Category: children

children, mathematics

Princesses of Bread

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: She Shil Kim
Illustrator: Eun Hwa Jung
Publisher: TanTan Publishing
Genre: Children / Mathematics
ISBN: 978-1-939248-138-
Pages: 38
Price: $16.95

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The Queen of Bread oversees the royal bakers, guiding them as they make delicious breads she sells to neighboring kingdoms. One day she becomes ill and her daughters, the Princess of Bread, must step in to take her place. But the princesses have never paid attention to how the Queen makes her breads, and can’t give good directions. Their loaves are tasteless and ugly.

One evening, as they once again attempt to duplicate the Queen’s bread, a Fairy Godmother arrives with a magic cookbook. She shows the princesses how to measure length, volume, and weight to create perfect loaves of bread. The following day, the princesses show the bakers what they’ve learned and they successfully bake their daily quota of delicious bread. The kingdom is saved and they turn their attention to the Queen’s health. Thankfully, the Fairy Godmother has also provided a recipe for magic bread that cures illnesses, which the princesses easily produce.

Princesses of Bread introduce the concepts of length, volume, and weight, and how to measure each. Kids will also have the opportunity to practice these in the exercises provided. This cute story would be a great resource for classroom study.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, self improvement

Mindset Matters

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Bryan Smith
Illustrator: Lisa Griffin
Publisher: Boys Town Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-944882-12-9
Pages: 32
Price: $10.95

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Amelia is in second grade, and she’s working on a difficult building project. Frustrated, she exclaims, “I quit!” and throws down her hammer. But her dad suggests the problem might be her mindset and not her constructions skills. Amelia is suffering from the “down-in-the-dumps” mindset. She has a negative attitude, excuses, and believes she’ll never be good at what she’s doing. Dad explains that Amelia needs a “gonna-get-it-done” mindset instead. She should be determined, have a positive attitude, and believe that she’s just not good at that… yet.

Using her dad’s advice, Amelia throws herself back into the project and it turns out great. Encouraged by her success, she tackles schoolwork, skateboarding, and fishing in a similar way, also achieving good results. Amelia is convinced her dad is right. Her new gonna-get-it-done mindset has changed her life.

It’s easy for kids to become discouraged when tackling new challenges for the first time. Mindset Matters shows them that they can change their way of thinking to accomplish their goals. This is a wonderful resource for classrooms and homes, and kids will enjoy reading of Amelia’s successes, as they dream of their own.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, nature

Treecology

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Monica Russo
Photographer: Kevin Byron
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Nature / Children
ISBN: 978-1-61373-396-7
Pages: 144
Price: $15.99

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The forest offers children a wonderful environment to explore. They can enjoy the bright colors of autumn, the fresh green of spring, or the barren landscape of winter. Each tree has its own distinguishing characteristics just waiting to be discovered.

Treecology offers the young naturalist an opportunity to view the trees around him, seeing them in a new light. Thirty activities and observations are included to guide him in making his discoveries, and lots of interesting facts about trees and forests are provided. Forests are home to animal populations as well as insects, and many of these are also discussed.

Kids love being outdoors in nature, and Treecology will encourage them to see the trees and forests around them in a new way. I highly recommend this fun and educational resource.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Figley’s Little White Lie

Bergers Book Reviews


Authors: Suzanne Cotsakos & Ryan McCulloch
Illustrator: Ryan McCulloch
Publisher: Mutasian Entertainment
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0985600204
Pages: 48
Price: $15.99

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Author’s website

Figley has broken Chadwick’s invention. But he doesn’t want to admit it to his friend, so he invents a lie, telling him a monster broke it instead. Rather than just accepting this information, Chadwick becomes really excited, since Figley has perfectly described the mythical Slop Mess Monster. Chadwick is determined to track down this monster and confirm it really exists.

Now that he’s backed himself into a corner, Figley continues to build on his lie as he gets caught up in Chadwick’s adventure. With every new lie, his predicament gets worse and worse, until he finally can’t take it anymore. Exhausted and miserable, he admits what he’s done, hoping for forgiveness. Chadwick is a good friend, and willingly accepts Figley’s apology with a hug.

Figley’s Little White Lie is a humorous story of how telling tales can really get a person into trouble. Cute illustrations and a hilarious sequence of events will have kids giggling, while vowing to never let something like this ever happen to them!

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Suzanne and Ryan stopped by Bergers Book Reviews for an interview. Please be sure to check it out here!

children

Maurice the Unbeastly

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Amy Dixon
Illustrator: Karl James Mountford
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1953-7
Pages: 32
Price: $16.95

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Maurice’s parents are concerned that he’s much too civilized, so they enroll him in the Abominable Academy for Brutish Beasts. But no matter how hard he tries, Maurice simply can’t seem to fit in. He’s convinced he will be a gargantuan failure.

