Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Volcanoes & Earthquakes

By Monalisa Senqupta; The Rosen Publishing Group 2008

Summary: This informational book is an overview of volcanoes and earthquakes. It discusses what causes them, famous events, how they are studied and how they are portrayed in folklore and legend.

My Review: Ok so I am a geology freak. I am obsessed with natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes. I find them fascinating beyond all belief. The information in this book is outstanding and it offers youth interesting facts, real life pictures, a glossary, etc…

Watch Out For: Some material regarding the disasters can be heavy for younger children. Rescue missions, preparation, etc…

Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You

By Sam McBratney; Candlewick Press 1994

Summary: Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discover that love isn’t an easy thing to measure. They find ways of describing and showing how great their feelings are for each other.

My Review: This was such a cute book! The water colored pictures in this book are amazing. I love Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare. They do really silly things to measure their love for one another. Definitely a must read.

Hard-headed Dinosaurs

Hard-headed Dinosaurs


By Robin Birch; Chelsea Clubhouse 2003

Summary: Describes the appearance, eating habits, and habitat of hard-headed dinosaurs which includes the Pachycephalosaurus, Psittacosaurus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus, and Pachyrhinosaurus.

My Review: This was an easy read. I fully enjoy the pictures of the dinosaurs, fossils, bones, etc… In this book they bold vocabulary words to look up in the glossary at the back of the book. It also give the names and meaning of the dinosaurs, which I found fascinating. Dinosaur means terrible lizard. Cool Huh?

Watch Out For: Dinosaur pictures may seem scary to younger children

Rapunzel

Rapunzel

Brothers Grimm; Children’s and Household Tales 1812

Summary: Rapunzel was raised by a witch, who made a deal with her father, who locks her up in a tower with no doors. Rapunzel grows long, beautiful hair after many years. When the witch said “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair,” Rapunzel let her gold locks down for the witch to come up. One day a prince comes to the tower and says the phrase and comes up to the tower. They fall in love and want to escape, but the witch is a big problem. Will they be able to escape the witch and be together?

My Review: Well this was a pretty accurate account of what I remember as a kid. The only difference was the ending. The prince goes blind and somehow Rapunzel ends up with twins! So yeah it was a big shocker to me. I love the simplicity that the Brothers Grimm use in telling fairy tales.

Watch Out For: Control, trickery, pregnancy, banishment, sensual suggestions, violence, and an evil Witch.

The Great Little Madison

The Great Little Madison

Jean Fritz;Scholastic 1989

Summary: During the 1800’s America was in a war with England. The only person standing up during these problems was James Madison, one of America’s founding fathers, who eventually earned the title “master builder of the Constituion,” at the Federal Constitutional Convection. He, along side with the other founding fathers helped shape the United States to beat the impossible.

My Review: I honestly had no idea how much James Madison did. I have always heard great things about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, but James Madison has never crossed my mind. James Madison had a small voice and was small in size, but he truly cared for this country and did great things for it by voicing his opinion and putting himself out there. Throughout this book there are pictures of documents and portraits. I really enjoyed these because they are a part of history! This is a historical book so it can be challenging for those who are into fiction. It took me awhile to read this, but I pushed through and ended up liking it.

Watch Out For: Wars, revolutions, political debates, history.

Runaway Marie Louise

Runaway Maria Louise
By Natalie Savage Carlson;  Charles Scribner's Sons 1977


Summary: Marie Louise is a little brown mongoose who, on occasion, acts naughty. Her mother spanks her after Marie Louise's naughty behavior and Marie decides to runaway and find a new mother who will love her.


My Review: This is has always been a childhood favorite. My mother would read this to me and my siblings when were were little. I always put myself has Maria Louise because I was a naughty child. Ha Ha. I love the search Maria goes through in finding a new mother that will love her. The different animals she tries to convince to take her in and gets shut down by just cracks me up. The ironic thing of it is that she finds out that it is her own mother that is the best and the one that loves her the most.

Watch Out For: Runaways, naughty behavior.

The New Kid on the Block

The New Kid on the Block
Poems by Jack Prelutsky; Scholastic 1984


Summary: Open this book of poems and find things you would have never thought about. Jellyfish stew? Why shouldn't you argue with a shark? And the greatest video game player in history?!


My Review: I have always been a fan of poems. I liked this set of poems because they are silly, imaginary, and real and I think sometime we just need something fun and short to read.

