Mystery Ride! by Scott Magoon - NO

Magoon, Scott Mystery Ride! Harcourt, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

NOT RECOMMENDED

A young bear and his siblings sometimes enjoy going on car rides with their parents. But other times, when mom and dad say, "Mystery Ride," they know it is not going to be so much fun. Sometimes at the end of errand running, though, there is a special treat waiting.

I didn't get the whole thing of a parent calling a trip of errands a mystery ride. I wasn't enchanted.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Snow by Cynthia Rylant - OPTIONAL

Rylant, Cynthia Snow, illustrated by Lauren Stringer. Harcourt, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

Pre- K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

Beautiful drawings of children playing and running in the snow are the best part of this homage to winter. The text is not as strong, however.

Cindy, Library-Teacher

Twenty-Odd Ducks by Lynne Truss - ESSENTIAL

Truss, Lynne Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why Every Punctuation Mark Counts, illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. Putnam (Penguin), 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

Truss and Timmons score another home run with another companion to the Eats, Shoots and Leaves book. This time all punctuation marks are involved in this wonderful new book. English teachers at levels need this book right now!


Cindy, Library-Teacher

The Knaveheart's Curse by Adele Griffin - OPTIONAL

Griffin, Adele The Knaveheart's Curse, 131 p. Putnam (Penguin), 2008.

EL - OPTIONAL

Maddy, a vegan vampire in New York, is on track to becoming a full-fledged human. She decides, however, that she is lonely, so she bribes another girl, Dakota, to be her friend. Maddy gets more than she bargains for, when it seems as though her older sister, Lexie, is changing and rumors are flying that the Knaveheart elder is in search of an heir.

This second installment of the Vampire Island Story is much better than the first. Younger children who like spooky stories may enjoy this too.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson - ESSENTIAL

Anderson, Laurie Halse Independent Dames, illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Simon and Schuster, 2008. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK.

EL – ESSENTIAL, MS – ADVISABLE, HS – OPTIONAL

Slowly the women of the American Revolution are gaining the recognition that they deserve. Anderson’s book brings these women’s storied to the elementary age with her picture book which can be read on several levels. Each page has an illustration, accompanying explanation, a more detailed blurb about a particular woman and detailed information on the timeline running below each page. The information is rich enough that almost every level of American History teacher can use this in their classroom.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

The Magic Pillow by Demi - ADVISABLE

Demi The Magic Pillow. McElderry (Simon), 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE

A young is given a gift of sleep on a magic pillow that shows him a life of fame, power and fortune. Upon waking, the boy can decide to follow that path or choose a different type of life.

A powerful life lesson wrapped up in a neat little package accompanied by Demi’s stylized Asian drawings.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Amigurumi Animals by Annie Obaachan - ADVISABLE

Obaachan, Annie Amigurumi Animals, 128 pgs. St. Martin's Griffin

EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

This book teaches you how to crochet animals. Amigurumi was developed by the Japanese. Now you can learn on how to make creative and cute animals. First, they show the history of Amigurumi animals. Then, it's on to tips and instructions. Finally, in the back of the book, there is a gallery full of cute pictures! This book is really detailed in the instructions. It can be used by beginners and experts. But one thing I didn't like was that there were so many abbreviations. It made it a bit confusing.

Student Reviewer: CW

The Sister Switch by Jane B. Mason - OPTIONAL

Mason, Jane B. and Sarah Hines Stephens The Sister Switch, Pgs. 150. Scholastic.

Content- G

EL - OPTIONAL

Caitlin and Andie are identical twins. Andie is athletic, and Caitlin isn't. Although, she is going to try out for the Jazz ensemble, but the P.E. teacher said that everyone has to go though an assessment. Caitlin doesn't think she will pass, so she asks her sister to do it for her. They promise that it would be a one time thing, then they both like being each other more than themselves.

I really didn't care for this book, because I prefer less predictable books. Even though, I think that it teaches kids that they can do anything that they set their minds to.

Student Reviewer: SH

Fartiste by Kathleen Krull and Boris Kulikov - ADVISABLE

Krull, Kathleen and Paul Brewer Fartiste: An Explosively funny, mostly true story, illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Simon and Schuster, 2008. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK.

EL – ADVISABLE

In turn-of-the-century France, a gentleman arrives in Paris with a highly unusual talent. He gained instant fame and was highly successful.

This tongue-in-cheek book with its terribly amusing illustrations looks at a real man with an unorthodox talent. If your library has Everyone Poops or the Gas We Pass, you can certainly carry this one!

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Teeth by Sneed Collard - OPTIONAL

Collard, Sneed B. III Teeth, illustrated by Phyllis V. Saroff. Charlesbridge, 2008. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK.

EL, MS – OPTIONAL

Collard explores all kinds of teeth in all kinds of mammals in this picture book. The information is helpful without being overwhelming. The only thing I wonder is how it would have looked if the illustrations were photos instead of drawings.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost - ADVISABLE

Frost, Helen and Leonid Gore Monarch and Milkweed. Atheneum (Simon), 2008. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK.

EL – ADVISABLE

With beautiful illustrations and simple words, the authors explain the cycle of birth and regeneration for the monarch butterfly and the butterfly’s relationship with the milkweed plant.

If you have a teacher who loves living science, this is a perfect book to accompany a lesson on lifecycle. There are even kits available online to grow live monarch butterflies.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Gorilla Doctors by Pamela Turner - ESSENTIAL

Turner, Pamela S. Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes, 64 p. NON-FICTION. Houghton Mifflin, 2005, 2008.

EL, MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Copious amounts of full-color pictures accompany detailed information about the rewards and challenges of tending to the mountain gorillas of east-central Africa. Instead of being clinical, the book is peppered with first person stories of the gorillas and their doctors which are entertaining and educational to read. Any teacher who covers endangered species will be delighted to know about this book.

Cindy, Library-Teacher