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The Twins' Little Sister
The Twins' Little Sister
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 10, 2014
Review
This book portrays little Asian twin sisters who have two of everything, except they only have one Mom. They feel that there is not enough of Mom to go around. Then,horror of horrors, Mom announces that they are to be big sisters as a new baby girl is on the way. Mom will be busier than ever and have even less time for them. They are appalled and angry with the situation. Of course, when the new baby arrives Mom's attention is spread pretty thin and the twins are not at all pleased. Will they realize that there is enough love to go around, that if they help Mom they will become wonderful big sisters and carve out even more time for themselves? Will they learn that little sister is actually pretty fun? The author was actually a twin herself and has experienced these feelings first hand. With soft, expressive, pastel illustrations, this is a wonderful choice for all siblings, especially twins, to help to understand that sharing Mom isn't all that difficult and may actually be pretty darned terrific.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Hyewon, Yum
Illustrator: Hyewon, Yum
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Frances Foster Books/farrar straus giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780374379735
Price: 17.99
Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut Ever!
Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut Ever!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 17, 2014
Review
This is an adorable choice of a picture book about Sadie, a big sister, who decides that her little sister Eva's hair needs to be cut. Eva has long, curly, blonde, beautiful hair and has NEVER had her hair cut before. Sadie climbs up high to retrieve Mom's scissors and chops away at Eva's stunning locks....and one can imagine Mom and Dad's reactions when the new do is revealed. This contains a good lesson about making mistakes and learning from them. The illustrations are soft and pastel and fit the text well. I would recommend this addition to 4 - 8 year olds' collections as well as library picture book shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cohen, Jeff
Illustrator: Allen, Elanna
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780062249067
Price: 17.99
Loula and the Sister Recipe
Loula and the Sister Recipe
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 17, 2014
Review
Loula has three brothers and wishes very much for a little sister. When she asks her parents for one her father and mother say that it takes very special ingredients to make a sister including a Papa and Mama, butterflies in the stomach, a full moon, chocolate, a candlelit dinner, kisses and hugs...Wow. That is a lot, but Loula sets out to find all those ingredients with the help of the chauffeur Gilbert. This is an especially amusing book with fabulous expressive illustrations and a very accommodating chauffeur who drives Loula all over the city procuring ingredients for her endeavor. Surprisingly, Loula's plan works almost immediately. Hard to believe? It's true. The font of the text seems a bit small for this level of book, but the wordage is spot-on and jibes with the illustrations well. I would recommend this selection for shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Villeneuve, Anne
Illustrator: Villeneuve, Anne
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781771381130
Price: 16.95
From There to Here
From There to Here
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 22, 2014
Review
This book is about an 8-year-old girl dealing with a big change. She has moved with her family from rural Canada to Ontario where it is much more citified. You name it, it has changed. She is not pleased and narrates and describes the differences between there (her old home) and here (her new home.) The illustrations are exceptional and the story of change is universal. The lesson children will learn is that a change is not necessarily good or bad. Change is inevitable and can be dealt with, especially when a new friend is made. I would recommend this title for the beginner reader set.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Croza, Laurel
Illustrator: James, Matt
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Groundwork Books
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781554983650
Price: 18.95
The Way to the Zoo
The Way to the Zoo
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 22, 2014
Review
This is a story of little Sylvie who suddenly discovers a door in her bedroom which leads to stairs, a hallway, another door and ultimately to the zoo. She begins bringing small, furry animals into her bedroom at night, but then finds the bigger, smellier, noisier, thieving animals also want to come. All is fine if she returns the animals to the zoo each morning before school, but...as one can imagine, one morning she is running late and the animals are watching TV in the living and basically wreaking havoc in the house when she gets home. She speaks quite sharply at the animals and they retreat back to the zoo, and she cleans as quickly as possible, as Mom is due home soon. Will she make it? The illustrations are spare, some sketches are included, pastel colors and lots of white space. All these elements plus a fantastical story that little ones can relate to and possibly wish for, makes this a good choice for picture book shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Burningham, John
Illustrator: Burningham, John
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure, fantasy
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780763673178
Price: 15.99
Olga the Cloud
Olga the Cloud
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 23, 2014
Review
This is a lovely tale about Olga, a puffy little cloud that is trying to find a place to rest, then a place to disperse a bit of rain. Of course, no one wants her around and she despairs of ever finding a place where she can do what she is meant to do. The illustrations are especially appealing and add a lot to the story. Olga sees lots of things from on high and all the colorful activity will be fun for little readers to peruse. The lesson here is that each of us will eventually find the place that we are most comfortable and accepted. I would recommend this book, especially as a read-aloud as the text is a big advanced for the intended audience.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Costa, Nicoletta
Illustrator: Costa, Nicoletta
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780823430512
Price: 16.95
Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation
Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 23, 2014
Review
Peppa Pig is a TV show that is a big hit in the UK. There are also products, toys and such that are extremely well received. In this adventure, Peppa and his sibling George are going on vacation with Mom and Dad, but Peppa is very worried about her pet fish, Goldie, who is to be cared for by Grandpa and Granny Pig. Are they up to this demanding task? While the Pig family does lots of vacation-like things like going to the beach, taking walks, using the pool, and shopping for gifts for Grandpa and Granny Pig, Peppa continues to worry about Goldie. Will Grandpa and Granny pay enough attention to her? Perhaps they are paying too much attention to her. Hmmm.. The illustrations are digitally produced, soft, and full of many shapes and colors. One wonders if little ones looking at this book will notice what is taking place with Goldie back home. There are many titles offered of Peppa Pig and this addition will be another great one for picture book shelves everywhere. The only downside to this offering are the endpapers, which are navy with tiny white polka dots. They actually are painful to look at.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Author, No
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 980763669867
Price: 12.99
Goodnight, You
Goodnight, You
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 28, 2014
Review
In this offering Piggy and Bunny are preparing for their first campout. In a tent, in the dark, by themselves...Bunny is afraid of monsters and lets Piggy know of her fears. Piggy shoots down every one of Bunny's scenarios of what a monster might do by responding with what she would do in response. When Bunny's fears have been summarily quashed and she is ready to turn out the light, Piggy confesses her fear, the dark!! Will Bunny be able to sooth Piggy's fears? Soft, pastel illustrations with Bunny on the left page of each spread and Piggy on the right are soft, appealing and soothing. The text follows the action on each page very well. This is a great choice to validate a child's fears, while illustrating that having someone with whom to discuss them may be just the ticket to make those scary feelings disappear. I would recommend this choice for the picture book set, for shelves private and public.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cote, Genevieve
Illustrator: Cote, Genevieve
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781771380508
Price: 16.95
I love I Hate I Miss My Sister
I love I Hate I Miss My Sister
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Choose Library District
Review Date: October 7, 2014
Review
Sohane and Djelila are Muslim sisters living in America with but a year between their ages; Sohane is a senior, Djelila is a junior in high school. They have always been extremely close, Sohane lovingly taking care of her younger sister. But when their paths veer from one another, Sohane is worried for Djelila's safety and well-being. Sohane wishes to embrace her religion by wearing a head scarf, which is against the law in her school; Djelila wishes to live life to the fullest by wearing skimpy clothing, dating boys and flaunting her hair. The consequences for each of them are big, one is dire. Based on true events, this book would be a wonderful choice to prompt discussions about religious freedom and the important choices one must sometimes make. There is a helpful glossary included of Muslim words and phrases.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Sam, Amelie
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780385743761
Price: 15.99
Savage Drift
Savage Drift
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Choose Library District
Review Date: September 30, 2014
Review
This third in a trilogy called Monument 14 is fabulous. Fourteen children of different ages have been trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where blood type greatly impacts behavior and how one is treated. Some are in a refuge camp, some are in a containment camp. The premise is fascinating. There has been a mega tsunami, a hailstorm and a chemical weapons spill. They have formed a tight family group and are trying to reunite at a farm in Vermont where they hope all will be nirvana. There is a pregnancy, the government covering up the savage drift (a killing cloud of the chemicals in the air and the substance used to combat it), and chaos in both the refugee camp and the containment camp. Fast paced and exciting, I couldn't stop reading. I loved it and will order the first two for my library asap. I recommend this highly.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Laybourne, Emmy
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure, realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781250036
Price: 17.99
Forget Me Not
Forget Me Not
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 29, 2014
Review
This book deals with Alzheimer's disease. A little girl is trying to understand her beloved Grandmother's failing memory. Her grandmother even gets to the point where she does not know Julia's name anymore. The topic is handled extremely well for the audience of 4 - 8 year olds for whom this is intended. Her grandmother's failings are described by her mother thus, "You know how some old people have trouble seeing or hearing? Well, some have trouble remembering -- like Grandma. It's a sickness that nobody knows how to cure yet." What a simple, truthful, and succinct explanation for young children to hear. Grandmother is eventually moved to assisted living, 'where she can get the care she needs.' Julia decides to bring her grandmother her favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, in hopes that her Grandmother will recognize them and be herself again, at least for a little while. This rare book could be invaluable for children going through this scary situation with someone they love. The illustrations are absolute perfection and follow the text well. I highly recommend this title.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
V an Laan, Nancy
Illustrator: Graegin, Stephanie
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: schwartz & wade books
Book Type: Choose Book Type
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780449815434
Price: 16.99
The Simples Love a Picnic
The Simples Love a Picnic
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 31, 2014
Review
The Simples are a simply typical family; Dad, Mom, Ben, Lulu, and the pets, Rocco and Dizzy. When Dad suggests a picnic, the kids are excited, as they have never been on a picnic. However, when Lulu hides Dizzy the cat in her backpack and decides ice cream would be a good addition to the picnic lunch, Rocco the dog starts chasing squirrels, Mom is struck by a frisbee, and ants and birds decide to invade, the whole endeavor falls apart. What to do, what to do. In the end, Ben comes up with a solution that satisfies all and embodies the true spirit of a picnic. With pictures involving different textures, bright colors and lots of patterns, the illustrations and text jibe well. Children will be able to discern what is taking place. This will make for an amusing readaloud and children could ponder what makes for good picnic food; soup? spaghetti? eggs? The kids will be laughing out loud. I definitely recommend this title, especially during picnic season.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Phillipps, J. C.
Illustrator: Phillipps, J. C.
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780544166677
Price: 16.99
A Day with Miss Lina's Ballerinas
A Day with Miss Lina's Ballerinas
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 31, 2014
Review
This is a level 1 My Reader choice about Miss Lina's ballerina class. The girls jump, spin, and leap. Each page has a simple sentence that jibes with the illustrations beautifully so that the emerging reader can discern the text by watching what action the illustrations portray. When the girls leave their class they continue to dance throughout their day; at school, in the market, at the park, and while getting ready for bed. There is lots of white space and young readers will enjoy the soft illustrations that show movement beautifully; one can indeed 'see' the dance steps the girls are attempting. The fact that there is lots of pink color involved will make the girls especially happy. I would recommend this for the beginner readers out there.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Maccarone, Grace
Illustrator: Davenier, Christine
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Square Fish/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781250047175
Price: 3.99
Fighting Fire! Ten of the Deadliest Fires in American History and How We Fought Them
Fighting Fire! Ten of the Deadliest Fires in American History and How We Fought Them
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 16, 2014
Review
This book tells the stories about ten of our country's deadliest fires including colonial America's biggest fire in 1760, the New York fire of 1835, Chicago's big fire in 1871, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the catastrophe of 9/11. It has many fascinating pictures, political cartoons, newspaper covers and artists' depictions around these devastating events. The text moves along well, not dragging in the least, which is of great importance for younger readers. People who were involved in these fires are quoted and this makes the devastation experienced seem more real. This reviewer learned much about the history of fire, new procedures and laws that were put into effect after each fire, and was drawn into the personal accounts by people that were effected. This choice combines history with the always scintillating topic of fire to great effect. I recommend it highly.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Cooper, Michael L.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6, grades 7-9
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780805097146
Price: 19.99
Ed and Ted and Ted's Dog Fred
Ed and Ted and Ted's Dog Fred
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 7, 2014
Review
This is an extremely humorous story about Ed, Ted and Fred who live in a shed, drive vehicles that are red,are swallowed by a whale named Ned, and nearly end up dead. This rhyming text is helpful to children, while the illustrations lend a hand in prompting young readers to understand what the text says. In other words, the text and the pictures complement one another quite well. The illustrations are absolutely hilarious with tube-shaped people, extremely expressive faces, and lots of action. There are also two more difficult words for the level 2 reader to learn (of course, these rhyme with Ed, Ted and Fred)adding a bit of challenge for the developing reader. I would recommend this choice for beginner shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Griffiths, Andy
Illustrator: Denton, Terry
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Square Fish/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781250044488
Price: 3.99
Digby O'Day in the Fast Lane
Digby O'Day in the Fast Lane
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 7, 2014
Review
This first in a trilogy by a mother/daughter author/illustrator team is fabulous. The size is perfect for the targeted audience of 5 - 8 year olds. The text is challenging but not overwhelming for that age bracket. Digby and Percy are dogs and best friends! They love to travel around in Digby's old car and, in this first offering, decide to enter a local all-day car race from Didsworth to Dodsworth. Lou Ella is the next door neighbor who buys a new car every year and is, basically, Digby and Percy's arch enemy. Of course, she also enters the race and even purchases a special new racing hat for the occasion. The illustrations are shades of red, black, gray and white. The pictures are busy, expressive, and amusing. There are lots of other characters introduced and the entrants in the race are varied and interesting, to say the least. At the end of the book are suggestions for games to be played while riding in a car and a quiz about the book to see how much the reader remembers, along with photos from Digby's personal album and drawing challenges. I would highly recommend this choice for beginner reader shelves and believe that readers will look forward to the next two in the trilogy.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Hughes, Shirley
Illustrator: Vulliamy, Clara
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763673697
Price: 12.99
Milo and Millie
Milo and Millie
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 5, 2014
Review
This is a simple tale about Millie and her stuffed bear Milo. They are going on a sailing adventure and they have many mishaps along the way, including fearsome frogs and storms. At the very end of their trip they encounter a swirling whirlpool but are saved just in the nick of time and just in time for bed. There are minimum words on each page and delightful muted illustrations. Of course, we deduce that they have really been taking a bath before bed. Perhaps this will entice little ones who otherwise might be frightened or unwilling, to enjoy their bath rather than dread it. To top it all off, there are instructions about how to make a boat out of a piece of paper. What fun!
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Robaard, Jedda
Illustrator: Robaard, Jedda
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780763667832
Price: 14.99
Superworm
Superworm
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 21, 2014
Review
This book about Superworm in rhyming text is hilarious. Superworm is a friend to all so when he is threatened by Wizard Lizard, all his friends must devise a way to come to his rescue! The illustrations are perfection, spot-on, and expressive. This will be a fantastic and amusing read-aloud.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Donaldson, Julia
Illustrator: Scheffler, Axel
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 978054559176
Price: 16.99
Colors Versus Shapes
Colors Versus Shapes
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 14, 2014
Review
This is a very amusing and informative picture book about shapes and colors. A group of colors and a group of shapes are competing against one another and being judged to see who this book will be about. The colors demonstrate how they can mix together and create secondary colors. Blue and yellow make green, are the shapes envious? The shapes show how they can form new shapes together, such as two triangles forming a square and they even bring out some of their special shapes: pentagon, hexagon, octagon and rhombus. They battle on. Who will win and end up in this book? Perhaps colors and shapes will learn that they can work together and that the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of their parts. This whole concept seems so clever and teaches children about colors and shapes in an entertaining way. The illustrations are perfect and the text is largely in cartoon bubbles in black, but the color names are in the appropriate color. I recommend this book highly and hope that it will be added to collections far and wide.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Boldt, Mike
Illustrator: Boldt, Mike
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: Choose Book Type
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780062103031
Price: 16.99
The Scarecrow's Wedding
The Scarecrow's Wedding
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 14, 2014
Review
Betty O'Barley and Harry O'Hay are two scarecrows living on a farm. Harry thinks Betty is a beauty and proposes marriage. They make a list of all the things they need for the big day: rings, bells, a dress made of feathers. They set out walking around the farm to procure everything they need. When Harry ventures far afield on his own to find the flowers they want, the farmer builds a new scarecrow and he, Reginald Rake, is appropriately named as he sets out to impress Betty and win her love. Will Betty fall for his antics? The text is rhyming and is absolutely hilarious. This will make for a stupendous and amusing readaloud choice and will have the children in stitches. The illustrations are colorful, expressive and complement the text perfectly. Get this one for your shelves, public or private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Donaldson, Julia
Illustrator: Scheffler, Axel
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic
Book Type: Choose Book Type
Genre: adventure, fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780545726061
Price: 17.99
On the Wing
On the Wing
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 20, 2014
Review
This book celebrates a myriad of winged things, from hummingbirds and woodpeckers to albatross and crow. The illustrations on these one and two page spreads are detailed and exceptional. The succinct poems about each species are sometimes amusing, sometimes thought-provoking. The very last poem about the bald eagle, differs from all the others in that it continues onto a third page, which this reader found unsettling. All in all, an outstanding poetic offering with text and illustrations equally stellar.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Elliott, David
Illustrator: Stadtlander, Becca
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763653248
Price: 16.99
Backhoe Joe
Backhoe Joe
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 2, 2014
Review
Nolan is a little boy who has always wanted a pet backhoe. Lo and behold, one morning he spies a little yellow backhoe on his street. He adopts the backhoe and names him Joe, but Joe is a little hard to handle. He digs up flower beds, chases the mailman and digs in the garbage. Nolan tries his best to train Joe. He finally succeeds, but then notices a missing poster with a picture of his Backhoe Joe on it! Will he do the right thing and return the backhoe to its rightful owner? The illustrations are absolutely adorable. Joe has big headlight eyes and a huge smile and Nolan is extremely expressive. This will be a great addition to picture book shelves of every ilk, especially for little boys that love heavy equipment. I recommend this book highly.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Alexander, Lori
Illustrator: Cameron, Craig
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780062250155
Price: 15.99
Peppa Pig and the Day at Snowy Mountain
Peppa Pig and the Day at Snowy Mountain
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 3, 2014
Review
This addition to the Peppa Pig series is all about the family spending a snowy day at the mountain skiing, skating, and sledding. Surprisingly, George is great at skating, Daddy is afraid of heights, and Mummy remembers well how to ski! The digital illustrations are colorful and expressive. This reviewer went to youtube to watch a Peppa Pig episode and was delighted to see that the characters have British accents. Any child that knows the program will enjoy hearing this book read aloud with the accents they expect. This will be a good addition to picture book shelves everywhere, especially for little ones enamored of the show.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Press, Candlewick
Illustrator: Press, Candlewick
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763674557
Price: 12.99
I Want to be a Ballerina
I Want to be a Ballerina
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 3, 2014
Review
Little Mia wants to be a ballerina just like her older sister. She has all the clothes to be a ballerina, including tights, a leotard, ballet shoes and a tutu, but she lacks several traits needed to reach that goal. She is not coordinated, she is clumsy and just not very graceful. When her big sister takes her to her first ballet class she finds out how difficult being a ballerina really is. All ends well, though, when her big sister exclaims, "Well, it was your very first class," and now we can practice together. Mia's classmates are of varied ethnicities and include boys and girls. The illustrations are exceptional and make use of collage and patterns and both traditional and digital processes. This book will definitely appeal to little girls and anyone interested in dance.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Membrino, Anna
Illustrator: Coh, Smiljana
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780385378642
Price: 14.99
Sparky!
Sparky!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 4, 2014
Review
A little girl longs for a pet, maybe a bird, a bunny, or a trained seal, but her mother says she may only get a pet that doesn't need to be walked, bathed, or fed, which pretty much narrows it down to...a sloth, a suggestion from the school librarian who knows everything in the world. The sloth isn't much for games. In fact, his favorite activity is sleeping, though he excels at statue. When a friend belittles Sparky (what a fitting name, yes?) the girl decides to put on a Trained Sloth Extravaganza showcasing the countless tricks of which Sparky is capable. Oh, my. The water and pencil art in shades of burgundy and brown is appealing and the text is also done by the illustrator so that the pictures and text complement each other perfectly. Of course, the lesson is sometimes a sloth is just a sloth and that's okay.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Offill, Jenny
Illustrator: Appelhans, Chris
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780375870231
Price: 16.99
Mama's Day with Little Gray
Mama's Day with Little Gray
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 4, 2014
Review
Little Gray is a young elephant who wonders if while he is growing bigger his Mother will grow smaller and younger. Little Gray and his mother spend a wonderful day together and he tells his Mom that if she were his calf and he was the grown-up, he would take as good care of his Mother as she takes of him. Mom always has the perfect response. This book nearly brings tears to the eyes as, out of the mouths of babes, our universal desire to always have Mom with whom to share our lives and take care of us is voiced. The illustrations are fantastic, soft, expressive and heartwarming. This is a great book to consider adding to one's shelves.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Reid, Aimee
Illustrator: Bryant, Laura J.
