King Louie's Shoes

Steinberg, D (2017). King Louie's Shoes.Beach Lane Books. 40 pages, Ages 3-8
Children's Fiction ISBN: 978-1-4814-2657-2

This book is about King Louie the 14th. We learn about how King Louie was a very short man, always trying to become taller. King Louie does the most ridiculous things to become taller such as wearing a tall wig and wearing tall shoes. All of these plans turn out not to work when King Louie learns a lesson on what really matters to his people.

At first sight, I knew this book would be really funny. My first impression was true, this book has good humor that will definitely make students laugh. I would definitely recommend this book for the classroom because of its upbeat storyline and its historical background. I’m not too sure about King Louie Making wigs or wearing high shoes, but I am sure that the historical description of France is accurate. It also includes fun facts in the back that will teach even more historical background. I would suggest this to lower levels such as 3rd grade and lower.

Reviewed By Elaina Berry

Living in...South Korea by Chloe Perkins

Perkins, C. (2017). Living in...South Korea. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster

32 pages, Grades K-2, Nonfiction, ISBN 978-1534401433

Relevant, published right before the 2018 Winter Olympics being held in South Korea. A simple introduction about the Country of South Korea is like and how it came to be as told through the eyes of a young elementary age school boy. Facts and brief history are shared as the reader follows Min'jun through things he and his family do regularly. the Olympics are coming and they plan to attend the snowboarding competition.

The book contains just enough facts for the intended age level. The story is engaging. It is relevant because South Korea is hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, so this book provides some interesting facts about South Korea and about typical things children do there. I enjoyed it. I think it makes a good read for children at this time when South Korea is a current topic in the news. 

Reviewed by Angela C LeSuer

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Walking with Miss Millie

Bundy, T. (2017). Walking with Miss Millie. New York, NY: Penguin Random House LLC. 240 Pages, Grade 5-6, Fiction/Novel, ISBN 978-0399544569

Eleven-year-old Alice just moved Rainbow, Georgia with her mother and brother and she is not happy about it. She is refusing to make friends and make it feel like home because all she wants is to be a whole family again with her father, who abandoned them. She gets in trouble one day and to make up for it, she walks her elderly neighbor’s, Miss Millie’s, dog. The three of them go on daily walks and they form an unlikely friendship. Alice shares with Miss Millie about her father’s abandonment, while Miss Millie opens Alice’s eyes to the problems of racism and segregation and how it has affected her entire family.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel as if it is a story that older children will enjoy and also touches on sensitive subjects that they may have never had to think about. The problems mentioned in this book are things that their classmates may be going through, but they have no idea. It talks about real-world problems which I believe is very important for children to understand. It also teaches them that they can form friendships with people that they never thought they could. All they have to do is take the time to talk and listen.

Reviewed by Hannah K.

Feather

Coureon, R. (2017). Feather. New York: Enchanted Lion Books.

32 pages, Age 6-10, Picture Book, ISBN 978-1-59270-210-7

A little girl named Paulina likes to play the piano. She is the smallest and only girl in her family and everyone calls her Feather. They fought each other and Feather always lost. So, she always had to do chores like laundry and ironing, then she could not play the piano, her favorite enjoyment. But, after beginning boxing, she became stronger and stronger. She beat her bothers and needed to do less chores. After she won a match, she stopped boxing. Instead, she plays the piano. When people ask her why she does not do boxing any more, she says, “Fists should be opened and fingers should fly.”

I liked the last part where she says, “Fists should be opened and fingers should fly.” I thought it was kind of sad that she stopped boxing because she became strong and beat a tough opponent. But, playing the piano has been her favorite thing to do, and it is beautiful that she fills her apartment with melodious sounds. In addition, this book makes me think about families. I briefly thought how family members are involved in our lives. Their personalities, actions, and words shape our lives. This book seems simple to read, but contains very sensitive and beautiful insights.

