Reviews by Friends of ikat

Katrena says "Pioneer Sisters Gives Glimpse of Life in the Past" about Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder - Pioneer Sisters

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:39:17 GMT

Pioneer Sisters [1935, HarperTrophy, ISBN: 0-06-442046-9] by Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Renee Graef is a 73-page children's chapter book about two sisters, Laura and Mary, from The Little House on the Prairie. Although this book was originally written quite a few years ago, it has a wonderful charm and can give kids a glimpse of what life was like before TV and computers.

The book has eight chapters. My kids particularly liked the one about a fire in the house and how the two sisters decided to use a haystack as a sliding board, even after their Pa told them not to do so. The chapter about Christmas surprises offers a stark contrast to the numerous presents that children often get today.

My Viewpoint:

I have an 8-year-old who is now reading chapter books. She recently discovered the collection of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and enjoys them. I've also read some of these books out loud so that the 5-year-old can enjoy them as well. Pioneer Sisters focuses...

...

Katrena says "A Very Strange Dollhouse Was Too Strange for Me" about A Very Strange Dollhouse

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:08 GMT

A Very Strange Dollhouse [1996, Grosset & Dunlap, ISBN: 0-448-41346-9] by Jennifer Dussling and illustrated by Sonja Lamut is a 48 page children's chapter book designed for beginning readers ages 6-8.

A little girl makes a new friend and goes over to her house to play. The little girl has a dollhouse with real people in it. It seems as if that girl's parents have made her mad and the little girl decides to make her parents into tiny dollhouse sized characters. Will this new friend end up changing the main character into a doll as well?

My Viewpoint:

I guess I'm not a big fan of scary and weird books. I'll admit that I stepped on a few cracks as a child in the hopes of breaking my mom's back but A Very Strange Dollhouse seemed to border on voodoo or witchcraft or something of that nature. That's just something I'm not interested in nor do I want my kids to be reading about it.

I'm giving this one a thumbs down for content, although the writing technique and illustrations do compliment...

...

Katrena says "Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids is Very Informative" about Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:13:28 GMT

Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids [2002, Little Brown and Company, ISBN: 0-316-30903-6] by Gail Gibbons is a 32-page children's book about trees. It is loaded with illustrations that compliment the information covered.

This book tells interesting facts about trees, such as how to tell a tree's age, in the first section. Kids who are interested in tree facts can learn lots of basic information here.

The second main section of the book shows illustrations of trees and shows how to identify them, including:

live oak
weeping willow
tamarack
cottonwood
lombardy poplar
white birch
elm
sweet cherry
red oak
beech
sugar maple
white pine
pin oak (I had thought that this one had long skinny leaves but learned differently here)
canary palm
black walnut

The last section of the book contains ideas for leaf projects, such as pressing a leaf and doing leaf rubbings and bark rubbings. It also gives interesting tree facts. I didn't realize that the famous sequoias may weigh up to two million tons and...

...

Katrena says "Pouch! is Cute Children's Book about Bravery & Separation" about Pouch!

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:48:12 GMT

Pouch! [2009, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-25051] by David Ezra Stein is a 32-page children's picture book about a baby kangaroo who is trying to get up the courage to meet others outside of his mother's pouch.

The Story:

Baby Joey has discovered a whole new world outside of his mom's pouch, but that big world is awfully scary. Each time he encounters another animal, he yells "Pouch!" and hops back into the safety of his mother's protective pouch. He is frightened by a bee, rabbit, and then a bird.

Then another baby kangaroo approaches with the resulting "Pouch!" yell from both baby kangaroos..but wait, will little Joey and the other kangaroo decide to venture out again and make a new friend?

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

Pouch! is a cute look at venturing out to test out the big world. The book allows little Joey to work at his own pace and in his own way. Sometimes I wish I had a pouch for my little ones! I think that a paren's job...

...

Katrena says "Little Rabbit's Christmas Encourages Kids to Share" about Little Rabbit's Christmas

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:34:34 GMT

Little Rabbit's Christmas [2007, Peachtree, ISBN13: 978-1-56145-419-8] by Harry Horse is a 32-page children's picture book about sharing at Christmas.

