activities – One Chapter

Go and Get With Rex by David LaRochelle

5 stars (glowing stars!) Children’s

This is a fun book! This is the second book we have read by David LaRochel and I will be checking out more by this author. My grandson decided to play the game with Rex after we had read this book a few times so that told me he really enjoyed this book.

The story is told to you by a game show host and you read about the game show contestants Jack, Jill and the dog Rex. The text reads as if the host is talking to you, “Howdy, everyone! Who wants to play a game of Go and Get?” It’s so much fun to read this book and the answers that the contestants give are great, especially Rex, the dog. The game show host gives the contestants letters of the alphabet, one at a time, and they must go get items beginning with that letter. When they return, he comments about their items that they returned with, while also using words that begin with that letter A LOT in his comments. An example: letter F – “that was fast! Let’s see what you found.” Now, each of the contestants conceal their items but give one clue so you can guess what they are. Jack brough something in a box that says, “Ribbit! Ribbit!” a Frog! Yes, Frog begins with the letter F!” Rex brought something in a box that says “Quack! A Duck? I’m sorry, Rex, but duck does not begin with the letter F. Oh! This duck is your Friend. You’re right. Friend does begin with the letter F!?

Now, isn’t that cute? What did Jill bring? Well, you’ll need to check out this book to find out this answer and to see what other letters the game show host gave to the contestants.

I loved this book; it was so fun and entertaining! My grandson was running around the house trying to find something to match the letters just like Jack, Jill, and Rex.

Definitely a 5 star book for us!

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

4.5 stars Fiction

It’s the BIG one! Located in Hawaii, there are 2 volcanoes who have the scientists’ nervous. Mauna Loa is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world and Mauna Kea, a volcano which hasn’t erupted in over 4,000 years. The tremors have begun and now, they’re starting to intensify. Fear begins to take root, but horror takes ahold of those who really know the truth. The truth of what an eruption could mean to those in Hawaii and those around the world when the earth unleashes its blazing inferno.

I liked the little twists on this volcano disaster, and I liked how no one wanted to or took responsibility for how these problems came about. How did the canisters get placed at the base of Mauna Kea and how did so many of them got there, these are questions no one wants to answer, or so they claim. Add to this, the integrity of the containers and their content, I felt on edge reading this book. The containers themselves were a huge concern but when you add in a volcanic eruption on top of that literally on top of that, you have…… craziness!! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and I swear I could have been watching a movie as the story fell out of the pages of the book.

Talk about intense, I couldn’t put this book down as I needed to know how they were going to stop a volcano and safely do something, anything with those containers at the base of Mauna Kea. They had to do something as they couldn’t kill millions of people, could they??

An action-packed book with loads of drama and tension. There were quite a few characters and there was quite a lot of dialogue between them. The book was predictable at times and that was okay with me. I thought the authors did a good job with researching the details in the book and making the book feel realistic. I feel this would make a fantastic movie. 4.5 stars as sometimes I felt the points repeated over and over again.

Kate the Chemist: The Awesome Book of Edible Experiments for Kids by Kate Biberdorf,

I was all excited about another Kate, the Chemist book but I felt confused as I looked inside to see what types of experiments, she was featuring this time. I hoped it wasn’t filled with slime recipes but I wasn’t expecting tomato sauce, chocolate chip cookies, defrosting berries, and creating pretzels bites. Perhaps the title of the book threw me off and reading her last book which had another edible experiment. To me, these weren’t experiments, they were recipes that turned into experiments based on how you went about preparing them.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a horrible book, it’s just that I was expecting something totally different. This book focuses on why something works in a recipe. While doing this, it also provides alternative methods (more experiments) to achieve this result. Take for example the Banana Bread Experiment. To make great banana bread, you usually need overripen, sweet bananas, but what if you only have yellow bananas? Kate has an experiment for this recipe that has the reader doing 3 different methods for ripening your yellow bananas, so you can make the bread. You’re recording your results as you perform the 3 different experiments. Once you get your results, you can continue on with the rest of the Banana Bread Experiment.

