Journey by Aaron Becker 🟊🟊🟊🟊

A young girl cannot find anybody to play with her. Her friends are off doing other things, and her family is too busy. So, with a red maker in hand, she draws a red door, and that door leads to another world. She sets off on a boat to a castle, then rides a red balloon and is captured by a evil emperor. When she loses her red maker how will she ever get back home? The book is wordless so be prepared to use your imagination when “reading” this book with your child. What the book lacks in words is does make up in the stunning illustrations.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Candlewick
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 40
Stars: 4
Series: 3 Books
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Honor

Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary 🟊🟊🟊🟊

Beverly Cleary’s series of books about Ramon are classics. In this book she is in second grade, and she has two big worries. They both concern her father. First, her father has been laid off from this job and her mother must go back to work full-time. Not only is the money tight but the family routine has been disrupted. Second, Ramona’s sister had told her their father’s smoking will cause him to die. Ramona and her sister embark on a campaign to get their father to quit smoking.

In today’s world not many American families have a parent that smokes. So, I found this part of the book irrelevant. On the other hand, many families can relate to a parent losing their job. Ramona antics bring laughter to the story and overall, it is an enjoyable read, even thou if feels a bit dated. I would get this one from the library.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1975	Profanity: No
Publisher: Fitzgerald Books	Violence: No
Age Level: 8-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.2	Mature Themes: Unemployment
Pages: 165 Series: 8 Books
Stars: 4 Awards: 1978 Newbery Honor

 

Snow by Uri Shulevitz 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Love the illustrations, love the book. One boy and his dog really want it to snow. As they look out the window, they see a snowflake. They run outside and go all around town telling the people on the streets that it will snow but the towns people tell him it will melt. The boy is right and by the end of the book the whole town is white. This book was at my granddaughter’s reading level, so she read the book to me. We had fun with the pictures, and she was so proud to be able to read it by herself. A great first reader that is actually a good book.

Published In: 1998
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux
Age Level: 2-7 years
AR Level: 1.6
Pages: 28
Stars: 5
Awards: 1999 Caldecott Honor

Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach 🟊🟊🟊🟊

Jake will attend a new school starting in 6th grade, the Music and Art Academy. This is the same school that Jake’s very talented and gifted sister goes to. Jake is not sure how he managed to get into the school but now that he is there can he convince his teachers that he is talented and gifted like his siter? Jake attempts several projects to find his true talent with no results. Finally on the night of the big talent show Jake finds his true calling. The book is funny and middle school boys will enjoy Jake’s antics. The book is not a classic but great for reluctant readers.

 

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2017	Profanity: No
Publisher: Crown Books	Violence: No
Age Level: 8-12 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 5.4	Mature Themes: No
Pages: 135
Stars: 4 Series: 3 Books

Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Pig is a pug who does not like to share his chew toys, balls, and bones. Trevor, the wiener dog, lives in the same house as the pug. Trevor really wants to play with some of the dog toys, but the greedy and selfish Pig will not share. When Pig puts all his toys in one pile and climbs on top of them an accident happens. Pig then rethinks his greedy ways, and both dogs learn to play together. A wonderful book for siblings that have trouble sharing. The story teaches life lessons without being preachy, my granddaughter loved it. I recommend getting the complete 13 book series.

Published In: 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 24
Series: 13 Books
Stars: 5

Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Hare needs to feed his very hungry family, but he has lost all his money and land. In desperation he and his wife form a plan to trick the lazy Bear that lives down the street. They want to use the land in front of Bear’s house to plant crops. Hare tells Bear he will plant and harvest the crops, and Hare will keep the bottom half and Bear can have the top half. When Hare’s family digs up the carrots, radishes, and beets, the family keeps the good parts grown on the bottom and Bear is left with the greens on top. The innovative Hare family does this again and again to Bear before he says no more. Bear then grows his own crops but not before Hare has been able to sell the surplus crops and buy land for his own family to harvest. Add this clever book to your home library, it will be asked for over and over.

Published In: 1995
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Age Level: 4-7 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages:32
Stars: 5
Awards:1996 Caldecott Honor

Fun Activity: Plant a small or big vegetable garden with your child.

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Rabbit comes home to his burrow and finds an intruder. Someone claiming to be the Giant Jumperee is hiding in his home and says, “I’m as scary as be!”. Rabbit does not want to enter his house, so he runs to his friends Cat, Bear and Elephant for help. All three try to get the Giant Jumperee out of Rabbit’s burrow but with no success. Elephant asks Mama Frog for help, will she be able to get the intruder out of Rabbit’s home? This is a delightful book that your toddler will want to read again and again.

Published In: 2017
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Level: 2-4 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5

The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park 🟌🟌🟌🟌

“If your home was on fire, what one thing would you save?” People and pets are safe, and it doesn’t matter the size of the item. This is the homework that Mrs. Chang gives her class. The answers she gets back are as varied as the diversity of the children in her class. The book is written in verse which is the perfect vehicle for each the students to express their thoughts. Being a Nana I particularly loved the responses that had items associated with family, the sweater that Gran had knitted, hair clippings from a dead brother, or the plant cutting from a grandmother’s philodendron.

My 9-year-old grandson liked the book, but he found it a bit overwhelming. After each student’s response he would have to rethink his own answer. It took us two sittings to finish. I do agree with other reviewers that the author jumped around too much between students and their inner thoughts. “The One Thing You’d Save” gets a solid 4 from me.