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780449810835
Price: 16.99
The World's Best Noses, Ears, and Eyes
The World's Best Noses, Ears, and Eyes
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 4, 2014
Review
This book about senses of smell, sight and hearing argues the question, "Who has the world's best?" Well, it appears that it depends upon what one's needs and criteria are for "the best." Hedgehogs think they have the best sense of smell because they can smell in the dark; moths think they have the best sense of smell because they can detect a potential mate from a mile away. Giraffes think they have the best vision as they are so tall and can see for great distances, and the peacock mantis shrimp think their eyes are the best as they can detect color underwater. There are many animals and insects that can see, hear, and smell much better than we humans, but for our needs, we get along just fine. This is a fascinating information-packed book in a picture book style with spot-on illustrations that will enthrall young readers and teach them at the same time. This will be a desirable addition to non-fiction picture book collections everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Rundgren, Helen
Illustrator: Arrhenius, Ingela
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823431618
Price: 16.95
Olive and the Embarrassing Gift
Olive and the Embarrassing Gift
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2014
Review
In this third offering in the Olive series, Olive receives a gift from her friend Joe which usually would be a very nice thing, but the gift is a truly ugly hat with Best Friends written across the front. Joe has one nearly exactly like it. Everyone they run into laughs and makes fun of the ugly hats. Oh, what to do, what to do...Olive tries to come up with all kinds of reasons to take the hats off, to no avail. Finally, in desperation, Olive stuffs the hat into a trash barrel and Joe sees her do it! Oh, my. What will happen now? This is a nice story about friendship and to what lengths one might go to preserve one. Also, it will teach children how to accept gestures of friendship gracefully, whether or not the gesture is of great value to them. The illustrations are set against lots of white space and are colorful, appealing and expressive and include Joe the turtle, Ziggy the monkey, Lola the giraffe, and many others. This will make a good addition to picture book shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Freeman, Tor
Illustrator: Freeman, Tor
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Templar Books/Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763674069
Price: 15.99
Little Pear Tree
Little Pear Tree
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2014
Review
This board book has astounding, colorful, pastel illustrations that depict four seasons in the life of a pear tree, from its beginning as a seed underground in winter to becoming a home for owls and other birds by the next winter. There is a stanza on each page-spread about the pear tree's journey, a lovely poem about what the pear tree is experiencing each season. Throughout the book are several flaps to lift that reveal varied creatures, insects, birds, and the like along with the word for each. All in all, this is a lovely book, BUT the font is quite small and dark for a boardbook format and the flaps are invitations for little hands to rip, tear and generally destroy this lovely offering. Therefore, it might be better as a read-aloud for a private collection as opposed to a library choice where it just would not stand up to the little ones' predilection for ripping and biting, and would not remain in good condition for any length of time.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Bowers, Jenny
Illustrator: Bowers, Jenny
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Big Picture Press/Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763671266
Price: 14.99
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2014
Review
This beginner reader selection is illustrated with the characters and scenes that we all know and love from the cartoon special we see each Christmas season on television. Rudolph is snubbed because of his red nose, he falls in love with Clarice, and Hermey the elf wants to be a dentist. Rudolph and Hermey run away and end up at the Island for Misfit Toys where the King tasks Rudolph with finding good homes for them all. They run into the snow monster and meet Yukon Cornelius who saves the day. It is a beloved story in a clipped, fast-paced telling for children who are ready to read a bit on their own but may need assistance with some more difficult words and pronunciations. This will be a good addition to Christmas beginner reader shelves of all kinds.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Depkin, Kristen
Illustrator: Karl, Linda
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Square Fish/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781250050489
Price: 3.99
Trust Me, I'm lying
Trust Me, I'm lying
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 10, 2014
Review
Julep Dupree is a sophomore in high school and she is a swindler, a con artist, if you will, following in her father's footsteps. Her mother abandoned them years ago and she has lived with her father since. She makes money for her tuition at a posh high school by running small time cons for her fellow students. Her latest moneymaking scheme is providing them with fake I.Ds at $100 a pop. She has an elaborate email and drop box set-up to accomplish all of these deceptions. She has a close guy friend and has recently acquired another friend who is the hottest boy at the school. Go figure. Is he trustworthy? Her father disappears, as he has in the past, but this time she fears he is dead and things transpire whereupon she discovers that he was inadvertently involved with the mob. This is all a bit unbelievable but it makes for a good mystery that some YA will enjoy. There is a little romance involved to add a dash of spice.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Summer, Mary Elizabeth
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: mystery
Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9780385744065
Price: 17.99
One-Eyed Doll
One-Eyed Doll
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 8, 2015
Review
This is a tale about a one-eyed doll that is found buried in a box behind a falling down house in town referred to as "that old place." All the children in town have been warned to stay away from there, but Malik's little sister Tiana, whom he is supposed to look out for, hears an odd voice calling to her from behind that house saying "Let me out." She finds the box in the earth, and it is locked and nailed shut and very hard to open. Within is a one-eyed doll that Tiana instantly loves, but the doll, which she names Selena, is not at all what she seems. Malik finds himself in an unenviable position and he must figure out how to put things to rights. The illustrations are shades of black, white, and gray and the text is decidedly frightening. There is rain, thunder, lightning, creaking and, of course, the kids have a black cat named Midnight with extraordinary senses of his own. Some children might find this story a bit too scary, but some will relish every moment.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Prellier, James
Illustrator: Bruno, Iacopo
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,mystery,horror
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: other
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781250040954
Price: 5.99
Druthers
Druthers
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 28, 2015
Review
It is pouring outside and little Penelope is bored. Dad asks what she would like to do if given her druthers. Everything that Penelope dreams up, Dad tries to make as real as possible within the confines of the house by acting like a monkey at the zoo,imitating a cowboy and donning the appropriate clothes and eyepatch to play a pirate, as Penelope chooses several things she would rather be doing instead of being stuck indoors. The ink and watercolor illustrations are spot on and alternate between depictions of Penelope's imagined adventures and the inside of the house as it becomes more and more cluttered with toys as Dad tries to bring Penelope's druthers to fruition. In the end Penelope is not nearly so saddened by the rain outside because Dad has turned out to be a wonderful playmate. With lots of white space, minimal text, and illustrations that make the reader feel warm and fuzzy, this is a perfect example of a positive and energetic father-daughter relationship.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Phelan, Matt
Illustrator: Phelan, Matt
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763659554
Price: 15.99
This Book Just Ate My Dog!
This Book Just Ate My Dog!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 28, 2015
Review
Bella is taking her dog for a walk. She is on the right hand page and her dog is on the left-hand page. As her dog reaches the middle of the two pages, he disappears. The book ate her dog! When her friend Ben comes along, the same happens to him. The dog rescue vehicle arrives, the police car arrives, the fire truck arrives and...poof. When Bella disappears into the fold to investigate, there is a loud burp...Suddenly, a note appears asking the reader to please turn the book and shake it in order to try to get all the lost items to reappear. Will it work and will everything get back to normal? Hmmm...we will see. With tons of white space, the use of lots of reds and blues in its cartoon-like illustrations, which draws readers' eyes to the action taking place, the humor and inventiveness of this selection makes it a great choice for picture book shelves. This is an interactive book that children will ask for again and again.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Byrne, Richard
Illustrator: Byrne, Richard
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781627790710
Price: 16.99
My Blue Bunny Bubbit
My Blue Bunny Bubbit
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 29, 2015
Review
This is a tale about a little girl and her soft, stuffed bunny Bubbit. Grandma Nonni made Bubbit when the little girl was tiny and Bubbit has been her best friend ever since. When a new baby brother arrives , the little girl decides that she and Nonni must make him a stuffed best friend and the project is underway. Nonni is an excellent seamstress and the little girl, listening to Bubbit's suggestions, and making use of her very own sewing box, helps her Grandma to choose what the little animal should be (an elephant) and that it should be yellow. The illustrations are busy, colorful and makes one want to take up scissors, fabric and thread and begin a project of one's own. There is a lot of text for a picture book and the text is not particularly conducive to prompting kids to try to read this choice themselves, as the font is quite small and black. However, this is still a good choice for little ones expecting siblings and children interested in crafts such as sewing and the like.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Smith, Maggie
Illustrator: Smith, Maggie
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780547558615
Price: 16.99
Rupert Can Dance
Rupert Can Dance
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 29, 2015
Review
Rupert loves to watch his mistress, Mandy, dance, which she does pretty much every waking hour. When Mandy finally goes to sleep, Mandy slips into her dancing shoes and dances quietly all night. It is his secret until Mandy wakes up one night and catches him. This makes his dancing absolutely no fun anymore because, as everyone knows, cats love secrets and now he has been found out. He hides and it seems that he will never dance again. Will Mandy be able to somehow coax Rupert into dancing again? The illustrations are such that one can feel the action of the dancing and the expressions on Mandy's and Rupert's faces are perfect. This will make a good addition to any collection for youngsters that enjoy dancing and/or cats.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Feiffer, Jules
Illustrator: Feiffer, Jules
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Michael di Capua Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374363635
Price: 17.95
Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover
Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 30, 2015
Review
Amelia and her doll, Princes Sparkle-Heart are inseparable, spending all their time together having tea parties, attending weddings and keeping secrets. Amelia's dog is plenty jealous and is shown growling on nearly every page. When Amelia's doggy has finally had enough, Princess Sparkle-Heart had better watch out. The Princess ends up in shreds and Mom must come to the rescue with her sewing box, buttons and fabric. This is a good example for children that most things can be repaired with a little imagination and effort and that there is plenty of love to go around for everyone, dolls and dogs included. The illustrations are unusual and edgy and complement the text very well.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Schneider, Josh
Illustrator: Schneider, Josh
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544142282
Price: 16.99
Dinosaur Parade
Dinosaur Parade
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 31, 2015
Review
This is an ideal book for the youngest picture book enthusiasts. It is all about dinosaurs. In fact, there is a dinosaur parade taking place. With rhyming text, colorful illustrations employing bold, broad strokes geared toward children aged 2 - 5, and endpapers depicting many different dinosaurs, the pronunciation of their names and interesting information about each one, this initiation to all things dinosaur is a good choice for children fascinated by dinosaurs. The love of dinosaurs, reptiles and the ilk seems ever ongoing and young readers seek them out on a regular basis.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Halpern, Shari
Illustrator: Halpern, Shari
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780805092424
Price: 16.99
The Extraordinary Mr. Qwerty
The Extraordinary Mr. Qwerty
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 4, 2015
Review
This is a book about Mr. Qwerty and his far from ordinary ideas. He is of the mind that no one but he has these strange and imaginative ideas and that others think he is weird. He feels alone with his inventiveness and mental acuity. He hides his ideas under his hat but eventually they grow so big that they escape from under his hat and are seen by all. What will happen to Mr. Qwerty's ideas? How will they be perceived? Will others realize that he is actually quite amazing or will Mr. Qwerty's self-perception become reality? Perchance, will he will cease to feel so friendless and odd? The illustrations are in shades of gray, black, and white with minimal use of color, employing some red, blue and orange. The pictures are very busy and will occupy youngsters through several readings and perusals as they notice all of the inventions and oddities scattered throughout the pages in Rube Goldbergesq fashion. The illustrations also portray the ubiquity and prolific nature of Mr. Qwerty's ruminations and concepts. This book will serve to portray to children that all ideas are worth considering and being brought forth for merit.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Strambini, Karla
Illustrator: Strambini, Karla
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763673246
Price: 16.99
How Can I Deal With Bullying? A Book About Respect
How Can I Deal With Bullying? A Book About Respect
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 4, 2015
Review
This is a book about what to do about bullying, whether you are being bullied or witness it taking place. It also explains that bullying can take many different forms; it may be physical, verbal or relational. It lets children know that standing by and doing nothing about bullying around you is not acceptable and suggests simple steps to take to stand up for the one being bullied, employing respect, calm tones, and basic common sense. It demonstrates that telling an adult about bullying is not like snitching or tattling, but is often the smartest step to take in certain situations. This book does not, however, address cyber bullying which I think is a huge problem and should have found a place in this title, even for the young audience it addresses. In this day and age, when bullying is such a tremendous and accelerating issue, sometimes even leading to suicide, cyber bullying should have warranted a segment in this book. Photographs are plentiful and up-to-date which is of utmost importance for prompting children to pick up a book such as this.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Donovan, Sandy
Illustrator: Donovan, Sandy
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Lerner Publications Company
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467713627
Price: 26.60
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 5, 2015
Review
This easy reader re-edition of a Caldecott Honor book first published in 1969 in a picture book format will be much enjoyed by a new audience of early readers. Alexander is a little mouse who feels much maligned. When he meets a wind-up mouse named Willy whom is beloved and pampered, he thinks perhaps the grass is greener on the other side of the arched mouse-hole door. When he finds that there might be a magical way to turn himself into a wind-up mouse, the thought is very appealing. He is waiting for the requisite full moon to make the transition when Willy's circumstances change and not for the better. What will happen next? The illustrations are glorious, employing collage with lots of colors and patterns and that demonstrate the surroundings from the point of view of tiny mice. The twist on the fable may take a few readings to sink in for little ones, but this is a great story for the targeted beginner readers ages 6 to 9 and I recommend it without reserve.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Lionni, Leo
Illustrator: Lionni, Leo
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385755511
Price: 3.99
Gobble Gobble, Tucker!
Gobble Gobble, Tucker!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 5, 2015
Review
This is a board book about Thanksgiving from a little dog named Tucker's point of view. He smells the wonderful aromas of special foods cooking and can't wait for all the good eats. To make things even better, his cousin dogs Tiger and Murphy come over for the day, too. Romping and begging ensue, though the dogs begin to wonder if they will ever get their dinners. The colors used in this sturdy book are bright and the illustrations are very simple and appealing. The text, however, is black and plain with quite small font. This will definitely be a read aloud for the toddlers and not one that the older kids aged 5 or so will be drawn to learn the words to. All in all though, this should be considered for a holiday choice.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
McGuirk, Leslie
Illustrator: McGuirk, Leslie
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763668877
Price: 7.99
Cold Calls
Cold Calls
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: February 7, 2015
Review
The premise of this story is not really believable. Three teenagers from three different schools are blackmailed by text and email into bullying certain chosen kids in their schools. The blackmailer has information on each student that would cause themselves and others great disgust and disgrace if revealed. So, the teenagers are forced into bullying, which goes against their natures and has repercussions. When they meet in a required bullying weekend class and find what they have in common, they band together to find out who the culprit is behind the blackmail before time runs out. It was only okay and it did deal with cyber-bullying via blackmail but it didn't hold my attention very well.
Overall Book Score: poor
About the Book
Author:
Benoit, Charles
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: mystery
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544239500
Price: 17.99
It's Perfectly Normal
It's Perfectly Normal
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 7, 2015
Review
This update of the acclaimed title covers questions and issues around growing up, our bodies as they change in puberty, sex and keeping oneself healthy and safe as pertains to our bodies and sexual choices. There is not a single topic that is not explained and illustrated, at least not that I can imagine. Some of the additional issues in this update include internet safety, sexual abuse, and LGBT issues, HIV and AIDS, as well as emergency contraception. There are some ares which parents or others might object to, such as the segment on LGBT and the fact that some people disapprove of LGBT people and that "These people's views are based on fears and misinformation, not on facts." Certain religious groups, particularly, may find this statement offensive, short-sighted or false. Another downside to this book are the illustrations which appear very dated. One picture includes a boom box, which young people nowadays will wonder at. The anatomically correct illustrations are great, I believe, and the cartoon-strips are amusing and illuminating. There are a cartoon bird and a bee throughout the book making comments which are entertaining and allow children to realize that they need not feel grossed out about these issues. All in all, this will be a great addition to shelves and will help young people deal with their inquiries and receive mostly correct information.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Harris, Robie
Illustrator: Emberley, Michael
Illustration Quality: poor
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763668723
Price: 12.99
Ful and Less, Er and Ness
Ful and Less, Er and Ness
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 7, 2015
Review
This addition to the Words are CATegorical series deals with suffixes. What are they? What do they mean? In humorous rhyming fashion and with charming, colorful, active, comical feline illustrations, this book will teach children about suffixes and what they mean and how to identify them. The suffixe letters are presented in color to make them pop and to visually reinforce and instruct the reader on the topic. This is definitely a book to consider for your 7 - 11 year old learners and will be a good addition to your shelves, private or public.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cleary, Brian
Illustrator: Boneau, Martin
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467706100
Price: 16.95
Superlove
Superlove
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 19, 2015
Review
One morning a little girl gets up and decides that for today her name will be Superlove and she will plan and perform a beautiful wedding for Pinky, her cat and her stuffed dog, Mr. Mittens. She will also be the flower girl, which is a most important part. She eats heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, finds appropriate clothes for the occasion, decorates outdoors and even builds an arbor under which the bride and groom will stand. Pinky, however, has different ideas about this marriage business and climbs up a tree and remains there. All manner of temptations are employed to change Pinky's mind but to no avail. Will Mom come to the rescue when she finds that "Pinky is ruining everything?"
The illustrations complement the text and are colorful and expressive. The endpapers are a beautiful pink wallpaper-like pattern and the cover is extremely appealing with a pattern, once again, reminiscent of old-fashioned wallpaper in shades of blue. Additionally,there are just the right amount of pink sparkles. Little girls who enjoy Fancy Nancy and all things sparkly will be entranced by this selection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Harper, Charise Mericle
Illustrator: Chambers, Mark
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780375869235
Price: 16.99
Two Tough Crocs
Two Tough Crocs
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 19, 2015
Review
Being crocodiles, Sylvester and Arnold are the bullies of their swamp. They both are tough and mean, picking on small animals just for fun and wearing scary faces all the time. They share the same swamp but have never met. One day they literally run into one another and the battle begins. Enter Betty the Bad, a huge, ugly, scary crocodile who wants to take over the whole swamp. Sylvester and Arnold inadvertently join forces to drive Betty out of their swamp. In the end, though, they befriend her and all is well.
The pastel illustrations are somewhat scary, the crocodiles sport lots of frightening teeth and menacing frowns but they turn those frowns upside-down and decide friendship is the way to go. The lesson here is that banding together anything can be accomplished. Boys especially will enjoy this crocodile-themed choice.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Bedford, David
Illustrator: Jellett, Tom
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823430482
Price: 16.95
Queen on Wednesday
Queen on Wednesday
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 20, 2015
Review
Thelma is bored on Wednesday and decides to appoint herself a queen. She makes the announcement,appoints royal pets, has a royal photograph taken and then finds that there are lots and lots of things that need to be done when one is a monarch; she needs assistants, a carriage, a castle, an animal trainer, a maid,a cook, electrician, veterinarian, plumber, nurse and the list just keeps growing. It is all very tedious and time-consuming. Will she abdicate her throne? Is it all just too much?
The illustrations are reminiscent of the Victorian era and remind one a big of the unusual pictures of Monty Python fame. These, perhaps, will be a bit lost on children and will appeal more to adults, but make for a welcome change. The text is also most unusual with varied sizing and placement. Children looking for something different will be drawn to this selection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Swiatkowska, Gabi
Illustrator: Swiatkowska, Gabi
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374374464
Price: 17.99
Leopardpox!
Leopardpox!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 21, 2015
Review
Little Sadie does not think she will make it to kindergarten today. She feels funny. No sore throat, tummy ache or rash, just funny. When a cough turns into a roar, her nails grow into claws, and she sprouts spotted fur, it becomes apparent. She has leopardpox. Mom does not know what to do, but her three boys have some ideas. What about the doctor? When that fails, they try a veterinarian, then the zoo. Nothing works out. Mom must go with her instincts on this one. Will Sadie ever return to herself? The illustrations put one in mind of those of Curious George fame. This story is best read by Mom for the younger end of the targeted audience, as it is plentiful. It also explains more about the action than the pictures portray. The older children for whom this book is intended should be able to handle the text.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Landau, Orna
Illustrator: Hoffmann, Omer
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544290013
Price: 16.99
Three Little Words
Three Little Words
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public LibraryN, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 21, 2015
Review
Through rhyming text and adorable illustrations, little ones will be entertained and delighted with this story, while learning about feelings and emotions. When no one seems to care about you, when you are losing every race, when others are grumpy to you or when monsters disturb your dreams, all can be remedied with three little words, "I love you." The end of the book touches on the fact that every one of us can help others to overcome shyness, blue moods, thoughts of scary monsters and other negative emotions by empathizing with them, including them in playtime, and offering the three little words to make them feel better. The pictures complement the text well and depict the furry and lovable forest animal families declaring their love for one another and will encourage lots of hugs and kisses. The lines of text declaring "I love you" and "Three little words" are in colors that make them pop off the page. This will make for a good readaloud and little ones can be prompted to say those three little words along with the reader.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Pearce, Clemency
Illustrator: Beardshaw, Rosalind
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385370011
Price: 12.99
Animals Work
Animals Work
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 25, 2015
Review
This book is about working animals. Each two page spread has minimal words to describe what certain animals do; horses carry, dogs herd, donkeys pull, etc. The most stunning part of this book, though, are the gorgeous illustrations that are simply works of art. Each two-page spread shows the animal in its environment from Egypt, to Norway, India, Egypt and Ireland, etc. At the end of the book is a world map which indicates where the author encountered these animals. This will be informative and fun for the youngsters to peruse. The illustrations depict the interaction between working animals and people and the last page shows that not only do animals accomplish many things for us but we do for our animals in return. This book will be appreciated by the youngest readers but older readers will, perhaps, appreciate the illustrations most of all.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Lewin, Ted
Illustrator: Lewin, Ted
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823430406
Price: 14.95
Ping Wants to Play
Ping Wants to Play
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 25, 2015
Review
This extremely simple book will appeal to the picture book set. The story about Ping and Pong, dogs who live right next door to one another and enjoy walking and eating together is precious, but they sometimes want to do completely different things. Ping wants to run, jump, play, even fly whereas Pong wants to nap. When Ping orchestrates an acrobatic trick, running up a sloped board, bouncing off a trampoline and flying through the air, all goes quite well, until he needs to land! Will Pong help him out? The illustrations are very childlike, colorful and flat, and complement the text quite well. The youngest picture book enthusiasts will relate to the simple pictures in this offering.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Gudeon, Adam
Illustrator: Gudeon, Adam
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823428540
Price: 14.95
Little Bubba Looks for His Elephant
Little Bubba Looks for His Elephant
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, N, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 5, 2015
Review
This boardbook for toddlers is delightful. Little Bubba is a frog and he has lost his little stuffed elephant, Elly. He is looking all over for her at preschool; in the toy kitchen, in the painting area, in the playhouse, but each place hides other animals but no elephant. The tiny tabs are extremely sturdy and will last for a long time, even within a public library. This will be a good addition to the boardbook collection and the children will delight in making the varied animals pop out of their hideaways.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Nosy Crow Limited, Nosy Crow Limited
Illustrator: Ho, Jannie
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763674014
Price: 7.99
Wedgieman and the Big Bunny Trouble
Wedgieman and the Big Bunny Trouble
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 5, 2015
Review
Superheroes are all the rage and Wedgieman fits the bill . Though his true name is Veggieman, he knows enough to realize that kids will love him even more if he is willing to change his name to Wedgieman every now and then. Not only can he fly, lift whole buildings and multiply huge numbers, but he also is willing to make fun of himself by performing self-wedgies. Of course, this alone will delight the targeted audience, but add to that the fact that Bad Dude has built a Powerful Ordinary-Object Phaser that can make things huge or tiny and add the fact that the acronym for this machine is POOP and little ones will be laughing until their stomachs ache. Wedgieman/Veggieman delights children with lots of yummy vegetable treats. One wonders if this superhero series will truly make children think eating vegetables is preferable to sugary snacks, but it is worth a try. Level 3 readers will find this offering both amusing and challenging and one cannot ask for more than that.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Harper, Charise Mericle
Illustrator: Shea, Bob
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780307930736
Price: 3.99
Monkey Me and the Pet Show
Monkey Me and the Pet Show
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 6, 2015
Review
This second in the Monkey Me series is perfect for beginner readers 8 years of age or thereabouts. There are thriteen short chapters that are just the right length and there are amusing black and white illustrations on every page. When Clyde gets really excited, his heart races and his head spins and, finally, he sneezes, and he turns into a monkey. On class picture day he is very excited and, when the picture is taken, there he is as a monkey. The chapters in which Clyde is a monkey are graphic design. The other chapters are text and illustrations. His twin sister Claudia is the only person that knows of his secret and she is always trying to save him from getting into trouble. When Clyde decides to enter himself, in monkey mode, in the local pet show hoping to beat his nemesis,Chopper the bulldog, all the pets start to disappear and Clyde must use his monkey wits to save the day. The clever alternating format of graphic to text will appeal to reluctant readers and, perhaps, get them hooked!
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Roland, Timothy
Illustrator: Roland, Timothy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545559805
Price: 4.99
Huff and Puff Have Too Much Stuff
Huff and Puff Have Too Much Stuff
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 6, 2015
Review
This beginner reader at the shared reading level fits the bill for the targeted age group. Huff and Puff together comprise a train; Huff pulls, Puff pushes. They find that they have way too much stuff that they are carrying and there is way too much huffing and puffing taking place. They even have a difficult time climbing hills. They decide they must get rid of some of their stuff, but what to do, what to do. The bright illustrations are adorable and are much like picture book illustrations so the transition to beginner reader level is gentle. The rhyming text is great for this shared reading level and children will love this selection, especially those that are train lovers. Their vocabulary will be enhanced while, at the same time, they are investigating all that is going on within the illustrations. This is a good addition to easy reader collections.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Rabe, Tish
Illustrator: Guile, Gill
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062305060
Price: 16.99
Anastasia Again!
