This book contains vibrant illustrations with colorful, diverse characters who invite young readers to bring their imaginations and dreams to the library.
Every time a visitor opens the door, they unlock thousands of possibilities to experience new adventures and initiate new friendships. They enter a world that enriches their brains and stretches their minds to new vistas and opportunities.
The rhymes are clever. This book entices the reader to return over and over. Especially appealing for ages three to seven.
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The Fish and his Puffy Temper – A Marine Life Story Book for Kids (Waves and Tales 3)
Written by Barbara Pinke
Illustrated by Alvin Adhi
Puffy is a fish who has difficulty containing his anger. He desperately wants to make friends and play but his anger keeps getting in the way.
Puffy meets a seahorse who wants to help but over and over Puffy fails to control his temper. Then he meets a crab and shark who also teach him techniques. Finally his mother gives Puffy something to remind him of the three ways he has to squash his anger. Can Puffy succeed in his quest to stop his anger and make friends?
This book provides three practical and simple techniques to control temper. Even preschoolers can learn them. The book is recommended to parents, teachers, and counselors for children ages three through seven.
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Adventures of a Pangopup (Endangered and Misunderstood Animals (Book 2)
Written by Terri Tatchell
Illustrated by Ivan Sulima
A charming picture book written in rhyme that teaches readers to heed their mother’s advice, while also educating them about endangered animals.
The book is part of a series about endangered animals. In this one readers learn about the pangalong and the dik-dik deer. When Pangopup decides to sneak away from his mom, he meets the deer who persuades him to go on an adventure. Will the two new friends survive?
The soft colors and exquisite rhymes teach without being preachy. Preschoolers and primary grade readers will delight in reading the book over and over. Lots of bonuses include drawing activities and information about these two unique animals.
Highly recommended for both home and school libraries.
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S Is For Swords: And So Are All The Other Letters (The Amazing World of Swords)
Written by Luke Ralliston
What a unique and fascinating book!
The author has managed to find a sword that begins with every letter of the alphabet. In addition, Rawlings lists the advantages and disadvantages of each with wry, sarcaster humor. The illustrations are amazing!
Readers learn letters of the alphabet along with the history and culture of each sword. A must for sword fans of any age. This book can be appreciated by a reader of any age who has an interest in swords.
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Publisher’s Book Summary: Alex, Kali, and Roman are three fifteen-year-old friends who live in a small town. Alex is a great communicator, Roman is a bit of an inventor, and Kali is an intuitive empath. It’s summertime, and an adventure is triggered when they find themselves in the middle of a protest outside the local library by people who want to ban certain books. During the protest, people are focused on what they believe to be their Constitutional rights, causing the three teenagers to realize how little they know about the Constitution.
In their search for answers, they discover a book with magical properties, which becomes a catalyst in helping them discover what the Constitution is really all about.
Join the teenagers as this mysterious book enables them to travel through time and space—bringing to life historical figures like Ben Franklin, Wyatt Earp, Alice Paul, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and many more. Each of these historical figures will teach them about the original Constitution and its amendments. Through the eyes of these three teenagers, you’ll be able to explore what it was like when the original Constitution was signed. You’ll even travel to other countries, like Russia, where you’ll meet Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in a field within the Gulag where he was imprisoned.
The Constitution, by itself, can be a difficult document to read, but The Constitution Kids will bring it to life with unusual experiences, humor, and fun, no matter your age.
Gary J. Gabel, Ed.D., has spoken to groups throughout the United States on the subjects of personal takeover, accountability, and leadership. He has personally trained thousands of people, primarily in the areas of leadership, management, motivating performance, presentation effectiveness, sales, and customer service. He has worked with over 200 CEOs, helping them build high-performing teams.
Gary has written several books, including Day One, which was jointly authored with Tom Buck and published in 2020. Gary’s other book, Personal Takeover, was published in the United States by Career Press in 2003. It was translated into Korean in 2004, with an Arabic translation in 2005. The second edition of Personal Takeover was released in October 2019.
Gary was the 2001 Entrepreneur of the Year for Service Companies in Michigan. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics and a doctorate in Education. He formerly served as Chair of the National Council on Education and Human Development at The George Washington University. His current memberships include the Oakland Schools Education Foundation Board of Trustees and Mensa.
Gary’s presentations at TEDxDetroit and others can be viewed on YouTube. Gary lives with his wife, Lisa, in Michigan, and they have two children and three grandchildren.
MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK:
THE CONSTITUTION IS ALIVE AND WELL The Constitution Kids Written by Gary Gabel
The author correctly points out that the subject of the Constitution rarely comes up in modern schools. Gabel decides to remedy that problem by incorporating its story within the pages of a time travel adventure containing three unlikely friends. Kali, Alex, and Roman who display unique interests and talents. Kali is an empath, Roman a science and tech prodigy, and Alex, an excellent communicator.
