What in the World is a Ton? and Other Weight & Volume Measurements

Bussiere, Desiree.  What in the World is a Ton? And Other Weight & Volume Measurements. ABDO Publishing Company, 2013.

The story connects real life objects to their measurement in weight, volume, height, and ton, as well as several other measurements.  The author is credible since she uses real objects like an ice cream carton measured in pints.  The measurements are made by children which is easier for another child to relate to.  The illustrations are real people with real objects.  I think this book would integrate fabulously with a 2nd-4th grade math lesson on measurements.  There's even a mini quiz and glossary at the end!  However, the children used are not very diverse.

EmKAsh

Turkey Tot

Shannon, George, and Jennifer K. Mann. Turkey Tot. New York: Holiday House, 2013

A turkey, pig, chicken, and chick are hungry but the pig, chicken, and chick want to sleep. The turkey finds stuff and while the others sleep the turkey gets berries from a tree.

The writing style makes you feel hungry and the book is a little silly.

The pictures are drawn with white edging on most things.

I think the book is good for kindergarteners.  I recommend it to younger kids and 3 to 6 year old kids.

Reviewer:  Aubrey Nyiri, age 10

Where is Curious George?

Platt, Cynthia. Margaret and H.A. Rey's Where is Curious George?.  Houghton Mifflin Barcourt, 2013. ISBN: 9780547914169.

This book is a  hide and seek book-one in which you can look for the many objects within the illustrations that are talked about in the text.  In each spread you look for George as well.  I liked the writing style as it has many known words and is easy to follow along with.  Also, I loved the pictures which were very colorful and detailed.  There were some little "things" that some might not notice.
Overall, I really loved this book and would recommend it for younger children.  Although, regardless of age you could fall in love with this book!

Danielle Ware, BGSU student

The Wonderful Water Cycle

Hutmacher, Kimberly. The Wonderful Water Cycle. Vero Beach, Fla: Rourke Educational Media, 2013

This book analyzes the water cycle and water in general in our world. There are many informative and useful facts that students need to learn in regards to science.
The author is informative, but relatable to kids. While some of the facts are dry, there are helpful pictures to explain.
The illustrations are clear, concise, and authentic. They explain the information well.
I would recommend this for any 4th-7th grade classroom. It is a great book to incorporate in a science lesson. The information is valuable for group projects and scientific lessons.


                                         Reviewer: EmkAsh

Millions, Billions, & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers

Adler, David A, and Edward Miller. Millions, Billions & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers. New York: Holiday House, 2013

This story addresses the concept of million, billion, and trillion. It's a wonderful book for learning about BIG numbers.
The author relates these numbers to real life situations. Such as, how many boxes of pizza on million dollars could buy? It's fun for kids!
The illustrations are kid friendly and meet the interests of school ages kids. there's pizza, ice cream, and birthday parties included! The book is colorful and interesting.
The book is good for elementary children in first to fifth grade. Sometimes all the information is overwhelming, but it is a fun way to learn about big numbers through kid-friendly topics. A good book to incorporate in a math (numbers) or social studies (population) lesson!

                                                Reviewer: EmkAsh

Friends

Greve, Meg. Friends. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Educational Media, 2013

Friends is about what it means to be a good friend. It addresses how we should treat our friends, make friends, respect friends, and what to do when we argue with a friend.
The author is clear and understandable. She even includes a "glossary" of what words like "argue" and "fairness" mean.
The illustrations are of real life children and portray the words in acted out situations.
The pictures are relatable and age appropriate. I would recommend this book to any early education teacher. It would be a great book to start off the school year with a relational and friendly classroom environment. this book book would appeal to PreK to 3rd grade.
 Reviewer: EmkAsh

You Make Me Smile

Marlow, Layn. You Make Me Smile. Holiday House, 2013. ISBN: 9780823429226 

The story is about a child's first experience with the winter season.  It touches on the joys of snow, the winter chill, and the most exciting part for kids which is making a snowman.  The author uses simple but effective vocabulary in this story.  Marlow uses rhyme and alliteration to enhance the story and develop a child's early language skills. Lines such as "suddenly, silently, frozen flakes are falling from the sky" properly show Marlow's writing style.  The illustrations fit the story well.  They are full of color and allow for a child to relate to the experience of winter.  They connect with the words on each page and help enhance the reading experience.  The illustrations are done in pencil.  The most effective illustration is of the finished snowman smiling.  

I enjoyed reading the book.  It took me back to my first time playing in the snow.  This book would be good to give children a chance to connect to the action of playing in the snow.  It helps children understand that when winter is over, the snowman will melt away, but that he will come back again. Overall, it is a fun book to bring in the winter season and to get a child excited about the cold and the snow.  This title would appeal to children Pre-K through 1st grade.