Anastasia Again!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 24, 2015
Review
Anastasia is twelve and has always lived with her family, Mom, Dad and little brother Sam, in an apartment in Cambridge. Now, suddenly, she is told that they are moving to the suburbs. She is absolutely horrified at this prospect and declares that she will be jumping out of the window as soon as she finishes her chocolate pudding. They live on the first floor so this is hardly worrisome, but this sets the tone for the rest of the story which is extremely amusing, heartwarming, and just down right entertaining. Of course, when they find a house with a tower with a special staircase leading to it and this becomes Anastasia's room, and new friends are made she realizes that things could be worse. Her parents are outstanding and her little brother is 'weird' and the family is altogether refreshing and enviable. This book in the series will be particularly apropos for a young person of about that age having to deal with moving away from the home they know, their worries about making friends and the like. The author manages to get inside the brain of this prepubescent girl masterfully and young readers will be glad that there are many more in this series.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Lowry, Lois
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544336674
Price: 6.99
This Book's Maine Connection: Maine author
The Year of Chasing Dreams
The Year of Chasing Dreams
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 24, 2015
Review
This coming-of-age story is centered around two characters who are best friends, Ciana and Eden. They are living together in Tennessee on Ciana's family farm and all sorts of drama are taking place. Both of them are in love with young men who are far far away, either geographically or emotionally and find themselves having to deal with what their feelings truly are for these young men. Ciana has lost her beloved grandmother and inherited the family farm and is trying to keep it a going concern while a developer is attempting desperately to make her sell to him for a housing development and some people in her small town whom she has known all her life are suddenly against Ciana and terrorizing her at every turn. The story has many unexpected twists and deals with several big issues such as bipolar mental illness, cutting, deaths by suicide and cancer, alcoholism, loved ones in coma,twisters, and grief. The story winds up impressing upon its reader the things in life that are of the most importance and how strong each of us are when the going gets genuinely difficult and challenging. I found myself quite enthralled with this story.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
McDaniel, Lurlene
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,romance,realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12,adult / professional
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385741736
Price: 16.99
Where is Curious George? Around the Town. A Look-and-Find Book.
Where is Curious George? Around the Town. A Look-and-Find Book.
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 28, 2015
Review
This look-and-find offering fits all the criteria to suit its targeted audience. Curious George is the character that the readers seek in these busy, colorful, brilliant pages. The text is rhyming and lends itself to a read-aloud application. Each spread follows George through a busy day; he visits a playground, a fire station, an ice cream shop, a zoo, and eventually arrives home. There are other objects and creatures to look for on each two-page spread. The items are bright and big so even the youngest readers will not become frustrated but will find great joy in locating them. The pages are extremely sturdy and will stand the test of time and innumerable readings. This is definitely a choice to consider for shelves of all kinds.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Platt, Cynthia
Illustrator: Paprocki, Greg
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544380721
Price: 9.99
Astrid the Fly
Astrid the Fly
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 28, 2015
Review
Astrid the fly lives behind the sofa with her Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Ally, 7 cousins, 3 second cousins and 43 brothers and sisters. She has lots of adventures exploring in the house, swimming in the dishwater, watching what's cooking through the 'warm window,' walking in any foodstuffs she can find, and hanging around on the ceiling. However, she is warned about the flyswatter and the vacuum cleaner, referred to as the big bang and the horrible inhaling machine respectively. One of these was probably the fate of Uncle Abe. Yikes! One day she finds herself enclosed in a very dark and frigid place and, luckily but barely, escapes with her life. The illustrations are amusing employing lots of black and white and subtle colors. In the end, one comes away almost (read, almost) thinking twice about using that flyswatter. This is adorable and worthy of consideration for shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Jonsson, Maria
Illustrator: Jonsson, Maria
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780823432004
Price: 16.95
When You Were Born
When You Were Born
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 28, 2015
Review
This book is just plain adorable. It celebrates births of babies of all sorts, from elephants and bears, seals and owls, and so on up to humans. The text is rhyming, spare, and poetic. The illustrations are simple yet sumptuous and the message rings clear and true. Children will come away knowing that, on the day they were born, Mom and Dad rejoiced and felt blessed beyond words. This is a wonderful addition to picture book collections, books about the wonder of birth, and books meant simply to show every child how special and welcomed they were, how precious and unique. Give it a look and you will agree that this is one to strongly consider adding to ones shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dodd, Emma
Illustrator: Dodd, Emma
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Templar Books/Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763674052
Price: 12.99
Everything
Everything
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 28, 2015
Review
This is a beautiful story that celebrates a mother's love for her baby, in this case the mother and baby are koalas. In simple rhyming text, Mom tries to convey to her baby which parts of the baby she loves the best. Of course, that question is not easily answered as Mom loves everything about her baby; her kisses, her cuddles, her antics, her hugs and laughs and her precious little face. The illustrations complement the text perfectly employing lots of shiny colors along with yellows, greens, and blues. Consider this one for your shelves. It's just precious.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dodd, Emma
Illustrator: Dodd, Emma
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Templar Books/Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763671280
Price: 12.99
The Question of Miracles
The Question of Miracles
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 4, 2015
Review
Sixth-grader Iris and her parents have moved from California to Oregon and she is not happy with the change: sunshine to constant rain, home with all the mod cons to old farmhouse, friends and a school she knows to a school where she knows no one and knows not how everything works. The worst thing of all, though, is that Iris's very best friend Sarah has died and she cannot accept that Sarah and her spirit could just suddenly be snuffed out for eternity. The reader is left wondering about the circumstances of Sarah's death until well into the story. When Iris finally makes a new friend and finds out that his birth may actually be considered a medical miracle and sainthood is in the offing for a deceased pope to whom nuns had prayed for his survival, she wonders why Sarah didn't receive a miracle. She also hears strange noises in the closet under the stairs of the farmhouse and thinks that perhaps Sarah's soul and spirit are there. This book delves into Catholicism, psychic ability, an unusual but successful family dynamic, the card game Magic, and all sorts of attempts to contact the dead. This is a good choice for a a middle-school aged child dealing with a death and the questions raised around life after death.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Arnold, Elana
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544334649
Price: 16.99
Alex as Well
Alex as Well
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 5, 2015
Review
This book deals with a fourteen-year old who is struggling with his/her (hs) identity in a big way. Little does he/she(hs) know that hs was born with both female and male anatomy. There is a small penis involved, which hs refers to as a noodle, and ovaries. Hs has been on medication for hs entire life to turn hs toward boyhood, as this was determined the best route by doctors and specialists involved. However, hs now has decided not to take the medication and wants to be female. This is a fascinating and rare topic for a book targeting middle school to high school age readers. Her parents handle it poorly, to say the least and Alex, a nice gender neutral name, has an ongoing two-sided inner dialogue and struggles with understanding whether or not hs is a lesbian, while also having male anatomical reactions to girls h/s finds attractive. This is a good story for young adolescents dealing with identity issues and for anyone who wants to better understand issues of this type, hopefully leading to more open-mindedness and sympathy around the topic.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Brugman, Alyssa
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781627790147
Price: 16.99
Bella the Bunny
Bella the Bunny
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 5, 2015
Review
Bella the fairy bunny has a job in Misty Wood as do all the other creatures that live there. Her's is to open flower buds. When she finds a ladybug hiding in one of the flowers, she has her work cut out for her. Lexi the Ladybug has only one spot and is afraid all the other insects will laugh at her at Misty Wood Insect Sports Day. In this lovely story, Bella helps Lexi to hunt for more spots, to no avail. Through a series of events, Lexi realizes that she is fine just the way that she is. Young readers enamored by Daisy Meadows series featuring fairies and lots of sparkles will find new delight in Fairy Animals of Misty Wood.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Small, Lily
Illustrator: Small, Lily
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781627791427
Price: 5.99
Where Triplets Go, Trouble Follows
Where Triplets Go, Trouble Follows
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 5, 2015
Review
Daisy, Lily, and Violet Divine are triplets but they are not identical in any way. They are all a bit different looking and they enjoy and are talented in different ways. This chapter book is full of adventure and challenges for each of the girls and the redeeming quality of the story is that the family, which includes the girls, their parents and grandparents, all pull together to help one another one and stand beside one another through thick and thin. A new family member changes the dynamic of the group in some negative, but mostly positive ways. Young girls, especially, will enjoy this story and, of course, twins and triples will get a big kick out of it. Sporadic black, gray and white illustrations complement the text.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Poploff, Michelle
Illustrator: Jamieson, Victoria
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Holiday
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823432899
Price: 16.95
Chloe the Kitten
Chloe the Kitten
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 6, 2015
Review
Chloe the Kitten lives in a magical place called Misty Wood. She is a Cobweb Kitten and her job is to sprinkle cobwebs with dewdrops to make them shimmer and shine. All the animals in Misty Wood have jobs that help keep their home forest beautiful and all sport fairy wings. One day Chloe loses her basket in which she carries her dewdrops and adventure ensues. She makes a decision to help a little lost mouse find her way home, risking danger with little thought of herself. This story teaches about helping others and the value of friendship. This series will appeal to lovers of all things fairy and all things sparkly. Devotees of Daisy Meadows' offerings will find this series delightful.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Small, Lily
Illustrator: Small, Lily
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781627791410
Price: 5.99
The Spider Ring
The Spider Ring
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 18, 2015
Review
Maria's grandmother has always been a bit 'out there.' Her past is a mystery and her obsession with spiders is a bit worrisome. She even has a ring shaped like a spider with a hidden compartment. However, when Grandma Esme dies after making some cryptic remarks such as, "The spiders have returned" and "People with gifts like ours must always choose between doing what is right and what is easy. You must promise me that you will do what is right," Maria gradually learns about Grandma's past and what powers she has inherited when she inherits from Grandma through the spider ring and that her newfound power can lead to big trouble. Young readers enamored of all things 'special powers' will enjoy this book, but anyone with any level of arachnophobia should stay away.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Harwell, Andrew
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy,science fiction,mystery
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545682909
Price: 16.99
Flowers Are Calling
Flowers Are Calling
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 18, 2015
Review
This is a lovely book fashioned like a picture book but it is truly a juvenile non-fiction offering which will also appeal to adults. In rhyming fashion, the synchronicity between insects and flowers is explored. Readers will learn that flowers are adapted, some even using sound, to entice the insects it requires to pollinate and help flowers to continue flourishing. Insects and flowers are dependent upon one another. There are fascinating facts throughout this book. The font is quite small, more suited to adult readers than juveniles. However, the most outstanding thing about this book are the pictures, which are absolutely stunning and depict flowers and insects in such a fashion as one expects to hear the sounds of the insects and smell the scents of the flowers. This would be perfect for a young student needing to do a report on flowers, insects and/or pollination and the like.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Gray, Rita
Illustrator: Pak, Kenard
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544340121
Price: 16.99
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 23, 2015
Review
Grief is a terrible thing and this book handles grief in a way that anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to. Lex's life is split into before and after; before her younger brother Tyler committed suicide and after. Her father has left the family for a woman half is age, Mom has been waiting for him to come to his senses and return, and Tyler has begged his father to come back when the horrific happens. Lex is a senior in high school in their small Nebraska town, handling first love and overwhelming guilt, now, that she missed a chance to save her brother. Her mother is pretty much having a nervous breakdown and Lex feels she must take care of her. She is holding everything in and it is taking its toll on her sanity and her private life. I highly recommend this book for young adult readers and adults alike as it speaks to myriad questions about life and death, guilt and grief about suicide in particular, and the fact that Lex matures by the end of this tale is uplifting and commendable. What more can I say? Read it.
CREAM OF THE CROP POSSIBILITY.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Hand, Cynthia
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062318473
Price: 17.99
Families, Families, Families!
Families, Families, Families!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 25, 2015
Review
This picture book employs rhyming text to celebrate all the different kinds of non-traditional families that one can imagine. There are families with two dads, one mom, lots of siblings, families with one child, children living with grandparents or aunts, a family with step-siblings, with married parents and unmarried parents, and so forth. This book will make children realize that whatever their family might look like, as longs as there is love there, it constitutes a family. The illustrations are amusing, featuring all sorts of animals and sea creatures shown in picture frames inferring that these are family photographs. The text is humorous and will have the little ones giggling. This is a good choice for any bookshelf seeking an option about diversity, acceptance and inclusiveness.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Lang, Suzanne
Illustrator: Lang, Max
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Random Housse
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553499384
Price: 16.99
Mission: New Baby
Mission: New Baby
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 25, 2015
Review
A top-secret mission is underway. Little ones preparing for new siblings will be asked if they wish to undertake this secret-agent course in order to be able to train the newest recruit. A robot follows along while the older brother or sister learns what his or her tasks will be when the new baby arrives. In a very humorous fashion, the older sibling will come to realize how vitally important he is and how invaluable he will be in helping the new arrival to learn the ropes; how to play games, how to crack codes, how to crawl, and even how to sneak cookies from the cookie jar. The illustrations are busy, colorful and complement the text perfectly. This is definitely a book to consider for the bookshelves of all little ones, especially those preparing for a new member of the family.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Hood, Susan
Illustrator: Lundquist, Mary
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385376723
Price: 16.99
Grace
Grace
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 25, 2015
Review
Grace dreams of being a dancer, but she does not live up to her name. The other little dancers advise her to give up. She is sad. She decides to draw a picture to cheer herself up and that seems to work. She actually ends up making set designs for the dances. The only thing about this story that seems unsatisfactory to me is the ending, which feels way too abrupt. That said, the illustrations are busy and complementary to the text and any little dancers or those interested in drawing will find this appealing.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Parkinson, Kate
Illustrator: Parkinson, Kate
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823432073
Price: 14.95
How to Catch a Mouse
How to Catch a Mouse
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 25, 2015
Review
Clemmie is a cat who believes that she is great at catching mice. She has studied up on the techniques needed to accomplish just such a feat. She believes that because she has never actually seen a live mouse, it must be because she is so scary that no mouse would dare infest her home. We soon see, however, that there is a mouse quite near to Clemmie at every turn and Clemmie is simply not seeing her. The mouse dons hilarious disguises that include sock hats, big eyes and glasses a la Groucho Marx, and a fake tail that looks like a tutu. The illustrations are done in soft palettes and there is lots of white space. The text is quite small so this might be best as a read-aloud. The expressive illustrations and text jibe with one another. This is altogether a pleasant, amusing read and should be seriously considered for one's shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Leathers, Philippa
Illustrator: Leathers, Philippa
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763669126
Price: 15.99
Before The Bell
Before The Bell
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 26, 2015
Review
Gabby, Lainey, Kate and Mia visit Pixie Hollow as often as possible. It is a magic fairyland that they access through the back of Gabby's closet. Of course, children are the only ones that can see fairies, though some adults that still believe can see them, too. Gabby is going to her first day of school, and, inadvertently, Spinner, a story-talent fairy, hitches a ride in her backpack hoping to witness a storytime. Of course, havoc ensues, wings are bent, Spinner is fairy-napped and Gabby's friends must come to the rescue. Young readers who like Daisy Meadows' series will find this series enchanting.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Thorpe, Kiki
Illustrator: Christy, Jana
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Stepping Stone Book/Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780736433044
Price: 5.99
Can You Say it, Too? Quack! Quack!
Can You Say it, Too? Quack! Quack!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 30, 2015
Review
This is a board book for the very youngest child. There are five beautiful page spreads which will teach children what sounds different insects and little creatures make. The illustrations are spot-on, bright, colorful and appealing. There are big, sturdy flaps that little fingers can work at flipping. This said, this option might not be good for libraries as it might not stand up well to industrious little fingers.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Braun, Sebastian
Illustrator: Braun, Sebastian
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763675899
Price: 8.99
Cutie Pie Looks For The Easter Bunny
Cutie Pie Looks For The Easter Bunny
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public LibraryN, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 30, 2015
Review
This Tiny Tab book does all it is meant to do. Little ones will love sliding the sturdy tabs up, down, or sideways to reveal different animals and critters that have triumphed in finding Easter eggs in hidden places. Can the tiny reader find Easter eggs before the book ends? The illustrations are very colorful and the tabs are extremely sturdy, so this tab offering will withstand lots of love and use. I recommend this choice.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Ho, Jannie
Illustrator: Ho, Jannie
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763675998
Price: 7.99
So Cozy
So Cozy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 30, 2015
Review
Dog is headed for his comfy, cozy bed and wants to take a nap. However, lots of other animals start appearing who think that the bed looks mighty cozy, too, and they all pile on in. Dog is not pleased. Along comes one last little creature wishing to join in with the cozy bunch, but this addition is certainly not welcomed at all and havoc ensues. Will Dog ever get his cozy bed back to himself? The illustrations are soothing, colorful and restful and the text font is very big, perfect for a read aloud selection for the PreK set. I recommend this choice for picture book shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Korda, Lerryn
Illustrator: Korda, Lerryn
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763673734
Price: 15.99
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 30, 2015
Review
It's February 2nd and therefore it is Groundhog's Day and Phil will be wakened from his sleep and brought out into the light of day to predict whether or not there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Will he see his shadow? It is a cloudy, gray day but when a photographer takes a picture and Phil sees his shadow, then what will that mean? The illustrations are expressive and Phil is especially adorable. The text is in a big font making it spot-on for Level 1 readers at whom this book is aimed. Beginner readers' shelves everywhere could benefit from this addition.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Lewin, Betsy
Illustrator: Lewin, Betsy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545799683
Price: 3.99
Infandous
Infandous
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: July 24, 2015
Review
17-year-old Sephora is attending summer school for mathematics as she prepares for senior year. Her mother is drop-dead gorgeous, a former model, and a single parent. They share an extremely tight bond. Dad was never on the scene and Sephora is the reason that her Mom was disowned by her family, lost her modeling career and lives in comparative poverty in Venice Beach. Mom is not a typical mother, believes in sex for fun and is not what one would consider a good role model for a young girl. Sephora turns junk into sometimes violent art, enjoys surfing, and compares her life with fairytales more Grimm than Disneyesque. Intermittent chapters of fairytales relate to Sephora and her mother's relationship. She has a disturbing sexual secret which provides an unexpected twist toward the end of the story. This book is definitely for older young adult readers as it speaks of rape, drugs, and drinking and reveals stark harsh truths that some might find distressing.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Arnold, Elana
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: carolrhoda
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467738491
Price: 18.99
Home Tweet Home
Home Tweet Home
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: July 24, 2015
Review
10 cave swallows in one small nest just isn't working out, so the biggest siblings, Pippi and Burt, decide to take off and look for better, roomier accommodations. They see various places that look appealing, but upon further investigation they find that a turtle's back is too hard, a cat moves too fast, and an alligator's spine is too pointy and uncomfortable and on and on to other creatures. Why they don't search for more reasonable places like a treetop or such, I do not know. In any case, in the end they decide home tweet home is not so bad after all and happily return to the familial nest. The siblings all have amusing names but the illustrations are the best part of this offering. The birds appear daubed with various dollops of color, the animals are all colorful and expressive and the illustrator employs lots of white space. This will appeal to children with lots of siblings who sometimes wish they were an only child!
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dicmas, Courtney
Illustrator: Dicmas, Courtney
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385385350
Price: 16.99
Winnie & Waldorf
Winnie & Waldorf
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: July 24, 2015
Review
Winnie and her dog Waldorf are the very best of friends. They do everything together. Waldorf is extremely well behaved. Sister Sara's room, which is strictly out-of-bounds to all, is just too tempting to Winnie so she and Waldorf go into Sara's room to play. Who is getting whom into trouble, you wonder. Judging by the expression on Winnie's face when entering Sara's room, it is Winnie leading Waldorf astray. When Waldorf damages Sara's special violin on the day of her highly anticipated concert, there are thoughts of replacing Waldorf with a cat. Yikes! Somehow, Winnie and Waldorf have to figure out how to put things to rights. The illustrations are very appealing, soft, busy and complement the text wonderfully. This is a good choice for little ones with siblings and/or pets. Give it look see.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Hites, Kati
Illustrator: Hites, Kati
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Haarper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062311610
Price: 17.99
Room For Bear
Room For Bear
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: July 24, 2015
Review
When Bear wakes up from hibernation and is looking for a place to live, he visits five ducks and he just never leaves. However, living conditions are not optimal as Bear is huge and the ducks and, well, ducks. They make a decision and all set out in search of an ideal home. The places that are just right for Bear are not at all right for the duck family and the choices the duck family find perfect are just not right for Bear. So, they go back to the duck abode and Bear decides to leave for good. They all miss one another and a compromise must be made. Will a solution be found? The illustrations, done in pencil and watercolor, are spot on and children will be amused by all the fun things that Bear and the ducks enjoy: listening to music through headphones, Bear floating on his back with a little duck with floaties on his arms riding on his belly, and reading group time when hankies are needed as they are reading Eat, Quack, Love. Children in unusual families will relate to the compromises Bear and the ducks make in order to keep the family together and happy.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Gavin, Ciara
Illustrator: Gavin, Ciara
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385754736
Price: 16.99
The Disappearance of Emily H.
The Disappearance of Emily H.
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: July 30, 2015
Review
Raine is entering the 8th grade and, once again, she is at a new school. She finds, as usual, a really mean girl at her school who loves to trod on anyone not part of her adoring clique. Raine discovers that she and her Mom are renting a house recently the home of a girl her own age named Emily Huvar who disappeared a few months before they moved in. Some assume she is dead. Everyone but Raine's Mom is unaware that Raine has an amazing talent she got from your grandmother...she can grab sparkles from people or objects and, usually, see a memory attached to the sparkle. Raine sets out to find out what happened to Emily H. and to make the mean girl pay for her actions toward Emily H. and Raine's only new friend, Shirlee. This story incorporates Raine's unusual talent, the ubiquitous mean girl of middle schools everywhere, and social media to solve a mystery and give mean girls their due. This is a nice change from vampires, werewolves, myriad teenage talents galore and dystopian societies. Consider this for tween collections.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Summy, Barrie
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy,mystery
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385739436
Price: 16.99
Queen of The Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story
Queen of The Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 4, 2015
Review
In 1900, young Lizzie Murphy was a natural at baseball and fought to become the first female to play on a major league level. When still quite young, she had to fight many obstacles to get on a semi-pro team, among them the assumption that girls simply could not play baseball, that they were not physically able to 'keep up with the boys' and the manager's hesitation to pay her as the other players were paid. He assumed she would quit and would not wish to make baseball her job. Additionally, her mother feared that playing baseball would preclude her from ever getting married. Well, Lizzie would not take no for an answer and ended up playing professional baseball for seventeen years and she also got married. This will make a good choice for children in their first years of elementary school who are searching for a biography for a report. This is a simple telling of Murphy's struggles to do what she loved and to be recognized for her athletic talent no matter that she was a woman. The illustrations are true to the era in which this story transpired and complement the text well. An author's note at the end of the book offers further interesting information about Lizzie and a picture of her in her baseball uniform.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
McCully, Emily Arnold
Illustrator: McCully, Emily Arnold
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book nonfiction
Genre: biography / autobiography
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374300074
Price: 17.99
Pat-a-Cake Baby
Pat-a-Cake Baby
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 4, 2015
Review
Initially, the sparkly cover of this book drew me in. The illustrations are also quite good. The big drawback to this title is that the text reads extremely poorly. It does not lend itself to a smooth readaloud experience, is jumpy and nonsensical in the extreme. Cookie baby, Jelly baby, Candy baby? This simply does not appeal. Do not waste your time.
