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Posts Tagged ‘Author last name R’
Monday, August 30th, 2010
 + + + Market Day! Colors/Shapes/Opposites/Numbers [With Pop-up Market and Press-out Characters]
Authors: Victoria Roberts, Tomislav Zlatic
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 14 pages
Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers (September 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935279785
ISBN-13: 978-1935279785
Book(s) description: Come shopping in the brightest and busiest market you’ll ever find! Learn all about colors, shapes, opposites and numbers with the help of charming characters. Four books, 1 pop-up market and several press-out characters.
Book(s) review: Each little board book is a rhyming and colorful chance to practice colors, shapes, opposites and numbers with your child. These books will interest your toddler and begin his discovery. The press-out characters are for the older set (ages 3-4) and will delight children who fall in love with the characters. Makes a great tote-and-go collection, perfect for the car.
Tags: Ages 0-4, Ages 9-12, Author last name R, Author last name Z, colors, kindergarten, numbers, opposites, preschool, Recommended titles, shapes, Title M
Posted in Book Reviews |
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
 + + + + + 1+1=5: and Other Unlikely Additions
Author: David LaRochelle
Illustrator: Brenda Sexton
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sterling (September 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402759959
ISBN-13: 978-1402759956
Book description: How much is 1+1? Think the answer is 2? Not always, as this playful approach to addition proves! David LaRochelle takes children on a joyful mathematical journey that will engage their minds and teach them to think about numbers in a creative, outside-the-box way.
Brenda Sexton’s wild and wacky illustrations add layers of witty fun to LaRochelle’s clever game.
These wacky equations don’t add up…or DO THEY?
1 goat + 1 unicorn = 3 horns!
1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies!
1 duet + 1 quartet = 6 musicians!
1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs!
1 century + 1 decade = 110 years!
Book review: Absolutely unique and a hit with my finicky second grade reader (he’s very suspicious of picture books; they can be too babyish). At first he snorted with disdain. 1+1=5?? But the title and cover intrigued him and he started to read. Then he got hooked. He says it’s very, very, very, very good! I say it’s very clever and fun and a perfectly fresh idea that’s a welcome read.
Tags: Ages 4-8, amusing, animals, Author last name R, clever, fun, Highly Recommended titles, math, Title 1
Posted in Book Reviews |
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
 + + + + Monster Slayers
Author: Lukas Ritter
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (May 11, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786954841
ISBN-13: 978-0786954841
Book description: When vicious, dog-headed gnolls kidnap everyone living in the small village of Hesiod, only Evin and his fighter friend Jorick manage to escape. With help from an ancient guidebook of magical beasts called A Practical Guide to Monsters, the two boys and a new friend–elf wizard Betilivatis–must trek through ancient ruins and face one menacing monster after another in order save their families.
But Evin soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. Someone–or something–has taken leadership of the gnolls and has dangerous plans for the kidnapped villagers. Betilivatis often disappears mysteriously and has strange conversations with someone only she can see. And Evin is having unusual dreams of a place he’s never been, a place that feels more and more real with each passing day.
Book review: Monster Slayers started out as a comfortable adventure story: two young heroes that have to rescue their village; monsters; an elf. Halfway through, though, there’s a twist and after reading it I couldn’t put the book down. It was great. So while it may start off as a seemingly ordinary adventure story, Monster Slayers definitely has some surprises. I would recommend Monster Slayers to anyone who likes a good fantasy adventure or is a fan of its companion, A Practical Guide to Monsters.
- R.C., 16 yrs old
Tags: adventure, Ages 9-12, Author last name R, fantasy, Highly Recommended titles, monsters, Title M
Posted in Book Reviews |
Monday, May 24th, 2010
 + + + The Chicken Thief
Author: Beatrice Rodriguez
Reading level: Ages 4-8, 6-10
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books (May 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592700926
ISBN-13: 978-1592700929
Book description: In this wordless story that is both funny and sweet, a fox steals a hen away from her home. Bear, rabbit, and rooster give chase, but in a twist on the usual children’s story, this fox is not a villain. Rather, he tenderly holds hen as he runs into the night.
Book review: Sweet. Funny. A love story. The Chicken Thief will get your little reader thinking about story and details and encourage a new story each read.
Tags: Ages 4-8, Ages 6-10, animals, Author last name R, friendship, humor, love, Recommended titles, Title C
Posted in Book Reviews |
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
 + + + + Changing of The Guard: The Yellowstone Chronicles
Author/Illustrator: Ted Rechlin
Paperback: 38 pages
Publisher: Outskirts Press (December 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1432750089
ISBN-13: 978-1432750084
Book description: Merging past and present, Changing of the Guard: The Yellowstone Chronicles tells the story of the daily life of the wild inhabitants of Yellowstone National Park, both seventy million years ago and today. Told in documentary style, Ted Rechlin’s wonderful book is full of vivid illustrations depicting Yellowstone as you have never seen it before. Discover the story of the dinosaurs continues every day in the lives of the great mammals that roam the park today. Changing of the Guard beautifully depicts Bison and Triceratops side by side, Wolves and Raptors shoulder to shoulder, and the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex and the imposing Grizzly Bear alongside one another.
Book review: VERY nicely done! Your kids will marvel over the illustrations and thoroughly enjoy the comparison of yesterday and today in Yellowstone National Park. When my children were young they devoured just about every dinosaur book they could get their hands on, but Ted Rechlin takes it one step further by illustrating animals of yesterday and today side by side. Kids will gobble it up while gaining a true appreciation and education of one of our national parks–a great educational tool!
