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Category: Ages 11 and Under

Review: Star Wars: A Scanimation Book by Rufus Butler Seder

[ 4 ] February 5, 2012
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Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Caleb Shadis

It took me exactly three minutes to read Star Wars: A Scanimation Book. My understanding is that this book is meant for elementary school kids. Each page has a ‘picture’ behind a grill and as you turn the pages the ‘picture’ slides behind the grill and gives the appearance of movement. Star Wars reminded me of an animated flip book featuring ten famous scenes from the six Star Wars movies.

The author, Rufus Butler Seder, appears to specialize in this medium since he has four other books with the same format, but all of them are obviously oriented to a young audience: Gallop!, Swing!, Waddle!, Kick!. These other books used scanimation to highlight the movements named in the titles.

Star Wars is a cool little book but I am not sure it is worth the price.

Caleb is a software engineer and amature woodworker living in southern Minnesota. He has more hobbies than he has time or money for, and enjoys his quiet time reading.

The review copy of this book was provided free of any obligation by Workman Publishing Group. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies by Jeff Crosby and Shelley Ann Jackson

[ 2 ] February 4, 2012
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Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

I asked my soon-to-be-nine-year-old daughter what she wanted for her birthday: “I want a book to read about horses!” And here it is: Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies by Jeff Crosby and Shelley Ann Jackson.

This is not just your standard book about horses in general and how to take care of them. Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies gives a history of many (43 to be exact) different breeds of horses, how and why they were bred with the different characteristic they have, and the important part they play in human history. The illustrations are beautifully done (no photographs here, but great artistry that places the horses in historical settings), which makes it a fun book for young and old, boys and girls alike (I know my son will be stealing this one to check out the scenes of horses in battle).

Showing the horses in historical settings stirs up historical interests without overwhelming the reader with information. We are given a snip-it on each breed, which whets the appetite for looking further elsewhere (a mark of a great book for kids – encouraging further exploration!). As an added bonus, the reverse of the cover doubles as a great poster to hang up and remind young ones of what they learned, which is great for keeping their excitement alive. It would also make a great visual aid if your child had to do a presentation.

Harness Horses, Bucking Broncos & Pit Ponies is a great book for horse lovers of any age! I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Did You Say Pears? by Arlene Alda

[ 5 ] January 21, 2012
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Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

What book lover doesn’t also love a little play on words? Did You Say Pears? by Arlene Alda is a picture book full of word play. Each page spread shows a set of homonyms or homophones and illustrates the meaning of each with a photograph. The last page of the book lists each example throughout the book, whether it is a homonym or homophone, and gives the definition of both.

I loved the idea of this book as a great way to teach my kiddos all about these fun twists in the English language, but I must say that I was not impressed at all by the included photographs. The cover is beautiful, but there were few other photos between the covers that measured up to it. Being an illustrations lover, this was a major disappointment for me. Hopefully my kids won’t be quite so picky; the words really are clever and it does show the difference between the meanings.

If you have a child who is interested in homophones/homonyms, or who has been getting them confused, this is a great book to add to your collection, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the bright white press-on (finger) nails opposite the pile of carpenter’s nails.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? by Caitlin Friedman

[ 4 ] January 17, 2012
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Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? by Caitlin Friedman is a super cute and interactive (pop-up, pull-here) book about a boy who finds a hungry giant, with a “Food Please” sign, hanging out in his back yard. The boy generously empties his family’s fridge in order to sate this giant’s hunger, but it takes the eventual help of his mom to fill the giant’s belly.

How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? may also be a way to talk to your children about the people we see holding signs of their own (we saw two such men today as we were out and about). So many of us are blessed and have plenty to eat each day, but there are those nearby who are not. How can we help our children to see the needs of others and work with them to find creative ways to fill those needs as best we can? Perhaps How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? will give you some ideas.

Caitlin Friedman also includes a small cookbook with giant sized recipes that will be fun to make with the kids: a huge burger, a pizza sized Chocolate-chip cookie, and a giant blueberry muffin, just to start.