Overall Book Score: poor
About the Book
Author:
Dunbar, Joyce
Illustrator: Dunbar, Polly
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763675776
Price: 15.99
Just Itzy
Just Itzy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 4, 2015
Review
Itzy the spider is getting ready for his first day of spindergarten. He is very excited except for one thing: his nickname. Everyone calls him Itzy Bitzy and he absolutely hates this demeaning sobriquet. He also wants to be able to catch his own lunch instead of bringing a lunch box, so he purposely leaves what his mother packed for him behind, determined to prove that he should not be referred to as Itzy Bitzy anymore, for all to see that he is now a big spider. His teacher tells the students to find a good place to build a web and to 'keep your eye on the fly.' Of course, things do not go well; he is thwarted at every turn. Firstly, someone sitting on a tuffet scares away a yummy looking fly, then an old woman swallows a fly, then he has problems with a waterspout. Follow the theme here? The illustrations employ pastels, ink, and pencil to lovely and amusing effect. This makes a good readaloud, though the font could be somewhat bigger and more colorful.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Krumwiede, Lana
Illustrator: Pizzoli, Greg
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763658113
Price: 15.99
Clark the Shark: Tooth Trouble
Clark the Shark: Tooth Trouble
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 14, 2015
Review
When Clark the Shark gets whacked in the mouth while playing reef soccer, he has to make his first trip to the dentist. He has a wobbly tooth that needs attention. Clark the Shark doesn't even know what a dentist is and when he finds out he is frightened. How will it go? Will it hurt? Are dentists really scary and mean as Billy-Ray Ray tells him? Children who are trepidatious about visiting the dentist will be soothed by this adorable story with its amusing and expressive illustrations. Amazing shark tooth facts are included at the end of the book. Consider adding this one to your beginner reader collection.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Hale, Bruce
Illustrator: Francis, Guy
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062279088
Price: 16.99
Freckleface Strawberry Backpacks!
Freckleface Strawberry Backpacks!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 28, 2015
Review
Seven-year old friends Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick both take backpacks to school. They each have something in their backpacks which should not be there. When they realize that their messiness is being perceived as extra effort on their homework, they must decide whether or not to tell their teacher the truth about what has transpired. This 3-chapter offering addresses following rules and coming clean with the truth when it is called for. The short sentences and basic vocabulary are fitting for the targeted readers and the illustrations are expressive, complementing the text well. The last page leaves one wondering, however, whether or not Freckleface Strawberry has learned a lesson as well as might be wished.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Moore, Julianne
Illustrator: Pham, LeUyen
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385391948
Price: 3.99
Freckleface Strawberry Lunch, or What's That?
Freckleface Strawberry Lunch, or What's That?
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 28, 2015
Review
Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick are the best of seven-year old friends. They love to eat lunch but rarely eat in the cafeteria. One day they choose to eat in the lunchroom and Freckleface Strawberry gets in the lunch line and ends up with something to eat but no one quite knows what it actually is. What will transpire in this predicament? With short and repetitive sentences, and mildly challenging vocabulary for preschoolers through grade 1 readers, this is a good choice. The illustrations are big and bold and complement the text which is also an appropriately sized font.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Moore, Julianne
Illustrator: Pham, LeUyen
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385391917
Price: 3.99
Buster the Very Shy Dog Finds a Kitten.
Buster the Very Shy Dog Finds a Kitten.
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: October 28, 2015
Review
This beginner level reader is meant for newly independent readers in grades 1-3. There are some relatively short sentences along with longer sentences to challenge the targeted audience. Buster discovers a kitten under the porch and, finding she has not home, decides to take her under his wing and introduces her to various animal family members who are not amused. In the second short story, the new kitten is introduced to the dog next door. The names of the dogs and the cats are confusing at first reading. A young reader would have to read this more than one time, I believe, in order to get the animals' names straight. The action seems fragmented and does not flow in a pleasant fashion. The illustrations are fair and relate what the text is divulging to the reader, but this would not be one I would especially recommend.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Bechtold, Lisze
Illustrator: Bechtold, Lisze
Illustration Quality: fair
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544336056
Price: 3.99
Monkey and Elephant and a Secret Birthday Surprise
Monkey and Elephant and a Secret Birthday Surprise
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 28, 2015
Review
Close friends Monkey and Elephant each have secrets. Unfortunately, after Monkey tells Elephant his secret (that today is his birthday) and asks Elephant not to tell, it is too late. Sadly, Elephant's secret is that she cannot keep a secret. Can she keep this secret for just one day? One doubts that it will be possible. In three amusing chapters, the secret comes out and an It's-not-my-birthday party is planned. The illustrations are especially appealing, extremely colorful, and exceptional overall. The appropriately sized font and illustrations complement one another very well. This is a choice I would recommend for bookshelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Schaefer, Carole Lexa
Illustrator: Bernstein, Galia
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763661311
Price: 14.99
Kayla the Pottery Fairy
Kayla the Pottery Fairy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 18, 2015
Review
Friends Rachel and Kirsty are going on vacation on Rainspell Island where an arts and crafts week is taking place. Not surprisingly, the fairies of the island are having their own arts and crafts week at the same time. When the girls are magically transported to Fairyland, Jack Frost and his goblins are wreaking havoc, stealing the fairies' beautiful pots. Not only will Rachel and Kirsty have to save the day in Fairyland but they will also have to save the day for Rainspell Island's pottery instructor Madeleine Potts. The black and white illustrations complement the text and who wouldn't like to be miniaturized into a tiny fairy with wings? Little girls who adore the other Daisy Meadows offerings will enjoy this offering.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Meadows, Daisy
Illustrator: Meadows, Daisy
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545708296
Price: 4.99
Welcome to Moldy Manor
Welcome to Moldy Manor
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 18, 2015
Review
Geronimo Stilton is a generous mouse and on his birthday he is wheedled into becoming more generous than he can afford to be. Suddenly he has no money at all. Grandfather Shortpaws sends him to Uncle Stingysnout's home at Moldy Manor to learn how to save money, but the class seems to be more about how to be stingy than how to manage your money wisely. Isn't there a way to be a saver while being a big generous at the same time? Geronimo must make it through this class, however, in order to save the family newspaper, the Rodent's Gazette. With fabulous maps, illustrations, and colorful word emphases, this offering is just a hoot! There is also a great lesson here: one can truly be wise with money without being ridiculously cheap! Young readers, perhaps, will come away learning a bit about finances and handling one's money with moderation.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Stilton, Geronimo
Illustrator: Stilton, Geronimo
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545746137
Price: 6.99
Two for Joy
Two for Joy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 19, 2015
Review
Eight year old Jenna adores her Aunt Tannie who lives on a farm, drives a huge pick-up truck, has flown planes, played soccer before it was cool, has always been forward-thinking and independent and has a list of thousands of birds she has spotted. When Aunt Tannie falls and it is discovered that her bones are fragile and she must slow down, Jenna's Mom decides Aunt Tannie should give up the farm and come to live with them. After some convincing, Aunt Tannie is persuaded. There is an adjustment period for all. Will this new family of 3 figure out what is best for all of them? Will Mom relax the reins and stop trying to do everything by herself and being overly-protective of her Aunt? This is a very touching story and kids whose parents are caregivers will relate to Jenna's predicament: Does Mom love Aunt Tannie more than she loves Jenna? Mom just doesn't seem to have enough love and energy to go around. The illustrations are sketches in gray and white that complement the text extremely well, are expressive and delightful. I recommend this book to all ages.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Amateau, Gigi
Illustrator: Marble, Abigail
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763630102
Price: 14.99
The Honest Truth
The Honest Truth
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 24, 2015
Review
Mark is a young boy who has had to deal with much loss in his young life. His beloved Grandfather has died and he has a serious, recurring illness that may take his life soon. He is angry at having spent so much time in hospitals, all the school and fun activities he has missed out on, it hurts him to watch his parents and loved ones crying and pretending happiness for his sake, and he has decided to give up. He decides to run away with his beloved dog, Beau, to Mt. Rainier and climb to the summit. It is something his Grandfather promised him they would do together when Mark got better, but his Grandfather fell ill and made Mark promise that he would climb that mountain someday. This is a brutally honest book and is a tearjerker, for sure, but it is well-written and youngsters for whom it is written will enjoy Mark's thought processes and will appreciate the relatively happy ending to Mark's journey. I would recommend this title whole-heartedly.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Gemeinhart, Dan
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,realistic fiction
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545665735
Price: 16.99
Fly!
Fly!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
A little fly is trying to navigate about and imitates lots of other insects to try to find what he can do best. He can't wiggle like a worm, swing like a spider, or dig like an ant. Will he ever figure out what he is meant to do? The illustrations are oversized, colorful and amusing. The text will have little ones moving all around trying to swing, flutter, and flit about. This is a good addition to a picture book collection. At the end of the books are bug facts which might be too young for the littlest picture book listeners to understand but children a bit older will find these fascinating. Who knew that caterpillars can eat for two days straight?
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Edwards, Karl Newsom
Illustrator: Edwards, Karl Newsom
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385392839
Price: 15.99
Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein
Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
Rachel Rosenstein just doesn't understand why her family can't celebrate Christmas, even though they are Jewish. After all, Jesus was Jewish on his mother's side, right? She just adores all the lights, decorations, tinsel, and especially all the presents her friends receive from Santa. She decides that she will write a letter to Santa Claus and truly believes that Santa will bring her gifts Christmas morning. She even visits Santa at the mall and asks him to visit her house and the expression on Santa's face at this request is amusing. She suddenly finds herself having a quick picture taken and being removed from Santa's lap by a helpful elf. She hangs stockings and leaves a latka and chocolate chip cookie as a snack and goes to sleep believing Santa will come. The conclusion to this story is wonderful for children who do not celebrate Christmas and will, perhaps, help those children to better understand their family beliefs and celebrations. The illustrations are busy and colorful and complement the text very well. This would make an especially good Hanuukkah gift.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Amanda, Peet
Illustrator: Davenier, Christine
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553510614
Price: 17.99
Mummy Cat
Mummy Cat
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
This story about a mummy cat who comes alive in his pyramid once every one hundred years to roam around the tomb searching for his dead queen is entirely too sad and depressing for the targeted audience. The illustrations are fine, but the overall premise is not appealing to this reviewer in the least. The only young readers to whom this might be of interest are those enamored of mummification, hieroglyphics, or budding Egyptologists. Give this one a lot of thought before considering adding it to your collection.
Overall Book Score: poor
About the Book
Author:
Ewert, Marcus
Illustrator: Brown, Lisa
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544340824
Price: 16.99
The Snow Beast
The Snow Beast
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
This is a confusing story about a Beast and a Snow Beast. Beast loves snow and when the first snowfall occurs each year, he and the mountain villages have a festival. Apparently they need tools to build things for this festival but this year the tools have all been stolen by the Snow Beast. Beast goes after Snow Beast to try to retrieve the tools. The story is not an easy one to follow, partly because of Beast and Snow Beast both being beasts! The illustrations are OK and the ending is a tad humorous but, all in all, this is not a book I recommend.
Overall Book Score: poor
About the Book
Author:
Judge, Chris
Illustrator: Judge, Chris
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467793131
Price: 17.99
The Little Snowplow
The Little Snowplow
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
When The Little Snowplow joins the Mighty Mountain Road Crew, all of the other much bigger trucks tells him to "leave all the heavy lifting to us." LS spends summer and fall months clearing parade routes, moving piles of leaves around and clearing streams. He is determined to prove that he can handle a big blizzard, so he exercises every day and night, pushing loads of gravel, pulling blocks of concrete and raising and lowering his plow building up his snowplow muscles and anticipating the first snowfall. When the first big blizzard comes and he is the only snowplow on the crew, as the old snowplow retired last year and is rumored to have moved beachside to Florida, LS is raring to go. Will he prove his worth? The illustrations of the different trucks are marvelous with expressive headlight eyes and smiling or sneering grills. Any child enamored of all things truck will adore this addition. Consider it for your picture book collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Koehler, Lora
Illustrator: Parker, Jake
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763670740
Price: 15.99
Scaredy-Cat, Splat!
Scaredy-Cat, Splat!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
Splat the Cat wants to get the prize for the scariest cat costume at cat school on Halloween, so his Mom helps him to make a pretty scary costume. He goes off to school with his jack-o-lantern and his mouse, Seymour. He meets Spike and Plank on the way and they look pretty scary, too. They don't think Splat looks the least bit frightening. At school, chaos reigns supreme and Splat ends up scaring himself AND his classmates half to death. All ends well. The illustrations are spot on complement the text and are expressive and amusing. Splat the Cat lovers will be pleased with this new addition to the collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Scotton, Rob
Illustrator: Scotton, Rob
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062368973
Price: 9.99
Close Your Eyes
Close Your Eyes
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
An adorable little tiger does not want to fall asleep, is scared that he will not be able to see the things he wants to see, the sky, the trees, a blue bird. His mother assures him that he will be able to see all of those things and more while he is dreaming, that he will be able to fly in the air, float on the clouds and visit the desert and the ocean. On alternating page layouts, the little tiger is shown in dreamland, then in his waking world where his Mom assures him that she will be right there when he returns from dreaming. This is an ideal book for little ones who dread bedtime and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, colorful and inventive. The text, however, is a big small for this format and will need to be read aloud. It will not be one that little ones can sound out for themselves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Banks, Kate
Illustrator: Hallensleben, Georg
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780374301019
Price: 7.99
A Surprise for Tiny Mouse
A Surprise for Tiny Mouse
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
Tiny Mouse loves doing lots of things in lots of different weather, among them nibbling wheat in the sunshine, the feel of crunchy frost on his feet on a cold night, and the feel of snowflakes on his nose, but he does not like rain. As he travels through the pages, the beautiful collage illustrations show him and his antics. There are die cuts on some pages so that the reader and listener get a peek into what will happen next. The littlest fingers can turn a wheel at the end, revealing a beautiful rainbow. This is a nice addition to boardbook collections, especially great for a rainy day, perhaps.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Horacek, Petr
Illustrator: Horacek, Petr
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763679675
Price: 8.99
Bizzy Bear Dinosaur Safari
Bizzy Bear Dinosaur Safari
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
This is a rhyming story about Bizzy Bear off on safari looking for dinosaurs. In a sturdy boardbook format and with sliders and tabs for small fingers to work at, this is an excellent choice for little ones. They will improve dexterity while uncovering surprises on each page layout. They will have a blast finding all the dinosaurs depicted throughout. I recommend this book for boardbook collections everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Davies, Benji
Illustrator: Davies, Benji
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: nosy crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763681708
Price: 6.99
Owl Boy
Owl Boy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 5, 2016
Review
Al has just loved and adored owls since he was two and had a dream about them. His entire room is filled with owl posters, owl books, owl stuffies and everything owls. He doesn't care about anything but owls. He dodesn't care for sports (Owls are solitary birds), he doesn't like meat loaf (Owls eat mice) and he really hates school. When his Dad enrolls Al in summer camp, he is livid. He hates every minute of it, but one night he gets separated from his fellow hikers and decides to look for owls. When an owl befriends him, he feels like his dream has come true. He does everything that owls do, including eating mice?? Yuck! Will Al ever get back to camp? Will he still be enamored with all things owl? This selection is extremely amusing and makes for a wonderful read-aloud choice. The illustrations are great, complementing the text beautifully. I recommend it highly.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Schatell, Brian
Illustrator: Schatell, Brian
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780823432080
Price: 16.95
Little Bird's Bad Word
Little Bird's Bad Word
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 6, 2016
Review
Little Bird and his Dad spend lots of time flying around together. When Dad loses a wriggly worm that he is transporting back to their nest for lunch, a blasphemous word flies out of his mouth. Little Bird, who loves learning new words, starts using this word around his friends who are appalled by his language. Their feelings are hurt. How will this all be rectified? Will Little Bird learn a lesson about certain words that are not appropriate for him to use? The illustrations are heartwarming, expressive, and amusing. This is a good choice for parents who are trying to teach their little ones about words that they should avoid and, perhaps more importantly, the word to use when one wishes to make amends.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Grant, Jacob
Illustrator: Grant, Jacob
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781250051493
Price: 16.99
Bedtime at Bessie and Lil's
Bedtime at Bessie and Lil's
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 6, 2016
Review
It is time for Bessie and Lil to go to bed and Mama Rabbit is reading them a story. It's Mama's favorite story and is soothing, calming and meant to lull the little bunnies to sleep. Bessie and Lil, however, are more interested in skipping, standing on their heads, looking outside for fireflies and the moon and kissing their little baby sister good night. Mama is exhausted and afraid that the noise will wake the baby up and that would not be good. How will she ever get the bunnies in bed and ready to go to sleep? The illustrations are amusing and colorful and carrots abound; there are carrot cars, carrot rocket ships, and carrot hats just to name a few. This is a good addition and makes a great bedtime read-aloud choice.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Sternberg, Julie
Illustrator: Gudeon, Adam
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press/Highlights
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781590789346
Price: 16.95
Carl's Halloween
Carl's Halloween
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 6, 2016
Review
Carl, the handsome rottweiler, and his mistress, Madeleine, think that they are not going to be able to go out trick-or-treating as Mom has to go out on an errand. Little does she know that, once she departs, Carl and Madeleine dress up in minimal costumes, leaving a bowl of candy outside on a chair for treat-or-treaters that may come while they are away. Through several wordless pictures and a few with text, young children can ascertain what fun transpires on this secret outing and will witness a wonderful act of generosity on the part of Carl and Madeleine that helps to save one woman's Halloween. The illustrations are fabulous, as this series' always are, and Carl, especially, appears as if one could reach right out and pet him. A good choice for dog lovers and those who celebrate Halloween.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Day, Alexandra
Illustrator: Day, Alexandra
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780374310820
Price: 14.99
A Little in Love
A Little in Love
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 7, 2016
Review
Eponine is a young girl growing up in desperate times in a small French town in 1832. Worst of all, though, are her parents who are poverty-stricken, pickpockets and thieves of the highest caliber. They only cherish their children if they can return home with various and sundry valuables that can be sold to buy clothes and food for the family. Father shows the children absolutely no affection and Mother doesn't either unless they prove themselves to be worthy of a tiny hug or stroke by perfecting their pilfering skills. When a single mother with no way to care for her young daughter leaves the girl, named Cosette, with the family to be taken care of and sends money each month for her needs, Eponine's parents treat the girl as a slave, abusing and neglecting her, and use those monies to take care of the family's needs. When Mother has a baby boy, she leaves him on the floor to die and Eponine and Cosette come to his rescue. Eventually the family has to flee to Paris as Father has killed a man and Eponine finds herself on the streets. Deep down, she is ashamed of her family and herself. This book kept this reviewer riveted, sad though it is, as there are twists and turns and Eponine's kindness and true nature struggling to come to the fore is heartwarming to witness. I highly recommend this title.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Fletcher, Susan
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: historical fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780545829601
Price: 17.99
Judy Moody: Mood Martian
Judy Moody: Mood Martian
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2016
Review
Judy Moody has many moods, but when she has positive responses on backwards day at school, she decides to try to be backwards for a whole week. Being backwards for Judy requires her to actually comb her hair and put it into ponytails, to dress neatly and with colors that do not clash, and, perhaps most challenging, to keep an even temper. Meanwhile, her friends think an alien has invaded and that the real Judy Moody is in outer space somewhere. At home, Judy uses finger-knitting to calm herself and her endless strand of finger-knitting has taken over the house. Her parents have had enough of this crazy knitting. How long will Judy be able to pull off her self-imposed good-mood challenge? What's to become of all her finger-knitting? The pen and ink illustrations are apropos and fit the text nicely. Judy Moody lovers will enjoy this twelfth book in the series.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
McDonald, Megan
Illustrator: Reynolds, Peter
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: romance,realistic fiction
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763680152
Price: 5.99
Love or Something Like it
Love or Something Like it
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2016
Review
April Sinclair will begin high school next fall. She has dropped her boyfriend Billy for Matt, the hot new boy next door, because Matt gives her butterflies. In fact, she kissed Matt before she broke up with Billy, a boy she has known since she was very young. April, Billy and Brynn are all best friends. She is thrilled to be actually "going with" Matt but Matt is really hard to figure out. One day he's crazy about her, the next thing she knows she hasn't heard from him in days and days. He also seems way more interested in knocking on her window and getting her to come outside late at night to make out on the porch than in hearing how April's dance classes are going or in conversing much at all. She never really knows how he is feeling. When her best friends Brynn and Billy seem to be spending way too much time together and Matt grows more distant, April is afraid to go to summer camp and worried about what will happen while she is away for four weeks. This book certainly teaches some love lessons for young girls. It is told in diary entry style and there is much texting taking place which will appeal to today's young teens and their modern means of communication.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Friedman, Laurie
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Darby Creek
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: romance,realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467709286
Price: 17.95
The First Case
The First Case
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: January 19, 2016
Review
I hope that this is the only the first in the Detective Gordon series, as it is charming in all aspects. It is humorous, the full-color illustrations are extremely appealing and there are lessons to be garnered. Detective Gordon is a toad, but he is a policeman toad in charge of the surrounding forest. He is getting a little bit older and enjoys nothing more than drinking his tea, eating his cakes, and dozing by the fire. When a new case arises, he must interrogate suspects, run surveillance, and investigate tracks in the snow. He decides to take on an assistant to help with the climbing and such that Detective Gordon now find a bit challenging. The ultimate in police work, though, is stamping; stamping somehow makes everything official and serious. I hope that this pair of detectives will have many more cases to solve together. I highly recommend this offering for 1st to 4th graders.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Nilsson, Ulf
Illustrator: Spee, Gitte
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Gecko Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,mystery
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781927271490
Price: 16.99
Always Twin
Always Twin
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 21, 2016
Review
Olivia and Lily are twin ducklings and always being told how much alike they are. Truth be told, they are polar opposites as far as temperament and what they like to do; Lily is the calm duckling who studies things closely and enjoys gazing about and quiet surroundings, whereas Olivia is much more active and loves to dart about and make lots of noise. One day they tire of one another and head in opposite directions. Ultimately, Lily finds that she can be bold and take-charge when Olivia needs help. In the end they realize that even though they are quite different in some ways, they are 'always twins.' The illustrations are soft watercolors, soothing and calming. There are other creatures about that are drawn beautifully, including a dragonfly and an adorable chipmunk. They only question this reviewer has is, "Why were the ducklings distressed when they end up in the water?" That said, this is a nice addition, especially for twins seeking to attain their own identities.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Weidner, Teri
Illustrator: Weidner, Teri
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823431595
Price: 16.95
Good Night, Firefly!
