Monday, January 20, 2025

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Dragons love tacos but only with mild toppings. They can’t handle spicy salsa or green chilis. If a dragon gets a hold of salsa, it makes their “ears smoke”, they “snort sparks” and they get “tummy troubles”. When the dragons are invited to a taco party somehow spicy salsa finds its way onto the tacos. What will happen to the dragons when they eat the tacos? OH NO!

This is a classic children’s book, and it can be read over and over. All my grandchildren love it along with its sequel. This is a great bedtime story and a must for all home libraries.

Fun Activity: Make some tacos with your child and be sure to have all the toppings. 

Published In: 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 3.1
Pages: 32
Stars:
5

Saturday, January 18, 2025

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience and Regrowth by Sean Rubin 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and the windows of my apartment looked across the harbor at the World Trade Center. Every morning when I woke up, they were the first things I would see and at night before I went to bed the last. I was not living in NY at the time of the 9/11 tragedy but like everybody in America if affected me deeply.

“This Very Tree” is a book that introduces the devastation of 9/11 without being too scary for younger children. The events of that day are told through the eyes of a tree without the details of the death and destruction. The tree is a Callery pear and is based on the real experiences of a tree known as the “Survivor Tree”. This tree is at the new plaza for the World Trade Center.

This picture book is not for preschoolers but rather elementary school children. Children will want to know more about this day so be prepared with your answers. I like to emphasize the resiliency and strength of the people, city and our nation that was shown after the attack. This book is a must for your home library
.  

 Fun Activity: Go to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum home page and watch the video on the Survivor Tree and complete the recommended activity.

https://www.911memorial.org/learn/youth-and-families/activities-home/survivor-tree-leaves 

Published In: 2021
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Age Level: 6-12 Years
AR Level: 2.9
Pages: 48
Stars: 5

Friday, January 17, 2025

Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm 🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1899 and 12-year-old May Amelia has a rough life. She is the only girl in a family of 8 children, in fact she is the only girl in the community of Nasel. Her Pappa is always telling her “Don’t Get Into Mischief May Ameila” and to be a “Proper Young Lady”. All she wants is to go fishing and run around the logging camp with her brothers. May Amelia might get some help from her mother who is pregnant, and May Amelia is hopeful that it will be a baby girl.

The book is written without quotation marks when the character is talking, making it sometimes hard to follow the dialogue. I like May Amelia, she is both tough and compassionate. Her character develops over the book which makes her endearing to the reader. This historical fiction is a wonderful insight into Pioneer Life at the turn of the century. If your child likes historical fiction this is a great addition to your home library.

Relevant Information

Content Review

Published In: 1999

Profanity: None

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

Violence: Murder

Age Level: 10-13 years

Sexual: None

AR Level: 4.8

Mature Themes: Death of a Baby,

Pages: 253

Aging, Prejudice

Awards: 2000 Newbery Honor

Stars: 4

 

 


Thursday, January 16, 2025

 

Lily and her family move in with her dying grandmother. Lily is desperate to find a way to save her. Lily encounters a magical tiger on the journey to her grandmother’s house. The tiger offers her a deal that will save her grandmother, will Lily take it?

The intermingling of a Korean folktale and a young girl’s struggle with life is wonderfully presented in this novel. Not only is Lily dealing with her dying grandmother, but she wants to be heard. By the end of the book Lily finds her voice and learns to accept the death of her grandmother. Parents be aware the older sister is in a same sex relationship, which is something I don’t want my 10-year-old grandson to read about. So, I will pass on this boo
k.
 

