Geo Librarian

SAME, SAME, BUT DIFFERENT written and illustrated by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw Henry Holt and Company, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-8050-8946-2 32 p. Grades PreK-2 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB : Elliot lives in America, and Kailash lives in India. They are pen pals. By exchanging letters and pictures, they learn that they both love to climb trees, have pets, and go to school. Their worlds might look different, but they are actually similar. Same, same. But different! Through an inviting point-of-view and colorful, vivid illustrations, this story shows how two boys living oceans apart can be the best of friends. I enjoyed reading and sharing this book. Not only is the language simple and straightforward, but the illustrations compliment the writing perfectly. The illustrations are bright and colorful and highlight the similarities and differences between the two boys.  I've really come to love collage as an art form and this book demonstrates the characteristics that make co...

Penny and Her Song written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes Greenwillow Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-208195-7 32 p. Grades K-2 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : Strike up the band! Ready the confetti! Meet Penny--a brand-new mouse from Caldecott Medalist Henkes. Penny joins the beloved Lilly, Owen, Chrysanthemum, and Wemberly with her very own new picture book series.  In this book, Henkes introduces us to a new character, a character just as interesting and unique as Owen or Lily, a character who loves to sing. Penny arrives home from school wanting to sing her song for her family.  After both mom and dad interrupt her performance to remind her that the babies are sleeping and she needs to be quiet, Penny determines to sing her song for herself.  But she discovers that singing to herself is just not the same as singing for someone else.  She searches her room for someone to perform for without success. Finally, her parents come to her rescue and Pen...

Today I am highlighting three books that look at what life can be like when one is different in significant ways from those around them or how to deal with the changes that happen to all of us.  The Splendid Spotted Snake (A Magic Ribbon Book) written by Betty Ann Schwartz, illustrated by Alexander Wilensky Workman Publishing, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7611-6360-2 Unpaged $13.95 Grades PreK-1 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB:  It's a marvel Every time you turn the page the little snake grows bigger. And it's a book that teaches colors: with every page his spots change color. Amazing "But how does it work "Using a unique Magic Ribbon format invented by the authors, "The Splendid Spotted Snake" follows the adventures of a little spotted snake made out of sturdy, polka-dotted cloth ribbon. "When Yellow Snake was born, he had bright red spots. But then he grew . . . His new spots were blue."Not only does the little snake double in size, ...

The Sniffles for Bear written by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton Candlewick Press, 2011 ISBN:  978-0-7636-4756-8 Grades K-3 Reviewed from school library copy. BLURB : The relentlessly cheery Mouse pushes a cold-suffering Bear to new heights of melodrama in a hilarious new adventure starring the unlikely pair. Bear has a terrible cold. In fact, Bear is quite sure that no one has ever been as sick as he is. So when Mouse comes tap, tap, tapping on his front door eager to make Bear "as good as new" by reading a sunny story, singing a rousing chorus and plinking a twangy tune on her banjo, the pitifully coughing Bear - growing weaker by the minute - is convinced that his tiny friend does not appreciate the gravity of the situation. Can there be any saving Bear from his certain demise? Welcome the world's most lovable curmudgeon and his endearing, unstoppable sidekick in a wry new comedy sure to have even red-eyed, sniffly-nosed readers rol...

Razzle-Dazzle Ruby written and illustrated by Masha D'yans Scholastic, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-545-22500-7 Grades PreK-1 Reviewed from copy won in blog giveaway. BLURB :  A regular day becomes a magical adventure in this stunning novelty picture book from an amazing new talent! Ruby can make the ordinary extraordinary! Come skate on a shimmering pond, roll a giant snowball, sled down a snowy hill, and create soaring snow angels with her as she becomes a snow queen and transforms a typical winter day into a gleaming-beaming fairy tale. When I first saw this book I thought it would be perfect for my kindergarten girls.  It has a really cute little girl (Ruby) in a purple dress and flashing stockings.  It has glitter on the cover which speaks "girl book" loud and clear.  Once I read the book though I realized that the story could appeal to any child, boy or girl.  Living in a state that is famous for its winter sports, especially skiing, the children around h...

Waiting for the Magic w ritten by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Amy June Bates Atheneum Books for Young Reader, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4169-2745-7 Interest Level: Grades 3-6 Reviewed from copy borrowed from school library. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. BLURB : People may drift apart But love can hold them together. Sometimes we find that love through magic – Sometimes that magic is all around us This is a story about all of these things. But it's also a story about how four dogs and one cat help one boy and his sister save their family. This is a rather interesting blurb.  I think this is the first blurb I've read that reads like a poem.  Yet it fits the rather dreamy, gentle nature of the story.  In some ways it reminds me of Kate DiCamillo's work on The Tale of Despereaux , The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , or The Magician's Elephant .  The writing is certainly as good as DiCamillo's and the illus...

