Jillian Powell

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Even as an adult, I found this book to be very informative. I work in a childcare center, and we have a strict snack policy because so many kids have allergies and many parents are not very understanding of this policy. I, personally, do not have any connection to anyone with a severe food allergy, so this book was an eye-opener. It discusses things about a food allergy that I had never even considered: "Shopping can take a long time, because show more Mom and I [Aneil] have to check all the food labels. We check to see that they are no nuts or traces of nuts in anything we're buying." This book has lots a pictures accompanying the story. They show a boy who does fun things, like go to birthday parties and ride ATVs with his cousins, who just needs to be more careful around certain foods. The author does not skim over the seriousness of a food allergy, and discusses EpiPens and how and when they are used. The parental role in a child's life if they have a food allergy is clearly conveyed as well, seeing as the mother is very involved in his life and checks with people to make sure the food they are serving is safe for Aneil. The big idea of this book is to be aware and understanding of the needs of those around you. Aneil is just a regular kid who needs to be more careful around food, and this book demonstrates being tolerant and helpful when there are children like that in your life. show less

Another great book in the How Do They Grow? series. This book, about chicken's life cycles, offers a lot of rich informational text features including headings, a table of contents, glossary, and an index. Chick pictures always bring on a lot of "Awwwwww"s from my kindergarten students.

From Calf to Cow is a wonderful nonfiction book for kindergarteners. Although it is geared to third grade independent readers, the language is very accessible for kindergarteners when being read to. The real-life pictures of newborn calves and milking machines keep the students interested.

I think this book is great and how it is written in first person. The pictures are beautiful and I would reccomend reading this book to many!
Ages: 3-6
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