Good Night, Firefly!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 21, 2016
Review
Little Nina always sleeps with her moon-shaped nightlight as she is timid of the dark. When the electricity goes out one night, she is frightened. She notices fireflies outside and captures one in a jar to serve as her nightlight. She has much fun with the firefly, reading, hosting a tea party, and making shadow puppets. The firefly is not as enchanted as Nina with his captivity and his energy runs low and his light dims. What will Nina do? The illustrations are exceptional, as they are all black and white, though Nina's sweater and scarf are red and the firefly glows a warm yellow. This is a lovely book to consider adding to your picture book shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Alborozo, Gabriel
Illustrator: Alborozo, Gabriel
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781627792226
Price: 16.99
Goodnight, Good Dog
Goodnight, Good Dog
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 21, 2016
Review
This is a lovely, simple story about a little dog that does not want to go to bed. He knows things get quiet at night and that the house and everyone in it go to sleep, but he finds himself remembering his daytime fun, playing with toys and eating his food, chasing through the grass. He is quite reluctant to get into his lovely dog bed, but finally succumbs while thinking of all that he will do the next day. This is an especially good bedtime story for little ones who will put off going to sleep in any way possible. The sooner they fall asleep the sooner tomorrow will arrive. The illustrations are soft and uncluttered with lots of open space of various colors. Altogether a very calming, lovely, simple bedtime story that I recommend.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Ray, Mary Lyn
Illustrator: Malone, Rebecca
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544286122
Price: 16.99
Glamorous Garbage
Glamorous Garbage
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 21, 2016
Review
Bobbie's room is so filled with stuff that she and her best cousin Joanie cannot even find room to play in it anymore. Bobbie's Mom gives her an ultimatum; she must get her room cleaned up within two weeks or she, Mom, will make the decisions about what stays what goes! Bobbie has a vision but is not making any headway and time is running out. On top of that, she is visiting yard sales and the swap shed at the dump and bringing home more stuff. With just a few days left before her time runs out, she asks for Mom's help and finds a way to make order out of chaos. There are three piles: things to keep, things to spruce up, and things to finally get rid of. This is really difficult. This reviewer did wonder why some things couldn't be stored and disposed of later when Bobbie realized she wasn't even missing it. The illustrations are extremely busy with lots going on and lots of stuff everywhere, which is apropos for the theme. In the end, several great topics are covered including recycling, repurposing, and finding new and exciting things for little or no money. This is a perfect book for kids who never want to clean their rooms. It will give them a plan that they can follow toward attaining a neat room and perhaps even making it more age appropriate.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Newman, Barbara Johansen
Illustrator: Newman, Barbara Johansen
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press/Highlights
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781620916261
Price: 16.95
Goose Goes To School
Goose Goes To School
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 21, 2016
Review
When it is Sophie's first day of school, she is loath to leave Goose behind, but Mom insists that geese do not go to school. Strangely enough, Sophie thinks that she hears Goose following her and her Mom as they walk to school. Is Goose going to show up in class? With spare text, bright primary colors throughout, and only the bottom parts of grown-ups visible, this is a wonderful and quite amusing choice for kids just beginning school at any level from kindergarten and up through the earliest grades. I highly recommend this simple, spare tale for picture book collections, public and private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Wall, Laura
Illustrator: Wall, Laura
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062324375
Price: 12.99
How To Behave At A Dog Show
How To Behave At A Dog Show
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 26, 2016
Review
This is a humorous tale about a dog named Rexie. His master and mistress, brother and sister Charles and Julia,decide to enter him in a dog show sponsored by Sloppy Kisses Dog Food; You'll get lots of kisses when Sloppy's in their dishes." Rexie is not enthusiastic and is not truly a prospective award-winning canine. The kids have one heck of a time bathing Rexie, there is an issue with hair dye and a skunk, and teaching him commands is quite out of the question. Whatever will happen on the big day. In the end, the kids decide that Rexie is an award-winning dog, even if in their eyes only. The illustrations are appealing with lots of pastel shades throughout and quite a bit of white space on each page. The text, however, is a big small. Perhaps the font should have been bigger. All in all, a good choice for those on the upper end of the targeted age group, perhaps 6 - 8 year olds.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Rosenberg, Madelyn
Illustrator: Ross, Heather
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062279279
Price: 17.99
How to Mend a Heart
How to Mend a Heart
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 26, 2016
Review
A small boy's stuffed animal is in bits and pieces and his heart is broken. He is sad and crying. What to do? His friends and his Mom come to his aid and help to repair the bedraggled elephant stuffie. The theme is mending, stitching and sewing, overcoming snags and never giving up. The children are of different ethnicities and genders and the illustrations are oversized and employ lots of white space and a font size that is complementary. Friendship and tenacity are the topics in this selection. The last sentence is a bit beyond the targeted audience, but may prompt conversation about overcoming hurt feelings and gaining strength from the experience.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Gillingham, Sara
Illustrator: Gillingham, Sara
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553510935
Price: 16.99
Whose Shoe?
Whose Shoe?
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 27, 2016
Review
When a little mouse discovers a discarded shoe, he sets out to return said shoe to its rightful owner. He approaches many creatures, all of whom are not the owner of the shoe. After several failed attempts he is more determined than ever to bring this lone shoe back to its other half. Will he ever succeed? This tale is told in a rhyming fashion and the text is quite humorous. It makes for a wonderful read-aloud. The illustrations are unusual and amusing; there is a spider with eight shoes, a kangaroo in sandals, and an elephant who prefers high heels that make his ankles and legs look slim or so he believes. This is definitely one to consider for one's picture book or poetry collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bunting, Eve
Illustrator: Ruzzier, Sergio
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544302105
Price: 16.99
Worms
Worms
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 27, 2016
Review
A little boy is forced to share a meal with his father and his father's high echelon employees and it is beyond boring. The little boy is dressed in a suit much like his father's, though he is wearing short pants and mismatched socks. We wonder how Dad missed this fashion faux pas. To liven things up, the little boy adds a worm from his fishing bait supply to each fancy salad before he serves the guests. It is amusing to read how each guest handles this situation as they are fearful of insulting the big boss. The little boy enjoys each guest's reaction to this conundrum but forgets that he also added a worm to his own salad. Yikes! The illustrations are perfection, complementing the text well and using lots of white, black, red and yellow. This is one to consider adding to your collection, though one hopes youngsters will not get any evil ideas.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Friot, Bernard
Illustrator: Guillerey, Audrelie
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781771385718
Price: 15.95
Harvest Time
Harvest Time
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 28, 2016
Review
It is time to harvest apples and pumpkins. Stony Meadow Farm is right across the road from Tractor Mac's place and the pumpkin pickin' festival is a big hit. Small Fred is a little tractor whose job it is to pull the hay wagon to the pumpkin patch so that folks can choose their pumpkins, then return them to the farm stand for games and goodies to eat. Meanwhile, Tractor Mac is busy in the apple orchard transporting apples to be made into cider and such. However, Tractor Mac dislikes his job as he keeps getting struck by limbs. He is too big for this task. He wishes he could be doing Small Fred's job across the road Small Fred is really just too small for the big job he is assigned. Perhaps there is a solution here? The illustrations are very busy, very autumnal. Sometimes, though, the text does not complement the illustrations terribly well. But, for a special fall picture book read, this is an offering to consider.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Steers, Billy
Illustrator: Steers, Billy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374301118
Price: 8.99
Elepant Joe, Brave Firefighter!
Elepant Joe, Brave Firefighter!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 28, 2016
Review
Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete are camping. It's Dragon's birthday and they are hiding and jump out to surprise him with a "Happy Birthday" yell. Dragon is so startled that he flies into a tree and his wings become entangled. What to do? Magically a fire engine appears with appropriate clothing and accouterments and they use a ladder to rescue Dragon. Now its time for cake and candles, but, naturally, Dragon knows not how to blow out candles and spews fire instead. Oh, oh. The cake is now in flames. What to do? This offering utilizes large comic panels, captions and speech balloons, entrancing young readers with bright colors and decoupage-like illustrations. Perhaps children could attempt the speech balloons while Mom or Dad reads the captions. This type of comic reader might be just the ticket to sway reluctant readers to begin to enjoy reading because of the cartoon-like format.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Wojtowycz, David
Illustrator: Wojtowycz, David
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385374064
Price: 3.99
Eva and Sadie and the Best Classroom Ever!
Eva and Sadie and the Best Classroom Ever!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
Sadie is about to start 2nd grade and her little sister Eva is to move from preschool to kindergarten. Sadie feels that she must prepare Eva and begins to overwhelm her with math, alphabet, lunch and recess lessons in a room especially converted into a real classroom. She even keeps Eva from napping each day as kindergarten doesn't have naptime. Eva is as frazzled as her curly locks suggest. Has Sadie gone a bit overboard? The author employs watercolor and pencil and lots of while space to fashion colorful, appealing, expressive and amusing illustrations that complement the text well. The text is of an appropriate font size and makes for a good readaloud for the younger end of the targeted audience while the older readers will be able to sound out most of the words with a bit of assistance. This is a good choice for children beginning the lower levels of education and for siblings entering different grades and is definitely relatable for all young children.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cohen, Jeff
Illustrator: Allen, Elanna
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062249388
Price: 17.99
Crybaby
Crybaby
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
It's a quiet night on a quiet street when the silence is shattered by a crybaby...a little baby wakes up wailing and everyone around her is awoken and tries to do his or her best to soothe the disgruntled little one. Parents, siblings, grandparents and even neighbors attempt everything from feeding, burping, a diaper change, rocking, and all imaginable forms of entertainment to return the crybaby to her slumber.One two page layout is all illustrations with hula hooping, a rabbit being pulled out of a hat, a neighbor balancing a chair on his nose, juffling and bubble-blowing, to no positive effect. Roy, the family's big black labrador is completely ignored but could he be the one with the solution? With busy and colorful endpapers, one wonders if a particularly attentive child will find the sheep that is different from all the others. The illustrations are extremely colorful and employ collage-like and cut-out characters to make for very interesting,active and unusual pictures that do a good job of complementing the text. Repeated, cummulative refrains make for an amusing readaloud that children will chime in on. They will especially enjoy the p-e-e-u-u-w-w the dirty diaper engenders.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Beaumont, Karen
Illustrator: Yelchin, Eugene
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: Choose Book Type
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780805089745
Price: 17.99
Sock Monkey Boogie-Woogie
Sock Monkey Boogie-Woogie
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
Sock Monkey, being a famous toy-actor, is invited to The Big Celebrity Dance for famous toys. There is a dilemma, however, in that all his friends are going to be away on that date. He needs a suitable dance partner pronto. What to do? After advertising for a partner and interviewing many potential applicants, none will really do; The toy phone is always on a call, the toy teeth has halitosis, and the top only knows how to twirl! Sock Monkey redefines the meaning of 'making a friend' when he has a brainstorm; he makes a dance partner from a hat and sweater, some socks, and cotton. Voila! He has made Sock Buddy. Strangely, Sock Buddy makes fantastic cupcakes, but will he be able to dance? The illustrations are hilarious, filled with many beloved toys for children to spot. There are lots of humorous things taking place and readers will want to take time to enjoy every page. Pay particular attention to the spread of all the toys dancing. The endpages are nostalgic with a gray, black and white argyle pattern. This is one to consider for picture shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bell, Cece
Illustrator: Bell, Cece
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763677589
Price: 14.00
Sock Monkey Rides Again
Sock Monkey Rides Again
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
Well-known toy actor Sock Monkey has played many bit parts such as Lassie's chew toy and dwarf #8, but now he has been offered a starring role in a singing cowboy movie where he will get to ride horseback, lasso, yodel and, gulp, kiss a girl! Yuck! As it is the chance of a lifetime, Sock Monkey decides to take the offer. His friends help him prepare but no one is willing to practice the kissing scene. The lead actress turns out to be 'kinda cute' but the motivation for the kissing scene eludes Sock Monkey. When read aloud one will date oneself when channeling Gene Autry melodies, but that is to be expected. The end pages are reminiscent of kerchiefs bona fide cowboys and cowgirls would wear and the illustrations are worth intent perusal as amusement can be found within. Consider this one for your picture book collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bell, Cece
Illustrator: Bell, Cece
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763677602
Price: 14.00
Two Girls Want a Puppy
Two Girls Want a Puppy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
Cadence and sister Emi want a puppy really badly. They are trying to convince their father that they are ready. He is skeptical. So, they decide to prove to him that they can be persistent, responsible, smart, and creative about this endeavor. Based on a true story about the author's daughters who went on facebook asking for a million likes to convince their father that they should be able to finally get a puppy who ended up with over four million likes, this selection shows children making a plan and following through with it. Not only are they clever but they use logic,they dogsit for a dog next-door to show that they can be responsible, and they research and find lots of information about the history of dogs and the care of them. Their father ends up thoroughly impressed and they adopt a puppy at last. With childlike, colorful illustrations, complementary text and the use of soft pastel tones, this is one to consider. Beware, children that want pets might take a lesson from this book!
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cordell, Ryan and Evie
Illustrator: Lam, Maple
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780062292612
Price: 17.99
One Family
One Family
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 17, 2016
Review
In this visually appealing counting book readers will learn that a family can be of any size from one through 10 and beyond. Many different ethnicities and ages are represented including babies in buggies, seniors, men wearing turbans and interracial families, though the text never speaks to these differences. This makes the quiet and subtle point that families come in all shapes, sizes,and ages, from a family of one (a grandmother alone with her cat) to a family of ten mostly redheaded members. Children reading this book or having it read to them will probably most enjoy finding the items and families on each page spread and counting them. One cannot resist. There is one gutter issue that should have been noticed before it was bound. The endpages are lots of fun. The beginning endpages show family members in straightforward and serious poses while the last endpages show the same folks leaning out of their frames to speak to one another or frowning, while some escape their frames entirely. Altogether a charming and unusual book about counting and families. Loved it.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Shannon, George
Illustrator: Gomez, Blanca
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780374300036
Price: 17.99
We Can Work it Out
We Can Work it Out
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 27, 2016
Review
In this sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club, seventeen-year old Penny Lane is the founder of club, an all-girl group who support one another through high school's ups and downs, especially where boys are concerned. They choose to date only really nice guys who treat them well and not judge themselves by how boys judge and treat them. This is such a positive message for female young adult readers. Penny Lane, however, is having trouble juggling her duties as the head of the busy club which is getting national recognition and followers, and her new relationship with a great boy named Ryan. Her parents' obsession with all things Beatles is hilarious. They named their three girls Penny Lane, Rita, and Lucy and insist that Beatles songs be played in their home to the exclusion of any other music. High school problems with cliques, boys, homework, and family are handled in a very positive fashion and will inform young readers. Aside from a few one-dimensional characters. the topics are handled well.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Eulberg, Elizabeth
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Point/Scholastic
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: romance
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545654616
Price: 17.99
Penny & Jelly: The School Show
Penny & Jelly: The School Show
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 2, 2016
Review
Penny is trying with every fiber of her being to find her talent so that she might enter the annual Peabody Elementary School talent show. She tries everything she can think of and fails miserably even though her dog and best friend Jelly is by her side every minute trying to keep up her morale. Penny's list of possibilities is dwindling as she tries each, fails, and crosses talents off of her list. What to do? The illustrations are watercolors, pen and ink and are expressive and appealing. This book will teach young readers and listeners that we all have talents though they might not be the typical talents that one thinks of straightaway. Some are quite specific and deserve an award all its own.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Gianferrari, Maria
Illustrator: Heder, Thyra
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544230149
Price: 16.99
Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School
Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 2, 2016
Review
Nocturnal animals Bat, Cat, Owl and Mouse are due for their first night of Moonlight School, but Mouse is painfully shy and arrives early so that she can hide away from the other students and the teacher, a friendly little witch called Miss Moon. She is coaxed out by the teacher because she must obey her mother's insistence that she behave. Miss Moon manages to find a way to help Mouse overcome her shyness by showing the class something Mouse is really good at, which is hiding! The illustrations are busy, full of wonderful items for little ones to wonder at: Lots of books about spells and the like, jars of toes of frogs and eyes of newts, a bunch of magic wands, and a goldfish bowl containing two smiling fish. The illustrations are magical. The endpapers are exceptional featuring a huge full moon, fireflies, stars, and colorful plantings depicting the magic of the nighttime landscape. This is a good choice to help youngsters who are shy a little less so and to see that others will be friendly to them if they make an effort.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Puttock, Simon
Illustrator: Pye, Ali
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: nosy crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763676070
Price: 16.99
Mom School
Mom School
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 2, 2016
Review
A little girl imagines what her mother learned at Mom school: Baiting hooks, baking cupcakes, pitching slowball and the like. All these things made Mom the best Mom ever. The illustrations portray Moms of different ethnicities and the pictures complement the text quite well. The moms all graduate with pink hats and gowns. The fact that Mom's most important job is being a Mom is stressed, though she also has an outside job she goes to every day and is apparently able to juggle all her tasks well. This is a moderately good book, but nothing especially grand.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Van Slyke, Rebecca
Illustrator: Burris, Priscilla
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385388924
Price: 16.99
Did You Know That I Love You?
Did You Know That I Love You?
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 2, 2016
Review
This rhyming love story between a little teal bird and a fox is lovely in its simplicity. Bird wants to be sure that fox knows how much he is loved and proves it through her hugs and kisses, warm tea, and even "writing it on the ceiling and painting it on the skies." The illustrations are soft and employ lots of white space and world bubbles that correspond with the color of each character. This will be a wonderful bedtime story as it assures little ones that the reader will love them unconditionally no matter how big one grows to be. This is a great debut picture book by a new author/illustrator. This will also make a lovely gift as there is a wonderful bookplate-like illustration at the front of the book which reads, "This book is gifted to ___________ from ___________ because you are loved, with the bird and the fox showcases. Lovely touch.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Pierce, Christa
Illustrator: Pierce, Christa
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062297440
Price: 17.99
Happy Halloween, Witch's Cat!
Happy Halloween, Witch's Cat!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: March 22, 2016
Review
A little girl believes that her Mom is a good witch and she, her Mom's special cat and, "together we are just right." When Halloween rolls around, they have to decide what costumes to wear and it turns into quite a task. They visit the costume shop and consider many, but nothing is quite right. What to do? She has an idea that might work, as long as her Mom is agreeable. This benign Halloween story is not the least bit frightening and is perfect for picture book audiences. The most wondrous thing, however, are the illustrations. The author/illustrator uses fabric, foil, and myriad household items, photographs them and then incorporates them into the busy, sparkly pages. The details are most entertaining. This makes for a truly unusual look that will draw in young readers and listeners. Consider this title for your picture book and/or holiday themed collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Muncaster, Harriet
Illustrator: Muncaster, Harriet
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062229168
Price: 15.99
Go To Sleep, Monty!
Go To Sleep, Monty!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 10, 2016
Review
Max has his first new puppy and he has named him Monty. It is Max's job to attend to all Monty's needs. Monty shouldn't be too hard to take care of, right? Max is in for a big surprise, especially on Monty's first night. Monty "howled and he hooted, and he yapped and he yelped, and he wailed and he whined, and he sniffled and he snuffles, and he...peed on the floor!" Poor Max is beside himself. What to do? With oversized and simple illustrations, colorful and perfectly complementing the text, this will be a great addition to picture shelves everywhere and might serve as a good lesson to children begging for that first pet!
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Geyer, Kim
Illustrator: Geyer, Kim
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467793117
Price: 17.99
Mr. Hare's Big Secret
Mr. Hare's Big Secret
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 10, 2016
Review
Mr. Hare is very hungry. He is beneath a big tree and needs to come up with something to eat. As hares are very clever, Mr. Hare devises a plan to get some big, fat, juicy snacks to eat. One does not realize until the end of the tale, what this plan was. It involves tempting other animals with a secret, dancing, and a repetitive narrative that little ones will catch on to quickly. The illustrations, though, are the piece de resistance of this book. The hare, the mouse, the fox and all the other animals depicted are absolutely outstanding and make this book exceptional. It is also a wonderful readaloud because of the catchy repeating and collective text that remind one of the game 'I packed my grandmother's trunk' played on long family car trips. This is definitely one to consider for public and private collections alike.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dale, Hannah
Illustrator: Dale, Hannah
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553538564
Price: 16.99
Troto And The Trucks
Troto And The Trucks
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 10, 2016
Review
Troto is a little car and he is happy simply to travel about. One day he finds himself in Cactusville, a western town that is full of big trucks, Big Red, Big Blue and Big Yellow and they find Troto hilarious because he is so small. They laugh at Troto and his feelings are hurt He challenges the Big Trucks to a race to show what he is made of. The themes of bullying and hurt feelings are touched upon and handled in a gentle fashion. The big trucks wear taunting expressions depicted by the rather evil smiles formed by their grillwork, where poor Troto's expression is sad and a little frightened. Cactusville lives up to its name as the landscape is desert and cacti with many mountain formations and the vehicles kick up lots of dust. This will be a good choice for truck lovers everywhere and to introduce the topic of bullying which might open up a conversation around this subject.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Shulevitz, Uri
Illustrator: Shulevitz, Uri
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780374300807
Price: 17.99
Officer Panda Fingerprint Detective
Officer Panda Fingerprint Detective
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 10, 2016
Review
Officer Panda is on the job at 3:00 PM, the beginning of his shift. He has noticed something unusual is going on and is investigating. Keeping his log of what he discovers and where and when, he finds that there are suspicious fingerprints everywhere. Where are they coming from and what do they mean? They are even in his own house! He reaches a hilarious and obvious conclusion about these prints and the reader will be amused. Anyone feeling guilty? Young ones will have fun locating fingerprints on the pages. The illustrations employ lots of black and white and a lot of white space. The text follows Officer Panda's log entries and characters speak in cartoon bubbles. Fun Facts About Fingerprints show up at the end of the book and introduce young readers and listeners to the history of and information about fingerprints. This is a good book to consider for your shelves as it is not only a picture book but also a science book from which children will learn.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Crowley, Ashley
Illustrator: Crowley, Ashley
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062366269
Price: 17.99
Night Owl
Night Owl
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 18, 2016
Review
Young Night Owl stays up late, watches the sunset and the moon rise. Then she starts wondering where Mommy Owl is. She hears lots of different sounds, none of which sound like Mommy. There's tooting and chirping,croaking and tapping. Then a thunder storm rolls in and that is really noisy. Will Night Owl find her way home to Mommy? The illustrations are quite nice, with the dark night depicted in a deep purple. Little ones will have fun finding the somewhat hidden creatures and machines that make the different sounds. The pictures are spot on and complement the text very well. The book is built very sturdily to withstand little hands (and mouths?) and the font of the text is just the right size. This will be a good addition to boardbook collections everywhere, public and private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Yuly, Toni
Illustrator: Yuli, Toni
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781250072917
Price: 7.99
Farm Days
Farm Days
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: May 18, 2016
Review
This sturdy board book follows Tractor Mac through his varied tasks on the farm. He plows, harrows, plants, etc. Each task creates a result: Plow and the land is turned over, harrow and you break up the soil. Children will learn that every endeavor produces a certain outcome. Tractor Mac wears a smile throughout his day and the illustrations are lovely and rather old-fashioned. The text highlights the action words in bright red. There are lots of farm animals around enjoying all the activity. This is one that many youngsters, perhaps especially boys, will reach for time and again.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Steers, Billy
Illustrator: Steers, Billy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780374301170
Price: 5.99
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 20, 2016
Review
Often the sequel to a wonderful book turns out to be not so wonderful. In fact, sometimes they are a disappointment. In this case, the extreme opposite is the case. This one surpasses the first in the series, hands down. Kyle and his teammates are set to defend their title of the winners of the Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library contest by competing with regional teams from all over the country. The team that wins will all glean a paid college education. There are those who would like to bring Kyle's team down and some local folk who are wanting to take over the library and run it with a board of trustees. These folks do not think that the library should be a place to have fun, to play video games, interact with holograms of famous librarians and others, have shelving and book cart races, and use those fabulous hover ladders that whiz one up to the correct book or section that one is looking for. And, of course, there are those books in the library that simply should not be there, that should be banned! Following clues and solving puzzles involving the dewey decimal system and lots of great children's books keeps the reader extremely enmeshed in the story. This tale delves into many serious topics including patron confidentiality, the right to information, and the fact that is often difficult to, ultimately, do the right thing. An unexpected twist at the end wraps this reading experience up in a perfect bow! Get it! No question about it. PLEASE CONSIDER FOR CREAM!!
