Category: children

children, mathematics

Could You Lift Up Your Bottom?

Bergers Book Reviews

Could You Lift Up Your Bottom
Author: Hee-jung Chang
Illustrator: Sung-hwa Chung
Publisher: TanTan Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-939248-04-6
Pages: 34
Price: $16.95

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Frog is on her way to a friend’s house when her hat is blown away. Elephant sits down on the hat before Frog can retrieve it. But Elephant is very hungry and won’t give back the hat unless Frog provides food in many shapes. First round foods, then triangle, then rectangle. Then circles within circles, triangles within circles, and other combinations. Elephant continues to demand more food, while Frog pleads for him to lift up his bottom.

Finally, Frog tricks Elephant into standing up, and quickly grabs her hat. Elephant gets a nasty surprise and learns a lesson in treating others more kindly. The last pages of Could You Lift Up Your Bottom? are ideas for food in different shapes and how to recognize the different shapes. Lots of pictures are provided.

Kids will giggle at Frog’s desperate attempts to get Elephant to stand up, and Elephant’s determination to eat everything he possibly can. And while they’re having a fun time with the story, they will be learning how to recognize shapes. This book would make a great addition to any classroom library.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history

Dirty Rotten Pirates

Bergers Book Reviews

Dirty Rotten Pirates
Author: Moira Butterfield
Illustrator: Mauro Mazzara
Publisher: Ticktock Books
Genre: Children / History
ISBN: 978-1-78325-048-6
Pages: 64
Price: $8.99

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A pirate’s life is often portrayed as fun-loving and adventurous. But was this really the way pirates lived? Kids would be surprised to find out that life aboard a pirate ship was hard work, with vermin, bugs, hunger and disease. And if a pirate crossed the wrong enemy, his life might come to an abrupt end.

In Dirty Rotten Pirates, kids get an up-close and personal view of pirate life. This unique book introduces some of the most famous pirates, seafaring lingo, and a history of piracy throughout the centuries. Although this is a history book, it’s far from stuffy, with cool illustrations and lots of fun facts. Boys will especially appreciate these horrifying and disgusting pirate tales.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Fun and Fruit

Bergers Book Reviews

Fun & Fruit
Author: María Teresa Barahona
Illustrator: Edie Pijpers
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9788416078325
Pages: 24
Price: $16.95

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Two little girls live in a town where magical trees grow wonderful fruits with thousands of different colors and aromas. One day they decide to pick a color each day of the week. Then they will eat fruit with that color and make up a story about those fruits. Finally, they envision a rainbow of fruits so yummy to eat.

Fruit is vibrantly colored and delicious, but children often pass it up, preferring to eat sugary sweets instead. Fun and Fruit demonstrates that fruit is tasty and even fun, encouraging them to enjoy more of it. There is no preachy message in this cute book, and kids will enjoy reading it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, science

Jake’s Bones

Bergers Book Reviews

Jake's Bones
Author: Jake McGowan-Lowe
Publisher: Ticktock Books
Genre: Science / Children
ISBN: 978-1-84898-852-1
Pages: 64
Price: $12.99

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Jake has an unusual hobby – he’s the world’s youngest bone collector. When he finds a bone, he identifies the animal it belonged to, records the time and location he found it, and preserves it in a plastic storage box. He also takes pictures of the bones he finds and posts them on his website.

Since Jake loves his hobby, he wants to share it with other young bone collectors. This book covers interesting facts about bones and bone collecting, along with lots of pictures of his unique finds. From dinosaurs to the squirrel in your own backyard, he touches on all kinds of animal bones.

Kids are always fascinated when they see dinosaur skeletons displayed in museums. If they’ve ever wanted to know more about the study of bones, Jake will guide them. Jake’s Bones is a great book to keep in classrooms for science lessons, but kids will also enjoy reading it simply for pleasure.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Rufus Goes to Sea

Bergers Book Reviews

Rufus Goes to Sea
Author: Kim T. Griswell
Illustrator: Valeri Gorbachev
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1052-7
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Rufus the pig really loves school. When summer arrives and the school doors are locked, Rufus knows just what to do. He needs to find a new adventure. After reading a bit, he decides to go to sea, but the pirate captain doesn’t think a pig would make a very good shipmate. Rufus needs to prove exactly how valuable he really is.

