Category: children

Author: Roxane Marie Galliez
Illustrator: Sandrine Lhomme
Publisher: Hammond
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0841-671393
Pages: 24
Price: $9.99

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Sometimes sadness strikes from out of the blue, and we’re not really sure why we feel the way we do. Kids feel sad, too, and don’t always know how to handle it.

In Farewell Sadness, Roxane Marie Galliez tells of a boy who feels sad. He works his way through the sadness and feels bigger for having faced it, but he still feels something is missing. That’s when he meets a friend, and they both laugh the sadness away.

Sandrine Lhomme presents sadness as a very large black squiggle that I think kids will easily relate to. How many children have sat down with a pen and paper, frustrated and sad, and scribbled their own black circle?

Facing emotions and learning how to deal with them is a skill even grown-ups haven’t yet mastered. It’s great to see a book that shows kids it’s okay to be blue, but there are ways to cope with it and even laugh at it later. Farewell Sadness would be a great addition to any child’s personal library.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Lisa Tharpe
Illustrator: Ali Bahrampour
Publisher: Blueberry Ink Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9825320-1-0
Pages: 32
Price: $8.95

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Instead of the usual foods and animals corresponding to the letters of the alphabet, this unique children’s book shows us how to act politely. “P” is for please, along with “M” is for manners, “T” is for thank you, and “I” is for I’m sorry.

The animals who act out these concepts have names beginning with the letter for that page. The scene is presented using alliteration, to create an association with that letter’s sound. And Ali Bahrampour’s bright and colorful illustrations show us good manners in action.

I found this book to be fun and clever, but there was one scene that felt out of place in this delightful alphabet book. I would have preferred to see the fox dining on fiddlehead ferns, rather than on the frogs who served him their legs. Seeing a frog on a peg leg carrying his leg bone away from the fox’s table seemed a little too disturbing, but I may be more sensitive than most people.

If you’d like your kids to learn more than their ABCs when reading an alphabet book, P Is For Please would make a worthy addition to your library. And they’ll use “A” in asking for permission to read it over and over again.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Robert Paul Smith
Illustrator: Elinor Goulding Smith
Publisher: Tin House Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9820539-5-9
Pages: 130
Price: $14.95

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Remember the days before TV and video games? Were you outdoors a lot, making things that were fun to play with? Did you split polly-noses to get to the sticky stuff inside, and then put them on your nose? (I did.) Did you make handkerchief parachutes? And did you play mumbly-peg?

Robert Paul Smith remembers the cool things he did as a kid by himself, and he has put them in writing for today’s kids to enjoy. But there is one very important rule — you can’t ask for help when you make these items. They’re to be done entirely by yourself. The only exceptions to this rule are you’re allowed to look things up in the library (it’s encouraged), and you have to ask your mom first before you borrow her sewing supplies. Well, there is another exception – if you want to show a friend, that’s also allowed.

In a conversational style with illustrations, Smith shares these nifty things he did as a kid, the way a dad would share them with his son. Although many of these would strongly appeal to boys, girls may also find them interesting and enjoyable.

Being alone can be lonely at times, but not when you have something fun to do. How to Do Nothing With Nobody All Alone By Yourself provides the ideas to stimulate the imagination, leading to hours of solitary pleasure. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to have some creative fun by himself.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Dana Lurie
Illustrator: Phil Montelone
Publisher: Tomgirlz Enterprises
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9768012-1-4
Pages: 116
Price: $5.95

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In this sixth book in the Tomgirlz series, Mackey and her friends have gone to camp for a week. When they find the camp activity center is closed, they come up with their own plan to make sure all the kids have fun anyway. They always love to make new friends, and when Abbey joins them, they’re thrilled to have her around.

But Abbey is concerned about her weight, and other girls tease and bully her. Tomgirlz won’t stand for anyone being mistreated, so they all stand up for Abbey, making sure she feels welcome at their games.

Bullying is an ongoing and troubling problem kids often face. While it may sometimes seem like harmless teasing, it can leave lasting scars. Abbey’s Turn shows kids that it’s not okay to bully someone because of a perceived defect, and the right thing to do is try to stop it when it happens. The Tomgirlz try to be friends with the bullies, which isn’t always possible, but they make sure Abbey knows they accept her just as she is. And most importantly, Abbey learns to like herself too.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Normandy D. Piccolo
Illustrator: Normandy D. Piccolo & Laurence E. Laufer
Publisher: Normandy’s Bright Ideas
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-615-32843-0
Pages: 30
Price: $10.00

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Every wannabe vampire is inspired by the legends of Count Dracula, and wishes he could be just like him. But in order to be declared a full-fledged vampire, he has to pass at least one of the exams at Sukaurblood Academy.

Poor Hemophobula has several problems. He’s allergic to coffin dust. He’s quite small in stature and has trouble with his oversized cape. And his most embarrassing problem is his tendency to faint at the merest sight of blood. But Hemophobula is determined to pass one course at Sukaurblood – no matter what it takes.

Will Hemophobula pass coffin class, and avoid the dust? Can he learn to say “I vant to sock your blood” correctly? Is it possible to turn himself into a bat? For Hemophobula, these trials prove to be quite the challenge, with very humorous results.

Hemophobula: The Wannabe Vampire is one of the funniest books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It even comes with a finger puppet for children to act out Hemophobula’s misadventures as they read along. Kids will love Hemophobula, and this book is sure to be a big hit at home and even in the classroom. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger