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Book Reviews by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt
Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt is an award-winning writer and author. Please visit her website at www.4kids.Bell-Rehwoldt.com to read about her books.
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll & Howard McWilliam
Flashlight Press
ISBN 978-0979974625
Pub date: April 2009
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
I admit I picked up this book because of its adorable illustrations, but I assure you the story is just as cute. It's about a boy, whom we get to know only as "kid," and the four replacement monsters--Herbert, Ralph, Cynthia, and Mack--sent in to replace his usual under-the-bed-monster, Gabe, who's gone off fishing. For a week. That's bad news for a boy who can't sleep a single night without Gabe's ragged breathing, scrabbling claws, and spooky green ooze. Not that the replacements don't give it their best shot, before the kid quickly sends each packing. Herbert lacks claws, you see, and Ralph's claws aren't scary enough--even though he has thirty-six! Cynthia's defect is the bow on her tail. And Mack, well, Mack's threat of licking the boy with his lo-o-o-ng tongue sends him into hysterics. "Fine," says Mack, obviously offended. "I'm out of here. But I wouldn't expect another monster tonight if I were you." But almost immediately the boy hears loud creaking and scratching under his bed, and joy of joys, it's Gabe! Back from fishing, which held zero challenge. "You, however," says Gabe, "are challenging, my friend. You're almost too old to be afraid of monsters. You keep me on my toes. Ah, toes...a delicious snack." I won't spoil the ending, but it's sure to send your kiddos off to LaLa Land with a smile on their faces.
The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie
Marshall Cavendish
ISBN 978-0761454588
Pub date: September 2008
Picture Book, Ages 9-12
Sheri’s ranking: 4 Stars
Face it: boys love to read about the terrible, horrible things that threaten to fell a fellow kid. In this delicious tale, a timid, 11-year-old boy named Elijah finds himself in a whole heap of trouble when he discovers that his strange aunts—who turn out to be witches—need his body to end a family curse. The aunts spirit him away to their dark and seedy lair, ready to do him in, yet Elijah manages to outsmart them again and again. And in the end, this boy, who previously lacked courage, even manages to save his parents from their restrictive prison. Told from Elijah's point of view, The Witches of Dreadmoore Hollow is a fun, imaginative romp. The characters are well written, the scenarios in which Elijah finds himself are outlandishly entertaining, and the ending utterly satisfying. A fine spell, indeed.
Sand to Stone and Back Again By Nancy Bo Flood, photographs by Tony Kuyper
Flashlight Press
ISBN 978-1-55591-657-2
Pub date: May 2009
Picture Book, Ages 4+
Sheri's ranking: 5 Stars
This small paperback book, designed to help kids understand the circular process of the creation and erosion of desert sandstone, does so in a big way. Flood's text, written from the perspective of the sandstone, draws readers in, as do the luscious photos. Readers of all ages will be awed by nature's breathtaking beauty, and humbled by the ongoing beat of life. The kid-friendly glossary will surely spark conversation between adults and young readers, as well as ignite a passion for the health of the planet.
The Lonely Shadow by Clay Rice
Joggling Board Press
ISBN 978-0-9818735-3-4
Pub date: June 2009
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
This isn't your typical picture book. For one thing, it's a lot smaller that the typical format, yet it's also nearly twice as long, at 60 pages. So this isn't a book that young readers will fly through -- at least not if they're to fully capture the book's images and message. Written and illustrated by Rice, an artist internationally known for his silhouette art, the book tells the story of a lonely shadow searching for a mate. The fun, says Rice, begins when the shadow discovers a perfect fit: a young boy equally lonely for a shadow. "Early one morning," reads the text on page one, "a little shadow stood under a street lamp and sighed. 'I am very lonely,' he thought. The shadow knew that he belonged to someone, he just didn't know who." Watching the shadow try to mimic the various objects and creatures he first encounters makes for a nice contrast when he later perfectly shadows the boy. "I have you, you have me," reads the last page of text. "Together we will always be." Nice thought, nice book.
Q Pootle 5 by Nick Butterworth
Harper Children's
ISBN 978-0-00-717235-1
U.S. Pub date: August 2009 (cloth and paperback versions printed in the U.K. in 2000 and 2001)
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 4 Stars
If nothing else, you gotta love the face on this alien! This simple story, about helping another in need, is definitely engaging thanks to the bulbous-nosed Q Pootle 5 and his malfunctioning spaceship. Q Pootle 5 finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he's forced to land on earth -- especially when the "earthlings" (a cat, a frog, and some birds) don't seem to be of much help. Eventually, however, they do help to get his spaceship fired up and flying, ensuring the Q Pootle 5 is able to attend a party on the moon for his friend Z Pootle 6. Kids will surely laugh when they identify that some of the spaceship parts are low-tech blow dryers and tin cans! This sweet story, with its very sweet illustrations, is the perfect bedtime read to inspire your tyke to blast off in their own dreamy spaceships.
