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Reviewer:
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Carrie
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Title:
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100 Animals to Spot at the Zoo
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ISBN:
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522544
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Review Date:
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06/2010
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Review:
We took the 100 Animals to Spot at the Zoo (Spotter Cards) with us on our zoo trip a week ago. On the way up I handed the cards over to Bookworm1 and he was entertained by looking through the cards and guessing at which animals we might see on our visit.
When he wanted to know more about a particular animal, he would hand the card over and we would read the information the card provided. The cards told us where the animals originated, what they like to eat and certain behaviors. At age three, I only read Bookworm1 the pertinent information but there was plenty of details for older kids as well. I would say that these cards are probably best suited for ages 4-10 but they suited our purposes quite nicely. We did not take them into the zoo, although that is their intended purpose. They are designed so that you can walk the zoo with them and learn from them as you go. We used them more as preparation and entertainment as we drove to the zoo and that worked great for us. I'm sure you can come up with your own ways to use the cards as well. They were quite fun. www.readingtoknow.com
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Reviewer:
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Carrie
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Title:
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100 Things to Spot in the Night Sky
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ISBN:
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519667
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Review Date:
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06/2010
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Review:
After celebrating Space Day - I was very curious to check out 100 Things to Spot in the Night Sky. Now these cards are over our head but that didn't stop me from flipping through them and explaining constellations and meteors to Bookworm1. I'm going to definitely hang on to these cards and use them on some summer evening when Bookworm is old enough to stay up until after it is dark so that we can do some star gazing from our deck together. These cards are AWESOME and guide the user to find constellations in the night sky. There is a "Starting Star Spotting" card to get you going, as well as a Northern sky map. Each card then provides you with something to look for and a description to help lead you along. Look for things like Canis Minor and learn about the phases of the moon. Use a telescope or don't, but these cards make star gazing a little more exciting and entertaining.
Definitely something to have on hand for the next Space Day!
www.readingtoknow.com
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Reviewer:
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Carrie
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Title:
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50 Science Things to Make and Do
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ISBN:
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516987
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Review Date:
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06/2010
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Review:
We checked out 50 Science Things to Make and Do. This is a particular awesome deck of cards to have around during the summer time. It offers a variety of activities you can do with your kids (and they can potentially do on their own!) to explore their world.
Ideas:
* Visual exercises to see how your brain can trick your eyes
* Separation of colors
* Making "gloop"
* Learning about water power
* Learning about bugs
* Learning about inertia
* Making a rubber band paddle boat
www.readingtoknow.com
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Reviewer:
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Norma D. Kellam
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Title:
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Art Sticker Book
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ISBN:
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524890
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Review Date:
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November 2009
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Review:
A painting by Vincent van Gogh of his chair serves as a stand-in for a self-portrait. A plain yellow chair with a straw seat represents his ordinary life as a working person. This is one of many interesting explanations about paintings that children will enjoy reading.
Art Sticker Book by Sarah Courtauld and Kate Davies, for ages 9 to about 12, introduces readers to a number of paintings that are in London’s National Gallery. Readers can view many of the paintings in a larger size on the National Gallery website. Check the page prior to the sticker pages for instructions on accessing the site. This paperback book has 32 pages plus ten pages of stickers, providing more than 100 stickers.
Picture frames appear around likenesses of the paintings, which are light gray or have faded traces of color. Readers need to find the sticker that represents each painting in its original colors on the appropriately labeled sticker page and apply it over the faded image. Other stickers consist of a closer view of an aspect of a painting. Not only does this provide the authors with an opportunity to comment on that part of the painting, but it also gives the readers a better view of the enlarged item. One of these close-ups is of a red dog. The text explains that Paul Gauguin “painted the dog red, so that it would really stand out against the green field.” The locations where these close-up stickers belong have the same faded-out appearance, but without a frame. With the addition of the stickers, the pages become quite attractive.