Watch Out For: Weird creatures, foods, and idea.

The Littlest Angel

The Littlest Angel
by Charles Tazewell; Ideals Children's Books 1947


Summary: An earth-sick little angel arrives in the celestial kingdom. He because known as the cherub who gets into trouble. The Littlest Angel, as they call him, is struggling with his recent transition from boy to cherub.Will the Little Angel resolve his sadly state and find happiness?

My Review: I absolutely love this book. This is the first time I have ever read this story and it was amazing. I have always heard of it, but thought nothing of it, until now. Let me first say that the illustrations are incredible. The people's faces and the scenery look so real to me. The Littlest Angel is adorable! The story is so deep and insightful and it made me even choke up a bit. I love it!


Watch Out For:  Religious mentioning.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid
By Hans Christian Anderson; C.A. Reitzel 1837 


Summary: When a mermaid turns 15, he or she is allowed to swim to the surface to watch the world above. Finally it is the Little Mermaid's turn. She sees a ship with a handsome prince, falls in love with him, and saves him from drowning in a storm. She longs for the prince and an eternal soul, so she visits the Sea Witch who sells her a potion in exchange for her tongue. By drinking the potion she will never be able to return to the sea. With her legs she will constantly feel like she is walking on sharp swords and will bleed. She will only get a soul if the prince loves her and marries her, but if not then the day he marries another, the Little Mermaid will die and turn into sea foam. 


My Review: This is an awful fairytale. The whole things made me very upset and sad. The Little Mermaid was an idiotic teenager who thought she knew what she was doing when it came to deciding her fate, but ended up dying. Who gives a random Sea Witch her tongue?! I was really confused by her thought process. Teenagers....you give them an inch and they swim all over-Sebastian. Yeah I must say this wasn't my favorite fairytale. 


Watch Out For: Nudity, being called dumb, tongue being cut off, blood, bargaining with the Sea Witch, and suicide.

Shapes

Shapes
By Peter Patilla;Heinemann Library 2000

Summary: Introduces the mathematical concepts of shapes, including an exploration of shapes found in nature and such geometric shapes as triangles, rectangles, circles, and spheres.

My Review: This is an ok book. I really liked the pictures that were included in this book because they were real life objects found in everyday life in photographs. Each page has a little bit of text so it isn't an overload. The bolded words are glossary terms. It is also a question and answer book. Some questions are asked while you read and towards the end you see if your answers were correct.

The Seasons Cycles

The Seasons Cycles
by Cheryl Jakab; Smart apple Media 2008

Summary:This book shows through pictures and text the Earth's natural cycle of seasons. The seasons of Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring are discussed along with tropical and polar seasons, people and seasons, preventing global warming and living with nature.

My Review: I really liked the colorful pictures and illustrations that we provided in this book. There was a lot of wording in my opinion. I couldn't really stay focused because it bored me. I did like how glossary words were bolded in the text and you could look up the meaning in the glossary at the back of the book.

Watch Out For: Environmental mentioning's such as global warming.

Neptune

Neptune

By Seymour Simon; Morrow Junior Books 1991

Summary: Discusses the physical features and moons of the planet Neptune and how we have gained our knowledge of this giant world.

My Review: Out of all the planets in our solar system this is my favorite one for some reason. This planet was named after the Roman god of the Sea. It is a turbulent world, with winds, hurricanes, and white clouds of methane ice. the reason it is blue is because Methane in the atmosphere absorbs red light. I love all the facts and information this book provided. The pictures are fascinating because it shows close ups of the planet which really magnifies the colors and features. It is an excellent book for studying the solar system and its individual planets.

Heckedy Peg

Heckedy Peg
by Audrey Wood; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1987

Summary: A mother saves her seven children named Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Heckedy Peg, a witch who has changed them into different kinds of food.

My Review: I officially love the couple Audrey Wood and her husband Don Wood! Their books have interesting stories that keep you enthralled and guessing the whole time. This of all their book is the most dramatic and a tad bit scary. Heckedy Peg is one scary old woman. I was terrified! The illustrations are unbelievable. Each page is full of intricate detail and color. I really enjoyed this book because of the pictures.

Watch Out For: Heckedy Peg, Magic, abduction,  and mentioning of eating the children.

