* * * The Magic Horse of Han Gan

Author: Chen Jiang Hong
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 38 pages
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books (October 31, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592700632
ISBN-13: 978-1592700639

Some children discover a love for drawing by the time they are eight. This book will speak to them about the desire they feel and the passion they have to draw life-like and to the best of their ability. Is it any coincidence that the main character loves to draw horses as so many children do at this age? Best of all, at the end of the story we discover that Han Gan was a real painter. A great book to encourage young artists. Wonderful illustrations and a lasting story about following your heart and striving to perfect your talent.

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* * Prince Silencio

Author: Anne Herbauts
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 28 pages
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books; Tra edition (April 4, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592700551
ISBN-13: 978-1592700554

A wonderful book to share with your children illustrating the differences between too much noise, too much silence and just the right blend. You can even have your kiddo practice all three and see which one sounds best. Even better, there is a key at the end of the book (based on words and phrases used to describe the way people talk) to guide you as you search through tehe story looking for select items they describe.

I thought this was an appropriate and clever book for parents and children since the former are always calling for silence and the latter are always clamoring at top sound.

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* Monday

Author: Anne Herbauts
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 36 pages
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books (October 31, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592700578
ISBN-13: 978-1592700578

I like books that are different. Straight out, this book would be confusing to children without the wonderful illustrations and the different textures that make the intangible subject of time something a 4-yr old can grasp while 8-yr olds will appreciate some of the complexity – like how people look forward to the future and long for the past.

Book Description:
This playful and original picture book takes three friends through the days of the week as well as the seasons of the year. Monday is our main character and as we move through the days of the week he becomes smaller and smaller until Sunday when he virtually disappears in a snowstorm. His two freinds go off to look for him. They too move through the days of the week as well as the seasons of the year as they search for their friend. At the end they finally find him, and he is just a little bit different, for as we know, no one Monday is the same as the next.

Please note that there are five different weights of paper used in this book and as the reader moves from the lushness of spring into the browns of autumn and the icy whiteness of winter the paper becomes thinner and thinner. Additionally, the paper is textured with a Braille-like effect during the snowstorm at the end of the book.

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* My America

Author: Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Illustrator: Ashley Bryan amd Jan SPivey Gilchrist
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (May 22, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060791047
ISBN-13: 978-0060791049

This is touching, creative and unique, and sends a strong and positive message to young Americans about their country, their potential and the beauty we all bring to our land as Americans. The illustrations are folksy and remind me of the many murals throughout the county I live in that celebrate Americans from all countries.

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* * * Mouse Guard

Author: David Petersen
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Archaia Studio Press (May 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932386572
ISBN-13: 978-1932386578

An endearing graphic novel that I fell in love with immediately. Matthew Price of the Okalahoman says this adventure will appeal to fans of Bone and The Secret of Nimh and I say he took the words right out of my mouth! A must-have for lovers of the genre and collectors alike. I heartily recommend it.

Book Description:
In the world of Mouse Guard, mice struggle to live safely and prosper amongst harsh conditions and a host of predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed: more than just soldiers that fight off intruders, they are guides for common mice looking to journey without confrontation from one hidden village to another. The Guard patrol borders, find safeways and paths through dangerous territories and treacherous terrain, watch weather patterns, and keep the mouse territories free of predatory infestation. They do so with fearless dedication so that they might not just exist, but truly live. Saxon, Kenzie and Lieam, three such Guardsmice, are dispatched to find a missing merchant mouse that never arrived at his destination. Their search for the missing mouse reveals much more than they expect, as they stumble across a traitor in the Guard’s own ranks.

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* * I Miss You Every Day

Author: Simms Taback
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 6, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670061921
ISBN-13: 978-0670061921

This is perfect for kiddos dealing with missing a loved one who lives far away, has been deployed or whomever they long to see. Parents can read this book with their kiddo and then write a letter together or create a care package for the one they miss.

Book Description:
What do you do when you miss someone every day? If you live in the eloquently magical world of Simms Taback, you wrap yourself in paper, close yourself up in a box (don’t forget the air holes!) and mail yourself to the one you love. From the creator of the Caldecott Medal-winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat comes this tale about what a little girl will do to reach the person she just can’t live without. Filled with Taback’s signature vibrant colors and dynamic characters, with a lyrical text that’s as silly as it is moving, this gesture of love will resonate with anyone who’s ever missed someone.

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* * * The Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail

Author: Cheryl Harness
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (October 10, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0792259203
ISBN-13: 978-0792259206

There was no doubt I would love this book. After reading The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish by Cheryl Harness, I eagerly looked forward to reading The Tragic Tale of narcissa Whitman.

Again I wish they’d let us read history like this when I was in school.

Cheryl Harness easily retells history like a bestselling novel, making difficult history candid and clear.

I KNOW Little House on The Prairie fans will enjoy this and if you are looking for another wayto brin g history to life for your kiddos, add this one to your home library.

Book Description:
When she was a young girl, Narcissa loved nothing better than to read heroic tales about brave men and women risking their lives to bring Christian ideas to “barbarians” in far-off places. In 1831, her dream of doing the same was about to come true. That’s when some Indians arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, looking for the “White Man’s Book of Heaven.” Their quest was the answer to Narcissa’s prayers: She would bring salvation to “those wandering sons of our native forests. “
Narcissa married Marcus Whitman, another missionary want-to-be, and they headed West. She spent her honeymoon riding side-saddle some 2,000 miles across the vast, often perilous trail to Oregon Country—something no other white woman had ever done. Then she and Marcus lived happily ever after singing hymns and teaching the Indians about the Bible, right? Wrong! Readers will find out what really happened when East met West at the end of the real-life, legendary Oregon Trail.