Cecelia Williamson, BGSU Student

In the Kitchen: Word Building with Prefixes and Suffixes

Scheunemann, Pam. In the Kitchen: Word Building with Prefixes and Suffixes. Minneapolis, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co, 2013

This story is about prefix and suffix usage. The actions being analyzed all take place in the kitchen. the author has a clear meaning and throughout the second portion of the book creates rhymes like "time" and "lime".
The author uses challenging words at times but references what they mean in the glossary located on the last page.
The illustrations are mostly realistic, but some of the pictures in the second part of the book could be laid out better. all the scenes about prefixes and suffixes take place realistically in the kitchen.
I would recommed this book for a grammatical lesson plan on prefix and suffix usuage. It would be fun to play out some of the scenes in the school's kitchen. It is appropriate for children learning about prefixes and suffixes. Some of the rhyming I would definitely consider kid's humor.

                                                                         Reviewer: EmkAsh

Dirty Gert

Arnold, Tedd. Dirty Gert. New York: Holiday House, 2013.
ISBN: 9780823424047

Dirty Gert is about a girl who loves dirt. Her parents try and civilize her, but she didn't want to change. Eventually, her parents accepted her for who she is.The author used bigger words, such as internalizer, tantalize, and photosynthesized. The author also wrote in a rhyming style for this book. The illustrations are well done, and they match the text perfectly.  I think the text and illustrations are fun! Dirty Gert has a special meaning behind it. Accept people for who they are. I would recommend this book to people of all ages. Age ranges to which this book would appeal: 9 to 12.

                                                             Reviewer: Amber Cox

Lucky Ducklings

Moore, Eva, and Nancy Carpenter. Lucky Ducklings. New York: Orchard Books, 2013.
ISBN: 9780439448611

How a mama duck takes care of her ducklings, the author relates that to how enforcement take care of others too. Showing that caring for others is important through this story about a mama duck and her ducklings. The author keeps the story entertaining, saying many times, "that could have been the end." Then finally, at the end stating that the end of the story has actually came to an end. They illustrations are very real life and colorful. Great facial expressions in many of the people in the story. Overall, they were excellent. I would recommend to use this book with smaller children when talking about how law enforcement is helpful. Relating this to how kind the mama duck was in showing children that police and others are nice people. Age ranges to which this book would appeal: first grade to third grade.

Reviewer: Mara Siegel

You Make Me Smile

Marlow, Layn. You Make Me Smile. Holiday House Inc., 2013.
ISBN: 9780823429226

This book is about a little boy making a snowman. The book tells all the steps the boy makes to make the snowman and in the end he adds a smile. The author has made this book an easy read. It keeps the readers guessing on what the little boy will add next to the snowman. The illustrations go right along with the words and are very creative with adding little things to the pictures such as birds and leaves. The pictures were mainly made with watercolor. I would recommend this book because it is an easy read and something mainly preschool through first grade would find interesting. 

Reviewer: Ellie McMahon

Freaks

Larwood, Kieran. Freaks. New York: Chicken House/Scholastic, 2013.
ISBN: 9780545474245

In Victorian London, children have been mysteriously disappearing. Sheba and the other freaks of Plimpscuttle's Peculiar decide to take matters into their own hands and save the missing children before it's too late. Writing from Sheba's perspective  Kieran Larwood's descriptive style shows the sights, sounds, and smells of Victorian London. A few portraits at the end of the book, created by the author, show how the cast of characters look. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone. For those who like to see misfits band together to do good or enjoy a mystery or adventure, Freaks is a very good read. Age range to which this book would appeal: 10 to 25.

Reviewer: Alissa Zapiecki

Since You Asked

Goo, Maurene. Since You Asked. New York, N.Y: Scholastic Press, 2013. 
ISBN: 9780545448215


This story is about Holly, a Korean-American teenager with spunk and a "bad attitude." The tagline, "High School. So funny I forgot to laugh," is perfectly fitting. Holly enjoys writing and what a fake article about the tortures of high school is published  her high school social life goes to chaos. She battles her overprotective mom and the mean girls of high school along side her three best friends, attempting to survive the "best years of her life." The author writes in first person, and sounds like the words are coming straight from a 15 year-old girl's mind. "Our school was basically a brick prison surrounding a giant courtyard ..." (pg. 4). Maurene Goo does an exceptional job at writing like an annoyed 15 year old teen. The only illustration from the book are Holly's columns and love notes from her secret admirer. While there aren't colorful, detailed illustrations, they break the story up and make it more interesting to read. I enjoyed the book and think it would be an enjoyable and relatable novel for teenage girls. It was an easy read for me, and I found some parts quite funny. I would not, however, recommend this to anyone under the age of 13, due to the language. Age range to which this book would appeal: 14 to 17.

