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What I Like Most, Jennifer Pagett
What I Like Most, Jennifer Pagett
Children's Book and Media Review
A girl takes stock of all the things that bring her happiness. There’s the window through which she sees the mailman, children at play, and trees that will elongate as time passes. There’s her grandmother’s sweet apricot jam, spread across her toast and eaten with delight. There’s the river that flows gently and houses ducks and fish. There’s also the special book with a girl who looks like her on it, and the teddy bear she’s had since she a baby. All these things will change over time. They’ll get used up, or simply wear out. Some, like the river, …
Time Twisters: Amelia Earhart And The Flying Chariot, Taran Burnett
Time Twisters: Amelia Earhart And The Flying Chariot, Taran Burnett
Children's Book and Media Review
Doc, Abby, and Amelia Earhart have traveled through time to the ancient Olympics. History has been altered, and it is up to the team to untwist history and make it right. Luckily, Amelia Earhart is willing to replace an injured chariot driver to fix history. However, she finds that the state-of-the-art chariot is splintered in wooden shards across the hippodrome. Thankfully, chariots are no match for her plane, so she takes the air to win the race.
Thundercluck!:Chicken Of Thor, Amanda Morgan
Thundercluck!:Chicken Of Thor, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
This hilarious book is incredibly entertaining, packed full of action and page-turning cliff-hangers. Nearly every page has a well-written pun or a joke, but the ridiculousness of the story is handled with great skill, allowing for moments of seriousness. The larger text, short paragraphs, and frequent pictures make it great for children just getting started with chapter books. While there is action and conflict, actual violence is avoided or not described. With stakes that remain high enough to keep the reader enthralled to the end, the storyline and content should prove enjoyable for all ages.
Thundercluck! 2 Recipe For Revenge, Amanda Morgan
Thundercluck! 2 Recipe For Revenge, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Like the first Thundercluck book, this is a wild ride of adventure and humor. Not quite as engaging as the first because the conflict feels a bit drawn out, it does, however, teach wonderful lessons about not giving up on friends. Suited for readers ages eight through twelve, it is a good book for children needing a chapter book with large text, small paragraphs, and illustrations scattered throughout. While the peril faced is relatively mild, the story remains thrilling and should capture the attention of a range of readers looking for adventure novels.
Three Lost Seeds: Stories Of Becoming, Jennifer Padgett
Three Lost Seeds: Stories Of Becoming, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Three seeds become lost in disparate parts of the world. In the Middle East, a bird discovers a cherry seed and carries it away, dropping it in a free-flowing creek while in flight. When floodwaters propel it downstream, it finds refuge on dry land. There, it blossoms, bearing sweet and plentiful fruit. In the distant land of Australia, an acacia seed is transported by a team of ants and buried deep beneath the soil where no sunlight can possibly extend its rays. A wildfire soon ravages the nearby acacia groves, enabling the seed to surface and at last receive the …
The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures Of Bronte Mettlestone, Amanda Morgan
The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures Of Bronte Mettlestone, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Bronte Mettlestone never knew her parents, so it was hardly significant when she received a letter alerting her that they were killed by pirates. But then, she is given a will with oddly specific instructions that must be completed exactly as described, or awful things will happen. So, Bronte sets off on an adventure to deliver gifts to ten of her aunts, meeting a range of magical creatures, from elves to dragons, along the way. But as she discovers that there is more to this adventure than she thought, she also learns important lessons about who she is and what …
Seek And Find Cities: A Globetrotting Adventure, Nicole Clark
Seek And Find Cities: A Globetrotting Adventure, Nicole Clark
Children's Book and Media Review
Take a trip around the globe with this seek and find travel guide. Scenes from fifteen global cities including Marrakesh, Morocco; Tokyo, Japan; Sydney, Australia; Cairo, Egypt; and Toronto, Canada provide factual information about the location and events depicted along with depictions of eight hidden items to look for. You can find the puma statue, Inca priest, and bowl of chicha hidden in the sun god festival scene of Cusco, Peru. Or you can find the gingerbread man, samovar, and hand muff in the Christmas market at Moscow, Russia. An additional section at the back of the book entitled “More …
The Legends Of Eerie-On-Sea: Malamander, Jazmin Gomez