Yuki Konno

Jelly, Garbage+Toys

Muniz, V. (2017). Jelly, garbage+toys. 115 West 18th Street, New York, New York: ABRAMS the Art of Books. 63 pages, Picture/Nonfiction/Arts, ISBN 978-1-4197-2575-3

Jelly, Garbage+Toys! It is obvious in the title of the book that some of the arts are literally from garbage. Muniz was born in Brazil, and he mentioned at the last part of the book that he never thought he would be an artist because his family were a "working class" in his own words. The book exhibits peculiar artworks that were made out of things that people set off as garbage, or things that people don't use anymore. You will find several artworks that were made from basic trash to artworks that were made possible because of technology and science. It is impressive how he works with scientists to build artwork, and the hard work that they put on to showcase the result.


This art book conceptualized by Vik Muniz is fascinating. Although I am not sure if I would want to use this book for teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten however, it is a great art book for grade level 4-6 maybe. I say this just because the materials for Muniz's arts are not very common for young children. For example, the Mona Lisa artwork he did that was made from peanut butter and Jelly. I also like the fact that Muniz is not one of those academically smart guys in school, but he managed to become successful and achieved his great potential by maximizing the skill that he is good at. I think it is a good principle to teach kids that they should not get discouraged if they are not doing great on some certain things that their friends, or their family expects them to be instead they should keep doing what they feel they are good at and find ways to maximize that talent and skills that they are given.

Reviewed by: Farah E.

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets

Alexander, K with Colderly, C. & Wentworth, M. (2017). Out of Wonder Poems Celebrating Poets. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

50 pages, Grades 3-9, Picture Book/Poetry, ISBN 978-0763680947

Out of Wonder is a wonderful collection of poems written by the authors to celebrate 20 poets from around the world.  The creators carefully crafted each poem in the style of the poet they are celebrating and sometimes about a similar topic. Famous poets being celebrated include: e.e.cummings, Rumi, Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson. Six informational pages of Biographies, of the celebrated authors, are listed in the appendix. The illustrations use mixed media to inspire the artist within us.

One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost.  Marjory Wentworth wrote the poem In Every Season to celebrate Frost.   She used the same landscape topics he wrote about. Her poem is fine but does not have the same flow as Frost’s style.I still enjoyed it.  Some of the poems brought tears to my eyes.  They were personal and beautiful.  I also enjoyed refreshing my knowledge about these poets by reading the biographies. I may even write a poem soon, or at least share one of these with my family.

Reviewed by Angela C LeSuer

Newton's Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist.

Lasky, K. (2017). Newton’s Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist. New York: Macmillan Publishing Group.

52 Pages, Age 6-10, Biography, 9780374355135

This story is about the famous Scientist known as Isaac Newton. It talks about his life from when he was born. He was a tiny baby but grew up to be a very smart boy. He loves to observe and experiment things on his imagination that he was curious about. Isaac’s mother was not supportive of him going to school but through his curiosity Isaac never stop. He made it to college and he discover so many things including the Rainbow, Gravity and how light travels. Isaac Newton Graduate from Trinity College and became a scholar. He lived to the age of 84.

I like this book because it starts from the very beginning of the main character’s life. Student likes to know about the characters when they were young. I like the bibliography at the end of the book because if the reader want to do research it would be useful to use bibliography. I love the style of the illustrations which is simple for the students to understand. This book also present a very wonderful theme for every student to learn from. Never give up because anything is possible.

Reviewed by Ola.

Argyle Fox

Tourneau, M. L. (2017). Argyle Fox. Indianapolis, IN: Tanglewood.

32 pages, K-2, fiction, ISBN 978-1939100092

A fox calls Argyle wanted to go out to play even though his mother warned him that his playing card will blow away on a windy day. He built a card tower outside, but it tore down by the wind immediately. His other friends also warn him to give up and discourage him subsequent ill-fated games—including role-playing as a spider, pirate, and knight; however, he ignored all the warning. When everyone discourages him, his mother encouraged him that if he wanted to play outside he should think about other activities instead of a playing cards. Because of the courage of his mother, he made a kite with his friends. He had so much fun on a windy day.  On the other hand, with the wonderful pictures in the book made the story more vivid.

