Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School

Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School 

by Kate Messner; illus. by Heather Ross 

56 pages; ages 5-8

Candlewick, 2021

If you have not read any Fergus and Zeke books, then go get a couple. They are fun, fun, fun! This is the newest in the series, book #4 and it deals with math. In particular, the number 100.

For students in elementary school, 100 is a benchmark: the number of days you have been in school. Celebrated with snacks and parades and the creation of collections of 100 things. Zeke and Fergus, the class mice, want to participate in the excitement. Maybe they could run 100 miles on the mousewheel in the cage. It only takes a few minutes to figure that 100 miles is Too Long. 

Maybe they should take a nap. It doesn't take any time at all to figure out that 100 seconds is Too Short. Maybe they could collect something... but 100 rocks are Too Heavy. And sometimes they begin counting or collecting only to discover that a box labeled "100" doesn't have 100 things in it! What's a mouse to do? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publishers.

A Tale of Two Audreys

 

Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish

by Carter Higgins; illus. by Jennifer K. Mann 

184 pages; ages 6-9

Chronicle Books, 2021

It’s always fun to dive into the first book in a new chapter book series. And after hearing about Audrey L. and Audrey W, I could not wait! 

It’s the beginning of the school year, and Audrey is super-duper-duper sure that second grade will be twice as fun as first. Plus they get to put on a play – with costumes and everything! But second grade isn’t turning out to be so great after all. Sure, there are all kinds of new things to learn and do, but the teacher stuck Mimi’s artwork at the top of the filing cabinet, and Audrey’s is stuck somewhere in the middle. And Diego, who was Audrey’s first friend in first grade won’t even tell her any jokes.

And to top it off, Audrey isn’t even the only Audrey in class. There’s a new Audrey, so now Audrey has to go by Audrey L. and the new girl by Audrey W.

Maybe, though… just maybe they could become best friends?

What I like about this book: I love that Audrey W.’s reputation precedes her: she’s eaten crickets! And I like how Audrey L. tries to welcome the new Audrey, and befriend her … and make friendship mistakes. Fortunately, second grade friendship mistakes can sometimes be put to rights – if one makes the effort. I also like how Ms. Fincastle refers to her students as her “little chickens” and I love her list of classroom jobs: plant waterer, recycling boss, welcome ambassador, and my fave, paper passer-outer. 

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

How to Build a Kitten Caboodle (maybe)

 

Clara Humble and the Kitten Caboodle 
by Anna Humphrey; illus. by Lisa Cinar 
232 pages; ages 8-12
Owlkids, 2020 (paperback; originally published 2018)

Clara and Bradley are best friends. They liked the same things (creamsicles and comic books) and went on adventures together. “But things took a turn for the worse when we began building the Kitten Caboodle…” she reflects.

To be honest, things had been changing. Bradley took up a new hobby (treasure hunting) and developed a friendship with another guy from treasure hunter camp. Still, Clara expected him to be just as excited as she was about their new project. She had discovered a lovely, and very pregnant, stray cat. In addition to food and water, the cat and her kittens needed shelter.

There was only one problem. Okay, there were a bunch of problems. But here’s the big one: the cat and kittens had taken up digs beneath a bench in the overgrown churchyard. And Clara wanted to build them a Kitten Caboodle – she had heard her dad talk about kitten caboodles. And she borrowed (without permission) tools and boards from her dad. And a construction company is getting ready to demolish the church to build new apartments.

Can Clara and Bradley keep the cats secret? Will Clara’s internet cat video raise enough money to save the day? Who does the mama cat belong to? And what the heck is a kitten caboodle anyway?

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Want a Pet? Invent one!

Invent-a-Pet
by Vicky Fang; illus. by Tidawan Thaipinnarong
32 pages; ages 3 - 7
Sterling Children's Books, 2020

Invent-a-Pet won’t be released until June, but I wanted to share it before it got buried in the book basket.

theme: problem-solving, STEAM, pets

Katie was an ordinary girl who longed for an extraordinary pet.

