Review 5 star
Find It On Amazon Zip Pop Buzz by Dave Noland is a picture book that encourages kids to get involved with musical rhythm. It’s a sweet story about communication and helping someone out and can be used in a music classroom for small children or read at home. It follows the adventures of a little girl who is visited one day by a very opinionated ladybug. This ladybug seems to be asking for something, but she can’t communicate. She has only one thing to say—“Zip Pop Buzz.” No matter what the girl does, nothing seems to work for the ladybug. What is the ladybug looking for? Enchanting and energetic are great words to describe this book. The storytelling is bouncy and easy on the ears, and it feels like a song. It was almost impossible for me to read this book without breaking into a hum, or a bit of a tune—interrupted often, of course, by the keyword Zip Pop Buzz. These words are a cue for kids to start getting active with rhythm sticks, making their own music. Participation is the point of the story and it’s easy to achieve because the ladybug is trying to communicate and that’s the essential purpose of sounds, including rhythmic ones. She doesn’t have words, but she does have sounds that convey her feelings. Each time Zip Pop Buzz is repeated, it has a different meaning. Does the ladybug want attention? Is she mad? Does she feel happy and grateful? Zip Pop Buzz by Dave Noland is a wonderful, feel-good book that will get kid’s toes tapping. Review 4 star
Find It On Amazon Flip and Pate’s Magical Potion Adventure is an inventive children’s fantasy comedy by Lori Rousche. A girl named Sophia Phlippet (nicknamed Flip) has the gift of dabbling in magic powers—specifically, making potions that come to life and actually work. When Flip is given the family Potion Bible by her grandmother, the first thing she can think of is getting even with arrogant-but-cute Justin at school. Justin’s family has the gift of potion-making too. She and her best friend Pate start to use the Potion Bible against Justin. But as Flip and Justin’s fighting turns into a spiral of making potions to embarrass each other, things start to go out of control and Flip ignores Pate’s needs. And is using magic for revenge really such a good idea? Lori Rousche’s storytelling has a lot of gusto. Flip and Pate’s Magical Potion Adventure is an upbeat, action-packed reading experience for kids. The lively duo of mischief-making Flip and honest, friendly Pate made a likable team as they got involved in one amusing antic after another, and I especially enjoyed the well-timed verbal humor and clever ways Flip described things as they happened to her. Flip fizzed and buzzed with life much like the potions she thought up. Her dynamic personality wasn’t afraid to take risks and I appreciated that she had the ultimate ability to admit her mistakes. The dilemma of getting carried away by emotions and then repenting was a great moral lesson (mixed with a little fun) and a good drive to the story. Entertaining and light-hearted, this is a solid reading choice. Review 5 star
Find It On Amazon What Makes a Bug a Bug? (Animal Classes) is a fun bedtime story book to teach small children a little science . Author Andi Cann introduces kids to a bright, happy little boy named Bucky who is reading a “magic mystery book” (a science book, of course!) with his dog Bingo. Bucky is learning all about the complicated world of insects. How can you tell the difference between a true insect and things that are just small like worms? Bucky learns the rule of 6:3:2 and isn’t in doubt any longer. The insect world can be confusing, but it’s not hard for Bucky to get it right once he knows the trick. Andi Cann’s book is really great for cutting straight to the simple facts kids need to be learning. Scientific terminology can be a little complex, but a simple method like 6:3:2 (insects have 6 legs, 3 body parts, and 2 antennae), lined up with some large, vivid illustrations of actual insects will give kids something to latch onto and actually remember as they try to locate the 6 legs and 3 body parts. Or, of course, to find out where they are missing, making that creature not a true insect. What Makes a Bug a Bug?(Animal Classes) gets right into the action so kids can start identifying why a spider (an arachnid) is different and point to pictures of true insects and other creepy crawlies until they can spot the necessary 6:3:2 features. The conversational tone makes this spirited, cheerful little book a natural for read-aloud, and combines education and hands-on fun in a cute way. |
AuthorThis is the companion for Sarah Scheele's newsletter blog. In it I share reviews for books I'd recommend/are similar to my own. Archives
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