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Young readers will be able to pick out the similarities and differences in plot and characterization. While this is not the instructive and gruesome fairy tale found in the original version of Jack the Giantkiller, parents will appreciate the more subtle messages in this story. The… View →
Spring 2014 Best Books for Kids and Teens View →
Insects are not only helpful to other living things, but they are also beneficial to the earth. How Are Insects Helpful? examines the various roles that insects play: they provide food for other animals, make honey and beeswax, spin cocoons from which silk threads are spun, help pollens… View →
Insects are not only helpful to other living things, but they are also beneficial to the earth. How Are Insects Helpful? examines the various roles that insects play: they provide food for other animals, make honey and beeswax, spin cocoons from which silk threads are spun, help pollens… View →
This entry in the new Insects Close-Up series features the various types of homes and habitats where six-legged creepy crawlies live. Opening with a description of what makes an insect an insect, a series of color-coded two-page spreads informs readers in clear, short sentences about… View →
Dolores Huerta: Voice for the Working Poor - Children's Literature
The life of Dolores Huerta is one full of vision, conviction, and drive. This biography, a part of the “Crabtree Groundbreaker Biographies,” includes a fairly thorough account of her involvement in social activism for migrant farmers. The author does an excellent job of… View →
It looks like a dog - Children's Literature
“Words to Know” is the first section in this early reader and it is really a picture glossary with six words. A bulldog is dressed up to look like a bee and it is rather silly; then another one has on a red spotted jacket to resemble a ladybug. The succeeding pages show a… View →
Jaguar - Children's Literature
In the 1920s Swallow Sidecars produced sidecars but gradually evolved into the luxury car company, Jaguar. Its leather and wood interior trim, its long front hood, and its comfort and handling made it a beautiful vehicle. Despite the economic difficulties of the 1930s, Jaguar stayed… View →
Kitchen Chemistry - Children's Literature
This volume of the “Chemtastrope!” series explains that common kitchen and household items are all budding chemists need to perform many experiments right at home. A brief overview of chemistry begins this slim volume. “Fun Facts” sidebars reveal chemistry-related View →
I like riding - Children's Literature
What is fun to ride? A bike? A car? How about a horse or pony? These words make up more than half of the eight words introduced in this early reader with a predictable text pattern. Part of the “My World” Leveled Reader series written in eight guided reading levels A-H, the… View →
Quick Expert: Ancient Egypt - Children's Literature
Learning about Egypt’s past and present has been a long time favorite for kids and adults. Becoming a “Quick Expert” is easy and fun for any beginning study of Egypt. The contents page easily categorizes Egypt’s army, mummies, pharaohs and the pyramids along with… View →
My community long ago - Children's Literature
Communities children live in today are compared to those of about 150 years ago. A table of contents introduces the definition of community and the components of community life: homes, shopping, schools, games, foods, clothing, cooperation, travel, and technology. Each chapter consists… View →
Drake - Children's Literature
While Drake doesn’t fit the stereotype of a rapper and has chosen to write about his newfound fame or his past relationships with girlfriends rather than poverty, crime, and drugs, he has nonetheless risen to superstardom. Drake’s parents divorced when he was five. He stayed… View →
How do plants help us? - Children's Literature
In this Level F Guided Reader in the “My World” series, the many ways plants help humans are identified. Among the concepts introduced are oxygen, forest, photosynthesis, and seeds. These words and several others are introduced at the beginning alongside pictures depicting… View →
Spotlight on Japan - Children's Literature
This is one in a series called “Spotlight on My Country” and is nicely organized for newly independent readers. The table of contents and an ending glossary and index make access to information easy to use in classrooms or at home. The book features an overview of the… View →
Mustang - Children's Literature
The “Superstar Cars” series takes a look at an iconic American sports car, the Mustang. In this sixty-four page informational text readers are given the history and technical statistics of Ford’s 1964 entry into the sports car market. Its distinct insignia of a running… View →
Wayne Gretzky: Greatness on Ice - Children's Literature
On May 19, 1984, twenty-three year old Wayne Gretzky achieved a lifelong dream when he led the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup. Wayne had been practicing for this day since he learned to ice skate at the age of two. By the time he was four, his father used the lawn… View →
Triceratops - Children's Literature
An introductory page contains a diagram of the Mesozoic Era showing the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous Periods. A brief text explains that living things have been around for billions of years and the place in time for the Triceratops. A twenty-four page story follows which… View →
Visual Dictionary of Christmas Long Ago - Children's Literature
The title is misleading—this slim picture book would be more accurately described as a very simplistic encyclopedia. The information is arranged by topic area including decorations, gifts, food and activities associated with Christmas, primarily during the Victorian era. The topics are… View →
Major Battles of the War of 1812 - Children's Literature
Did you know that the Battle of Lundy Lane was one of the bloodiest fights of the War of 1812? Are you aware that the Battle of New Orleans that made Andrew Jackson a public figure on the American scene was actually fought after the peace treaty ending the war had been signed? Did you… View →
What is a food chain? - Children's Literature
Building on knowledge from guided readers in the “My World” series in the A through G levels, this offering in the level H group focuses on food chains and reinforces concepts introduced earlier such as living things, plants, and photosynthesis. It also introduces new words… View →
Want to be a knight? - Children's Literature
Becoming a knight was a long and sometimes difficult process. Young boys were sent to live with a lord at age seven and started their training to become knights. Part of the “Crabtree Connections” series, this book superficially describes what knights must know how to do and… View →
Manners, please! Why It Pays to be Polite - Children's Literature
“When you treat other people with respect and consideration, you’re practicing good manners.” The book opens with a little scenario and it is one that kids probably encounter frequently at school and play. Manners have been around for thousands of years and while they… View →
M.I.A. - Children's Literature
This nonfiction book highlights the musician and artist, M.I.A, also known as Mathangi Arulpragasam or Maya. Born in England, her early years were spent in war-torn Sri Lanka. When Maya was 10 years old, her mother and two siblings escaped from Sri Lanka and headed back to England as… View →