Dana Meachen Rau

Dessert Designer: Creations you can make and eat! by Dana Meachen Rau is full of fun desserts that almost anyone can make. Judging by the type and design of the recipes included, as well as the ease of making them, this book seems to be aimed at upper elementary through high school students looking to wow friends and family. Wonderful photographs highlight what each creation looks like, and much of the fun of this cookbook is simply seeing all the creative edible decorations.
I shared this show more book with my fifth grade daughter and ninth grade son, both of whom frequently enjoy cooking with me. Both found recipes they immediately wanted to try out, including (but of course not limited to) mini-mice, sock monkey cookies, volcano cupcakes, berry baskets, armadillo cupcakes, and cupcakes made to look like mugs of hot cocoa. The book has a full-page photo of the finished product on one page and the recipe and instructions on the other page. The only downside to this layout is that the instructions are sometimes rushed, and for this age group step-by-step photographs could be very helpful--especially for younger cooks. In one instance, for a large peacock cake, additional photos and instructions are included for a four-page recipe. However, most recipes are simple enough that a thorough reading of the steps before starting is sufficient to make these wonderful desserts.
I plan to add a copy of this Capstone series to my school library as well as my home cookbook library. Highly recommended for elementary, middle, high school, and public libraries, as well as for any home kitchen where fun, simple desserts are in demand. show less

A young boy named Oscar teaches his best friend and classmate, Lucy, how to understand the "secret code" of Braille in this easy reader, part of the Rookie Readers series. With a simple sentence on each two-page spread, and colorful cartoon-like illustrations, author Dana Meachen Rau and illustrator Bari Weissman spin a satisfying tale of two friends that, though they use different methods, share their love of reading with one another.

I don't think I would have picked The Secret Code up - I show more tend to avoid this sort of very basic early-reader - were it not one of our official selections over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is people facing physical challenges. I liked the fact that Oscar's blindness is presented in such a matter-of-fact way - no trauma here, folks! - and that the theme of children with different abilities is presented in an early-reader format. This is a title one might expect to find in any classroom, as part of the materials available to help children learn to read, making its themes all the more welcome! Beginning readers will enjoy the story, learn a little bit about Braille, and (if they're anything like me!) have fun translating the letter that Oscar sends to Lucy, toward the end of the book! show less

Time Machine
2.0 out of 5 stars Not A Good Beginning Reader, May 14, 2005
If you wanted a picture book for a toddler on ways to get around this would be an okay one. The pictures are colorful and interesting and would hold a young child's attention. I, myself, particularly like that they have a wheelchair as one of the ways to transport oneself.

However, this is supposed to be a beginning reader. The publishers'/author's themselves say that the Level A books are "for emergent readers..." show more with sentences that are short and simple-- which is true. Many of the pages have just one word: Boat, train, skates, wagon, bus, etc.

The problem with this approach, however, is that a single word is not a complete sentence and the words they have chosen to illustrate are not ones that a beginning reader is likely to encounter again in the near future. Thus, if they learn these difficult words they will not have any practice to reinforce that knowledge.

Summary: Though this book is not a good beginning reader, it might be okay for a baby or toddler that likes the idea of `going'. For a better reader try the Margaret Hillert series which are based on commonly known fairytales such as Tom Thumb. Or, of course, there is Dick and Jane. show less

Dana Meachen Rau’s use of highly simplistic, patterned language is the kind of text that beginning readers consume happily. Every page is a variation on the previous one, with few if any syntactic surprises. There is something to the rhythm of Robot, Go Bot! that might remind older readers of a modernized version of the old, “See Spot Run” series, but without feeling stiff and unnatural, thanks in part to Wook Jin Jung’s clear, comic book-like illustrations. Young children might also show more feel confident in using this as a read-aloud for any toddlers in their family, as the storyline and pictures would also appeal to that age group.
The story opens with a small girl building a square, friendly-looking robot. She
quickly realizes that the robot will perform any task she commands, and as soon as she discovers this power, she begins to abuse it. While our young female protagonist builds her demands for the robot, the robot becomes increasingly worn-out and resentful until that he just cannot go (Bot!) anymore. The solution the girl concocts is, like Robot, Go Bot!, simple and effective. Rau has sneakily included a lesson within this short tale, one that young children and their newly formed friendships might find useful. Children prone to bossyness will hopefully use this tale to reflect on their actions and create new ways to give their friends control and space. show less