Kidsclick.org

Title: Kidsclick
Creators: School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at Kent State University
Ages: 8 & up

Assessment: This website was created by librarians to be a safe search engine for children.

The main page has many headings with popular categories to help narrow searches, unfortunately once navigated away from the main page the results are not displayed in a very appealing way. Furthermore the site itself does not appear particularly inviting.

You can find the website at:
http://kidsclick.org/

Field Guide to Dinosaurs

Title: The Field Guide to Dinosaurs
Author: Nancy Honovich
Illustrators: Marc Dando and Ryan Hobson
Ages:7-9
Rating: 3.5/5

Plot: Follow Jackson Foster and his paleontology students on an expedition across the U.S. and Canada looking for fossils.

Assessment: This field guide describes the dinosaur fossils the fictional Jackson Foster and his team find, as well as the time period and what the landscape would have been like to allow each dinosaur to thrive.

The author provides enunciation guides for the names of each dinosaur as well as illustrations of what the dinosaur might have looked like. Accompanying each dinosaur entry is a diorama figure that readers can put together and create their own dinosaur scenarios.

Honovich, N. (2008). The Field guide to dinosaurs. San Diego: Silver Dolphin Books.

10 Kings & Queens who Changed the World

Title: 10 Kings & Queens who changed the world
Author: Clive Gifford
Illustrator: David Cousens
Ages: 10-12
Rating: 5/5

Plot: Learn about 10 famous Kings and Queens from history and why they are so important.

Assessment: Each monarch is described with a little information about the state of their countries at the time of their birth, how they rose to power and the significant events they instigated or are known for.

The story of each King or Queen is expanded upon with interesting knowledge bubbles, which are accompanied by colourful and vivid graphic novel style animation.

Gifford, C. (2009). 10 Kings and queens who changed the world. New York: Kingfisher.

Kidsread.com

Title: Kidsreads
Creators: Various members of the Book Report Network
Age range: 8-12

Assessment: This is a great place for kids of any age to find out about their favorite books, series and authors. Kids (and kids at heart) can get some great book recommendations here as well, the book synopses make each book exciting. I wonder though whether the publishers of the website only make good reviews, and if so -does this reflect the quality of the book?

The site is a kid friendly place, where the content and language assumes a child audience.

My favorite part of this site besides the book recommendations and reviews, is the Book clubs link. There is helpful information about starting book clubs along with book club reading suggestions and questions.

Some of the sites currently appear under construction, but the site is certainly still browseable and helpful. The best part is that aside from the links for parents or teachers and librarians, each page is written for children.

Find the site at:
http://www.kidsreads.com/

The First of Octember

Title: Please try to Remember the First of Octember!
Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Art Cummings
Ages: 4-6
Rating: 4/5

Plot: The first of Octember is a magical time, where anything you want is YOURS!

Assessment: This is a fun imaginative story or long poem. The words sound good in a readers ears, and the illustrations just help to spur the imagination!

Some nonsense words may be frustrating for some readers who try to link the words with things from real life. At the same time, the nonsense words can help to reinforce the sounds that different letter combinations can make.

Seuss, Dr. (1977). Please try to remember the first of Octember! Toronto: Random House of Canada Ltd.

Loose Tooth

Title: Loose Tooth
Author: Lola M. Schaefer
Illustrator: Sylvie Wickstrom
Ages: 3-5; or Reading level 1
Rating: 4/5

Plot: A little boy wakes up one morning with a loose tooth, and he can't wait for it to come out!

Assessment: The illustrations tell the story as well as the simple text. The sentences are very short often only 4 or 5 words long. There is a lot of repetition so children can recognize a word they've read previously.

This is an experience that young children in this reading age will begin anticipating, or can begin relating to.

Schaefer, L. (2004). Loose Tooth. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Young Cam Jansen

Title: Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Susanna Natti
Ages: 4-6; or Reading Level 2
Rating: 4/5

Plot: Mr. Jansen, Cam and Eric stop by the library on their way to the supermarket to check out some books. When they get to the grocery store, Mr. Jansen can't find the long shopping list. Can Cam help him out?

Assessment: This is a fun story that will get kids to think about what they are reading as they read it, because they are trying to solve the mystery too.

The sentences are quite short, and the words tend to have between 1-3 syllables which are great for learning to read.

There is a neat activity when you first open the book to test your memory!

Adler, D. (2001). Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery. New York: Viking.

Dream Stealer

Title: The Dream Stealer
Author: Gregory Maguire
Ages: 9-12
Rating: 3.5/5

Plot: The village of Miersk is being threatened by a figure many thought was just a story -the Blood Prince. That is until two children, who still believe in the stories, decide to take the fate of their village into their own hands.

