Bergers Book Reviews

Hickory

June 11, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Palmer Brown
Publisher: The New York Review Children’s Collection
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-59017-627-6
Pages: 56
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Hickory lives with his siblings, Dickory and Dock, in the foot of clock. Living in the farm house is warm and safe, especially once he discovers how to disable mousetraps. But as he grows up, he becomes curious about the outside world, and one day he makes the choice to move to the field.

His family is supportive of his decision to strike out into the world, but once he arrives there, Hickory discovers he’s lonely. A grasshopper named Hope saves him from a cat, and the two become best friends. But, although mice can survive through winter, grasshoppers can’t, and the days soon grow colder.

Hickory is a delightful tale of friendship, in the tradition of Charlotte’s Web. Illustrations are in the old style of colorized pen and ink. The sad ending is a reminder to not take our loved ones for granted, and to enjoy every moment we have with them. I highly recommend this charming book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, nature, science

Balloon Trees

June 10, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Danna Smith
Illustrator: Laurie Allen Klein
Publisher: Sylvan Dell
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-60718-6243
Pages: 32
Price: $9.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Do you know where balloons come from? You may be surprised to find out that they come from trees – rubber trees. A spout is used to collect the milky liquid inside the rubber trees. Then it is processed to become the substance we see in balloons, tires, and other products we use every day.

Balloon Trees tells the story of this process in rhyme. Beginning with the harvest up to the end of the assembly line, this book shows how a balloon is created. Colorful illustrations bring this process to life, with a native bird guiding us through the narrative.

In addition to the descriptions of how balloons are made, this book also discusses rubber in general. It describes the plantations and tells us a little bit about the workers who harvest the rubber. Interesting and informative, Balloon Trees is perfect for classroom use and is a fun read.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, puzzles

Number Cross Puzzles

June 5, 2013June 7, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Rich Rollo
Publisher: Xlibris
Genre: Children / Puzzles
ISBN: 978-1477150542 (student), 978-1-4771-5526-4 (teacher)
Pages: 122
Price: $19.99

Buy it at Amazon
Teacher’s Edition

Pencil puzzles with numbers can be fun as well as challenging. Using the style of a crossword puzzle, you need to decide where to place the selected numbers, so that all are used and all “fit” in the diagram. Numbers can go left to right or top to bottom.

In this classroom puzzle book, Rich Rollo has created a series of challenges in varying levels of difficulty. A teacher’s edition is also available, with answers to the puzzles.

I have to qualify my comments about this book by first stating that I am a math nerd. I enjoyed number puzzles of great difficulty when I was in high school, and would eagerly spend hours or even days working on the same puzzle. Number puzzles can be incredibly fun. However, this book provides a very simple version of these puzzles, geared toward younger children. Adults or older students will not find much challenge in these puzzles that may only take five minutes to solve.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

literary, teen

Good Kings Bad Kings

June 3, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Susan Nussbaum
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Genre: Adult / Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-61620-263-7
Pages: 336
Price: $23.95

Buy it at Amazon

Yessenia Lopez has been through Juvie and now finds herself at ILLC – Illinois Learning and Life Skills Center. Disabled, orphaned and wheelchair-bound, she is full of anger and hostility. Soon she meets other disabled youth – Cheri, who becomes her friend, and Teddy and Mia – a troubled couple. Joanne – also disabled and the secretary at ILLC, and Jimmie – one of the house parents, also become friends.

But this isn’t just Yessenia’s story. Good Kings Bad Kings is told from all of these perspectives and more, as the corruption at ILLC is revealed. As they get to know each other and learn of the horrors perpetrated at the institute, they recognize that change is needed, and become determined to force it.

Good Kings Bad Kings is a powerful commentary on how society views the disabled, and does little or nothing to care for them. Through these characters’ eyes, their story is told with brutal honesty. For the YA reader, caution may be needed due to language and sexual situations. This is not your casual beach read. Instead, you may find a lingering disturbed feeling and an urge to check up on your institutionalized friends and relatives. 2012 winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children

Little Raccoon Learns to Share

May 30, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Mary Packard
Illustrator: Lisa McCue
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7230-6
Pages: 24
Price: $7.95

Buy it at Amazon

Little Raccoon has some nice things, and she keeps them to herself. When she is out collecting flowers, she makes sure she gets plenty, and she never shares. But one day as she gathers berries, she overhears her friends talking while she hides in the bushes, making sure to keep her basket to herself. They are having a party, and everyone will bring something.

Little Raccoon goes home and tells her mother, who suggests she should bring berry muffins to the party. When Little Raccoon arrives, her friends are thrilled to see her, and happy with the muffins. And they in turn offer her some of their own goodies. Little Raccoon now understands that sometimes it’s nice to share with her friends because it makes them happy, and they will share back.

