and slight of body, continue to amuse, and the maps included in many entries are a welcome addition." —Bulletin "A strong addition to middle-grade nonfiction collections." —School Library Journal; Title: Lives of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought) | [
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7,673 | 2 | If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talentsswimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be.Graceling is the first book in a series, and Kristin Cashores first work of fiction. It sets up a vivid world with engaging characters that readers will certainly look forward to following beyond the last chapter of this book. (Ages 14 and up) --Heidi BroadheadStarred Review. Grade 8 UpIn this debut fantasy novel, Cashore treats readers to compelling and eminently likable characters and a story that draws them in from the first paragraph. In Katsa's world, the "Graced," those gifted in a particular way, are marked by eyes that are different colors. Katsa's Grace is that she is a gifted fighter, and, as such, she is virtually invincible. She is in the service of her tyrannical uncle, king of one of the seven kingdoms, and she is forced to torture people for infractions against him. She has secretly formed the Council, which acts in the service of justice and fairness for those who have been accused and abused. Readers meet her as she is rescuing the father of the Lienid king, who has been abducted. The reasons for his capture are part of a tightening plot that Katsa unravels and resolves, with the help of Prince Po, the captive's grandson. He has his own particular Grace, and he becomes Katsa's lover and partner in what becomes a mortally dangerous mission. Cashore's style is exemplary: while each detail helps to paint a picture, the description is always in the service of the story, always helping readers to a greater understanding of what is happening and why. This is gorgeous storytelling: exciting, stirring, and accessible. Fantasy and romance readers will be thrilled.Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Graceling | [
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7,674 | 21 | Praise for the John Tunis baseball books:"Here is the good, honest thrill of a sport that has its devotees in far-flung camps and outposts all over the face of the earth."--The Saturday Review of Literature"It turns inside out the making of a winning baseball team."--The New York Times Book Review"The story's suspense begins over with each game, tightening from one surprise to another."--New York Herald Tribune Book ReviewJOHN R. TUNIS (1889-1975) was considered one of the finest writers for young people during the 1940s and '50s. He wrote more than twenty books, many of them award winners. The timeless appeal of his novels has made them enduringly popular with readers of all ages.; Title: Triple Play | [
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7,675 | 2 | *"Frazee's saucy invitation to all generations to 'walk on' has just enough kick and sass to incite action in babies (and grown-ups) everywhere."--Kirkus Reviews (starred) "This clever picture book (dedicated to Frazee's college-bound son) sure offers a hipper alternative to Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! for that recent graduate in your life."--The Horn Book Magazine MARLA FRAZEE has illustrated many beloved picture books, including her own Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert and Roller Coaster. She lives in Pasadena, California.; Title: Walk On!: (Gift Edition) | [
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7,676 | 16 | PreSchool-KThis simple, attractive alphabet of action words and pictures depicts children engaged in play and other activities. "Act," "blow," "catch," "dance" are just a few of the featured activities; youngsters also "unite," "view," "whistle," and "mark the spot" (X). The letters appear in both upper- and lowercase. The design is particularly effective. Large, colorful cut-paper collages of multiethnic children feature interesting patterns that stand out against solid backgrounds. Tie-dye-like endpapers are inviting as well. A good choice for the very young.Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Opening with the verse To Any Reader, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the book issues the invitation to the child to look through the windows of this book. Bold, crisp cut-paper collages accompany verbs from act to zoom. Because verbs are often hard to picture, this title may be one that an adult shares with children more than one they will read on their own. Act, for instance shows a young girl bedecked with many necklaces adjusting her hat. Although she is in the spotlight, supposedly on a stage, the link from word to image is tenuous at best. Other verbsdance, hide, whistleare more concrete. The art, however, is terrific. Colorfully patterned papers and great use of line make visual links from one page to the next. The children, in many shades of tan and brown, reflect children of the world. As a visual feast, the book will trigger as much discussion about the art as about the alphabet. Preschool-Grade 2. --Patricia Austin; Title: A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play | [
