Category: children

Author: Emily Hruby
Illustrator: Patrick Hruby
Publisher: AMMO Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-162326005-7
Pages: 58
Price: $16.95

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There are so may interesting things in the garden – let’s count them all, up to the number twelve. Onions, tulips, butterflies… all in brightly-colored, geometrically-shaped illustrations. As each new item is added to the garden, a new two-page spread is given with all the previous items in it.

Counting in the Garden resembles an illustrated version of the twelve days of Christmas, using garden vegetables, plants and animals. Kids will have plenty of opportunity to count these items over and over again, leading to number and picture recognition.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Howard Binkow
Illustrator: Susan F. Cornelison
Publisher: Thunderbolt Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9826165-0-5
Pages: 32
Price: $15.00

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Howard B. Wigglebottom has a problem with anger. When he gets mad, he acts inappropriately, and then he has to sit in time out. He’s sad that he’s always in trouble, but he doesn’t know how to fix it.

One day his friend Ali explains how she knows she’s getting angry and how she handles her anger. He practices with her techniques and soon knows how to act appropriately, even when he gets upset.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns It’s OK to Back Away addresses anger management for kids, but I felt it just scratched the surface of this problem. Doing something to feel better, as suggested, doesn’t always work when kids get upset and don’t have time to turn to another outlet. Learning to understand and control their anger when they absolutely must do it right now is also important. Classroom discussions should focus not only on the topics presented, but also on other anger management issues encountered on a regular basis.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Title: Dinosaur Colors
Author & Illustrator: Paul Stickland
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9237-3
Pages: 24
Price: $4.95

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Dinosaurs and the color names are all shaded in their specific hues on two-page spreads. The final page is a group of dinosaurs in all colors for kids to identify.

Title: Dinosaur Numbers
Author & Illustrator: Paul Stickland
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1028-2
Pages: 24
Price: $4.95

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Count the dinosaurs, all the way up to ten. Simple rhyming verse accompanies the numbers, each on its own two-page spread.

Title: Dinosaur Shapes
Author & Illustrator: Paul Stickland
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1027-5
Pages: 24
Price: $4.95

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Dinosaurs accompany various shapes along with questions about each. Brightly colored shapes are accompanied by the same ones in the dinosaur bodies.

Title: Dinosaur Opposites
Author & Illustrator: Paul Stickland
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1029-9
Pages: 24
Price: $4.95

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Dinosaurs depict the various words in this book of “opposites.”

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Debu Majumdar
Illustrator: Lynn Wolfe
Publisher: Bo-Tree House
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9832227-3-6
Pages: 52
Price: $12.99

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In this sequel to Viku and the Elephant and Viku to the Rescue, Viku and his elephant friend, Haatee, are back again to protect the forest. Although two of the ivory thieves have been stranded on an island surrounded by crocodiles, some are still on the loose. With the help of the police, all of the poachers are rounded up and sent to prison.

But the dangers to the elephants and the forest continue, and Viku and the police must step up their efforts to protect them. When an evil scheme is uncovered, Viku and Haatee help to thwart it. One of the ivory thieves has now completely reformed and assists them in their efforts.

The forces of good and evil are portrayed very strongly in this series, with good always triumphing over evil. And in Viku and the Ivory Thieves, evil is even transformed to goodness. Kids will cheer for Viku and Haatee, wanting to see them succeed in stopping the thieves once again. I highly recommend this series for the positive values demonstrated.

Debu Majumdar shared his thoughts with us in an interview. Please be sure to read what he has to say!

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Suniti Namjoshi
Illustrator: Nilima Sheikh
Publisher: Spinifex
Genre: Children / Fables
ISBN: 174219839-2
Pages: 36
Price: $24.95

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Suniti Namjoshi is internationally acclaimed as a poet, and Nilima Sheikh’s paintings hang in galleries all over the world. These two talented artists combine their skills to bring us Blue and Other Stories, a collection of myths and fables.

Five short stories are included in this book. “The Unloved Queen” tells the tale of a girl named Suniti questioning how she received her name. “Blue” shares her love of the color blue and the reactions of those around her to this obsession. “Kingfisher” is a tale of a smart bird and his quirky answers to those seeking his wisdom. “Frog Life” shows us vanity at its highest. And “Bird Woman” presents a girl’s unusual problem and her parents’ creative solution.

These interesting and unique stories are colorfully illustrated to complement the text. Blue and Other Stories is a beautiful work of art, both in words and pictures.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Howard Binkow
Illustrator: Susan F. Cornelison
Publisher: Thunderbolt Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9715390-5-1
Pages: 32
Price: $15.00

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Howard B. Wigglebottom likes to fix things. So when his friend, Ali, is sad, he wants to fix her problems. But he learns from his mom that some things simply can’t be fixed.

Ali’s problem is that her parents are fighting and she is upset. But in this book, Ali never actually says this. We learn it from Howard’s mom when she explains why he can’t do anything about it. And when Howard finally does try to talk to Ali, he immediately falls in the mud and starts splashing around.

Kids certainly are not at fault when their parents are fighting, but that message doesn’t come across very clearly in Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows. I would have preferred to see Ali actually tell Howard some of the specifics about her problems, and Howard to respond with careful consideration, rather than simply talking to his mom and declaring, “It’s not your fault.” The discussion section at the end of the book might be helpful to fully explain the concepts in this story, and adult explanations will most likely be necessary.

Reviewer: Alice Berger