The Luck of the Buttons written by Anne Ylvisaker Candlewick Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7636-5066-7 Interest Level: Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB: In Iowa circa 1929, spunky twelve-year-old Tugs vows to turn her family’s luck around, with the help of a Brownie camera and a small-town mystery.  Tugs Esther Button was born to a luckless family. Buttons don’t presume to be singers or dancers. They aren’t athletes or artists, good listeners, or model citizens. The one time a Button ever made the late Goodhue Gazette - before Harvey Moore came along with his talk of launching a new paper - was when Great Grandaddy Ike accidentally set Town Hall ablaze. Tomboy Tugs looks at her hapless family and sees her own reflection looking back until she befriends popular Aggie Millhouse, wins a new camera in the Independence Day raffle, and stumbles into a mystery only she can solve. Suddenly this is a summer of change - and by its end, being a Button may just turn...

Cloudy with a Chance of Boys (The Sisters Club Series) written by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Pamela A. Consolazio Candlewick Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4615-8 Interest Level: Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB :   As the middle sister in a family with three girls, Stevie Reel doesn’t know much about boys, and that’s always been just fine with her. But lately, things have been changing: kids at school are starting to pair up, and Owen, the new boy in her Earth Science class, seems to have his sights set on Stevie. The trouble is, Stevie doesn’t want a boyfriend- she’s not even sure she’s ready to have a boy friend. And her sisters, who know exactly where they stand on the issue of boys, are no help: drama queen Alex is busy trying to orchestrate a perfect, Romeo-and-Juliet-style first kiss from her heartthrob, Scott Towel (er, Howell), while Joey can’t understand why anyone would like a boy better than a frog anyway. If only figuring out boys wer...

Otis and the Tornado written and illustrated by Loren Long Philomel Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-399-25477-2 Grades K-3 Reviewed from personal copy. Otis the tractor and his farm animal friends love to play follow the leader.  All the animals participate except for the big bull who snorts and growls at anyone (or anything) that gets too close to his pen or pasture.  Otis tries to befriend the beast, but with no luck.  The day a tornado arrives at the farm changes everything.  While the farmer and his family run for the cellar, Otis frantically releases the animals and they flee to the lowest lying land on the farm. When Otis realizes that the bull is not there he is determined to help the animals despite past unkindnesses. I'll say right off the bat that I am a big fan of Otis.  I fell in love with him the minute I read the first book.  So much so that I ordered the stuffed toy .  I like this book even better than first.  The large, bright ill...

Missing on Superstition Mountain written by Elise Broach, illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo Henry Holt and Company, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9047-5 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : It’s summer and the three Barker brothers—Simon, Henry, and Jack—just moved from Illinois to Arizona. Their parents have warned them repeatedly not to explore Superstition Mountain, which is near their home. But when their cat Josie goes missing, they see no other choice. There’s something unusually creepy about the mountain and after the boys find three human skulls, they grow determined to uncover the mystery. Have people really gone missing over the years, and could there be someone or some thing lurking in the woods? Together with their new neighbor Delilah, the Barker boys are dead-set on cracking the case even if it means putting themselves in harm’s way. I have really enjoyed Elise Broach's other books, Shakespeare's Secret and Masterpiece.  So I was look...

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes written by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean HarperCollins Publishers, 2008 ISBN:978-0-06-190622-0 Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy.   Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes written by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean HarperCollins Publishers, 2011 ISBN:978-0-06-191024-1 Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB: Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes! But no matter what color his shoes are, Pete keeps movin' and groovin' and singing his song . . . because it's all good. In the sequel, Pete the Cat is now one fleet-footed feline in his shiny school shoes. I used these two books with my kindergarten and special needs classes a couple of weeks ago.  I downloaded the songs and played them while I showed the pi...

There are many different mystery series for children, some are naturally better than others.  Here are a few of the many available series: The A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy Jigsaw Jones Mysteries by James Preller Encyclopedia Brown mysteries by Donald Sobol The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner Young Cam Jansen by David A. Adler Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat But today I'm highlighting my favorite mystery series for younger readers, The Milo & Jazz Mysteries by Lewis B. Montgomery.  Not only are these books well written, but the plotting is clear and crisp.  The stories are not elaborate and full of complications like many mysteries for older readers.  This series makes a good introduction to the mystery genre.  These mysteries focus on the real world and the sorts of mysteries that most of us meet up with in our daily lives.  Each mystery also focuses on different skills that detectives need to develop to be really g...