Relevant Information

Content Review

Published In: 2020

Profanity: None

Publisher: Random House

Violence: None

Age Level: 10-12 years

Sexual: LGBTQ Characters

AR Level: 4.1

Mature Themes: Death

Pages: 297

 

Stars: 3

 

Award: 2021 Newbery Medal

 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Annie the Apple Fairy by Tim Bugbird 🟌🟌🟌🟌

Annie loves to make apple pies. She and her 2 friends have a successful TV cooking show but when they get competition from Sondra the strudel fairy, all the other fairies start to watch her show. Can Annie’s show be saved? My 6- year-old granddaughter really likes this book, but I think it has more to do with the sparkly cover and that the characters are fairies. The story is average, but I like the bold and colorful pages. I recommend borrowing this one from the library.

Fun Activity: Make an apple pie with your child.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Make Believe Ideas
Age Level: 3-12 years
AR Level: 4.2
Pages: 32
Stars:
4

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena 🟌🟌🟌

Milo and his sister are on the Subway to an unknown destination. To pass the time Milo makes up stories about the passengers on the train and he then draws pictures about what their lives might be like. He is enthralled with a boy in a suit and draws a picture of him living in a castle. At the end of the book Milo realizes you “can’t know anyone just by looking at their face” because the boy in a suit has the same destination as him.

This book is not for everybody. The game of making up stories about people on mass transportation is familiar to all “city kids”. Which, I understand having grown up in NYC but not all children will. The big problem is the ending when both boys end up at a jail to visit their mothers. Not a book I want to read to my young grandchildren.

Published In: 2021
Publisher: Putnam
Age Level: 6-8 years
AR Level: 4.6
Pages: 22
Stars: 3






Friday, January 10, 2025

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

At first, I was skeptical of a book that features a boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard but by the end of the second chapter I was captivated. In the opening chapter the boy’s parents are killed and he escapes by wondering out of his bed and into the graveyard down the street. All the ghosts have so much to teach the boy called Nobody Owens, Bod for short. With the help of a half human, half ghost guardian Bod survives to adulthood. As he matures, he learns of a secret Society of “Jacks” that’s mission is to kill him, These are the same people that killed his parents. Will he escape a second time?

This book is a great adventure, with a well-developed plot and fascinating characters. All the quirky ghosts have wonderful personalities, and the books mystery keeps the reader turning the pages. This young adult book is going on the must-read list for my grandchildren.

Relevant Information

Content Review

Published In: 2008

Profanity: None

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

Violence: Murder

Age Level: 10-12 years

Sexual: None

AR Level: 5.1

Mature Themes: Supernatural

Pages: 312

 

Stars: 5
Awards: 2009 Newbery Medal

 


Thursday, January 9, 2025

Shadow by Marcia Brown 🟌🟌🟌🟌

“Shadow” is a book based on conversations the author had with storytellers from Africa and a poem by Blaise Cendrars, a French writer. Shadows are the main characters of the book, and these shadows live in Africa. The shadows come to life; they dance, they run, they are tricksters, but they have no voice. The mystery of the shadows are artistically display by the illustrations. They are more than just a thing, they come alive on the pages.

As I read this book with my Grandson, I did not fully appreciate what the author was telling the reader about the shadows. It took me 2 reads to acknowledge the beauty of the story. I never knew shadows could be described in so many ways. The book is dark and some younger children might find the pictures and/or story scary. I would recommend the book for older elementary children, and it could take more than one reading to comprehend the full message about what makes up a shadow.

Fun Activity: With your child at bedtime get a flashlight, turn off all the lights and make hand shadows on the walls.

Published In: 1982
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Age Level: 5-8 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages: 36
Stars: 4
Awards: 1983 Caldecott Medal

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Everybody in the city stays indoors because it’s so dreary and gray outside. However, a boy named Liam who loved going outdoors even in the rain finds an abandoned railway where wildflowers and plants grow. After closer inspection by Liam, he sees that the plants are dying. They need a gardener. Liam becomes that gardener and brings both the plants and the city back to life. The illustrations portray this transformation of the city beautifully.