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7,677 | 16 | JUNE SOBEL is the talented author of B Is for Bulldozer, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. She lives in Westlake Village, California.HENRY COLE is the award-winning illustrator of more than forty books for children, including Some Smug Slug by Pamela Duncan Edwards, and Naughty Little Monkeys by Jim Aylesworth. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.; Title: Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC | [
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7,678 | 18 | These comprehensive studies attest to African American contributions in significant areas of our country's development. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc."In a very readable style, the author relates the stories of a few of the approximately 5,000 black soldiers who participated in the Revolution, emphasizing their unselfishness fighting a war from which few would substantially benefit."--School Library Journal; Title: Black Heroes of the American Revolution (Odyssey Books) | [
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7,679 | 2 | Grade 10 Up The follow-up to Goal!: The Dream Begins (2006) and Goal! II: Living the Dream (2007, both Houghton) is the story of Santiago Muñez's lifelong plan to become a world-famous soccer player. This installment continues up until the World Cup 2010. In fact, this book actually covers the story of two lives: Santiago and his stepbrother Enrique, who is now living in England with Santiago, his wife Roz, and their new daughter, and plays on the Newcastle Soccer Under-16 team. Rigby does an admirable job of catching readers up with the plotline, even though fans of the earlier two books will begin from page one with a caring fondness and hope that Santiago succeeds in his dream. Descriptions of the play-by-play are excellent and are interspersed with heart-wrenching moments of failure and disappointment. Rigby occasionally drops in the names of well-known soccer stars to keep the saga current. Teenage Enrique has his own problems with fitting in and with keeping the bullying he endures hidden from his family. Readers can identify and sympathize with his dilemma and the difficult decisions he must make. Purchase this book where the film or the first two books have been popular. Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.ROBERT RIGBY is a playwright, novelist, and television scriptwriter. His award-winning work with youth theater companies has been staged in Britain, Europe, the United States, and Africa. He is also the writer of the long-running BBC children’s drama series Byker Grove.Official movie website: www.goalthemovie.com; Title: GOAL: Glory Days | [
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7,680 | 2 | Grade 3–4—Ida May returns in this sequel to My Last Best Friend (Harcourt, 2007). Her developing friendship with Stacey Merriweather and growing animosity toward Jenna Drews continue, but not without some bumps and insights along the way. Stacey and Ida discover an old mermaid night-light in Ida's attic. They decide that the lamp is magic, with the power to carry out good and bad wishes, and form a two-member Secret Mermaid Club. The mermaid has a pleasant smile until plugged in—then she exhibits a frightening grimace that makes Ida state, "her evil, glowing grin makes me pee my pants." Various family situations are well represented and lend credence to the characters' behaviors. Ida comes from a solid, two-parent family; Stacey's folks are divorced, and she lives with her mother, while her brother lives with their father; and Jenna's dad has recently lost his job, sending her family into a tailspin. Fourth-grade jealousies, problems, misbehavior, and consequences will be familiar to elementary school girls, who will enjoy this entry as much as the original.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."Bowe is spot-on with Ida May's feelings....Issues surrounding divorced households are handled realistically. The unexpected twist (at the end) is believable and satisfying. Fans of Ida May will be overjoyed to read this new installment." --Kirkus Reviews (July 1, 2008)Praise for My Last Best Friend:“Delightful . . . This story is for readers who have graduated from Sara Pennypacker’s ‘Clementine’ stories, Barbara Park’s ‘Junie B. Jones’ series, and Megan McDonald's ‘Judy Moody’ books.”—School Library Journal “A sweet read with a surprising ending!”—Discovery Girls magazine “Bowe successfully creates a wry, sweet, proud protagonist in Ida May whose struggle . . . hits all the right emotional notes.”—Booklist; Title: My New Best Friend (Friends for Keeps) | [
