The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
It’s no secret children love learning about animals, and picture books about them are some of the most popular titles in libraries. Three apps combining story and facts about animal life have recently been made available. “Touch and Go’s” reviewers took at look at them.
Colorful Dreamer (PARKER) ©2010 by Holly Berry
Preschool to Grade 4
BERK , Ari. Nightsong. illus. by Loren Long. S & S. p. 70.
COLE , Henry. Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad. illus. by author. Scholastic. Nov. 2012. p. 70.
DALY , Niki. The Herd Boy. illus. by author. Eerdmans. p. 71.
GORDON , Domenica More. Archie. illus. by author. Bloomsbury. Nov. 2012. p. 76. [...]
BERK, Ari. Nightsong. illus. by Loren Long. 48p. CIP. S & S. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-7886-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8552-5. LC 2009026608.
K-Gr 3–Not since Janell Cannon’s Stellaluna (Harcourt, 1993) have readers been introduced to such a charming young bat learning to navigate his world. Night closes in and Chiro’s mother tells him it’s time for him to fly alone; he will succeed if he uses his song, otherwise known as his “good sense,” to [...]
ASIM, Jabari. Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington. illus. by Bryan Collier. 48p. bibliog. chron. Little, Brown. Dec. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08657-8.
Gr 2-4–Here sits a barefooted boy leaning against a tree trunk, eyes closed, dreaming about reading. Here he is following his master’s daughter to school, carrying her books, feeling their “magic seeping into his hands.” Booker was born a slave, and slaves were forbidden to read. Emancipation came while he was still young. He worked [...]
BISHOP, Nic. Nic Bishop Snakes. photos by author. 48p. CIP. further reading. glossary. index. Scholastic. Oct. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-20638-9. LC 2011039316.
Gr 3-5–Nearly two dozen close-ups of photogenic snakes are highlighted in this introduction. A lucid text, set either on different colored pages or overlaid on photo backgrounds, briefly describes basic anatomy; major physical characteristics common to all snakes; distinctive characteristics of more than a dozen world species; locomotion; diet; hunting and feeding methods; defense mechanisms; and egg-laying and [...]
MCDONNELL, Patrick. The Monsters’ Monster. illus. by author. 40p. Little, Brown. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-04547-6. LC 2011042742.
PreS-1–Three little monsters love to CRASH!, BASH!, and SMASH! Every day they argue over who is the best monster, until they join forces to “make a MONSTER monster. The biggest, baddest monster EVER!” At first, their efforts look successful, but to their horror, the creature’s first words after tearing off his bandages are “Dank you.” The enormous Frankenstein look-alike contents himself with breathing [...]
BANKS, Kate. The Bear in the Book. illus. by Greg Hallensleben. 40p. Farrar/Frances Foster. Oct. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30591-8.
PreS–In this deceptively simple bedtime story, a boy snuggles up with his mother to read his favorite book. It is about a bear going to sleep for the winter, and together they look at the pictures and talk about the text. “‘Do bears really sleep all winter long?’ asked the boy.” He turns the page and notices the snow. “‘Snow is [...]
Whether they are taking their first steps and beginning to sound out words or making leaps and bounds toward decoding longer sentences and more complex story plots, emergent readers benefit from high-quality books that grab their interest and support their efforts. Ranging from funny tales to nonfiction, these books are guaranteed to reel in developing readers and keep them turning pages.
The Monsters’ Monster (McDonnell)Illustration by Patrick McDonnell.
Preschool to Grade 4
ASIM, Jabari. Fifty Cents and a Dream. illus. by Bryan Collier. Little, Brown. Dec. 2012. p. 110.
ASTON, Dianna Hutts. A Rock Is Lively. illus. by Sylvia Long. Chronicle. p. 111.
BANKS, Kate. The Bear in the Book. illus. by Greg Hallensleben. Farrar/Frances Foster. Oct. 2012. p. 88.
BARRETT, Judi. Santa from Cincinnati. illus. by Kevin Hawkes. S [...]
BANKS , Kate. The Bear in the Book. illus. by Greg Hallensleben. 40p. Farrar/Frances Foster. Oct. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30591-8.
