Reviews
Kirkus Reviews - Hardscrabble
A close-knit family endures the rough life of farming in Colorado in the early 20th century. Hail, snow, locusts, sickness, death—the list of setbacks encountered by the Martin family as they try to earn their homestead by farming the dry ground of Colorado is a long one. But they can… View »
Booklist - My Family Four Floors Up
A little girl is ready to start her day in this lovely rhyming story that takes readers on her adventures. After a good breakfast, she and her father say goodbye to their cat and walk four floors down, making the journey to the park with their dog, and passing many different people along… View »
School Library Journal - My Family Four Floors Up
A child, her father, cat, and dog wake up to an ordinary day in their fourth floor apartment. The family members head down the four flights onto a city sidewalk, over to the park, and back up the stairs and into their apartment for a familiar routine. The minimal but playful, singsong… View »
Kirkus Reviews - May I Come In?
Thunderstorms are for sharing." Rain poured. /Raccoon shivered. / Thunder roared./ Raccoon quivered." Raccoon is not altogether comfortable alone in his den as the storm outside rages. Nevertheless, he braves the wet night in order to find some company with whom he can share his… View »
Publishers Weekly - My Family Four Floors Up
Stutson (Blue Corn Soup) and Krampien (A Book of Bridges) follow a father and daughter through the ups and downs of a day in their city home—quite literally, since they live on the fourth floor of an apartment building. It’s an ordinary day, rather than an especially eventful one: the two… View »
School Library Journal - Good Night, Reindeer
In simple, patterned language reminiscent of the classic Goodnight Moon, Mr. and Mrs. Claus say good night to each of their reindeer, saving Rudolph for last. Bucci’s paintings are full of humorous details that give each reindeer a distinct personality. “Good night, Donner./Good night, day./ View »
School Library Journal - Blue Corn Soup
Abuelita Mouse prepares a batch of blue corn soup one wintry day. Soon, the wafting smell reaches the nearby canyon animals, each of whom wonders if sopa is on the menu. Upon reaching the mouse’s home, the animals realize there is not enough food to share on this frigid day. But Mouse has… View »
School Library Journal - Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade
School Library Journal – Vivid artwork and a descriptive narrative re-create a vibrant 1918 New York City populated by immigrants struggling to survive an influenza pandemic at the tail end of World War I. Rettie is nine and the oldest of four siblings; she labors to keep their Lower East… View »
School Library Journal - Murphy's Ticket
Most baseball and sports fan will know about the history-making win of the Chicago Cubs at the 2016 World Series, but do they know that the “Lovable Losers” were once believed to be cursed? The story of Murphy the Goat and the billy goat’s curse is the stuff of legends in the Second City… View »
School Library Journal - K is for Kindergarten
The alphabet frames this collection of activities for kindergarten, highlighting 26 (and more) words and challenges for youngsters anticipating the highlights of a school day. As rhyming verse introduces each activity, a sidebar lists Countdown and Challenge activities for more adventurous… View »