From the perspective of a bibliophile, Quackenstein Hatches A Family is one of those illustrated books that you’ll discover in K or early elementary classrooms that’s been read in brutal fashion. The spine is cracked in several locations. Multiple pages are dog-eared. The front cover has a dozen (or more) crayon scribbles on it. It’s also one of those books that young readers will seek out and immerse themselves in during silent read time.
Even when you’re finished attending school, you’re never done learning. A Man Called Horse is non-fiction proof to that for us, as well as, most people who will read the book. Despite having lived in Florida for half a decade I never knew anything about the Seminole. It’s very likely that resident Floridians know the basics about the Seminole Indians. However, I had no idea of the complex history that the region had in the early 1800s. What’s impressive about A Man Called Horse is how simple and concise author Glennette Tilley Turner makes the material.
Board books can take on many forms in children’s literature. These are the feel good, comfort food books that crawlers will learn to love. My Mighty Marvel First Book Doctor Strange, as well as My Mighty Marvel First Book The Mighty Thor are two board books that are loaded to the gills with classic art, blazing action and thick pages for those kids to chew on….if they need to.
Graphic novels can get a bad rap with some audiences. Some parents might take issue with what they see as being the sole topic of graphic novels, superheroes. Of course, librarians and young readers all over know that graphic novels encompass so many more topics than just superheroes in tights. For a while, Maus was considered the go-to graphic novel for upper-middle school readers. The March trilogy of graphic novels is another one that made the genre more respected in the eyes of reluctant educators or readers who might’ve been averse to the medium. Run: Book One picks up right where March, Book 3 left off, immediately grabbing readers by the pages into this story of ‘good trouble’ that set John Lewis on his way.
When is a board book not a board book? When it turns into a store. OK, that is not the answer, but it’s a question that one might be asking themselves when they pick up Magnificent Women of Marvel, Pop Up, Play and Display!. Sure, the pages are printed on board book thickness, which might imply that the book is geared for crawlers through kindergarten readers. However, when you look at the text it’s far too wordy and has pop-up elements on each page that are in no way able to withstand a crawler’s clumsy hands. The best way to think of Magnificent Women of Marvel is to use terminology that one would normally use with Ray Stevens or Dickie Goodman.
I make no bones about the fact that I absolutely love the Hazardous Tales book series from Nathan Hale. My only complaint about that non-fiction graphic novel series is that the pages and the font are too small. As if sensing my very wishes, Amulet Books published the Bigger & Badder Editions of some of the previously released Hazardous Tales. In my effort to temp the universe I complained about bad music on the radio and a lack of free pizza, to no avail. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales Cold War Correspondent ups the ante to this series by making readers learn about a subject that they probably know nothing about in a manner that’s intelligent, funny, and respectful.
When our boys were younger they’d receive Rube Goldberg toys as presents from time to time. They were poorly made, never worked and made us yearn for our Mousetrap game from the 1970s. Rube Goldberg and His Amazing Machines is the first in a series of books with a middle school version of the titular character. This is an intellectual property that exudes characteristics that any parent wants their child to emulate. The characters in the story are ones that kids will like also. It’s therefore really ironic that the book doesn’t connect with middle school readers.
Alien Superstar is an engaging upper-elementary through middle school book series. The first book in the series was fresh, exciting, funny and quite fabulous. Book #2 in the series, Lights, Camera, Danger! had its moments and opened up a larger threat to the alien who crash-landed on a Hollywood backlot. Hollywood Vs. The Galaxy is the final book in the series and while it doesn’t land with a complete thud, it’s a shadow of how clever and original the first book was.
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