Cleverly explains how wild seeds get spread to produce "wild gardens." The informative text is conveyed in story form, making it engaging for young readers or listeners.

Nielsen’s writing unfolds like a movie, using intrigue, suspense, drama, and emotion like brilliant-colored, textured paints that enliven a blank canvas. Readers feel the pain of impossible decisions, the darkness of misguided means for well-intended ends, and the victory of wisdom and perseverance. A masterful, breathtaking first in a trilogy. Content is best for middle-grade readers.

Little Red (a pencil) leaves her classroom tasked with finding a story worth writing. Almost at once, she becomes bogged down by descriptors, carried away by an endless string of words full-of-stick, and frightened by adverbs "suddenly, abruptly, and surprisingly" catching her off-guard. Play on words, parody, and humor cleverly entertain and show readers how parts of speech can enrich or misguide ...

While it borders on the silly, who can resist a tale with chicken detectives named Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy, and Sugar? Although humorous wrong assumptions complicate their investigative strategy, the Chicken Squad bumbles its way to finding the "weird blue chicken's" missing home, restoring peace and order in their community. Very entertaining — a good choice for reluctant readers.

Lighthearted humor defines the antics in this chicken caper. Tail the Squirrel, paralyzed with fear, can't clearly convey the sight he's seen, so the chickens, by fastidious notetaking and deductive reasoning (based on limited experience), try to discover the frightful source of Tail's worry. A hilarious kerfuffle results. A fun read with rich conversation, narration, and storytelling that illustr ...

Features many layers of information. The main text provides a general survey of the defining traits of penguins. The illustrations and captions provide additional details, such as the names of different types of penguins and their habitats. At the book's conclusion, each illustration is presented in a smaller format with a very detailed paragraph of explanation. As a result, the book provides opti ...

Anne Rockwell presents interesting and important details about clouds in an engaging, easy-to-read format. A great choice for young science or meteorology fans!

Lawrence's beautifully illustrated, exuberant little chick leaps from the page into your living room, ready for adventure. While a rhyming, rhythmic roll accompanies familiar animal sounds to entice the very youngest listeners—even the baby who can't sit still long—humor and repetition engage older toddlers and preschoolers. It's easy for this rhyme to become part of daily life toget ...

Imagination, both generated and given, is the real star of the story. Humor, wordplay, and fun spill from every page!

A delightful introduction to a young boy who turns his personal hurdles—lack of confidence and not knowing how to capitalize on his strengths—into stepping stones for building friendships. Age-appropriate illustrations capture moments beautifully, conveying the emotional experience throughout.

When Henry's mom limits his bike-riding exploration to around the block, he assumes he's in for a boring ride. However, the action he sees—conveyed through rich verb use and energetic illustrations—transforms his ride into an exciting adventure. Enticing for very young readers.

Ranger, a brave dog, wants to convince kids that reading can lead to amazing adventure. History comes alive as Ranger races through time helping young people overcome danger and evil in their quest to stay alive. Ranger and the boys he partners with are the perfect combination of bravery, curiosity, and loyalty. This story presents life-lessons like honesty, standing up for what is right, and how ...

While the story gently follows a pet duck through growth and friendship, the book's strength lies in interesting, descriptive details, both in text and in the charming photographs. Each page includes an action, moving the simple storyline quickly to its winsome conclusion.