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Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (Marsalis)©2012 Illustration by Paul Rogers
Preschool to Grade 4
FERRIS, Jerri Chase. Noah Webster & His Words. illus. by Vincent X. Kirsch. Houghton Harcourt. Oct. 2012. p. 129.
HOPKINSON, Deborah. Annie and Helen. illus. by Raul Colón. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Sept. 2012. p. 130.
HATKE, Ben. Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. illus. by author. First Second. Sept. 2012. p. 171.
KLASSEN, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. [...]
Pig Tales: Pig Pig Returns and Little Pig Joins the Band. DVD. 14 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media. 2012. ISBN 1-933938-87-0. $69.95.
PreS-Gr 2–These two charming tales (2011, both Charlesbridge) by author/illustrators David McPhail and David Hyde Costello each feature piglets who, though they are young, learn very mature lessons. McPhail’s Pig Pig doesn’t want to leave his mother and cat to vacation across the country with his aunt and uncle, but as he becomes interested in the [...]
Football season is upon us from all sectors—high school, college, and pro—and just in case you’re between games, our video game reviewer reports that NCAA Football 13 will keep you from jonesin’ for the real thing. Looking for something more chill? Teens can settle back with the new Sparkle soundtrack, and play a little Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Fun, but not too intense; good action, decent listening, enough to pass a few hours in disco/superhero bliss.
Blues in All Flavors. CD. 42 min. with booklet. Prod. by Hot Toddy Music. Dist. by NewSound Kids. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.98.
PreS-Gr 4–Blues singer Gaye Adegbalola presents an amazing collection of 13 songs on her first CD for children. Each of the songs is sung in a musical style and flavor of the blues, including jump blues with boogie-woogie, doo-wop, Chicago blues with stop time, and reggae rhythm. The songs’ topics range from getting outside in the sunshine and dancing [...]
Everything You Need to Know About Marijuana in 22 Minutes. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55548-571-9. $149.95.
Gr 7 Up–Teens Katie Chung and Max Rein host this powerful presentation that provides information about the dangers and risks of marijuana use. Students receive a clear message that marijuana is an unsafe, addictive, and debilitating drug. Live-action footage coupled with visuals and realistic descriptions present the effects of marijuana on the body and mind in a direct manner. Research statistics and interviews [...]
Frozen Planet (Series). 3 DVDs. approx.. 6 hours. Prod. by BBC Worldwide. Dist. by Warner Home Video. 2012. ISBN 0-7806-8518-0. $39.98.
Gr 7 Up–This seven-part series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, features stunning scenery, magnificent animals, superb musical background, and striking camera work. One-third of our planet is frozen and it is the last true frontier. Cameras travel to both poles, to Greenland, and to lands of the far north in Canada and Russia to film conditions in all four seasons. [...]
This time around, our featured music reviews are bicoastal—The Gaslight Anthem hails from New Jersey, and has just released its first album with a major label, while California-based Linkin Park can claim Living Things as their fifth studio album. And after reading the game reviews, I was envisioning a mash-up of The Amazing Spider-Man and Just Dance Greatest Hits—players would swing from building to building, incorporating dance moves!
The Red Hen. DVD. 7 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-44755-3. $59.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-44760-7: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-44812-3: $29.95.
PreS-Gr 3–In Rebecca and Ed Emberley’s wacky, modern take on the classic tale, hen finds a wonderful recipe rather than some seeds to plant and harvest. She first gathers the ingredients, then mixes, bakes, ices, and decorates her “simply splendid cake”—a three-tiered orange, purple, and red masterpiece with flourishes and stars. At each step, she asks her friends [...]
The Diamond Queen. DVD. approx. 3 hrs. Prod. by BBC. Dist. by Warner Home Video. 2012. ISBN 978-0-7806-9601-8. $19.98
Gr 9 Up–In 2012, London hosted not only the Olympics but also the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne of the United Kingdom. This absolutely astonishing retrospective of those years, hosted by BBC News personality Andrew Marr, examines the Queen in her roles both as royalty and family matriarch. BBC had unprecedented access to archival materials as well [...]
The Other Side. DVD. 8 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-44754-6. $59.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-44759-1: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-44811-6: $29.95.
K-Gr 4–Clover, an African-American girl, lives on one side of the fence. Annie, a white girl, lives on the other side. Set during segregation, this story shows how the fence divides them. Yet, each is intrigued by the other and both are drawn to test those artificial boundaries that separate and classify. Jacqueline Woodson’s deceptively simple, yet powerfully [...]
Everything You Need to Know About Marijuana in 22 Minutes. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55548-571-9. $149.95.
Gr 7 Up–Teens Katie Chung and Max Rein host this powerful presentation that provides information about the dangers and risks of marijuana use. Students receive a clear message that marijuana is an unsafe, addictive, and debilitating drug. Live-action footage coupled with visuals and realistic descriptions present the effects of marijuana on the body and mind in a direct manner. Research [...]
Despite the awful tragedy that occurred in Aurora, CO on the movie’s opening night, fans continue to flock to theaters to see The Dark Knight Rises. Suggest these tantalizing titles to YA lovers of Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking film trilogy.
Olive and the Big Secret (Freeman)©2012 by Tor Freeman
Preschool to Grade 4
BATEMAN, Donna M. Out on the Prairie. illus. by Susan Swan. Charlesbridge. July 2012. p. 65.
CECIL, Randy. Horsefly and Honeybee. illus. by author. Holt. p. 55.
CERULLO, Mary M. City Fish, Country Fish. photos by Jeffrey L. Rotman. Tilbury. p. 67.
FREEMAN, Tor. Olive and the Big Secret. illus. by author. Candlewick/Templar. Aug. 2012. p. 56.
HILLS, Tad. Rocket Writes a Story. illus. by [...]
The Shout It Out Alphabet Film from A to Z. DVD. 11 min. with tchr’s. guide. Pyramid Media. 2010, 2012 release. ISBN unavail. single site: $59, public performance: $89.
PreS-Gr 4–Every letter has a story in this clever, artistic film by Lynn Smith. Animated collage elements combine to illustrate brief, humorous scenarios. To begin the action, viewers are introduced to a piecrust soon orbited by several airplanes that drop loads of apples into it. Next, an alligator saunters [...]
Finding Life Beyond Earth (Nova Series). DVD. 2 hrs. Prod. by WGBH Educational Foundation. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2012. $24.99.
Hugo. DVD. 2:06 hrs. Paramount Home Entertainment. 2011, 2012 release. DVD: $29.95; DVD & Blu-ray: $39.99.
Gr 4 Up–Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation of Brian Selznick’s Caldecott-winning novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic, 2007), has remained faithful to its source. A young orphan named Hugo (Asa Butterfield) lives within the walls of a Paris train station circa 1931, looking after its clocks and trying to restore a strange automaton. He hopes that once the contraption made of nuts and bolts [...]
