Book Review - non-fiction for children - The Story of Joe Biden: A Biography for New Readers; Frank Berrios and The Story of Climate Change: A First Book About How We Can Help Save the Planet; Catherine Barr & Steve Williams

 

What a well-written, beautifully illustrated and complete biography for children about President Biden.  The book begins with his childhood in Scranton, PA growing up in a working class family, his stuttering challenges in school and how he lost an uncle in WWII and shows his family tree as well.  The bio then moves on to him joining the Democratic Party, being elected Senator and setting his sights on the White House.  His VP campaign and more recently his race for 46th President of the US.

One thing that I really liked was that the book asks questions that encourage children to think about their future: Asking about favorite subjects and what type of school they might like to go to, who they admire, are they nervous about trying new things, what makes them work hard to achieve their goals and several more questions like how they would go about trying to make the world a better place.  

At the end there is a multiple choice quiz about Who is Joe Biden?

I was also impressed that there is a series of biographies about others who have dared to dream and become famous in their own right like: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr. Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Jame Goodall, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein.

                                                                                          

The Story of Climate Change: A First Book about how we can help save our planet.

Catherine Barr and Steve Williams (Illustrations by Amy Husband and Mike Love)

Frances Lincoln Children's Books - 2021

A perfect blend of science and history the story begins billions of years ago with the Earth's first atmosphere, a mix of swirling poisonous gases. The story moves on to how clouds are formed, how life in the oceans began, how plants started to flourish and how mammals and humans evolved.   The book then moves on to how the climate cycles have changed over the years and what climate change means for our planet as the temperatures rise, the glaciers melt, hurricanes and floods become more frequent.  Children will learn about the impact on habitats causing animals and humans to migrate to safer areas where growing and finding food may result in a better chance of success. It also speaks to climate changes impact on forests, oceans, pollution in the air we breathe and the dangers of fossil fuels as well as an introduction to green energy.  The book concludes with a 2-page glossary of pertinent terms. I thought the book was very well done and the illustrations were great as well as to make for lively discussion. 

A great book and topic for parents to discuss with children or for teachers to discuss in their classrooms. I was impressed that this is a series book with other interesting topics like space, inventions etc.

Targeted for children in Grades 2 thru 5. Both of the above books would make nice additions to personal collections or library shelves.

Both of these books were sent to me for my unbiased reviews through the Amazon Vine program.

6 Kids Books from Candlewick Press

 

Just look at these terrific new books for children. Books and the topics offered sure have come a long way since I was a child or, even since my own children were young.

Anatomicum: Welcome to the Museum - Jennifer Z Paxton - Step inside the pages of Anatomicum to enjoy the experience of a museum from the comfort of your own home. The 2019 offering from Welcome to the Museum guides readers through the human body, from the muscles we use to show emotion, to the delicate workings of the brain. With sumptuous artwork by Katy Wiedemann and expert text by professor Dr Jennifer Z Paxton, this beautiful book is a feast of anatomical knowledge.

One of a Kind : A Story About Sorting & Classifying - Neil Packer - It’s classified! With intricate artwork and refreshingly simple language, Neil Packer’s introduction to the many ways of ordering things will thrill the detail-oriented among us.

Meet Arvo. Now look at his family tree. Meet his cat, Malcolm, and check out Malcolm’s family tree, too. Whether people or cats, buildings or books, food or vehicles, there’s a category for everything. And in this mesmerizing narrative introduction to taxonomy, readers follow Arvo through his day to learn about the order of the animal kingdom, to his music lesson to help categorize instruments, and across town to classify cloud formations he sees along the way. Neil Packer’s detailed illustrations and simple narrative are perfect for readers who itch to classify and find order in their daily lives. (Grades 2-5)

The Secret Starling: Judith Eagle - Clara Starling lives a life of dull rules, deadly routine, and flavorless meals under her cold uncle's strict regime—until the day Uncle disappears, leaving Clara alone in his old mansion. When streetwise orphan Peter and his rescue cat arrive unexpectedly, the children seize the chance to live by their own rules. But when the pair’s wild romps through the halls of Braithwaite Manor reveal a single, worn ballet slipper, they are hurled into a mystery that will lead to London’s glittering Royal Opera House and the unraveling of twisted Starling family secrets of poison, passion, and murder. Diabolical villains, plucky orphans, and glamorous ballet stars populate this absorbing adventure with a classic feel.