Tags: Ages 6-10, Ages 9-12, animals, Author last name R, dinosaurs, graphic novel, Highly Recommended titles, Title C, Yellowstone
Posted in Book Reviews |
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
 + + Inside Out
Author/Illustrator: Marilyn Randall
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Interest level: Ages 6-10
Hardcover: 28 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (November 7, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0557156998
ISBN-13: 978-0557156993
Book description: A fun story, written in the poetry format, about a little frog who thought God had made a mistake and made him ugly. It is about learning that beauty is truly found on the inside and that each of us has our own gifts to offer the world and that we are all beautiful in our own way.
Book review: Marilyn Randall’s stunning ink sketches make this story come alive.
Here’s the breakdown:
Characters: Froggie, his mother and the wise owl. All classic characters and roles that children will immediately recognize.
Events / Story Line: Froggie feels out of place and ugly. He listens to his momma and the wise old owl and learns to find joy in being himself – just the way God made him. It’s the Ugly Duckling in a fresh, new poetic form; a real feel good story.
Illustrations: Bold colors, clean lines…very compelling, though I would have liked to have seen just a few more to go with the very lengthy (for this age group) prose.
Reader relevance: Most kids in the 6 – 10 year range will sympathize and even empathize with Froggie, but the younger kids will probably enjoy the story more. Big brothers and sisters would enjoy reading this to younger siblings.
Reader Excitability / Overall Presentation: Reading this tale is a little awkward in places falling out of the sing-song rhyme that was intended, but the stunning art work really adds to the story.
Tags: Ages 6-10, Ages 9-12, animals, Author last name R, Average, life lesson, owls, poetry, Title I
Posted in Book Reviews |
Monday, November 30th, 2009
 * * * Science Fair Winners: Bug Science
Author: Karen Romano Young
Illustrator: David Goldin
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 80 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426305192
ISBN-13: 978-1426305191
Book description: It might be creepy, but entomology is one cool branch of science for kids! Bug Science is a funny, educational book filled with cool workshops that are ideal for science fairs. Sometimes it’s all about the bugs, like an experiment to reroute ants. Sometimes it’s about how we interact with bugs, like the workshop on spider phobias. You can even turn your friends into bug bait to see who has the sweetest skin.
Bug Science is peppered with sidebars from entomologists and is sure to inspire a new appreciation for the buggy world we live in.
Book review: Just like Science Fair Winners: Crime Scene Science, this book is filled with idea after idea for your science fair project. Study the world of creepy crawlies and build your project around a bug or phobia. Each chapter focuses on a workshop/project with easy to follow instructions, suggestions and questions to prompt experimentation and discovery. I give this three stars because it’s an invaluable resource for home and school.
Tags: Ages 9-12, Author last name R, Outstanding titles, science, science fair, Title S
Posted in Book Reviews |
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
 * * Percy The Perfectly Imperfect Chicken
Author: Rick Rieser
Illustrator: Daniel Seward
Publisher: FastPencil, Inc. (January 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1607469995
ISBN-13: 978-1607469995
Book review: I have to say that this little gem really impressed me. It’s your basic story about individuality and uniqueness…how we are all different but special, BUT Rick Rieser doesn’t succumb to platitudes. He weaves a tale of one tough little bird and his wise momma who teaches him that perfection doesn’t exist. The illustrations are absolutely stunning.
For more information see fastpencil.com.
Tags: Ages 4-8, Author last name R, birds, chickens, farm animals, Highly Recommended titles, self-esteem, Title P
Posted in Book Reviews |
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
 * The Incredible Upside Down Dog
Author: Kimberly Anne Rutt
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Mirror Publishing (August 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936046296
ISBN-13: 978-1936046294
Book description: Meet Baxter, the incredible upside down dog. Baxter can do all sort of tricks, but what really excites his owner is when he discovers that Baxter can do tricks upside down.
Book review: Very cleverly done. A colorful way to illustrate a change of perspective and a good lesson for children. They will enjoy the surprise and humor.
Tags: Ages 4-8, Author last name R, dogs, humor, Recommended titles, silly, Title I
Posted in Book Reviews |
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
 * * Owly Volume 4: A Time to be Brave
Author: Andy Runton
Ages: 6-10
Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions (December 19, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1891830899
ISBN-13: 978-1891830891
Book description: The fourth graphic novel in the award-winning, all-ages series tells the story of new visitor to the forest. He may be misunderstood because of how he looks, but things aren’t always what they seem, and everyone soon finds out that the power of friendship can fix just about anything.
Book review: What a great tale of friendship! I loved that this graphic novel is for the younger set. It will encourage new readers to work out the plot and moral of the story and Andy Runton does a great job of getting the story across through such expressive characters and symbols! Well done.
Tags: Ages 6-10, Author last name R, comic book, friendship, graphic novel, Highly Recommended titles, Title O
Posted in Book Reviews |
Sunday, October 22nd, 2006
 * Say Please
Author: Tony Ross
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers (September 2006)
ISBN: 1933605162
Perfect and endearing. A good choice for Pre-K. A young princess learns that she can get what she wants when she uses her manners and says “please” and “thankyou”. In no time your little one will fill in the blanks with the magic word as you read together.
Buy now on Amazon.com
Tags: Ages 0-4, Author last name R, kindergarten, manners, preschool, Recommended titles, Title S
Posted in Book Reviews |
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