Elliot Kreloff

« Once upon a time, a line was drawn. »

But wait…what is the line purpose ? And should the line just go straight ? Can it be something else like a cowboy’s lasso or a high-wire in the circus ? Or could it just become a shape if it learns to curve or turns a corner ?

Once upon a line is lot of things : what we may presume at first to be a geometry book, turns rapidly into an adventure and self-discovery book. Yes, the Little Line is straight, but it can become whatever it wants. It can show more turn into a curve, or a corner, or becomes whatever shape it wishes. There is no limit to its imagination.

This book inspires creativity and exploration. It encourages young readers to ask questions and to discover the world around them. As we follow the line’s adventures around the globe, we encounter shapes, colors, continents, weather, and even stars.

The illustrations are colorful and fun and the story is really entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the humor and the strong message shared in the story : you don’t need to be perfect to be yourself. It is also a wonderful book that can be easily used in math lessons or in art class. show less

This was a sweet book and although I was a bit skeptical about the glitter on the cover, I overlooked the sparkliness and used it in my activity calendars.

Izzy, a white boy with messy brown hair in a blue sweater, red mittens, and a green and beige hat, likes to play in the snow. He makes a snowball, sparkling with little snowflakes, but when he starts to throw it the snowball objects! A smiling face with round nose appear on the snowball and they set out to enjoy other winter fun, along show more with Izzy's dachsund. Izzy names the snowball Larry and takes it home, but, of course, it starts to melt!

Izzy stores Larry in the freezer and Larry waits patiently until Izzy takes it out to check out spring, summer, and fall. Larry feels lucky to see each gorgeous season, but after a brief visit it has to go back into the freezer, to keep from melting. Finally, it's winter again and Larry can stay outside as long as Izzy wants as they play with all their snowflake friends.

The backmatter gives a simple explanation of the four seasons, assumed to be in a climate with snow, leaves changing color, etc. Another page talks about melting, solids, and liquids.

The art is collage and includes lots of bright colors. The same scene is repeated, but in different seasons so readers will see Izzy's yard in many different colors, with the full growth of summer, and in the bare chill of winter. Humor is added in gentle jokes about Larry in the freezer and the panic over him melting and returning to the freezer. Don't be surprised if kids want to make - and keep - their own snowballs after reading this book!

Verdict: An excellent preschool read-aloud with age-appropriate back matter about the seasons and melting. Use in a storytime or preschool classroom, or suggest to readers who like snow and want to learn more about the different seasons. If you live somewhere without the "traditional" four seasons, you could make collages of what your seasons look like and how they change.

ISBN: 9780823441051; Published September 2019 by Holiday House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

A great way to get toddlers excited about reading is to make reading books fun! This nursery rhyme set is the perfect start to their reading adventure. I know that I sang "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to our kids and we had books that went along with the nursery rhyme as well. In fact, that was probably one of the first nursery rhymes they learned.

This book set includes a mini board book, a wooden vehicle (bus or tractor) and a plastic play mat. While you are reading (or singing) the rhyme to show more your toddler, they can drive the tractor along the road visiting the animals on the mat.

The set comes in a carrying case with a handle. So these would be perfect for traveling. The playmat is approximately 22 x 17 inches and folds up nicely into the carrying case.

The vehicle and the book are perfectly sized for toddler's little hands. They can hold the book by themselves and the vehicle without any difficulty. The words of the chorus are bolded in the book to make them stand out more. Children will have fun acting out the verses in the book with their very own playset.

If you have toddlers on your gift list, then I would recommend this reading playset for them. show less

A bear goes fishing, wishing for a big fish. The worm on the end of his line is more concerned with not getting eaten. Only one of them gets what it wants.

A simple story -- attributed to "Harriet Ziefert Inc." -- with art stylized to appear as if drawn by a six-year-old with a box of crayons.

This book did nothing for me, but my daughter liked it so much when she was five we had to buy our own copy a couple months after reading it from the library.