The arrangement of the paintings is by topic, including “Children” and “Hidden Meanings.” A paragraph introduces each topic, such as the one that begins, “Self portraits allowed artists to try out new skills without worrying about what anyone else thought.” Under each painting, a bordered area, such as a rectangle, provides the title and date of the painting and the name of the artist. The dates range from the 13th to the early 20th century. A paragraph beside each painting provides a bit of interesting information about it. An 18th century work by Jean-Siméon Chardin titled “The Young Schoolmistress” depicts a girl teaching a younger child as they both sit at a table. A statement beside it reads, “Some children had to work to earn a living.”
Holly Surplice’s drawings, along with a few by Abigail Brown and Nathalie Oger, decorate the spare space around the paintings and text. The pastel colors of the drawings allow the stronger colors of the paintings to stand out. Beside a painting of a gondola race in Venice, a drawing of this type of boat shows the gondolier giving two children a ride. On another page, a drawing depicts museum visitors looking at two of that page’s paintings.
Whether it’s explanations about a painting of a chair used in place of a self-portrait or about a depicted child working as a teacher, this information makes artwork more interesting. As children enjoy well-known paintings, they develop a foundation for art appreciation.
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Reviewer:
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MetroFamily Magazine
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Title:
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Conspiracy 365: January
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ISBN:
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279495
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Review Date:
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05/2010
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Review:
A fast-paced, mature adventure featuring 15-year-old Cal’s story of survival on the run. The first of a series of twelve novels will whet your adventurous child’s appetite for more.
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Reviewer:
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Norma D. Kellam
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Title:
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Detective's Handbook
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ISBN:
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523992
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Review Date:
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July 2009
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Review:
Do your children enjoy pretending that they are detectives? Maybe they even plan to follow that career when they grow up.
Detective’s Handbook by Anne Civardi and others, for ages 8 to about 11, explains many of the methods that detectives use to catch criminals, such as disguising themselves, looking for mistakes in a forged painting, and taking fingerprints. The authors write, “Everyone, even identical twins, has different fingerprints.” The text frequently uses second person, addressing young readers as though they were detectives, such as, “When you have questioned each witness, you will have to check their stories and look for the suspects.” This 192-page spiral-bound, hardcover book belongs to the “Hobby Guides” series.
Colin King’s vividly colored cartoon drawings clarify the text, and stimulate readers’ interest. Instead of illustrations, one page has examples of different types of handwriting. Handwritten items can be helpful in finding criminals. Drawings appear on all of the other pages, except for the introduction.
A double page illustration depicts Detective Dodd’s office, with explanations about many of the items in it. Under his table is a “secret foot alarm button.” A six-page story tells about Detective Dodd and Detective Trapper collaborating to solve a crime consisting of robbery of a jewelry and watch store. These detectives also solve various other crimes.
A series of drawings shows a police dog named Petal as she goes through her training. A woman detective, referred to as Petal’s handler, instructs her. One picture depicts Petal climbing up a training prop that represents a high wall as her handler offers encouragement for the difficult task. On the next double page, Petal successfully chases a crook. She follows the crook’s scent and then circles him. If necessary, she grabs a crook’s arm with her teeth to prevent escape.
In a four-page story, detectives Trapper and Dodd, along with Petal and her handler, respond to a nightmare crime in which three crooks break into a camera warehouse. Small sequential pictures with captions relate the events of the story. A drawing depicts detectives Dodd and Trapper putting an overstuffed chair into an open elevator doorway to make the elevator nonfunctional. That limits escape routes, leaving only the stairs and the fire escape. The detectives find of the crooks hiding in a surprising location.
Various puzzles increase the interest level and give the reader’s mind a workout. For one puzzle, readers decide which of eight green autos is the gateway care based on witnesses’ descriptions. The witnesses disagree about how many doors the car has and about which fender has a dent.
The authors write, “A good detective is very observant, noticing small details which most people would miss. Three games improve children’s observation skills. In one of the games, a player puts a number of items on a table. After looking at these items, the other kids look the other way while the first player makes changes. Then they try to determine what has changed.
In addition to providing interesting reading, this book will give your aspiring detective a head start.
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Reviewer:
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Norma D. Kellam
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Title:
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Explorers
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ISBN:
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515331
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Review Date:
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03/2010
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Review:
“Viking explorers became the first Europeans ever to set foot in America,” according to an abundantly illustrated book about exploration. Your children may ask, “Wasn’t it Christopher Columbus?” They will be surprised to read that the Vikings beat Columbus by about 500 years. Ruins of their houses, discovered in 1960, verified that the Vikings actually reached North America.
The Story of Exploration by Anna Claybourne, for ages 8 to about 12, begins with the ancient Egyptians and describes many famous explorers, ending with new frontiers, including deep-sea and space exploration. This book with flexi-binding belongs to the “Science Stories” series.
Children may laugh at the surname of one of the Spanish explorers in America. It was Cabeza de Vaca, which is Spanish for “head of a cow.” An ancestor of his aided a Spanish army by using a cow’s skull to indicate a secret route. That is how his family got its name.
Purple and red mountains produce an eye-pleasing background in a photo depicting a huge expanse of only small dry plants in the Australian desert. This interior desert area, called the Outback, was inhospitable for explorers. Like this illustration, most of the photographs, reproductions of paintings, and drawings are in color. One of the exceptions is a brown-and-white painting of a 19th century sailing ship on a rough sea, representing the ocean at the southern tip of Africa. Its previous name was the Cape of Storms due to the turbulent sea in that area, but it is now the Cape of Good Hope.
One of Ian McNee’s plentiful drawings depicts two exceedingly sturdy whales swimming deep in the ocean. A man’s head is visible through a window in a globe-shaped diving machine called a bathysphere. According to the accompanying text, William Beebe, an animal expert, “was thrilled to see strange sea creatures from the bathysphere.”
Numerous small maps throughout the text indicate the routes of specific explorers. A larger map of the whole world shows the routes for Captain James Cook’s three voyages, which took him to all the oceans, six of the continents, the Arctic, and almost to Antarctica.
The glossary defines some of the difficult words. Definitions also appear within the text. For example, a statement about an exploration of the African coast, which Prince Henry of Portugal financed, reads, “Henry’s crews charted more and more of the African coastline, using caravels – small, fast ships with triangular sails, which could dart along nimbly and safely.”
A double page with small drawings titled “Who’s Who?” and an illustrated timeline provide a review of the explorers. Readers can use the index to locate further explanations of unfamiliar terms or information about specific explorers. An introductory page explains how to access information on the Internet to supplement the book’s content. For example, one of the suggested websites has a word-search puzzle related to exploration.
Whether it’s the Vikings beating Columbus to America or an explorer whose name means “head of a cow,” children will find much worth remembering as they read this book.
For more information call EDC Publishing at (800) 475-4522.
Reviewed by Norma D. Kellam
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Reviewer:
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Midwest Book Review, James A. Cox, Editor in Chief
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Title:
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Penguins Touchy-Feely
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ISBN:
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525866
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Review Date:
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05/2010
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Review:
Designed and released as an Usborne Touchy-Feely book for toddlers and pre-readers, “Penguins” is a beautiful board book filled with text and textured illustrations of and about penguins. The soft feel of plush of penguins’ yellow feathers, harder foam for their
White bellies, and grey plush (shag) for the little chick’s fluffy bellies will tempt tiny fingers to test and touch each page. “Penguins” is a delightful, educational book that will reach young readers through multi-sensory approaches. While parents or child care staff read the pages of facts about penguins and their lives, children will love to feel the variety of textures cleverly embedded in the pages’ illustrations. “Penguins” is an icy
Classic composed of sight, sound, and touch that are sure to enchant the young learner.
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Reviewer:
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Norma D. Kellam
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Title:
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Ships
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ISBN:
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525071
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Review Date:
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01/2010
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Review:
Huge ships called aircraft carriers have runways where airplanes can land and take off, as well as ample space to park a number of planes. Children will be surprised that ships can be that large.
Ships by Emily Bone, for ages 7 to about 8, acquaints readers with many kinds of ships, including historical wooden Viking longships and present-day icebreakers. A reading consultant and a ship consultant assisted with this 32-page hardcover book, which has fairly simple text and concepts. It belongs to the “Beginners Science” series, level 2.
Among the topics listed in the table of contents are “A Sailor’s Life,” and “Studying the Sea.” Sailors have various jobs on a ship, including planning the route and mending the sails. Scientists study the ocean by lowering equipment, such as a robot, from a ship into the deep water. The robot can even take samples back to the ship.
