Rosie Goes to Preschool

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This is a cute book about Rosie, a toddler who attends preschool. Rosie explains the routine of preschool to the reader who might be new to the experience. The book is large (11.5 x 12 in.) and the illustrations are simple and bright. The children and teachers are multi-racial. Every few pages has a small circle with a Rosie tip inside such as - "Make sure to say Goodbye to your teacher" which introduces the reader to the social expectations of the experience. It would be a good book to read to a toddler who may be about to enter preschool or who already attends. I read the book to my 4 and 7 year old grandchildren and they were engaged in the story and told me how things were the same or different at the preschool they had attended.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Katz, Karen

Illustrator: Katz, Karen

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Schwartz& Wade/ Random House

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: preschool

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780385379175

Price: 16.99

Woodpecker Wham!

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, f, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

Steve Jenkins' illustrations make this a visually stunning book. The text is 4 lines of rhyming words that correspond to the woodpecker doing some activity during the year. I found the text to be clever, but not easy to read aloud, almost choppy at times. I had to read some twice to get the pronunciations right to rhyme. The best part of this book besides the illustrations is the 6-page addendum where you can see the pictures and names of 6 woodpeckers and learn about their behaviors and habitats. I included grades 4-6 as audience because this addendum would provide facts for an elementary school aged child who is writing a report about woodpeckers.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Sayre, April Pulley

Illustrator: Jenkins, Steve

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3,grades 4-6

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780805088427

Price: 17.99

Welcome Home, Bear

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Choose Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This is the story of a bear who wakes up one morning in the forest and decides to look for a new place to live. He travels all over the world to different habitats and visits an orangutan, an octopus, a goat, a bird, a camel, a polar bear, a mole, and some hippos before returning back to the forest where he was meant to be. The illustrations are beautiful, but I found the ones with the mole underground and goat on the cliff to be confusing to me as they were more abstract.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Na, Il Sung

Illustrator: Na, Il Sung

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780385753753

Price: 16.99

The End of the Rainbow

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book would appeal to a preschooler as it is a simple story with easy to follow illustrations. A child sees a rainbow and wonders what is at the end. The child travels with her cat and meets a rabbit, a bird, a turtle, and a horse who come with her. The group never finds the end of the rainbow, but makes new friends with each other. The artwork was created with pen and ink and watercolor. It goes very well with the story.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Donnelly, Liza

Illustrator: Donnelly, Liza

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Holiday House

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780823432912

Price: 14.95

Little Red Henry

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This is the story of a youngest child Henry, whose family has doted on him since birth. One day Henry decides he wants to do things for himself, such as brush his teeth, pick out his clothes, and make his own play date. His parents and siblings feel they have no purpose anymore until Henry asks them what they would like to do. They all find there are many things they would like to do such as painting, typing, dancing and they all seem to adjust. Henry finds that he still needs to have his family tuck him into bed at night and they all oblige. This is a very cute book and the illustrations go very well with the text.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Urban, Linda

Illustrator: Valentine, Madeline

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: 9780763661762

Price: 16.99

Loula and Mister the Monster

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

Loula is a little girl who has a dog named Mister. She overhears her mother talking on the phone and is worried that her mother wants to get rid of Mister. So she decides to give Mister some manners classes, of course with disastrous effects. In the end Loula finds out that her mother only wanted to get rid of a plant in the house. The illustrations are done in ink and watercolor and convey all the action that happens when a dog does what dogs do !