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Grabenstein, Chris
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553510409
Price: 16.99
Mouse Scouts
Mouse Scouts
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 20, 2016
Review
This first in an adorable new series will entice lovers of Ivy & Bean and other series of that ilk. Violet and Tigerlily are friends who are about to progress from being Buttercups to join the ranks of the Acorn Scouts. They are extremely excited. They will now be able to sport the Acorn Scout uniform which includes a snappy acorn cap. When they meet the scout leader, the severe Miss Poppy, they are a bit taken back. On the first day, they learn that along with their regular meetings and endeavors, they will have an extra summer project to undertake. They must plant a garden, weed it, tend it, water it, and reap the harvest. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. It is a lot of work and they battle bugs, slugs, raccoons and lots of other impediments along the way. Readers will learn a great deal about gardening in this lovely tale, along with how to best share tasks around a single goal. Amusing illustrations in black and white add to the appeal of this genesis of the series. One can even learn the Acorn Scout song. I am sure there are lots of young readers that will gravitate quickly to these yummy new cast of characters.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dillard, Sarah
Illustrator: Dillard, Sarah
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385755993
Price: 12.99
Into The Waves
Into The Waves
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 21, 2016
Review
This is the 11th in the Disney series about best friends Kate, Mia, Lainey and Gabby and their adventures in Never Land, a magical place filled with various fairies with distinct magical powers. When Lainey gets her first pet, a goldfish, she is thrilled and wants to take Sunny to Never Land to show all her friends.. Unfortunately, Sunny is inadvertently set free into Havendish Stream which leads to Wough River on to Mermaid Lagoon, through scary and dangerous waterways. Now they are on a rescue trip, hoping to bring Sunny back home. With the help of Rani, the water-talent fairy, and various fish and creatures they meet along the way, the friends are determined to bring Sunny safely home. Black, gray and white illustrations complement the text well. Young readers will learn about friendship, collaboration, and having to make tough decisions. Readers of The Magic Treehouse series and all series by Daisy Meadows, Lily Wood and the like will fall in love with this series about friendship, adventure, and enchantment and will be eager for the next installment to become available.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Thorpe, Kiki
Illustrator: Christy, Jana
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780736435253
Price: 5.99
My Second Life
My Second Life
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 24, 2016
Review
Fifteen-year old Ana has always known that she has lived before. She died at 22 and now cannot bond with her current mother. She misses her first Mom and Dad terribly. A chance meeting with a woman who seems familiar to her leads her to discover facts about her first life that are disturbing to say the least. She believes she was responsible for the death of a 6-year old girl named Catherine when she herself was very young; only 9 years old, and the woman she recognizes was Catherine's mother. Ana is guilt-ridden Everything in her life is put on hold as she is engulfed by glimpses of memories of Emma Trees, her first incarnation. Ultimately Ana meets Emma's parents and the unexpected truths are revealed. This is a refreshing change from the typical young adult books that seem to revolve around werewolves, super powers, and post-apocalyptic scenarios.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bird, Faye
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374348861
Price: 17.99
Cake Pop Crush
Cake Pop Crush
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 27, 2016
Review
Ali is a middle-schooler who has grown up baking. Her family owns a small bakery called Say it with Flour. Her Mom died when Ali was just nine years old and her father has lost his spark for life and any incentive he might have had for trying new things at the bakery and business has been slow. Then Perk Up, a franchise with stores all over the country, pops up across the street. Not only do they sell gourmet coffees but they also sell pastries. A new boy shows up at Ali's school; he is Perk Up owner's son,Dane, and he is Ali's age and is cute and nice, and also a darned good baker. He is determined to be friends with Ali. What is Ali to do? Say it with Flour is finding it difficult to even make ends meet. Ali, however, has a specialty called Cake Pops and she begins selling them at their bakery. When Ali's grandmother gives Ali her Mom's own recipe book, Ali prepares for a bake-off with Dane that may mean the difference between Say it with Flour flourishing or shutting it's doors.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Nelson, Suzanne
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545857345
Price: 6.99
Bunny Dreams
Bunny Dreams
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 4, 2016
Review
When bunnies go to sleep of what do they dream? Do they dream of only giant carrots? Apparently not. Bunnies are able to do spectacular things in their dreams. They can fly, they know the alphabet,they know their numbers and they all have names beginning with B. These nonsensical dreams will tickle young readers and listeners no end. With illustrations of multitudes of soft plump bunnies with alphabetical wings and bumblebee like colorations, complementing the text and employing lots of white space, this makes for a great bedtime tale for little children and little bunnies alike.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
McCarty, Peter
Illustrator: McCarty, Peter
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780805096873
Price: 16.99
In The Game
In The Game
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 7, 2016
Review
When Kate inadvertently goes to soccer practice with some lingering fairy dust from Never Land on her and flies up into the air to block a goal, the coach puts her in as goalie for the first game of the season against a rival team that is very good. Kate now has to make a decision about crossing over to Never Land by herself to procure more fairy dust, as she and her three friends have promised always go to Never Land as group. Will she let down the team or her friends? It is very difficult to decide what to do and whether or not using fairy dust will be cheating. The smattering of illustrations in shades of black and gray fit perfectly with the text and will delight readers. This twelfth book in the Never Land series is filled with magic and adventure and will be devoured by the multitudes of youngsters that adore this series.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Thorpe, Kiki
Illustrator: Christy, Jana
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780736435277
Price: 5.99
Read Me Like A Book
Read Me Like A Book
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: June 28, 2016
Review
Ashleigh is seventeen and her life is a mess. Her parents argue relentlessly, she and her best friend, who often leads her astray, are growing apart, her boyfriend, Dylan, who rids Ashleigh of her virginity, turns out to be shallow, and school stinks. Then, boom, a new English teacher comes on the scene and absolutely everything changes. Miss Murray really seems to care about her students and becomes a mentor for Ashleigh, insisting that Ashleigh can excel in her studies and should aim high for her future. Suddenly, Ashleigh is intent on pleasing Miss Murray and English class becomes the highlight of her life. This fast-paced novel for young adults deals with burgeoning and confusing sexuality in a sensitive fashion and reaches a believable conclusion for most concernd.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Liz, Kessler
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12,all ages,adult / professional
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763681319
Price: 16.99
Arrows
Arrows
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: July 15, 2016
Review
Aaryn, the son of Cupid, is trying to shoot both Karma and Danny (high school teens) with his arrows so that they will fall in love. Sadly, his second arrow is faulty and only Karma falls in love. Aaryn and his mentor hide their mistake and Aaryn becomes a full Cupid. However, the truth is revealed about a year later and Aaryn must become human and intervene in the mess that was realized because of his mistake in order to win back his cupid creds. Karma now has Danny's baby girl and is still madly in love with Danny, who could not care less. He only wants to get out of paying child support. He has cheated on Karma and is not at all involved with little Nell. So, this whole concept seems like it might make an interesting story, but this just does not seem to hold together. The issue of teenage pregnancy is handled a bit too lightly. I did enjoy the twist of an ending, but otherwise it i snot a book I would recommend.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Gorzelanczyk, Melissa
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12,adult / professional
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553510447
Price: 17.99
Green City: How One Community Survived A Tornado and Rebuilt For A Sustainable Future
Green City: How One Community Survived A Tornado and Rebuilt For A Sustainable Future
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 9, 2016
Review
When Greensburg, Kansas was completely devastated by a hurricane in 2007, several of the townspeople ultimately decided to rebuild green. Employing very busy illustrations and informational text, this book explains in some detail the steps taken to construct what the President would eventually deem "A global example of how clean energy can power an entire community." Anyone interested in green energy, sustainability, repurposing and recyling, tornado-proof construction, or environmental science will find this a most interesting and inspiring story. This story is also the ultimate example of taking a horrendous occurrence and turning it into a truly positive and instructional outcome. This reader finds it amusing that GREENsburg, Kansas, has become a GREEN city. Perhaps it was meant to be.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Drummond, Allan
Illustrator: Drummond, Allan
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374379995
Price: 17.99
Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover
Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 9, 2016
Review
When Nancy and JoJo's parents are to be gone overnight, the girls are to spend the night at Mrs. Devine's. This will actually be fun as Mrs. Devine's name fits her well. Nancy has experience with sleepovers, having hosted one the past weekend. However, JoJo has never stayed away from home overnight and Nancy diligently prepares JoJo for the occasion. They pack everything they could possibly need, as well as earmuffs to block out strange noises, JoJo's favorite sandwich cause she is so picky, and a photograph of Mom and Dad to kiss goodnight. To Nancy's astonishment, JoJo falls asleep early and easily, leaving Nancy hearing lots of inexplicable sounds and unable to fall asleep herself. Whatever will be the solution? This new Fancy Nancy is sparkly as all the others and uses fancy words and phrases in humorous fashion so that young readers and listeners will be amused and might learn a little bit along the way without even being aware. Lovers of Fancy Nancy and all things sparkly and girly will fall in love at first sight with this offering.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
O'Connor, Jame
Illustrator: Glasser, Robin Preiss
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062269850
Price: 17.99
Good Night, Truck
Good Night, Truck
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 11, 2016
Review
Who can resist the personification of all things mobile? Truck, Tractor, Digger, Rocket and Boat work hard during the day and are ready for bedtime at day's end. This rhyming story is perfect as a read-aloud and the expressive, colorful illustrations complement the text well. Little boys, in particular, will like this offering. Hopefully this tale will prompt those reluctant at bedtime to settle down more easily, perhaps with a favorite truck or other vehicle with which to snuggle.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Odgers, Sally
Illustrator: McKenzie, Heath
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781250070197
Price: 16.99
Mighty Truck
Mighty Truck
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 11, 2016
Review
Clarence is normally a dirty truck, but when his boss insists that he hit the truck wash and a thunder storm comes through, something magical happens and Clarence exits clean, shiny, and powerful. In other words, totally unrecognizable. Much like Clark Kent exiting the phone booth, Clarence has become a super charged superhero truck. He saves the day many times over but, once he is dirty again, returns to plain old Clarence, which he finds he much prefers. The town of Axleburg, filled with all sorts of truck traffic, is portrayed as a busy and colorful metropolis. Any little one that loves all things mobile will enjoy this offering.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Barton, Chris
Illustrator: Cummings, Troy
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062344786
Price: 17.99
More-igami
More-igami
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 11, 2016
Review
Lots of youngsters seem to love origami. In this offering, young Joey is enamored of everything that folds, from tacos to maps, to his accordion and his foldaway bed. When he is introduced to origami, he goes origami-crazy, folding everything he can get his hands on. It takes practice and patience, lots of both. It is more difficult than it looks. At Muy Mexicana he perfects folding cloth napkins into more and more intricate shapes. The illustrations are soft and expressive and help to make sense of the text, should a youngster be struggling. Instructions for folding an origami ladybug are included. This is fitting for libraries of all types, as ladybugs are a symbol of literacy. I would recommend this for anyone interested in this Japanese art form.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Kleber, Dori
Illustrator: Karas, G. Brian
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763668198
Price: 15.99
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Children
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Children
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 12, 2016
Review
In rhyming sing-along text, to the tune of "Ten little indians" this book celebrates that though families throughout the world may be different in their cultures, their skin color, their religion, and on myriad other levels, families are also much the same. Mommies and daddies are loving, wise, playful, strong. They provide loving homes for their children, be they stick-built, apartments, mobile homes or even teepees. This is a joyful book that will instill in children the fact that we are diverse on so many levels but much the same on the most important level. We are loving families. We are truly a universal, global family. The illustrations are very soft, pastel, and show the varied, multi-cultural families that people the earth and the different environments and homes in which we live. This will make a good read-aloud or sing-along choice.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
DiPucchio, Kelly
Illustrator: Lundquist, Mary
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062348661
Price: 17.99
Willow's Smile
Willow's Smile
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 25, 2016
Review
Picture day is tomorrow at school and Willow is worried about her smile. She seems to be able to smile under many circumstances but, when a camera appears, her smile just disappears. Whatever will she do? When the big day arrives, one of her classmates has forgotten all about the occasion and has worn nothing special, but Willow helps her out by lending one of her hair ribbons. The photographer asks Willow to assist in helping to make her classmates smile. She is a success in this endeavor, but when it is her turn, her smile evaporates. Will Willow's picture include a frown? The illustrations employ plenty of white space, expressive faces, and simple figures of children and grown-ups. It these days of social media when children's smiles are plastered all over the Internet, this will be a good story for camera-shy little ones.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Button, Lana
Illustrator: Howells, Tania
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781771385497
Price: 16.95
My Little Sister And Me
My Little Sister And Me
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 25, 2016
Review
For the first time ever, a brother has been asked to walk his little sister home from the bus stop. He takes this seriously and is surprised by how difficult this feat is to accomplish. His little sister picks up lots of gross stuff, she misses her teddy bear, she needs a bathroom, she chases a huge dog, she is afraid of the squirrels and she falls into a mud puddle and then a thunderstorm erupts. Will they ever get home? This is a lovely story about siblings taking care of one another and learning to appreciate one another. The illustrations are simple and adorable, using lots of white space and complementing the text nicely. This is a good choice for celebrating siblings and their special relationships.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Lam, Maple
Illustrator: Lam, Maple
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: Choose Book Type
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062396976
Price: 17.99
Where Do Steam Trains Sleep At Night?
Where Do Steam Trains Sleep At Night?
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 26, 2016
Review
Steam engines work hard all day but where do they sleep at night? In rhyming text and with expressive Mommy trains and baby trains under sleepy night-time skies, this book explains where and how steam trains sleep after the long day's tasks are done. The text works very well as a read-aloud and a smiling little mouse in a conductor's cap appears in every picture. Children who love trains, and what kids don't, will enjoy this tale and, perhaps, be more willing to embrace bedtime once they know that trains everywhere do the same.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Sayres, Brianna Caplan
Illustrator: Slade, Christian
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553520989
Price: 16.99
The Two Tims
The Two Tims
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 26, 2016
Review
Little blonde Tim and little brown-haired Tim are very best friends and will be forever. They go everywhere together and do everything together. Then Tom comes along and havoc ensues. Tom likes to do certain things that blonde Tim enjoys but brown-haired Tim does not and vice versa. Neither Tim knows how to swim and Tom endeavors to teach them both. Will they ever be able to all get along together? You will have to read this tale all the way to the end to find out. At the conclusion of the story, a fourth child appears, leaving the reader to wonder how the friendships and situation might evolve. The illustrations are soft and pastel, using lots of white space. This story might be especially good for children trying to widen their circle of friends.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Elliott, David
Illustrator: Alborozo, Gabriel
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763672645
Price: 15.99
Baa Baa Smart Sheep
Baa Baa Smart Sheep
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 26, 2016
Review
Little Baa Baa is a bored sheep. When Quirky Turkey comes along, Little Baa Baa decides to play a joke on him. He convinces Quirky Turkey that the pile of poo are actually individual smarty- tablets that are free to turkeys only and that these tablets will make Quirky more intelligent. All he has to do is eat them. Gullible as turkeys are, Quirky falls for this ploy and finds out that these tablets that do actually smell and look like poo also taste like poo. They are poo! Little Baa Baa exclaims, "Yes, they are poo. See, you are smarter already." Employing neutral illustrations and comic-like word bubbles, some children will see what is coming. Some parents, teachers or librarians may think that the topic of poo is a no-no, but others might find this slightly inappropriate story quite amusing. Buyers should be aware before purchase.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Sommerset, Mark
Illustrator: Sommerset, Rowan
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763680664
Price: 14.00
Celebrating Louisiana
Celebrating Louisiana
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 7, 2016
Review
This selection celebrates all things Louisianan. The busy and colorful illustrations track Mr. Geo, geography teacher extraordinaire as he hits all the state's high spots. He is in the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, he cooks jambalaya and gumbo, visits the capitol of Baton Rouge, museums, historic districts, bayous, sports arenas and more. Many pages sport "Did you know?" informational captions that are very entertaining and enlightening. These series makes a great option as a resource for kids approximately ages 6 - 10 who are doing a report on states or history. I am hoping to get all of the 50 States to Celebrate books for my library's shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Kurtz, Jane
Illustrator: Canga, C. B.
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Green Light Readers/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544518278
Price: 3.99
Celebrating Colorado
Celebrating Colorado
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 8, 2016
Review
This 50 States to Celebrate is all things Coloradan. Once more, everyone's favorite geography teacher, Mr. Geo is hitting lots of interesting places in the red state. Who knew that one could sand surf on the gigantic dunes at Great Sands Dune National Park and Preserve and downhill ski in the winter in Aspen, Vail, Telluride and other fabulous ski spots. He visits the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and tours the Denver Broncos stadium. This 36 page offering packs in tons of information and the illustrations of Mr. Geo and his activites complement the text well. "Did you know?" captions bring even more facts to young readers. Words in bold are defined in the glossary at the end of the book along with fast facts, dates in history and activities readers can undertake to be sure that they have retained what they have read. This would fit the bill for a first to fourth grader who is tasked with doing a report on states or history. Add this one to your 50 States to Celebrate collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Kurtz, Jane
Illustrator: Canga, C. B.
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Green Light Readers/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book nonfiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544517936
Price: 3.99
Buster The Very Shy Dog In The Great Bone Game
Buster The Very Shy Dog In The Great Bone Game
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 8, 2016
Review
Phoebe has the run of the house and lots of bones stockpiled. Then Buster shows up. Suddenly Phoebe has another dog to compete with for the supply of bones. Phoebe is clever, though. She convinces Buster that he must train his bones to stay or they will disappear. Through cunning and trickery, Phoebe amasses all of Buster's bones and adds them to her pile. Will Buster ever figure out what is going on? In a second short story, Buster is grown and Phoebe has plans to have Buster help her to steal a huge bone from the big dog next door. That turns out differently than Phoebe had hoped and the reader will cheer. The illustrations are adorable and expressive and portray the text well. These stories are very amusing and youngsters ages 6 to about 9 will enjoy reading them to themselves as well as aloud. Definitely consider this for your beginner reader or younger juvenile readers shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bechtold, Lisze
Illustrator: Bechtold, Lisze
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Green Light Readers/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544668478
Price: 12.99
Dinosaur Rescue!
Dinosaur Rescue!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 16, 2016
Review
This sturdy boardbook will appeal to multitudes of children who love dinosaurs and rescue vehicles. Dinosaurs are trying to abort a terrible train and vehicle accident. Helicopters, tow trucks, law enforcement cars and ambulances all play their part in taking care of the injuries and crumpled vehicles when the mishap is finally over. Afterwards, the dinosaurs are all back at their barracks resting, playing, eating and preparing for the next rescue call. The illustrations portray very realistic dinosaurs of all sizes, colors and shapes. This is a good addition to any toddler's early reading collection.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Dale, Penny
Illustrator: Dale, Penny
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: nosy crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763680008
Price: 6.99
Noodlehead Nightmares
Noodlehead Nightmares
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 16, 2016
Review
Mac and Mac are brothers and they are noodleheads. I mean, actual noodleheads. Their heads are shaped like noodles like one would use for mac and cheese and they are hollow. Nothing but open space in there. Being noodleheads, they get into lots of trouble. They are, shall we say, lacking in the brains department. There are three adventures in this book. In one, they are trying to figure out how to never have to make their beds again. In another, they are vying with a friend named Meatball to try to get an entire apple pie to themselves and in the third, Mac is missing his pillow and his nightmares are out of control as he is trying to get comfortable. All of these stories come from folklore themes originating in different countries. Theodor Seuss Geisel Award honoree Tedd Arnold of FlyGuy fame illustrates this offering in hilarious beginner reader comic book style. He collaborated with storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss and created something wonderful. This will surely tempt any reluctant reader.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Arnold, Tedd
Illustrator: Arnold, Tedd
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823435661
Price: 15.95
Keep Curious And Carry A Banana: Wisdom From the World of Curious George
Keep Curious And Carry A Banana: Wisdom From the World of Curious George
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: September 16, 2016
Review
This slim volume sports Curious George yellow covers and the classic red on the spine. It immediately grabs one's attention and lets you know what is in store. In the fashion of Keep Calm and Carry On and other inspirational offerings, authors Martin and Charlesworth have collaborated with illustrator H.A. Rey to give motivational advice opposite suitable illustrations in each page spread. With lots of pastel colors and our lovable George in each picture, it is all very soothing and amusing. One is advised to be creative, positive, balanced and open to all things new and George's smiling impish face portrays his willingness to attempt all of these suggestions. This is suitable for nearly every age and one might be unsure how to catalog it for one's library shelves; philosophy, humor, spirituality...the choices are myriad.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Martin, Justin
Illustrator: Rey, H. A.
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: all ages
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544656482
Price: 12.99
Edible Colors
Edible Colors
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 27, 2016
Review
This sturdy boardbook is fascinating. It deals with colors and vegetables. Not only will little ones learn and review their colors, but they will learn of very unusual vegetables and the unbelievable colors of many. Cucumbers are green, they are also yellow. A rainier cherry and Anne yellow raspberries are also yellow. Corn is yellow but is also blue. There is a Queensland blue pumpkin, also, as well as a blue hubbard squash. The illustrations are absolutely delicious and use a lot of white space, making each vegetable really stand out. This is a very unique offering and one that even adults will learn from. Consider this for your boardbook collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bass, Jennifer Vogel
Illustrator: Bass, Jennifer Vogel
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck Publishing
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781626722842
Price: 7.99
Look Both Ways
Look Both Ways
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 5, 2016
Review
Brooklyn is spending her summer before senior year of high school at the esteemed Allerdale Playhouse summer stock theatre. She is hoping to make her mark within her family of successful theatre folk. She isn’t sure that she has what it takes to perform before audiences, though she is a fair pianist and a creative parody writer. Her mother is hopeful that Brooklyn will find a new love during the summer, be that lover male or female, and is appalled that Brooklyn is still a virgin at 17. What takes place during the summer revolves around love, sexual orientation, disappointment, and the usual drama of those in their late teens and early twenties, somewhat intensified as all the attendees are actors and uber emotional. People are not what they seem at Allerdale and Brooklyn becomes very confused on myriad levels. This is a welcome change for young adult readers who may be exhausted by all the books about vampires, post-apocalyptic scenarios and protagonists with special talents or dead mothers. Consider this for your shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cherry, Alison
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: romance
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553511864
Price: 17.99
Cloudette
Cloudette
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 6, 2016
Review
Cloudette is a tiny cloud which means that she can hide and sneak around but she also cannot have much of an impact on her environment. She watches bigger clouds making the wind blow, the snow fall, making colorful rainbows, causing rivers and ponds to rise, making waterfalls rush, and she wishes that she could do more. After a particularly bad rainstorm with high winds like she has never seen before, Cloudette finds herself in strange territory and realizes that she may be able to make new friends and really do some fantastic things weather-wise in her new surroundings. This sturdy board book is filled with amazing illustrations and amusing conversational text that complement one another very well. This is an unusual and unique board book to consider for your collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Lichtenheld, Tom
Illustrator: Lichtenheld, Tom
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781627795012
Price: 7.99
Tawny Scrawny Lion
Tawny Scrawny Lion
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 6, 2016
Review
Tawny Scrawny Lion is ravenous all the time. He chases animals every day of the week trying to assuage his hunger. All the animals are frightened of him. One brave little rabbit decides to invite Lion home for dinner with him and his family. The little rabbit hopes that he can change Lion's ways and perhaps he will not want to eat animals any more. When Lion and his little rabbit friend reach the family rabbit warren, Lion has a huge hankering for rabbit meat. How in the world will all this end? The story is adapted from a Little Golden Book version and the illustrations will remind the reader of those lovely old-fashioned pictures LGB was famous for. Preschoolers through kindergarteners will enjoy this offering aimed at their reading level though some children may find the fact that Lion wants to eat all the rabbits a big distressing.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Depken, Kristen
Illustrator: DiCicco, Sue
Illustration Quality: fair
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: fair
ISBN: 9781101934241
Price: 3.99
Apple Picking Day!
