educational – Page 2

The Hueys in None the Number by Oliver Jeffers

4 stars Children’s Board Book

Is “None” a number? It is “one less than one.” Nowhere in this book do they say that none is zero, which I thought was interesting. For some children, this maybe a new concept or a new word but none=zero. None is considered a number because it’s less than one.

A counting book from none to ten, this book has some interesting items when they count. On the 4 page: “Then FOUR. That’s how many tantrums Kevin throws every day.” On the 8 page: “Eight party guests trying to guess the gift.” I think this is an interesting take on a counting book.

I wouldn’t want it to be my first experience reading a counting book but I would include in with a collection of counting books for it’s definition of None, its unique stance and how they present the addition of the next number on some of the pages.

A board book, this book lacks the colorful pages that I typically see in board books. The text font is easy to read, and it does have some difficult vocabulary words. 4 stars

The Hueys in What’s the Opposite? by Oliver Jeffers

5 stars Children’s board book

A funny board book about opposites. I like how this book presents opposites. It’s a fun and entertaining way to look at them. When originally presented with a question, the character in the book can’t answer it. This prompts the beginning of the journey this book takes.

With simple illustrations that illustrate the opposites at hand, one of the characters in the story asks the other character “What’s the opposite of up?” Both characters are watching a nearby tree, which corresponds to the question at hand, when the respondent says, “down?” Excited with the right answer, his friend starts to ask him more questions about opposites.

The illustration corresponds to the text and the two continue with this game until the very end where we come back to the first question that was asked at the beginning of the book.

Simple text with great simple to read illustrations compliment the storyline. Great for young readers. 5 stars

Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

4.5 stars Children’s Picture Book

I liked this! Each of the letters in the alphabet has a short story attached to it. This book is big and thick.

The illustrations are plain and simple, without much color.

Each story is short, but they are entertaining and fun. Covering a variety of subjects, these stories will make you think or laugh.

“C Cup in the Cupboard

(Illustration of cup in a bare kitchen cupboard)

Cup lived in the dark cupboard,

It was dark and cold in there

when the door was closed.

He dreamed of living over

by the window where he’d

have a clear view.

One afternoon, he decided

to go for it.

(picture of broken coffee cup)

Unfortunately, he forgot that

The counter was a long way

Down, and made of concrete.”

Cute example of the letter C. I liked how the letter C is used multiple times in the story, and the illustration compliments the story but doesn’t compete with the text for attention. Having to turn the page to get the last part of each story is a good cliffhanger and add to the drama. 4.5 stars

Creating Moments of Joy For the Person with Alzheimer’s or Dementia by Jolene Brackey

5 stars Nonfiction

This is a great resource for those who know someone or is caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer. I have read quite a few books, but this book was what I have been looking for. With short, direct chapters, each section dealt with specific topics which allowed me to skip sections. I liked the examples and real-world scenarios that were inside the book. The advice inside the book seemed practical and there were times as I read that I felt that either the examples or the advice offered is something I could relate to. The positive vibe that ran through the book was greatly appreciated too.

There is a table of contents at the beginning of the book so you can quickly get to a topic you want to explore. There is lots of practical advice inside this book. The book is broken into 3 sections: Powerful Tools That Create Positive Outcomes, Let’s Talk Communication, and Memory Enhanced Environments. Some of those topics include Remember Their Greatness, “I Want to go Home’, Stop Correcting Them, “Give Me That”, Playing Favorites, Magic Words, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Create a Safe Haven, and A Commercial About TV. It’s definitely a book that you should check out. I highly recommend it. I also think those working with these special individuals would greatly benefit from reading it and applying the information to their work environment. I bought a few copies and gave them to individuals who would benefit from them. 5 stars

What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest by Rachel Ignotofsky

5 stars Children’s Nonfiction

Wowza! This is a fantastic resource. Packed with lots of interesting and educational information, this book is a true gem. If you’re looking for specific information or just want to read about birds, this book is one that you should definitely pick up. A reader-friendly treasure, this nonfiction book speaks to the reader, pumping out information about these feathered friends from many different topics including but not limited to: their relationships, habitats, their anatomy, and it even covers all the different names of the feathers on their bodies.

I liked how the book laid out the information on the pages and how they used different fonts within the pages. There is a large selection of realistic birds drawn on the pages (with the bird’s name written beside it) and the book has a great flow to it. What might you learn:

How important the chalaza is to an egg.

The difference between an altricial and a precocial.

How do birds stay safe and communicate.

What are contour and flight feathers and their purpose.

Migration patterns for 6 different birds – did you know that 40% of birds migrate?

That birds have a special sense within them that helps them navigate.

What you can do to help birds.