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Villeneuve, Anne

Illustrator: Villeneuve, Anne

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Kids can press

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9781771383264

Price: 16.95

Tallulah's Tap Shoes

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

The other Tallulah books are about ballet. This time Tallulah is going to dance camp and she has to take a tap dancing class. At first Tallulah does not like tap dancing because the teacher keeps correcting her and she feels she is the worst student in the class. She meets a girl named Kacie who is good at tap dancing but feels she is the worst student in ballet class. The girls eventually become friends and decide they will try their best learning both styles of dance. The illustrations in watercolor and watercolor mixed with gouache complement the story very well.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Singer, Marilyn

Illustrator: Boiger, Alexandra

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Clarion books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780544236875

Price: 16.99

Funny Face, Sunny Face

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2015

Review

This is a very cute book for and about toddlers with large colorful illustrations. There is no real story, but the theme revolves around body parts such as feet, hands, and hair. It is a rhyming text with just a few words to the page. It is a perfect book for a toddler and parent to look at together.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Symes, Sally

Illustrator: Beardshaw, Rosalind

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Nosy Crow/ Candlewick Press

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780763676063

Price: 14.99

Good Night, Chirp

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2015

Review

This is a story about a little chick who is wide awake one night at bedtime and decides he wants to catch the moon. As he starts his travels he meets a dog, a pig, a sheep, and a cow hoping they will travel with him, but they are all too sleepy. He then meets kitty who travels with him. They meet other forest animals on their travels and kitty tries to catch the moon by falling into a pond where it is reflected. They are a little spooked by a family of owls, but all ends well and the chick is returned home to his family fast asleep. The illustrations are very soft and go well with the story. I am not a fan of flap books, especially for libraries and this book has cut-outs, contoured pages and flaps that go in different directions. The pages are made of a card stock so they are a bit thicker than normal.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Iriyama, Satoshi

Illustrator: Iriyama, Satoshi

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780544359949

Price: 8.99

The Fly

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2015

Review

This book is narrated by a housefly as it commiserates its day trying to avoid being killed by those who would like to do away with it. A little boy and a flyswatter are the other main characters(?) The book is very clever as the illustrations show the fly on top of the ceiling and also almost within reach of a frog's tongue. There are two pages that are contoured to accentuate the shape of the flyswatter. The text is all over the page as it follows the fly's path.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Horacek, Petr

Illustrator: Horacek, Peter

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: 9780763674809

Price: 14.99

The Hired Girl

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2015

Review

This book is written in diary format and its entries are from June 4, 1911 to September 29, 1912. The author Joan is fourteen years old and lives with her widowed father and 3 brothers on a farm in Pennsylvania. Her father is cruel and won't allow her to go back to school in the fall and also burns her books which she treasures. So she runs away from home and ends up in Baltimore where she is hired as a servant in a Jewish household. She pretends to be 18, but her actions are those of a 14 year old. She is very good as a cleaning person, but her youth causes her to do foolish things which threaten her position with the family she works for. It all ends up well for Joan at the end of the book as she can continue her schooling and perhaps become a teacher as her mother had hoped for her. I thought that what this book did best was to show the reader how Catholics and Jews perceived each other at the turn of the century. The traditions of a Jewish household were explained and also what Joan believed to be what was important to her to become a true Catholic. Joan was very dramatic in her diary writing and I found her antics difficult to read a lot of the time. I knew (because I am no longer 14 years old !) that her foolishness would only get her into trouble. I don't know if a younger reader would appreciate these descriptions.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Schlitz, Laura Amy

Illustrator: n/a, n/a

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: excellent

ISBN: 9780763678180

Price: 17.99

Sheep go to Sleep

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This is the latest book by Nancy Shaw in her sheep series. Five sheep get ready to go to sleep but the nighttime noises make it difficult for them to do so. A collie helps each sheep relax by getting them a drink, a hug, a lullaby, a quilt, or a teddy bear. The text is brief and rhyming and the colored pencil illustrations are beautiful. I think this is my favorite book in this series.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Shaw, Nancy

Illustrator: Apple, Margot

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780544309890

Price: 16.99

The Inventor's Secret

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book came about when the author learned that Thomas Edison had once pounded his fist on the table and told Henry Ford "Keep at it". Both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were curious and dreamed of creating their own inventions. Thomas Edison seemed to have more success and Henry Ford wanted to know why. When Henry Ford finally met Thomas Edison to ask him that question he learned that persistence was the key to success. Henry Ford then went on to create the Model T car after many failures and the two men became friends. This is a good book to read aloud to children in the younger grades. It is interesting and shows them some of the qualities necessary to reach your goals.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Slade, Suzanne

