Lupe Lopez: Reading Rock Star!
by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Goodreads Author), Pat Zietlow Miller (Goodreads Author), Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Lupe is a rock star with music, but when she tries to read it’s slow going. The school has a “Reading Wall of Fame” and you can get a shiny yellow star next to your name. Lupe wants to be rock star with reading too! But when one of her classmates makes fun of her slow reading, Lupe decides to give up on reading. It’s too hard to sound out all the words. Her teacher tells her that reading and music work together, but Lupe just can’t see it. Will she ever become a star reader?

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.

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!

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.

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!