Rufus Goes to Sea is a cute story of a very determined pig. Although the captain insists that a pig doesn’t belong on board a pirate ship, Rufus is sure he’ll succeed if he keeps trying. Kids will love Rufus in his latest adventure.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Gorillas in Our Midst

Bergers Book Reviews

Gorillas in our Midst
Authors: Richard Fairgray & Terry Jones
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-63220-607-7
Pages: 32
Price: $16.99

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“You should always carry a banana with you,” Gorillas in Our Midst wisely advises. Gorillas can be found everywhere and are really hard to spot. They’re masters of disguise and often have jobs that let them wear masks. Sometimes small gorillas go to school. You can tell that there are a lot of gorillas in your town if the grocery stores are always out of bananas.

Kids may not realize gorillas hide right in their midst. And they might not know that the child in their class is really a gorilla in disguise. They never know where a gorilla might appear, so it’s best to be prepared. Always carry bananas.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, sports

Little Mouse’s Adventures at Fenway Park

Bergers Book Reviews

Little Mouse's Adventures at Fenway Park
Author: Brittany Bang
Illustrator: Caitlyn Knepka
Publisher: CurlyQ Press
Genre: Children / Sports
ISBN: 978-1941216-00-2
Pages: 32
Price: $16.95

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Little Mouse is excited because today is The Big Day. No, it’s not her birthday or Thanksgiving. It’s Opening Day at Fenway Park and she can’t wait to enjoy her special day!

Scurrying to the top of the Green Monster, she surveys the sights below. Next stop is the famous Red Seat. Then it’s off to find refreshments, before heading to the scoreboard to check out its secret message. There is so much to do and see at Fenway Park. And when it’s all over, she knows she has the whole season of fun ahead of her.

Little Mouse’s Adventures at Fenway Park is a cute introduction to this historic baseball stadium. It would make a great gift for the young Red Sox fan in your life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

The Not So Wicked, Wicked Witch!

Bergers Book Reviews

The Not So Wicked, Wicked Witch
Author: Amy Purser Carter
Illustrator: Sarah E. Markham
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3781-8
Pages: 24
Price: $15.95

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One witch just can’t seem to be as wicked as she knows she should be. So on Halloween night, you won’t find her out causing mayhem. Instead, she stays home and bakes cookies for the children.

The Not So Wicked, Wicked Witch! paints a nice picture of a good witch who doesn’t do any evil deeds. But that’s as far as this book goes. There is no actual story. I would have preferred to see some kind of plot, in order for this book to hold children’s attention.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Elephantastic!

Bergers Book Reviews

Elephantastic!
Author: Michael Engler
Illustrator: Joëlle Tourlonias
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4413-0841-2
Pages: 32
Price: $16.99

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Andrew is busy working on a treasure map when his mother asks him to bring a package upstairs to his neighbor. But instead, he opens it, thinking it’s for him. Inside is a stuffed elephant named Timbo, who instantly becomes his friend. They travel all over the world together, seeing interesting new things and having great adventures. But soon the fun ends, when Andrew’s mother tells him the elephant belongs to Louise.

With great sadness, he gives his new best friend to the girl upstairs. But he is in for a big surprise when she comes to visit him only a little while later. Timbo misses him, and she suggests that maybe the three of them can travel together from now on.

Elepahantastic! is full of fun and adventure. Using only his imagination, Andrew can talk to Timbo and travel to foreign places. And when Louise joins them, the joy is multiplied.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Dorothy: A Different Kind of Friend

Bergers Book Reviews

Dorothy
Author: Roberto Aliaga
Illustrator: Mar Blanco
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9788415619819
Pages: 28
Price: $16.95

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It’s hard to have a friend who’s not like everyone else. Dorothy is very big and has bad manners, and the others don’t like her. But even though she’s different, Dorothy is this little girl’s best friend. Taunts and meanness don’t deter her from spending time with Dorothy, and nothing they can say makes her see her best friend as anything but wonderful.

It’s refreshing to see a child so sure of herself that she sees only the good in her friend, and doesn’t let the others sway her opinion. We could all use more supportive people like her in our lives! Dorothy: A Different Kind of Friend sets a great example of devoted friendship and unconditional acceptance. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger