Guest post by Irene Roth! Finding Lincoln By: Ann Malaspina Illustrated by: Colin Bootman (Paintings by Coretta Scott King Honor artist) Albert Whitman and Company, 2009. This book is based on a true story. It is about an African-American boy who wants to get a book out of the main library in Alabama about young [...]

*Picture book about volcanoes–found in non-fiction section–told in poem form *Subject matter: A volcano erupting and how it affects life around it *Rating: Volcano Wakes Up! is a wonderful book to teach kids about volcanoes and the life around them. Love it! Short, short summary: In Volcano Wakes Up!, Lisa Westburg Peters uses poetry to [...]

*Chapter book for 7 to 10 year olds, fantasy *Young (flat) boy as main character *Rating: Kids that are fans of Flat Stanley and/or love Ninja stuff will enjoy this book! Short, short summary: Flat Stanley loves ninjas, and so does his brother, Arthur. They especially love movie star, Oda Nobu, and they decide to [...]

I am happy to be hosting sisters, Hilda and Emily Demuth, on my blog today to discuss their wonderful middle-grade, historical fiction novel, Plank Road Summer. Here’s a description of the book from Amazon.com: ” Welcome to the adventures of two 13-year-olds, Katie McEachron and her friend Florence Mather, who experience an exciting summer in [...]

photo by pareerica www.flickr.com *Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, based on a fairy tale *Sorghum cookie boy as main character *Rating: Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas is a clever twist on the old tale–”The Gingerbread Man.” Anyone living in or visiting Arkansas will especially love this book! Short, short summary: A young couple in [...]

Seeds of Change written by Jen Cullerton Johnson and illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler is a terrific and beautiful biography picture book about Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmentalist Wangari Maathai. I am giving away one copy of this book that I received from Lee and Low for review. Simply leave a comment or [...]

zebra in Tanzania by wwarby www.flickr.com *picture book, contemporary realistic fiction for preschoolers through third graders *two adolescent boys as main characters *Rating: Books like First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch are why I love to blog about children’s books. This book is beautifully done with a wonderful message and sharing an interesting place [...]

*Middle-grade, contemporary fantasy *Angel and elementary-school aged girl as main characters *Rating: I fell in love with The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech. Listening to the audio book in the car made drives enjoyable and fun! Sometimes, I was laughing out loud at the angel! Short, short summary: One angel (neither a he or a [...]

Nickel Shakespeare Girls by Clinton Steeds on www.flickr.com. According to Clinton, these girls can perform any scene from a Shakespeare play that someone in the audience calls out. *Middle-grade, tween contemporary mystery novel *6th-grade girl as main character *Rating: Shakespeare’s Secret is a remarkable book with a wonderful mystery that children and adults will love! [...]

photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com *Picture book for preschoolers through second graders *A skateboarding cow and other critters as main characters *Rating: A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe is a fun, crazy read that will leave kids laughing and wanting more. Cute ending! Short, short summary: In rhyme and with super illustrations, Barbara Odanaka and [...]