Wonder Women of Science: Fletcher and Rue - What does it take to be a STEM genius? Check out these exciting, highly readable profiles of a dozen contemporary women who are on the cutting edge of scientific research.

Searching the cosmos for a new Earth. Using math to fight human trafficking. Designing invisible (and safer) cars. Unlocking climate-change secrets. All of this groundbreaking science, and much more, is happening right now, spearheaded by the diverse female scientists and engineers profiled in this book. 

Meet award-winning aerospace engineer Tiera Fletcher and twelve other science superstars and hear them tell in their own words not only about their fascinating work, but also about their childhoods and the paths they traveled to get where they are—paths that often involved failures and unexpected changes in direction, but also persistence, serendipity, and brilliant insights. Their careers range from computer scientist to microbiologist to unique specialties that didn’t exist before some amazing women profiled here created them. Here is a book to surprise and inspire not only die-hard science fans, but also those who don’t (yet!) think of themselves as scientists. Back matter includes reading suggestions, an index, a glossary, and some surprising ideas for how to get involved in the world of STEM. (Grades 4-7)

A Kitten Named Holly (Jasmine Green Rescues) - Helen Peters - Animal lover Jasmine Green is back to rescue an adorable kitten, just in time for the holidays.

On her family’s farm, Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, find the ideal clubhouse for their animal rescue group. But much to their surprise, the shed is already home to a feral cat and her three kittens. When the mother cat leaves, abandoning one of her babies, Jasmine and Tom feel compelled to step in and raise the tiny kitten. But with a house full of rescued animals—and a veterinarian mother who has reached her limit—will Jasmine be able to keep another pet? Or is it someone else’s turn to make a new animal friend? A holiday backdrop and some lighthearted family mayhem add to the charm of this feline-focused addition to the Jasmine Green Rescues series—perfect for readers who think that animals are the best gift of all. (Grades 2-4)

Leonard: My Life As a Cat: Carlie Sorosiak - He’s not a stray house cat, he’s an immortal being. And now he must choose whether to return to his planet or remain with his new human friend in a humorous, heart-tugging story from the author of I, Cosmo.

The cat that Olive rescues from a flood has a secret: he’s not really a cat at all, but an alien who crashed to Earth on a beam of light. The cat, whom Olive names Leonard, was prepared to visit the planet as a human—but something went wrong. Now Leonard may never know what it’s like to hold an umbrella, go bowling, or host a dinner party. (And his human jokes still need some work: Knock, knock. Who’s there? Just Leonard. It is me.) While Olive worries about whether she will have to move after her mom and her new boyfriend get back from their summer vacation, Leonard tries to figure out how to get from South Carolina to Yellowstone National Park, because if he’s not there at the end of the month, he’ll miss his ride home. But as Olive teaches Leonard about the beautiful and confusing world of humans, he starts to realize how much he cares about this particular one. A sweet and dryly funny story about what it means to be human—and what it means to be home. (Grades 3-7)

Thank you to Candlewick Press for sending these lovely books my way. 

(I will share my reviews on each soon)

Not the Best Week BUT a Bright Side - Lots of New Books for Kids to Share

It's been a total bomb of a week, culminating in a week of sever upper back spasms. Let's see:

• personal stress  over several weeks (not health related) 
• bank fraud (a skimming device at my banks drive up resulted in my drained bank account) $$ refunded, but the hassle of police reports and inconvenience - more than 30 people were affected by the incident it appeared
• Tuesday, a health related stressor, a loved one had a tumor removed, not sure yet whether it's cancer but they did remove ALL of it and we are hopeful. It was a 4.5 hour robotic-assisted surgery; recovering well.
• unable to exercise or go to yoga all week because of my back so stress continues
• running back and forth to help loved one 
• my daughter's 2014 Subaru found her and the girls broken down in 5 o'clock traffic on a 4-lane bridge (it was dark out too) with 2 screaming , terrified children and rude motorists honking their cars as if she chose to park her car in the middle of a bridge in high traffic. 911 call and local police assisted and took them to safety after about 15 minutes.
• yesterday, my daughter and her husband and the girls came to visit with their other car a brand new Subaru and around 5 o'clock (yep, dark out again) it was parked behind my husband's car and our 81 year old neighbor backed his Lexus SUV out of his garage without looking and caused(what looks like) over $2,000 damage to their new car!  Talk about a bad few car days!
• today my back is finally much better so hope I can get back to yoga tomorrow as it's a great stress reliever
• Here's to a Better Week!

