Reviews
Booklist - The Secret of the Scarab Beetle
Horace is preoccupied with making the best of sixth grade and avoiding the class bully when word comes that his beloved grandfather has died under mysterious circumstances. When Horace’s family goes to his grandparents’ farm to sort through things and care for his semi-lucid grandmother, View →
School Library Journal - The Secret of the Scarab Beetle
When mild-mannered sixth grader Horace J. Edwards moves to the sleepy town of Niles, MI, his life takes an unexpected turn. A death occurs in the family, and mysterious things start to happen. Grandmother, who suffers from dementia, begs Horace to find the key, open the secret door, and… View →
Booklist - At the Marsh in the Meadow
A freshwater marsh is much more than just standing water. From the mucky mud and the reeds growing in it to mayflies nibbling its algae to the eagle swooping down to catch a fish, the marsh teems with life. Using the cumulative style and cadence of “This Is the House That Jack Built,”… View →
School Library Journal - At the Marsh in the Meadow
The food chain is brought to life in a “The House That Jack Built”-esque poem with cumulative phrases. Readers see how algae at the bottom of a marsh supports the mayflies, which are in turn food for the water spiders. The water spiders are prey for the dragon flies, which… View →
Booklist - Good Trick Walking Stick!
Perhaps it’s their talent for camouflage, but the oft-overlooked walking stick finally gets its due in this beautifully illustrated picture book. In a style reminiscent of Steve Jenkins, this book takes readers through the life of a stick insect, from the moment this slender bug hatches… View →
Publishers Weekly - Grandpa Loves You!
In this inspiration-minded companion to Grandma Loves You! and Grandma’s Christmas Wish, the straw-colored bunny from those books spends time with his grandfather. Writing in rhyme, James narrates from the perspective of the elder rabbit, while Brown shows the two rabbits playing in an… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Good Trick, Walking Stick
Stick insects have tricks that make them highly successful creatures. Designed for reading aloud, Bestor’s two-level text provides an overview of a walking stick’s life. A simple, circular narrative begins in winter, with eggs hidden under the snow, and goes through spring… View →
Booklist - Mr. Goat's Valentine
Apparently in the goat world, typical Valentine’s Day offerings are not chocolates and fragrant flower arrangements in lovely vases, but rather rotten eggs (the older the better) and weeds in cans (the rustier the better). Mr. Goat is on the search for a valentine for his first love and… View →
School Library Journal - Mr. Goat's Valentine
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Goat sets off to find the perfect gift for his first love. Nothing says “I love you” to a goat more than a tin can filled with ragweed salad, two-year-old rotten eggs, and the aroma of skunk-scented perfume. When Goat realizes that he does not have a card, he… View →
Publishers Weekly Starred Review - Mr. Goats' Valentine
For readers who think Valentine’s Day is too sappy, Bunting and Zimmer have an ideal antidote. That’s because Mr. Goat’s idea of the perfect gifts for his “first love” include ragweed salad in a rusty can and two-year-old rotten eggs. “Guaranteed foul and disgusting,” says the proud… View →