Published In: 2021
Publisher: Clarion Books
Age Level: 8-12 years
AR Level: 3.9
Pages: 80
Stars: 4

Zin! Zin! Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

One by one the musical instruments are introduced and given the spotlight in the delightful counting book about music. It starts with the “mournful moan” of the trombone and ends with the “angel’s wings” of a harp to form a “Chamber Group of Ten”. The book is written in verse which gives it a flowing musical vibe. The book is an intro to musical instruments for young readers. If your child shows an interest in music this is the book for them.

Published In: 1995
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Age Level: 2-4 years
AR Level: 3.3
Pages: 27
Stars:5
Awards: 1996 Caldecott Honor

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie DePaola 🟊🟊🟊🟊

“26 Fairmount Avenue” is a good book but not a great one. The one-year autobiography of Tomie DePaola covers his fourth year of life. The first event he describes is the hurricane of 1938 that hits the town of Meriden, Ct., what it was like and the aftermath of the storm. This is also the year that his family starts to build a new home and with all building projects there are ups and downs. Two other significant events happen to Tomie, he starts kindergarten, and the movie Snow White by Disney is released. He is very disappointed to find out that he will not learn to read until 1st grade and refuses to go back to school. Then the movie Snow White is not at all like the book and is very upsetting. The book is heartwarming and entertaining, but it did not leave my grandkids wanting more. Get this one from the library.

Published In: 1999
Publisher: Putnam
Age Level: 5-8 years
AR Level: 4.6
Pages:58
Stars:4
Awards: 2000 Newbery Honor

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Picking blueberries is hard work and Little Sal would much rather be eating berries than picking them. At Blueberry Hill Little Sal and her mother are picking berries to be canned for winter. Eventually she becomes tired and sits down in a clump of berries to rest and of course eats more berries. Meanwhile on the other side of the mountain Little Bear and his mother were getting ready for winter by eating lots of berries to prepare for their long winter nap. Little Bear and Little Sal lose track of their mothers and both venture from their resting place to find them. In their attempt they pair up with the wrong mothers. Oh No!

“Blueberries for Sal” is a timeless story. It was one of my favorites as a child and my 5-year-old granddaughter enjoyed the book. Even though it was published 75 years ago both the illustrations and text are relevant for today’s preschoolers. The story has suspense without being scary. I think every child at one time, or another comes behind a person at the grocery/mall thinking it was their mother only to find out its somebody else. A must for every home library.

Fun Activity: If possible, go berry picking and then make something with them; pie, muffins or jam.

Published In: 1948
Publisher: The Viking Press
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 4.1
Pages: 64
Stars: 5
Awards: 1949 Caldecott Honor

 

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

 

“Across Five Aprils” is an historical novel that takes place during the Civil War. Jethro Creighton is a nine-year-old boy living in rural southern Illinois when the Civil War breaks out. He watches as his brothers go off to war and he is left at home to take care of the family farm. He endures many hardships over the next five years, his father’s heart attack, the family barn burns down, always worrying about the crops and if his brothers will come home from the war.

The book is hard to read whether you are an adult or a middle schooler. The words are written as they are pronounced but the dialect is 1800’s farm county which takes a couple of chapters to catch on to what the characters are saying. The author gives a lot of details about the battles and Generals. The history is accurate but it’s easy to lose interest in the story. I was much more focused on how the family was going to survive the war then which General fought what battle. The book is a classic, but your child will need encouragement to finish it. A book for the student in your family.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1964	Profanity: No
Publisher: Follett Publishing Company	Violence: War
Age Level: 12-16 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 6.8	Mature Themes: Racism
Pages: 223
Stars: 5 Awards: 1965 Newbery Honor

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

“One Cool Friend” is one cool book. The very proper and polite Elliot takes a trip to the aquarium with his father. His father settles on a bench to read his newspaper, and Elliot is left on his own. He skips the saltwater tank, the jellies display, and the hands-on tide pool. He heads straight to the penguins. Elliot knows he has a lot in common with the penguins and one of them would be a perfect pet. So, he puts a penguin in his backpack to take home. How will his father react once he finds out about Elliot’s new pet?


Published In: 2012
Publisher: Dial/Penguin
Age Level: 5-8 years
AR Level: 3.1
Pages:32
Stars:5
Awards: 2013 Caldecott Honor

Hot Dog by Doug Salati 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

It’s summertime in the city and one dog has had enough of the heat, noise and crowds. The hot dog lies down in the middle of the street and refuses to move one more step. The dog’s owner has an idea, she picks up her pet and calls for a taxi. The two of them take off for an adventure at the beach. This is just the trip to revitalize both dog and owner. When they make it back to the city, they are ready to face the stress of city life. The book has more illustrations than words which make it a great discussion book. My 4-year-old granddaughter enjoyed talking about all the beautiful pictures and narrating her own side story.

Published In: 2022
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 40
Stars:5
Awards: 2023 Caldecott Honor

Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal by DanTDM 🟌

The book is written by a popular You Tuber and Minecraft gamer, DanTDM. The plot of the book “reimagines the minecraft-style world and characters”. My 9-year-old grandson read the first 30 pages and he had enough. Even though he is into gaming and watches You Tubes he didn’t like the book. He told me the main character was not interesting and kind of boring. Which is too bad because I thought the book had great potential.

I did make an attempt to read some of this book myself but I have to say graphic novels are not my thing. I am not sure if it’s all the pictures on the page or the small print. I never know what panel to read next. I had a very hard time following the story. I did notice that it was all the DanTDM fans that gave the book 5 stars. Wish I could rate it higher, but Nana gives it 1 star.

Published In: 2016
Publisher: Harper
Age Level: 7-9 years
AR Level: 2.7
Pages: 192
Stars: 1
Graphic Novel