This is an amazing book to teach students not to give up although people discourage them. They need to believe themselves that they can do it if they have faith. Also, this book encourages students to use their creativity to make their life fruitful and wonderful.

Reviewed by Karman A

¡ El gallo que no se callaba! / The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!

Deedy, C. A. (2017). ¡ El gallo que no se callaba! / The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!. New York, NY: Scholastic Espanol

48 pages, Preschool-3, Picture Book/Fiction, ISBN 978-0545722889.

Carmen Deedy is an author of many award-winning books. Although this book did not win an award she still did an amazing work in using allegories to teach and connect with the readers.  This picture/fiction book is about the noisy village of La Paz. The citizens in La Paz enjoy and love singing. Everyone sing their own favorite songs and don’t really care about the noise it is making in their village. As the time goes by, the noise becomes the number problem in their village. After the old mayor’s term, they voted a new mayor. One candidate’s promise is a quiet and peaceful environment in the village. The next morning, it was known in the whole village that he won. He then proceeds in making new laws in the place. Being quiet, meaning NO LOUD SINGING AT HOME. Then became NO LOUD SINGING to NO SINGING. And all of them just need to QUIET! The noisy village becomes the quietest place. Nobody ever wanted to sing. After seven years of peace, a gallito and his family wander in the village and started to make noises by singing which really annoys the Mayor. The mayor even wanted to kill the Rooster just to make him stop from singing, but this Rooster always finds a reason why he needs to sing. Nobody and nothing can stop him from singing. Then, he made the people in the village what they missed in their lives from not doing what they want. Lastly, everyone started singing again and loving what they are doing.

I really like the story and the moral lesson that we can get from it. There will always be times where we will stop doing what we love because of some reason. But this story will teach every reader that there should not be any reason for them to stop doing what they love, o stop doing that makes them happy and to stop pursuing their passion. We can learn from this story that there will be people that will hinder us from being happy and from being successful in life. But, we should always find the way to make things happen no matter what.

Reviewed by: Jonna L.

Brave

McAnulty, S. (2017). Brave. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Kids.

32 pages, Preschool-3, Picture Book, ISBN 978-0762457823

This picture book is a simple but great illustration of what a brave boy could do. It simply tells the good characteristics that a brave boy possessed. The young boy illustrated in the book does things that other kids can do but are afraid of. He is a little hero in this book that other kids might love to be while they are young.

I like the book because of the great illustration, the illustrator does a great job in creating each page that long words or explanation are not needed. This is really good to teach younger kids when they seem afraid of doing something that you asked them to do. Or even just teaching any kids of what they can do. This book is a great motivation for the kids to be brave enough and to help them realize the potential they have.

Reviewed by: Jonna L.

The Aztec Empire (Discover)

Imo Greenberg&Isabel Greenberg.(2017). The Aztec Empire (Discover). New York, NY: Frances Lincoln Children's Bks; Har/Chrt edition.
32 pages, 3-6 grades, historical picture book, ISBN:978-1-84780-950-6.

This book is about traveling back to the ancient Aztecs. It mentioned the development of the Aztec empire, and how to disappear as well. This book gives the answer about the who were the Aztecs? Why did they build their temples? When did they discover chocolate? And what was daily life like in Mesoamerica?
I very enjoy reading this book, it is very useful for 3 to 6 grades kids to learn about the Aztec history. It also is the very good book for social study. It contains many original quotes, artworks, historical sites in this book. And it also contains some of the very important people for the ancient Aztec. At the end of the book, it has a timeline map. It helps students can understand some important event very clearly. It is a very interesting book.

Reviewed by Rosina. Z

Who Am I?

Jeffrey, Turner. (2017). Who am I? New York: Aladdin.
40 pages, per school-3, picture book, ISBN: 978-14814-5304-2.

This book is a picture book, it generally talks about a rabbit pretends to be another animal. The first animal is a frog and then is a rooster, tiger, mouse, owl, sheep, monkey, pig, bear, fox, and peacock.
This is a very pretty picture book, most of the part are the pictures. It is very useful for per school child to read. It contains the relationship between each other. It is a good book for social study. It can help the child to develop a basic concept of self-image. It encourages the child to be yourself, and find advantages of yourself. It is a very interesting book.

