Race you to Bed

By: Bob Shea

Reading a bedtime story tends to result in the phrase, "just one more book!" - sound familiar? "Race you to Bed" could possibly the best way to bribe your child to bed, the last sentence reads, "Race you to Sleep!" The adorable fluffy bunny (which seems to be a blog theme of mine) races all over creation to his own bed for a good night sleep. The illustrations are not anything exciting to talk about, but the text is in rhyme with a slight reminiscence of Dr. Seuss. I would recommend this book for little readers who might have a hard time getting to bed. I could see this book quickly becoming a favorite "last book" read of the night.

Ages: 3-5

The Three Little Tamales

By: Erick A. Kimmel
Illustrated by: Valeria Decampo

By the looks of the cover, you probably would not guess that "The Three Little Tamales" was a fractured fairytale. Based on "The Three Little Twigs," with a Texan twist and a Spanish flare, this book tells the survival of three very hot tamales. With many Spanish words throughout the book that help to support the ambiance of the story, "The Three Tamales" ends well as all fairytales do with the tamales surviving because of the strong and prickly cactus they have for a house. The way this book is influenced by Spanish culture allows for students to use the language as a way to support the text and the region of the United States that the book describes. A definite read for a unit on Fractured Fairytales and a great way to explore Spanish with a class.
Ages:K- Grade 3

Earth - Feeling the Heat

By: Brenda Z Guiberson
Illustrated by Chad Wallace

Life cycles become a very exciting topic for young children who are beginning to understand all forms of life and how they continue to reproduce. From the African Savanna deep down in the great Oceans, Guiberson explores the many animals that are affected by global warming. Each open double page features a beautiful illustration that is done in a chalk-like way. The book poses questions to the reader, "Who can help these animals?" The book helps readers to critically look at the way our planet is functioning and the effect that pollution, global warming and other factors has on the many different species that cover the Earth. The beautiful creatures that live on this Earth are slowly beginning to disappear - Who can help? Be sure to look at the Orangutan page - the thunderstorm illustration is absolutely exquisite.
Ages: K-3

The Terrible Plop

Ursula Dubosarsky
Illustrated by: Andrew Joyner
Run! Quick! Here comes the Plop! Although the characters (a cute little bunny and his friends) do not find out that the Plop is only a little splash made by an apple in a nearby lake until the end of the story, the exciting PLOP gets all the forest animals running. Although the story is a little corny and slightly ridiculous, there is a cute rhyming scheme that follows along as the little bunny tells his friends about the great PLOP that is on its way. I did not think that this book had much more than a decent rhyme and found it to be tedious at times to read... I suppose very young readers may like this, but past 1st grade would be a stretch. To be completely honest, I am amazed this was published - I am not too sure where the author was going with this book, but it sure ended in a great FLOP.

Ages: 3-6

First Family

By: Deborah Hopkinson Illustrated by: AG Ford

Why is it that what the things that we do not know about tend to be among the most interesting topics to investigate? "First Family" explains the daily life of President Obama, the First Lady, Michelle and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha. The Pictures are by far the most fascinating - illustrations that capture perfectly the many expressions that the general public has seen the First Family express on Television. Even the dog, Bo gets a page all to himself. It is a great way to begin talking about government with the class, or just to explain how the President goes about his important daily activities. Even as an adult, I found out incredibly interesting facts about what the President does and how the White House functions on a daily basis. A fun read that all children will likely be fascinated by.

Ages: 4-7