THE GRAND CANYON by Marion Bauer and WHOSE TAIL ON THE TRAIL AT GRAND CANYOn by Midji Stephenson

A simple early reader describing the Grand Canyon and the factors that helped create it. Three out of five stars. AR reading level of 2.4.

A fun rhyming book showcasing the animals found in the Grand Canyon area including snakes, mule deer and porcupines. There are no end notes about the animals so this book is really just an introduction and not anything especially factual about the animals. Four out of five stars.

I picked these up this past summer when we were traveling in Arizona and visited the Grand Canyon. I thought they would be fun additions to our school library. I hope my students enjoy them as much as I did.

KUNG POW CHICKEN: LET'S GET CRACKING! by Cyndi Marko

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Gordon the chicken (a second grader) and his little brother Benny fell in a vat of toxic sludge and became superheroes - Kung Pow Chicken and Egg Drop. At the Fall Festival, someone is selling weird cookies that make everyone's feathers fall out! Kung Pow Chicken notices a little old lady selling itchy sweaters to all the naked chickens, and she is making a killing. Something is not right!

This was cute, colorful and fun! This pokes fun at some of the superhero staples like toxic sludge and leotards. This is a fun, simple mystery. My students will love this! This is a new piece in the Branches line of books by Scholastic that targets the earliest readers. There are more books planned for the series - they are pictured below. Book 2 releases in March and book 3 comes out in June.

EARLY READER: Twin Magic #1 - Lost Tooth Rescue! by Kate Ledger

Cute story about twins who use magic (they have fairy-like super hero costumes and a magic unicorn to help them) to help a friend who misplaced a lost tooth. A new friend discovers their magical secret which sets things up for this to become a series of stories where the twins and their friend can have adventures together.

Three out of 5 stars
AR Reading level of 2.0

This will be a great transitional story for my students working from first to second grade reading material as well as being fun for younger readers who will enjoy the magic and fairy-like qualities of the story.

EARLY READER: Lego Star Wars The Empire Strikes Out by Ace Landers

A fun early reader based on a new Lego Star Wars TV special (now available on DVD). I haven't seen the TV special, so this story was completely new to me when I read it. It was laugh-out-loud funny! The Star Wars jokes were great, although some of them might be missed by younger readers. This was a popular purchase at my Scholastic Book Fair this spring and will be a great addition to our school library!

5 out of 5 stars
No AR level at this time

Recommended for: Fans of Star Wars and/or Lego Star Wars, fans of the TV special, fans of Lego books in general

EARLY READER: Tony Baloney Buddy Trouble by Pam Munoz Ryan

Tony and his stuffed buddy, Dandelion, are excited about going to school for Books and Buddies, but a messy glitter mishap at home means Tony and his big sister can't go. For revenge, Big Sister puts Dandelion into the diaper bag for their younger siblings playgroup. When Dandelion comes home, he's pink and stinky. Can Dandelion be saved? Will Tony and Big Sister ever make up?

This was a cute story with very real problems for kids - their loyalty to their stuffed critters and sibling rivalries. It's formatted in chapters which has an appeal for some of my new readers at school (they feel so grown up, reading a book with chapters). I bought this book in a preview pack from Scholastic for our upcoming spring book fair - I can't find the book on either of the big online booksellers I usually use. I think my students will enjoy this new story about Tony and his family.

EARLY READER: Fly Guy Presents: Sharks by Tedd Arnold

This is a non-fiction book about sharks, including pictures of different kinds of sharks, teeth, gills, etc. The book is "narrated" by Fly Guy and his friend, Buzz, on a trip to the aquarium.

I bought this book from Scholastic as part of a book fair preview pack for our school's spring fair. The book releases in stores on May 1. This will be a popular book with my students. My two kindergarten classes can't get enough books about sharks. The fact that Fly Guy is part of this may help them transition to Fly Guy books as well. I think this is a great format for kids' non-fiction, and I hope Scholastic and Tedd Arnold do more of these kinds of books. I think the format will draw kids in.

4 out of 5 stars

EARLY READER: Tony Baloney - School Rules by Pam Munoz Ryan

I apologize for the crummy picture of this great book - I could not find a listing for this book at Barnes and Noble's website or on Amazon for some reason. This was a Book Fair book for my school this fall, and it's a great one! It's Tony's first day of school and it's not turning out at ALL like his big sister's stories of her first day. Tony's not the line leader and he's even gotten into trouble for not following all of his teacher's rules. Will anything go right for Tony on his first day?

This is a sweet, honest and fun story. I think it would be a great addition to a Kindergarten library (although the reading level might be closer to 2nd grade) or even first grade since it deals with the nervousness of starting school. I am eager to get this one cataloged and on my library shelves because I know my students are going to enjoy it!

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR rating at this time

EARLY READER: Heroes In Action (LEGO Hero Factory) by Shari Last

[Guest post by "Steve Rodgers"]

Lego Hero Factory is a toy series that is like Bionicles, but it has it's own story line (there have been some TV episodes in the past). This book describes the heroes made at the Makuhero Factory and about a breakout from the factory. The factory is the base for the heroes and some of the villains are kept there in holding cells. This book describes when all the villains broke out at one time and how each hero captures his/her assigned villain.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars because I really like Hero Factory. There's great action and descriptions of the villains and the heroes
AR level of 5.6


I recommend this book to kids in second grade and higher, especially kids who already like Hero Factory.

TUESDAY: Listen to My Trumpet by Mo Willems

 

Summary

Piggie has a new trumpet she can't wait to show Gerald. But the stuff she plays isn't very "musical." How will Gerald tell his best friend he didn't like her concert?

Review

Another great Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems! I bought a copy for our school library last Tuesday when it released and by Friday I had read it to four of my classes. They all loved it - but it's a little hard to know if they loved the story or just loved hearing me try to read the trumpet sounds out loud!

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: preschoolers and early readers. I think the whole series is a great one for early readers to get lots of basic reading practice (my Kindergarten students were reading along as I read this one).

Cautions: Adults need to be ready to read a lot of trumpet sounds!

TUESDAY: Bones and the Math Test Mystery and Bones and the Roller Coaster Mystery

The Bones books are chapter book mysteries, great for early readers, staring Jeffrey Bones, detective. In the Math Test Mystery, Jeffrey's math test is missing. He wasn't keen on taking it in the first place, so he really doesn't want to take it again.

In the Roller Coaster Mystery, Jeffrey and his grandpa are spending the day at the amusement park. They want to play some games and ride some rides, including the big roller coaster. But after Grandpa wins Jeffrey a teddy bear and they ride the merry go round, they can't find their roller coaster tickets. Detective Jeffrey Bones is on the case.

To me, these are like the Young Cam Jansen series of mysteries, except these star a boy. If you have a boy who prefers to read about boys, Bones might be just what you are looking for. Short chapters, simple plot. These are just right for early readers. 

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