Picture Book Review- Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer

Beneath the Trees by Dav

Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer
by Dav

5 out of 5 stars

An owl is disturbed by little animal children playing noisily in the pond. They are always shouting out, “Yeah!” when they score a point in their water-basketball game. They accidentally kick the ball through his open window and he is so annoyed that he refuses to give it back. That evening, when the animal children are all gone, the owl throws the ball out the window, and accidentally makes a basket! He is intrigued by the game, and starts to practice by himself at night. Will the kids ever find out?

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Book Review: Cats Cats Cats!

Cats Cats Cats
by Stephane Lapuss’, Philippe

4 out of 5 stars

Cats are really silly. You give them food, they don’t want it. You give them toys, they play with the box. They eat a butterfly that tastes gross, but they still eat another one. They meow to be let out, but when you open the door, they won’t go out. Dogs don’t scare them, but a ladybug does. Cats are the most illogical animals! And the most adorable.

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Picture Book Review: Marvelous Body

Marvelous Body by Jane Wilsher

Marvelous Body
by Jane Wilsher, Andrés Lozano (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Using the “magic lens” you can explore the human body! There are sections all about bones, muscles, skin, eyes, and hair. You will learn about the nervous system, the digestive system, and your lungs and brain. Have you ever wondered how your brain interprets sounds through your ears, or how the tongue can taste different foods? Did you know your heart pumps your blood all the way around your body in about 60 seconds?

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Children’s Picture Books from Tiger Tales

The Hotel for Bugs by Suzy Senior

The Hotel for Bugs
by Suzy Senior

5 out of 5 stars

When the new hotel opens, all the bugs are ready to relax by the pool, eat the delicious buffet, and get a steam at the spa. But when a slug tries to book a room, the manager points out that it is a Hotel for Bugs, not slugs! One little bug guest protests, and says that all bugs are pretty weird and different, so they should be able to include a slug in their group. The manager realizes how silly she has been, and invites the slug to take the most luxurious room in the hotel!

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Fairy Story Picture Book Reviews

Little Fairy Can't Sleep by Daniela Drescher

Little Fairy Can’t Sleep
by Daniela Drescher

3.5 out of 5 stars

Faith can’t sleep. The moon is too bright, and all the little animals in the forest are scuffling through the underbrush making noise. She gets up and begins to explore. One by one she sees the sandman, an owl, a family of little elves, and a fox mother. They all agree that there is something strange in the air that night, and no one is ready to sleep. Faith meets the moth prince fairy and he helps her to solve the mystery of why everyone is awake. It is midsummer night and the fairies are having a party!

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Pajama Press Children’s Picture Books

While You Sleep
by Jennifer Maruno (Author), Miki Sato (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

When a little girl goes to bed, her stuffed bunnies have a lot of work to do during the evening! They have to comb the grass, sprinkle dust on the butterflies, and paint the flowers to be ready for the next day. The bunnies are busy charging up the rainbows so they can glow, and making new bubbles on the ocean floor. All the while, the little girl is dreaming.

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Picture Book Review: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off by Bonnie Pang

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: The Classic Illustrated Storybook (Pop Classics 12)
by Bonnie Pang (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Ferris pretends to be sick so that he can play hooky from school. His friends, Cameron and Sloane, come along too, and they have a wonderful day seeing the sights in downtown Chicago. They eat at a fancy restaurant, visit a museum, go to a baseball game, and even sing in a parade. But will Mr. Rooney, the school principal, find out what they are doing?

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Book Review: The Undercover Book List

The Undercover Book List by Colleen Nelson

The Undercover Book List
by Colleen Nelson (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Jane is devastated that her best friend, Sienna, is moving away. But Sienna has a great idea for how Jane can find some new friends- leave a note in their favorite library book inviting whoever finds it to join the Undercover Book Club. The club members’ identities will be secret, and they will leave anonymous notes recommending books to each other.

Tyson is always in trouble at school. He doesn’t turn in his homework. He plays mean pranks on people. He is constantly in the principal’s office. When Tyson sees Jane leaving a note in the library, he gets curious and joins the club! For the first time, he is reading and it opens up his world. Can these total opposites really become friends through the Undercover Book Club?

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Book Review: Brand New Boy

Brand New Boy by David Almond

Brand New Boy
by David Almond, Maria Altes (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars
Daniel and Maxie are intrigued when a new boy comes to school. They can’t figure out if the new boy, George, is just a shy person or if maybe he has a developmental disorder. Max good-naturedly jokes that George might be an alien! They reach out to befriend him, but George’s behavior is a little odd. George is definitely weird, but after all… everyone in school is weird in their own unique ways. Daniel and Max, along with some other friends in their class, take George under their wing, inviting him to play football/soccer with them, and they are surprised by the interesting way George becomes their friend. Could George be something more than they ever realized?

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Non Fiction Review: Ornamentation

Ornamentation by Valery Lloyd-Watts

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual
by Valery Lloyd-Watts, Carole L. Bigler, Willard A. Palmer

5 out of 5 stars

This book gives valuable information about how to interpret ornamentation markings such as trills, turns, and mordents in music. Each era of music had their own style of ornamentation with slight differences, so it can sometimes be difficult to determine exactly how the composer intended their ornaments to be played. This book clears away all that confusion, and gives precise instructions about how to play ornaments in music from all the eras.

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