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7,681 | 2 | When it comes to being prim and proper, Princess Viola is a royal dud. The moat-diving, karate-chopping thrill seeker attends princess camp in hopes of learning to conduct herself in a more noble fashion. Despite rebukes from the camps etiquette-obsessed director (Royalty does not skateboard), Viola fails to dress, dance, or even wave in a remotely aristocratic way. And good thing, too, because a ferocious green dragon shows up, and the princess draws on her unusual talents to vanquish the beast, proving that acting nobly has little to do with fashion or frills. Bergers spirited cartoonlike artwork amps up the merriment by blending comics elements (panels, motion lines) and action-oriented sound effects (Zip! Zup! Zoom!) with a pink-heavy palette and glitter-festooned cover. If the breezy story isnt breaking entirely new ground, children will be having too much fun to notice, and Sauers message of being true to oneself is one they cant hear enough. Preschool-Grade 1. --Kristen McKulski; Title: Princess in Training | [
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7,682 | 7 | Grade 58This sequel to Ferris's beloved Once upon a Marigold (Harcourt, 2002) shifts its focus from Christian and Marigold to one of the less-savory characters. At the end of the first book, the evil-plotting Queen Olympia falls into a river, allowing everyone else to live happily ever after. Now, she has arrived downstream in Granolah and, suffering from amnesia, starts a new life as "Angie." It's only when she snaps out of it and wants her throne back that trouble starts. With her friends as her companions, she treks back to Beaurivage, resumes her reign, and jails King Swithbert and Ed, the troll who raised Christian. When Marigold realizes what has happened, she cooks up a plan with Christian, her father, and Ed. But just as they've deposed the queen, Olympia turns back into Angie. Realizing they're much better off with Angie, they bring in a wizard to rid her body of any traces of Olympia, and the whole kingdom returns to its happily-ever-after mode. In focusing on Olympia and introducing a plethora of new minor characters, Ferris moves away from what was so endearing about the first book: Marigold and Christian. Throughout this one, they are settling into marriage and bickering, which becomes monotonous. Still, the sequel shines in its more witty moments, as when Marigold discovers knock-knock jokes. Fans of the first title will surely want to read this novel, but it does not stand alone.Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Not many novels based on the fairy-tale tradition extend beyond the conventional happy ending, but Once upon a Marigold (2002) was never a conventional example of the genre. In this sequel, which takes place one year later, young Queen Marigold and King Christian of Zandelphia are having a minor quarrel when they are suddenly united by a common enemy. Marigolds mother, wicked Queen Olympia, has returned to the neighboring kingdom to the despair of her subjects and her family. Although violence isnt the whole answer to overthrowing Olympia, it never hurts to have the palace guards on your side or, for that matter, a wizards elephant with an unconventional cure for disagreeableness. Appealing new characters and fresh plot twists give this sequel a life of its own, though fans of the earlier book will enjoy the continuation of its story line, wry humor, and offbeat sense of fun. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan; Title: Twice Upon a Marigold | [
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7,683 | 0 | DAVID McPHAIL has written and illustrated scores of beloved award-winning children's books. He lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts.www.DavidMcPhail.com; Title: Cerdo y Cerdito/Big Pig and Little Pig (Green Light Readers Level 1) (Spanish and English Edition) | [
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7,684 | 0 | The children in Timpetill are so rotten, ill-behaved, and just all-around unpleasant that one night all the grown-ups in town leave for good. It falls to the kids to take care of themselves, and doing so is a lot harder than it looks. Not only must Thomas, Michael, and his friends figure out how to turn on the town's water, run the electricity, and feed a population of whiny children but they have do all that while battling a gang of the very worst kids--the ones who brought down this strange punishment in the first place.; Title: Trouble at Timpetill | [
