Familius ABC Primers and Counting Books

Let's Count Georgia by Christopher Robbins

Let’s Count Georgia
by Christopher Robbins, Volha Kaliaha (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

Children will learn to count up to ten with these special things about the State of Georgia! The Masters Golf Tournament, the Braves baseball team, and those famous Georgia peaches all make an appearance, along with gators, oak trees, dogwood trees, and old Civil War cannons. Some of the places mentioned are Tybee Island, Jekyll Island, and historic downtown Savannah.

I loved this book about my home state of Georgia! It’s so fun to teach my little nieces about these famous things and places around Georgia, and they get to practice their numbers too.

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Picture Books from Tiger Tales

Supermouse and the Volcano of Doom by M. N. Tahl

Supermouse and the Volcano of Doom
by M. N. Tahl, Mark Chambers (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Supermouse patrols through Mouseopolis, stopping bad guys and saving the day! But there are so many crimes and accidents and dangers that Supermouse can’t handle it all. There is just too much daring-do to do! He begins to interview some possible superheroes to join him in the newly-created League of Remarkable Rodents. At first, he is not sure if their particular talents will be useful in the crime-fighting business, but they quickly prove their worth when a massive fondue cheese volcano begins to erupt right outside the city!

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Three Picture Books from Sleeping Bear Press

The Universe and You by Suzanne Slade

The Universe and You
by Suzanne Slade (Goodreads Author), Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Illustrations)

5 of 5 stars

While you are sleeping, Earth is spinning you gently along its orbit around the Sun. The stars are swirling through the Milky Way galaxy, and thousands of other galaxies in the universe are whirling through the vastness of space. When the Sun comes up in the morning, you know that you have a special place in the universe.

This is such a beautiful book! I love the gorgeous illustrations of the shining stars and planets. The text really gives you a feeling of the massive universe and compares outer space to the smallest hummingbirds and daisies on Earth. It expands your perspective!

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Graphic Novel Review: Old Things

Alte Zachen / Old Things by Ziggy Hanaor

Alte Zachen / Old Things
by Ziggy Hanaor, Benjamin Phillips (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Benji and his grandmother go on a grocery shopping trip around the city, but many of the old stores that Bubbe used to know are closed or moved, and she gets confused. She remembers the old days when she was young. She has trouble adjusting to the modern world, lost in her memories of the old ways.

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Two Picture Books from Familius

P Is for Purr by Carole Gerber

P Is for Purr
by Carole Gerber, Susanna Covelli (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

Each letter of the alphabet tells us something about cats, the different breeds, their habits, and their abilities. A is for American shorthair. B is for Breed. C is for claws. It goes all the way to X is for Xanthus Av Jostedalsbreen, a Norwegian Forest breed. Y is for Yankee cat, a Maine coon. Z is for Zibeline, also called a Burmese cat.

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Picture Book Review: Christmas Fairies for Ouma

Christmas Fairies for Ouma by Lindsey McDivitt

Christmas Fairies for Ouma
by Lindsey McDivitt (Goodreads Author), Katarzyna Bukiert (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

A little girl draws fairies on a postcard and mails it to her grandmother in Cape Town, South Africa. But without an address, with no proper name, and with no stamps, how will the postcard ever reach her Ouma? The Christmas fairies that are sketched onto the postcard charm the postal workers and they send it on to the next postal station until it finally arrives in Cape Town. The wind blows the postcard down the street and right into the hands of Ouma!

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Non Fiction Review: Ringed Seal

Animals Illustrated by William Flaherty

Animals Illustrated: Ringed Seals
by William Flaherty, Sara Otterstatter (Illustrator )

5 out of 5 stars

This book contains interesting information about ringed seals, their habitat, their hunting, and their young pups. There are two to three paragraphs of information in each section, giving tidbits of information like how the seals have a layer of blubber fat that keeps them warm. Seals are intelligent and good at swimming away from predators like polar bears. They have strong claws on their front flippers for digging their way out of the ice. There is even a section about how Inuit tribes will use seal meat for food and make sealskin boots.

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More Picture Books from Candlewick Press

Mum, Me and the Mulberry Tree by Tanya Rosie

Mum, Me and the Mulberry Tree
by Tanya Rosie, Chuck Groenink 

5 out of 5 stars

A little girl and her mother take a trip to visit their mulberry tree. The tree is all alone in a big field of grass. First, they pick the mulberries from low branches, then the mother climbs up into the tree to reach higher berries. Their hands and mouths are sticky and stained from eating so many mulberries! They bring buckets of mulberries home as the sun sets. They warm up the oven, and roll out the pastry, and whip up the cream. When the mulberry pie is ready, they each get a big slice. At bedtime, the little girl cuddles into her warm bed, dreaming of their special mulberry tree.

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Picture Books from Candlewick Press

Lupe Lopez by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

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

Lupe Lopez is a rock star! …in her imagination. She drums with her pencils on everything in the classroom, making lots of noise. When the teacher insists that Lupe must follow the rules, Lupe comes up with her own rock star rules and ignores the teacher. She gets into trouble and realizes that maybe even rock stars have to follow the rules.

This is such a cute book! I love how Lupe slowly begins to realize that the rules are important, and she learns that having friends is better than having fans. Lupe has a lot of energy, and she learns to direct that energy into good things within the limits of the rules.

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Christmas Picture Books from Candlewick Press

Maisy's Snowy Day by Lucy Cousins

Maisy’s Snowy Day: A Maisy First Experiences Book
by Lucy Cousins

5 out of 5 stars

Maisy wakes up to see that it is snowing outside! She bundles up warm and ventures out into the cold to meet her friends at the park. They throw snowballs, build a snowman, make a snow fort, and go sledding down the big hill. When they get too cold, they all go inside for some hot cocoa.

This book is so cute and sweet! Maisy and her friends are adorable!

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