Halloween ABC

Merriam, E. (1987).  Halloween abc.  New York, NY:  Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

     Not my idea on how to teach young children the ABC’s; however, it is a fun way to enjoy the Halloween season through poems and great illustrations.  This book includes poems for every letter of the alphabet.  I can see how some might not approve of their children reading this book, but I thought it was just a bit spooky while focusing on the letters of the alphabet with its rhymes in the poems. Good book.

Becoming Billie Holiday

Weatherford, C. B. (2008). Becoming Billie Holiday. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.

     Comprised of poems, Becoming Billie Holiday is a memoir of the character by the same name.  Through the poems we learn of this character from the beginning of life through her young adulthood.  She endured many misfortunes growing up.  Including many different topics in these poems, the reader gets a better feel for the character before her early death.  I really enjoyed the story this book told through its poems.  It was both emotional and powerful.

Birds

Henkes, K. (2009). Birds. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

 

     Adults can only expect for children to push their levels of imagination with this book.  Birds points out shapes, sizes, and colors of different birds.  Children use their imagination as many “if” situations arise.  The author does a great job with text.  I really liked the ideas and the illustrations in this book.  I think it is a great book for young children.

City Dog, Country Frog

Willems, M. (2010).  City dog, country frog.  New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

     This story is about a great friendship that begins to develop after a dog runs into a frog that seems to be waiting for a friend.  Their friendship continues to grow through out the seasons as different as they are.  The illustrator, Jon Muth, does a great job with the illustrations in this story.  Colors are not bold.  They are instead a little lighter.  They seem to blend well which show beautiful illustrations. Over all, I enjoyed the story line and illustrations.

The Quiet Book

Underwood, D. (2010). The quiet book. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

     This book really wasn’t one of my favorite picture books.  Each page provided one sentence on different ways or different times that a child is quiet.  There were one or two ways that were told in the book that made me smile.  One example given in the book included, “Thinking of a good reason you were drawing on the wall quiet.”  That example just reminded me of my own children and students when you know they’ve done something wrong, so they’re nice and quiet.  The illustrations were not too colorful.  They were actually quite dull. There were a lot of spaces on the pages that were left blank.  The book cover was also simple and not too attractive. 

Hot X: Algebra Exposed!

McKellar, D. (2010).  Hot x.: algebra exposed.  New York, NY: Penguin Group.

     Full of math vocabulary, word problems, tips, and so much more, Hot X provides opportunities for math practice.  McKellar takes what might be a tough subject for young girls and attempts to provide them with simple explanations while providing examples and fun personal stories too.  I think a lot of what makes this book interesting are the short stories, and testimonials from girls that the author provides in between chapters.  The book is extremely informative.  I thought information was easy enough to read and understand.  I thought it would be something that my teenage daughter would like to read as much as I did. Great book!

Almost Astronauts 13 Women Who Dared To Dream

Stone, T. L. (2009). Almost astronauts: 13 women who dared to dream. New York, NY: Candlewick Press.

    Struggles endured by several women in the 1960’s as they fought hard to be treated as equals in this field.  The opposition they found from their male counterparts was a lot to endure, physically and mentally.  These women fought hard and long.  They have helped to pave the way for the women that today can be found serving as astronauts. This book included many black/white and colored pictures that help tell their stories. I thought this book gave great insight into a topic that might not have other wise been shared.