Dianne Ochiltree

This beautiful book will thrill all the little kids who love sparkly things and/or fireflies. I of course used to love both. And with poetry in the mix, you can’t lose!

Simple verses tell the story of a little girl who can’t wait for firefly nights, “when the moon is high and the stars are bright.” She collects fireflies in a jar and then races to show her dad “their dancing-light show.”

But she doesn’t keep them for long:

"Flickering quicker,
they sparkle and shine.
I love catching show more fireflies,
but they are not mine.”

She gently releases them and watches them blink off into the night.

At the end of the book the author has collected some facts about fireflies that she arranges inside glowing balls on a two-page spread. Best of all, both the front and back covers have real glitter surrounding the fireflies!

The colorful collages by Betsy Snyder are vibrant and magical. show less

It’s harvest time in the pumpkin patch and Sam is helping her grandfather by going out to pick pumpkins. She finds one, then two, then four, then eight. But when she stacks eight pumpkins on top of the eight pumpkins already in her wagon, the wagon tips and all the pumpkins roll away like bowling balls.

They’re out of control! And some are rolling through Grandpa’s front door.

What will happen with all those runaway pumpkins?

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This counting book is sure to delight the young show more reader. The surprise at the end [after the pumpkins roll away] is sure to elicit smiles. The story is predictable and young readers will enjoy counting Sam’s pumpkins and then discovering what happens to them after they roll away.

Told in rhyme and illustrated with charming, colorful pictures, the target audience for this book is the young reader, preschool through primary grades. In the classroom, it would work well as part of a lesson involving autumn, pumpkins, or counting. It’s also a perfect book for storytime.

Highly recommended. show less

I am always on the lookout for great children's picture books. This ranks right up there. You may wonder what makes it different. No, it isn't the pictures even though they are wonderful. It isn't the story, even though it is well written. For me it was the idea that a story was written that will entice children of all ages. Not only that, the author has done a tremendous job of providing the historical information at the end. You the reader have the opportunity to share it with a child. She show more has also provided resources for parents and teachers to further entice children to learn more about fighting fires. I was very impressed and consider myself lucky that Dianne Ochiltree is my guest today for an interview. show less

(ARC was provided to read and review.)

The little boy has a blissful day with his mother at the beach, collecting all sorts of shells of different shapes and sizes. He learns, that when he presses certain shells on his ear, he can hear the ocean.
Then the shells are counted - one to ten - at the shore and a second time at home, and the whole text is in cheerful rhymes, which makes it for children far more easy to remember.

But there is more. At home the wee boy makes a display with his show more shells and we learn the different names and what they look like. The last page of the book looks at what's inside the shell and how do they live?

Overall a lovely picture book, not just for days at the seaside, but to help along with early counting and to still the curiosity of the young shell collector. show less