The Legends Of Eerie-On-Sea: Malamander, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
Herbie Lemon is the Lost-and-Founder of the Grand Nautilus Hotel in the seaside city of Eerie-on-Sea. Violet Parma is an orphan looking for answers about her missing parents. Together, they set out to learn the truth about Vi’s mother and father. In the process, they become entangled in the mystery of the town’s resident myth: the elusive malamander, a monster who is half fish and half man. As they uncover more details about the creature and its magical egg, they have to fight for their lives against a man who sports a hook for a hand and against greedy Sebastian …
Moth: An Evolution Story, Jennifer Padgett
Moth: An Evolution Story, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Light and black peppered moths have many commonalities. They both begin their journeys evolving from their protective cocoons into insects with delicate wings. Most are speckled and freckled, though occasionally, they're born with wings the color of charcoal, appearing as dark as night. Over time, the light peppered moths win the game of survival and reign the day and night. Then, as the world transitions into one of factories that pollute the atmosphere and machines fueled by coal, tree branches soak up the blackness that surrounds them. Something miraculous happens, and the black peppered moths return, multiply, and camouflage with …
Madame Badobedah, Jazmin Gomez
Madame Badobedah, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
Mabel lives by the ocean at the Mermaid Hotel, which is the perfect place for an adventurer like her. Life becomes much more interesting when a new hotel guest arrives. Mabel decides that the new guest, who is aloof and a bit rude and whom she has named Madame Badobedah, is a villain on the run from the police. Donning her spy outfit, Mabel is intent on catching her until one morning, when Madame Badobedah unexpectedly invites Mabel in for tea. Reluctantly, she accepts, and so begins a beautiful relationship. Together, spy and supervillain play cards, sail in a pirate …
Gargantis Legends Of Eerie-On-Sea, Jazmin Gomez
Gargantis Legends Of Eerie-On-Sea, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
Readers who enjoyed the first book in the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series, Malamander, will be excited to return to this world. New and interesting characters are introduced while keeping the main cast of characters that appeared in book one. A new map and black-and-white illustrations throughout add aesthetic appeal. The main plot is captivating and satisfyingly resolved. Parts of the overarching storyline that were mentioned in the previous book are fleshed out a bit more. Yet, some aspects are still not resolved, leaving readers ready for the third and final installment in the series.
Finding Kindness, Amanda Morgan
Finding Kindness, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
When a little girl lets a ladybug out her window, the bug flies by a man saving a cat from a tree. The girl and her rescued cat walk past a boy raking an elderly lady’s lawn. The lady gives him a cookie, which he eats as he watches a man return someone’s keys. A train passes the man returning the keys with a lady on it giving her seat to a woman and her baby. From one place to the next, returning to the little girl who started it all, kindness is being spread, making the world a brighter …
Brian Wildsmith's Animal Gallery, Nicole Clark
Brian Wildsmith's Animal Gallery, Nicole Clark
Children's Book and Media Review
Get to know a host of animal groups. While you may know that a group of lions is called a pride or that a group of reindeer as a herd, you may not know about a hover of trout, a prickle of hedgehogs, or a pandemonium of parrots.
Animal Atlas, Amanda Morgan
Animal Atlas, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
There are animals from every continent and ocean. In North America, monarch butterflies migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico. The bee hummingbird lives in what little remains of the Cuba tropical forest. In Asia, the Baikal seal can be found in Lake Baikal, where two-thirds of the plants and animals are unique to the lake. In Australia, kiwis roam among the kauri trees, and saltwater crocodiles live in the brackish rivers leading to the Indian Ocean. Deep in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, find mysterious animals like Murray’s abyssal anglerfish, and in the seagrass meadows of the Indian Ocean, leafy …
What If Pig?, Amanda Morgan
What If Pig?, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Pig is a great friend. Everyone thinks so, but sometimes Pig worries that nobody does. When Pig plans to throw a huge party, he starts worrying about everything. What if nobody comes? Or what if nobody has a good time? Fortunately, Pig has really good friends, and with their help, he learns that everyone has worries and that usually things don't turn bad; they turn out much better.
