Category: children

children, dogs

Stay Benson!

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Thereza Rowe
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Genre: Children / Dogs
ISBN: 978-0-500-65153-7
Pages: 32
Price: $16.95

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Before she leaves for school, Flick tells Benson to stay. But as soon as she’s gone, Benson runs outside to play. As Benson explores, the cat reminds him that he’s supposed to stay, not play! The day ends too quickly and Benson must rush home to be there when Flick arrives.

Creative page cut-outs allow the reader to see scenes from before and after the current page, and the artwork is minimalistic in bright colors. Kids will enjoy this whimsical day in the life of a disobedient pup.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, Christian

The World of the Bible

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Jill Rubalcaba
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Bible history
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2881-7
Pages: 128
Price: $14.99

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Connecting Bible history to real world places and times can make the word of God come alive for readers. In The World of the Bible, National Geographic Kids shows us when these Bible stories took place and what the world may have looked like at the time.

Spanning the time periods of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, this book looks at early history, the Exodus, the judges, prophets, and the kings, as well as some of the places Jesus would have visited as he traveled around Judah and Samaria. Artifacts from excavations, photos of ruins, and artwork depicting the various scenes help readers to picture the events more clearly.

Although it isn’t truly possible to revisit the past, The World of the Bible makes it easier for kids to see these stories in a more realistic setting. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, birds, children

The Song of Spring

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Hendrik Jonas
Publisher: Prestel
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7379-9
Pages: 52
Price: $12.95

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It’s springtime, and all the birds are singing their mating calls. But one little bird can’t remember his song. He wants to find a birdie friend, so he attempts to discover it through trial and error.

Time after time, he sings a song, but his moos, meows, and oinks fail miserably. Soon he’s surrounded by farm animals but no birdie friend. Until one day a strange song comes from the distance – a little girl bird attempting to find her own song.

The Song of Spring is an adorable tale of friendship, as each of these animals come to keep little bird company. Kids will love these charming illustrations of cheerful animals in spring. I highly recommend this cute story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Mr. Mouthful Learns His Lesson

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Joseph Kimble
Publisher: Iguana Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-77180-229-1
Pages: 32
Price: $11.40

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Mr. Mouthful and his pet monkey, Dupree, stroll through the neighborhood. As he encounters some children, he speaks in fancy words too difficult for them to understand. His warnings go unheeded, as they are left pondering what on earth he just said.

But when a little girl named Juno finds herself in a precarious predicament, it’s up to Mr. Mouthful to figure out how to rescue her. Luckily, he puts aside his preposterous vocabulary and uses a simple word that saves the day.

Mr. Mouthful Learns His Lesson will have kids giggling as they reach for the dictionary, trying to discover the hidden meaning behind his unusual choice of words. Parents, don’t be surprised if some of these funny sayings creep into your youngster’s conversations. This is a fun story that kids will enjoy reading over and over again.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cats, children

Cat & Mouse

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Britta Teckentrup
Publisher: Prestel
Genre: Children / Board book / Cats
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7374-4
Pages: 24
Price: $14.95

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Little Mouse is running away from the black cat. Inside the house, to the stack of boxes, through a hole in the ground, and outside, he darts away from the cat. But after a while, he gets tired, and the cat is closing in on his tail. How is he going to escape?

Throughout this imaginative tale, cutouts show the various escape holes the mouse will be darting through, adding to the story’s charm. But children will have nothing to worry about once they see the final page, as Cat and Mouse curl up together for a nap. Cat & Mouse is sure to be a favorite with kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, girls, mathematics, science

Ara the Star Engineer

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Komal Singh
Illustrator: Ipek Konak
Genre: Children / STEM
ISBN: 978-1-989025-05-5
Pages: 40
Price: $15.95

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Ara is named after a seven-star constellation, and she’d love to know how many stars there are in the sky. With her faithful companion robot, DeeDee, she visits Innovation Plex for help in solving her problem.