Illustrator: Black Reinhardt, Jennifer

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781580896672

Price: 16.95

Maybelle Goes to School

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book is about a cockroach named Maybelle and her friend Henry who is a flea. The two end up at a school when Maybelle falls asleep in a cake that a woman has made to sell at a bake sale. The whole concept is silly, but the adventure and the accompanying illustrations might interest a young reader.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Speck, Katie

Illustrator: Ratz de Tagyos, Paul

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780805091588

Price: 16.99

Louise Trapeze is Totally 100% Fearless

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

Louise Trapeze lives with her family on a traveling circus. She is about to turn 7 and her parents tell her that for her birthday present she will be allowed to do her solo tricks on the flying trapeze. Louise has always done her tricks on a low bar at her height. Louise is afraid of heights so she is panicked at the thought of doing her tricks on the real flying trapeze. The problem is resolved when it is decided that the elephant will help Louise down after she has done her tricks on the high wire. This book is so much more than the story of how Louise deals with her fear of heights. It's a book about friendship and relationships with parents and trying to act mature. Some of the words are more complex than what a 2nd grader might understand, but these are given a definition right on the same page, such as *Repertoire = a French way of saying different tricks that make up a big routine, not just one plain old talent (like stilts) There were illustrations on most 2-page spreads and they were excellent.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Ostow, Micol

Illustrator: Barrager, Brigette

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780553497397

Price: 14.99

Playful Pigs from A to Z

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 2, 2016

Review

This book features 26 beautifully dressed pigs who each explore a letter of the alphabet. Each letter is featured on its own page with one of the pigs interacting with it, such as Hugo Pig hugged an H. There are a few pages at the beginning and end of the book tying it all together with a little story, but mostly it is about the alphabet. It would be a good book to introduce a child to the letters and the words that are formed with them.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Lobel, Anita

Illustrator: Lobel, Anita

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780553508321

Price: 16.99

Amelia Bedelia Dances Off

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 3, 2016

Review

This is a short chapter book about the young Amelia Bedelia written by the nephew of the original author of the Amelia Bedelia series. In this story, Amelia Bedelia is given a gift of dance lessons and she is not sure she will like it. With encouragement from her mother and Aunt Wanda she goes to the classes and makes new friends and finds she enjoys learning to dance, even ballet. There is a lot of action in the book and at least 8 different dances are taught and described. It is multicultural in the dance concepts, but not so much with the characters in the book. There are at least 2 illustrations per 2 page spread including diagrams of the dance steps. The double meanings of phrases are not dwelled on as the story progresses and I think they would go over most of the readers' heads, but there is an addendum that explains these at the end of the book. An example would be PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD means DO YOUR VERY BEST. These are nicely illustrated and are a nice complement to the book. On page 107 I was a bit puzzled by the paragraph- "Amelia Bedelia could see that (the) driver was wearing a jacket as well as a shirt and from the look on his face, he wasn't her Aunt Wanda's pal. "Here comes trouble" she said to Gracie." I inserted the THE and there was no other mention in the book about why the bus driver was not Aunt Wanda's pal and there was no trouble that came along either. Overall it was a nice story about family and friendship and I think it would be enjoyed by emerging readers and their parents.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Parish, Herman

Illustrator: Avril, Lynne

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Greenwillow (Harper Collins)

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780062334091

Price: 15.99

Nate the Great Where are You?

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 3, 2016

Review

Having been a fan of Nate the Great since my 37-year old son Nathan was learning to read, I was very excited to pick up this book to review. I was not disappointed. All the familiar characters were there along with Harry, Annie's little brother whom I did not remember from 30 years ago. The mystery story is written in 8 chapters , but written in a way that young readers can follow the story. The sentences are short, there is a lot of dialogue, and the characters are interesting and unique. I always recommend Nate the Great to our young readers who are ready for a longer story after learning to sound out words.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman and Mitchell

Illustrator: Wheeler, Jody

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Random House/ First Yearling

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: paperback

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780449810781

Price: 5.99

The Lightning Queen

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 3, 2016

Review

I am a fan of Laura Resau and was very anxious to read this book. This is the story of 11 year old Teo (a Mixteco Indian) who lives in a remote village in Mexico in the mid 1950s. A caravan of Romani (gypsy) people arrives in the village and Teo befriends a girl named Esma. Esma's grandmother predicts that Teo and Esma will be friends forever and that they will save each other when no one else can. Esma's caravan stays only a short time in Teo's village but the two look forward to seeing each other again the following summer. The story is mostly set in the 1950's but some chapters take place in the present day when Teo is a grandfather and his grandson Mateo visits him from Maryland. The story is narrated by Teo to his grandson. There are so many aspects of this book that I liked : Teo rescuing animals, the glimpse into two marginalized cultures, the mystical atmosphere, the bravery shown by both Teo and Esma, and the love story always present between them. The author includes author's notes on the Mixteco and Romani people as well as translation and pronunciation guides. My review does not do justice to this book. There is so much to recommend it.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Resau, Laura

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Scholastic press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction,historical fiction

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9,grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780545800846

Price: 16.99

Pie for Chuck

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 7, 2016

Review

This book tells the story of Chuck the woodchuck and his animal friends and how they achieve their goal of eating a pie which they see cooling on an open windowsill. The book has a short sentence on each page accompanied by lovely illustrations depicting the animals' attempts to reach the pie. The same words are repeated so that a young reader can develop confidence in reading a simple story. This book would be appropriate for a child just learning to read. The book is of a larger format than traditional early readers and this allows for the illustrations to capture the reader's interest. This is a very cute book!

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Schories, Pat

Illustrator: Schories, Pat

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Holiday House

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780823433926

Price: 14.95

Pinkalicious and the Sick Day

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 7, 2016

Review

This is an early reader story about the character Pinkalicious. It would be appropriate for a child learning to read and it is labeled as being in guided reading level J. Pinkalicious has been chosen to be principal for a day at her school and she is very excited at the prospect. Unfortunately she wakes up on the special day and has a fever and must stay at home. So Pinkalicious spends her day in bed getting more sleep, reading, coloring and having elderberry tea. A child could relate to being home sick and having a similar experience.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Kann, Victoria

Illustrator: Kann, Victoria

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: Choose Binding Type

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780062245991

Price: 16.99

Elephants

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 7, 2016

Review

This is a very informative book that would be appropriate for a child in grades 3 to 5 doing a report on elephants. It would also be interesting to a younger child who is being read to. The format is such that each 2 page spread covers a topic such as growing up, feeding, teeth, trunks, etc. There are photographs of elephants in their natural habitats on all the pages. The facts are written in a way that is easy to understand and very interesting to the reader. I learned that touch is very important to elephants and that when a new baby is born all the other elephants in the herd crowd around the baby to touch it.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Morgan, Sally

Illustrator: ,

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: QEB publishing

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781939581853

Price: 23.99

The Sky Stirs Up Trouble Tornadoes

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 7, 2016

Review

This book would be appealing to a child aged 3 to 8. It explains the science behind tornadoes from how they are formed to what to do when you may experience one. The author who is a meteorologist compares a tornado to baking a cake. There are 4 ingredients necessary for a tornado to form and if any of these is missing it will not happen. The same is true in baking a cake, if any ingredient is missing it will not really be a cake. Safety is explained in a way that will be educational without being frightening to a young child. A cake recipe is included.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Jensen, Belinda