Reviewer: Jessica Wright

Prairie Chicken Little

Hopkins, Jackie Mims. Prairie Chicken Little. Peachtree Publishers. 2013.  ISBN: 9781561456949  

This story is about a group of feathery friends trying to run away from a stampede.  They run into the sneaky fox on their way to Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan.  The author introduces characters and constantly repeats their names so readers remember who they are.  She conveys a dialect in this book as well as fun slang and rhyming such as "lickety-split!"  The illustrations are all set in a similar place-the country.  There is a lot of greenery and earthy tones.  The shapes and facial expressions of the animals are unique!  I would recommend this book as part of a lesson plan for teaching about the "west. I think any first or second grade class would enjoy the story and the punchline at the end! Age ranges to which this book would appeal: 5 to 8.

EmKAsh

Honesty

Hicks, Kelli. Honesty (part of the Little World Social Skills series). Rourke Educational Media. 2013. ISBN: 9781618101327

This story revolves around honesty and describes real life scenarios in which people can choose to be honest.  The author's writing style is simple and her tone is encouraging and caring.  You can tell through her writing that this book is geared for children-specifically preschoolers-because it is setting the groundwork of right versus wrong for them to follow.  The illustrations are family-friendly and make this story credible.  The pictures are of real kids in settings kids are  at everyday-at school, with family, at home, with friends, and at the playground.  This book is perfect for preschoolers and Kindergarteners and could even affect toddlers.  The author does a good job of explaining good and moral behavior in every day life and in social interactions with others.

EmKAsh

Asian Animals:Tigers

Murray, Julie. Tigers, ABDO Publishing Company. 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-61783-558-2


This book is about tigers and explains where they live, what they eat, and all characteristics and habits pertaining to tigers.
The author is very informative, but includes many side "fun facts" about tigers.  The author enforces the most important information on tigers and it's easily to see she did her research!
The illustrations are helpful and are greatly beneficial for visual learners.  The book is colorful, but not distracting.
This book was very informative! I learned facts about tigers myself that I hadn't previously known.  It's a great book to incorporate for social studies or geography lesson in the elementary grades!                          

Reviewer: EmkAsh

Beavers

Gibbons, Gail. Beavers. New York: Holiday House. 2013.
ISBN: 9780823424122

This book is all about beavers, from what they eat to how they make their dams to how they are physically built.
The author's writing style is very insightful.  There is a lot of accurate and valuable information that is described in depth.
The illustrations are helpful for visualizing the beaver's life.  The colors are cohesive to nature and the drawings are unique in that they aren't perfect or ordinary.  They are different and portray the text especially well.
I would recommend this book to a teacher that is in need of a book to incorporate into a lesson on wetlands.  It's a good book for elementary aged students and potentially middle schoolers with the valuable information presented.

This book would appeal to 6-12 year olds.                                                 Reviewer: EmkAsh

TJ Zaps the One-Upper: Stopping One-Upping and Cell Phone Bullying

Mullarkey, Lisa.  TJ Zaps the One-Upper: Stopping One-Upping and Cell Phone Bullying. Magic Wagon-ABDO Publishing. 2013.  ISBN: 9781616419066.

This fictional story is about a boy (T.J.) who is constantly getting one-upped by his best friend, Danny.  Danny starts to bully T.J. and he has to decide how to handle Danny.  Lisa Mullarkey write in the first person narrative.  The bullying terms are bold faced and defined in the back of the book.  The illustrations are sporatic throughout the book.  They are simplistic and in black and white.  I liked this book.  It gave a good representation of what bullying looks like and how kids can help each other in a fun and entertaining way.  This book would be good for ages 9-12 (3rd-5th grade).

M. Majeroni, BGSU student

Look!

Lewin, Ted. Look! Holiday House. 2013. ISBN: 9780823426072

This book is about different animals and what they do in their life, including a little boy.  The author uses simple words and the illustrations are kind of realistic and in my opinion, the best part of the book.  Since the words are so simple, the pictures are what really tell the story.  I would not recommend this to kids who are 8 and older.  It would be better for kids 4 and under.

Sebastien Nyiri, age 8

The Wing Wing Brothers: Carnival De Math

Long, Ethan. The Wing Wing Brothers: Carnival De Math. New York: Holiday House, 2013.
ISBN:9780823426041
This story is about a group of brother ducks at a carnival. Through several carnival activities, the mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction are addressed.

The author includes a lot of onomatopoeia words like "crash" and "Wham" and alliterations. All the brother's names start with a W, as well as many of the words throughout the story like "way" and "wait".
The illustrations are all of the same color scheme with a very "carnival feel". The entire book is covered with pictures, with hardly any white space; many scenes are shown.
I think this book is helpful for adding and subtracting numbers by ten. It would be appropriate for first and second grade students. It would be a good book to incorporate into a carnival or festival unit. However; I didn't like the confusion between each of the brother's names. I do think kids would find the book humorous.

Reviewer: EmkAsh