• I suck at the NF November Challenge - finished the Queen Meryl book but, haven't felt like reading much. I don't think it will improve much with me hosting Thanksgiving next week, I haven't read much of anything as I haven't been able to focus. I also have 3-4 reviews to do. 
• Looking forward to Thanksgiving and family togetherness because in the scheme of things - we've got a lot to be thankful for!

Now for HAPPY STUFF; Look at these lovely books that have arrived by mail (target ages 3-13)

• Orchestra; Nuovo and Doran (sent by Amazon Vine - Flying Eye Books)
• Suffragette: the Battle for Equality; David Roberts (Walker Books US/Candlewick Press)
• The Playground Problem: a Book About Anxiety (sent by: Amazon Vine/QEB Publishing)
• Paper Earth Planet World; Bomboland (sent by Big Picture Press/Candlewick Press)
• Black Beauty; Anna Sewell (sent by Candlewick)

• Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever; Matt Tavares (Candlewick Press)
• We're Going on a Bear Hunt Christmas (Activity Book) (sent by Candlewick Press)
• The First Christmas Sweater; and the Sheep Who Changed Everything; Ryan Tubridy (sent by Walker Books)
• Pony on the Twelfth Floor; Polly Faber (sent by Candlewick Press) 
• A Piglet Called Truffle; Helen Peters (Jasmine Green Rescues Series) (Nosy Crow LTD/Candlewick) 
• A Duckling Called Button; Helen Peters (Jasmine Green Rescues Series) (Nosy Crow LTD)
• McTavish Goes Wild; Meg Rosoff (sent by Candlewick Press)
• Rise of ZomBert; Lareu and Andrews (sent by Candlewick Press)

The Truth About Grandparents; Elina Ellis and Hide and Seek; Katie May Green

TITLE: The Truth About Grandparents

AUTHOR:  Elina Ellis

PUBLISHER: Little Brown & Co.

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING: n/a
FORMAT:  print

RATING - not recommended

At the heart of this story for young children are (pardon my bluntness) 2 extremely funny looking, old grandparents. The grandmother is obese and the grandfather very slim.  The story uses statements and adjectives like: GRANDPARENTS are: slow, clumsy, not bendy, scared of new things. don't dance, not into romance, not adventurous etc.  Each picture then shows the grandparents doing the opposite of what was initially stated about them and, then the story ending on a positive note stating: grandparents are amazing.

Even though the book definitely shows grandparents in a positive light, I didn't care for the negative tone/cues throughout.  In my opinion, there are much nicer grandparent books out there for young children. The illustrations are quite comical.

TITLE: Hide and Seek

AUTHOR:  Katie May Green

PUBLISHER: Candlewick

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING: n/a
FORMAT:  print

RATING - 4/5

Shiverhawk Hall is the setting for this semi-spooky but, not scary game of Hide and Seek.

The DeVilleechild twins live in pictures framed and hanging on the walls. However, when the moon comes out, the twins disappear from their frames and the other children: Percy, Lily and Billy set out to search for them.

They hunt through elaborate mazes on their large estate as their black cat follows along.  As they search they find many interesting things including the twins who are on the run but, once a rain storm hits the twins pop back into their wall frames until the next time the moon is aglow and it's time for another game of Hide and Seek.  

Cute imaginative story with incredibly beautiful and detailed illustrations.