Illustrator: Kurilla, Renee

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Millbrook press

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: excellent

ISBN: 9781467779609

Price: 25.32

This is my dollhouse

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 7, 2016

Review

This beautifully illustrated picture book is the story of a little girl who has a dollhouse that she made herself from a cardboard box. She enjoys using her imagination when she plays with her dollhouse. When she visits a friend she sees that the fried has a beautiful dollhouse. They play with it, but it isn't as much fun as hers. However she is ashamed of her dollhouse and when her friend visits she tries to hide it. Eventually the friend sees the dollhouse and they enjoy playing with it. I'm not sure if a 5 year old girl would feel embarrassed about a toy that she felt was inferior to a similar toy that a friend had. I find that premise difficult to relate to. This book would be interesting to a 4 to 8 year old child being read to. If the book is not covered as it would be in a library, the inside cover has instructions on how to make the dollhouse and some of the items in it. That is a plus.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Potter, Giselle

Illustrator: Potter, Giselle

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Schwartz Wade books

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780553521535

Price: 17.99

Before I leave

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 7, 2016

Review

This is the story of a little hedgehog who finds out that she and her family are moving. She is not happy about it because she doesn't want to leave her best friend. Before she leaves she plays with her friend one last time. When we see her at her new home we find she has many reminders of the friend she left behind and they continue to keep in touch. This is a very sweet story and the illustrations are beautiful. There is much detail in the illustrations so that a parent and child could linger and find many things of interest. The topic of moving is written appropriately for a child of 3-6 years old.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Bagley, Jessixa

Illustrator: bagley, Jessixa

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Roaring brook press

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: excellent

ISBN: 9781626720404

Price: 17.99

I See and See

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport CommunityLibrary, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 9, 2016

Review

This book is a very early beginner reader and would be suitable for a child learning to read or an adult new to the English language. The vocabulary is limited and the illustrations prompt the reader to the correct words. It is a large format book and the illustrations are very nice. The only words used in the book are I, see, a, dog, truck, man, and and.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Lewin, Ted

Illustrator: Lewin, Ted

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Holiday House, inc

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3,adult / professional

Binding Type: reinforced trade binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780823435449

Price: 14.95

The Philippines

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport CommunityLibrary, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 9, 2016

Review

This book is a short introduction to the country of the Philippines. I learned that the Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands. Large photographs accompany the limited text. It would be interesting to a young child who is interested in learning about other countries, but not substantial enough for an older child who needed facts for a report.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Longworth, Holly

Illustrator: , photographs

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Bearport publishing

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: excellent

ISBN: 9781627248556

Price: 26.60

Nate Likes to Skate

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport CommunityLibrary, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 9, 2016

Review

This book would be suitable for a child who is learning to read. There is a little story about 2 friends who seem to not be getting along at first. Nate wants to ride his skate board and Kate makes hats. Nate tells Kate that he doesn't like her hat. He then apologizes to her and in the end both Nate and Kate are skateboarding and wearing hats. It's difficult to write a story using limited vocabulary but this story is cute and the illustrations complement the story well.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Degan, Bruce

Illustrator: Degan, Bruce

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Holiday House, inc

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: Choose Binding Type

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780823434565

Price: 14.95

Hillary Clinton the Life of a Leader

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport CommunityLibrary, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 9, 2016

Review

This book is written for children in grades 1 to 3. There is quite a bit of text, but there are illustrations on most pages and double spacing to make it easier to read by a young reader. It is a biography with an emphasis on how Hillary Clinton was a leader from an early age. It outlines her early years with her family, her time in college, as First Lady, Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. I think Hillary Clinton would approve of how she is portrayed in this book.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Corey, Shana

Illustrator: Gustavson, Adam

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Random House step into reading

