Fergus and Zeke at the Science Fair by Kate Messner, illustrated by Heather Ross, 56pp, RL 2

-
Fergus and Zeke at the Science Fair
written by Kate Messner, 
illustrated by Heather Ross
Review Copy from Candlewick Press

 Story: In the first book in this series, Fergus and Zeke, Fergus, a classroom pet, tags along on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History where he meets Zeke, a museum mouse and they get into a bit of trouble. Now, both mice are the class pets in Miss Maxwell's room where everyone is preparing for the science fair. Fergus and Zeke are excited to prepare and experiment of their own. They think about planting seeds, like Will or maybe experimenting with erosion like Neela, but nothing seems to work. Lucy wants to experiment with animals and decides to train Fergus and Zeke to run through her homemade maze. The mice want to DO and experiment, not BE one. Hilariously, they find out a way to train Lucy instead of being trained by her!
Illustration: Ross's colorful illustrations are filled with energy and interesting kids. Perspective shifts from that of Zeke and Fergus in their cage, to a more universal view, pairing with perspective changes in the story. 
Why Read? Why Buy?: The world needs more books at this reading level! And Candlewick Press excels at delivering quality stories and illustrations in this arena. Fergus and Zeke are ingenious, curious and companionable, all the perfect qualities for beginning reader buddies!

Book 1 in this series!

Popular posts from this blog

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

-
Image
Fox + Chick : The Sleepover and Other Stories  by Sergio Ruzzier Review Copy from Chronicle Books Friends. Opposites. Inhabitants of a pastel-hued, water color world that is vaguely surreal, Fox and Chick are back for a third installment of their inviting, if curious, easy-to-read stories. In "The Sleepover," "The Hammer," and "The Surprise," Chick's odd logic is once again upending Fox's life. Happily, Fox responds with patience and even wisdom at times. To these unforgettable characters and luminous illustrations, Ruzzier brings a sublime simplicity that makes this series perfect for emerging readers, adding books with character and intelligence to the often dull world of beginning reader books. If you aren't familiar with this delightful duo, definitely check out my reviews of the first two books (links below) where I put the greatness of Ruzzier's work into historical ( Frog & Toad ) context. Then check out ALL of Ruzzier's p
Read more

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

-
Image
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala Review Copy from Abrams Kids I picture-walked Be a Tree! three times before I actually read the words. Felicita Sala's illustrations for Maria Gianferrari's poetic text are mesmerizingly immersive and richly colorful within a palette of earth tones. Throughout the text, Gianferrari, who shares her inspiration for this book in the author's note ( Peter Wohleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ), gently maintains the human connection to trees and the connections (and communications) trees share with each other.  Be a Tree!  begins exuberantly, inviting the reader to "Be a tree! Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Let your roots curl, coil in the soil to ground you." From your spine/trunk to your skin/bark and your heart/pith, the words carry you inward and then zoom outward and up to the canopy and ultimately, the forest. "You are one of many trees," and our roots "twine with fung
Read more

Reading Levels: A Quick Guide to Determining if a Book Is Right for Your Reader

-
Image
While I wrote an article titled Reading Levels: How I Assign Reading Levels to Books, How the Publishers Do It and How You Can Help Your Reader Find the Right Book at the Right Time that discusses how reading levels are determined by professionals and amateurs like myself, there is more on this subject to discuss. Determining the reading level of a book from the children's section is never easy, mostly because there are several different standardized methods of determining reading levels. Add to this the fact that knowing their children's reading level is most often the only tool a parent is armed with when exploring the bookstore, library, website, etc, and the job becomes even more difficult. While I think that knowing a child's reading level is a very valuable tool if your child is reading below grade level, I think that it is a secondary consideration when finding books for children reading above, especially well above, grade level because, in most cases, content app
Read more