Pick a Pumpkin; Patricia Toht (Candlewick Press)

TITLE: Pick a Pumpkin

AUTHOR:  Patricia Toht

PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING: n/a
FORMAT:  print

RATING - 5/5

Last year I fell in love with Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht which turned out to be the perfect book to prepare for all that is Christmas. It's a book that that still remains a favorite for my youngest granddaughter.  This year, Toht, has a new gem, Pick a Pumpkin. a beautiful book about family and a story that gets us into the mood for fall festivities. This one is another winner.

In this fall delight a young family gets ready for fall by a trip to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve into a Jack-0-Lantern for Halloween. The story is told in fun rhymes  
and is beautifully illustrated by: Jarvis. The fall colors are vibrant and fun; some illustrations have an old-fashioned feel while others seem very modern and the whole carving of the Jack-o-lantern process is both fun and quirky. This is one of those lovely books that I consider keepers: a relatable story of family and creating memories together.

Pick a Pine Tree; Patricia Toht

Candlewick Press - 2017

(Description)

A festive read-aloud brimming with all the joy and excitement of Christmastime — beginning, of course, with picking out a tree!

Part of the magic of the Christmas season stems from the traditions that families and friends take part in every year: hanging up stockings; putting lights in the windows; and, one of the most important of all, picking out and taking home the Christmas tree. With style and warmth, debut author Patricia Toht and Jarvis, the author-illustrator of Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth, evoke all the rituals of decorating the tree — digging out boxes jam-packed with ornaments and tree trimmings, stringing tinsel, and, at long last, turning on those twinkling lights. Joyously drawn and rhythmically written, this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday season is as merry as the tradition it depicts.

Daylight Starlight Wildlife; Wendell Minor

Daylight Starlight Wildlife

Wendell Minor (author/illustrator)

 Nancy Paulson Books - 2015

If your young children are interested in wildlife and you are interested in teaching them about the amazing creatures that roam outdoors by day and by night, this is the perfect book to share.  

Lovely illustrated wildlife can be found throughout the pages of this book. Swallow tale butterflies, opossum and her plods, cotton tale bunny and kits, red-tale hawk, barn owl, white tail deer, fox, woodchucks, skunks, chipmunks, box turtles, bob cats, coyote, raccoon, wild turkey and cardinals.

The text is relatively simple, yet is written in a way to engage little ones in conversation about the critters they see on each page. Next to the illustrations, I though the "fun facts glossary" at the end of the book which shows a small picture as well as pertinent facts on each of the animals on the preceding pages.  The vivid colors and textures throughout the books are outstanding. 

An excellent teaching opportunity for parents and teachers to educate and encourage little ones to be outdoors and to care about the critters that live in the wild.

5/5 stars

(library)

I will link this up to Booking Mama’s Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. If you’d like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children’s books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, leave a comment as well as a link on her site.

It's Only Stanley; Jon Agee

It's Only Stanley; Jon Agee - Dial Books - 2015

In this cute story, the Wimbleton family: Wendy, Wanda, Willie and Wylie, has been trying to get some sleep, but it isn't happening.

Stanley, the family dog, has been hard at work from one noisy project to the next. Sometimes Stanley is banging pots while cooking, fixing the drain or the television and other noisy projects, but little does his family know that he has been planning for a big adventure as well -- an interplanetary trip, not in a spaceship, but by launching the house. Whoever thinks worker bees and worker ants are all the rave, evidently,  has not met Stanley.

This is a very fun story with cute and colorful, as well as engaging illustrations.  The story itself is written in rhyming verse, which I loved and found quite fun to read. The illustrations showing Max, the family cat, throughout all of Stanley's projects was especially fun as well.

This is one that most children will ask to have read to them more than once.

4.5/5 stars

(library)

Tyler Makes Pancakes; Florence and Frazier and The Peace Book; Todd Parr

Tyler Makes Pancakes; Tyler Florence and Craig Frazier

Food Network chef Tyler Florence and Illustrator Craig Fazier team up in this cute book.  Tyler, is a little boy who dream of pancakes when he wakes up he decides to surprise his parents with pancakes for breakfast and heads out on his bike with his dog Tofu. [ hmm.... young child heading out on bike while parents sleep to buy ingredients for pancakes??]