The 1619 Project: Born On The Water, Erica Sonzogi
The 1619 Project: Born On The Water, Erica Sonzogi
Children's Book and Media Review
Chronicling her life, a grandmother teaches her grandchildren about their past. She begins with their life in a village prior to being kidnapped and forced onto a ship to Virginia, where they worked as slaves for 250 years. During this horrific time, two people decided to create a family and have a child, named William Tucker, who was the first Black child born in the United States. Continuing to explain their family’s history, Grandmother speaks of the Civil War and how many of their ancestors rose from slavery to become inventors, athletes, singers, and artists. Concluding their history, she reiterates …
The Ballad Of Tubs Marshfield, Taylor Bitton
The Ballad Of Tubs Marshfield, Taylor Bitton
Children's Book and Media Review
Tubs Marshfield, a frog who loves to play music, has lived in the swamp for his whole life. Everyone is happy, but lately, animals have started getting sick and no one can figure out why. So, Tubs decides to visit Pythia, the fortune-telling alligator. Pythia is unsure of what is causing the sicknesses, but she tells Tubs that he must leave the swamp to avoid bringing misery to his friends and family and to realize his musical dreams. As he decides whether to leave the swamp, Tubs is able to figure out the source of everyone's sickness and what he …
Space Maps, Jazmin Gomez
Space Maps, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
Space is a big place, housing stars, galaxies, planets, moons, and nebulae. Our solar system, which is made up of planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, is part of the Milky Way galaxy. From Earth, certain celestial objects are visible, but there is much more beyond our own solar system. We explore all this through astronauts, artificial satellites, spacecraft, and space stations.
Read This Book If You Don't Want A Story, Deborah Le Starge
Read This Book If You Don't Want A Story, Deborah Le Starge
Children's Book and Media Review
A red book dressed in cowboy attire is trying his hardest not to tell a story. He struggles to keep his pages in line, while they continue to pester him and offer suggestions. Even with their creative ideas and characters, he does not want to fill his pages with anything. But the book’s real problem is a lack of confidence in himself, and with a little help from the pages, characters, and reader, this book is finally able to gain the courage he needs to tell his own tale.
Ruby Finds A Worry, Amanda Morgan
Ruby Finds A Worry, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
Ruby was perfectly happy until she found a worry. At first, the worry wasn’t big, but it would follow her everywhere. Then the worry got bigger, stopping her from doing things she loved to do. Ruby begins to wonder if things would ever be normal again, and her worrying about the worry has made it huge. Then one day, she notices someone else with a worry. Learning that everyone has worries and talking with her new friend, Ruby realizes that making a worry go away isn’t as hard as she thought.
My Very Favorite Book In The Whole World, Amanda Morgan
My Very Favorite Book In The Whole World, Amanda Morgan
Children's Book and Media Review
No matter how many he tries to read, Henly just isn’t interested in books. Some are too big, others are too boring, and they are just not related to what he wants to be doing or who he is. Then one day, he gets the hardest assignment: to present his favorite book to the class. Henly tries asking for help, but there is still nothing interesting in the library or the bookstore. Finally, his mom’s advice gives him a wonderful idea, and with a little thinking outside the box, Henly creates his favorite book in the whole wide world.
Look Again: Secrets Of Animal Camouflage, Jennifer Padgett
Look Again: Secrets Of Animal Camouflage, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
To survive in the wild, many creatures go to amazing lengths to conceal themselves. Discover how animals make themselves nearly invisible to avoid falling prey to predators or to prepare for an attack on an unsuspecting target. Some, like the trumpetfish, nuzzle in close to the coral reefs that shield them; others, like the tulip-tree beauty moth, transform to blend in with the tree bark on which they settle. Still others, like the orchid mantis, immerse themselves in the petals of flowers where they stand in wait for a tasty bite to eat.