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7,685 | 11 | Kindergarten-Grade 3–A collection of short poems about what's in a child's house. Subjects include the piano, the laundry room, a door that is stuck, etc. The accompanying illustrations are done with watercolors and an effective stamping or woodblock technique. Some of the selections are in rhyme, while others are in free verse; they vary in quality. "My Hideaway" introduces the idea of a place where one can be alone: "And just behind that my-size door/there is a place where I can store/my rocks, my bugs, my diamond rings,/and lots of other private things." "My Bedroom Slippers," which depends on common and static images, is less successful: "They lie/beside my bed,/waiting/for my icy toes/to wake them up." Nevertheless, the book is acceptable as a supplemental purchase. David L. Harrison's Alligator in the Closet (Boyds Mills, 2003) and Dee Lillegard's Wake Up, House! (Knopf, 2000) both have a similar theme.–Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.PreS-Gr. 3. "Dishwasher clicking. / Pipes pinging. / Listen closely. / My house is singing." Written in a variety of styles, this collection of spare, immediate poems describes the living, noisy personality a little girl finds in her house: the "weary" old roof, the "stubborn" back door, even the sock-eating dryer. Sometimes the girl argues with her house as if it were a sibling: "Why is it that / whenever I make my toast / a little crispy, / you tell on me?" she whines to the smoke detector. At other times, she finds deep, sweet comfort in favorite things: "You rock my body calm. / You rock me into sweet dreams," she tells her rocking chair. Chodos-Irvine's large, sunny, illustrations reflect the words' interesting perspectives with slightly skewed angles, elemental shapes, and airy compositions that don't overwhelm the poems. This is a natural choice for classroom poetry projects, and little ones will delight in the accessible language and delicious personification of familiar things. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: My House Is Singing | [
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7,686 | 1 | Kipper is the creation of award-winning author-illustrator MICK INKPEN, whose books have sold more than five million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages. Mr. Inkpen lives in Suffolk, England. ; Title: Rocket: [Little Kippers] | [
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7,687 | 2 | "A rabbit family makes a ramshackle house into a comfy home in this soothing story. The book is the literary equivalent of a cup of chamomile tea at bedtime," said PW. Ages 2-5. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.PreSA family of rabbits move into a bungalow and make it their own. There is not a word wasted in the perfectly crafted rhyming text that details the work and items that go into creating a bunny home. The simple, sweet watercolor-and-pencil illustrations depict scenes such as the rabbits painting their house, one bunny with a green tail, and Father putting up a carrot weather vane as the others watch. This story evokes a cozy feeling thats just right for bedtime.Anne Parker, Milton Public Library, MA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.; Title: Bunny Bungalow | [
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7,688 | 18 | Starred Review. Grade 1–4—The legends that endure about Lincoln are many: his log-cabin childhood, his honesty, his eloquence. What is less-often discussed is how he used humor to diffuse tense political situations, disarm critics, and undo the stresses of running the country. His love of words in general, and jokes and humor more specifically, helped him throughout his life when things were difficult, uncomfortable, and downright dire, as they often were during the Civil War. Krull is an expert at teasing out the fun, quirky sides of her subjects and sharing them in a way that is both genuine and engaging. This take on Lincoln is no exception. He is portrayed as an accessible, endearing, and sympathetic figure, not just another president. Children will be drawn in by the straightforward prose, and librarians will enjoy sharing the book aloud. Innerst's colorful and unconventional acrylic illustrations cover the entire page and are the perfect complement to both the text and the subject matter, making this a standout biography. Pair it with Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora's George Washington's Teeth (Farrar, 2003) for a unique look at two of our most famous leaders.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Laughter is not only good medicine. It can also be a political tool, human motivator, and saving grace, as the authors show in this upbeat overview of Lincolns life. Moving through the sixteenth presidents many challenges, from family deaths to lost elections to fighting slavery, the text emphasizes how Lincoln coped with a joke on his tongue and a smile on his lips. Many direct quotes are interwoven in a contrasting font within the spreads that delve into subjects such as his military service, when he faced a good many bloody battleswith mosquitoes, and marriage: Here I am, and here is Mrs. Lincoln. And thats the long and short of it. Innersts acrylic artwork feels homey and humorous, very much in the style of his previous work with Krull, M is for Music (2003), and while not every word or picture is necessarily a hoot and a holler, they do present a positive portrait that humanizes the lionized man for whom it was a love of laughter that kept him going. Grades 2-4. --Andrew Medlar; Title: Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country) | [