Mr. Jones from the local market gives Tyler an education as to where all the ingredients for pancakes come from -- eggs, wheat, butter, milk, maple syrup etc, [ this aspect of the book was well done and informative for young children]

When Tyler returns home he gets a little help in preparing breakfast for his parents and all sit down to enjoy a tall tall stack of pancakes.

My Thoughts - Well from the cover of this book, one would think a cute kids book for very young  preschoolers, but the story, although well done left me feeling iffy about a young child heading off too the store on a bike while parents sleep, using the stove to cook pancakes? Perhaps the real audience might be 6-8 year range.  The illustrations are a bit simplistic, and not all that colorful, but it was very informative for children to learn where our food comes from.  In the end, I probably would not buy this book, but suggest borrowing it from the library instead. - 3.5/5 stars

The Peace Book, Todd Parr

(2009 - Little Brown & Company)

Todd Parr's books for children embrace diversity and teach children at an early age that it is okay to be "different".   "Peace" a concept which might be a little more difficult to explain to very young children is explained in an easy to understand way. From keeping the streets clean, our water clean for the fish, planting trees and giving shoes to those who need them, giving a hug and learning to say you are sorry when you hurt someone, as well as many other illustrated examples of "peace".  

My Thoughts - The message is "Peace" is being different, feeling good about yourself, helping others to in turn making the world a better place because of your actions. Illustrated with a quirky multicultural mix of blue, green, brown, yellow, and purple faces, that children will love, it's a picture book with simple words that will help young children better understand the concept of peace, love and differences. - 4.5/5 stars

136 - Monsters Eat Whiny Children; Bruce Eric Kaplan

"Once there were two perfectly delightful children who were going through a TERRIBLE phase, which is to say they whined ALL day and night."

 so begins Monsters Eat Whiny Children

Henry and Eve were warned by their father that monsters eat whiny children, but they didn't believe it, so they continued to whine. So along comes a monster who stole them away to his lair on the bad side of town. 

What happens next is that the monsters all have different ideas about the best meal to make out of Henry and Eve.......a whiny-child salad for dinner? other monster neighbors had other ideas.......whiny - child burgers, cake, Indian food? The monsters finally agree on simple whiny-child cucumber sandwiches on fluffy white bread.

However, before the monsters get a chance to enjoy their agreed upon whiny-child meal, the children find a way to escape, finding their way back home and hopefully learning a valuable lesson. 

A cute cautionary tale with great cartoon style drawings in mostly black and white, peppered with pastels.  The book is written and illustrated by the author who draws cartoons for the New Yorker magazine, and has also written for the television shows Seinfeld and Six Feet Under. The book is intended for ages preschool - grade 3, however,  like Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, and other children's books with a villain in the picture, the story needs to be explained in a way that younger children are not frightened by this tale. RECOMMENDED

4/5 stars - Library Book

71 - Christian, the Hugging Lion; Richardson, Parnell and Bates

Christian, the Hugging Lion; Justin Richardson; Peter Parnell and Amy Bates

I so loved reading the adult version of this book: A Lion Called Christian, Bourke and Rendall, that I was very curious to check out the book for children which was released in April 2010.

Richardson and Parnell, tell a heartwarming story of two men named Ace and John, who purchase a baby lion cub from Harrods in London. Together the three create a truly unique family. For one year, Christian live happily with his human family playing with toys and watching birds from the window of their tiny London apartment. He was happy to go for walks in the park with his owners, but soon Christian was no longer a tiny lion cub.....he grew and grew and grew; he even got too big for the sofa (his comfy bed at times).

Ace and John knew that Christian needed a better life; he needed to be in the wild with animals like himself. They made arrangements to transport Christian to Africa.  One year later Ace and John returned to Kenya to see if they could find Christian. The three were reunited, and amazingly, Christian recognized his former owners, and greeted them with a huge, emotional "lion sized hug".

MY THOUGHTS - Christian the Hugging Lion is a heart warming tale, which was based on a true story. The story was very cute and although the illustrations (by Amy Bates) were nice, they were not exceptional, and lacked in color appeal, in my opinion.

RATING - 4/5 Stars - Library Book