Geo Librarian

RAMEN FOR EVERYONE by Patricia Tanumihardja, illustrated by Shah Pate Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-0435-3 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Hiro loves ramen, especially with nori seaweed, nitamago egg, and tender chashu pork. But even more than he loves eating it, he longs to be able to make a perfect bowl like his father, grandfather, and great grandfather before him. Hiro watches his father and makes careful notes about how to complete each part of the process as his father chops, simmers, seasons, mixes, slices, and dips. After his seventh birthday, Hiro is excited to try cooking ramen for the first time with his father as assistant. But as so often happens the first time someone tries something, the broth isn't rich and flavorful (the boy's face in the illustrations as he tests it makes that clear), the noodles are squishy rather ...

BITSY BAT, SCHOOL STAR by Kaz Windness Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-0505-3 Source: F&G from publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Kaz Windness's Bitsy Bat eagerly awaits her first day of school. She wants to be a star, but worries that she's not ready. She rehearses raising her wing, painting friends, and sharing snacks. As a bat, however, she can't sit like the other students, she paints with her feet, and no one wants her bug snacks. After having 'a five-star meltdown', Bitsy refuses to return to the school where she can't do anything the way the other students do. Thanks to her family's encouragement and her teacher's help, Bitsy comes up with an idea to show the students in her class the ways she does things and help them all show what makes them special. A note providing additional information about autism and a...

THE SUPERTEACHER PROJECT by Gordon Korman Balzer + Bray, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-06-303279-8 Source: purchased Middle grade science fiction Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Gordon Korman has a knack for creating characters and stories that make readers smile. His stories are entertaining and yet somehow manages to present interesting ethical and moral dilemmas as well. Told from the perspectives of several students, the principal, and an engineer, The Superteacher Project follows the arrival of a new teacher at Brightling Middle School. From the moment Mr. Aidact catches Oliver's spitball in his fingers it's clear the teacher is unique. Mr. Aidact takes over detention, the girl's field hockey team, and most of the extra duties around the school without a word of complaint. He sees things that no one else sees and doesn't get upset. As Mr. Aidact becomes more popular among the students, Oliver and...

I've been looking for a St. Patrick's Day book that I can really love for a long time.  I've come across a bunch that I like, some of them quite a bit, but none that I truly love.  Here are three fun ones that I like and plan to use, but I'm still on the hunt for one I adore. If you know of any, please share! Thanks. HOW TO CATCH A LEPRECHAUN words by Adam Wallace, pictures by Andy Elkerton Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4926-3291-7 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Having read a number of these 'How to Catch' books, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one any more than I liked the others.  The idea is certainly a fun one but the rhymes don't always work well for me.  But I quite enjoyed this tale of a mischievous leprechaun pulling pranks on everyone he meets. Turning toilets green, throwing sneakers in the dishwater, the leprechaun sneers at ...

  HONEYBEE RESCUE A Backyard Drama by Loree Griffin Burns, photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz Charlesbridge, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-62354-239-9 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Narrative nonfiction provides readers with information in the form of a story. Honeybee Rescue tells the story of a colony of bees that needed to be removed from an unsafe location and moved into a hive box. Burns does a fabulous job of presenting readers with the information they need to understand bees, colonies, and the risks involved with working with bees. The story provides Mr. Connery who finds a colony of bees in his old, leaky garage. He suspects they came from one of the hives in his yard. Regardless, they aren't likely to last the winter in the garage.  He calls Mr. Nelson who gathers his equipment and comes to gently and carefully vacuum up the bees in his specially designed bee...

9 KILOMETERS by Claudio Aguilera, illustrated by Gabriela Lyon translated Lawrence Schimel Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5600-5 Source: Publisher for review (THANKS) Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Stories like this one remind me just how important it is for children to receive an education. Based on the experience of the author walking to and from school daily. It was especially impressive that he worked to earn an attendance award, going to school even when it was storming or he had a cold. The story follows a young boy as he walk 9 kilometers (5.62 miles) to school, one way. As he walks down paths, through fields, crosses streams, and crawls under barbed wire, he ponders the question of just how far 9 kilometers is, how many feet, how many steps, how many football (soccer) fields, etc. The combination of math (distance) and story makes for an intriguing read. The boy...

  FINALLY SEEN by Kelly Yang Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-2899-1 Source: from publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary/realistic fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Lina Gao leaves China to join her parents and little sister in America. To her shock, she discovers that their living situation is very different than she was led to believe. As she struggles to get to know her family again she wonders if there's a place for her in this family.  Helping her mother with her business though helps smooth the way a bit. Her uncertainty extends to school and the teasing she endures because her English isn't perfect. Thanks to a kind teacher, an understanding ELL teacher, a great librarian, and some books she can connect to, Lina begins to adjust to her new environment. But nothing lessons the guilt she feels for leaving her Lao Lao (grandmother) behind in a...

Welcome to the Not-So-Common Cents Blog Tour & Giveaway! To celebrate the release of Not-So-Common Cents by Sarah Wassner Flynn, featuring a special forward by financial educator Alvin Hall, blogs across the web are hosting exclusive excerpts from this ultimate book of all things money, as well as 5 chances to win a copy! FAMOUS FIRST JOBS You’ve got to start somewhere! Before they made the big bucks – or made history – these extraordinary people had pretty, well, ordinary jobs. Even better? They used some of their earnings to give back to others in need.  THE PERSON: Robert L. Johnson THE JOB: Newspaper delivery person THE STORY: Before he became the first African American billionaire, Johnson had a paper route in his hometown of Freeport, Illinois. But he says he didn’t like the early-morning hours, and he wound up dumping the papers in the trash! HOW HE GIVES BACK: With a $30 million donation, Johnson established a fund to help Liberian entrepreneurs go after t...

These two picture books beautifully highlight the fascinating world that exists at the bottom of the ocean. One book focuses on the wildlife that has been discovered living in an incredibly harsh world at the bottom of the ocean, the other book focuses on some of the remarkable technology scientists have used to make those discoveries. Combined, these two books share in amazing fashion the incredible world found in the ocean. DEEP, DEEP DOWN The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Juan Calle Capstone Editions, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-68446-615-3 Source: purchased Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Lukidis's poetry joined with Calle's stunning illustrations make this a wonderful book that gives young readers a brief glimpse into a world that scientists are just beginning to understand. The book highlights a few of the remarkable creatures that live at differen...