Goldfish are too common. Katie wants something unique. Spectacular! So when a machine shows up at her home, Katie tries it out. There are three openings for feeding things into the machine, conveniently labeled “input”. And there’s a lever to pull. So Katie puts in a soccer ball, a blade of grass, and a carrot just to try it out. Then she pulls the lever and out pops a green, round bunny. Aha! she thinks. Now she can make the perfect pet.

What I like about this book: I like that Katie tries to create the perfect pet. She puts in things that she thinks will create a dragon – but other creatures come out. “How does this thing even work?” she asks. I like how Katie uses deductive reasoning to figure out how each input controls a specific variable: size, color, animal. I like how she changes one variable at a time on the machine and keeps notes until she figures out how the machine works. And I like seeing her final “equation” (or set of inputs) for the perfect pet.

I managed to catch up with Vicky by email for One Question:

Sally: What ingredients would YOU put into the Invent-a-Pet machine - and what would your unique pet look like?

Vicky: Ah, I love this question! And surprised I hadn’t thought of an answer before!
A football. A striped grey sock. A ball of yarn.
PUFF! A small, striped, grey kitten!
(Really, I've never had a kitten and I'd like one. And I think they're perfectly extraordinary just the way they are.)

Beyond the Books:

What, for you, makes an animal the “perfect” pet? Draw a picture of your perfect animal companion.

Design a machine to create the perfect pet. Raid the recycling bin and try building a model of your machine. Then write down a list of potential features of pets (size, color, habitat, diet, kind of animal) and then determine what three variables (inputs) to add to your machine.

Vicky is a member of #STEAMTeam2020. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

How to Care for your T-Rex

How to Care for Your T-Rex
Ken Baker; illustrations by Dave Coverly
36 Pages, Ages 4-8
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2019

themes: pets, love, humor

When you take good care of your T-Rex, your T-Rex will take good care of you.

Like any other pet, a T-Rex requires the right sort of care and feeding. Exercise is an important part of their daily routine, because they sure do eat a lot – 300 pound of meat a day! From rise-and-shine to brushing teeth and goodnight stories, this book gives handy tips on caring for your reptilian companion.

What I like about this book: I love the cartoony art – it is so fun. And I love the speech balloons that add dialog without all that bothersome “he said, she said.” But most of all, I like the situations that T-Rex and his boy find themselves in. Like trying to teach T-Rex a few simple tricks that any dog worth its salt knows. Sit. Shake. Roll over. And other stuff you should teach it, like manners. And some things you simply can’t teach it, like how to rescue a cat from a tree.

But you know what I really like? I’ll wait while you take a guess…
I really like that it has Back Matter: a bunch of T-Rex facts that will delight any kid and surprise parents who haven’t kept up on dinosaur research.

Beyond the Book:

Can you run as fast as a T-Rex? Figure out how fast you can run. Then convert it into miles per hour. A T-Rex can run 12 miles per hour. Can you keep up?

Check out the trailer for the book here.

What do you think a baby T-Rex looked like? Draw a picture. Then check out this video from the American Museum of Natural History.
 
We're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It's a weekly event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review ARC provided by the publisher.

How to Walk an Ant

How to Walk an Ant
by Cindy Derby
40 Pages; ages 4-8
Roaring Brook Press, 2019

theme: imagination, bugs

My name is Amariyah, and I am an Expert Walker.

As in, she walks things. But not dogs. Not goldfish either. Amariyah walks ants – and she’s going to share her top tips so you, too, could walk ants for fun and profit!

What I like love about this book: I appreciate the matter-of-fact approach Amariyah uses. Step one, find an ant. Step two, politely introduce yourself. I see that this is where I have gone all wrong. Not once in my entire life have I properly (and with best manners) introduced myself to an ant.

I like the footnotes – yes, you most certainly can have footnotes in a picture book!

I like that Amariyah carefully explains how to secure a leash so as to not harm the ant. Not around the antennae, but between the thorax and the head. Not sure where that is? No problem – Appendix 2 illustrates ant anatomy. Yes, you most certainly can include appendices in a picture book!