For each of the chapters, Kate provides a brief note about the project, a messiness level (most were 2 out of 3), a list of materials needed, whether you need: oven mitts, latex gloves, an adult, wonderful step-by-step instructions with fantastic illustrations, a What Do You Think? Section, and a How It Works: section.

Each chapter is its own experiment (recipe). I can’t say enough about how organized and detailed each chapter is. That is what I love about Kate’s books, she is very detailed-oriented. The illustrations are in color and the directions are detailed, with easy-to-understand language. The What Do You Think? section asks the reader a handful of thought-provoking questions about what they have done and has them think about what might happen had they done something else. I really enjoyed the How It Works section as it goes into detail about why this experiment does its job. This section is quite lengthy which is why I like it also. This section is not a bunch of scientific words but it explains the science behind why the reaction occurred which might be overwhelming to some young readers. You could have an older individual read this section and explain it to a younger child so they could understand it.

I liked reading why these experiments worked as I found it interesting and cooking can be fun, if you make it fun. I feel that some children will be like me and be shocked when they open the book and see what each chapter is about. I’m afraid they will see the book as a cookbook and they’ll want to pass on it while others will love it. If you haven’t seen Kate before, I suggest you check her out. She’s on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and online. This is a great book; I just wished the title was something else. 4.5 stars

Escape This Book! Titanic by Bill Doyle

I had to laugh when I opened up this book, as whoever had read this book from the library before me, had literally started to do the activities inside the book even though, it was a library book. Inside the front cover, they had written “Please ~~araus~~ earese me.” As I started to read, I noticed this individual had did many of the activities on the pages of the book; they had drawn, folded, and even ripped inside the book, according to the directions. I understand their actions as this book is very interactive and as I read the text, I got very involved in the story.

On page one of this book, you’re told to draw a face directly on the space provided, following the directions they provide. Now, the story unfolds. You have just drawn yourself trapped in this book (which is the Titanic) and soon, the Titanic will hit an iceberg and well, the boat floods with water and it’s not good. The narrator in the book is looking for an assistant for a special mission but you have to escape out of this book first. He’s sent his pet gopher to see how you do since he can’t be there himself. So, grab a pen/pencil and doodle, get destructive, and navigate your way out of this book to survive.

I thought this book was really cute. I liked how the author engages the reader inside the pages. Once you get onboard and accomplish a few challenges, you’ll get to decide what type of traveler you’ll want to be for the voyage: first, second, or third-class, crew member, or a stowaway. Each of these classes has a % of survival rate attached to it which will also affect the challenges you will have to do inside the book. After you choose your path, you’ll learn what it was like being a traveler for that type of passenger on the Titanic. It’s great educational information, presented in a fun, entertaining manner. I enjoyed the illustrations and the facts that are a part of this journey. During this journey, you’ll have to do a variety of tasks to survive and when things don’t work out, you’ll find yourself in the water. Perhaps you’ll “sink below the surface, you wonder what would have happened if you had decided to …….” “Return to page xxx to pick a different path!” OR if you’ll lucky, you just might be one who survives.

I thought it was a fun adventure and there are plenty of opportunities to divert your path. The black-n-white illustrations were fun and entertaining and the information was engaging. If you do end up not surviving, the author gives you the option of going back “to page xx” and starting over, where you can choose a different path. For the child who is a hands-on learner, this would be a great book for them to learn about this event in history or a great tool for any child, as it’s like a game.

I do have to wonder, after you have made it through the book one time (through all the different scenarios), and you have completed all the activities, then what? Is it still fun for them? I’m glad to see that a paperback is coming out soon, it would be fun to have your child perhaps do it again at a later date and see how their answers change. I also think, perhaps kids could share their books/answers if one of their friends have the same book. I think if you borrow this book, make sure your little ones don’t mark it up. If they like it, buy them a copy, use the borrowed copy as a preview copy. I love the idea of the book, it’s just not one you should “use” unless you own it. 4.5 stars