Last Week's Library Loot and Reviews

Salmon Creek by Annette LeBox, illustrated by Karen Reczuch

This is a great resource for a science lesson about salmon.  It tells the story of a salmon from the egg stage right to the time she lays her own eggs. The last pages are a double layout of information and pictures of the Life Cycle of a Salmon.  This really is a great learning resource.  The illustrations are excellent!  This was a little above Anna right now but I can see us coming back to it again in the future.

The Littlest Sled Dog by Michael Kusugak, illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka (Canadian author and illustrator)

A very cute story about a little dog that dreams big dreams.  Anna and I simply read and enjoyed the book but I see us coming back to it again in the future.  It would make a great addition to a study of dogs as there are a number of different kinds of dogs mentioned in the book.  There are also a lot of different places mentioned in the book and next time around I see us taking advantage of that and sneaking in some social studies as we look for the places on maps and in atlases.  

The End by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Richard Egielski

This is a very different story.  It tells the story backwards!  There are few words per page and the illustrations are great.  I will definitely come back to this again for a literature study about fairy tales. While writing this review I checked out the author's website and discovered some great resources.  There is a Teaching Guide for his book The End.  In his own words it will "build on the learning opportunities found within The End?". On the page there are links to PDF's which further the ideas.  They are really worth checking out.

Nana's Quilt by Lori Lane and Kathy Winsor, photography by Jim Costello (Newfoundland authors and illustrator)

A cute story about a little girl that spends the summer with her Nana. They explore St. John's together and also work together on quilt blocks about their explorations.  There is a lot of extra learning that could happen inspired by this book - a study of places in St. John's, a study about quilting, etc.  It is written like a journal with each section starting with the day and date, so it could also be used to introduce the idea of journaling.  I did, however, think that there were too many words, at least for Anna at this age.  I can, however, see us using this book again in the future.

While We Were Out by Ho Baek Lee

A cute story about a rabbit that invades a house when the owners are out.  Just a couple of sentences per page.  Great illustrations.  We enjoyed the book.

The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Ewetopia had trouble fitting in with all the other sheep, until she saved the day by dressing up in wolf's clothing.  Cute story.

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, drawings by Robert Lawson

This is an old book and when we went to read it we discovered that it was missing at least one, if not more, pages from the beginning.  That made for not a great beginning with the book.  Anna wasn't terribly interested in the book. The book could be used in a social studies unit about cultural sporting events such as bull fighting, but it is highly unlikely that I will read it again.

Care Bears Special Delivery by Quinlan B. Lee, illustrated by Jay Johnson

I know it's sad, but I used to love the Care Bears. This would be a good book for Valentine's Day.  Love-a-Lot Bear and Tenderheart Bear deliver special hearts to all the other Care Bears.  Anna enjoyed the bright colored illustrations.

Benjamin - My Mum is Special by Stefanie Lazai, illustrated by Stephan Pohl

Great story to help children, and even adults, understand the struggles people with MS have. Told from the point of view of a little boy who watches his mother struggle. It was a little above Anna's head but I could see it being great for kids that are a little older.  The whole book is available as a PDF file.

Bella and the Bunny by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Kate Endle (Canadian Author)

A cute story about a little girl and her adventures with the bunny at her preschool.  We enjoyed it. 

Daisy is a Mommy by Lisa Kopper

We read this book earlier this year and enjoyed it. There are just a few words per page and some repeated phrases so it is a great book for shared reading.  It's about a dog and her puppies, who live in a house with a Mom and her baby.

A Rose For Pinkerton by Steven Kellogg

A very cute story about a dog that wants a playmate but all kinds of havoc results when her owner gets her a kitten to play with.  The story is told using few words and detailed illustrations.  We really enjoyed it.

Omar On Board by Maryann Kovalski (Canadian author and illustrator)

Omar the bear is afraid to dive off the high dive board, until he is distracted and forgets about his fear.  A cute story.  Great illustrations.

Zelda And Ivy The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

This is a very short three chapter book with a total of 42 pages.  Zelda and Ivy are sister foxes,  The first chapter tells about a time they ran away,  the second about a time they made a time capsule, and the third about a time the used a secret concoction.  Anna enjoyed the stories. 

Bears by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

This book is actually a poem with just 27 words.  I was a little disappointed that the words were in writing font  because that made it harder for Anna to try to read on her own, but on the other hand it gave me a chance to introduce her to how some letters look in writing font.

So, What's It Like To Be a Cat? by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

A cute book where a little boy interviews a cat about what it's like to be a cat.  Cat lovers would definitely like it.  A good book to use in a unit about conducting interviews.

Rocksy written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski (Canadian author and illustrator)

Roxanne was a clumsy girl that made a wish and turned into Rocksy, a girl made of stone.  Cute story.