Some books are timeless, they can be enjoyed by almost any age and at any time.  Charlotte's Web by E.B. White , the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary , Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing , Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles , and Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene books, all feel very timeless to me.  I could sit down in twenty years and still enjoy them as much as do now.  Sara Pennypacker's Clementine series feels that way to me.  Whenever I need a good laugh, I pull out these books.  When I heard the fifth book was out, I rushed to get my hands on it. Clementine and the Family Meeting written by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee Disney-Hyperion Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-142312356-9 Grades 2-4 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : Clementine's having a nervous breakdown. The FAMILY MEETING! sign is up in her house, and she just knows she's in trouble for something. Has she been too mean to her little brother? Too slop...

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School written by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-399-25052-1 Grades K-3 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb : When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a soccer ball) limp as fast as he can because: "I can catch them! I'm their Gingerbread Man!" With help from the gym teacher, the nurse, the art teacher and even the principal, the Gingerbread Man does find his class, and he's assured they'll never leave him behind again. Each year the kindergarten teachers at my school start the year off with a gingerbread man unit, where the students decorate their own gingerbread man (paper). When I first saw this book, I thought it would be perfect to share when the students came to the library for the first time. The kindergarten ...

Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels by Jamie Michalak, illustrated  by Frank Remkiewicz Candlewick Press, 2009. Grades K-2 Reviewed from copy borrowed from local public library. Blurb: Sparky is a turtle who likes to stay inside his shell. Joe is a giraffe who likes to stretch his neck and see the world. When a car appears one day at the famous cage-less zoo where they live, the two set off on the ride of their lives, with Joe behind the wheel and Sparky hanging on for dear life. From the shopping mall to the car wash to the take-out burger joint, Joe and Sparky cause mayhem everywhere they go. Young readers will love sharing the road with this unlikely pair in a string of adventures that are by turns innocent, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny. ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6320071-joe-and-sparky-get-new-wheels ) I'm always on the look-out for early readers that are attractive and readable as well as appealing to the first grade crowd. Joe and Sparky fit the bil...

Eddie Gets Ready for School written and illustrated by David Milgrim Cartwheel Books, 2011. Grades K-1 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb: Fall in love with Eddie as he gets ready for school! Now that Eddie can get ready all by himself, his morning routine is anything but ordinary! [ ] wake up (with a megaphone) [ ] get dressed (up in a costume) [ ] pack a snack (a watermelon's perfect) [ ] find something for show-and-tell (No, not the TV!) [ ] run like mad to catch bus! With understated humor and uproarious illustrations, David Milgrim's first checklist book gets you to school on time, and in a great mood. ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10824120-eddie-gets-ready-for-school ) Every year as school starts I look for new books about school to share with the students.  This year I found several new ones to try out on my students.  When I heard about this one, I knew I had to get it and try it out.  I used it last week with a class of first graders and i...

I have found words to be a powerful tool that can be used in both positive and negative ways.  When I hear the phrase, "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me" I know how wrong it is.  Words can do a lot of damage.  But words can also do a world of good and that is the idea that Patricia MacLachlan explores in Word After Word After Word. Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan Katherine Tegen Books, 2010. Grades 2-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb:   Every school day feels the same for fourth graders Lucy and Henry and Evie and Russell and May. Then Ms. Mirabel comes to their class—bringing magical words and a whole new way of seeing and understanding.( goodreads.com )  Each of the five children that the story focuses on has there own troubles, everything from a parent with cancer to resentment toward a soon to be adopted sibling.  Ms. Mirabel reminds me of a teacher I had who taught me the power of wo...

Play Ball, Jackie! by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Joe Morse Millbrook Press, 2011. Grades K-5 Reviewed from e-galley provided by publisher through NetGalley. Book blurb: Batter up! It's Jackie Robinson's first game in the major leagues. April 15, 1947, is a big day for ten-year-old Matty Romano. His dad is taking him to see his favorite team--the Brooklyn Dodgers--on opening day! It's also a big day for the Dodgers' new first baseman, Jackie Robinson. Many white fans don't like the fact that an African American is playing in the major leagues. By putting Jackie on the team, the Dodgers are breaking the color barrier. How will Jackie respond to the pressure? Is he the player who can finally help the Dodgers make it back to the World Series? ( goodreads.com ) Krensky does a good job of placing the reader in the stands during the first major league game that Jackie Robinson played in.  I liked the point-of-view being that of a young boy enjoying a...

Troublemaker by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mark Elliott Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2011. Grades 2-6 Reviewed from e-galley provided by publisher. Andrew Clements has long been known for his prowess in writing school stories.  I've read many of the books that he has written for the elementary crowd and liked all of them.  I liked some more than others of course, but still he is remarkably consistent.  Here's the blurb for his newest: There’s a folder in Principal Kelling’s office that’s as thick as a phonebook and it’s growing daily. It’s filled with the incident reports of every time Clayton Hensley broke the rules. There’s the minor stuff like running in the hallways and not being where he was suppose to be when he was supposed to be there. But then there are also reports that show Clay’s own brand of troublemaking, like the most recent addition: the art teacher has said that the class should spend the period drawing anything they wa...