Book Review: Nordic Animal Tales

An Illustrated Collection of Nordic Animal Tales by Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin

An Illustrated Collection of Nordic Animal Tales
by Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin, Jill Timbers (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

This collection of folk tales follows Bear, Fox, and Wolf as they attempt to sow a field of wheat by clearing a space in the forest. Fox is always trying to get out of doing his share of the work, and he tricks his friends and neighbors. The Rooster at the nearby farm has a terrible premonition that the end of the world is coming, and he spreads a panic among the animals. The Hare is terrified at some strange monster creature in the woods, but no animal is brave enough to get close enough to find out what kind of creature it is. In each tale, Fox is a prominent character, always sly and clever.

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Book Review: Always, Clementine

Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak

Always, Clementine
by Carlie Sorosiak (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars
Clementine is a lab mouse. A genetic experiment has given her super-intelligence and she does her best to solve every maze and puzzle that the team of scientists give her. Clementine befriends a chimp named Rosie in one of the lab cages. When a scientist with a guilty conscience sets Clementine free, she begins a wild journey to prove her worth and hopefully save Rosie from the lab too. In the meantime, Clementine writes letters to Rosie (which are never written or posted) and tells Rosie all her adventures.

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Non Fiction Review: Encyclopedia of Animals for Young Readers

Encyclopedia of Animals for Young Readers by Tomáš Tůma

Encyclopedia of Animals for Young Readers
by Tomáš Tůma

3 out of 5 stars

This book teaches you how to classify different animals as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, or insects and other invertebrates. Each page has large cartoony illustrations of various types of animals, and small paragraphs with facts and information. This design is perfect for capturing the attention of a curious child!

I love the cartoony art style! It’s so cute and colorful. This book is really interesting, and it’s so cool to find out some new facts about rare species and also about common animals.

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Non Fiction Book Reviews: Atlas of Extinct Animals and Atlas of Endangered Animals

Atlas of Extinct Animals by Radek Malý
Atlas of Endangered Animals by Radek Malý

Atlas of Extinct Animals
by Radek Malý, Pavel Dvorský, Jiří Grbavčic

Atlas of Endangered Animals
by Radek Malý, Pavel Dvorský, Pavla Dvorská

4 out of 5 stars

The Atlas of Extinct Animals lists information about particular species that have now tragically gone extinct, and the Atlas of Endangered Animals gives information about currently endangered species.

I really like the design of these books; on one side there is a full-page illustration of the animal, and on the other side a page of text detailing in what type of habitat the animal lived, its main characteristics, and what it ate, and finally how it went extinct or why it is currently endangered. There is even a little map, showing where the animal lived or lives.

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Non Fiction Review: Atlas of Cats

Atlas of Cats by Helena Haraštová

Atlas of Cats
by Helena Haraštová ,Jana Sedlackova, Giulia Lombardo (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about all the different breeds of cats, how they first developed, what their temperaments are like, and how to tell them apart from other cat breeds. There are also cat stories told from the perspective of the cats in their own newspaper, “Meow News”.

This book is so adorable! I love the attractive design and the sweet artwork. Every page is so colorful, and all the kitties are so cute!

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Book Reviews: Museum Kittens The Sleepover Mystery and The Treasure Map

The Sleepover Mystery by Holly Webb

The Sleepover Mystery (Museum Kittens)
by Holly Webb,Sarah Lodge (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

In this third book of the series, Bianca befriends a group of schoolchildren who are at the museum for a sleepover. She loves all the attention she gets for her beautiful white fur! But the rats are scampering around the museum at night, frightening the children. When Bianca disappears, the other kittens look everywhere for her and finally confront the rats. Maybe the rats kidnapped Bianca? Or maybe Bianca wants to run away with the schoolchildren?

The Treasure Map by Holly Webb

The Treasure Map (Museum Kittens)
by Holly Webb

4 out of 5 stars

Boris leads the kittens in exploring an old pirate ship in the museum. They overhear the mischievous rats talking about a treasure map, and begin to follow the rats in order to claim the treasure for the museum. I really enjoyed the puzzle aspect of this fourth book in the series! As the kittens follow the clues, they really have to think carefully to figure out where the treasure might be hidden.

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Non Fiction Review: Amazing Animals

Amazing Animals by Sabrina Weiss

Amazing Animals: 100+ Creatures That Will Boggle Your Mind
by Sabrina Weiss, Paul Daviz (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about amazing animals around the world. There are endangered animals, record-setting animals, and animals that survive in extreme conditions. I liked that this book is divided into sections for animals in different types of ecosystems. There is a section about nocturnal animals, whales and dolphins, insects, types of octopi, animals that transform, animals that migrate, and even wild animals that live in the city.

I loved the beautiful illustrations in this book! Every page is so attractive and colorful. The factoids about each animal are really interesting, and the design of the page layouts makes it easy to read. There are little snippets of information next to illustrations of each animal, and you get to learn so much so quickly!

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Non Fiction Review: Pet That Cat!

Pet That Cat! by Nigel Kidd

Pet That Cat!: A Handbook for Making Feline Friends
by Nigel Kidd, Rachel Braunigan (Contributor)

5 out of 5 stars

This book will give you instructions for how to approach a cat, make friends, and start petting that cat! There are sections about caring for cats, the history of cats, famous cats around the world, how to choose a cat for a pet, and ideas for naming your cat. There is even a personality quiz so you can match your personality to your cat! There is also a “cat tracker” where you can write in the cats that you meet and what breeds of cats that you see.

This book is so adorable! I love the attractive design and the sweet artwork. Every page is so colorful, and all the kitties are so cute!

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Non Fiction Reviews: Amazing Places and Incredible Animals

Barefoot Books Amazing Places by Miralda Colombo

Barefoot Books Amazing Places
by Miralda ColomboBeatrice Cerocchi (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about fifteen famous places around the world, beautifully illustrated with colorful drawings. The book includes the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Colosseum, Easter Island, the Great Wall of China, and many more! Each landmark has a four-page spread with facts and history about the location, the people who built it, what to look for as a tourist, and how the structures are preserved.

Barefoot Books Incredible Animals by Dunia Rahwan

Barefoot Books Incredible Animals
by Dunia RahwanPaola Formica (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about animals around the world with unique qualities and abilities. There are sections for different types of animals like predators, expert builders, devoted parents, and animals with camouflage. There are animals that glow, animals that migrate, and animals that are small but deadly. There is even a special section for animals that become unlikely friends, like the suckerfish that hitch a ride on the back of a seaturtle and clean the turtle’s shell.

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Book Reviews: The Mystery Kitten and Little Lion Rescue

The Mystery Kitten by Holly Webb

The Mystery Kitten
by Holly WebbSophy Williams (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
Elsa is worried about moving into a new house and having her own room, separate from her sister, Sara. When she hears scratching and mysterious noises coming from the attic, she is terrified. But then she discovers an adorable black kitten, and has to keep him a secret from her family.

Elsa meets new friends, solves the mystery of the kitten, and figures out how to convince her family to keep the kitten. I love Elsa’s character. She is smart and compassionate, but she is full of anxiety about moving to a new house. She learns to have more confidence and build stronger bonds with her family. I was impressed with her simple but powerful character development.

Little Lion Rescue by Rachel Delahaye

Little Lion Rescue (Little Animal Rescue, #1)
by Rachel Delahaye
4 out of 5 stars
Callie loves animals, especially lions. She is visiting the zoo with her class, when she is whisked away to the African Serengeti, where she rescues a lost lion cub and tries to find the lion’s family.

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