April Jones Prince

I loved this book! It is a picture book based on actual events that I had never even knew had happened! Who would have thought that twenty-one elephants would have marched across the Brooklyn bridge in order to prove to people that the bridge is safe? I never knew that this historical event had happened and loved learning about the events that led up to the idea of Phineas T. Barnum to take such a risk.
I really enjoyed learning about how there were non believers saying that "Similar bridges show more have fallen!" and that "Who wants to bargain this bridge won't dance in the wind?"
The pictures though out this book are done with great detail and color, yet not too much is going on either. It is a great book to teach a new lesson on how the magnificent Brooklyn bridge was built and how they knew that it was trustworthy!
I enjoyed this book especially because it taught me a new lesson about how this bridge came to be and just how Phineas T. Barnum's circus became a great success! show less

First sentence: Every day, trucks work hard to make our lives faster, easier, and safer!

Premise/plot: This one works for a slightly older audience. It has a main narrative, but it also labels a hundred plus trucks and, in a way, organizes information for young readers.

My thoughts: This is one of those books that grow with your little one. It does have a main narrative. If time is tight or your little one has a smaller attention span, then one can stick to the main text. If you have more show more time, or if your little one is CURIOUS and full of questions, one can interact with the smaller pictures and text. One could certainly interact with the text. Parents asking questions for little ones and vice versa. For example, "can you find the truck with the hotdog on it?" or "do you think it would be fun to ride a tram?" The illustrations are definitely on the busier side. show less

A hilarious rendition of the well known fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After making her famous, or should we say infamous, gruel, Mama pirate, Papa pirate, and Baby pirate head to shore to fetch some fresh water. Little did they know an intruder would be invading their quarters. Goldenlocks smelled the gruel and was drawn to the larger boat. What do you think happens now? I really enjoyed this book not only for the storytelling, but also for the pictures. The pictures enhance the show more feelings and the scenery in the story. For instance, when she smells or eats the gruel there's waves portraying the scent and the heat. The use of background color to display feelings was done well. Comparing the two scenes of when the family found out someone was eating their gruel and to where Goldenlocks joined their crew: in the more angry scene, the background is red, while in the content scene there is a rainbow. show less

This children's book is very well thought out and explains Frederick Douglass's life. It starts out with his humble beginnings as a salve in Maryland. He was born in 1818, where it was a time of slavery and discrimination. This book is a very lengthy one however, it is very say to read and comprehend. I would say that the students would need to have a good background history for what slavery is, thought book does explain it. The book continues with Frederick being re-stationed in Baltimore show more to another slave owning family, all the way up to his great escape from slavery. The book talks about when Frederick moved north, and found his love for sharing his story. He realized his story of being a slave was powerful to the white conservatives of the North. he began speaking all around the world, until slavery had been abolished and he became a US marshal of the District of Columbia. Overall, I feel the author covered the true life of Frederick Douglass in an easy and entertaining way! show less