Seven, John. The Ocean Story.

Seven, John. The Ocean Story.   

Picture Window Books(Capstone)      2011  np    16.99   978-1-4048-6785-7 

elem       Misc.       E-BNe 

This book describes how water returns to the ocean after

cycling through its many uses, it shows creatures of

the ocean in their many colors and antics and it teaches children what can go

wrong if we don’t protect this treasure.  Just the perfect combination of

text and art work have produced a book that should be a mandatory read-aloud for

all elementary school classrooms.  The story of the ocean is presented simply

yet poetically, with pictures that share this very same characterization.  In

this case, a collaborative effort of a husband and wife team ended when this

educational gem went to print, and without sounding too preachy, this team shows

children (and adults!) the composition of the ocean and the need to protect it. 

The story  begins when a child asks his grandfather why the ocean is so big, and

when Grandfathers responds that it needs to be big to hold all of its history,

the reader embarks on a story of a different kind of circle of life, this time,

describing the cyclical nature of water and how it ends up in the ocean.  This

might sound complicated, but the author utilizes words that children of all ages

can understand.  A young audience will find something to discuss as sure as a

parent or teacher will find something new to point out with every turn of the

page.  The artistry is enchanting, and the author and illustrator combine their

talents to show children how to combine poetry and illustrations.  When author

John Seven shows jellyfish that “look like dreams floating into space,” the

reader actually sees jellyfish looking just as he describes!  The Ocean Story

accomplishes what all children’s books should accomplish.

            Squaresky, Martha

Loewn, Nancy. Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes.

Loewn, Nancy.      Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes.      

Picture Window Books(Capstone)   2011  unp   20.49 978-1-4048-6271-5 

all ages                E-BN

      This book explains that a simile shows us what two things have in common.

Readers will understand this figure of speech that is supported by very

descriptive watercolors.          

This text is crisply written and beautifully

illustrated with a low reading level accompanied by watercolor illustrations.

The inclusion of fill in the blanks, where to obtain more information, web sites

and a glossary make this a useful classroom/research tool.

     After the importance of an informative text, the most supportive factor of

this book is humorous appeal to young readers.  The layout of the various pages

is diversified and well balanced between text and full color illustrations so

that similes are grouped together.  The flow and balance of both the text and

visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for both young and

reluctant readers.

     The author and illustrator have created a powerful book for classroom

teachers to use with the figure of speech lessons. And for those who might pick

it up in a library, they are in for a treat.          McNeil, Linda

Gunderson, Jessica. Life on the Mayflower.

Gunderson, Jessica.      Life on the Mayflower.   

Picture Window Books(Capstone) 2011  24p   19.99 978-1-4048-6284-5 

elem  Graphic-non-fiction           VG-BNe   

Life on the Mayflower presents some basic facts about the living

conditions on the Mayflower for young readers in graphic novel format.    

This text is crisply written and fully illustrated with a low reading level

accompanied by watercolor illustrations. The inclusion of several facts, where

to obtain more information, web sites and a glossary/index make this a useful

research tool.

     After the importance of an informative text, the most supportive factor of

this book is visual appeal to young readers.  The layout of the various pages is

diversified and well balanced between text and very descriptive watercolor

illustrations so that concepts are grouped together.  The flow and balance of

both the text and visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for

both young and reluctant readers.   

This book is one in the  _Thanksgiving series. 

The series consists of_5_ books at this time. The general theme of the series

is __Thanksgiving _.        McNeil, Linda

Donahue, Jill Lynn. Being Honest (Bilingual).

Donahue, Jill Lynn.      Being Honest (Bilingual).      

Picture Window Books(Capstone)   2011        19.49 978-1-4048-6689-8 

elem              VG-BNes

      Teaching values and morals is the job of the classroom teacher as well as

the parent.  This book teaches children how to be honest by using various case

scenarios and showing how each child resolved the problem by displaying honesty.

      Teaching children to be honest should be a joint undertaking by both

parent and educator, and this book offers both a wonderful opportunity to share

various examples of honesty in well-illustrated format which is creative and

lively!  With its bilingual format of English at the top and Spanish below, each

double-page spread provides an example of something that a child did wrong

followed by his or her confession to whomever was hurt by the accident or

incident.  The colors that the illustrator chose are bold and eye-catching. 

Examples of different case scenarios include the breaking of a vase, an

overpayment for feeding a cat, a purse found on the way to school and a

forgotten baseball bat, to name a few.  After reporting each incident, the

author repeats the child’s name and says that he or she is being honest.  The

repetition is wonderful for early readers, and students will readily relate to

each incident since opportunities to display honesty present themselves often

throughout our day.  The resourceful classroom teacher could use this book to

open a conversation about the value of honesty during morning opening exercises

or during break time.  Another use is to promote writing by having the student

write about a time when he or she was honest.  “Way to Be” includes four

topics:  being caring, trustworthy, honest and tolerant.  

Each book is bilingual English to Spanish, presents simple case scenarios that are resolved by the

author in a positive way and depicts each example using illustrations that are

creative and child-friendly.  Squaresky, Martha

Dahl. Michael. Nap Time For Kitty.

Dahl. Michael.     Nap Time For Kitty.      

Picture Window Books(Capstone)      2011 unp   7.99  978-1-4048-5216-7 

elem  Animal stories          G     

A young kitten has been playing all morning and does not want to take a nap.  Mama cat

finally get the kitten asleep.      When Mama cat calls for her kitten to come

take a nap, the kitten replies “I’m not sleepy.”  Mama recounts all the activity

that the kitten did all morning, with kitten giving the same response each time. 

Eventually Mama says that nap time is for resting and the kitten falls asleep.

  The illustrations will entice very young children.  They can recognize the

kitten and they will relate to all the activities that the kitten did.  It will

make a good book for reading before naps.       Theal, Joan