Geo Librarian

LITTLE ROBIN'S CHRISTMAS by Jan Fearnley Nosy Crow, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0825-2 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK It's a week before Christmas and Little Robin has everything ready, including a nice warm vest for each frosty day. But Little Robin didn't count on meeting seven chilly friends, and his generosity gets the best of him as he shares his vests with the animals he meets. With no vest left for himself, poor little Robin huddles on an icy roof ... until someone very special comes to the rescue. REVIEW Robin eagerly looks forward to the arrival of Christmas.  His seven warm vests have him all ready to enjoy winter activities in the meantime.  But for each of the next seven days as Robin heads out to enjoy a variety of different activities, he comes across an animals suffering from the cold.  His kind heart leads him to give away all of his vests.  As he huddles, shivering o...

CHRISTMAS PUPPY A Wag My Tail Book by Salina Yoon Little Simon, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5344-4343-3 Source: publisher for review Ages 0-3 Board book All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A joyous puppy with a very twitchy tail is looking for the perfect holiday present in this re bark able Christmas novelty book from award-winning creator Salina Yoon. Christmas Puppy has a Christmas present under the tree...but which one is it? Help Puppy wag his tail whenever he helps open a new present! With a sturdy pull-tab that wags Puppy’s plush tail, this interactive novelty book is perfect for Christmas stockings. REVIEW A cute 10-page board book about a puppy looking for which present under the tree is his.  The first one is for the mouse, the second for hamster, and so on until puppy finds his present.  The book has a pull-tab that allows the young listener or reader to wag the puppy's tail as each present is found.  The pull tab is fun, ...

FLY GIRLS: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History Young Reader's Edition by Keith O'Brien Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-328-61842-9 Source: publisher for review for Cybils Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From NPR correspondent Keith O’ Brien comes this thrilling Young Readers' edition of the untold story about pioneering women, including Amelia Earhart, who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s—and won. In the years between World War I and World War II, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Thousands of fans flocked to multiday events, and the pilots who competed in these races were hailed as heroes. Well, the male pilots were hailed. Women who flew planes were often ridiculed by the press, and initially they weren’t invited to race. Yet a group of women were determined to take to ...

SANTA'S STORY by Will Hillenbrand two lions, 2019 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Santa is ready to leave on Christmas Eve, but he can’t find the reindeer anywhere. Dasher is busy dashing, Donner is dozing, and Cupid is crooning. It isn’t until Santa remembers their annual tradition—reading a Christmas story together—that the reindeer are ready. Reindeer merriment abounds in this charming yuletide tale about honoring the celebration of holiday customs with those you love. REVIEW Hillenbrand's adorable Santa and reindeer stand out in this sweet story about the importance of stories and traditions.  Santa's ready to leave on Christmas Eve when he discovers that the reindeer are not in the stable.  As he searches for them, the reindeer live up to their names by dancing, prancing, and dozing. The use of alliteration makes the book fun to read a loud.  When Santa can't find the reindeer, he resorts to...

GROWING UP GORILLA : How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together by Clare Hodgson Meeker Millbrook Press, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-5415-4240-2 Source: author for blog tour/review Ages 9-12 Middle grade nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK This heartwarming true story chronicles what happened after a mother gorilla gave birth for the first time and then walked away from her newborn baby at Seattle's Woodland Park. The dedicated staff worked tirelessly to find innovative ways for mother and baby to build a relationship. The efforts were ultimately successful, as baby Yola bonded with her mother and the rest of the family group. AUTHOR LINKS https://www. claremeeker.com https://www.facebook. com/clarehodgsonmeeker/ https://twitter.com/ ClareMeeker https://www. pinterest.com/clarehmeeker/   REVIEW   This tender story of the early life of a western lowland gorilla provides a glimpse into the world of a fascinating s...

THE BRIDGE HOME by Padma Venkatraman Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5247-3811-2 Source: Purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade Realistic/Contemporary All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Life is tough on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, as runaway sisters Viji and Rukku quickly discover. For cautious-minded Viji, this is not a surprise - but she hadn't realized just how vulnerable she and her sister would actually feel in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter - and friendship - on an abandoned bridge that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys. The four of them soon form a family of sorts, sharing food and supplies and laughing together about the absurdities of life. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves - and are truly hoping to keep it that...

AWESOME ACHIEVERS IN TECHNOLOGY Super and Strange Facts about 12 Almost Famous History Makers by Alan Katz, illustrated by Chris Judge Running Press Kids, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-7624-6336-7 Source: Media Masters Publicity Ages 9-12 Middle grade nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Everyone has heard the name Steve Jobs, but what about Nolan Bushnell--Jobs's boss before the invention of Apple, and the founder of the first major video game, Pong ? Many of the most relevant figures in tech history have remained in the shadows, but not any longer! From Alan Katz's new Awesome Achievers series, Awesome Achievers in Technology gives kids a look behind the scenes at 12 lesser-known inventors whose contributions to tech are personally relevant to their lives today. Each figure is given a traditional biography but is also subject to Katz's unique brand of silliness, with humorous elements such as imagined poems, song lyrics, an...

THE DOZIER SCHOOL FOR BOYS: Forensics, Survivors, and a Painful Past by Elizabeth A. Murray, PhD Twenty-First Century Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5415-1978-7 Source: eBook through public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Some true crimes reveal themselves in bits and pieces over time. One such case is the Florida School for Boys, a.k.a. the Dozier School, a place where--rather than reforming the children in their care--school officials tortured, raped, and killed them. Opened in 1900, the school closed in 2011 after a Department of Justice investigation substantiated allegations of routine beatings and killings made by about 100 survivors. Thus far, forensic anthropologist Dr. Erin Kimmerle and her team from the University of South Florida have uncovered fifty-five sets of human remains. Follow this story of institutional abuse, the brave survivors who spoke their truth, and the scientists and others who brought i...

SULWE by Lupita Nyong' O, illustrated by Vashti Harrison Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019 ISBN: 9781534425361 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty differently. REVIEW This stunningly beautiful book packs a punch.  I found myself both near tears and smiling hugely while reading this book. Sulwe, ...