It would be easy to turn this cute story into something preachy, but author Mary Packard has skillfully avoided this pitfall. Instead she shows kids the benefits of sharing, while the refusal to share only leads to feeling lonely and left out. Lisa McCue’s illustrations are bright and cheerful, and the animals are adorable. This feel-good story will be a hit with kids, while teaching them a valuable lesson.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children

Otter Lee Brave

May 28, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Rena Cherry Brown
Illustrator: Mikaila Maidment
Publisher: Schiffer Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4155-7
Pages: 48
Price: $16.99

Author’s website
Schiffer Books
Buy it at Amazon

Lee’s mother is trapped in a fishing net while he’s still small, and suddenly he’s an orphan. When a rescue boat comes through, they bring him to the aquarium, where he meets other otters. But life in the aquarium is no fun when a bully named Brody steals all the food and attention.

One night an earthquake strikes, and all the otters are dumped in the bay. Lee is the only one who knows how to survive, and he tells them what to do until help arrives. But Brody has other ideas, and soon finds himself in trouble. Now, Lee needs to make some decisions. Does he help Brody? And does he return to the aquarium?

Otter Lee Brave is a cute story focusing on several difficult issues, through the eyes of this young otter. He faces the loss of his mother, the meanness of a bully, and an earthquake, which all challenge him to deal with these problems as best he can. But it’s his bravery that saves them all, and earns him the respect of a female otter that befriends him at the end.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

self improvement, teen

Your Superpowers Vol. 1: Dream It, Achieve It

May 24, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Steve Gardner
Genre: Teen / Self improvement
ISBN: 978-0-9839332-0-5
Pages: 106
Price: $12.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Life just isn’t going the way you planned, but you don’t know how to change it. Maybe you don’t know about your superpowers! Yes, you do have superpowers, and Steve Gardner shows you what they are and how to access them, in this book.

You are greater than you realize, and you can attract good things into your life. But how, you ask? By following this five step process. There is a logical technique to attracting your best life to you, and if you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way.

Adults have followed the Law of Attraction for a long time, but it may surprise teens to know this law can also be applied to their lives. And once these principles are established, they can easily be used forever. One of the things I really like about this book is the author’s encouragement to establish contact with Heavenly Father. Without divine assistance, the Law of Attraction doesn’t work, so it’s great to see Gardner’s insistence on prayer and gratitude. Overall, this is a nice, concise guide in easy to understand language, on how to live a wonderful life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

The Pout-Pout Fish (Kohl’s Cares for Kids)

May 23, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Deborah Diesen
Illustrator: Dan Hanna
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 0-374-36098-7
Pages: 32
Price: $5.00 at Kohl’s

Author’s website
Buy it at Kohl’s

I’m a pout-pout fish with a pout-pout face, so I spread the dreary-wearies all over the place. At least that’s what Mr. Fish thinks, as he speaks with his friends. As they try to convince him to cheer up, he repeats this dreary refrain, swimming away with a blub, blub, blub.

This adorable rhyming tale has a happy ending when a mischievous lady fish surprises him with a kiss. And suddenly Mr. Fish doesn’t feel so pouty anymore.

Kids will absolutely love The Pout-Pout Fish. And with these cute stuffed characters to accompany it, all for only $5.00 each, this set from Kohl’s Cares for Kids is a real winner. All proceeds go towards kids’ health and education.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

A Giant Pencil

May 22, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Connor Wilson
Illustrator: Alyssa Machette
Publisher: Magic Dreams Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-937148-12-6
Pages: 52
Price: $12.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Billy is frustrated because everyone picks on him. One day he finds a magic pencil that lets him erase anything that annoys him. Over the course of the day, he erases them all, one by one. But suddenly he discovers he’s lonely and he misses them.

Luckily for Billy, pencils don’t just erase. He has to decide if he wants to draw these people back into his life again. After thinking things over, he makes the right choice and is finally happy.

A Giant Pencil was written when Connor Wilson was nine years old. This heart-warming story will remind kids how much friends and family really mean to them.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

All Kinds of Beliefs

May 21, 2013May 21, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Sheri Safran
Illustrator: Emma Damon
Publisher: Insight Editions
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-60887-159-9
Pages: 12
Price: $12.99

Buy it at Amazon

There are many religions, such as Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, or Hindu. In this lift-the-flap book, children are introduced to some basic things that they may see in others of a different faith.

Focusing on clothing or head wear, types of buildings people worship in, things you might find inside those buildings, and holiday celebrations, it provides some idea about the religion. It doesn’t explain the actual beliefs, but instead shows kids that there are different faiths, and that kids who practice these faiths may look or act differently than they do.

In a multi-cultural world, kids will often see people of other faiths. All Kinds of Beliefs will give them the ability to recognize why people look different, and to treat them with respect.

Reviewer: Alice Berger