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7,689 | 7 | A quartet of phantoms Henry, Lucy, George and Edward star in these two adventures, eliciting giggles and goosebumps. In the first, they uncover a series of odd sights and sounds before unveiling their Aunt Gigi in a basement trunk; in the second, the foursome heads to Scotland in search of the elusive monster but only readers spot it. Ages 3-7. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.“Adorable characters.”-Kirkus Reviews -- Review; Title: The Ghosts in the Cellar | [
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7,690 | 0 | TIM BOWERS has been a professional illustrator of children’s books, textbooks, magazines, greeting cards, and many other novelty items for more than twenty years. He lives in Granville, Ohio. ; Title: Sam and Jack: Three Stories | [
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7,691 | 0 | L. A. Meyer (19422014) was the acclaimed writer of the Bloody Jack Adventure series, which follows the exploits of an impetuous heroine who has fought her way up from the squalid streets of London to become an adventurer of the highest order. Mr. Meyer was an art teacher, an illustrator, a designer, a naval officer, and a gallery owner. All of those experiences helped him in the writing of his curious tales of the beloved Jacky Faber. Visit www.jackyfaber.com for more information on the author and his books.; Title: Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West (Bloody Jack Adventures) | [
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7,692 | 15 | "Told in language that kids will understand, making them feel right at home in the vast universe."--Sesame Street Parents"This is a book for adults to talk about with children . . . to raise big questions and open up discussion about the wonder of the universe."--Booklist ANNE ROCKWELL has written and illustrated several books for children, including the companion book, Our Earth. She lives in Connecticut.; Title: Our Stars | [
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7,693 | 2 | Product Description Dillweed's parents go on adventures and leave him behind with Umblud the butler and Perfidia the maid, who treat him like their slave. Neither Umblud or Perfidia or the parents appreciate Dillweed's cherished pet, a creature named Skorped. When they threaten Skorped's life and well-being, Dillweed opens his black box and casts the runes, which releases smoky monsters, who do the dirty deeds. And then it's Dillweed turn to go on adventures.Filled with nasty characters, beautiful details, and subtle humor, this stylish book follows in the tradition of the deliciously dark work of Edward Gorey, so Dillweed's happy ending undoubtedly means the end for someone else. Q: You've written more than 100 childrens books--that's pretty impressive! How do continue to come up with new and fresh ideas? Where do you find inspiration?A: I think ideas are rather like invisible balloons--they're always floating around, and if you are able to reach up and grab one, it's yours, otherwise it will just keep floating around with the other balloons until someone else reaches up and brings it down. Like inventions. Everything--except, of course, things in nature, like trees or clouds--had to be invented by someone. Someone had to be the very first person in the world to think of: the first chair, the first window, the first door. Who was it who reached up and grabbed those balloons? What balloon is up there waiting for you to pull it down?Q: Your latest book, Dillweed's Revenge, has quite an interesting back story. Can you tell us a little about how Dillweed came to be?A: This book was written forty years ago! At that time <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shrinking-Treehorn-Florence-Parry-Heide/dp/0823409759" ,The Shrinking of Treehorn had just been published; my brother and his wife were visiting from California, my daughter Roxy joined us, and the four of us decided to write something that weekend for Edward Gorey to illustrate--thus Dillweed's Revenge.Some editors liked the story but wanted a date on which the art would be finished, and Edward Gorey would never work that way. So, it sat and it sat, with occasional forays out into the world. But now, here it is! Too late for Edward, but Carson Ellis has accomplished wonders with her intricate dazzling illustrations.And this long road to publication proves that anything is possible, and indeed that is my motto and favorite saying.Q: Dillweed's story is both humorous and a little bit scary, all at once. Why do you think stories such as these are so appealing to kids?A: Of course kids like to be soothed and reassured and coddled and amused, but they also like to read of naughtiness, excitement, and danger.Q: Do you have any writing rituals or special practices? And what about when you're not writinghow do you spend your time? If you had a whole day free with nothing to do, how would you fill it?A: I have no rituals or special practices; I just sit down and write. And a whole day free with nothing to do? I cant imagine that. Isn't there always something interesting to do? Yes!Q: What was your favorite book when