Archive for March 20, 2015

Spectacular Spots

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Written and Illustrated by Susan Stockdale

Beautiful yet sparse language, both rhythmic and rhyming tells the story of how spots on the outside of some animals helps to protect them.

In the area of creative nonfiction, this book is an excellent example. First grade readers will enjoy hearing or reading this book repeatedly because of the musical quality of the poetry like text. The font is large and dark making it stand out from the beautiful illustrations. Her choice of words also helps hint at additional attributes, such as the “gliding snail”, and the “clinging frogs”.

Well-designed back matter increases the ability for this book to fulfill common core standards in science, for animal study, camouflage, biology and how animals adapt to the environment. Librarians and teachers will also use the book for literacy skills such as rhyming and use of descriptive language.

Children will be on the look-out for animals with spots after reading this book and when they find them, it won’t be any mystery why those spots are so important. It’s got nothing to do with fashion!

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  • Spectacular SpotsTitle: Spectacular Spots
  • Author/Illustrator: Susan Stockdale
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2015
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-817-2
  • Genre: Nonfiction, Animals, Camouflage, Biology
  • Grade level: PreK to 3
  • Extras: In the back are two pages with small squares showing each of the patterned spots for children to enjoy matching with the appropriate animal in the front of the book. There are also two pages that show mini-pictures of each animal accompanied by an explanation of how the spots protect those animals. The particular class that each animals belongs to and where to find it in the world are provided.
Posted in 2015, Animals, Nature, Nonfiction, Poetry tagged with ,

Bird & Diz

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Written by Gary Golio
Illustrated by Ed Young

The look and set up for this fun book are perfect to give the feel for the music called bebop. When Charlie “Bird” Parker and John “Dizzy” Gillespie performed “Salt Peanuts” and their many other creations, they were more concerned about the mood than the form. The never-ending fold out of these pages gives the reader impression they are there when Diz plays his trumpet and Bird wails on his sax. Bebop is a heartbeat with fireworks, a roller coaster where the musicians chase each other. The illustrations make you want the music to go on forever.

First graders will want to review the pages many times, increasing their literacy skills and comprehension. Noting that bebop was about innovation and having fun makes the music history come alive. The back matter in the Afterword gives a good start for further exploration and encourages artistic expression in all its forms.

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  • Bird & DizTitle: Bird & Diz
  • Author: Gary Golio
  • Illustrator: Ed Young
  • Publisher: Candlewick, 2015
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 26 pages, novelty
  • Grade Level: PreK to 3
  • Genre: Nonfiction, biography, history, music
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-6660-6
Posted in 2015, History, Music, Nonfiction tagged with , ,

Rodeo Red

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Written by Maripat Perkins

Illustrated by Molly Idle

Cowgirl Rodeo Red and her trusty sidekick Rusty (aka a stuffed dog) were perfectly happy until Sideswiping Slim (aka her new baby brother) came to town. Rodeo Red knew he was trouble the first time she laid eyes on him, but the Sheriff and Deputy (aka her parents) seemed to love the little varmint. As Slim grows he becomes more of a nuisance and begins to encroach on Red’s territory. When Rusty goes missing, Red knows there can be only one culprit. She tries to grab Rusty out of Slim’s clutches, but his loud cries get her into trouble. “Wouldn’t you know Slim would have the law on his side?” she thinks as she lands in the holding cell (aka the Time Out chair). When Red’s city slicker aunt sends her a new fluffy stuffed animal for her birthday, she comes up with an idea to settle the score. She gives Slim the new toy and gets Rusty back in exchange.

Parents and teachers, get ready to drum up a serious twang when reading this story aloud, which is chock full of entertaining similes and old west slang (“He looked as slippery as a snake’s belly in a mudslide.”) The soft pastel illustrations have a sweet, old-fashioned quality to them and are cleverly drawn to create a young cowgirl’s fantasy world. First grade readers can learn from Red’s example of coming up with a solution to a problem on her own.

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  • Rodeo RedTitle: Rodeo Red
  • Author: Maripat Perkins
  • Illustrator: Molly Idle
  • Publisher: Peachtree, 2105
  • Reviewer: Lauren Abbey Greenberg
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-816-5
  • Genre: Picture Book, Fiction, Sibling Rivalry
Posted in 2015, Fiction, Picture book tagged with

Stanley the Farmer

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Written and Illustrated by William Bee

Stanley the hamster has a busy day ahead on the farm. He needs to plow the fields and plant wheat. Luckily his mole friends, Shamus and Little Woo, will help him out. They spread manure (“smelly work”), pour seeds into the hopper and water the fields twice a day until a blanket of golden wheat appears. But their work isn’t done. They must cut it down with a combine and clean up the remaining straw with a baler. Stanley is grateful for his friends’ help, and he rewards himself in the evening with a meal, a bath, and a good night’s sleep.

Recommended for the machine obsessed (pre-k through first grade), this cheerful book introduces young children to the concepts of farming and planting and gives exposure to agricultural terms. Readers will love Bee’s digital art, created with chunky shapes, thick lines, and bold primary and secondary colors against a clean, white background. Bee also includes visual cues within the text to assist with comprehension (“pulls the green plow with his red tractor”). The concept of time is a bit confusing, though, as the story alludes that everything took place over the course of a day (“Well! What a busy day!”) instead of months.

Visit www.peachtree-online.com to view other titles in the Stanley series.

Buy on Amazon

  • Stanley the FarmerTitle: Stanley the Farmer
  • Author/Illustrator: William Bee
  • Publisher: Peachtree, 2015
  • Reviewer: Lauren Abbey Greenberg
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-803-5
  • Genre: Picture Book, Fiction, Farming, Machines
Posted in 2015, Farming, Fiction, Machines, Picture book tagged with ,

Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry

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Written and illustrated by Vern Kousky

Children will love Otto’s great big eyes as he looks straight at them from his perch on the crescent moon. Otto doesn’t like to roost in trees or hunt at night like the other owls. So the others all make fun of him. He likes to read books, make friends and recite poetry.

When the other owls continue to tease him, Otto decides to run away. On his way, he sees the moon and makes up his own poem about the moon. What he doesn’t realize is that there were dozens of mice listening to him recite the poem. When he finished they all cried, “More, more!”

What Otto, and eventually the other owls, learn is that poetry is to be shared aloud with others to be best enjoyed.

First grade readers being introduced to poetry will enjoy hearing this read aloud and becoming able to read it themselves. The contrasting colors of art work make it a stunning book with font that is clear and easy to read.

This book can be used to meet the common core standards of literacy in the areas of poetry as well as discriminating between fact and fiction.

The fact that the owls pick on Otto for being different can open a discussion between parents, teachers or librarians and children about how we treat one another. It is also an interesting twist to realize that the part of Otto that is different, his love of poetry, becomes understandable to all the other owls by the end of the book.  It is a very good thing that Otto didn’t run away, but stayed long enough to share his poetry with the others.

This beautifully well done book is Vern Kousky’s first, but hopefully not his last.

Buy on Amazon

  • Otto the OwlTitle: Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry
  • Author/Illustrator:  Vern Kousky
  • Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, 2015
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN:  978-0-399-16440-8
  • Genre: Poetry
  • Grade level: K to 3
  • Extras: The famous poem excerpts are included in the back of the book along with their citations.
Posted in 2015, Poetry tagged with , ,