Review: Alphabetabum: An Album of Rare Photographs and Medium Verses by Vladimir Radunsky & Chris Raschka

Alphabetabum: An Album of Rare Photographs and Medium Verses by Vladimir Radunsky & Chris Raschka.

The New York Review Children's Collection
Publication Date: October 2014
List Price: $19.95
ISBN-13: 9781590178171

Review: Alphabetabum? I know what your thinking, 'What kind of title is that?' However, as soon as you open the first page in this unusual book you'll see why!

The book Alphabetabum by (Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raskaca) create a book full of historical photographs with poems to follow how the child appears in the photo. Through the use of poetic of techniques, they both find a fun and creative why to amuse readers. This book is also a great way to learn about the fashion of the 19th century, so not only are you giggling at the rhymes, but also you are getting a history lesson. What a plus! I recommend this book for the ages of 12-13 since the sophisticated wording throughout this book may be challenging for younger children.

Review written by Arsima (6th grade student).

We would like to thank The New York Review Children's Collection for providing a copy of Alphabetabum: An Album of Rare Photographs and Medium Verses for this review.

Have you read Alphabetabum: An Album of Rare Photographs and Medium Verses? How would you rate it?

Review: Kids' Baking: 60 Delicious Recipes for Children to Make by Sarah Lewis

Kids' Baking: 60 Delicious Recipes for Children to Make by Sarah Lewis.

Hamlyn
Publication Date: March 2013
List Price: $12.99
ISBN-13: 9780600625162

Review: Step 1: Open up your book. Step 2: Follow the instructions. Step 3: Take your delicious treat out of the oven! Kids' Baking by Sara Lewis has 60 delectable recipes that anybody can make.

From cakes to cookies to more cakes to brownies and bars and bread, Kids' Baking has it all! There are tasty triple fudge brownies that will make your mouth water. There are so many different options to choose from. All the recipes look so scrumptious that you will want to bake them all! The cakes all looked really appetizing.

I had so much fun reading Kids' Baking. I love all the different types of food I can make. I wasn't expecting to have bread in the book and the bread looks really good. I actually made one of the recipes. It was really easy and simple to make and the outcome was delicious! Everybody loved them. They baked really quickly. This book is targeted for age's 8- 10 but anybody can make these recipes. Some are more difficult than others, but overall the recipes are fairly simplistic, which is good for the targeted audience. But, even so, anyone who loves to bake will enjoy Kids' Baking!

Review written by Lilia (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Media Masters Publicity for providing a copy of Kids' Baking: 60 Delicious Recipes for Children to Make for this review.

Have you read Kids' Baking: 60 Delicious Recipes for Children to Make? How would you rate it?

Review: Crafts for Kids by Gill Dickenson

Crafts for Kids by Gill Dickenson. A Craft Library Book.

Hamlyn
Publication Date: January 2013
List Price: $12.99
ISBN-13: 9780600625148

Review: One adorable creation one after another little kids laughing and playing with their new piece of art. Crafts for Kids by Gill Dickinson is an adorable read. It shows great crafts for the young soul to enhance their creative mind and be able to express them selves in their art.

Crafts for Kids shows a variety of different crafts and some variations so you don't run out of ideas quickly. Also, it gives ideas for every season, each idea better than the last one. This book makes it simple to complete each craft by showing step-by-step instructions and it shows pictures to help explain for the visual learner. Some crafts you learn to make are fake flowers, straw people and many more.

Crafts for Kids is a book that I would recommend for any mother, daycare, or art teacher. It teaches kids how to express themselves through what they make. This book could be for any gender, and would be the most fun for kids' ages from 2 to 6 years old and their parents. So have fun, be creative, and be an artist!

Review written by Karissa (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Media Masters Publicity for providing a copy of Crafts for Kids for this review.

Have you read Crafts for Kids? How would you rate it?

Review: I Love People by Francoize Boucher

I Love People by Francoize Boucher.

Kane Miller
Publication Date: September 2011
List Price: $14.99
ISBN-13: 9781610670128

Review: Who are people? Who are not? After crossing out all the phrases that are not people, the reader is left with "You, bored to death; a dead house plant; and a huge dead rat" epitomizing the disadvantage of isolation. This fun activity along with nearly 100 more is from I Love People - an activity book by Francoize Boucher that teaches readers how to love all people - including those that might be from another planet!

According to the author, in order to read I Love People, every reader needs to have the following on hand: "a very big heart, a full pencil case, and a taste for adventure." Readers embark on a journey "with twists and turns - to the land of love and friendship." This activity book is filled with eye-appealing activities written with kids in mind that focus on friendship, stress, valuing yourself, etiquette, and looking for the best in people. The activities would not only be great fun for any 8-12 year old child, but they would also be an excellent resource for teachers and counselors of that age group.

One example of how I Love People could be used in a classroom setting is the "Who would you like to be friends with?" section. Six characters are presented with varying appearance, interests, intelligence and attitudes. The ultimate goal is to teach readers how appearances can be deceptive and that friends should be picked for who they are instead of what they look like. Countless other pages can yield thought-provoking discussions as well. But most importantly, I Love People is a fun book filled with wisdom under the disguise of humor. Only on a few occasions did I find myself questioning the value of a few pages. For example, on the page, "What about You? What do you do for other people?" kids are instructed to make a list following some of the given examples. One example is "I punched . . . ." The moral at the end of the page is, "You see! All these people would be really sad if you weren't around." It seems unlikely that someone you punched would miss you. Certainly this was intended as humor, but developmentally, some children may not understand the humor. Nonetheless, I Love People does exactly what it sets out to do - it stimulates thinking, creates a few laughs, jumpstarts imagination, and helps kids to become the best person they can be. Kids will read and write . . . . and ultimate learn a great deal about themselves and the people all around them.

Review written by Margo Nauert (6th grade teacher).

We would like to thank Kane Miller for providing a copy of I Love People for this review.

Have you read I Love People? How would you rate it?