Kid's Book Blog

by Tedd Arnold
Grades K-3

Fly Guy and Buzz are back in this outrageously funny adventure told in three simple chapters. Buzz likes to play Hide-and-go-Seek with Fly Guy, his pet fly. Fly Guy usually hides in the trash can but disastor strikes when the trash collecter comes before Buzz can find Fly Guy. Fly Guy is carted off to the dump. When Buzz tries to find him, he is faced with a multitude of flies that look, act, and sound exactly like his pal. And every one of those flies can call his name—Buzz! Fortunately, the one and only Fly Guy thinks they are still playing the game. He has been hanging upside down from the visor of Buzz's cap, as close as any good friend can get.

This is a silly story that boys will like. The squiggly drawn pictures and the bright colors help to tell the story of a boy and his pet fly. The words are large and easy to read. Each pages has a couple of sentences and the great illustrations to hold early reader's attention. There's no mistaking Arnold's hilarious cartoon illustrations, and in this new addition to a popular series, there are plenty of them to enjoy.

by Eileen Spinelli
Grades PreS-2

 On a "cold and slushy" March day, a calico cat searches for a place to have her young. She finally settles into an abandoned building and gives birth to five kittens (a scene that's not pictured in the handsome illustrations). After nursing and resting, she leaves her brood to search for food; on her return, she finds the building in flames. Mother Cat is barely able to rescue her kittens, but she and her little ones recover, and the firemen celebrate her heroics and bravery.

Spinelli's simple, short sentences amplify the action and danger. The story is very exciting and Spinelli does not shy away from describing the danger. Young listeners will be reassured by the story of a parent's fiercely protective unconditional love, and the full-spread, realistic pastels offer an almost tactile sense of the felines and their tender bond.

On the last page, the reader is informed in a concluding note this story is inspired by a true story. There is a picture of a tired and singed cat resting with her cute, little, safe kittens. The cats were taken to the animal shelter and adopted into loving homes. It's a happy ending great for any cat loving child!

by Wong Herbert Yee
Ages 4-8

Mouse and Mole are very excited. Minkus the Magnificent is in town—ONE SHOW ONLY!—and they can’t wait to sit in the front row and see his tricks. After the abracadabras happen, though, something goes a bit wrong—and Mole is very disappointed to discover that magic is sometimes not exactly what it seems. But Mouse shows Mole that sometimes real magic takes time.

Frequent, small frames resembling comic-book cells are sprinkled among the full-page illustrations, pulling the reader forward. Warm nighttime hues make the magic of Mouse's natural world warm and inviting to new readers.

I liked the onomatopoeias! In the story, "He tossed a stone into the pond: PLOP!" And in the picture mole tosses a stone into the pond. In the illustration you can see the PLOP. The artwork nicely reinforces the story's action, the closeness between friends, and shared wonder in nature's magic. It is very well worked together and it's little details like this that makes the book more fun to read.

By Louise Bonnett-Rampersaud
PreSchool-Grade 1

"If you're having a bear over to play,
There are things you should know,
There are things you should say.
I'll tell you the rules--
Numbers one up to ten.
Then have Mom or Dad read them...
Again...and again!"

This cautionary guidebook provides readers with 10 important rules to follow when having a bear over to play. Bears are rambunctious, messy, and wild. The young boy's animal playmate behaves like a 400-pound toddler. This boisterous romp is good for reading aloud but explores no new ground.

The illustrations are full of movement and energy as they spill across the page. The bear's uninhibited strength and great size are conveyed through the illustrations use of perspective. Nearly every scene contains an object in midair and thus a sense of the bear's naivety regarding the rules.

If you like Laura Numeroff's If you give a mouse a cookie...then you will LOVE this one.

by Margery Cuyler
Ages: 4-8

Jessica is a worrier. She worries about everything for her socks matching to doing well in school. But in Mr. Martin's class she has her biggest worry: Brenda Baily. Brenda is a bully, and she won't leave Jessica alone. Brenda teases Jessica about her homework and her skinny legs. It worries Jessica so much that she can't even sleep. Jessica has to stand up to Brenda but she is so worried!Jessica is too afraid to stand up to Brenda until one day at lunch when another girl, Anita, says that Brenda is such a bully. Jessica gathers her strength, "...put her hands on her hips. In a loud voice she said, 'Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win!'" And that was enough to keep Brenda away.

The storyline is realistic and kids will relate to Jessica. The illustrations are fun, cartoon-y caricatures. Kids will see  that Brenda is bad news and that Jessica has a meek personality.

This book is great for the kid who worries. There are some things to worry about, but the illustrations make some of the worries seem comical. Hopefully it will help kids realize that they don't have to worry.

My favorite part is when Jessica fell asleep without any worries. :-)

by Michael Hall
Any Ages

The bold digital collages of zoo animals in this debut picture book are clear and bright, and the simple rhymes about feelings will have preschoolers savoring the words, joining in, and pointing at every playful zoo scene, each featuring one animal per page. Even toddlers will enjoy talking about the scenarios, especially after they see the final spread with the small “zookeeper” asleep in his bed, his beloved animal toys snuggled around him.


This book is so darn cute. My favorite page is the Happy Hippos. You'll have to read it to find out just how cute!

by Wendy Pfeffer
Grades 1–3

This picture book describes the daily of activities occurring in a reef presented. Each sentence is packed with information and is perfect for a budding scientist.

Reds, purples, golds, and black and white pop off the page. A lime green moray eel glides across a spread as it stalks fish in the dark by smell. Why does it ignore a sleeping parrot fish?, the narrative asks. Readers see a muted blue fish on the page next to the eel and learn that it oozes out a filmy body covering that disguises its color and masks its odor while it sleeps.

The illustrations are colorful with mixed textures. Life under the sea is fascinating and the illustrations capture the the alien environment that is the coral reef. Some fish live in harmony, eating the dead skin off other fish. But the reef is not a safe place for all fish. Some fish are prey to sharks, barracudas, or eels. It's a strange existence under the sea, and the illustrations (do what they should!) illustrate the life of a fish who lives there.

The book concludes with two pages of facts about coral reefs, a list of famous reefs, and the current and future threats to these endangered habitats. The endpapers silhouetting the reef animals in shades of blue and black are inviting and haunting at the same time.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in the ocean. Are you going to the beach this summer? Pick up this book and share with the kids what it would be like to be a swimming thing!