How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant? is a fun and colorful book to explore together.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Workman Publishing Company. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Cows Can’t Quack by Dave Reisman

[ 3 ] January 16, 2012
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Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Reviewed by Kathie Smith

Cows Can’t Quack is a fun read that will delight children from infancy through the early elementary school years.

Babies will be captivated by the rhythm as well as a story that can easily be read in an engaging and enthusiastic manner. Toddlers will enjoy learning animal sounds, recognizing rhymes and looking at whimsical illustrations. Kids up to age 6 will get a kick out of imagining animals making the wrong sounds and studying the reactions of each animal as they hear the unfamiliar sound of an another animal.

The expressive illustrations in Cows Can’t Quack are equally responsible for making it such a delightful book. Each animal is scared silly by the animal before it, running away crying out with their own sound, only to scare the next animal in line. The illustrations successfully complete the charm of the book by depicting hilariously surprised reactions and attempts to flee the scene.

Not only is the book entertaining, it also includes important underlying messages of respect and valuing diversity. Each animal brings an equally important element to the book and their differences are a valuable part of the story. Just as the story would be uninteresting if every animal sounded the same, the world would be dull without each of our own unique qualities.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Check out our review of Cows Can’t Jump

Kathie is a writer, wife, mother and volunteer living in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Her passion for the written word is fulfilled by creating her own fictional work, freelancing, acting as an adviser to another author, and reading with her six year old daughter.

Review copies were provided free of any obligation by Jumping Cow Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: In the Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up by Monica Kulling

[ 3 ] January 13, 2012
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Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

In the Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up by Monica Kulling is part of the Great Ideas Series of biographies of inventors for early readers. It does a great job of showing the difference one person can make, especially at a young age as Margret Knight’s first invention was put into use around the age twelve.

The illustrations for In the Bag! are very well done by David Parkins, and it was great to discover that the book’s two-sided cover doubles as a poster. This is a wonderful way to keep the lessons and encouragements of Margret Knight’s example in front of our children, thus expanding the experience of the book.

I do admit to wondering, “What’s so exciting about paper bags?” but the excitement comes more in Ms. Knight’s journey as an inventor in the mid to late 1800’s as an unmarried woman, and the struggle she had to go through to prove herself. She is definitely shown as a very confident and independent women who worked hard… to invent machines that would allow for her not to have to work quite so hard – gotta love that!

Monica Kulling’s well written account of Margret Knight’s accomplishments is a great way to show kids that they are never too young to begin inventing. I look forward to checking out a few of the other biographies in the Great Idea Series.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Cube Book by Jessica Bruin

[ 4 ] December 30, 2011
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Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

I love the Cube Book by Jessica Bruin! It is actually a group of six board books that fit together as a cube or piece together as a double-sided puzzle. Each book contains gorgeous photographs of different wild animals along with information about each animal, its habitat, and habits.

The books themselves are absolutely beautiful. The photographs are so well done and not babyish at all. While my baby girl will love it, my older children will also be able to enjoy them with her and learn more about the various animals, and the sturdy board book design will stand up to them all! This is a great combination, and altogether unique as it also works as a puzzle.

The Cube Book will be a hit with parents and children and should not be missed!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: My Noisy Body by Liza Fromer & Francine Gerstein MD

[ 2 ] December 29, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

My Noisy Body, part of the Body Works Series, by Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD is a great picture book that plays off of a child’s sense of humor while explaining the various and sometimes embarrassing noises our bodies can make. While the illustrations by Joe Weissman are playful and comical, the information given by Fromer and Dr. Gerstein does not talk down to children in the least.

Fromer and Dr. Gerstein do a great job of explaining why our bodies make the noises they do in a way that kids will be able to grasp without too much difficulty, while still working in great vocabulary and medical terms. They have also included a glossary that further explains more difficult terms, which makes this book a great vocabulary builder for children as well.

While our kiddos are learning about anatomy and building their vocabularies they are going to be having a blast and giggling at the great illustrations of the bodily functions they will be learning about (farts, burps, stomach growls, etc.).

If you need a fun way to work in some anatomy lessons with your kiddos, this will be a great place to start! The Body Works Series also includes: My Achy Body (our review), My Messy Body, and My Stretchy Body (our review).

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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