Category: children

children

Mary Had a Little Lizard

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Kayla Harren
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-5107-1635-3
Pages: 40
Price: $16.99

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Mary has a little lizard who isn’t content to wait at home while Mary goes to school. So he sneaks into her backpack, gets loose in the classroom, and causes havoc.

Mary Had a Little Lizard is told completely through illustrations, with no words. Kids will be able to “tell” the story themselves, as they study each image. They can see the empty backpack calling the lizard to sneak inside, watch him as he looks inside Mary’s lunch sack, wondering if he plans to have a snack, and giggle as he eyes the paints, knowing there will soon be trouble.

Mary’s lizard is cute, little critter, and the reader knows he has no intentions of causing mischief. He simply misses Mary and wants to be with her. Any child who loves animals will adore this fun story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, fantasy

Shanlia & the Magic Pixie Dust

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Joanne Lécuyer
Illustrator: David Girard
Publisher: Topsy Books
Genre: Children / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-927353-12-7
Pages: 99
Price: $14.99 (Canadian)

Buy it at Topsy Books Website

Shanlia is an inchberry fairy living near the magical Ennyar Forest. When Grandmother Ishella sends her on a mission through the forest to deliver a message, she’s beside herself with excitement, and immediately summons her friends to accompany her. Along the way, they discover a mysterious pouch, which Shanlia feels she must return to its proper owner. Despite her friends’ warnings, she opens it and finds herself under a pixie dust spell.

In order to reverse the spell, she must find the originators and ask to be restored to normal. But pixies aren’t very cooperative, and things will not go as easily as she would like. Good thing Shanlia is resourceful and able to turn a bad situation into good.

Shanlia’s curiosity and desire to do the right thing when she finds the pouch get her into serious trouble. But rather than falling into despair, she immediately sets out to fix the situation. And even when things seem hopeless, Shanlia never gives up. Instead, she keeps a positive attitude and makes some new friends. Shanlia & the Magic Pixie Dust is an uplifting story with a great role model for kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Bergers Book Reviews spent some time chatting with Joanne Lécuyer. Please be sure to read what she has to say!

cats, children

I Am the Boss of this Chair

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: Marisa Morea
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2322-0
Pages: 32
Price: $16.95

Author’s website
Illustrator’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Oswald Minklehoff Honey Bunny III is the boss of this chair. He’s also the boss of the toilet paper, the back door, meals, the toy mouse, and his fluffy pillow with the golden tassels. So when the new kitten, Pom Pom, arrives and takes over Oswald’s turf, he’s very unhappy.

One day the cats begin to play together and Oswald has a revelation. Maybe he could share some things with Pom Pom. Even his chair. But there’s no way he’s ever going to share the fluffy pillow with the golden tassels!

Kids will giggle over Oswald’s determination to keep everything to himself, and smile when he finally realizes the joy in sharing with Pom Pom. I Am the Boss of this Chair is a really cute story with fun illustrations. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Beger

animals, children

Rufus Blasts Off!

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Kim T. Griswell
Illustrator: Valeri Gorbachev
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2099-1
Pages: 40
Price: $16.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Rufus the pig needs more stories and knows just what to do. He’ll travel off into space so he can tell everyone all about it. But first he has to convince Commander Luna he has the right stuff.

Treats, a blanket, and even a space suit aren’t enough. But when Rufus shows up with a flag proclaiming, “I love reading!” along with a bag full of books, Commander Luna finally agrees. And soon Rufus is on Mars, reading to kids everywhere on TV.

Rufus is such a cute character and kids will admire his persistence as he keeps chasing his dreams. His love of books and reading is contagious, inspiring kids to read just because it’s fun. I highly recommend Rufus Blasts Off!.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children, nature

Whose Baby Butt?

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Stan Tekiela
Publisher:Adventure Publications
Genre: Children / Nature
ISBN: 978-1-59193-783-8
Pages: 48
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
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Baby animals have the cutest features, including their fuzzy, little butts. But can you identify the animal by its baby butt? Whose Baby Butt? uses this question to introduce kids to ten adorable baby animals.

One one two-page spread, kids see a photo of the baby butt to identify. A short blurb accompanies it, ending with the question, “Whose baby butt is this?” In the second two-page spread, the baby is pictured in full, often with parents and siblings, along with a description of the animal. The final pages of this book include more facts about the animals pictured.

Kids love baby animals, and they’ll get a kick out of identifying them by their baby butts. I highly recommend this fun nature book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children, nature

What Eats That?

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Ryan Jacobson
Photographer: Stan Tekiela
Publisher: Adventure Publications
Genre: Children / Nature
ISBN: 978-1-59193-749-4
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
Photographer’s website
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“A food chain is a string of living things that eat (and might be eaten by) other living things.” What Eats That? explains the concept of a food chain to kids, showing the relationships between predator and prey.

Each animal in a food chain is pictured, along with an explanation of what it eats. A teaser then prompts kids to turn the page and find out who eats it. Beginning with a butterfly eating the nectar of a flower, there is a progression all the way up to humans and the natural end of the food chain. Just for fun, kids are encouraged to build their own food chains beginning with a mosquito. The eating habits of the animals pictured are included in the appendix.

As an animal person, I was a bit worried that I’d see cute and cuddly animals described as dinner. But the authors mostly stay away from those prey, focusing more on insects and cold-blooded animals. Kids will enjoy learning about the food chain with this book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, art, children, nature

Paint by Sticker Kids: Beautiful Bugs

Bergers Book Reviews


Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Genre: Children / Art/ Nature
ISBN: 978-1-5235-0295-0
Pages: 34
Price: 9.95

Buy it at Amazon

Creating images of bugs has never been easier with Paint by Sticker Kids: Beautiful Bugs. Each bug design contains numbered stickers that kids can peel and stick in the designated spot on the diagram. Designs are printed on perforated card stock with colorful backgrounds, suitable for displaying their sticker bug creations.

Some of the featured bugs include: ladybug, spider, beetles, firefly, and butterflies, as well as many other interesting creatures. The age range listed for this book is K-6, but younger children may need some adult assistance to make sure the stickers end up in the right place. Tweezers are recommended for proper placement, and stickers are not removable.

Each design is a puzzle which can only be revealed by proper placement of the stickers, so kids will enjoy the act of creating a beautiful bug. I highly recommend this enjoyable nature activity book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

The Misadventures of Michael McMichaels Vol. 3: The Creepy Campers

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Tony Penn
Illustrator: Brian Martin
Publisher: Boys Town Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-944882-10-5
Pages: 88
Price: $7.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Michael McMichaels is at summer camp with his friend, Kenny, but as they check in for the week, he realizes something is terribly amiss. Instead of simply letting the kids swim and play games all week, the camp counselors have other plans. They will all be competing for the lofty prize of Camper of the Week.

The competitive spirit rises up in most of the campers, making them take risks and scheme in ways they might never have dreamed about before. But being Camper of the Week becomes their most important goal. And if they cheat or scare others off, so what? It’s only in the name of friendly competition.

The Creepy Campers is a humorous look at cheating and deception taken to extremes, and why it’s such a disastrous idea. Kids will enjoy reading this funny story while learning a lesson in the process.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

adventure, children, geography

Bigfoot Seek and Find Books

Bergers Book Reviews


Title: Bigfoot Visits the Big Cities of the World
Author: D.L. Miller
Publisher: Happy Fox Books
Genre: Seek and Find / Geography
ISBN: 978-1-64124-001-7
Pages: 48
Price: $14.99

Buy it at Amazon

Bigfoot has decided to travel around the world, making stops in New York City, Athens, London, Venice, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco, Istanbul, and the Forbidden City. A tour guide to each city precedes the search and find puzzle. Kids are asked to not only find Bigfoot and his legendary footprint in the two-page picture, but also several other people and items that might normally be seen in the city.


Title: Bigfoot Goes on Vacation
Author: D.L. Miller
Publisher: Happy Fox Books
Genre: Seek and Find / Geography
ISBN: 978-1-64124-000-0
Pages: 48
Price: $14.99

Buy it at Amazon

Bigfoot has decided to take a vacation, taking a cruise, going camping and deep sea diving, visiting the carnival, the African Plains, Yellowstone, the beach, a farm, a balloon festival, and Mini-Golf World. A visitor’s guide to each activity precedes the search and find puzzle. Kids are asked to not only find Bigfoot and his legendary footprint in the two-page picture, but also several other people and items that might normally be seen in the area.

Seek and find puzzles are challenging and fun activities for kids. In these two Bigfoot books, they not only have the opportunity to work on the puzzles, but also to learn a little bit about the cities and vacation spots described. I highly recommend them both.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Don’t Ask a Dinosaur

Bergers Book Reviews


Authors: Deborah Bruss and Matt Forrest Esenwine
Illustrator: Louie Chin
Publisher: POW!
ISBN: 978-1-57687-841-5
Pages: 32
Price: $17.99

Deborah Bruss’s website
Matt Forrest Esenwine’s website
Louie Chin’s website
Buy it at Amazon

It’s fun to have dinosaurs at your birthday party, but be careful what you ask them to do! Decorating, wrapping gifts, baking birthday cakes, and blowing up balloons can get pretty chaotic. Some of these beasts just don’t have the necessary skills for a job well done.

In Don’t Ask a Dinosaur, the results of these party preparations are shown with hilarious effect. Along with reading a giggle-worthy script of messes and mistakes, kids will see various dinosaurs, matching their names to the illustrations. A glossary describing each one is also provided at the end of the story.

Dinosaurs are fascinating creatures, and kids will love reading these unusual names as they laugh at their comical actions. I highly recommend Don’t Ask a Dinosaur.

Reviewer: Alice Berger