Busy Wheels

Written by Peter Lippman

My April choice for a vintage classic is one that I read to my son, who like many young boys was enamored with anything that had wheels. Published by Random House in 1973, this book would be considered a new kids classic. While not as well known as some of the classic fairytales or animal favorites like Charlotte’s Web, I do believe it had widespread popularity.

Lippman employed everyday scenes witnessed by children living in city or country environments. He wrote with colorful adjectives, alliterative phrases and onomatopoeia. “Early in the morning garbage trucks roll down the street. Cans clatter. Men shout.” Lipmann put into words what children saw and heard everyday. Moms pushing baby carriages, tow trucks, ambulances, fire trucks, trains, tractors, airplanes, mail trucks, ice cream trucks and school buses. Stretching their imagination to the stars, he reminds us that wheels of the moon rover have even gone to the moon and moved moon dust.

My son and I loved to study the illustrations for the hilarious hidden pictures like an alligator on top of the school bus or a dalmatian driving the fire truck. On each reread, something new remained to be discovered. There are limited copies of this book available in hard or soft cover on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Busy-Wheels-Peter-Lippman/dp/0394827066/

Lippman produced these board books for toddlers who love wheel books:

I can’t end this post without mentioning Richard Scary whose books also included transportation favorites:

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Wasted Wood

Written by Brock Eastman

I struggled to decide what rating to give this middle grade novella; I decided to go with four stars because the writing is appropriate for its intended audience. The dialogue is on point for thirteen year old Hudson and his friends. Lots of adjectives and onomatopoeia to keep the story interesting as well as those illustrations of the tree troll.

Hudson is a typical teen; he loves to play video games and test the limits with his parents’ rules. Hudson gets grounded when he comes home late because he took a short cut and trespassed on Mr. Gilbert’s property nearly falling off the bridge in the process. Of course that wasn’t the whole story, Mr. Gilbert had called his parents catching Hudson in a lie. Hudson doesn’t take long to decide to sneak out and join his friends for their camp out.

Orin, the neighborhood bully and his friends, come across Hudson with his friends in the woods. They dare them to trespass on Mr. Gilbert’s property to prove that they are not afraid of the legend that a Tree Troll exists. When they take the dare; the real adventure begins. Soon the Dark Demon appears. Is the legend real? All the teens including the bullies must struggle to survive. What will happen to the boys? Will their parents and Mr. Gilbert find out?

Lots of adventure, danger, paranormal and coming of age issues combine to make the novella appealing to the middle grade audience. Despite the fact that there is lots of passive voice and the writing style could be sharper, this is a tale well worth reading for the eight to twelve year old target audience. The author has developed a set of discussion questions for each chapter, which makes the book a good choice for a classroom read aloud and discussion.

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The Mermaid Tales: Celia’s Best Friends

Written by Chloe Sanders

Celia is a friendly mermaid who enjoys splashing in the water, while she plays and sings with her friends. She lives in the City of Pearl. Celia has lots of ocean friends like Ophelia the Octopus and Billy the Fish. While playing hide and seek with Billy, they come across Squatina the Shark bullying a white clownfish. Celia, who wants to be friends with everyone, devises a strategy to outsmart the shark and teach her a lesson. Squatina learns the real reasons behind her bullying, and finds ways to be a friend instead.

This early chapter book contains approximately thirty-six pages with a few color illustrations of the characters in action to move the plot along. Early readers learn some valuable life lessons while reading. Short enough to be a bedtime story. I read the kindle version. My rating would be higher if not for the numerous errors in formatting; words run into each other with no spacing. I did not read the paperback edition and cannot say whether the errors are present in that edition. It is a bit difficult to read, particularly for independent readers who have reading or learning disabilities.

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The Apollo Program: The History and Legacy of America’s Most Famous Space Missions

Written by Charles River Editors

I have read several historical collections by Charles River Editors and have found them informative and useful, particularly for younger audiences. In my opinion, this one was a bit disappointing.

The book is jammed packed with information about every aspect of the Apollo Program focusing mostly on the Apollo I disaster, Apollo 11 and Apollo 13. But that strength is also its weakness. In many sections of the book, one feels as if she is reading a textbook. In an effort to present an accurate picture, the reader becomes lost in a sea of technical information.

