Reviews

CHILDREN'S FICTION

Home of the Brave
Written by Katherine Applegate
Feiwel & Friends, 2007
ISBN 9780312367657

Kek’s worldview and incredible use of language are captivating! Filled with lovely similes and interesting insights into everyday idioms and objects, his words and observations reshaped my thinking about the common things I encounter each day.

PICTURE BOOKS

To Be Like the Sun
Written by Susan Marie Swanson
Illus. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Harcourt, 2008
ISBN 9780152057961

Beautifully told, this cyclical story does more than share the process of sunflower growth....Use this story to share the miracle of growth with readers who, too, are growing in their understanding of botanical processes.

INFORMATION BOOKS

Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells
Written by Philip Dray,
Illus by Stephen Alcorn
Peachtree Publishers, 2008
ISBN 9781561454174

Picture book biographies often err on the side of too much text, but Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells by Phillip Dray, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, balances illustrations and information in a way that really works for the picture book format.

POETRY

Opposites, More Opposites
and a Few Differences
Richard Wilbur
Harcourt Inc, 2006
ISBN: 978-0-15205-612-4

Through silly rhymes, riddles and often twisted logic, Pulitzer Prize winner and former US Poet Laureate Richard C. Wilbur helps the reader look at words and their relationship to each other in a brand new way. First published in 1973, Opposites, More Opposites and a Few Differences has not lost its charm or appeal to readers of all ages. This is word play at its cleverest.

OLDIES, BUT GOODIES ...

Dragons in the Waters
Madeleine L'Engle
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
originally published in 1976
ISBN: 978-0-4409-1719-9

Review coming soon ....

BOOKS FOR TEENS

Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold
By James Rumford
Houghton Mifflin, 2007
ISBN 9780618756377

This version of Beowulf is a very accessible retelling that could easily be used as a read-aloud or as a text for an English class studying etymology (the origin of words).

WITHIN THE FIELD

Gotcha for Guys! Nonfiction Books to Get Boys Excited About Reading
Kathy Baxter and Marcia Agness Kochel
Libraries Unlimited, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59158-311-0

Review coming soon ...