First, she visits Kripa, the prolific problem solver, and discovers she needs a plan to program DeeDee to count stars. Next, she meets Parisa, the intrepid innovator, who helps her build an algorithm. Diane, the code commander, teaches Ara how to build her own code. And finally, Marian, the tenacious troubleshooter, upgrades DeeDee’s hardware, so she has enough memory to count all the stars.

Using courage, creativity, code, and collaboration, Ara succeeds in programming DeeDee to count all the stars in the universe. She sets a terrific example for all girls (and boys) who see their futures in technology, as she works through her problem in a logical and systematic manner. Ara the Star Engineer is a fun read with a great message.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children, nature

Hidden Critters

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Stan Tekiela
Publisher: Adventure Publications
Genre: Animals / Nature / Children
ISBN: 978-1-59193-812-5
Pages: 48
Price: $14.95

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The ability to blend in with its surroundings can mean the difference between life and death for many animals. In Hidden Critters, Stan Tekiela shows kids some of these animals that survive by hiding.

Tekiela is a gifted nature photographer who has captured images of the animals in hiding and in plain sight, so kids can see them in their natural settings. In the first picture, kids need to try to find the hidden animal. The second picture shows it in plain view. Closing pages provide fun facts about each of the animals featured: burrowing owl, gray wolf, southern flying squirrel, American alligator, brown creeper, short-tailed weasel, bullfrog, praying mantis, white-tailed deer, and polar bear. A key to the hidden critter pages is also included, showing exactly where to spot these animals.

Nature lovers of all ages will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it for home and classroom.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, Christian

Dinosaur Devotions

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Michelle Medlock Adams
Illustrator: Denise Turu
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Genre: Children / Dinosaurs / Christian / Devotions
ISBN: 978-1-4002-0902-6
Pages: 160
Price: $14.99

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Illustrator’s website
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It’s so much more fun learning about the Bible when you can do it with dinosaurs. Not only will kids learn solid Christian teaching – they’ll also acquire some impressive knowledge of 75 different prehistoric beasts.

Each of these two-page devotional entries shares a Bible quote, details some interesting facts about one particular dinosaur, and relates the dinosaur’s qualities to Christian behavior. Then a “dig deeper” question is asked, followed by a prompt for Jurassic journaling.

Did you know the Baryonyx dinosaur most likely ate a diet of fish? Dinosaur Devotions shares this information with kids before explaining the words of Jesus sending his disciples out to be fishers of men. Then it asks them to dig even deeper, and come up with a list of people they would like to invite to church – and do it!

Dinosaur Devotions is perfect for middle-grade kids who love dinosaurs and are open to hearing about Christian living in a fresh and interesting way.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children, nature

Look at Me!

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Jim Arnosky
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Nature / Animals
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2809-6
Pages: 40
Price: $16.95

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Many animals have coloring that allows them to blend in with their surroundings, camouflaging them from being seen by predators. But some animals have colorful and unusual features that are meant to attract mates, as well as avoid being eaten. Look at Me! shows us some of these creatures and their stunning displays.

Male turkeys spread their tail feathers, and strut to attract females. African bullfrogs blow up to twice their size to avoid frog-eating snakes. Deer have antlers and sheep have horns for battling other males during mating season. These as well as many other interesting animals are introduced with beautiful illustrations, including some fold out spreads.

Nature’s wonders never fail to please children, and Look at Me! is a delight to read. Kids (and teachers) will love it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children

Which Animal Is Fastest?

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Brian Rock
Illustrator: Carolyn Le
Publisher: Arbordale
Genre: Children / Animals
ISBN: 9781607187455
Pages: 32
Price: $9.95

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King Lion is hosting a race to determine the fastest animal. But before he can crown cheetah the champion, the other animals protest. Why should the race be for quickness over a short distance? There are other ways to measure speed – why won’t he use those instead?

After listening to all their pleas, King Lion finally decides to hold an Olympics. Each animal now has the chance to show off its skills in the best possible setting, and the winners of each event are congratulated.

The final pages detail each of the speeds of the winning animals in their specialty. Activities and questions are also provided for teachers who might want to use this book for science lessons. Which Animal Is Fastest? is a fun read for animal lovers, and will be a big hit in the classroom.

Reviewer: Alice Berger