The Story:

Little Rabbit wants a sled for Christmas, but when he wakes up he is disappointed that no sled is in sight. He looked in his stocking, under the tree, and even up the chimney, but he didn't get a sled...but wait! There's something red outside, and Little Rabbit is thrilled to see exactly what he wanted for Christmas.

He decides to go sledding right away, and several of his friends appear and show him their presents of tools and paint, but Little Rabbit isn't very interested. He wants to go sledding. The others might break his sled, so Little Rabbit decides only he can use his new Christmas toy.

Unfortunately, Little Rabbit's wild ride down the hill ends in disaster for his brand new sled. His friend appear...will they laugh, say "I told you so," or find a way to help Little Rabbit?

My Viewpoint:

Little Rabbit's Christmas features...

...

Katrena says "Leaf Man Looks at How Leaves Can Resemble Other Things" about Leaf Man

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:18:30 GMT

Leaf Man [2005, Harcourt, Inc., ISBN: 0-15-205304-2] by Lois Ehlert is a fun children's picture book that shows how leaves can resemble people, animals, and scenery. It has 36 pages, and some of them are cut out at the top and/or side to add interest. The illustrations are colorful and fun and encourage kids to look for the various characters formed by the "Leaf Man."

Here are some of the items formed with the leaves:

ducks
geese
pumpkins
squash
turkey
vegetables
cows
prairie
fish
butterflies
birds

Leaf Man also has a section at the back that shows various leaves and identifies what type of tree they represent, including:

beech
elm
poplar
cottonwood
hawtorn
linden
birch
and more

My Viewpoint:

Leaf Man is a pretty quick read with just a small amount of writing on each page, but kids can enjoy looking at the pictures for quite a while. Some characters are easier to see than others. I found the identification of the leaves at the back to be quite informative, and this book could spark a...

...

Katrena says "ABC Dentist Gives a Dental Twist to the Alphabet" about Harriet Ziefert - ABC Dentist

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:56:04 GMT

ABC Dentist [2008, Blue Apple Books, ISBN: 987-1-934706-31-2] by Harriet Ziefer and illustrated by Liz Murphy is a 32-page children's picture alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet takes on another dental-related topic as the book progresses. It is actually quite informative as it talks about topics such as:

types of teeth
parts of the teeth
vitamins
yellow teeth
dental chair
and more

ABC Dentist also adds a bit of humor. I had to smile when I saw "wad of cotton" for the W page. The illustrations are very colorful and provide nice detail for the parts that have diagrams and such.

The book is kid-friendly and makes going to the dentist look like a fun adventure. (My kids actually enjoy going to the dentist, but I know many kids and adults who don't exactly look forward to dental visits.)

My Viewpoint:

ABC Dentist is a colorful and informative alphabet book with a dental focus. This would be a teaching tool in a class preparing to learn about the dentist. It might also help a child...

...

Katrena says "My Forever Dress Shows Interesting Way to Help the Environment" about My Forever Dress

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:41:31 GMT

My Forever Dress [2009, Blue Apple Books, ISBN: 987-1-934706-45-9] by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Liz Murphy is a 36-page children's picture book about a grandmother who makes her granddaughter a dress and beging tweaking it each year rather than making a new one. The pages are thick and the illustrations are colorful and engaging and compliment the story nicely.

The Story:

A young girl goes to her grandmother's house and is fitted for a new dress. She is thrilled to get the chance to pick out the material and to help make the dress. The next year, Grandma decides that she can just add a bit to the dress rather than to make a new one since the granddaughter is only a little bit taller. This can help save the environment, Grandma points out. She offers to make a new dress the next year, but the girl wants to go green again and Grandma takes the dress apart and re-works it into something else, and the handmade dress is dubbed the forever dress...but the little girl doesn't wear it...

...