Apple Picking Day!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 6, 2016
Review
A family is spending the day at an apple orchard on a beautiful fall day. They enjoy the colorful foliage while climbing apple ladders into the trees and finding the best apples available. They race one another to see who can fill his or her basket the fastest. Afterward they come back to the farm and are offered apple cider, apple pie and apple donuts. The rhyming words, appropriate large font and pictures that illustrate what is taking place make this book ideal for the beginning level 1 reader to whom it is targeted. Youngsters will want to head to the nearest local apple orchard after reading this book. Consider it for your beginner reader shelves. This would also be good for a seasonal display.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Ransom, Candice
Illustrator: Meza, Erika
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553538588
Price: 3.99
Julie the Sleeping Beauty Fairy
Julie the Sleeping Beauty Fairy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 6, 2016
Review
In this book starring Rachel Walker and Kirsty Tate, the young friends are spending the night at Tiptop Castle. When Hannah the Happily Every After fairy appears, they find themselves in a new adventure. Jack Frost has stolen the magic objects needed to keep fairy tales in place and Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy is lost outside of her tale. Rachel and Kirsty are changed into tiny fairies and are on a quest to put things right. Little girls enamored of all things Daisy Meadows will adore this first in the new series The Fairy Tale Fairies and will look forward to the additional stories to come. The pen and ink illustrations are fitting, as always, and, like fairies, this title will fly off the shelf!
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Meadows, Daisy
Illustrator: Meadows, Daisy
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545851893
Price: 4.99
Fly Guy Presents The White House
Fly Guy Presents The White House
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 7, 2016
Review
Buzz and his pet fly Fly Guy are touring The White House. With colorful pages incorporating lots of photographs, Tedd Arnold manages to make this non-fiction offering entertaining and informative for youngsters. This book is full of fascinating facts about the White House and the Presidents and their families who have occupied it over history. On the cover, Fly Guy sports a distinguished blue suit and striped tie appropriate for visiting the White House. The familiar glittery cover work and appealing illustrations will draw in those already in love with Fly Guy. Seriously consider adding this to your non-fiction collection for kindergarteners through third graders.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Arnold, Tedd
Illustrator: Arnold, Tedd
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545917377
Price: 3.99
Roly Poly Looks for Santa Claus
Roly Poly Looks for Santa Claus
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 14, 2016
Review
Roly Poly the bear is searching for Santa Claus in this sturdy and chunky boardbook. A chunky Tiny Tab Book, this offering sports colorful tabs which pull straight up and out to the right to reveal lots of characters, none of whom is Santa Claus. Will the big guy ever be found? Little ones aged 0 to 3 years will improve their small motor skills and hand-eye coordination while helping Roly Poly to locate Santa Claus. The illustrations correspond well with the text. Consider this for your holiday boardbook collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Ho, Jannie
Illustrator: Ho, Jannie
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: nosy crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763689384
Price: 7.99
I Love My Robot
I Love My Robot
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 14, 2016
Review
Young Henry loves his robot and they have lots of adventures, even venturing to outer space. This offering is interactive with wheels to turn, a mirror in which to view oneself, and things to touch and feel. There is shiny foil and the illustrations are colorful and busy, acting out what the text depicts. The rhyming text makes for a good readaloud and little ones will have the words memorized as they will insist on countless readings of this sturdy boardbook. Consider it for your basket or shelf for your little one.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Church, Caroline Jayne
Illustrator: Church, Caroline Jayne
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Scholastic
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545835930
Price: 7.99
This Is My Book!
This Is My Book!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 18, 2016
Review
The author and illustrator of this book wants all to know that he makes all of the decisions about this book, about the text, the illustrations and the white space and on and on. However, there is a Panda in the book and he is not amenable to this arrangement. He even objects to his name. He wants to be a part of writing this book and also illustrating it. He inserts new characters, a pull tab and even a pop-up page! The author is livid. This story makes for a very amusing story and kids will love it. The illustrations are spot-on and expressive. Definitely consider this one for your picture books shelves. It makes a wonderful read aloud.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Pett, Mark
Illustrator: Pett, Mark
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781101937907
Price: 17.99
We Found a Hat
We Found a Hat
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Choose Library District
Review Date: October 18, 2016
Review
Two turtles find a hat. They both want it and looks equally good in it, but there is only one hat. What to do. So they leave the hat. They go to watch the sunset, together. Then they go to sleep, together. This book is divided into three parts. The illustrations are all shades of cream, black, white, sunset orange, and gray. It is amazing how much expression can be portrayed with eyes. This is the third book in Klassen's trilogy about hats. It is beautiful in it's simplicity and has an ending one does not suspect. I was hopeful that they would decide to share the hat, each wearing it at different times, but that does not come to pass. Perhaps the lesson is that they do, truly, do everything together and they cannot wear one hat at the same time. I wonder if young children might come up with a sharing solution to the dilemma. This is one to consider for your picture book shelves.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Klassen, Jon
Illustrator: Klassen, Jon
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763656003
Price: 17.99
You Make My Heart...Swing Sideways
You Make My Heart...Swing Sideways
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 23, 2016
Review
Annabelle is looking forward to summer because her mother has been forced by Annabelle's doctor to give up the schedules and expectations she has always had for her and loosen the reins. Annie can't eat without choking and is thin as a rake. She is hankering for freedom from her mother's strict overbearing presence. When the family goes to camp for a month, Annabelle quickly befriends a wild young girl named California who is staying with her grandfather on a farm nearby. California picks berries and eats them straightaway, rides horses, climbs trees and lots of other exciting things that Annabelle has never been allowed to do. She finally has her freedom, but circumstances and secrets are divulged that make Annabelle realize how lucky she is to have her stable, loving and attentive parents.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Steveson, Nanci Turner
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062374547
Price: 16.99
True Letters From a Fictional Life
True Letters From a Fictional Life
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 2, 2016
Review
James lives in a small Vermont town where everyone knows everyone. He is a junior in high school and he, along with his friends and classmates, have always plagued anyone who seems different. Of course this includes gay boys. The problem is James is struggling with his sexual identity, wonders why he can't really connect with his 'girlfriend' and what does it mean that he is attracted to boys. He wants to come out in his own time and way, but circumstances conspire to force his hand sooner rather than later. He writes letters to people and has for years, letters he never sends, but someone finds those letters and mails some of them. His 'fictional life' is now revealed. This will make a good choice for young people trying to deal with coming out to friends and family and will also appeal to all ages who are attempting to understand issues around homosexuality. It makes the reader come to terms with how difficult society often makes life for those who are different and just trying to live their own 'normal' lives. Let's all take a lesson from this story.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Logan, Kenneth
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062380258
Price: 17.99
Lucy & Company
Lucy & Company
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 6, 2016
Review
Lucy and her animal friends, including a snail, a mouse, and a rabbit have lots of adventures together. This book tells of three of those adventures; in one, Adrian the snail is nearly mistaken for a hazelnut and eaten; in another, Lucy and her friends surprise Henry the rabbit into helping follow a treasure map only to find that the treasure is a birthday present for him; in the last, three little chicks have been orphaned and are looking for a mother and a father and end up with acquiring unlikely volunteers. The illustrations are soft and pastel, the text lends itself to a readaloud for the younger set, but siblings a bit older will be able to read this themselves. Happy endings abound and beginner readers will like the chapter-like format of this book.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Dubuc, Marianne
Illustrator: Dubuc, Marianne
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781771386623
Price: 16.95
Swallow the Leader: A Counting Book
Swallow the Leader: A Counting Book
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 6, 2016
Review
This counting book uses assorted fish who follow one another. Each number has a humorous poem attached. They hide from sharks, imitate whales' blows, and float on their backs. When they number ten, a shark arrives on scene and their numbers dwindle. Are all these little fishies done for? The illustrations are actually layered, using cutouts and watercolors; they are unusual, and therefore, appealing. The fish have expressive eyes and different shapes, especially the ray and the blowfish. This reader especially enjoyed the seahorses. This will appeal to little ones because of the amusing verse.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Smith, Danna
Illustrator: Sherry, Kevin
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544105188
Price: 16.99
Phanton Limbs
Phanton Limbs
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 13, 2016
Review
At 16, Otis Mueller is carrying a lot of grief; grief over the death of his younger brother Mason 3 years ago, grief over the wonderful family life they had before Mason's death and grief over the loss of his best friend Meg who moved across the country after the loss of Mason. He has heard nothing from Meg since. Otis's friend Dara is grieving the loss of an arm and suffers phantom pains to an excruciating degree. She also has lost what could have been a brilliant swimming career. She is training Otis now with a vengeance and hoping that he will be good enough for the Olympics. The title is fitting as it seems everyone is in pain due to losses. With some strong blasphemy, drinking, drugging and sex this is definitely for older young adult readers. This author's first novel which boasts wonderfully rounded characters is well worth considering for young adult audiences.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Garner, Paula
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763682057
Price: 16.99
First 100 Things That Go
First 100 Things That Go
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2017
Review
This sturdy boardbook has a handle so that little ones might carry it around. The theme is 100 things that go and there are categories including in the city, let's work, at sea, and cars and emergency vehicles. There are lots of flaps to lift and textures to explore, and bigger illustrations of different vehicles with parts of each vehicle named. The illustrations are actually pictures of each vehicle with lots of color and definition. This will be a good choice for little ones that love all things transportation. The flaps may make this a short-lived addition to a public library as they might be easily torn, but will be worth it as the little ones will adore it.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Scholastic, Scholastic
Illustrator: Scholastic, Scholastic
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545903431
Price: 6.99
First 100 Words
First 100 Words
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2017
Review
This is a boardbook with a handle by which little ones might carry it about. With lots of flaps and different textures to explore, babies and toddlers will practice both eye-hand coordination and the sense of the tactile. The illustrations are actually tiny photographs which makes this offering especially true to life, though some of the pictures seem dated. Colors and shapes, my body, and family are among the topics explored on separate page layouts. With the tiny flaps, however, this might be best for private collections as library collections will find that damage will occur much too quickly. Sadly, the top pictures and the pictures revealed as you pick up the flap don't always seem to make much sense or have any correlation. For example, when flipping up a house one finds grass and when flipping up hair one reveals elbow, and glasses reveals knees.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Scholastic, Scholastic
Illustrator: Scholastic, Scholastic
Illustration Quality: fair
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545903301
Price: 6.99
The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Peek-Through Picture Book
The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Peek-Through Picture Book
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2017
Review
This book has a lovely distinctly Germanic feel. A little boy and girl in pointed felt caps appear on each page as the song The Twelve Days of Christmas unfolds. Through cut-outs, each additional gift is revealed and added to each to the ones that have come prior, from a partridge in a pear tree through to the twelve drummers drumming. A gorgeous palette of colors are employed to make the illustrations absolutely stunning as the little girl and boy frolic suitably for each new set of gifts: they are drinking milk as the 8 maids a-milking are added and are playing pipes as the 11 pipers piping join in. This is a great holiday book that one cannot help but sing to the familiar beloved tune. I challenge you to read it without singing.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Teckentrup, Britta
Illustrator: Teckentrup, Britta
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781101940877
Price: 14.99
Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat
Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 12, 2017
Review
Bad Kitty is back again in a Halloween themed picture book. The end papers are colored like the inside of a pumpkin and the illustrations are extremely busy. When Bad Kitty is frightened one October evening by unexpected beings called trick-or-treaters, from an Awful Alien all the way through the alphabet to a Zany Zombie, one understands why Bad Kitty is hiding. But...suddenly she finds that there is candy involved and she goes on the attack against all of the twenty-six creatures outside the door. With several big words such as lambasted, jostled, quirky, exotic and on and on, adults will definitely have to read this one aloud to the intended young audience. All Bad Kitty lovers will enjoy this.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bruel, Nick
Illustrator: Bruel, Nick
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781596439788
Price: 16.99
Like Magic
Like Magic
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 14, 2017
Review
This delightful middle-school story is told in alternating chapters by three ten-year-old girls, Jada, Malia and Grace, each of whom is dealing with challenging family issues. With each girl struggling with varied problems, the author delves into many different topics. Jada has been made to move from her home town where her beloved Grandma has been a huge part of her life while also wondering why her mother abandoned her and her father when she was just two years old. Grace’s best friend has moved away, her parents are busy with their careers, and she suffers from anxiety so intense that she finds it difficult to even carry on the simplest of conversations. Malia is feeling displaced and redundant as her parents welcome a tiny new baby girl. Will they even need her anymore? The girls’ lives become intertwined through the intervention of a lovely, wrinkly, wispy-haired public librarian named Hazel. She loans each of the girls an elaborate, locked treasure box which looks somewhat like a book which was left in the lost and found. Each girl leaves something in the box for the next borrower (music, poetry, drawings) and, somehow, magically (?) the item each girl finds turns out to be exactly what she needs to move forward in a positive way. In a heartwarming climax, the girls achieve friendship because of the wonderful treasure box and the help of Hazel the librarian.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Vickers, Elaine
Illustrator: Vickers, Elaine
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062414311
Price: 16.99
Eleven and Holding
Eleven and Holding
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 19, 2017
Review
Though she lives in Constant, Colorado, everything in Macy's life seems to be changing and not for the better. Macy will soon turn twelve, but she has decided she will not celebrate in any fashion until her father returns home. He has always returned after stints in the Army and has promised to be home for the big event but it does not look promising. He has been gone for months on a special project for the Department of Defense. She is due to enter seventh grade and leave her best friend Twee behind in sixth, her beloved Grandmother has died and her business sold, her mother seems to think of nothing but Macy's little brother, Jack, and is spending way too much time with a certain man. So, she decides to find her Dad and reveal the truth of what is really going on. Something is just not right and she fears that her Mom and Dad will be getting divorced. This story is told in a very believable way and deals with loss, learning unhappy truths and how best to deal with them, especially at a delicate age. With unexpected twists and turns and told from the viewpoint of the 11-year-old protagonist, I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Penney, Mary
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Harper
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062405470
Price: 16.99
A Hundred Hours of Night
A Hundred Hours of Night
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 25, 2017
Review
Emilia De Wit is 15 years old and her life is falling apart. Her father has caused an embarrassing scandal involving a schoolmate and her mother is a successful, distant, self-absorbed artist. So Emilia decides to go to New York City, a place of which she has often dreamed, leaving her hometown of Amsterdam behind. She has arranged a place to stay and thinks that she is all set, but arrives to find that the Craigslist offering was a scam and finds herself on the streets. Luckily, she is befriended by Seth and Abby, a brother and sister with family issues of their own, and a model-beautiful 17 year old named Jim who has escaped his somewhat dysfunctional family in Michigan. To top it all off, Hurricane Sandy arrives and leaves them in the dark for one hundred hours, without connectivity to the outside world, and without all the other luxuries that electricity provides. Drawing from her own experience of surviving Hurricane Sandy, Woltz brings to life the reality of that devastating event on the city and its citizens. Will it take complete darkness for Emilia and her friends to see the light of truth, the possibility of forgiveness and that life often must be lived in shades of gray? I highly recommend this surprising and unpredictable story.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Woltz, Anna
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545848282
Price: 17.99
Maxi the Little Taxi
Maxi the Little Taxi
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 26, 2017
Review
Mr. Buddy's Taxi Service is sending Maxi the Little Taxi out for his first day on the job. He is clean and shiny and ready to go. He has a wonderful time zipping and zooming around town and loves to hit all the mud puddles he sees. Between the puddles, the pigeons and the sticky-fingered little passengers, Maxi gets grimy mighty fast and tentative riders give him a wide berth. What to do. The text is rhyming and makes for a very good read aloud choice. Little boys and girls will delight in Maxi's expressions,the colorful, bold illustrations and will giggle when they hear of Maxi's car wash experience when the scrubbers "tickle his muffler and bumper and hubs." This will make a good addition to collections, especially for little ones that love anything with wheels.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Upton, Elizabeth
Illustrator: Cole, Henry
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545798600
Price: 17.99
The Dog Ray
The Dog Ray
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 31, 2017
Review
When Daisy, age 12, is killed in a car accident and finds out that reincarnation is the deal, she somehow returns to earth as a dog. She is able to remember all about her prior life, all her memories and her strong love for her parents. She is determined to return to them, but how in the world will she do it? She finds herself with a neglectful master, then as a stray eating from garbage pails, next as a loyal companion to a young runaway boy with problems galore, and even ends up at a shelter and is scheduled to be euthanized. This story is wonderfully unpredictable and just plain sweet. Issues such as love, loyalty, family, and grief are touched upon with humor and grace. I heartily recommend this one for ages 11 and up.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Coggin, Linda
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763679385
Price: 15.99
Puddle
Puddle
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 31, 2017
Review
A little boy is bored because it is raining and he cannot go outside. So, his Mom decides to draw, though the little boy says "No. I don't want to! I'll never draw!" Soon enough, the little boy is drawn in in more ways than one. He becomes interested in what his Mom is drawing and she actually draws him into the pictures. Mom keeps adding things; the dog, an umbrella, a puddle. Their imaginations run wild and they have to keep reminding themselves that 'it is just a picture." They finally decide that they can go outside after all: they just need their raincoats, rain boots and umbrellas. The ultimate goal, of course, is to find a puddle in which to jump. The text alternates from red to black, with Mom's dialogue in red and the little boy's in black. The simple, colorful, childlike illustrations are perfection, employing lots of bright yellow, reds and blues. Yum's sixth picture book is spot on. Consider it for picture book collections, public and private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Yum, Hyewon
Illustrator: Yum, Hyewon
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780374316952
Price: 16.99
Hidden
Hidden
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 19, 2017
Review
Alix, who is 14, lives off the coast of England. Her life is pretty much in a turmoil; Dad left two years ago with a younger woman, her beloved Grampa has died, and Mom has suffered a broken leg. Alix is trying to keep her tiny family afloat. She takes care of her Mom, works a paper delivery route, prepares the meals, and tries to keep running as often as she can to stay on the track team at school. She notices Samir,a quiet and often bullied boy in her class who is a refugee from Iraq. She befriends him and they are together when a man comes in on the tide. They save him from drowning and then are in a position where they don't know what to do next. He is a victim of the war in Iraq, his family members have been killed, and is seeking asylum. From what they have been taught recently, he is apt to be sent right back to Iraq where, he claims, he will be killed. Samir and Alix are in a dilemma. In the current times, this novel about immigration, refugees, and the choices all countries must make around this issue is spot on and told in a way which young teenagers will understand. Alix finds that judging others by their appearance alone sometimes proves catastrophic, whether those people are her family, friends, neighbors, teachers, or law enforcement.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Halahmy, Miriam
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780823436941
Price: 16.95
Silly Wonderful You
Silly Wonderful You
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 19, 2017
Review
In the first half of this book, the Mom is expressing how much things have changed for the worse since her daughter came along. Using words like messy, loud, grumpy, whiny, and stinky to describe her little girl, this reader started to think that a little one hearing this story would not be pleased and might feel a bit like a burden to have around. After the halfway point, things turn around and become more positive but I still don't think that this is a book that the targeted audience will feel good about. That said, the illustrations are lovely, with use of lots of pastels, expressiveness, and busyness. Think twice before committing to this one.
Overall Book Score: fair
About the Book
Author:
Rinker, Sherri Duskey
Illustrator: McDonnell, Patrick
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062271051
Price: 17.99
Aim
Aim
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 26, 2017
Review
It's 1941 and Junior Bledsoe is 14 years old and living in Hickory, North Carolina. His Pop teaches him to shoot and schools him in how to aim straight and true. The times in the woods with his Pop are among the best of times with his father; he also enjoys handing his father tools upon request as his father is a very astute shade tree mechanic. But Pop struggles with alcohol, gambling, and tolerating his own father who has recently moved in with the family. When Pop dies unexpectedly and under somewhat suspicious circumstances, Junior is left to do all the chores at home, share his room with his extremely negative and curmudgeonly grandfather, decide whether or not to quit school, where he is forced to use his right hand to perfect the Palmer Method even though he is left-handed, and trying to figure out how to live down being Axel Beldsoe's namesake. Perhaps he should take a job at the mill that his father despised. He desperately wants to earn respect for the Bledsoe family and attempts to lie about his age to join the Army when WWII breaks out. While trying to find his true aim in life, he takes many missteps and learns, at last, that his first goal must be to earn self-respect. Written in a time when things were much different than the present, young adult readers will be drawn into a world of rationing, saving scrap metal and rubber for the cause, and learning to write in cursive were what everyday life was about.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Hostetter, Joyce Moyer
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Calkins Creek/An Imprint of Highlights
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction,historical fiction
Audience: grades 7-9
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781629796734
Price: 17.95
Polka Dots for Poppy
Polka Dots for Poppy
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: April 28, 2017
Review
Sisters Ava, Isabelle, Charlie Ann and Poppy are excited about shopping for school clothes. They all know precisely what they want, from all things princessy, purply or cowgirl to polka dots. Poppy is the youngest and she definitely loves polka dots. When shopping day comes, everyone is able to find exactly what they want except for little Poppy. She is so unhappy. The next morning, when Mom dresses Poppy, she finds a polka dot outfit in Poppy's drawers. Where did it come from? Creative sisterly love has come to the rescue! With bold, content-filled illustrations and the color words in appropriate colored text, this will be a good addition to picture book shelves everywhere.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Schwartz, Amy
Illustrator: Schwartz, Amy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Holiday House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780823434312
Price: 16.95
How To Train a Train
How To Train a Train
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: May 4, 2017
Review
This sturdy boardbook is an instructional manual of sorts; it will teach youngsters how to lure a train into coming home with them so that they may keep it as a pet. There are many different kinds of trains. How does one know which train is right for them? They will just know; a feeling will come over them and they will just know that one certain train is the perfect one. Then, they must take the train home and decide upon a name. Next, they can teach their train tricks and eventually the train will take them for a ride. With action-packed illustrations that include wonderful facial expressions, even on the trains, this will be a favorite for toddlers everywhere, especially those enamored of trains. Definitely consider this for your boardbook collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Eaton, Jason Carter
Illustrator: Rocco, John
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763688998
Price: 7.99
Big Bug Log
Big Bug Log
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 17, 2017
Review
Little Bugsy the bug is trying to find his way to Grandma's through Big Bug Log. He is given directions as he goes along and must make his way through doors that flip open, curtains that flip up, up and down stairways and ladders, and down bookworms. What an adventure. Children will enjoy deciphering clues, making their way through mazes and finding the correct way to get to Grandma's where she and other family bugs are awaiting his arrival. With busy and colorful pages, sturdy construction and lots of interactive play, 3 - 7 year old children will return to this book again and again, perhaps discovering new details with each reading. The illustrations are adorable with lots of different smiling bugs, from bees to spiders, ladybugs and even snails.(Is a snail a bug?) Consider this choice seriously for your boardbook collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Braun, Sebastien
Illustrator: Braun, Sebastien
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763693220
Price: 9.99
Where's the Ladybug?
