Age: Toddler-Preschool

A rhyming look at the various things a crane can pick up. Nothing too special but truck-hungry kids will enjoy it.

Age: K - 2
Religion: Jewish
Family: New baby

Edwards combines several areas of interest in this baby preparations story. An older brother describes his mom as a collector and reuser. Her sewing room is full of fabric and craft supplies ready to be reused. But when a baby is due, the family has to find a way to clear out the room in time for baby. Sprinkled with Jewish traditions and the resourcefulness of a family that may not be as well-off as others, Edwards provides an excellent addition to older siblings and new baby books.

Age: Preschool - 1st grade

A fun follow-up to "If I Built a Car," Jack's imagination flows as he describes the perfect house. The pictures are just as delightful as the aforementioned book, however, the writing is slightly boring. A lot of the lines aren't as vibrant in describing the rooms eccentricities such as "A bed in a tower--now that's something new!" It is still an excellent addition and will be loved by fans of Van Dusen.

Age: K - 2nd grade
Family: Older sister

Sometimes, you just need to start your own country. That's precisely what this creative older sister decides to do after she is blamed for her brother's mistakes. In this book, kids will find helpful instructions on how to make your own flag, your own currency, your own laws, and more. This book is a great example for talking about the pictures in a book, not just saying the words.

Age: K - 3rd grade

An imaginative look at Abe Lincoln if he were to see the world today. Truly unique in its gorgeous artwork, book styling, and subject manner, this would make an excellent addition to a Lincoln discussion. Afterword includes Mr. Lincoln's dream (describing the last page), and presidential pooches (seen haunted by Abe Lincoln's ghost in the first pages).

Age: Preschool - 1st grade

A funny story of a stubborn musk ox that insists on using the alphabet to describe himself because no one cares about the middle letter M. Although the Musk Ox chooses to use some different words, the repetition of "A is for Musk Ox," "B is for Musk Ox," "L is for musk ox" gets tedious after awhile. Still a funny tale with an unusual protagonist.

Age: 1st - 3rd grade

A young girl expresses her heartfelt wishes for peace to reign over her country. Although the scourge of war is not depicted or discussed, this book helps highlight humanity of the Afghan people in which children in the Western world may only see Afghanistan as a war-torn country.

Age: Preschool (small amount of text) - 1st grade (due to subject interest)

Hmmm...Very eye-catching graphics with a lot of white space which is great for a younger age, but how many infants and toddlers enjoy skateboarding?

The storyline is horrendous and detracts from the book as a whole. Half of the book is not related to the second half. It seems like it's trying too hard to cater to the kids with low reading interests.

There were a few things I enjoyed and that interested skateboarding kids would enjoy. When Gnarbunga chooses skateboarding as his hobby, I liked the pages where he selects his equipment. I also like the trick name-dropping.