Katrena says "Booming Bella is About a Very Loud Girl in a Very Quiet Place" about Carol Ann Williams - Booming Bella

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:05:53 GMT

Booming Bella [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 987-0-399-24277-9] by Carol Ann Williams and illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss is a 32-page children's picture book about a little girl with a big mouth.

The Story:

The school class is going on a field trip to a museum, and Bella is excited...too excited. She practically yells about each thing that catches her eye, much to the dismay of her teacher and classmates. After arriving at the museum, the teacher reminds Bella to be quiet, and she is...until they get in the door. Finally, the person talking to the class at the museum gets frustrated and says that she cannot continue if Bella keeps blurting and shouting out the answers to all of her questions.

Bella gets the message loud and clear and clams up. She doesn't talk for the rest of the tour and hangs her head. Suddenly, she notices that children are getting on the bus ready to leave and she hurries in to sit down but realizes that she is on a bus full of people she doesn't know. The bus is...

...

Katrena says "Museum Shapes Intruduces Kids to Art While Teaching Shapes" about Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) - Museum Shapes

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:48:21 GMT

Museum Shapes [2005, Little Brown and Company, ISBN: 0-316-05698-7] incorporates various paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to teach kids about various shapes. The book has several pictures of paintings and asks if the child can find the matching shape in the picture.

The shapes covered in this book are:

square
circle
rectangle
triangle
oval
arch--this one was a little bit hard for the kids to figure out
crescent
diamond
heart--my kids particularly liked the heart-shaped book on one page
star

The back of the book shows the pictures and gives details like the name of the painting, the artist, medium used for the artwork, if it was dedicated to someone, etc.

My Viewpoint:

All of my kids (ages 8, 5, and 2) found Museum Shapes to be interesting. They were all looking for the various shapes and would ask for me to go back so they could look longer at the pictures. This book is interesting because it shows famous paintings and gives background information at the end of the...

...

Katrena says "The Three Bears Christmas Combines Christmas with 3 Bears" about The Three Bears Christmas

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:33:49 GMT

The Three Bears Christmas [2005, Holiday House, ISBN: 0-8234-1871-5] by Kathy Duval and illustrated by Paul Meisel is a 32-page children's picture book about a new visitor to the Three Bears' house.

The Story:

The Three Bears decide to go for a walk to let the food cool, but Goldilocks is not the mystery visitor this time. It is cold outside and as they walk, Baby Bear hears and sees things that are suspicious, but Mama and Papa just think those strange things are actually normal wintery phenomenon.

When they get back to the house, they are surprised to see that someone has nibbled at their food, sat in their chairs, and rumbled the beds. The mystery visitor left several red clothing items along the way, and Baby Bear notices each one. Finally, they see someone outside that is up in the air--minus a few clothes! The bears don't stay upset for long...after all, the mystery visitor did leave presents.

My Viewpoint:

The Three Bears Christmas is a fun Christmas book that combines parts of...

...

Katrena says "Eagle Eyes is Children's Book about ADHD" about Eagle Eyes: A Child's Guide to Paying Attention

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:20:29 GMT

Eagle Eyes: A Child's Guide to Paying Attention [1991, Verbal Images Press, ISBN: 0-9625136-4-4] by Jeanne Gehret with illustrations by Susan Covert is a 32-page children's book about ADHD. The pictures are black and white.

The Story:

Ben and his family are going for a walk on a trail, but Ben keeps irritating his sister with his constant talking and inability to focus. The parents decide to take Ben to the doctor and he is diagnosed with ADHD. Ben and his family learn new ways to help Ben to focus and interact, and Ben starts taking medication. Some things begin to improve, and the dad goes on another hike on the trail with the two kids. This time Dad falls and hurts his ankle. Will Ben be able to help?

My Viewpoint:

My kids really liked Eagle Eyes: A Child's Guide to Paying Attention. My 5-year-old asked me to read it quite a few times. She is a bit energetic and finds it difficult to focus at times. This could be a good book especially for a child that had ADD or ADHD or finds focusing...

...