you were a child?A: I loved the Oz books and read and re-read every single one. My favorite was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ozma-Oz-L-Frank-Baum/dp/0486247791" ,Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: what an original and truly imaginative tale! Where is my copy? Did I read it so often I wore it out? Did it turn into dust?Later, my favorite book was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Wordsworth-Childrens-Classics-Collection/dp/185326136X" ,A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and I read that dozens of times as well and cried each time. It's truly comforting to be crying merrily away while reading a favorite book: you know it's going to turn out happily in the end, so the sadder the book seems, the better.Q: What's the best advice you have for budding authors?A: Advice...oh my! We all have our own reasons to want to write, our own styles, our own approach to writing, and what it is we want to write. What might work for me might never work for anyone else. The thing is: just write. Just proceed. What do you want to write about? If youre telling a story, think about how you want to tell it--what point of view, what language, what style, to what purpose, etc. Do you want to inform your audience, or amuse or challenge them...To put something into the world that hadn't existed before and would never exist but for you is a thrilling way to spend time! What is this tale that has never been told? Who are these people who have never before existed and will never exist unless you call them into being? Hurry, hurry, write it all down, now, while its fresh in your mind, don't let that balloon go!Gr 2-5When his oblivious parents depart for adventures, young Dillweed is left in the care of two servants who drink, party, and make him do constant chores. The narrator's wry tone makes it clear that the boy will not accept this situation forever, and his revenge is delightfully macabre. He unleashes a team of shadowy monsters who dispose of both butler and maid, and Dillweed and Skorped, his dragon-ish pet, were happy. The black humor turns even darker when the parents return and decide to get rid of the pet, then promptly meet the same fate as the servants. Readers leave boy and creature enjoying a cruise and living happily ever after. Dillweed and Skorped, not the parents. The restrained satiric voice sets the tone, slyly preparing readers for Dillweed's revenge. Terse sentences and repeated refrains inject humor while leaving room for the playful ink and gouache illustrations, which recall Edward Gorey's work, to fill in the details. Pictures, not words, reveal the magic stone that Dillweed uses, for example, as well as the monsters he calls forth. One especially funny spread shows the luggage of the returning parents being carried in, just as a servant's coffin is being carried out. The mixture of humor and gruesomeness may offend some, but for fans of Roald Dahl, Lemony Snicket, or Hilaire Belloc, it's right on target.Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.; Title: Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic | [
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7,694 | 14 | Spoiled Sophie Kringle is bound and determined to find out the truth, once and for all, about her mysterioso Auntie Claus, who serves Christmas cookies in July and fills her penthouse with glittery Christmas lights all year long. In this lavish gift edition of the bestselling picture book, Auntie Claus, by Elise Primavera, Oscar-, Tony-, and Golden Globe-winning actress Ellen Burstyn provides a dramatic reading of the story in a CD, while mesmerized children can read along in the handsome hardcover book. Even more festive, a sparkly gold key ornament is also included, adding the perfect touch for the Christmas tree. For all those children who stay off the B-B-and-G Christmas List (bad boys and girls), here is a terrific holiday treat that lets the true spirit of giving shine through. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie CoulterAfter making a smashing debut in a bestselling picture book, the inimitable leading lady is back in the Auntie Claus Gift Set. The elegant package contains a hardcover, a CD narrated by actress Ellen Burstyn and an ornament in the shape of a golden key. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.; Title: Auntie Claus Gift Set: [CD, Ornament, and Book] | [
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7,695 | 15 | reS-K-In Rainy Day, the spirited pup is experiencing the joy of rain and seeing which of his friends love it, too. In Sunny Day, he and Tiger, a Scottish Terrier, go to the beach. In both books, questions are asked and children can come up with their own answers and/or lift the flap to see what the friends decide. ("Does anyone at the farm love rain?" Opening a flap that resembles a gate reveals, "The pigs do!") The colors are bright and lively, and the minimal text is large and easy to read. These appealing titles are great tools for creative thinking and stimulating the imagination.Karen Scott, Valley Intermediate School, Pelham, ALCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.MICK INKPEN's books starring Kipper have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages. His more recent titles include Kipper's A to Z, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and an ABA's Pick of the Lists, and Kipper and Roly. Mr. Inkpen lives in Suffolk, England.; Title: Kipper's Rainy Day (Lift the Flap) | [
