Picture Book Review: Great White Shark

Great White Shark by Claire Saxby

Great White Shark
by Claire Saxby (Goodreads Author), Cindy Lane (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

A female great white shark roams the oceans, searching for prey. She navigates through a sense called electroreception. She can find her way through miles and miles of ocean. She hunts seal pups, striking fast and sure to get her meal. She has special muscles that help her to move quickly in the water. She travels to warmer water to give birth to seven baby sharks, and immediately abandons them. They must fend for themselves, but she has left them in a place with rich and abundant food.

Continue reading

Book Review: The Hunting of the Last Dragon

The Hunting of the Last Dragon by Sherryl Jordan

The Hunting of the Last Dragon
by Sherryl Jordan

4.5 out of 5 stars
Jude is the only survivor when a dragon attacks his village. Wandering and devastated, he gets a job with a travelling troupe who have a captive Chinese girl, Jing-wei. Jude is charged with her care, and the two strike up a friendship. But Jude is plagued with nightmares about the dragon, and he feels paralyzed with fear. Jing-wei encourages him to make a plan to hunt the dragon, but Jude is a coward… until he has no choice but to face the dragon.

Continue reading

Picture Books from Candlewick Press

My Dog Just Speaks Spanish by Andrea Cáceres

My Dog Just Speaks Spanish
by Andrea Cáceres

5 out of 5 stars

When Aurora moves to the United States, she learns English. But Nena the dog does not learn English! Aurora has to give Nena commands in Spanish so that the dog can understand. All the other dogs at the park obey English commands, and only Nena needs to hear “fetch” in Spanish. But Aurora doesn’t mind. She has fun teaching their new friends how to give commands in Spanish, so that they can all play with Nena!

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: The Night the Stars Went Missing

The Night the Stars Went Missing
by Arthur J. Gonzalez (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars
One night the stars disappear, and Winston asks the moon what is going on. The moon says that the stars are all hiding because they are afraid. Winston climbs into the sky and walks among the clouds to see if he can find the stars. One little star falls into the cloud, and leads Winston to the hiding place where the other stars have congregated. The stars tell Winston that they are distressed by all the pollution on Earth, so he promises that he will help to clean up the Earth. He returns to Earth and rallies all his friends and neighbors to clean up trash and plant trees. The next night, the stars have returned, knowing that Winston and others like him will keep their promise.

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: My Piano

My Piano by Jen Fier Jasinski

My Piano
by Jen Fier Jasinski (Goodreads Author), Anita Bagdi (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars
A little girl prepares for her recital. She explains to the reader about all the different parts of the piano in a sing-song rhyme. We learn about the frame and strings inside the piano, and how the pedal controls the dampers, and how the keys control the hammers which strike the strings. When it’s time for the recital, the little girl is nervous, but she takes a deep breath and focuses on her music. She shares the beautiful rhythms and cadences with her listeners. The music flows out of her instrument, and there is thunderous applause!

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: The Box

The Box by Isabella Paglia

The Box
by Isabella Paglia, Paolo Proietti (Illustrator), Laura Watkinson (Translator)

5 out of 5 stars

A box is left in the forest and it seems there is someone inside. The animals invite whoever-it-is to come out and join them, but the animal inside the box shouts out, “No!” So the forest animals take a step back and try to think of ways to make whoever-it-is feel welcome. They have a circus show with music. They host a picnic. But whoever-it-is will not come out. Gently, the animals show their care and friendliness. And when whoever-it-is feels safe and welcome, they finally come out.

Continue reading

Sticker Book Reviews: Teaching is a Work of Heart, So.Many.Planner.Stickers

Teaching Is a Work of Heart by Christine Lee

Teaching Is a Work of Heart: A Sticker Appreciation Book for Teachers Who Make the World a Better Place
by Christine Lee

5 out of 5 stars

This book has dozens of pages full of stickers for teachers! There are 650 stickers of all kinds about teaching and education. My favorite is the one that says “Don’t Lick the Desk”. Been there. haha!

I am just amazed at the variety of stickers in this book! And so many of them have cool sayings like, “Never Getting That Pencil Back”, “Don’t Make Me Use My Teacher Voice”, “Tea Then Teach”, and a whole bunch more. These stickers could apply to almost any educational situation. There are stickers for planners, for students, for fellow teachers, for coffee, and for TGIF. There’s even a sticker that reminds you to drink water.

Continue reading

Book Reviews: Brain Quest and Learn by Sticker

Learn by Sticker by Workman Publishing

Learn by Sticker: Beginning Phonics: Use Phonics to Create 10 Friendly Monsters! (Learn by Sticker, 2)
by Workman Publishing

5 out of 5 stars

This activity book has 10 cute monster designs, and hundreds of stickers in little mosaic shapes! It’s so easy to put the stickers into place, and the finished product looks wonderful. In order to figure out where to put each sticker, you have to complete a phonics word and match the picture to the word. It’s perfect for young students to get more confident with their reading! The student will really feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish!

Continue reading

Book Review: The Ogress and the Orphans

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

The Ogress and the Orphans
by Kelly Barnhill (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

When an ogress moves in just outside of town, the townspeople begin to blame her for everything that has gone wrong for years, even before she arrived! Their bad luck had all started years before when the Library had burned down. Thank goodness for their wonderful Mayor who is working to restore the town and get rid of the Ogress. But there are a few children in the orphanage who begin to wonder if the Mayor is really so wonderful and if the Ogress is really so evil. Anthea is good at problem-solving. Bartleby is a philosopher who asks the hard questions, and his sister Cass is quiet but brave. These three children look at their crumbling town and decide to finally do something to help.

Continue reading

Book Review: Little Town on the Prairie

Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little Town on the Prairie (Little House, #7)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This book has always been one of my favorites of the Little House series, because it focuses a lot on Laura’s schooling. I’m a teacher, so stories about school are very near to my heart. Laura is studying to be a teacher, so that she can make some money to help her sister Mary stay in college.

Continue reading