Katrena says "Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who? Gives Details on Many Symbols" about Teresa Bateman - Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who?: The Stories Behind Some of America's Patriotic Symbols

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:01:20 GMT

Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who? The Stories Behind Some of America's Patriotic Symbols [2001, Holiday House, ISBN: 0-8234-1285-7] by Teresa Bateman with illustrations by John O'Brien gives details about quite a few American symbols, including:

Flag
Eagle
Great Seal
Liberty Bell
Mt. Rushmore
White House
Star-Spangled Banner
Pledge of Allegiance
Capitol
National Mall
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Thomas Jefferson Memorial

I found the section on the flag particularly interesting as it described words such as canton, field, halyard, and hoist. I didn't realize that when John Adams first occupied the White House that servants had to carry water from a spring that was about a mile and a half away. Each section gives quite a bit of information along with dates. The memorial sections give quotes from the actual monuments.

The illustrations are very nice, but I think pictures of the actual symbols might have been more helpful in some places.

...

Katrena says "Our National Symbols Gives Lots of Information with Pictures" about Our National Symbols

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:43:06 GMT

Our National Symbols [1992, The Millbrook Press, ISBN: 1-56294-108-9] by Linda Carlson Johnson is a 48-page children's book about America's symbols.

This book includes information about several symbols including:

Liberty Bell--I found it interesting that this bell rode on a train called the Liberty Bell Special.
Bald Eagle--I didn't realize that Benjamin Franklin and several others preferred that the turkey be chosen as our national bird.
Great Seal--I knew very little about this one and thought it was interesting to know that the words "e pluribus vnum" mean "from many, one."
Uncle Sam--This section also covered lots of interesting information.
Bison--The role of Native Americans in our history is also touched upon here.
Statue of Liberty--This section gives interesting information such as the number of steps (335) and that there is an elevator for those who wish to bypass some of those steps

My Viewpoint:

Our National Symbols is nicely organized and gives lots of interesting information...

...

Katrena says "Reindeer Book Informative but Maybe Too Informative for My Kids" about Reindeer

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:29:55 GMT

Reindeer [1994, Holiday House, ISBN: 0-8234-1097-8] by Emery Bernhard and illustrated by Durga Bernhard is a 32-page children's picture book about reindeer. This book tells all sorts of interesting facts about reindeer, which are also called caribou in some parts. Here are some of the interesting facts from the book:

Male and female deer grow antlers each year.
Reindeer may travel as much as 1600 miles to migrate.
Reindeer can swim well.
They have hollow hair.
Some are trained to pull heavy loads and may pull them as far as 50 miles in a day (but not flying through the air!)

This book incorporates quite a few new vocabulary words for children, such as tundra, mukluk, lichen, and dewclaw. It has a glossary and describes many of these terms in separate sections throughout the book.

My Viewpoint:

Reindeer is quite informative with nice illustrations, but after I read the book, my 8-year-old discovered the truth about a certain man in red. She was excited and not sad about figuring out this...

...

Katrena says "How Seeds Travel: Popguns & Parachutes Uses Fun Examples" about How Seeds Travel: Popguns & Parachutes

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:08:45 GMT

How Seeds Travel: Popguns & Parachutes [1990, Childrens Press, ISBN: 0-89565-569-1] by Jane Belk Moncure and illustrated by Helen Endres is a 32-page children's book about the way plants disperse seeds.

This book talks about various plants and how their seeds are moved from one place to another including "flyers, floaters, riders, and poppers." Here are a few examples:

Cherry tree that has seeds moved by birds
Oak tree in which squirrels move the seeds
Coconut tree and water lily with seeds moved by water
Witch hazel that shoots seeds like a popgun
Cockleburs that hitchhike on a dog's hair
Dandelion (one of my daughters' favorite "flowers") and tumbleweed with seeds moved by the wind
Maple tree that has helicopter seeds

The illustrations compliment the story nicely, and the story encourages children to think and answer questions. It has an index at the back for easy reference.

My Viewpoint:

How Seeds Travel: Popguns & Parachutes is a simple children's book about how plants get their seeds...