On a summer day, the three fifteen-year-old friends encounter a protest demonstration and demonstrators claiming the right to gather under the Constitution. Curious, the friends decide to research the Constitution in the library. When they find and open an old book, they meet Ben Franklin who initiates a time travel journey on which they investigate the Constitution, and the Amendments added to it.
During this journey, the teens meet famous people like Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and Wyatt Earp. In addition, they journey back and forward in time to colonial times, visit slaves, a gulag, and Nazi Germany, among other places. The threesome experience how the Constitution works and the reasons why for each amendment.
Gabel details the characters as relatable and integrates the past and present seamlessly. Modern readers learn not only what the Constitution contains but why it evolved and how it works.
This book is a wonderful tool to teach civics and responsibility. I recommend it for the bookshelves of middle-grade and high school readers.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win one of ten copies of The Constitution Kids. Enter below to bring this magical journey home!
The Traveling Book Goes to School: A Little Free Library Book
Written by Charissa Bates
Illustrated by Nadja Bullis
Personally, I love little free libraries and was delighted to find this book!
Twisty is one of the books included in one of these new libraries. The house is unveiled at a local school. Soon the children are choosing books. One of these, named Twisty, gets its pages torn by a careless student. Twisty is afraid of not being chosen.
But soon Twisty is making the rounds of eager readers. Still, the book remains apprehensive of chances to continue his travels. Where will Twisty end up?
This book conveys many valuable messages. Each person is important just as each book contains valuable ideas. It teaches children this message as well as the need to take care of our belongings. The book also shows how teachers carefully transmit knowledge through these shared books.
I hope readers will take advantage of little free libraries in their communities and encourage our children to do the same.
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TAKE READING ON THE ROAD. Bring books on a picnic, to the park, visits to friends, and appointments.
SET AN EXAMPLE BY SHOWING YOUR CHILDREN THAT YOU LIKE TO READ. Encourage them to ask questions about what you are reading and ask for their opinions.
CHOOSE BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE INTO MOVIES. Encourage the child to read the book and then offer a movie night to watch the same story. Have a discussion about similarities and differences. Ask which version the child prefers.
SEARCH FOR READING INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. Local libraries offer summer reading incentive programs that reward children for reading. In the past organizations like Six Flags and Pizza Hut have offered rewards for reading programs.
SET UP YOUR OWN READATHON. This works well on a rainy day at home. Provide blankets and snacks and camp out in your living room with the family spending the day reading. You can also do this by spending a night under the stars in your backyard or arranging a sleepover with a child’s friends each bring their favorite books.
Two Little Raindrops: An Exciting Story about Raindrops
Written by Adele Lamothe
Illustrated by Steve Tu
A new earth science picture book that explains the wonders of the water cycle to young children. Written in lyrical prose, the book features two adorable raindrop characters, Splish and Splash. Children love to splash in puddles. When curiosity about where this rain is coming from pops into their minds, read this book to answer their questions. The book teaches them the importance of the water cycle to our survival and how to conserve water through two endearing raindrops, Splish and Splash.
The diagrams are informative and easy to understand. The AB beat makes the book a fun read aloud. I recommend this book to curious minds ages three and older. Science teachers put this one on your shelf for class discussion.
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Books for Benjamin: A Fun Picture Book Valuing Reading and Libraries!
Written by R. G. deRouen
Illustrated by Ulianna Barabash
This book is the most creative picture fiction book that I’ve seen in a long time.
The protagonist is a worm named Benjamin who has no desire to fit in with his family and worm friends. He loves books and wants to spend all his time reading. He fashions a plan to escape his life in a grocery store by hiding in a newspaper but when the purchaser discovers him she tries to kill him. Benjamin narrowly escapes but finds a dragonfly, ant, and ladybug to bring him to a safe place. Can you guess where that might be? Soon Benjamin finds himself in trouble again until he finds a sympathethic librarian who succeeds in making him famous.
Elementary school readers will turn each page as they follow this adventure, delight in the fanciful illustrations, and learn about the value of reading and safeguarding our literature. A bonus section features the history of the library.
Highly recommend the book and hope to see more creativity from this author.
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DIVERSITY to me: A children’s picture book teaching kids about the beauty of diversity
Written by Marisa J. Taylor
Illustrated by Fernanda Monteiro
I love the non-judgmental presentation of diversity presented by this author.
She shows both in text and illustration diversity is not restricted to skin color. We all have different talents, personalities, and physical traits. These must be assessed together so that all races can live and work together in harmony.
Recommended to parents, teachers, and librarians of preschoolers and primary grade children.
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December 7, 2025
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