Brother, Sister, Me and You

Brother, Sister, Me and You

From playing to tumbling to cuddling, this playful nonfiction picture book pairs rhythmic, rhyming text with adorable photographs as it explores sibling relationships in the animal kingdom.

Little ones will delight in the similarities lion, turtle, and even bee siblings have with human brothers and sisters in this charming read-aloud book. It opens with 10 kinds of animal siblings and segues naturally into young human brothers and sisters. The children reprise the animal actions, from leaping and pouncing to splashing and bouncing, and finally snuggling down to sleep. Interesting facts about each featured animal are provided for further learning. 

Our young readers, all girls, liked the rhyming in this book along with the delightful animal photographs. Though none of the girls have brothers, that didn't stop them from enjoying the activities of the animals and children presented in the book. 

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

The Diggers

The Diggers

Dig, dig, dig! Join the animals and machines as they dig an incredible journey of discovery underground in this imaginative story from best-selling children's author Margaret Wise Brown. This amazing adventure is brought to life by French illustrator Antoine Corbineau, using a patchwork of texture and color in his vibrant illustrations to bring the fun and energetic world of the diggers to life.

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

At first glance, "The Diggers" looks like it could just be a book for boys. Of course, boys love anything about heavy equipment and digging in the dirt. We only have little girls in our family, so I wondered how this book would go over. Well, they loved it. 

The story might remind older readers of a book like "The Little Engine That Could." The colorful artwork helps young eyes follow the story, enjoy the fantasy ride, and learn to never give up.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears

Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears

This beautifully illustrated magical story from best-selling author Margaret Wise Brown - creator of the children's classics 'Goodnight Moon' and 'Runaway Bunny' - will enchant children and parents alike; it's a perfect bedtime story for your little one.

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

We now have a new, favorite bedtime story at our house. This sweet story uses the power of suggestion to help little ones get ready for sleep. Much like the old song, "Cool Water," made the listener thirsty, "Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears" makes the listener's eyes get heavier and heavier after each page. Our five little grandchildren were here for a few days recently, and we read the book to each of them. The older ones wanted to hear it every night.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

Little Larry Goes to School

Little Larry Goes to School

A young, orphaned chimpanzee must start at a new school, where he will learn how to climb and build his confidence. Stunning photographs from award-winning photographer Gerry Ellis are sure to captivate young readers and raise awareness about chimps and the threats they face.

Little Larry is an orphaned chimpanzee who doesn't know much about being a chimp. He has to go to his first day at the forest school to learn what chimp life is all about. Nestled in a primate sanctuary in Cameroon, Little Larry and his group of chimp friends go to the school each day to learn how to play, communicate, and climb like they would if they were chimps in the wild. The only trouble is, Little Larry doesn't want to learn how to climb. He's perfectly happy on the ground. Will the sanctuary keepers and other chimpanzees be able to teach Little Larry how to climb so he can graduate from forest school?

This sweet story, with its beautiful photographs, explores the challenges of going to school, learning, and gaining confidence in yourself. This is a perfect read-aloud tale for children reluctant to try new things, preparing to enter kindergarten, or starting preschool for the very first time.

Three of our granddaughters are already in school and two will be soon. So this story interested them very much. They also felt sorry for Larry because he didn't have any parents. The excellent photographs helped tell the story and some of Larry's expressions are priceless.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

New York Day and Night

Sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you, especially in the dark. This enchanting picture book shows how New York City can look quite peculiar at night. Each brightly colored spread is overlaid with a sheet of translucent blue paper and when lifted, voilà! A space ship and Martian become The Guggenheim, a giant serpent is actually the subway, King Kong's jungle turns into Central Park, and a superhero takes on the shape of a construction worker. Exhilarating and captivating, all the scenes are easily switched between day and night and will take the reader on a unique journey that lets imaginations run wild while revealing that some things at night aren't as scary as they seem.

Our grandchildren don't know much about New York yet, but that didn't stop them from enjoying this unique book. The first time through, I handled the overlays that change each scene from day to night and back to day again. But after that, they wanted to flip the pages all by themselves. It was entertaining to them as they saw the dramatic changes to each picture in the book.

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html 

Cat and Mouse

The perfect place for a mouse is inside a cozy, warm house, but a cat lives there too, and once the cat sees the mouse, a chase ensues. As the cat and mouse scurry about--on top of a chair, inside a box, outside a window, through a hole--young readers will learn about important prepositions that help them understand where one object is in relation to another. At the end of this colorful chase, the cat and mouse curl up together and nap until they're ready to start the whole thing again. Britta Teckentrup's eye-catching, simple illustrations are cleverly enhanced with cut-outs that help reinforce the words, providing a unique and fun interactive experience that teaches young readers about basic prepositions.

Who doesn't like a soy about a cat and a mouse? And small children are no different. In addition, with this book, they like sticking their fingers in the numerous holes found on several pages.

Rhyming words add to the enjoyment of this book. I had to take the kids over to one of our antique pieces of furniture in order to show them what a real keyhole looked like, as seen at the end of the story. 

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html 

The Song of Spring

It's spring and everywhere birds are calling out to each other. But one bird has forgotten which sound to make. He tries "Woof," and meets a dog, who encourages him to try "Oink," with the expected result. Moo, Hee-Haw, Baa, Meow--each successive call adds another animal friend to the page. Will the young bird find another bird friend? As young readers are introduced to each type of animal and their sounds, Hendrik Jonas's clever illustrations grow increasingly crowded. The result is a beautiful celebration of friendship that will delight young children everywhere.

The first time we read this book, the little ones in our family loved calling out what the next animal would be after they heard me say, "Oink, moo, woof, and others. This is a book they ask for over and over again. The illustrations are colorful and help add to the fun.

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html