PreS–In this deceptively simple bedtime story, a boy snuggles up with his mother to read his favorite book. It is about a bear going to sleep for the winter, and together they look at the pictures and talk about the text. “‘Do bears really sleep all winter long?’ asked the boy.” He turns [...]
KLASSEN, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. illus. by author. 40p. Candlewick. Oct. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5599-0.
PreS-Gr 1–With this new creation, Klassen repeats the theme from I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011), but with a twist. The narrator here is the thief–a small, self-confident fish who has pilfered a little blue bowler from a big sleeping fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as he swims across the page announcing, “This hat is not [...]
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Grades 5 & Up
Graphic Novels
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KLASSEN, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. illus. by author. 40p. Candlewick. Oct. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5599-0.
PreS-Gr 1–With this new creation, Klassen repeats the theme from I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011), but with a twist. The narrator here is the thief–a small, self-confident fish who has pilfered a little blue bowler from a big sleeping fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as [...]
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. [...]
Gertrude Chandler Warner’s novel about four orphaned siblings who run away and take up residence in an abandoned boxcar in the woods was first published in 1942, launching a series that would remain popular with young readers for decades and become a staple in library, classroom, and home collections. The “Boxcar Children Mysteries” oeuvre (Albert Whitman) now encompasses 130 titles, and the concept has been expanded into other formats, including an easy reader series and graphic novels. To mark the 70th anniversary, Albert Whitman is re-launching the series with a fresh new book design and is also publishing a prequel written by Newbery-Medalist Patricia MacLachlan.
FLORIAN, Douglas. Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings. illus. by Robert Neubecker. 32p. CIP. S & S/Beach Lane Bks. Aug. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1321-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5712-6. LC 2010048963.
Gr 2-5–From the smiling, rollicking kids on the cover laying claim to a beach full of treasure to the shipload of fierce, sneering, plundering, cutlass-waving, face-making buccaneers, boastful of their scurrilous behavior, these pirates are a motley group. In 19 poems, they teach “Pirate Patter” and punishment and describe some [...]
CHIN, Jason. Island: A Story of the Galápagos. illus. by author. 40p. diags. maps. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. Sept. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-716-6. LC 2011033797.
Gr 3-6–Chin combines a bit of storytelling, factual explanations, and large and small paintings to chronicle the “birth” and ongoing development of islands in this far-off ocean cluster. A focus on the evolutionary rise and fall of the islands and skillful arrangement of an especially large number of images distinguish his presentation from the many books [...]
JENKINS, Emily. Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money. illus. by G. Brian Karas. 40p. CIP. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Sept. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85883-3; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95883-0. LC 2010024135.
PreS-Gr 2–On a cold winter day as a mean wind blows and icicles hang from windowsills, Pauline and her younger brother, John-John, decide to have a lemonade stand. Gathering all their quarters (Pauline’s favorite coins), they buy their supplies and make lemonade, limeade, and lemon-limeade. On [...]
SCHUBERT, Leda. Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words. illus. by Gérard DuBois. 40p. further reading. notes. photos. CIP. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. Sept. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-529-2. LC 2011033798.
Gr 1-3–It is fitting that this superb picture-book biography is short on words and long on visuals. The spare text marvelously captures the essence of the artist, depicting a man whose choice to be silent was born of an awareness of the damages of war. Born in 1923 to a musical family who [...]
For our elementary readers, finding a favorite author is like finding an old friend. They welcome a familiar writing or illustration style. Not having to learn new characters or settings lets struggling students focus on the plot. This fall’s release of new books promises to be a happy reunion for kids in grades two to six.
BISHOP, Nic. Nic Bishop Snakes. Scholastic. Oct. 2012. ISBN 9780545206389. JLG Level: SCE: Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)
Naturalist and Sibert-award winning photographer Nic Bishop is [...]
FLEMING, Candace. Oh, No! illus. by Eric Rohmann. 40p. CIP. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Sept. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84271-9; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94557-1. LC 2009045564.
PreS-Gr 2–Rohmann’s relief prints bring an exuberant humor to Fleming’s rhythmic read-aloud. When an elastic-looking frog falls into a deep hole (“Ribbit-oops!”), a timid mouse, lugubrious loris, resourceful sun bear, and jaunty monkey all tumble down after him during unsuccessful rescue attempts. Fleming’s bouncing rhymes and repeated lines–set in comfortably large, rounded [...]