I’Ll Be The Water: A Story Of Grief, Loss, And A Grandparent’S Love, Jennifer Padgett
I’Ll Be The Water: A Story Of Grief, Loss, And A Grandparent’S Love, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Joshua cherishes his grandpa. Together, they eat banana and peanut butter sandwiches and travel through the sea on imaginary adventures. Grandpa is full of interesting things to share, and Joshua feels invincible around him. Then one day, Joshua notices the prominence of Grandpa’s wrinkles and a tremble in Grandpa’s hands. His fear escalates when his grandfather goes to the hospital, and even though his dad says it will be fine, Joshua remembers all the times that simply wasn’t true. During Joshua and Grandpa’s last fishing trip together, they talk about life and death and what it all means, which gives …
Investigators #1: Investigators, Jazmin Gomez
Investigators #1: Investigators, Jazmin Gomez
Children's Book and Media Review
World-famous cupcake chef Gustavo Mustachio has gone missing, and it’s up to investiGATORS Mango and Brash to find him. The alligator duo begins by going undercover at Gustavo’s bakery, Batter Down. Clues lead them to the science factory, where a scientific breakthrough about to be revealed has been stolen. Following their leads, the partners head to the city hospital and eventually back to the bakery. In the end, Gustavo reappears, and the case of the missing invention is also solved.
How To Apologize, Raechel Hornfischer
How To Apologize, Raechel Hornfischer
Children's Book and Media Review
Whether it's a beaver accidentally chopping down an owl’s tree, a giraffe borrowing a worm’s socks without permission, or a cat dropping their kite in a dog’s yard, everyone needs to know how to apologize. Apologizing can be hard. Sometimes what we did was an accident. Sometimes the person we hurt is scary or mean. Sometimes they owe us an apology too. Even so, any time we hurt someone, we need to say we're sorry. Apologies can be simple or long, in person or on a note. Then you can try to fix the mistake or at least do your …
How Trains Work, Jennifer Haltli
How Trains Work, Jennifer Haltli
Children's Book and Media Review
It all began with two wooden rails and a horse-drawn mine cart—these would ignite a technology that utterly transformed mankind. On, above, and below the ground, trains connect to tracks in various ways and are powered by wood, diesel, and electricity. The purposes of trains are highly varied. Some take passengers between cities or across continents. One train in England even carries passengers only 128 feet from a clifftop to the beach. When trains are combined with other mediums of travel, like ferry boats, bridges, and undersea tunnels, train limits disappear. Also, the ever-changing train station is the stuff of …
Cherry Blossom And Paper Planes, Jennifer Padgett
Cherry Blossom And Paper Planes, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Adin and Dina are the best of friends, and they love to climb the lush fruit trees surrounding them. They pick cherries, savoring their sweet taste and using their juices to draw on each others faces. Then Adin tells Dina his mom wants a job in the city, and before he heads to his new home, she hands him a bag of cherry pits. On lonely days, Adin throws some off his balcony, hoping they’ll travel far. When reunited for a visit, he places more of them inside paper airplanes and flies them through the sky. When Dina rides her …
Dance Like A Leaf, Jennifer Padgett
Dance Like A Leaf, Jennifer Padgett
Children's Book and Media Review
Amidst the beautiful autumn leaves, a girl and her grandmother sip tea together and send greetings to the trees. They sing sweet melodies and twirl aimlessly, dancing like the leaves. As months pass by, Grandma starts forgetting things. Grandma is fading as if parts of her are simply disappearing in the wind, so the girl watches over her, mentioning the beauty that surrounds them and ensuring they do the things they love. Soon, Grandma no longer gets up, watching from her bed as the girl paints a picture of the two of them playing in the gentle breeze. As winter …
A Brief History Of Unicorns The Magical Unicorn Society, Taylor Bitton
A Brief History Of Unicorns The Magical Unicorn Society, Taylor Bitton
Children's Book and Media Review
The Magical Unicorn Society has members across the globe dedicated to discovering more about how unicorns spread their magic. Each explorer has a unique story to tell, and they document the unicorns from the tops of the Himalayas to the waters of the Mediterranean. The Golden Unicorn was discovered frozen in ice by Hana and Jakob in Norway. A Water Moon unicorn helped Selena escape from a dangerous encounter with pirates. Amber Li was even helped by a Storm Chaser unicorn when she wanted to play soccer on a rainy day.
Twas The Night Before Christmas, Rachel Wadham
Twas The Night Before Christmas, Rachel Wadham
Children's Book and Media Review
The night before Christmas, everyone is asleep—that is, until the master of the house hears a clatter outside the window. Finding that St. Nick has made his yearly visit, the master watches as gifts are left. With his task complete, St. Nick goes up the chimney wishing the quiet world a very happy Christmas.