Reviewed by: Rosina. Z

This is our constitution: Discover America with a Gold Star Father

Khan, Khizr. (2017). This is our constitution: Discover America with a Gold Star Father. New York: Penguin Random House LLC. 224 pages. Grade 5-6, politics/ government, ISBN 978-1524770914.

The constitution is the most important document of the process of the foundation of America, it shapes many of the laws that are set today in America, and it is the reason why the United States is praised about their government system to many other people in different countries. The author of this book-- Khizr Khan. Who emigrated from Pakistan to the United States, and wrote the book. He writes about the history of the making of the constitution. He writes about the different articles and sections that make up the constitution and why it matters. It would lead you to be grateful for all the support and opportunities that you have in the United States.

This book is a Kid-Friendly book. The original constitution is rate hard to read a and understand, but the author made it simpler to read. Therefore, it would be easier for the children to understand the constitution with this book. They would also learn about the many freedoms that they have in the United States and learn to not take those freedoms that they have for granted! They also include the history of the implementation of the different amendments that America has, they were also interesting for me to know about.

Reviewed by: Celestine K. Shek

Dinosaur Empire! (Earth Before Us #1): Journey through the Mesozoic Era

Howard, A. (2017). Dinosaur Empire! (Earth Before us ): New York , NY: Amulet Books
128 Pages, Grades 3-6,Graphic Novel / Non Fiction , ISBN 978-419723063

A fifth-grade student named Ronnie got  0% on her first quiz about Dinosaur. One of Ronnie’s classmate said that the quiz was so easy because she got 100%. Ronnie was so nervous she doesn’t want to show her classmate her quiz paper. Ronnie’s classmate went on and just encourage her and said maybe the teacher made a mistake. The school was over the girls walked back to their home. On the way to their house, Ronnie’s classmate decided to change her direction to the other side of the road but they usually walked on the other side. Ronnie's classmate was afraid to see the bones at Miss Lenin's house. Ronnie continues to walk the same direction to her home. Ronnie still can not get over how she failed the quiz. She was complaining and try to figure out how to learn about dinosaur so she can retake the quiz again. Miss Lenin heard Ronnie talked. She quickly pokes her head out from the recycling bin and talked to Ronnie. Miss Lenin told Ronnie to jump into the Recycling bin so she can teach her about Dinosaurs.As Ronnie jump inside along with Miss Lenin. They were like inside something completely different. They were time travel exploring the different types animals or Dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Era. They even met other creatures on their journey or time travel. Ronnie learned so much from her experience. Miss Lenin and Ronnie came back out of the magical science bin. Ronnie took the quiz and this time she got 100%.

I love the book so much. It is really good for kids to learn about Dinosaurs. Kids can even learn about the history of dinosaurs. The book has great simple text for students to read and understand the basic ideas of the different types of Dinosaurs. The book has great lesson that teachers can just teach students about the science behind it or, we can also say the history about it. I also think it is good for young students to expand their vocabularies. They can learn vocabularies just by reading the book. Next, I also think it is a good lesson for kids to know that they can always find ways to expand their knowledge about things they learn in class. The story is perfect for young readers to also be able to see the pictures and visualize what is happening and see the different types of Dinosaurs. I think the author really well with emphasizing the importance of the teaching about the different types of animals in the Mesozoic Era. I think the book is fun, adventurous for kids to love reading.

Reviewed by: Emylyn Walter

Home Sweet Home

   

                                                                      

Cassany, M. (2017). Home Sweet Home.

New York. Mosqitoe Books, Barcelona.

34 pages, K-4,

Picture/Fiction

ISBN 978-1-78603-113-6

This book gives the reader a chance to travel the world through the mind’s of the pet’s who live everywhere from Japan to Iceland to San Francisco. The pets explain where they live and a bit about what it is like a day in their life. On every new page of the book is a new place to travel to where the pet shares something unique about their side of the world. Home Sweet Home gives readers a chance to jump into different countries and find out little details about parts of the world.