Assessment: This is an interesting modernization and joining of popular folktales of the Grimm genre, and it certainly sets the imagination running. I love the idea of moving a town onto a train!

This is a story that focuses on how children can make a difference. The children in this story are among the most brave in their entire village, but they both still really want someone to acknowledge it.

The story takes place maybe around the 1930s or 40s, in a small rural village in Europe. This is a good story for older children who might stick with the story even though they do not relate to the environment.

Maguire, G. (1983). The Dream stealer. New York: Clairon Books.

Voices in the Park

Title: Voices in the Park
Author: Anthony Browne
Ages: 5-9
Rating: 5/5

Plot: Four different people visit the park, and you can enjoy four different views on what happened there.

Assessment: This is an interesting way to get children to think about different people are, and how people see situations differently. This would be a good story to share with a child and talk about how different each section of the story is.

This is the kind of story that a child (or adult!) can come back to again and again, as they may notice something new about it each time.

Browne, A. (1998). Voices in the Park. New York: DK Publishing Inc.

Jeremy Draws a Monster

Title: Jeremy Draws a Monster
Author: Peter McCarty
Ages: 3-8
Rating: 5/5

Plot: Jeremy is bored and lonely, so one day he takes out his fancy pen and draws a monster.

Assessment: This would be a fun story to read out loud, as the story is simple and could easily be made interactive between the reader and the child audience. Similarly, this would be a good book for an older child who is learning to read because the sentences are short, and the words are not too difficult.

McCarty, P. (2009). Jeremy draws a monster. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Beanstock

Title: Beanstock -A Groovy new spin on Jack & the Beanstalk
Creators: Judy and David Gershon
Ages: 2-6
Rating: 4/5

Plot: On his way to sell their family cow, Jack meets a Wizard. The Wizard gives Jack some magical and MUSICAL beans in exchange for the cow.

Assessment: This a fun new version of Jack and the Beanstalk. The story telling is energetic, the characters are silly and the music adds an exciting element to a familiar story. This is a CD kids will want to dance to!

Bonus: Put the CD in your computer and see a music video, print colouring pages, or play games!

Gershon, J. & D. (2001). Beanstock: A groovy new spin on Jack & the Beanstalk. Scarborough, Ontario: Warner Music Canada Ltd.

Jellaby: Monster in the City

Title: Jellaby: Monster in the City
Author: Kean Soo
Illustrator: Kean Soo
Ages: 8-12
Rating: 3/5

Plot: The story of where Jellaby comes from continues as Portia and Jason take him to Toronto. What they find there is not what any of them were expecting.

Assessment: My expectations for this second book were not satisfied. The questions that were raised in the first book were never really answered. The reader does not find out where Jellaby comes from, or what happened to Portia's dad.

The main strength in this conclusion to the story of Jellaby, was the focus on friendship and loyalty. Each of the three new friends become close, and help to heal the loneliness they each appear to feel.

Soo, K. (2009). Jellaby: Monster in the city. New York: Disney Hyperion Books.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Illustrator: Jeff Kinney
Ages: 10-12
Rating: 4/5

Plot: Greg has just entered middle school and he begins his quest to be popular and famous. But its tough being popular when when everyone is a nerd but you!

Assessment: Greg's journal/diary entry style writing gives the reader a special view into Greg's special perspective on his life. But what makes the book so funny, is to see how obvious it is -to everyone but Greg, that he is the source of all his trouble.

The drawings accompanying Greg's descriptions are funny and really add a different dimension to the story.

This would be a great series to recommend for a reluctant reader -especially for boys. The stories are funny and have many elements that kids would be able to relate to. The illustrations help to break up the story, and the text that is easy enough that it would be a good recommendation for someone who is disinterested in reading because they have trouble with their reading.

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid. New York, Amulet Books.



Title: Rodrick Rules

Plot: Greg has a new diary to record the events of his year. But one thing keeps coming up, and its something he doesn't want to remember. Unfortunately for Greg his brother Rodrick knows all about his secret and he is not about to let Greg forget it!

Assessment: This next book in the series is written in the same manner, from Greg's unique perspective.

As the series progresses readers get a better look at how Greg perceives his parents. He sees them as biased towards the younger brother Manny, and oblivious to their family life. While this is part of the self-centered personality of the hero and makes up some of the humour, some parents may not appreciate Greg's seeming lack of respect for his parents.

Kinney, J. (2008). Diary of a wimpy kid: Rodrick Rules. New York: Amulet Books.