The biographical sketches of the astronauts proved interesting as well as the tie in with the Cold War and the space race with the Soviets. The discussion of how NASA decided on spacecraft design and the team effort of government and private sectors is interesting for any reader. Most of the Charles River Editions are geared toward middle grade and young adult readers, but I think this one will turn most of that audience away. The diagrams and photos are an asset, but most readers will lose interest in the myriad of details. If the book had been written more as a story and less as a cut and paste collection of facts, it would merit a higher rating. The graphic detail of the Apollo I accident is too overwhelming for readers under age ten. Recommended especially for readers who have a definite interest in space science.

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Jacob’s Secret (A Book For Kids)

Written by Emily McLeod

Book of less than thirty pages based on a fable. A small village has a secret, which Old Mathew confides to his grandson, Jacob. Mathew has been entrusted with a magic well in backyard. As long as the water taken from it is used wisely, it will multiply again and again. If bad people take water out and waste it, it will empty and the village will run out of water. Seven year old Jacob promises to keep the secret, but when the water in the village river appears to be drying up, Jacob volunteers the information that he knows the whereabouts of a magic well. Jacob is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Will the town drain the well and make their problem worse or will Jacob find a solution to his dilemma?

The ending is a surprise; it poses more questions than it answers. The illustrations in the story are colorful with very graphic facial expressions. They will assist beginning readers with the text. The size of the font also favors early independent readers. Though the book is targeted for nine to twelve year old readers, the length of the story suggests it to be more suitable for readers in the seven to ten age category.

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Hieroghyph (TC’S ADVENTURES BOOK 1)

Written by WJ Scott

Illustrated by John Helle-Nielsen

I will be honest in saying that this book was different from what I expected. The cover is a bit of a mystery and the table of contents lists numbers only with no word clues. Once into the book, the reader is quickly drawn into the narrative. Thirteen year old TC is sitting in the Vice-Principal’s office trying to explain how she knew where a stolen ring could be found. TC lives with her Aunt Letty in New Zealand since her archaeologist parents were killed in a cave in. Aunt Letty is off on an environmental expedition, and TC will be going off to spend a weekend with her uncle in Australia.

Here is where the book takes a dramatic departure. The reader learns that TC has a special gift. She is able to time travel and connect with past history when she touches hieroglyphs. Her uncle Max is trying to get funding for an archaeological expedition to prove that ancient Egyptians traveled to Australia in search of gold.

I will not reveal details of the plot, but Scott seamlessly takes the reader back and forth as TC alternately explores the shipwreck and explorations of Prince Setka and Prince Kanefer in ancient times and back into the present with TC, her Uncle Max, her friends and enemies who seek to undo their discoveries. Characters are well developed and the narrative carefully written to make the plot believable. TC is a strong-willed female who faces modern problems and crises, while longing to solve the mysteries of the past.

Targeted for readers nine and older, the book will appeal to younger and older audiences. Promises to be a good series for lovers of ancient Egypt, adventure, mystery and intriguing characters.

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Easter is Cancelled

Written and Illustrated by Sally Huss

Sally Huss never seems to run out of ideas to inspire our youngest readers to think about what is really important. Eastertime is coming up soon, but it seems this year will be very different. While the other animals are already working hard, the star of the show is not! The pigs have been gathering grass, the dogs are mixing chocolate, the chickens are laying eggs, and the cats are dyeing the eggs. To their dismay, they find the Easter Bunny relaxing in a hammock, with a sign nearby that says he is cancelling Easter this year. Why? No one ever thanks him. The wise old owl comes to the rescue by giving the animals his advice. He suggests that the animals find a child to make the Easter Bunny feel more important. What is that message and will the animals succeed in finding the right child to give him that message? Exactly what does the Easter Bunny need to hear to change his mind and rescue Easter for all?

Like most of this series, the book is targeted for children ages two through eight. This one is probably more geared to preschoolers. Bright, happy illustrations and a simple message will warm the hearts of young readers and the parents or teachers who are reading it aloud.

