Category: children

children, science

Where’s Green? (The EnteleTrons Series)

Bergers Book Reviews

Where's Green?

Authors: Renee Heiss & Gary A. Stewart
Illustrator: Fay Cofrancesco
Publisher: Entelechy Education
Genre: Children / Science
ISBN: 978-0-9887813-0-6
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Priti proton, Ellie electron, and Ning neuron are wandering around the forest when they realize something is drastically wrong. Although it isn’t fall, all the leaves are brown. A prism confirms their theory – green is missing.

A trip to where colors live reveals that there has been an argument over which position each resides in the rainbow, and the constant bickering caused Green to leave. But order is successfully restored, and the trees return to their normal colors.

On the surface, Where’s Green? is a cute story with a tidy resolution. But in addition to this nice tale, the science of how we see color is explored through the discussions between Priti, Ellie and Ning. Readers have an opportunity to determine which tools they would use to make discoveries along the way, and teachers can find learning guides at the publisher’s website. I highly recommend Where’s Green? for classroom science libraries.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Make Me a Princess

Bergers Book Reviews

Make Me a Princess
Publisher: Ticktock Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-78325-085-1
Pages: 128
Price: $12.99

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What young girl doesn’t dream of being a princess? But this dream involves more than living in a castle. They must look and act the part.

Make Me a Princess is every girl’s guide to being a first class princess. It provides beauty tips on fashion, hair, nails, and jewelry. But beauty on the outside is nothing unless a girl knows princess manners and poise. Of course a beautifully decorated room and a handsome prince will make her royal life even nicer.

I was pleased to see that beauty isn’t defined by having a perfect body. And it was great to also see girls encouraged to behave in a polite, princess-like manner. A girl who follows this guide will look pretty and well-groomed, and always behave appropriately. This would be a great gift for the young princess in your life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Counting in the Garden

Bergers Book Reviews

Counting in the Garden
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

children

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns It’s OK to Back Away

Bergers Book Reviews

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns It's OK to Back Away
Author: Howard Binkow
Illustrator: Susan F. Cornelison
Publisher: Thunderbolt Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9826165-0-5
Pages: 32
Price: $15.00

Author’s website
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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

children, poetry

Mooseclumps

Bergers Book Reviews

Mooseclumps
Author & Illustrator: Ryan T. Bliss
Publisher: Artsy Bee
Genre: Children / Poetry
ISBN: 978-0-615-75521-2
Pages: 58
Price: $15.99

Author’s website
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Poetry haters should not read this book. If you’re determined to never smile, laugh, or enjoy poetry, Mooseclumps is definitely not right for you. In fact, you can stop reading this review right now.

But if you think you just might enjoy a rhyme or two, you’re sure to giggle over the clever verses in this entertaining work. Poetry mingles with creative illustrations for a perfectly enjoyable kids’ book. I highly recommend Mooseclumps.

2013 Moonbeams Children’s Poetry Gold Medal Winner
2013 Readers’ Favorite Children’s Book Silver Medal Winner

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, tween

The Greatest Star on Earth

Bergers Book Reviews

The Greatest Star on Earth
Author: Kate Klise
Illustrator: M. Sarah Klise
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Genre: Middle grade
ISBN: 978-1-61620-245-3
Pages: 144
Price: $15.95

Author’s website
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Polly Pumpkinseed of The Circus Times thinks Sir Sidney’s circus is the greatest show on earth, but his circus is never newsworthy. Polly decides to run a contest to find out who is the greatest star on earth, so she will have something new to report.

Sir Sidney immediately develops a bad worrywart as he contemplates what this contest will do to his circus. His doctor orders him to rest, and he turns everything over to Barnabas Brambles. But Sir Sidney’s worries only increase as the performers attempt to outdo each other to earn the coveted trophy.

Barnabas Brambles, the villain in The Show Must Go On! has a few more lessons to learn, and the mice, Gert and Bert, find a clever way to teach him. And everyone in the circus finally realizes that there are much more important things in life than trophies. The Greatest Star on Earth is a fun, light-hearted story with a powerful message of the importance of family and friends. I highly recommend the Three-Ring Rascals series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history

A History of the World With Google Earth

Bergers Book Reviews

A History of the World With Google Earth
Author: Penny Worms
Illustrator: William Ings
Publisher: Carlton Books
Genre: History / Children
ISBN: 978-1-78097-113-1
Pages: 32
Price: $9.95

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Google Earth is a useful tool to see various places we’d like to visit. Just plug in the coordinates and zoom in to view the Roman Colosseum, the pyramids of Egypt, and other interesting places. Some locations even include older photos, so we can see what something looked like 50 years ago.

But to imagine the far distant past, illustrations are provided with fun facts to accompany them. Searches in “Where’s Waldo?” style encourage kids to find specific people and objects in the midst of the crowds as they study the scenes.

History can be fun when it’s turned into an interactive experience with puzzles and games. A History of the World with Google Earth would be a great classroom tool to get kids more interested in learning about these fascinating places.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

animals, children

Who’s In the Tree?

Bergers Book Reviews

Who's In the Tree?
Author & Illustrator: Craig Shuttlewood
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1193-7
Pages: 24
Price: $12.95

Author’s website
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Who’s in the tree? A penguin! And an octopus is in the grass, and an elephant in the sky! What’s happening, and how did these animals end up in these unusual situations? In this rhyming lift-the flap book, each scene shows us an out-of-place animal. Kids can try to guess the animal before lifting the flap, based on the description provided.

Life-the-flap books are always great fun, and this one will provide lots of laughs as kids see these animals in all the wrong places. I highly recommend Who’s In the Tree?

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Dinosaur Roar!

Bergers Book Reviews

Dinosaur ColorsTitle: 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.

Dinosaur Numbers
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.

Dinosaur Shapes
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.

Dinosaur Opposites
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

children

Viku and the Ivory Thieves

Bergers Book Reviews

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

Author’s website
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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