This is the perfect book to read on Earth Day, April 22nd. “The Curious Gardener” is a great way to introduce what it means to be a good steward of the land and the term going green. My 5-year-old granddaughter liked the book, but she was not hooked on it. If there had been a bit of humor in the storyline it might have been more appealing to her. If your family is into the outdoors and gardening this is a must have for your home library.

Fun Activity: With your child plant some wildflower seeds or flower bulbs in your back yard.   

Published In: 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 40
Stars: 5
Award: ALA Notable Book for Children


Monday, January 6, 2025

The Wall In the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

The wall that is in the middle of the book protects the knight from the wild animals and ogre who live on the other side. He is convinced that the ogre would eat him if the wall was not there to protect him. Then one day the unthinkable happens, there is a flood with dangerous sea creatures on the knight’s side and to his astonishment the ogre saves him. The knight finds out that the other side of the wall is “fantastic”.

This book’s message is unmistakably “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Just because something looks scary it may not be, don’t make assumptions. The books humor will appeal to all preschoolers. My 5-year-old granddaughter wanted to read this one again on my next visit. I will be purchasing this book for both the great story and because it will be an easy read for her when she starts Kindergarten/ 1st grade.

Fun Activity: Take a sheet of paper with a wall drawn down the middle, have your child draw what they might be afraid of or scares them.

Published In: 2018
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 44
Stars: 5
Awards: ALA Notable Book

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The very elegant Flamingo is teaching Flora some graceful dance moves. Flora is dressed in her swimsuit, bathing cap and flippers, she imitates all the poses that the Flamingo shows her. My 4-year-old granddaughter loved this wordless book and tried all the dance moves that the two friends performed. The interactive flaps add a nice touch, and the book is a great addition to any library.



Published In: 2013
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 44
Stars: 5
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Honor

Fun Activity: Have your child try to imitate all the moves Flora and the Flamingo make in the book.


Friday, January 3, 2025

The View from Saturday by e.l. konigsburg 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Four sixth-grade kids unexpectedly become friends over the course of the school year. The characters Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian are a bit quirky and all of them have issues and problems. Julian the most ostracized of the kids finds a unique way to bring all four of them together. Mrs. Olinski, their teacher, then picks them for the school’s Academic Bowl which helps solidify their friendship. As the children prepare for the competition and work on their friendship all four become confident and self-assured in themselves.

“The View from Saturday” is not for all middle schoolers it was written in the 90’s when everything moved at a slower pace and so does the book. However, if you can get your child to read the book the message of friendship will stay with them into adulthood. I read this book as an adult and appreciated the depth of the characters and their individual stories. I will be recommending it to my grandchildren.


Published In: 1996
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc.
Age Level: 11 + years
AR Level: 5.9
Pages: 176
Stars: 5
Award: 1997 Newbery Medal

Moon Over Manifest by Clara Vanderpool 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1936 and Abilene Tucker’s father has decided to send her to the town of Manifest, where he spent some time in his youth. Abilene and her father have been riding the rails but after an accident that put Abilene’s life in danger her father knows that this way of life is too dangerous for a 12-year-old girl. When she arrives in Manifest, she finds a run-down town not the idyllic place her father told her about in his stories.

Abilene makes it a quest to find out more about her father and his life in Manifest. She never finds out much about him till the end of the book but does discover a town with a lot of secrets. “Moon Over Manifest” is not an easy read. There are a multitude of characters and lots of threads to follow. It is a good mystery, and the author keeps you guessing on which character is Abilene father. This is a book for the serious reader, there is not much humor, and its themes are more adult in nature than kid friendly.

Relevant Information

Content Review

Published In: 2010

Profanity: None

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Violence: Murder

Age Level: 10-14 years

Sexual: None

AR Level: 5.3

Mature Themes:Betrayal, War, Alcohol

Pages: 351

 

Stars: 4
Award: 2011Newbery Medal

 

 


Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Dragons love tacos but only with mild toppings. They can’t handle spicy salsa or green chilis. If a dragon gets a hold of salsa, it makes th...