Matthews, Tina Out of the Egg PICTURE BOOK Houghton Mifflin
EL (K-3), EL, MS – ADVISABLE
Every thinks they know the story of the Little Red Hen – but do you know what happened next? The Red Hen learns an important lesson from her own chick in this artfully done continuation of the classic.
The Japanese wood block prints work just right to illustrate this story. Any elementary school and other schools with Teacher Advisory programs need to add this to their collections.
CINDY
Lehman, Barbara Rainstorm PICTURE BOOK Houghton Mifflin
EL, MS – ADVISABLE
Trapped in the house during a rainy day, a young boy finds a key that leads him to a different place and new friends.
Told without words, the watercolor, gouache and ink illustrations lead you on a marvelous journey to friendship. Wordless books are a wonderful tool for prediction and narration for younger and older students. This particular title will be well loved.
CINDY
Noyes, Deborah When I Met the Wolf Girls, illustrated by August Hall PICTURE BOOK Houghton Mifflin
EL – ADVISABLE
One day, a missionary brings two feral little girls to his orphanage in the jungles of India. Seen through the eyes of one of the other charges, the adults attempt to “domesticate” the girls with love and kindness.
The haunting story will be loved by elementary students; the illustrations, done in acrylic by a master of Disney, Pixar and ILM, delight the eye.
CINDY
Pickering, Jimmy Skelly the Skeleton Girl, PICTURE BOOK Simon and Schuster
Pre- K, EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL
A little skeleton girl finds a mysterious bone and sets off to find its owner.
My macabre predilections may be showing through, but this quick read with its funky, mixed media illustrations is the kind of book my own children and I would read through many times. This is definitely a book to buy and one that will be reread during Halloween time or any time at all.
CINDY
Lubar, David True Talents, 320 p. TOR
EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
As Trash starts to wake, he finds himself in the midst of a nightmare – kidnapped and held prisoner as someone experiments with his power to moves objects telekinetically. A narrow escape only leads him into more danger. Somehow he needs the help of the rest of his group of friends from Edgeview Alternative – Cheater, Lucky, Flinch, Torch and Martin. And they will need his help too, as the evil which captured Trash discovers their potential also.
In plot, in dialogue. in writing and in sheer genius, this sequel to Hidden Talents far outstrips the original. Which is saying a lot, because the original is SOOO AWESOME! I am so glad that Lubar waited for the exact perfect inspiration before he wrote a sequel (unlike Sachar and the disappointing Small Steps), because I just can’t say enough good things about this book. Thank you for another masterpiece!
CINDY
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker The Lacemaker and the Princess, 196 p. Simon and Schuster
EL, MS – ADVISABLE
On an errand for her grandmother, a lacemaker, Isabelle catches the eye of Marie Anoinette, the Queen of France, and finds herself becoming the playmate of the queen’s daughter. Together, with Ernestine, Therese’s other companion, she learns the life of a royal and sometimes has difficulty going back to the hard life she comes from – the demands that her mother and grandmother make on her are the ordinary demands of life for a peasant of the time, but its some much easier to pretend to be a princess. Her brother George, who works in the palace stable, warns her that changes are coming, but Isabelle doesn’t want to see.
Set in the few months leading up to the French Revolution, it is a wonder to see the events through Isabelle’s and George’s eyes. Bradley is just as skilled as Carolyn Meyer in her weaving of historical fiction. This would be a great read aloud if a teacher spends any time at all looking at these events.
CINDY