I love that Amariyah calculates estimated ant travel times and touches on the potential problems of entanglement when walking multiple ants. It’s like herding cats, only with more legs.

But what I really love is that Amariyah encounters another insect walker, and after a tragic accident (resulting in bug burials) they start a joint venture. And yes! there is Back Matter.

Beyond the Book:

Go on an Ant Walk - with no strings attached. Just find some ants and follow them. You might want to draw a picture of what your ants look like (what color they are, how many legs, whether they have big heads with scary jaws). Definitely make a map to show where your ant goes. 

 

How many kinds of Ants live in your neighborhood? Here's an ant chart to help you out.

Make up a song for walking ants (or any other animal)... 

More ant activities here!

We're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It's a weekly event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review ARC provided by the publisher.

Cats & Dogs in Space

Two new books from Boyds Mills Press celebrate imagination with tales of cats and dogs in space. Not real space, and not real rockets - but the kind that kids can relate to.

themes: space, imagination, pets

Space Boy and his Sister Dog
by Dian Curtis Regan; illus by Robert Neubecker
32 pages; ages 3-7

"Niko lives on Planet Home with his dog, Tag, and his copilot, Radar."

He has his very own spaceship, a delightful construction of boxes, old tires, and a flower pot and every day he heads out on missions. One day he finds a flyer for a lost cat. Niko believes the cat is lost on the moon (did I say he is imaginative?) - and so they blast off.

But after landing, they discover a stowaway. His sister. She is NOT supposed to be there.

Does Niko find Mrs. Jarabaldi's cat? Does he really abandon his sister on the moon? And, more importantly, will they all make it back home in time for dinner?

Meanwhile, across town (or in some other state)...another pet of a different stripe gets into trouble her own adventure in....

No, No, Kitten
by Shelley Moore Thomas; illus by Lori Nichols
40 pages, ages 3-7

"Kitten wants a basket. Kitten wants a pillow. Kitten wants a blanket. Kitten wants..."

With a first page like that, you just know that whatever Kitten wants, it's going to end up being trouble. And when Kitten turns the fishbowl into a space helmet, you know you've got an out-of-this world adventure. But first, Kitten needs a spaceship. And a copilot (the puppy).

When they return from space, things settle down until Puppy wants.... a bowl, some kibble, a bone. Wait! What kind of bone is that! (oh no!) 

What I like about these books: They are fun to read. Niko doesn't really land on the moon, and Kitten doesn't really blast off in a shoebox spaceship. But they could - if you let your imagination run wild. And there's the fun. What could you do if you allow your imagination to run wild? And would it involve cats, dogs, siblings? 

Beyond the book: 

Build your own spaceship using things you find around the house. It could be small (like a shoebox or empty soda bottle) or large (like a refrigerator box or the space underneath the kitchen table). Don't forget a control panel. 

Dress like an astronaut. Make a helmet out of a plastic gallon milk jug, paper bag, or box covered with foil. Turn two large soda bottles into an oxygen tank and you're ready to blast off. 

Make some paper rockets that flutter in the wind. Instructions here. 

Make some glittery galaxy play dough. Instructions here. 

Build your own Space Mission with help from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab - choose the kind of mission you want to go on, create a rover, and blast off. Interactive game here.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copies from the publisher.

I'm My Own Dog

I'm My Own Dog
by David Ezra Stein
32 pages; ages 4-8
Candlewick Press, 2014

"I'm my own dog. Nobody owns me. I own myself."

theme: friendship; pets

This is one independent dog. He works all day (like a dog) and when he gets home he fetches his own slippers. He can roll over, play fetch, and take himself for walks. He can even give himself a good scratch...
... except for one spot in the middle of his back that he just can't reach. So when he finds a person to scratch that spot, he adopts the guy. Then he teaches his human all the things a human should know, including how to play fetch.