I enjoyed reading this book because on every page in a small taste of what it would be like to travel to all of  these new and exciting places. I recommend this book for teachers to read to their elementary school students to help them understand different countries. The illustrations are accurate for each place and help create a visual representation along with the pet’s thoughts to help the reader  learn about every place mentioned. While there is much to learn from this book, it keeps it simple and makes for a great read.

Review by: Karlie E.

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World

Lamothe, Matt. (2017). This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the 
World. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. 52 Pages, Age 5-6, Picture/Biography, ISBN 978-1452150185.

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life looks like for someone in a different country? This book shows what a day looks like for 7 different kids around the world. The front and back covers have a map showing how far away each child lives and each page has colorful and fun illustrations showing how their day is different starting with where they live and ending with where they sleep. At the end of the book there is a picture of the night sky which shows that no matter where you are and how different your day may be, your night sky is always the same as everyone else’s. This book also offers a glossary and author’s note.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I believe that children of all ages would enjoy it as well. This book may be especially interesting for children in diverse areas. They can learn how those around them may have spent their day in a different country before they came to where they are. It is also a great book to teach about diversity, which may sometimes be hard for teachers to address. My favorite part of the book was at the end when it showed the real pictures of the kids with their families.

Reviewed by Hannah K.

Heroes Who Risked Everything for Freedom: Civil War (Secrets of American History)

Lakin, P. (2017). Heroes Who Risked Everything for Freedom: Civil War (Secrets of American History). New York: Simon Spotlight. 48 pages, Grades 1-3, Literature/ History/Fiction, ISBN 978-1481499729

The civil war was an important event in the United States of America. It was a war between the Northern and Southern part of America, it was a war to put an end to slavery in the United States. Patrica Lakin's book writes about the heroes that bravely done extraordinary acts to end slavery in the civil war. These heroes were brave and sneaky spies of different races and sexes. This book mentions about the heroic deeds they had done to inform what their enemies plan to execute to the Union. Many deaths had been avoided because of their bravery, and eventually When the civil rights act was enacted, it lead to the freedom of the African Americans in the United States.

This is a clear and well-written book. I love how it writes about the unmentioned heroes in the civil war and I like how it mentions what heroic acts they did and how significant was it for the Union. It also has additional information about the American flag in its earlier days. It mentions how it changed throughout the years. It also has some fun activities that kids can do at the end of the book. I enjoy reading it very much and I know that other children would enjoy this as well.

Reviewed by: Celestine K. Shek

Abraham

Keating,F. (2017). Abraham. New York: Simon & Schuster.
31 pages, Grade 1-3, Juvenile literature/ presidents/ United States/ Biography, ISBN 9781442493193

This book is about the sixteen president of the United Sates, Abraham Lincoln. He was born in a poor family and lived in a simple house in Kentucky. Growing up, he worked hard by clearing timber, burning brush, milking cows, and churning butter, etc. He loved reading and never stopped reading. He became a lawyer, honest lawyer. He was a peacemaker and believed freedom and union. As a president of the United States, he spoke and worked diligently to settle equality within the country.

I really like this book. Kids might need to learn some vocabulary written in the book, but all the vocabulary is educational and good for them to learn. They can generally learn about Abraham Lincoln by reading this book, who he was, why he has been admired by many people, and what he did. When you turn pages, you will see each left page has pictures that help readers to understand the meaning of the texts and also to keep it in memory.

Yuki Konno

Who wants to be a princess?: What it was really like to be a princess.

Heos, B. (2017). Who wants to be a princess?: What it was really like to be a princess. 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. 28 pages, K-4, Picture/Fiction/Juvenile literature, ISBN 978-0805097696

This book used a fictional character named Beatrice to illustrate the contrasting ideas of a real-life medieval princess and a fairytale-like princess that are now very popular in movies and storybooks. The ideas in this book are to present comprehensible facts about how it is like to be a royalty or a princess in medieval times. The visualization of the book includes how a princess acts in daily life- for example, the kinds of food they eat, the clothes she wears, activities she does, and how she gets along with other people in the castle. All these to provide truths that being a princess, or a royalty is not always magical and fabulous as most people think. The book also shows fundamental facts about ancient history approximately 1000 years ago.