The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN 978-0618891306
Pub date: September 2008
Picture Book, Ages 9+
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
If you're trying to sneak some history into your kids' reading time, give this book a whirl. They'll learn lots of fun facts about ding-dong royals like Henry VIII - including whether his witchy wife Anne Boleyn had six fingers (both before and after she lost her head!). While entertaining and utterly engaging thanks to Beccia's fun illustrations, the book also offers parents a launching point from which to discuss the damaging power of rumors. What? You thought that Marie Antoinette actually said, "Let them eat cake!"??? Off with YOUR head! HA!
Rapunzel's Revenge
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN 978-1599900704
Pub date: August 2008
Graphic Novel, Ages 9 to 12
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
If your kids are into graphic novels (who isn't these days?), this is a good one to add to your home library. It's got it all: good and bad guys and dolls, well-drawn pics, and an entertaining story, albeit one laced with sarcasm. This is not your traditional Rapunzel story: this version, for instance, has been given a Western (cowboy) slant. Perhaps that tweak alone will get more boys to pick it and read it, if not start doodling.
Silent Letters Loud and Clear by Robin Pulver
Holiday House
ISBN 978-0823421275
Pub date: Sept 2008
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
Children's author Robin Pulver has done it again! She's written a third dynamic grammar book (adding to Punctuation Takes a Vacationand Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day) that kids are sure to giggle over. In Silent Letter Loud and Clear, Mr. Wright's students decide that silent letters are unnecessary—and should be outright banned—because they make spelling so tricky. But after the students share their viewpoint in an email to the city newspaper, and get egg on their faces, they learn just how important those silent letters are when they go missing! Clever book, great illustrations, fabulous teaching tool.
Tub Toys by Terry Miller Shannon & Timothy Warner
Tricycle Press
ISBN 978-1582462356
Paperback Pub date: October 2007
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
I laughed out loud the minute I opened the envelope containing this book, because of the bulgy-eyed rubber ducky on the front cover. I'm happy to report that the inside illustrations by Lee Calderon continue the fun! Written in rhyme, this enthusiastic tale, whipped up by Terry Miller Shannon and her son, Timothy Warner, is about a little boy's evening bath. Unlike some kids who prefer to take their daily grime to bed, this kid *loves* taking a bath. Maybe because he doesn't go at it alone: he invites ALL of his toys, one by one, to join him. It takes him so long, in fact, that his mom says, "Now, HURRY, or your water won't be warm. So I--quick!--toss in an eggbeater to whip up a bubble storm." That, of course, reminds him of yet more items to add: "An empty bottle sure is good, but THREE would be better. Where's that doll who likes to swim? I hurry off to get her." Will there, in the end, be room for him??! Read the book to find out!
MVP: Magellan Voyage Project
By Douglas Evans
ISBN 91-932425-13-6
Middle grade novel, Ages 10 and up
Sheri's ranking: 5 Stars
In this wonderful, fast-paced book, 12-year-old Adam Story is challenged by a deposed ruler of Babababad (a kingdom that no longer exists) to become the first kid to travel around the world in forty days without an adult in the Great Global Game. Skeptical at first, Adam finally agrees to the challenge-perhaps because of the chance to win four million dollars.
Written from Adam's point of view, his quest quickly enthralls the reader. Adam must thwart bad guys, double-crossing good guys, and even time itself, in his quest to get back home before the deadline expires. I love that this book is not only imaginative and fun, but highly educational. And it teaches some important life lessons. It's one of the best books (children or adult) I've read in a long time!
This Is Your Life Cycle by Heather Lynn Miller
 ISBN 978-0618724857
Pub date: July 2008
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
I love it when a picture book cleverly -- and humorously -- tucks learning into every nook and cranny. The story opens with a tuxedo-sporting TV show host crying, "Good evening, larvae, nymphs, and insects! This is Bob Beetle, welcoming you to another episode of THIS IS YOUR LIFE CYCLE: the show that follows the life cycle of everybody's favorite class of animals, the insects!" Bob Barker, oops, I mean Beetle, soon keys us into the star of this week's program: a creature who has "spent the past two years fighting for her life" in the dark swamp, beneath the branch of a weeping willow. Drumroll please: it's Dahlia, a dragonfly nymph! (Gotta love the little insects in the audience chanting, "Give me a G! Give me an O! Give me a GO! GO! GO!, GO, Dahlia!") Bob Beetle's timing is perfect: his camera puts the reader and audience in just the right spot, at just the right time, to watch Dahlia emerge from the swamp to spread her wings. I won't spoil the ending -- or the fun romp getting there -- but I will tell you that all those jazzed little insects initially rooting for Dahlia suddenly start chanting, "GOOD-BYE, DAHLIA!" as if their very lives depend on it. HA! This book is delicious, funny, entertaining, enlightening, and educational. Even the illustrations, by Michael Chesworth, are superb. Wow. That's some book! Note: this book has been placed on the New York Public Library's "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing List."