...

Katrena says "You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime Teaches Kids About Money" about Fred Ehrlich - You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:54:18 GMT

You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime [2003, Blue Apple Books, ISBN: 1-929766-81-5] by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by Amanda Haley is a 28-page children's picture book that teaches kids math concepts related to money.

The Story:

A young boy named Pete has saved up some money and decides to buy something with it. As the story progresses, Pete counts his money, and the bills are shown with their corresponding monetary value. Kids reading the book are encouraged to count along in the book and to count their own money as well. Will Pete have enough money to buy what he wants?

The back of the book contains quite a bit of interesting money-related information such as:

how to do money rubbings
ways for kids to earn money
information about buying something and later regretting it
giving to charity
money facts such as mint marks and interesting coins such as 20 cent, 1/2 cent, 2 cent, and 3 cent pieces
different words people might use for money
expressions related to money

My Viewpoint:

You...

...

Katrena says "Llama, Llama Red Pajama is Fun Rhyming Story of Bedtime Dilemma" about Llama, Llama Red Pajama

Katrena — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:25:54 GMT

Llama, Llama Red Pajama [2005, Viking, ISBN: 0-670-05983-8 Hardcover] by Anna Dewdney is a delightful and fun32-page children's rhyming book about a little llama who is going to bed.

Well, he's supposed to be going to bed. Mama llama has tucked him and is downstairs busy washing dishes, but her little one decides he wants a drink of water. Mama Llama plans to be there in just a moment, but the phone rings. Little llama tries to be patient, but it isn't working very well as he experiences various emotions progressing from to an all-out emergency during the wait.

The illustrations compliment the story nicely, and the book's theme is certainly one to which my kids can relate. I can certainly relate to a little one that suddenly desperately needs something when mom is on the phone and to kids that seem to have the hardest time going to bed. All three of my kids (now 8, 5, 2) were diagnosed with colic. Sometimes Mama wants to scream too...but I hope our stories are as cute as the ending...

...

Katrena says "Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing Has Loads of Cool Information!" about Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing

Katrena — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:47:36 GMT

Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing [1972, Simon and Schuster, SBN: 671-65201-X Reinforced Edition] by Martin Gardner is a 96-page children's non-fiction book with lots of details about communication techniques. This book won a Junior Literary Guild selection, and I can see why. It is well-researched, contains numerous illustrations to show the techniques, and breaks down the information into simple instructions. This book is a bit advanced for younger kids, but I think it would work well for kids who are interested in this sort of thing by 3rd or 4th grade or older. Below are just a few examples of what is in the book:

Ciphers:

Rail Fence
Twisted Path
Date Shift
Polybius Checkerboard
Shadow's Code
How to Break Substitution Ciphers
Porta's Digraphic
Lewis Carroll's Vigenere

Codes:

Typewriter
Telephone
Alberti Disc
Thomas Jerrerson's Wheel

Secret Writing:

Backwards writing
Inks that develop when heated
Ink that turns red
Inks that appear when powdered
Writing that can be seen in slanting...

...

Katrena says "Autumn Has Nice Fall Pictures with Informative Story" about Autumn

Katrena — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:06:33 GMT

Autumn [1998, Pebble Books, Capstone Press, ISBN: 1-56065-783-9] by Gail Saunders-Smith is a 24-page children's picture book about Autumn. It has nice photographs of Fall scenes in nature with some featuring kids. Other pictures feature close-up shots of nature and animals with an Autumn backdrop.

The story describes how nature responds to the changing temperatures of Autumn. Each page has a few sentences that would work well for children who can read sentences, or it works well to read to kids who have the attention span to listen to several sentences on each page.

The back of the book lists and defines vocabulary words that are interspersed throughout the book, like hibernate, migrate, and chlorophyll.

This is a small book with a hard cover that is easy to pack in a bag for travel.

My Viewpoint:

Autumn is an informative book about Autumn with lots of nice pictures that compliment the story nicely. I like the way it incorporates harder vocabulary words and also defines them at the end....

...