Where's the Ladybug?
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 17, 2017
Review
This simple, interactive boardbook fits the bill and the pre-school set will adore it. Each page spread asks questions such as, "Where's the caterpillar?" on the leftmost side and on the right there is a soft felt flap under which the caterpillar is found. Other pages follow suit with other little bugs until one finds the hidden ladybug. The last page asks "And where are you?" and the little reader finds a mirror under the felt flap. Giggles will undoubtedly ensue. With bright, simple illustrations and rugged felt flaps, this choice will last longer than some other offerings of interactive books made of less sturdy material. Consider this one to add to your boardbook collection, public or private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Arrhenius, Ingela
Illustrator: Arrhenius, Ingela
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763693350
Price: 8.99
Maisy Goes To the Local Bookstore
Maisy Goes To the Local Bookstore
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 5, 2017
Review
In this Maisy selection, Maisy makes her first trip to the local bookstore. There are so many books that she barely knows what to do. She must pick one to purchase. Ostrich the bookseller helps her to find a lovely book about birds, Charley arrives and finds books of interest to him, as do Cyril and Eddie. Then, a lovely snack is enjoyed at the cafe and then a final decision must be made. Oh, my. Which book to purchase? The bold and colorful illustrations are spot-on and will be familiar to those who have enjoyed the other Maisy books. Of course, as a librarian, I must point out that Maisy and all of her friends could borrow endless books at their local library at no charge. Something to consider.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cousins, Lucy
Illustrator: Cousins, Lucy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763692551
Price: 12.99
Reformed
Reformed
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 13, 2017
Review
Ian is on his way to middle school in the fall, but first he must survive this summer. He has been sent to Bully School boarding school for 6 weeks and what could be worse for a reluctant bully than a school filled with bullies? After being picked on mercilessly for a few years, Ian teamed up with a group of bullies because they watch his back and stand up for him when others bully him. Truth be told, he is not a bully but is with this group as a means of survival. At bully school, Ian realizes that Devon, the head of his bully group, is not what he seems and may be the perpetrator of one of the most heinous pranks of the summer and against one of their own group! Readers who are bullied or are bullies themselves could benefit from this story and, perhaps, change their ways. Consider this selection for your tween collection.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Weinberger, Justin
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545902526
Price: 16.99
Optimists Die First
Optimists Die First
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 14, 2017
Review
Petula De Wilde is 16 years old and carrying a heavy burden. Her younger sister died in a strange way and Petula believes it was all her fault. Now she is an only child and she is trying to compensate for her guilt by going to great lengths to keep her parents happy. She is also keeping a scrapbook of bizarre deaths and she is overly cautious in every aspect of her life; avoiding construction sites for fear something will fall from the sky and strike her dead, eschewing public toilets so as not to contract a deadly disease, using copious amounts of hand sanitizer. Just when she begins to let down her guard and experience a bit of happiness, horrible things begin to happen and she realizes that she was right in being a pessimist; optimists die first because they are not careful enough in their everyday lives. Unpredictable and at times humorous, this will make a good addition to YA collections.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Nielsen, Susin
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553496901
Price: 17.99
Just Another Girl
Just Another Girl
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 15, 2017
Review
Hope and Brady have been best buds since they were very small and Hope has always assumed that they would end up living happily ever after, though Brady doesn't seem to have gotten the hint. Hope is now sixteen and Brady seventeen, junior and senior respectively and time is running out before Brady heads off to college. To make matters worse, Brady seems suddenly enamored with a new girl named Parker. Can't Brady see that he and Hope should be together? Boys can be so dumb sometimes, but Hope is determined. Of course she detests Parker simply because Parker stands in the way of Hope's dreams. Hope thinks Parker has a perfect life and vice versa. Little does Hope know what Parker deals with just trying to make it through each day. This book captures the angst of unrequited teenage love and makes one think that perhaps you should be careful what you wish for. This is definitely one to consider adding to your YA collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Eulberg, Elizabeth
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Point
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545956284
Price: 17.99
Forever Or A Long Long Time
Forever Or A Long Long Time
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 24, 2017
Review
Flora is 10 and her brother Julian, 9. They have been adopted and have been with their forever family for 2 years. They were in the foster system for several years and experienced some good times and many scary, nearly neglectful and injurious times. They have memories, or more accurately, feelings of things that happened before they came to be adopted. Convinced that they were never born as they have no baby pictures and no memories of being born and feeling that a real mother would never have disappeared, they entertain several theories of how they came into existence; they came from the sea, from blood, from chaos. They are waiting constantly to be sent to another home and, therefore, are always frightened. Julian hides food as he is afraid he will never have enough; Flora loses her words and simply cannot communicate. When Mom and Dad announce that they are to have a new baby, one that will be born in a natural way, the children decide that there will never be enough love to go around and that they will become superfluous and will lose the love they have guardedly learned to expect. When their Mom takes them on a quest to find out all that happened to the children in their younger years and how they came to be in the system, the definition of family is questioned. There are some extremely sad revelations about what transpired in some of the kids' placements that made this reader angry and tearful. I very much recommend this book for anyone aged 8 and above, even or maybe especially adults. I nominate this for Cream.
Overall Book Score: excellent
About the Book
Author:
Carter, Caela
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062385680
Price: 16.99
Escape from Funland
Escape from Funland
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 26, 2017
Review
The Talaska family just love to enter contests and usually have pretty good luck. The newest contest is sponsored by a defunct clown-filled amusement park called Funland. If the family wins the contest,the clowns will turn their house which is in dangerous disrepair into a house full of fun with carousels, slides, a hall of mirrors and all sorts of wacky rides. In order to win the first step of the contest, the family must secure hundreds of likes. This is a cute story about a family that always work together toward a shared goal with senses of humor intact. It also teaches a lesson and that is that likes are not necessarily from true friends; true friends step up to help when it is truly needed.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Doyle, Bill
Illustrator: Jack, Colin
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553521818
Price: 15.99
Maisy's Bus
Maisy's Bus
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 26, 2017
Review
In this colorful and sturdy boardbook, Maisy is driving a busload of friends to the beach; familiar friends including Dotty, Cyril and Tallulah are on board. The illustrations are bold and simple, just what we have come to expect from a Maisy offering. The book is shaped somewhat like a bus and will withstand many hours of happy listening and handling by baby and toddler hands. This is one you must consider for your collection, public or private.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cousins, Lucy
Illustrator: Cousins, Lucy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763694067
Price: 5.99
Itty Bitty
Itty Bitty
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: October 26, 2017
Review
This sturdy boardbook will appeal especially to kids enamored of tiny things. Itty Bitty is actually a tiny, tiny dog. He comes across a huge bone and decides to make it into a home. He chews a doorway, windows, and then eats all of the inside of the bone. It seems huge and he needs furniture, curtains, and the like, so he travels to a department store but everything there is way too huge, but then he finds the Teeny-Weeny Department which is filled with everything he needs in exactly the right sizes! Illustrated in bright colors in a simple fashion, this book will be one that little ones will definite request over and over. This might be a wonderful choice for a family that is planning a move and trying to calm anxious little ones who might not be too thrilled with the plan.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Bell, Cece
Illustrator: Bell, Cece
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763693138
Price: 6.99
Daddies are Awesome
Daddies are Awesome
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 3, 2017
Review
This sturdy boardbook celebrates Dads and all that they do for their little ones. Many different breeds of dogs are pictured with their puppies playing,kissing,reading, and cuddling. The illustrations are simple and playful and incorporate lots of white space. The rhyming text makes this a good read-aloud. This will be a book that little ones will request again and again. Consider for your collection, perhaps especially for little ones who love dogs.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Costain, Meredith
Illustrator: Lovsin, Polona
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9781250107206
Price: 7.99
Halloween ABC
Halloween ABC
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 3, 2017
Review
This extremely sturdy boardbook is an ABC book and every single word is a Halloween related word: bats, ghost, nightmare,quiver,zombie, etc. Each page is extremely colorful, shows the letter in both upper and lower-case, and illustrates the chosen word in bold and simple colors. This is definitely a book that little ones will enjoy learning their alphabet from...just a tiny big scary but not at all horrifying.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Ho, Jannie
Illustrator: Ho, Jannie
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763695279
Price: 6.99
Clark the Shark and the Big Book Report
Clark the Shark and the Big Book Report
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 3, 2017
Review
This I Can Read level 1 beginner reader brings back Clark the Shark and his assorted fishy friends: Benny Blowfish, Ella Jellyfish, and Joey Mackerel just to name a few. Everyone is extremely worried about having to give book reports but Clark is filled with confidence; his report will be the best ever. Teacher Mrs. Inkydink,who is an octopus, urges her students to "be bold, be smart, and speak from the heart." When Clark starts his oral report off with a joke, it seems that all will be well, but he suddenly freezes and forgets all that he was going to say. What to do, what to do. The illustrations are expressive and amusing; Clark sports his signature red and white striped t-shirt and red cap and all of his friends are appropriately attired for the classroom. At the end of the book are three bite-sized facts about sharks that young readers will find of interest. Consider this for your youngsters ready to tackle simple sentences.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Hale, Bruce
Illustrator: Francis, Guy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: HarperCollins
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780062279132
Price: 16.99
Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins
Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 3, 2017
Review
Flat Stanley and his brother Arthur are off for two weeks at Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue's farm. Plus they will get to go to the county fair. Aunt Sue bakes wonderful pies and is always trying to fatten Stanley up, even though he says he is not skinny, he's just flat! Cousin Billy, Stanley, and Arthur help around the farm. Uncle Bob is trying to catch whoever is stealing his pumpkins, so Stanley decides to act as a scarecrow to unveil the culprits. When he uncovers the thieves, everyone is very surprised. Cartoonish illustrations make this very appealing for level 2 readers who are developing their skills. Who doesn't love Flat Stanley? Add this to your collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Brown, Jeff
Illustrator: Pamintuan, Macky
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062365989
Price: 16.99
Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel
Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: November 22, 2017
Review
13-year-old only-child Stevie Grace is living a wonderful, secure, and loving existence with her Mother and Father on a small farm in New Mexico. She believes that her grandparents are all dead and her parents never speak of them. In fact, they have fanciful stories for how they came to be together. Stevie has come to realize that these probably are not true. When her parents are killed in an automobile-related accident, Stevie is grief-stricken. On top of that, she is sent to Texas to stay with her maternal Grandfather whom she never knew existed. She is eager for any information about her Mother as a child and yearns to hear the true story about how her parents came to be together, but her Grandfather is gruff, stern, and far from welcoming. Stevie does find friendship with various characters who work and live at the drab and deteriorating Texas Sunrise Motel that her Grandfather owns. As she comes to learn about what happened between her parents, she comes to understand her Grandfather's reticence to form a close bond with her. A lovely story, though this reader wanted to shake most of the adults involved in this tale and impress upon them the need for Stevie to have help dealing with her loss. Ultimately, Stevie seems to be the most mature personality in the book.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Holt, Kimberly Willis
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 7-9
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781627793247
Price: 16.99
JoJo and Daddy Bake a Cake
JoJo and Daddy Bake a Cake
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2017
Review
Fancy Nancy's little sister JoJo is baking a cake. Her father is helping her and soon she has two more helpers: her friend Freddy and sister Nancy. Everyone wants to know who the cake is for but JoJo will not tell. This My First Shared Reading offering with basic language and appealing, simple illustrations is perfect for the beginner reader who stills needs some help. The cake is for someone very special and the surprise is perfect. Definitely consider this one for your beginner readers' shelves and the young reader will look forward to other JoJo stories.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
O'Connor, Jane
Illustrator: Glasser, Robin Preiss
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062378026
Price: 16.99
The Pirate Problem
The Pirate Problem
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2017
Review
Based on the TV series Peg + Cat, this level 2, 6-chapter book will help young readers to figure out some math. Peg + Cat are on an island and some hungry pirates show up so they must ascertain very quickly how to get these pirates fed and how to do it equitably. If pirates get hungry they start singing - badly! There are different fruit trees on the island, but apparently pirates only like certain kinds of fruit and the Great Banana nearby is not yet ready to drop. Peg + Cat must put on their thinking caps and use their math skills to save the day. When a kleptomaniac monkey appears on the scene and steals some peaches, Peg + Cat must go to plan B, but what might that be? With lessons about sharing and problem solving, this is a good choice for kids 4 - 8. The illustrations follow the text well and the font reminds one of old-fashioned typewriter print which makes this book unusual and sort of retro.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Oxley, Jennifer
Illustrator: Aronson, Billy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763697860
Price: 14.99
Let's Go To The Moon
Let's Go To The Moon
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2017
Review
Lana really wants to go to the moon, but her parents are raking, Jay and Ray are playing on the trampoline and Furry is chasing leaves. Well, the heck with them. Lana goes to her room, plasters stars and planets all around, builds a rocket from boxes and puts on her space suit. Off she goes to a fantastical and imaginative trip to the moon where she meets moon parents, moon children and a moon beast. When her stomach grumbles and she is offered only moon rocks, she decides she must go home where her family awaits her ready to make moon cookies. This book shows little ones how to use their imaginations and, perhaps, even how to play by oneself and not need others or electronic devices to pass the time. With large font and some repetitive text, this is a good choice for the level 2 set, challenging the reader to follow along with Lana's adventure. The illustrations track well with the text. Beginner readers will enjoy Lana's World books.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Silverman, Erica
Illustrator: Golden, Jess
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Green Light Readers/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fantasy
Audience: grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780544867611
Price: 3.99
Beep Beep, Maisy!
Beep Beep, Maisy!
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2017
Review
This oversized boardbook has dozens of flaps for little hands to find, which is great for hand eye coordination. Maisy is driving about in her car and she passes many other vehicles; a donkey on a tractor, a peacock on a bicycle and an ostrich on a train to name a few. Sounds reasonable, right? Roadwork causes a huge traffic jam and all the drivers and passengers find ways to entertain themselves while they wait. The sounds each vehicle makes are revealed and there are lots of different sizes of tabs to flip where one will discover amusing and colorful pictures. Familiar characters are here again : Charley, Cyril, and Dotty. Those who love the Maisy series will be thrilled with this offering. Flip books, however, do get easily damaged and torn and have to be replaced often, in public libraries especially.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Cousins, Lucy
Illustrator: Cousins, Lucy
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763694074
Price: 12.99
Mingo the Flamingo
Mingo the Flamingo
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 29, 2017
Review
Mingo is a young flamingo and he is all packed and ready to fly South for the winter for the first time. His flock hits a storm and Mingo finds himself in foreign territory. He lands in a barnyard that is experiencing lots of snow. He is slightly injured and totally disoriented. He apparently has a form of flamingo amnesia. His pinkness sure stands out from all the snow and all the gray, black and white shades of the animals surrounding him. He becomes attached to his new friends but something still seems wrong. When he realizes who he is, he misses his family. Will Mingo ever make his way home? Mingo is the brightest spot in the illustrations and this makes the reader understand how out of place he is. The morale seems to be "We can become comfortable among friends, but there is really no better place than home with the family.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Oswald, Pete
Illustrator: Thompson, Justin
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062391988
Price: 17.99
Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie
Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 3, 2018
Review
Pete the Cat is all decked out in his Saturday Night Fever garb and ready to dance. He is learning the Cool Cat Boogie and thinks he is doing fine until time and time again he is told that he is doing it wrong. It seems that everyone from Grumpy Toad to Turtle believe that he is just not getting it and he begins to wonder if they might be right. Eventually Wise Old Owl sets him straight and Pete realizes that as long as he is having fun and being himself, he will grab every chance he gets to dance, dance, dance. With rhyming text that complements the colorful, bold, and expressive illustrations, this will be a book that will get youngsters moovin' and groovin'. Pete the Cat lovers in particular will enjoy this offering.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Dean, Kimberly & James
Illustrator: Dean, James
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollinsPublishers
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780062404343
Price: 17.99
Owl Bat Bat Owl
Owl Bat Bat Owl
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, N, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 3, 2018
Review
This is a true picture book; it has no text. Kids will quickly figure out what is going on in this tale about a Mom and her three little owls and a Mom with her three little bats. Mom and her baby owls are fine and dandy hanging out on their branch. Suddenly, a Mom bat and her three little bats arrive and decide to set up housekeeping on the other side of the branch, hanging upside down beneath the owls. It does not seem that this will go well. The Owl Mom is not impressed. The littlest owl, however, is quite curious and non-judgmental about these strange interlopers. When a huge wind storm arises and all the tenants of this branch are blown hither and yon, Mom instincts kick in and the Moms help one another to bring all the babies to safety. The illustrations by this Irish author and illustrator are absolutely lovely and this reader is amazed by how a few brushstrokes and changes in the eyes and mouths can relate a myriad of feelings that are taking place with all the inhabitants of this one branch. This story might teach us all a lesson about the acceptance that youngsters exhibit and the fact that they learn from their elders how to dismiss anyone not just like us.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise
Illustrator: Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763691615
Price: 15.99
Pip and Posy : the New Friend
Pip and Posy : the New Friend
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 3, 2018
Review
Pip the rabbit and Posy the mouse are very, very good friends and they are off for a day at the beach. They do lots of beachy things; they collect shells, wade in the water and dig in the sand. Everything is going great until Posy takes a nap and Pip befriends a boy dog named Zac and begins playing with him. When Posy awakes she immediately feels left out even though the others invite her to play with them. As often happens with little people and even sometimes older people, three friends being together just doesn't work out. How will this problem be rectified for Pip and Posy. Little readers and listeners will learn a great lesson from this story, as Posy realizes that three friends playing together truly can work out and not threaten but enhance the core friendship. The illustrations and text complement one another well with lots of white space on several pages. Little readers and listeners who have enjoyed other Pip and Posy offerings will like this one, too.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Scheffler, Axel
Illustrator: Scheffler, Axel
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: nosy crow
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763693398
Price: 12.99
Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars
Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: January 31, 2018
Review
Molly is 10 years old and wishes she were not so different. She yearns for a normal home with a mother and a father, meals on the table on a regular basis and a parent who knows that she really should go to school. However, her life is pretty much a wreck; her mother gathers herbs and plants to make magical potions, her father is long gone, her neighbors, the Grimshaws, are always on the warpath and causing trouble, and her house is anything but orderly. She has only one friend, Ellen, but wishes Pim, a boy at school who is also very different, would befriend her. When Molly's mother erroneously turns herself into a tree, Molly hesitates to tell Ellen what has happened but Pim comes along and helps Molly with her dilemma. This tale teaches a lesson about friendship,trusting others with your hardships and that one always has room for a new friend. Part fantasy, this magical tale is quite enjoyable and young readers will likely enjoy it.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Murray, Martine
Illustrator: Martine, Murray
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: fantasy
Audience: grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780399550409
Price: 16.99
Peep and Ducky Rainy Day
Peep and Ducky Rainy Day
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 10, 2018
Review
This sturdy and colorful boardbook finds friends Peep and Ducky playing together on a rainy day. In rhyming verse, which makes for a wonderful readaloud, Peep and Ducky use their imaginations to think up things to do inside. When boredom sets in, they venture outside to play in the rain. Peep and Ducky consider themselves extremely lucky to be such good friends and oft the refrain is 'lucky, lucky, lucky.' The illustrations incorporate lots of white space and both muted and bold colors. This would be a good addition to boardbook collections of all types.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Martin, David
Illustrator: Walker, David
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure,fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780763695231
Price: 6.99
Foods With Moods: A Book of Feelings
Foods With Moods: A Book of Feelings
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: August 10, 2018
Review
This sturdy and colorful boardbook is extremely clever. Even the youngest read-to-me age child will be able to ascertain the feelings these foodstuffs are displaying. With rhyming text, the child is asked how they feel in different circumstances. Each page has one or two foods wearing expressions that go along with the questions and statements beneath. With pastel backgrounds and amazingly creative, though simple, modifications made to these fruits and vegetables, this will be a book that will be chosen again and again by little ones for sharing. This will also be a good choice when trying to determine how your little one is feeling. Consider this for your boardbook collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Freymann, Saxton
Illustrator: ,
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Cartwheel Books/Scholastic
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: fiction in verse / poetry
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781338194418
Price: 7.99
Hazel and Twig : The Birthday Fortune
Hazel and Twig : The Birthday Fortune
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 12, 2018
Review
Hazel and Twig are adorable little mice that live with their family in an enchanted, lovely woodland setting. Twig is about to turn one and a party is planned. Hazel and Twig have Korean grandparents, Halmoni and Haraboji, and they also have Grandma and Grampa Thistle. A lovely Korean tradition takes place at a first birthday called a Doljabi, a fortune-telling ceremony. The invitations are delivered by a mail snail. The birthday baby chooses an item from many and this is meant to predict the child's future. Twig chooses something completely unexpected and all wonder what it might mean. The illustrations are soft and whimsical; one wishes to somehow inhabit this snug forest. This book would be especially appreciated by children of adoption and children of mixed culture. It is definitely one to consider adding to your picture book collection.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Yu, Brenna Burns
Illustrator: Yu, Brenna Burns
Illustration Quality: excellent
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre:
Audience: preschool,grades k-3
Binding Type: reinforced trade binding
Binding Quality: very good
ISBN: 9780763689704
Price: 15.99
Big Choo
Big Choo
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 13, 2018
Review
Little Choo, a young steam locomotive, wants nothing more than to be big, strong and brave like his father, Papa Pufferbelly. One day he decides he is ready to take on an old bridge, a load of freight and a huge mountain, so he gets on the main line. Sadly, the mountain is too much for him and he is derailed! Papa Pufferbelly urges Little Choo to try, try again and Little Choo learns about how to handle a setback. The illustrations are spot-on, portraying motion and expressions that fit the text well. This is also a great readaloud with lots of chugga-chugga and choo, choo going on. Kids will enjoy hearing this selection over and over and will absorb the lesson on how to get up and try again when one experiences a failure.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Shaskan, Stephen
Illustrator: Shaskan, Stephen
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: preschool
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780545708579
Price: 16.99