7016
] | Train |
7,696 | 2 | K-Gr 2Mr. Putter and Tabby go on their most exciting adventure yet: a trip to the library for a special "read with your pet" storytime. The two usually lead a pretty calm existence, but Mr. Putter is willing to try something new because of his fond memories of his teachers reading stories to the class. He shares his news with Mrs. Teaberry, and she signs up, too, bringing her dog Zeke. Mr. Putter is a good library reader and he chooses his book with care. The readings come off without a hitchor well, almost (Zeke!)and the group is rewarded with stickers and free bookmarks. This is another solid easy reader from this creative team, with the standard larger font, simple sentences, cartoon illustrations, and excellent use of white space. A perfect selection for storytime or anytime sharing.Melisa Bailey, Harford County Library System, MDA Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book "A sweet and nicely different take on the pleasure of reading."—Kirkus   "A perfect selection for storytime or anytime sharing."—School Library Journal   "In the 20 years since the Mr. Putter & Tabby series began, its signature combination of storytelling, wit, and humanity have made it a staple of the beginning reader section."—Booklist   ; Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page | [
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7,697 | 2 | "No one but the author of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase could create such a melange of inventions, sustain such a pace, and give such vigor to the telling."--The Horn BookJoan Aiken, daughter of the American writer Conrad Aiken, was born in Rye, Sussex, England, and has written more than sixty books for children, including The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.; Title: Arabel's Raven (Arabel and Mortimer) | [
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7,698 | 16 | Preschool youngsters will be enchanted with the undersea world.-Chicago Sun Times -- Review; Title: Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On | [
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7,699 | 2 | Kindergarten-Grade 3-To counter the rules of his parents, sister, teacher, and even the crossing guard, Grody makes up a few of his own, such as "Rule Number One": "Don't get up in the morning. You're just going to have to go to bed again at night!" Best known as the illustrator of Jack Gantos's "Rotten Ralph" series (Houghton), Rubel brings the same kid-friendly sensibilities to the artwork here, incorporating markers, colored pencils, watercolor, fabric, fabric paint, and photographs. An inset on each spread shows the authority figure and rule that the pup is protesting, and the pictures are replete with humorous hyperbole. The point won't be lost on kids when, for example, Grody goes flying through the air because of "Rule Number Nine": "Always run down the stairs instead of walking. It saves time"; or employs his own dish-washing technique in "Rule Number Twelve": "Don't wash dirty dishes when you can lick them clean!" The final spread shows the effects of following the dog's rules, from "very dirty ears" to "unpleasant body odor." A true child-pleaser.Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, ColumbiaCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.K-Gr. 2. Grody, the slovenly antihero of Rubel's latest effort, more than lives up to his name. By blissfully ignoring the usual regulations (delivered on each page by significant relatives and adults) to follow his own set of anti-rules (writ like commandments on each spread), Grody becomes such a revolting slob that no one would ever want to be like him. Thus, Grody succeeds as both a humorous example of how not to behave and as a satire of the determinedly cheery world of Richard Scarry et al. Rubel's subversive collage-ink-and-wash illustrations offer a twisted, psychedelic view of suburbia that will draw peals of laughter for its sheer grossness ("Rule number twelve: Don't wash dishes when you can lick them clean"). But for all his outrageousness, Grody is not nearly as likable as the cat Rotten Ralph, and the story lacks the tension that would have given it more humor and bite. Instead, Grody is just, well, grody. Children may secretly admire his dedication to grossness even as they determine not to be like him, but at the same time, they may wonder about the conflict between his bad behavior and the rule-bound drudgery suggested by Rubel's adult world. Tim ArnoldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Grody's Not So Golden Rules | [
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