Numerous photographs and Colin King’s drawings enhance the text and, except for one photo depicting shipbuilding, add color. The 1941 shipbuilding photo depicts scaffolding on both sides of the ship. Several workers are on the top part of the boat. Others are below on the wooden platform on which the ship rests. Another photo is of a large container ship with its deck full of many large, neatly stacked boxes of various colors. Regarding a little boat beside the large ship, a caption reads, “Tugs are small boats that help guide the ship into port.”
The first of a set of three drawings depicts a long line of cars entering a red-and-white ferry. In the next two drawings, the ferry heads across the water and cars drive off of the ferry after it has docked. In presenting the history of ships, the text reads, “Thousands of years ago, people paddled along rivers in hollowed-out logs.” An accompanying drawing depicts a man sitting in the back portion of such a log as it floats along a river. His yellow paddle matches the top part of his log-boat.
A large drawing of a 16th century galleon has some areas cut away to reveal the interior. One of the men inside is sleeping in a hammock while another cooks in the galley. Labels indicate the ship’s different parts, such as the captain’s cabin and the mainmast. Text adjacent to the pictured boat contains a sentence that reads, “The stern is the back end of the ship.”
One of the words defined in the glossary is “cargo,” the definition of which is “the things that a ship carries from place to place.” The index provides page numbers for information on different kinds of ships—such as clippers and steamships—as well as other topics related to ships, including decks and sailors. Instructions direct readers to Websites with games and information about ships. One online game consists of matching paired pirate pictures.
Whether kids are reading about ships with runways or galleons from 500 years ago, they are putting their new reading skills to practical use.
For more information call EDC Publishing at (800) 475-4522.
Reviewed by Norma D. Kellam
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Reviewer:
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Norma D. Kellam
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Title:
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Who's Hiding on the Farm?
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ISBN:
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525217
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Review Date:
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05/2010
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Review:
Do you have trouble keeping your toddler’s or preschooler’s attention on a book as you read it aloud? Books that give your youngster something to do can reduce distraction.
Who’s Hiding on the Farm? by Fiona Watt, for ages 2 to about 4, introduces children to various kinds of animals. Questions to answer and flaps to lift will keep youngsters actively involved and their minds engaged with this hardcover book’s content. Lifting flaps will also help develop fine motor skills. Considering that toddlers and preschoolers have short attention spans, the simple text will help keep their minds focused on the book. Thin cardboard pages and flaps provide more durability than regular paper.
Cecilia Johansson’s multicolored, cartoon-style drawings will appeal to children. They will enjoy seeing the delightful farm and domestic animals, as well as mice, birds, butterflies, bees, a snail, and a smiling spider. In fact, a number of the animals are smiling.
A question on each of five double pages begins, “Who’s hiding in the … ?” A word or two completes the question, indicating a place on a farm such as the hen house or the barn. Young children like this type of repetition. A flap mostly covers an animal that is hiding in an area intended for a different type of animal. Each flap has an opening, such as a door or window, that reveals a small part of the hidden animal. For example, one question is “Who’s hiding in the pigsty?” The illustration depicts five pink pigs standing outside of a pigsty. One of these pigs has its snout in mud, and another pig is holding a flower in its mouth. The front part of a duck is visible through the doorway of the pigsty. Lifting the flap reveals a duck and four pigs inside the pigsty. To answer the question, the phrase “a brown duck” appears on the underside of the flap. Children will quickly learn what animal is hiding under each flap. They will delight in this accomplishment and will tell you what the animal is before lifting the flap.
Beside at least one of each major kind of animal, a word or two represents the sound that the animal makes. For example, the words beside a white mouse with pink ears and a pink tail are “squeak squeak!” Young children enjoy hearing and making imitations of animal sounds.
The inside of the front cover combined with the title page contains a double-page drawing of the entire farm. On this comprehensive drawing, children can locate the different areas of the farm—such as the stable or the field—and the animals that live in each one. The final page provides a review of nine of the animals, consisting of a small drawing for each one with its name and sound written by the picture.
As youngsters guess, and later know, what animal is hiding under each flap, they will make a connection between books and fun.
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