I really enjoyed this book and think this is a fantastic book. This is one book that will be read repeatedly as there’s lots of information inside it. 5 stars

One Little Leaf by Molly Littleboy

5 stars Children’s Board Book – Nonfiction

There’s lots to explore and learn in this book for children and adults. Each two-page spread carries a theme from leaves to senses, to seeds and lots more. The pages are packed with information relating to those individual themes but also on these pages are many tabs on cutout items, that are to be lifted which contain more information to read.

On the Magic of Leaves pages, there are 15 different leaves featured from cedar, yew, horse chestnut, redwood, elder, oak, aspen and many others. On the fir, sycamore, and linden leaves, there are cut-outs for fingers to hook the cut-outs of these leaves so that you can lift them open to read more about how special leaves are. I liked that most of the two-page spreads have 4 or more tabs to open.

Did you know:

“Just one tree trunk can make 10,000 sheets of paper. Tiny pieces of wood are mixed with water to create pulp, which is pressed through a paper machine. We also use these tiny pieces of wood to make toilet paper.”

“Leaves have skeletons, just like humans!”

“Sap is a sticky liquid that helps carry water and nutrients from the soil to every part of the tree- just like blood does in our bodies.”

Great illustrations make this a great resource. I liked the variety of text fonts used in the book and I enjoyed all the different varieties of species that they included and how they also identified them in the book. The use of color and the attention to detail in the illustrations was wonderful. This is a great book for young children interested in nature and for those who are just learning about it. 5 stars

Walter’s Wonderful Web by Tim Hopgood

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Walter just wants his spider webs to look just like his friends. His webs are always wibbly-wobbly and when the wind blows, they blow away while his friends webs are perfect, and they can withstand any wind condition. It’s not that Walter doesn’t try because boy, does he try! Walter construct web after web, creating this shape and that shape but when the wind blows, they all come tumbling down. Ahhh!

Finally, Walter decides to put all of the shapes that he has created into one huge web creating a masterpiece and it’s amazing! Circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and diamonds are woven into this beautiful work of art, but will it be strong enough for the wind?

What a fun, entertaining story about a determined spider and how he tries to solve his problem. I enjoyed how he used all the different shapes to construct his webs and how he continued to create the webs until he got the right combination. Walter is a big black spider, and you can see him smiling and his disappointment throughout the book.

In Walter’s final masterpiece, I had my grandson try to find all the different shapes Walter incorporated which was fun. Cute story and educational too. 5 stars

Whose Prints? by Kari Allen

5 stars Children’s Board Book

This is a great board book that has cut-outs of animal tracks that help children identify which track belongs to which animal. Follow along with a father and his child as they take a walk in the woods and notice the footprints in the newly fallen snow. There are about 4-6 tracks on each page which are cut-out on the page for the reader to identify. One page per animal and the reader is also given a short question about the animal before the reader turns the page to see the answer and an illustration of the animal. This is a super book for children and adults alike as it covers 7 different animals (including humans).

I like the beautiful peaceful illustrations. The text is simple and fun to read. This is a book that can be read repeatedly as the child examines the footprints and makes their guesses. They can apply this knowledge to their own world as they explore the great outdoors too. A gem of a book! 5 stars.

“Quick! Who scurried, then skittered around, over, and up?” There is a set of 5 small tracks on the page whose prints vary in length between them. Turning the page, you’ll see three squirrels up in the tree and the following answer printed on the page. (Answer: “Scurry, skitter. Up, up, up. A Squirrel!”)

Ten Little Rabbits by Maurice Sendak

4.5 stars Children’s Picture Book

I think this book will be a hit or miss with children. I really enjoyed it and one of my grandsons did also. We read it a couple times and like me, he was adding his own words to the story as we flipped through the book together.

My other grandson read the story and he wasn’t as thrilled with the book. My grandsons are both 4 years old.

It’s an almost wordless picture book, that like the title implies, is about 10 rabbits and a little magician that makes them appear and disappear. I liked the simple, clear illustration on each page, and I liked that there wasn’t any other busy coloring or action taking place on the page. I think this is a good counting book for 1-10. 4.5 stars

Being You: a First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison

4 stars Nonfiction Children’s

Finally, a book by Megan that doesn’t go negative. This is my third book of Megan’s that I have read in this series, and this is one that I finally liked. Megan addresses how everyone has some of the same body parts (belly buttons, elbows, etc.) and then, males and females each have something different.

Megan does use specific terms for those body parts, so be prepared for that. The book moves into growing up and how individuals keep the gender they are born with, or they change them. For some individuals, they don’t know what gender they are.

The main point here is that whatever a person is feeling is what’s important and they can use pronouns to describe themselves. The author addresses history and even though the rules may state that girls can do this, and boys can do that, there are feminists who are working to change these rules so anyone can do anything that they want.

Even the reader can be an active participant. They can “work together” with others to make things fair because the “things we say and do matter” and make the “world better for everybody.”

A more positive book and it didn’t get off the main topic. It showed the reader that they can do something to help the situation instead of creating more hostility or anger. 4 stars