Posts

BROWSEABLE NONFICTION : Just Joking Science by National Geographic Kids

Image
JUST JOKING SCIENCE by Rosie Gowsell Pattison National Geographic 2022 ISBN: 978-1-4263-7151-6 Source: Media Masters Publicity for review (THANKS!) Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK This hilarious new book in the kid-favorite Just Joking series—packed with 300 science-themed jokes, riddles, knock-knocks, tongue twisters, and more—is scientifically proven to leave kids laughing, chuckling, and exclaiming “Eureka!” It’s got jokes about all kinds of science stuff—kooky chemistry, funny physics, dinosaurs, space, and more—plus 10 stories of real-life scientific experiments that are so wacky you’ll hardly believe them! This book is a gut-busting party-starter or a quiet-time entertainer, great for chuckling alone or reading aloud to friends and family. It’s also perfectly portable: Toss it in a backpack or take it on the road for on-the-go giggles. The perfect read for science whizzes (and
Post a Comment
Read more

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: All the Places We Call Home by Patrice Gopo & Jenin Mohammed

Image
ALL THE PLACES WE CALL HOME written by Patrice Gopo, illustrated by Jenin Mohammed Worthy Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5460-1266-5 Source: WorthyKids for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Fall in love with this lyrically written and lushly illustrated exploration of identity and home that celebrates all the places and people who make us who we are. "And where shall we go?" Mama asks as she tucks me in. "South Africa. Where I was born." My answer summons Mama's stories, stories that send us soaring back in time to when I was a baby. Out my window. Down my street. Across water. Across continents. Where do you come from? Where does your family come from? For many children, the answers to these questions can transform a conversation into a journey around the globe. In her first picture book, author Patrice Gopo illuminates how family stories help shape ch
Post a Comment
Read more

#MMGM: Novels in Verse--Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson & Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes

Image
These two beautiful novels-in-verse have a lot in common.  Both have black male protagonists who love music and play the guitar.  Both boys have fathers who have health problems.  Both books are written by BIPOC female authors who are known for their poetic abilities.  The books have their differences as well, Garvey faces isolation during the pandemic while ZJ has his family and his 'boys' to help and support him. BEFORE THE EVER AFTER by Jacqueline Woodson Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020 ISBN: 978099545436 Source: school library Middle grade realistic/contemporary fiction/novel-in-verse Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Jacqueline Woodson's novel-in-verse explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies. For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with
Post a Comment
Read more

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Bright Winter Night by Alli Brydon & Ashling Lindsay

Image
BRIGHT WINTER NIGHT by Alli Brydon, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay Two Lions, 2022 ISBN: 978-1542022248 Source: Blue Slip Media for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, summary, & illustrations are provided by Blue Slip Media & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK The forest calls, and creatures come: big and small, one by one. They sense there is a task to do as night descends, replacing blue. On one bright winter night, a group of woodland creatures emerges from the forest. Despite their differences, they start to build something together, using items found on the forest floor. What are they making? And how quickly can they build it? Something special is happening tonight, and soon the animals are off—in a race to catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most astounding wonders! With lyrical text and sparkling artwork, Bright Winter Night is a celebration of the joy and beauty of nature and the special gift of friendship and togetherness. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Post a Comment
Read more

#MMGM: Unsettled by Reem Faruqi, narrated by Ariana Delawari (Audiobook)

Image
UNSETTLED by Reem Faruqi, narrated by Ariana Delawari HarperCollins, 2021 ISBN:  9781665077606 (AUDIOBOOK) Source: school library -- Sora Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary fiction (novel-in-verse) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK For fans of Other Words for Home and Front Desk, this powerful, charming own voices immigration story follows a girl who moves from Karachi, Pakistan to Peachtree City, Georgia, and must find her footing in a new world. Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of award-winning Lailah's Lunchbox. A lyrical coming of age story exploring family, immigration, and most of all belonging. Nurah is a compelling main character who I was rooting for all the way through. --Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound When her family moves from Pakistan to Peachtree City, all Nurah wants is to blend in, yet she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah'
Post a Comment
Read more

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: I Cannot Draw a Horse by Charise Mericle Harper

Image
I CANNOT DRAW A HORSE by Charise Mericle Harper Union Square Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-60582-261-7 Source: F&G from publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Award-winning author and illustrator Charise Mericle Harper delivers a fantastically funny adventure about doing the impossible: drawing a horse.   The cat wants a horse. The book cannot draw a horse. The book CAN draw a squirrel, a beaver, and a bunny. Fun . . . but the cat still wants a horse.   Can the quick-draw book appease the horse-obsessed cat with an impressive collection of horse-y alternatives (all created from the same “nothing shape”)? Or will the cat finally get a horse? The cat REALLY wants a horse. REVIEW I Cannot Draw a Horse  struck a chord with me.  As a non-artist I could relate to the author/illustrator's reluctance to try drawing a horse.  Horses can be quite difficult to draw after all depe
Post a Comment
Read more

#MMGM: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Image
THE DOOR OF NO RETURN by Kwame Alexander Little, Brown and Company, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-316-44186-5 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up Historical fiction/novel in verse All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family. Young Kofi lives and dreams on the banks of the river Offin. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. It is in the river that he feels invincible and where he thinks he can finally prove himself in a race against his schoolyard rival. But the river also holds dark secrets that Kofi will soon discover. Told never to venture there after nightfall but never told why, Kofi seeks his own answer
Post a Comment
Read more