The Bunyans

The Bunyans

by Audrey Wood; Blue Sky Press 1996

Summary: You may have heard of Paul Bunyan who was taller than the biggest tree, but have you heard of his family?  Meet Paul, his giant wife Carrie, and their two king-sized children Little Jean and Teeny. This is a family who helps create some of the most striking natural wonders of North America!  Through their footprints and adventures they create infamous sites such as the Rocky Mountains, Old Faithful, and Niagara Falls. They are a family you will never forget.

My Review: My Aunt introduced me to this book when I was a little girl and I've loved it ever since. The idea of the ginormous Paul Bunyan having a family is mind boggling. While reading through the book you see how the Bunyan family shapes out the geological sites in North America. The illustrations in this picture book are incredible. My favorite picture is the one with Paul Bunyan and his son Jean walking away from a pile of sand dumped from Jeans shoes. That pile of sand is known as the Great Sand Dunes today! I was so blown away that a National Park near my home is in a children's book. Its an awesome book.

Holes

Holes

By Louis Sachar;Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2000

Summary:Stanley Yelnats is falsely convicted of stealing a celebrity's sneakers. He is sent to Camp Green Lake which is a juvenile detention center in the desert. The kids there are required to dig a large hole every day. Stanley struggles with getting to know the other inmates and getting used to the hard work. The warden is having them dig for something. But what? The mystery relates to a treasure, a curse, a boy named Zero, the warden, and a boat in the middle of a dry lake bed.

My Review:  I have only seen the movie of Holes, but I must say the book is just as good. I love the love story of Kate and Sam and the tragedies that follow them. Stanley and Zero's relationship is adorable and how they stick it out and overcome Camp Green Lake. Its an excellent book.

 

Watch Out For: Racism, deaths, life-threatening scenes, fights, and posinious lizards.

The Lorax

The Lorax
by Dr. Suess; Random House Books 1971

Summary: The Once-ler discovers a land full of Truffula Trees that he can use to make Thneeds. He starts up an industrial business where he hacks down the Truffulas. The Lorax, the speaker of the trees, protests and pleads with the Once-ler. Once-ler won't stop until the last Truffula falls down. By then will it be too late for the entire ecosystem?

My Review: I don't really know how I feel about this book. It is definately not my favorite by Dr. Suess. I found the illistrations to be very well done as always when it comes to his books. The wording creative and definately catchy with the rhymns.  This is a enivormental children's book, so in other words very "tree-huggie." The message is about being aware of the enviroment and how we can damage it with productions. I'm not that big of a fan of it.
 
Watch Out For: Pollution, ecosytems being wiped out, and the faceless Onceler.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

By C.S. Lewis; Harper Collins 1950

Summary:

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie move to a professors house in the country. While they are there they open a door in the wardrobe which leds to a world called Narnia. They discover the magic, an evil plot, and the Great Lion Asland. In a blink of an eye their lives are changed forever.

My Review: O how I wish I could travel through the wardrobe and into the land of Narnia! The atmosphere of this whole book is incredible. The descriptions of the land, the amazing characters, and the whole plot is astounding. I love the beavers, Mr. Tummus, Asland, the White Witch, and the Pevensie siblings all intertwin in the novel and make is a fabulous story to tell and tell again. 

 

Watch Out for:  Violence, torture, and a battle.

Minerals

Minerals
by Melissa Stewart; Heinemann Library 2002

Summary: Provides an overview of minerals including how they were formed, their characteristics, history, common kinds of minerals and their uses, and amazing mineral facts.

My Review: I love minerals! I choose this especially for me because I love learning about different minerals and looking at the pictures. In this book it does the "Did you know?" facts. Those can really broaden the mind of a child. These facts are the kinds that make you say "whoa!"

ABC Math Riddles

ABC Math Riddles
by Jannelle Martin; Peel Productions 2003

Summary: A collection of 26 riddles, one for each letter int he alphabet, that describes mathmatical operations, shapes, and other concepts and ask the reader "What am I?"

 My Review: Ok I must be an idiot. This book was difficult for me because I don't really remeber math terms that well. I think it would be a great book for those children who are studying and learning about this area of mathmatics.  This is a nofiction book, which I am not a big fan off, but it was worth a try. Overall I would rate it as OK. The illistrations were not all that exciting.

