No name

What Bluebirds do

Author(s): 
Pamela F. Kirby
Number of pages: 
48 pages
Copyright: 
2009
ISBN: 
1590786149
Publisher: 
Boyds Mills Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Birds
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

We picked a full bag of mostly new picture books from the library as we don't visit it as often as during the school year. Several new publications were examined by my review team – our children. Some were bold, creative, large and colorful. Fiction, informational, biographies: we read many different books over a number of days. In my mind as I hear their comments and listen or watch their reading enjoyment I run my own elimination process.

A simple, quiet, gentle book was the clear winner this time, beating all of its "louder" competitors: What Bluebirds Do, by Pamela Kirby. It won all of our hearts with the true photographic story of a pair of bluebirds in the backyard of the author's house. Beautiful photography, a list of resources, and a careful description of the bluebirds' life are combined into the most delightful nature-book we have come across in a while!

Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
July 30, 2009

What Makes Day and Night?

Book cover: 'What Makes Day and Night?'
Author(s): 
Franklyn M. Branley
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
1986
Publisher: 
Harper Collins
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Earth Science
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

The clearly written text is combined with simple, colorful pictures to make the concepts of day and night and the rotation of the earth in relation to the sun very understandable for both young children and their parents. : ) Included is a very simple hands-on "experiment" requiring only your child and a desk lamp. Some information about the moon is also covered. Like other books in this series, this book is a great solution for satisfying some of those "why" questions that young children constantly ask.

Additional notes: 

Copyrights 1962/1986

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1998-99

What the Moon is Like

Book cover: What the Moon is Like
Author(s): 
Franklyn M. Branley
Illustrator(s): 
True Kelley
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2000
ISBN: 
9780060279936
Publisher: 
HarperCollins
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Astronomy
Grade / Age level: 
Grades K-2
Review: 

This book covers the appearance of the moon from the earth (in regards to its surface rather than its changes over the month), the explanations people have given for the appearance of the moon (man in the moon, etc.) and why it really looks that way. It covers many interesting details about the surface of the moon (including a simple map of the moon's surface marked with the locations of moon landings), its atmosphere, the length of day and night on the moon (and the extreme temperature difference between the two), the difference in gravity on the moon, etc. The book is fully illustrated and quite engaging although I think some of the ideas on how the moon was formed are still open for discussion. A final page offers a few simple moon-related projects and a few related websites for further information.

Additional notes: 

First published (copyright) 1963. Many later editions.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1-29-01

What's The Deal?

Jefferson, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase
Author(s): 
Rhoda Blumberg
Number of pages: 
144 pages
Copyright: 
1999
ISBN: 
9780792270133
Publisher: 
Scholastic
Subject(s): 
Historical Fiction
Setting: 
United States
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

National Geographic published some longer, generously illustrated non-fiction picture books, and this is one of them. A great aid to any homeschool's History curriculum. We have picked up several different titles from the library like this one. I, for one, learned a lot! From their site:

This entertaining saga brings a legendary land deal to life. Over 60 reproductions of art from the period, a cast of characters, maps, a timeline, endnotes, a bibliography, and index give young readers all the resources they need to understand the period in which the Purchase took place.

Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
January 29, 2009

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Book cover: 'When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'
Author(s): 
Judith Kerr
Number of pages: 
191 pages
Copyright: 
1971
Publisher: 
Penguin
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
History
Setting: 
Europe
Life during World War II
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Review: 
A well-written and engaging account, based on the author's experiences of a young (non-religious) Jewish girl and her family who escape from Germany in the 1930s and live for a time in Switzerland and then France before finally moving on to England. We see the escalation of Hitler's Germany from somewhat of a distance and the struggles of a displaced family trying to stay out of Hitler's reach (the father was a well-known writer who eventually has a price put on his head by Hitler). A worthwhile read, probably of more interest to girls than boys, and suitable for independent reading for mid grade-school and up.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1-12-01

Whigs and Tories

An American Revolution Reading List
Author(s): 
Elizabeth Yank
Number of pages: 
42 pages
Copyright: 
2000
Publisher: 
Ita Pater Publications
Binding: 
Loose-leaf (binder-ready)
Subject(s): 
History
Setting: 
American Revolution Era
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Resource Type: 
General Resource
Review: 
This is an extensive reading list, from a Catholic perspective, on materials relating to or taking place at the same time as the American Revolution. The extensive introduction gives tips and ideas for studying the revolution, choosing books, and how to proceed. The list is broken up into the following categories: Grades K-3 Series, Grades K-3 Individual Titles, Grades 3-6 Series, Grades 3-6, Individual Titles, Grades 5-Up Series, Grades 5-Up Individual Titles, Grades 7-Up Series, Grades 7-Up Individual Titles and Grades 10-Up Individual Titles. Many of the titles include short descriptions and hundreds of books are covered. This resource also includes a Timeline of the American Revolution, books about contemporary figures (such as Blessed Junipero Serra), a list of "Prominent Catholics in the American Revolution" an essay about Catholicism during the American Revolution, and a listing of good Catholic textbooks and Reference books that cover the American Revolution. The Appendix lists companies that sell those books (currently in print) that are recommended in this resource.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
8-8-2000

Who Carved the Mountain?

The Story of Mount Rushmore
Author(s): 
Jean L. S Patrick
Illustrator(s): 
Renee Graef
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2005
ISBN: 
9780975261743
Publisher: 
Mount Rushmore History Association
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
History
Setting: 
United States
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

Our family was delighted to visit Mount Rushmore recently, along with several other Love2Learn families. Since we live in South Dakota, Mount Rushmore books have prominent and permanent displays in our library system's many branches. Who Carved the Mountain saw the inside of our weekly library bag many times and became our favorite Mount Rushmore picture book. When I saw the warm, familiar cover at the Mount Rushmore gift shop's window, I could not resist it: I went inside resolutely and by the time I came out, our family was the proud owner of a copy of this beautifully illustrated volume!

Who Carved the Mountain features the many people associated with Mount Rushmore in attractive, friendly and educational double-spread pages. There are twelve of these, depicting Doane Robinson who first thought of the project, artist Borglum, the four presidents, the project's workers and more. Pictured in warm colors and rich in detail, they are also described in verse and on an interesting-tidbits-full sidebar. The text on each page is just enough, providing both brief enough descriptions and meaty enough content. The verses are told in a first person perspective:

The Pointer 

I am the pointer 
I make the marks on the mountain

First, I work in Borglum’s studio 
I measured the models of our presidents 
And I multiplied each number by twelve.

I loved the math, the complicated math. 
The mouths would be eighteen feet wide!

Next I climbed Mount Rushmore. 
With a pointing machine and a paintbrush 
I marked measurements on the rock.

The workers knew exactly where to drill 
Because I made the marks on the mountain.

Who drilled the holes in the mountain?

Each set of verses lead up to next person to be described: the stone carver, the "power man", the presidents, Borglum and his son--they are all there. The sidebars offer a biographical sketch and curious and interesting facts about each one. Illustrator Renee Graef, known to Catholic homeschoolers as the Laura Ingalls' picture books illustrator who captured so well the original Garth Williams pictures, and from Melissa Wiley's books' covers, did a fabulous job bringing the feeling of the Black Hills to her illustrations, as well as the historical and complex technical details of the carving. Her portraits of the four presidents sitting by their desks are also warm, rich and just lovely to enjoy.

Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
1-30-2008

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