Book Review: Diary of a Marine Biologist

Diary of a Marine Biologist by Anita Thomas

Diary of a Marine Biologist
by Anita Thomas, Sarah Wilkins (Illustrator)

We follow Emma, a marine biologist, through her week studying whales, nurturing clownfish babies in a nursery, diving in the ocean with giant cuttlefish, looking for sea snakes, and checking on the progress of a new oyster reef. She finishes up her week surfing with a friend.

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Book Review: Faster than a Jet, Bigger than a Whale

Faster than a Jet, Bigger than a Whale by Andrea Minoglio

Faster than a Jet, Bigger than a Whale: An Illustrated Guide to Measuring Our World
by Andrea Minoglio

Have you ever wondered how high the tallest mountain in the world is… if you measure from the seabed instead of from sea level? It’s not Mount Everest! In this book we learn about the highest, the fastest, the biggest, and the smallest things in our world. How far can animals jump? How big can trees get? How far across is the biggest desert? Which city has the biggest population? We learn it all in this book!

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Science and Nature Books from Ruby Tuesday Books

Beaver's Lodge (Home Sweet Amazing Home by Ruth Owen

Beaver’s Lodge (Home Sweet Amazing Home (Little Acorns))
by Ruth Owen

This picture book gives some basic facts about beavers, along with photos of real beavers building a dam, swimming, or gnawing on trees. We learn how beavers build a lodge to live in, how they care for their young kits, and how they warn each other of approaching danger.

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Book Review: Unicornia: The Dance Show

Unicornia by Ana Punset

Unicornia: The Dance Show
by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo (Illustrator)

Claudia and her friends want to enter the school dance show, but they can’t come up with a dance routine. They stumble around and bump into each other and clap on the wrong beat. Claudia says they just need more practice, but she worries that they will make fools of themselves in front of everyone at the dance show. Should they look for a magical short-cut, or just put in the work and practice more?

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Book Review: Unicornia- A Magical Birthday

Unicornia by Ana Punset

Unicornia: A Magical Birthday: (A Magical Chapter Book for Kids Ages 5-7 about Friendship, Surprises, and Enchanted Birthday Fun)
by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo (illustrator)

On her birthday, Pippa’s parents are stranded, and can’t get a flight home because of the weather. Claudia and Sara are determined to give Pippa the best birthday ever, even if her parents can’t make it to the birthday party. They go to a magical amusement park in Unicornia, and get stuck on the ferris wheel and are rescued by emergency unicorns! They try out every ride and attraction, including a balloon ride in the clouds, and a boat ride on a magical lake. They are surprised with a special birthday picnic, complete with magical birthday cake!

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Book Review: Unicornia- Learning to Fly

Unicornia: Learning to Fly: (A Magical Chapter Book for Kids Ages 5-7 about Friendship, Courage, and Learning Something New)
by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo (illustrator)

Claudia moves to Unicornia and discovers that unicorns are real! She has to attend a new school where she learns potions and magical history and how to ride a unicorn. Her Unicorn Flying class is too difficult though, and Claudia worries that she will never learn to ride properly. What if she falls off the unicorn and fails the class? Her new friends Pippa and Sara encourage her to try new things and be confident.

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Book Review: America As It Happened

America As It Happened by What on Earth!

America As It Happened: A moment-by-moment journey through time, from prehistory to the present day
by What on Earth!, The Washington Post

1 out of 5 stars

This book can only loosely be described as “history” since it is filled with some of the worst propaganda that I have ever read. I don’t know how they think they can get away with outright lies about well-known historic events when any child could just look up the facts for themselves and know that this book is full of untruths. But most people probably won’t bother to look up the facts, and so the writers seem to get away with it.

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Book Review: The Cloud Kingdom

The Cloud Kingdom by Máire Zepf

The Cloud Kingdom
by Máire Zepf (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

This circular collection of fairy stories is set in the framework of a girl who makes a deal with the fairies after they kidnap her cat. If they return her cat, she agrees to read them a story every week. Each story leads into the next, as the characters in the current story begin to tell another story which leads us into the next chapter, similar to the story structure of The Thousand and One Nights.

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Picture Book: Peg’s Egg

Peg's Egg by Jo Renfro

Peg’s Egg (Peg’s Adventures, 3)
by Jo Renfro

5 out of 5 stars

Peg finds an egg in the field and decides to help it to hatch. She warns off a dog. She keeps the egg warm and dry. She waits and waits for the egg to hatch. Becoming impatient, she gives the edge a little nudge and discovers that the egg is not all that it seems. She has made a very silly mistake!

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Book Review: Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (The Children of the Red King, #2)
by Jenny Nimmo

5 out of 5 stars

Henry has been magically thrown forward in time from 1916, and the evil Bloor family want their revenge on him. Charlie Bone and his friends have to find a way to return Henry to his own time, or at least get Henry away from the Bloors.

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