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: paperback

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781101932353

Price: 3.99

Lizzie and the Lost Baby

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book takes place in England during World War II when children were sent from their homes in cities to live with families in the countryside. Lizzie and her brother Peter are sent to live with Elsie, who appears very depressed and does not speak. Although the children miss their parents, they appreciate the landscape and animals which surround them. One day while outside playing, Lizzie finds a baby abandoned under a tree. She takes the baby with her and Elsie is overjoyed and thinks the baby is her daughter Alice who died the previous year. The story of Elijah, a Gypsy is interspersed with that of Lizzie and we learn why he leaves his baby sister under a tree. We read of the discrimination that Gypsies endured and how Lizzie wants to do the right thing and give the baby back but is discouraged from doing so. This book would be appropriate for children in grades 4 to 6. It is quite a page turner and the conflict is resolved successfully.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Blackford, Cheryl

Illustrator: Stadtlander (cover illustration only), Becca

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction,historical fiction

Audience: grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780544570993

Price: 16.99

Louise Trapeze did not lose the juggling chickens

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This is the second book in the Louise Trapeze series. It would be appropriate for an emerging reader who had progressed to early chapter books. It has illustrations throughout the book, some full page. The illustrations are whimsical and support the text. Like the first Louise Trapeze book , the text is interspersed with interesting Facts and Definitions such as:Fluke-" a crazyish mistake that will never, ever happen again." In this story, Louise wants to take on more responsibilities yet keeps coming up short. When she is asked to take care of some chickens, she feeds them, gives them a bath and then they wander away and are stuck under some bleachers. With the help of her friends she frees the chickens and ends up feeling more mature. The books are amusing and also convey positive adult/child and friend relationships.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Ostow, Micol

Illustrator: Barrager, Brigette

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780553497434

Price: 14.99

Chloe in India

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

Chloe is an 11-year old girl whose family has just moved to New Delhi, India from Boston.She and her sister Anna attend a private school, but Chloe is having trouble making friends and fitting in. Then she meets Lakshmi who is also new at the school, but who lives in the slums. Chloe and Lakshmi are friends outside of school, but not in school where Chloe wants to befriend Anvi, the most popular girl in her class. This goes along for a while until Lakshmi and Chloe win a dance competition and Lakshmi overhears Chloe tell Anvi that she really is not friends with Lakshmi. Drama ensues as happens in relationships of 5th graders but it all ends well for Chloe. This book would appeal to girls in 4th through 6th grades. It would be interesting to those who like realistic fiction set in a foreign country. There is a glossary of Indian words at the back, but many more Indian terms were in the book which were not defined. I found this confusing as I have no knowledge of the Indian language and was too lazy to look the words up on the computer.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Darnton, Kate

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: good

ISBN: 9780553535044

Price: 16.99

Hauling a pumpkin wheels and axles vs. lever

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book would be useful in a classroom where students are learning about simple machines. It is aimed at children ages 5 to 8. A young African-American boy and his mother are trying to move a large pumpkin. The pumpkin is too heavy for Noah to move, so he and his Mom try a shovel which is a lever. They are able to slide the pumpkin onto the shovel, but are unable to move it from there. They then see a small wagon which they use to move the pumpkin. Levers, axles and wheels are explained. Noah's Mom has to pick up the pumpkin and place it in the wagon as the lever did not work in this case. This book would not be good without instruction and the audience is probably too young to read it on their own anyway. Even though these are "simple machines", I found the concepts difficult.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Schuh, Mari

Illustrator: ,

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Lerner books

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: excellent

ISBN: 9781467780261

Price: 23.99

The great Gilly Hopkins

Reviewed by: Joanne Libby - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 25, 2015

Review

This book won a Newbery Honor in 1978 when it was first published. This is a new edition as the story was made into a motion picture. It is the story of Galadriel Hopkins, an 11-year old foster child who has just moved in with a new family. Gilly, as she is called does not want to stay with the older woman and 6-year old boy she has been placed with and comes up with a plan to be reunited with her birth mother in California. Her plan backfires on her as her birth grandmother comes to get her as she grows to love her new home. Gilly learns to accept the consequences of the choices she made. This book would appeal to someone in 4th through 7th grades who likes realistic fiction.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Patterson, Katherine

Illustrator: ,

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9780062422866

Price: 12.99