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* * * Crispin At The Edge Of The World

Author: Avi
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 234 pages
Publisher: Hyperion (September 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 078685152X
ISBN-13: 978-0786851522

The Sequel to The Newberry Award-winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead

If you and your kiddo are looking for another story to draw you in and engage your imagination, look for the Crispin stories by Avi. This is a second book in a planned trilogy (I haven’t read the first) and yet, this second book drew me right in. You can bet I’ll be buying the other two books. Themes explored are religion, war and family.

Book Description: He was a nameless orphan, marked by death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name–Crispin–only intensified the mystery. Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear–the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher–Crispin also found a new father and a new world. Now Crispin and Bear set off to live their lives as free men. But they don’t get far before their past catches up with them: Bear is being pursued by members of the secret brotherhood who believe that he is an informer. When Bear is injured it is up to Crispin to make decisions about their future–where to go, whom to trust. Along the way they become entangled with an extraordinary range of people, each of whom affects Crispin and Bear’s journey in unexpected ways. To find freedom and safety, they may have to travel to the edge of the world–even if it means confronting death itself.

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* * * The Strictest School In The World

Author: Howard Whitehouse
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1553378830
ISBN-13: 978-1553378839

I loved this book! Full of adventure and written at a higher level than many books for kids in this age group, it will appeal to readers who seek adventure and intrigue.

Book Description: Fourteen-year-old pioneering aviatrix Emmaline Cayley is afraid of one thing: plummeting to her doom. (Actually two, if you count her Aunt Lucy’s appalling cooking.) Fortunately, twelve-year-old Robert Burns, an indestructible village boy, is not. Absurdly unafraid of bodily harm (not to mention Aunt Lucy’s sandwiches), “Rubberbones” is the ideal pilot for Emmaline’s experiments with flight. But before Emmaline can perfect a flying machine with the aid of her new friend, she is sent off to St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies – to be cured of her decidedly unladylike ways. It is a school so strict, so severe, so forbidding that it makes the brutal misery in the tales of Charles Dickens look cheery by comparison. With a horrifying headmistress, terrifying teachers and food that is even worse than Aunt Lucy’s, this medieval stronghold also houses a terrible secret and a mysterious way of keeping its prisoners, er, its students in line. All Emmaline can think of is escape. But no one has ever escaped from St. Grimelda’s. And our heroine soon realizes that the only way out is to face her greatest fear .

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* Signals in the Sky: Times Spies

Author: Candice Ransom
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (May 8, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 078694353X
ISBN-13: 978-0786943531

A great series to get your children hooked on reading and history. Mattie, Alex and Sophie will draw you right into their adventures. An easy, fast paced series of stories that are fun and informative.

Book Description: Follow the Time Spies back to the Civil War as they cross battle lines to bring afamily back together. With acclaimed author Candice Ransom’s entertaining, easy-to-read style, readers won’t realize how much they are learning about America’s history until it’s too late!

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* Giant in the Garden: Time Spies, Book 3

Author: Candice Ransom
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (February 13, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786940743
ISBN-13: 978-0786940745

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* Magician in the Trunk: Time Spies, Book 4

Author: Candice Ransom
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (February 13, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786940700
ISBN-13: 978-0786940707

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* Maya Made Over

Author: Debra Green
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 133 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (April 10, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786941626
ISBN-13: 978-0786941629

Maybe Maya is a geek, but girls with lots of smarts will enjoy this tale of a girl who discovers it’s cool to just be yourself.

Book Description: Maya Truitt is probably the only African-American, karate-loving trivia expert in the universe, and she’s downright sick of her geeky reputation. When she gets the mystery message, she decides it’s time to remake her image. But will makeup, high heels, and Maya mix?

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* Grateful – A Song of Giving Thanks

Author: John Bucchino
Illustrator: Anna-Liisa Hakkarainen
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: HarperTrophy (August 22, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060516356
ISBN-13: 978-0060516352

The perfect bedtime story to encourage your kiddo to count his blessings. An original recording by Art Garfunkel is included.

Book Description: An inspirational song perfect for Thanksgiving or any other day of the year. Here is a song of courage, hope, and love–a reminder that we have so much to be thankful for in times of both sorrow and joy. The exquisite paintings in this book energize this anthem with a colorful celebration of the wonders of nature.

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* * The Great American Mousical

Author: Julie Andrews Edwards & Emma Walton Hamilton
Illustrator: Tony Walton
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: HarperTrophy; Reprint edition (October 2, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006057920X
ISBN-13: 978-0060579203

In the tradition of Ralph, The Motorcycle Mouse, The Adventurer’s and the Secret of Nimh, Julie Andrews and her daughter weave a tale you are sure to fall in love with. You’ll love these mice! A well-written, imaginative story with personable characters that will make you smile.

Book Description: Below the bright lights of Broadway, there sits a long-forgotten architect’s model of the great Sovereign Theater. In this secret space, a troupe of theater mice busily rehearse their own show, “Broadway Airs.” Suddenly, the Sovereign is threatened by demolition, and Adelaide, the leading lady mouse, disappears. Will the little theater survive? And will the star return in time for opening night?

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* Thanks to You: Wisdom from Mother & Child

Author: Julie Andrews Edwards & Emma Walton Hamilton
Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Julie Andrews Collection (March 13, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061240028
ISBN-13: 978-0061240027

A touching collection of wisdom born of the mother/child relationship with endearing photographs. A perfect gift for any mom. Toddlers and pre-schoolers will enjoy scenes they can immediately relate to and love the message: Mommy loves me!

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