Title: The Last Straw

Plot: Greg has high hopes for the summer, but his Dad seems to have other plans for him... Military Academy. Can Greg convince his Dad that he's not as wimpy or as lazy as he seems?

Assessment: Another funny installment in Greg's Diary. While he is trying to avoid Military Academy, I thought that part of Greg's efforts was just in trying to impress his dad. In the end, they do kind of bond and Dad thinks his son is brave for trying to protect him from embarrassment -which is funny and a happy ending!

Kinney, J. (2009). Diary of a wimpy kid: The last straw. New York: Amulet Books.

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid

Title: Stink: The incredible shrinking kid
Author:Megan McDonald
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Ages: 7-9
Rating: 4/5

Plot: Stink is the shortest kid in class. Every morning get his sister Judy to measure him to see how much he's grown, until one night she measures him and he's shrunk a quarter of an inch! Stink tries to think of ways to make him taller.

Assessment: The writing in this novel is simple enough that a young reader could enjoy this story, while the subjects are mature enough to appeal to an older reader who may have a lower reading level.

The comics at the end of each chapter, drawn by Stink, help to break up the text for children who are new to chapter books.

McDonald, M. (2005). Stink: The incredible shrinking kid. Toronto, Candlewick press.

Love that Dog

Title: Love that Dog
Author: Sharon Creech

Plot: Jack is writing poetry because his teacher is making him. He doesn't like poetry, he just doesn't get it -people write about things that don't make sense. So Jack writes about what is happening in class, and he writes about his dog Sky.

Assessment: This poetry written as though by Jack, expresses a lot of feelings that children as they get older feel about poetry. That the combination of words is often confusing or that the point of the poem is not clear. But as the reader progresses through the book, Jack's appreciation for poetry grows -which is pretty amazing.

Jack's perspective on poetry and life made me laugh and cry. It really shows how poetry or journal writing can help children deal with their thoughts and feelings.

Creech, S. (2003). Love that dog. HarperCollins Publishers.

The Boy Who Ate the World

Title: The Boy Who ate the World: (And the girl who saved it)
Author: Don Gillmor
Illustrator: Pierre Pratt
Ages: 5-8
Rating: 4/5

Plot: Herman Oof is a giant who is very hungry. He eats 140 hamburgers for lunch and drinks oceans when he's thirsty. That is until Sarah gets an idea to save the Earth.

Assessment: This is a funny story about excess. Herman eats so much it starts to negatively affect the people on earth. This story can be read two ways. On one hand it is about a giant who eats the world and becomes the moon. While on the other hand it is about our society's over consumption. Mr Off tellingly rebukes a scientist who fears there isn't enough food on earth for Herman, saying "this is the world, there will always be something left."

Gillmor, D. (2008). The boy who ate the world: (and the girl who saved it). Scholastic Canada, Ltd.

The Princess and the Goblin

Title: The Princess and the Goblin
Author: George Macdonald
Illustrator: Arthur Hughes
Ages: 8-12
Rating: 3/5

Plot: Princess Irene lives in a castle with a lot of servants, but no mother or father. One day while exploring the castle Irene finds her great-grandmother, meanwhile inside the mountain a young miner overhears a plot to kidnap the princess.

Assessment: The narration style of this novel is one of the most entertaining parts of the story. Often the narrator is a character of the story all its own, and gives the reader the feeling of an orally told story rather than a print one.

With magic and goblins and trickery, this story seems set to captivate readers, however Princess Irene and Curdie are often so morally good or so polite -even correcting the adults who care for them, that they become annoying. The characters (including the narrator) are too often trying to teach children proper manners that the story often slows almost to a stop.

Macdonald, G. (1972). The Princess and the Goblin. Toronto, ON: Puffin Classics.

The Tale of Despereaux

Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Creators:Will McRobb, Gary Ross, Chris Viscardi
Ages: 5-8
Rating: 4/5

Plot: Despereaux is not like other mice. He doesn't skitter, or cower, and longs to be a hero. Which is lucky for Princess Pea who needs a hero to save her and the kingdom from a world without sunshine.

Assessment: The narration of the movie makes this tale have a read-aloud story quality. It is lightly playful, as we see right from the start when the narration doesn't quite match what the characters show us.

Kids get to see how a handful of seemingly unrelated characters or events can affect others. There is a clear message about how one's actions and words can hurt others, although it may be more difficult to grasp for younger children.

This is a good movie to show that bad guys are not always evil, and that sometimes even "good guys" can hurt people.

This movie is based on the book of the same name by Kate Dicamillo!