When I was reading the book, there was at some point a feeling of "Nah- I don't want to be a medieval princess- it's kind of gross." The reason why is because some of the ideas in the book are concepts that I never thought growing up thinking about royalty. For example, the thought expressed on page 10 of the book that as a royalty they seldom sweep the floor thus, the bones from their food, and the dirt piled up on the floor. It was unexpected for me! But of course, that was around 1000ish years ago and there have been several changes over time in the present world. However, in my opinion, the book presented an intelligent way to let young people know that being a princess, or a royalty is absolutely a duty rather than a love story fantasy and that there's more to just wearing gowns and tiaras.


Reviewed by: Farah E.

The Incredible Cabinet of Wonders

Kids, L.P., & Fullman, J. (2017). The Incredible Cabinet of Wonders. London: Lonely Planet Kids.
28 pages, Ages 9-12, Juvenile Nonfiction, ISBN 978-1787011045

Twelve specialists researched famous museums of the world to find weird and wonderful items to include in this curiously interactive book. Incredible and creative describe this book. It is organized into 12 cabinets containing 5-14 items of interest per category.  Each 2 pages open to a specific theme designed by one of the specialists.Themes include: Toy Maker’s Cabinet, Naturalist’s Cabinet, Miniaturist’s Cabinet, Musician’s Cabinet plus 8 others. Each page displays 2 to 14 flaps kids can open to view photographs of these weird and wonderful things.  Each picture has a description about the unusual item and information about where to find the museum they are located in.

This book is interesting to look at with its creative layout.  The physical aspects of the book make it best for older readers or adults to handle, because the flaps are delicate and may tear easily. Adults could guide a child in searching through this book.  The subject matter is a bit bizarre on some pages, so be prepared.  If you like anything weird and strange, you will probably enjoy this book. 

Reviewed by Angela C LeSuer

Pablo Pineda: Being different is a value

Bosch, A & Sala M, & Alvarez S, (2016). Pablo Pineda: Being different is a value China: Cuento de Luz. 32pp. K-4, Compassion/Picture Book, ISBN 978-84-16733-23-1

 This book is about a little boy name Pablo Pineda who was born with Down Syndrome. His parents wanted to raise him as a normal child they taught him at home before he started schooling. They send him to ordinary school. Pablo Pineda continue to High School and he graduated and receive a prize for being the best student of the year. He continues to University even though it was getting harder and harder for him but he never gives up. He graduates from University and become the first Down Syndrome person in history to graduate from University.

I like this book because it is a real story that shows real life situation. it has a great theme that the students of any age can learn from it. The moral of the story is applicable into the student’s lives because he was a student.  I like how the illustration is very colorful and in every page of the book has an image relate to the text. It helps the reader imagine the story as they read. This book is worthy to read by the students and even disabilities student because it can motivate them.

Review by Ola

Father's Road

Jang, J. (2017). Father’s Road. Michigan: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 36 pages, Grades 3-6, Fiction, ISBN 9780802854728.

This book is about a young boy named Wong Chung who is very excited to go on a business trip with his father. His father travels to sell and trade silk. For this trip, they traveled by camel and were heading to the markets in Constantinople. However, Wong Chung did not know how harsh the conditions for this trip would be. He had to travel through sandstorms, deal with bandits and learn some survival skills. Wong Chung became an important aspect of this trip when his willingness to help others came in to play.

Before beginning this book, when looking through the pictures, I was not sure if I would like it at all, however, it is a good book. This would not be my first choice of book to have in my classroom because of the difficult words in it, but it does have some good teachings aspects, especially for social studies. This book is all about buying and trading goods which is why it would be a good start to a lesson. In the back of the book it has teaching opportunities and guidance as well. It explains some vocabulary for the readers (economy, globalization, etc.), along with countries and their demand of goods. Due to the vocabulary and the lesson ideas, I would suggest it for the higher grades when they begin learning these concepts.

Review by: Jordyn R.