Tilly Witch

Tilly Witch
By Don Freeman; Viking Press 1969

Summary: One bright moonlit night, Tilly Ispswitch, Queen of Halloween, stood atop her high mountain peak and sighed, "My, my! What a lovely evening! It makes me feel like being kind to everyone in the world especially children."
I know what you are thinking. What the? Tilly is in a great mood and cannot get out of it. Halloween is hear and how is she suppose to frighten children when she is smiling? Tilly gets on her surfboard to visit the witch doctor who sends her to  Miss Fitch's Finishing School for Witches. Will Tilly find her oldself by Halloween?

My Review: My aunt would read thsi to me and my cousin when we were little girls. I remember her changing her voice into sounding like a witch. My cousin and I would giggle and enjoy every minute of the book. Tilly is such a fun character. A witch who forgets to mean? Common! That is hilarious! The illistrations are very well done. Look below for examples of the pictures.

Things to Watch Out For: Halloweens stuff, training school to be a mean witch, witchdoctor with tiki mask.

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Great Gilly Hopkins
by Katherine Patterson; HarperTrophy 1978

Summary: Gilly is a tough kid. She wants top destroy everyone of her foster mothers so she can be reunited with her real mother. She meets her match with Mrs. Trotter, an uneducated overweight woman who only offers love to her foster kids. Will Gilly be able to be united with her real mother?

My Review: I truly enjoyed this short novel. Gilly Hopkins is one smart troubled girl. To watch her lash out with anger due to her past, makes this a sympathetic story. It is so sad to watch her struggle to deal with her situation in a foster home. I grew to love Gilly so much for her brilliant mind and actions. But knowing the pain that drives her behavior makes this such a touching and sad story. I must admit I was disappointed in the ending though, but I understood why it ended that way. So I guess you'll just have to read it to find out why.

Things to Watch Out For: Mild Language, bullying,rebellion, racism, and defiance of authority.

The Great Kapok Tree

The Great Kapok Tree
by Lynne Cherry
;The Gulliver Green Book Harcourt, INC. 1990


Summary: The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rain forest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.


My Review: I have never been one of those people who is into these tree-hugging type of books, but I really like this one because of the art! Each pictures is vibrant with color and texture. The animals are drawn to perfection! The story line is very well done done. It was a good read.

Things to Watch Out For: Message about saving the rain forest.

The Relatives Came

The Relatives Came

by Cythia Rylant; Bradury Press 1985

Summary: 

It was the summer of the year when the relatives came. The relatives stayed for weeks and weeks. They helped tend the garden and fixed the broken things. They ate up the strawberries and melons. We were always so busy hugging and eating and breathing together.

My Review: This is such an intriguing book to me. The one thing I love about it is the illustrations. The pictures are all in color pencil. The faces and the scenery are so serial. Its a cute book about love and family.
  

White Socks Only

White Socks Only
By Evelyn Coleman;Albert Whitman & Company 1996

Summary: 

"You know you ain't big enough to walk into no town alone, girl. 

You ain't big enough 'til you gon' do some good there." 

A young African American girl sneaks into town on a hot summer day to fry eggs on the sidewalk. She is wearing a nice white summer dress, cool white socks, and black patented leather shoes. She faces discrimination while she drinks from a water fountain in the park. The sign on the fountain says "whites only." She thought that "whites only" meant white socks only.


My Review: This book makes me so sad. Just to read about a little girl who misunderstood "whites only" for socks makes my heart just break. the saddest thing is when the man yells at the little girl because she misunderstood the sign, but the happy news is that chicken man comes the rescue! I thoroughly enjoy this book.

Things to Watch Out For: Discrimination and mild violence

The Seven Silly Eaters

The Seven Silly Eaters
by Marla Frazze;Voyager Books 1997


Summary:Peter wants only milk, Lucy won't settle for anything except pink lemonade, and Jack is stuck on applesauce. Each new addition to the Peters household brings a new demand for a special meal. What's a mother to do? Even though Mrs. Peters picks, peels, strains, scrapes, poaches, fries, and kneads, the requests for special foods keep coming. It isn't until her birthday arrives that a present from her children solves the picky-eater problem and surprises everyone.


My Review: The first time I read this book was at my aunts house and ever since then it  has been one of my favorites. I admire Mrs. Peters so much. Any mother who deals with picky eaters is a saint in my eyes. This is also a rhyming book which makes it really  fun and enjoyable.


Things to Watch Out For: Picky eaters