Outback, A Photicular Book, jumps and educates in this moving series

Sometimes, I make noises when I open the mail. It’s the rare surprise or the latest in a series of books or author, that’s so superior that I just can’t wait to share it with my class, read it myself or have my children discover it. The Photicular Book series from Dan Kainen is one of these. The boys were on the other side of the room when I opened Outback and they dashed over to see what the hubbub was.  

Outback, a Photicular book continues the hybrid genius of moving photographs and text that makes young readers want to go deep.
this series of books from Dan Kainen is superb and Outback is nothing short of exceptional

Professor Astro Cat’s Stargazing, exceptional early astronomy on any level

Professor Astro Cat is the bestselling book series that aims, and wildly succeeds, in explaining potentially complex issues that kids are curious about. The combination of beautifully simple art by Ben Newman and just detailed enough explanations by Dr. Dominic Walliman add up to an entry level education that kids will want to read. Professor Astro Cat’s Stargazing continues the excellence that their previous books have laid out, but this time takes young readers to the stars.

Professor Astro Cat’s Stargazing is a beautiful and education book on stars that’ll have ages 5 through 7 (and up) looking up and wondering.
The art will hook them, the text will relate to them-ages 4 and up will love Stargazing

 It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! review

Just in time for children who are going into pre-K through second grade, It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus!. This is a children’s illustrated book by Jody Jensen, with illustrations by Claire Messer that’ll hit home with the really small children who are over the moon about getting on the big yellow monster.

The big yellow monster, that’s what my mother used to call it. I don’t remember too much about that name, other than she used to say, ‘here come the big yellow monsters’. I can only assume it wasn’t too malicious or required music from The Exorcist in the background because I loved school and education.

To young children the school bus can be a symbol of independence and not being a baby any more.  It can also be terrifying. Having walked our kids to the bus stop this past week we’ve seen a couple kids who are in their first year of getting on the bus who did not take too kindly to it. Those kids that don’t want to get on the busy bus are akin to a cat who is being made to take a bath.

It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! is just the sort of pre-K comfort book food that kids who are looking forward to things would benefit from. ‘Looking forward to’ varies from small one to small one. Some small ones look forward to things so much that they irrationally use their young minds to freak out about getting on the busy bus. That’s where the book comes in handy.

It’s soft and beautifully illustrated in organic, old-school manners that will sooth the eyes of small sight readers. The text uses simple, short sentences that focus on how the bus will feel on the first day of school. Not surprisingly the bus is nervous also, but Ben the trusty bus driver puts its nerves at ease.

Much like School’s First Day of School from Adam Rex, It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! is squarely aimed at pre-K through second grade. Those older kids will be able to read it easily, but will still be able to learn lessons on dealing with new, potentially scary situations.

Summer, A Pop-Up Book brings home the 3D fun for three and up

As a kid we loved pop-up books. We had one that was King Arthur themed. As you turned each page the castle would raise up, goblets would move to the mouths of thirsty knights and fair maiden’s hair would creep down the castle walls so rescuers could climb them. Yeah, that last one always made me question the legitimacy of the Renaissance too.  Thankfully, Summer offers no such questions. Instead it’s a rip fun time that’s consistent with Spring, Fall or Winter, the other books in the series by David A. Carter.

Continue reading Summer, A Pop-Up Book brings home the 3D fun for three and up

This Story Is For You is far away comfort food for kids 3-7

Greg Pizzoli has a way with the characters and colors that he uses in his books that really speak to small children. The colors he uses in his books are crisp, but also on the softer hued side of things.  His characters, either people or animals, are pleasant, amenable and immediately put children at ease. This Story Is For You is a book that celebrates the uniqueness of childhood friendships and the physical distance that sometimes happens between them. Continue reading This Story Is For You is far away comfort food for kids 3-7

Yellow Kayak, great art plus some poetry is all beautiful

When I saw that Yellow Kayak was a book that could be described as poetry my inner Fred Savage voice went off. “This isn’t a kissing book, is it?” questioned a young Savage in The Princess Bride. I have that same guarded line of questioning about books too, except ours warns us about poetry and unicorns. Yellow Kayak is a children’s illustrated book that does have rhyming words, but I wouldn’t call it poetry-if only to hold onto our stance of not liking poetry.

Continue reading Yellow Kayak, great art plus some poetry is all beautiful

All That Trash is a solid, fun, educational children’s book

Waste. Rubbish. An entertaining book about trash, much less a children’s illustrated book about the subject; without being preachy is an almost impossible task. All That Trash by Meghan McCarthy is about a trash barge and a business plan that started with earnest intentions; but wound up drifting for months while politicians, the media and the public debated the fate of 3,186 tons of garbage from New York.

The year is 1987 and why didn’t garbage from New York simply stay in that area is due to a businessman in Alabama who had a novel and forward thinking idea. Lowell Harrelson owned National Waste Contractors in Alabama and heard about a landfill in New York that was about to run out of space. His idea was to purchase the garbage, put it on a barge (called the Mabro 4000) and then ship it to North Carolina. There the garbage would be buried in a landfill and then have the methane gas that the decomposing garbage collected. The gas would then be converted through a generator into electricity that could be used anywhere along the power grid. Continue reading All That Trash is a solid, fun, educational children’s book

Star Wars Workbooks helps eliminate the summer slide

The summer slide can happen anytime. As a greater definition the summer slide is that period when the kids aren’t in school and the things that they learned the previous year start to slip away from their mind. “I can spell cat!”, I remember telling my parents at the end of first grade*. It’s obvious my parents never did after school or summer work books to reinforce my studies. My response to said 7 year old would’ve been, “That is great, but what else can you spell?” As a family we do workbooks almost every day. The Star Wars Workbooks are some of the best out there for introducing or reinforcing math, reading or writing to reluctant kids who need a little Force fun with their education. Continue reading Star Wars Workbooks helps eliminate the summer slide

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