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The Mardi Gras Chase (True Girls Book 1)

Written by Maggie M. Larche

Fast moving middle grade mystery adventure involving three friends, Melanie, Kate, and Faye. While attending one of the mardi gras parades in Mobile, Alabama, the girls notice that some of the letters on the floats are upside down. They copy the letters R.C.E.N.R.A.P. In addition, the strange letters appear only on the high and “poufy” floats. These friends do some internet research, discovering that Mr. Simmingham is their designer. The girls visit the museum to investigate the floats stored from the parade they had missed and vow to attend the rest of the parades during the week to continue the investigation. But the friends must attend a history presentation on Saturday, so they enlist Matt to collect the information. The plot thickens when Matt is arrested; the girls are relieved to find he had already succeeded in his mission. They are unsuccessful in cracking the code until they receive help from an unlikely source. A visit to the cemetery leads to another hair raising adventure and unexpected rewards.

Targeted for a middle grade audience of eight to twelve year olds, the plot moves along quickly. There is probably a bit too much dialogue, but that is appropriate for this age group. Strong female role models, strong family relationships, a tinge of scariness and mystery, plus the unusual Mobile mardi gras setting, set it apart from the typical middle grade adventure tale. First book in a series that will succeed if the characters continue to grow and evolve.

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Mindfulness for Children: The Natural Way to Cure ADHD, Improve Focus and Schoolwork, and Have a Happy and Healthy Child

Written by Tony Robson

This title is a mouthful; it seems like a magic formula. The author promises to explain the technique without a lot of extra boring information, and the book is less than thirty pages. He focuses on strategies that can be especially helpful for parents of children and teens who struggle with ADHD.

Robson begins with the definition of mindfulness which is meditation based on accepting and focusing on emotions and thoughts that are occurring in a person’s present moment in time. He lists the benefits of practicing mindfulness: better sleep and health, less stress, improved schoolwork, and keeping emotions in check. Next, he briefly explains how to determine when and where to meditate, how to influence your child and how to do the meditation. Robson suggests making it active, perhaps a superhero walk for a young child or a pretend driving lesson for teens. The parent must keep the child away from distractions, and search for what things worry the child. It is important to learn how to choose battles and when to respond. This will allow a child to better control emotional outbursts. Finally, teach children to be grateful so they remember the good things rather than the bad.

While these suggestions are helpful, parents need to understand that they must be able to meditate and stay in control if this technique is to be successful with their child. Robson refers them to another of his works for more detailed information. Anyone who is serious about learning and using this technique should know that this book is probably not sufficient for mastery of the technique. Certainly recommended to parents and teachers of ADHD children who are interested in finding non medical alternatives for their children

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The Little Prince

Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Translated by Katherine Woods

I first read this book as a college student in the original French, Le Petit Prince. Widely translated into 250 languages, the book has traveled around the globe like its protagonist. You might ask why this is my favorite’s children’s book as I did not read it as a child. My answer is that I love the wonder in the prince’s eyes and the wisdom that comes from his mouth. I read the book in the original 1943 edition, which unfortunately is no longer widely available. Woods’ translation is smooth and the watercolors beautifully done. Some critics are not as happy with recent editions.

The plot is at once complicated and simple. A pilot who has crash landed in the Sahara desert meets a young prince who has fallen to Earth from an asteroid. The little prince muses about his wanderings throughout the galaxy and his philosophy on the universe. On a deeper level, the novella is an allegory pondering the human condition. Our little prince expresses his dismay about grown-ups. “Grown-ups never seem to understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.” Out of the mouths of babes, one might say.

The author first flew an airplane at the age of twelve. Born at the turn of the century in 1900, Antoine actually did crash into the Sahara desert in 1935, while attempting to break an aviation speed record flying from Paris to Saigon. He fled to the United States during World War II, but went back to join the Free French Air Force. He disappeared while flying a mission over the Mediterranean on July 31, 1944. Antoine became a national French hero, highly respected as an aviator and writer.

I would recommend this book to children and their parents. It can be enjoyed on so many age levels, and the embedded layers of meaning enrich young and old minds regardless of age. Fantastic as a read aloud and group discussion. This is one book that cannot be read too many times.

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