Demo: The Story of a Junkyard Dog by Jon Bozak and Scott Bruns
Fifth Paw Press
ISBN 978-0981618807
Paperback Pub date: October 2008
"Progressive" Picture Book, Ages 7 and up
Sheri's ranking: 4 Stars
This is the first picture book I've seen labeled as "progressive," by which the author suggests it will appeal to a wide range of readers. It's an interesting story built on two primary themes: society's wastefulness, and judging on appearances. It's a text-heavy picture book, but younger readers should have little difficulty with most of the words. Put simply, the story is about guy who runs a junkyard, and his growing resentment of the good people of a town called Newton. All the Newtonians ever do is shop--24/7. They buy up all the latest fads, to replace anything that might make Newtown look old. "If it was old," says the text, "it was junk, and junk didn't belong in Newton. It belonged in a junkyard. It belonged in Junkyard Joe's junkyard." Joe, of course, is all atwitter over junk. But because of the Newtonians' disdain for it, Joe is in a funk. Because he doesn't get to fix up the junk and reuse it. "Joe felt useless," continues the text. "He was a man without a purpose, and soon the people of Newton were going to bury him alive with their garbage. Joe figured his only chance for survival was to do something drastic." So Joe sends his junkyard pit bull, Tank, into town to mess up the stores so there's nothing to buy. The destruction, however, only serves to swallow Joe in more junk as new merchandise is purchased to refill store shelves. So Joe decides to train Tank's pup, Demo, to terrorize the town so badly that the Newtonians hide in their houses, swearing off ever shopping again. But Demo's a lover, not a fighter, and Joe gets so pissed off (and itchy because love and kisses give Joe hives) that he kicks Demo out of the junkyard to fend for himself. I won't unveil the rest of the twists and turns in this tall tale, but there is a happy ending, even for Joe. Each reader will embrace this story uniquely, depending on the life experiences they bring to it. Younger readers will most likely latch on to the themes of living green and offering up second chances.
How a Real Locomotive Works by William Trombello and Brian Diskin
Nightengale Press
ISBN 978-1933449210
Paperback date: May 2006
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 4 Stars
Yes, this self-published book has been out a while, but I still think it worthy of a delayed review. Perhaps because author Bill Trombello has simply, yet effectively, shared his knowledge of how locomotive engines work. Trombello, who conducts engine repair training programs around the globe, does a fine job of inviting young readers into his world by asking, "Have you ever wondered, 'How does a real locomotive work?' Well, climb aboard! Let's take a look." He then shares really cool facts -- such as that a locomotive weighs about 368,000 pounds -- which is the weight of 100 automobile! And that a locomotive's diesel engine can produce 4,000 horsepower -- which is the same get-up-and-go as 4,000 real horses pulling together. That's an image worth mulling over, right? But the image I like best: a grandparent and grandchild nestled on a cozy couch, bonding over their fascination with trains, as they read this book. Fortunately for gramps, the book text is quite large. ;-)
Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Disney Book Group
ISBN 978-1423113249
Pub date: October 2008
Middle Grade Novel, Ages 9 to 12
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
In this wacky, wonderful book, by funny guys Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, a middlegrader named Toby Harbinger battles spies from the Republic of Kprshtskan (a "mountainous nation with few vowels and a population of four million, including goats"), a kook who dresses like Darth Vader who's trying to blackmail Toby into forking over his parent's rare Star Wars collection, and the group of rich kids at school who cheat every year so one of them always wins the annual school science fair. The book is chock full of wacko phrases, colorful characters, wierd happenings, and spine-tingling moments. I absolutely loved it!
The Scrambled States of America Talent Show by Laurie Keller
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
ISBN 978-0805079975
Pub date: August 2008
Picture Book, Ages 4-8
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
Okay, call me a sucker for any book that teaches while it entertains. This book excels at both. The premise is that, in the middle of the night, the state of New York woke up from a dream and shouted to all the other states, "HEY, EVERYONE--LET'S HAVE A TALENT SHOW!" And so they did. And what a rompus, good time was had by all. There's plenty of over-the-top humor, song ditties, and corny jokes (thank you, Iowa!), but it's the illustrations that kept me enthralled. This book is so visually appealing, that I'd have turned to its pages again and again, even if it only said "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!" I'm guessing your wee ones who can't read will find it equally addicting. Maybe you'll get lucky and overhear them making up the story themselves.
Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Disney Book Group
ISBN 978-1423113249
Pub date: October 2008
Middle Grade Novel, Ages 9 to 12
Sheri’s ranking: 5 Stars
In this wacky, wonderful book, by funny guys Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, a middlegrader named Toby Harbinger battles spies from the Republic of Kprshtskan (a "mountainous nation with few vowels and a population of four million, including goats"), a kook who dresses like Darth Vader who's trying to blackmail Toby into forking over his parent's rare Star Wars collection, and the group of rich kids at school who cheat every year so one of them always wins the annual school science fair. The book is chock full of wacko phrases, colorful characters, wierd happenings, and spine-tingling moments. I absolutely loved it!
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