What I like about this book: I love the point-of-view. And that a dog can teach an old guy new tricks. And the snide comments about human behavior (we're yappy, and messy). But most of all that friendship is a two-way street and based on trust and love.

Beyond the Book: There are hundreds of breeds of dogs. What sort of dogs live in your neighborhood? Our neighbors have a pug whose heart is as big as a lion - and who sometimes thinks he is as big as a lion! He lives with three other dogs and six cats on a farm.

Dogs have great noses - and can sniff out more smells than we can. Here's a short article about their sense of smell. Some dogs put their sniffers to use by serving in the military. Here's an article- and photos - of "dogs of war".

There's no PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) today - but on Jan. 9 we'll catch up over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by publisher.

How to Train a Train

How to Train a Train
by Jason Carter Eaton; illus. by John Rocco
40 pages; ages 4-8
Candlewick, 2013

theme: pets, imagination

"So you want a pet train? ... Trains make awesome pets - they're fun, playful, and extremely useful." And this book has everything you need to know to choose - and train - the right train for you.

What I like love about this book: It's silly fun, and serious at the same time. If you've ever had a pet, or if you're looking for a pet, then you've already heard the words of advice on choosing the "right" pet. Author Jason Eaton shows the many considerations that go into selecting the perfect train, going so far as to suggest making the call of the wild train:

chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga!

There are suggestions for names for your new pet, advice on bathing it and helping it settle into its new home, and tips on taking it for a walk. There are also some cautions, such as training it to wipe its wheels before running through the kitchen. And there's a must-read note for readers at the back for those wondering about paperwork and the application of local pet ordinances.

Beyond the book: Build a train. All you need are some boxes and glue and markers and maybe a few paper plates. Need ideas? Check here.

Go train-watching. If you have tracks, and a regular train that goes by, go watch it. Count how many engines are pulling, and how many cars it has. Note what kind of cars it's pulling: containers, oil, flatbeds, coal... If there's a train station nearby, even better - you can observe many trains. 

Where do trains go? Check out the route schedules and maps at Amtrak. Learn how to read a timetable. Map tracks around your town.

Hike an abandoned route. Many towns are turning old rails into trails. Take a walk or ride a bike down a rail-trail to get a feel for where the old trains used to go.

If trains are out of the question, adopt a pet rock. Not everyone can adopt a train for a pet. Try something else: a car, a roller skate - even a rock. Hundreds of perfectly-behaved rocks go homeless each year. The advantage of a rock over a train is that they are smaller (some can fit in your pocket) and you can teach them tricks, like "sit" and "stay". You can even decorate them and teach them to fly through the air. 

Today's review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.

Dino Week - If I Had a Raptor

If I Had a Raptor
by George O'Connor
32 pages; ages 3-7
Candlewick Press, 2014

 This book will engage you from the minute you open the cover... where you see a young girl gazing into a box labeled "Free Raptors". Who hasn't walked by a box of free (fill in the blank) and wanted to take one home?

Theme: friendship, pets

"If I had a raptor, I'd want to get her as a baby, when she's all teensy and tiny and funny and fluffy." The illustrations make you just want to go "awww-www" and look for something cuddly to scratch behind the ears.

What I like about this book: As the girl explains what she'll do with her pet raptor, it grows larger and larger. We learn that raptors like to bask in the sun and snuggle in the clean laundry. They sleep all day long and can be picky about their food. They like to pounce on things, too.

I also love the expressions George O'Connor gives the raptor - especially the "who me?" look some of us cat-owners know all too well.

Beyond the book:  Unfortunately, O'Connor doesn't get into the downside of pet ownership. The pooper-scoopers and clawed furniture.... Which leaves lots of room for imagination.

Write a guide for how to raise your favorite dinosaur. In addition to the cute and cuddly things, add important info about the kind of kibble you need to feed it, how to brush its teeth, and best strategies for keeping it from leaping onto the table (or begging for food scraps during meals).

Head over to Archimedes Notebook today to learn more about dinosaurs and find some other activities. Today's review is also part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.