But one day a mysterious creature arrives in the classroom, and none of the other students know what to do. Drawing on his own natural abilities, Maurice catches the creature and subdues it, immediately earning the respect of everyone in the school.

Maurice is different from the other students, and he believes his differences are bad. But when he discovers his hidden talent, he realizes that being different is okay, and he’s grateful. Children will love Maurice the Unbeastly.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

It’s Good to Be Kind

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Lauren DuBois Rosemond
Illustrator: Marco Cutrone
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1541040540
Pages: 32
Price: $9.95

Author’s website
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Leonard the Lion has just celebrated his first birthday by opening a magical box. Inside is a crown, a cape, and instructions for how he should behave, now that he has become King. Rather than using his powers to hurt, he’s instructed to help others instead.

Lex the Leopard watches closely as Leonard changes his ways, going about his business in the jungle. Leonard is now kind to all the animals he meets, helping them whenever he is able. Lex is puzzled until Leonard explains the power of the cape.

It’s Good to Be Kind shows kids kindness in action. Leonard is not only the King of the jungle, but he’s also becoming very popular as he helps his friends. Leonard has learned it’s good to be King, but it’s even better to be kind. And by the power of example, Lex has learned this lesson, also. This cute story has a great message without being preachy.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, humor

Mary Had a Little Jam: And Other Silly Rhymes

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Bruce Lansky
Illustrator: Stephen Carpenter
Publisher: Meadowbrook Press
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9278-2
Pages: 80
Price: $8.95

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Old nursery rhymes have met their match, as Bruce Lansky and other talented poets give them a totally modern spin. Humorous illustrations accompany these creative and silly poems. This new edition has been kid-tested, and only the most giggle-worthy poems are included.

The original edition of Mary Had a Little Jam sold over 800,000 copies, making it the most popular book of funny, contemporary nursery rhymes in the English language. Kids are sure to love this expanded version.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

birds, cats, children

Max and Bird

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Ed Vere
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3558-1
Pages: 32
Price: $17.99

Author’s website
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Max, a black kitten, meets Bird, and would like to be friends. Bird is very young and doesn’t know how to fly, but Max thinks Bird might be fun to chase and will make a tasty snack. Bird thinks otherwise, and decides Max can help him learn to fly before chasing him. Max agrees and they begin to research the art of flying.

Finally, Bird achieves his goal with Max’s full support and encouragement. And in the process of teaching Bird to fly, Max realizes that it simply wouldn’t be very nice to eat Bird, now that they are good friends.

Max and Bird are adorably illustrated in a minimalistic style with big, bold eyes and expressive appearances that kids will love. This cute story will appeal to everyone, and parents won’t get tired of reading it over and over again, as it quickly becomes a family favorite.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, science

Electricity in Your Life

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Bo-hyun Seo
Illustrator: Sung-hwa Kwak
Publisher: Tantan Publishing
Genre: Children / Science
ISBN: 978-1-939248-16-9
Pages: 30
Price: $17.95

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Electricity is useful in powering many everyday items. It keeps refrigerated foods fresh, rooms well lit, and televisions ready for entertainment. But how does electricity work?

Electricity in Your Life shows kids some electric powered appliances and how they receive their source of electricity. It touches on the operation of power plants and the wires that send electricity into their homes. And it shows what happens when there is a power failure and all is dark. It also explains the importance of conserving energy and how to use electricity safely.

Most kids don’t realize the importance of electricity in their lives until there is a power failure. In this interesting and informative book, they will see how their household appliances work and what happens when they unplug them. This is a great introduction to electricity for kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Dustrats: Or, The Adventures of Sir Muffin Muffinsson

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Adrià Regordosa
Publisher: POW!
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-57687-821-7
Pages: 32
Price: $16.99

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Sir Muffin Muffinsson sits beside Baby Emma, carefully watching her as she sleeps, in case her dreams get carried away. Suddenly seven dustrats, one for each day of the week, creep out from under her bed, intent on mischief. Sir Muffin chases them throughout the house with his trusty vacuum, hoping to stop them before they do too much damage. Each one has picked up on Emma’s dreams and is living the visions they contain.

Dustrats is a simple story, but the illustrations that accompany it are truly spectacular. In each, we see beautiful details of Emma’s vivid imagination. Polar regions, a fantasy forest, medieval kingdoms, and the ocean depths, as well as several other scenes come to life, as Sir Muffin chases the dustrats through the house.

Kids will enjoy playing “find the dustrat” who is hiding among each of the dream elements. Parents will have fun pointing out the picture on Emma’s wall that changes from scene to scene, as well as various stuffed animals on the shelves that move and show varying expressions. There is so much to see and notice on each page that kids will never tire of reading this book. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger