Jacqueline Jules

I enjoyed reading this book for two reasons. One was because the illustrations were attractive and silly. Jef Czekaj did a great job telling the story of how our nation came to be by illustrating thirteen diverse students, which represented the thirteen colonies. Each student had distinct characteristics, shapes and sizes. The children’s bodies were the shapes of the state they each represented, which I found both clever and humorous.
The second reason I enjoyed this book was because the show more text was incredibly informative without being too content-heavy. Children can learn a lot from this text without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. Jacqueline Jules presents the information in a way that children can understand and identify with without coming off as textbook-style. By reading this text, children can learn at their own level and enjoy the material being taught without feeling burnt out or bored. When paired with the silly illustrations and entertaining dialogue between the “colonies”, the informative text became interesting and more realistic. Often when learning about history, students can become disengaged and disconnected. This text helps bridge that gap by making history fun and silly.
Overall, I found this book incredibly useful and purposeful. I had fun reading this book because of its creative and lighthearted nature. Both Jules and Czekaj did a wonderful job at creating a children’s book that was not only informative, but enjoyable as well. I loved the idea of having the students represent the colonies because it created comprehensible input for the target audience. The takeaway from this story was that everyone needs to work together and learn how to compromise or else things will fall apart. I think this is a great lesson for young children and I believe this is a great story for elementary school students to learn from. show less

It's not just about Pluto (even if Pluto thinks it is). It's about science.

Pluto is pretty upset. He's gotten kicked out of the big league of planets, and now he's just a dwarf planet, out in the Kuiper belt. Even his moon, Charon, can't comfort him. Pluto wants answers! Fortunately, they're at a museum and with a little research they're going to get those answers. Or are they?

Roman's colorful cartoons, presented in comic panels, take readers through multiple scientific changes, from the show more earth being demoted from center of the universe to the controversy over apatosaurus vs. brontosaurus. As Pluto and Charon travel through the museum's exhibits, they learn about how scientists learn new things over the ages, update their findings, and discover new things about the universe, including space. When Pluto discovers he has a sister dwarf planet - Eris - he decides that maybe scientists - and the world - think he's special after all, even if he isn't a big planet.

Extensive back matter explains in depth about the history of scientific research into the solar system, dinosaurs, germs, why scientists study rocks, and more. There is also a glossary, further reading, and websites. Bonus points for the depiction of scientists of different races and genders! Check out the author's website for a reader's theater activity for the book, a great choice for homeschool or small classroom use!

Verdict: This is so much more than just a graphic picture book about Pluto - it's a simple but fun introduction to how scientists learn new things and the importance of asking questions. Hand to teachers introducing astronomy, museums, or research, to kids who are interested in planets, and to young readers looking for simple graphic novels.

ISBN: 9781633224612; Published June 2018 by Seagrass Press/Quarto Group; Review copy provided by the author; Donated to the library show less

Tuyet is excited to celebrate Thanksgiving at home, but dismayed that her Vietnamese-American family's feast will involve duck, rather than the more traditional turkey. She tries to convince her mother and grandmother that this is Turkey Day, just like she learned at school, but is informed in return that her family prefers duck. Tuyet too enjoys duck, and has a good time with her cousins on Thanksgiving Day itself. But what will she tell her teacher and classmates, when they discuss their show more holiday celebrations...?

With its story of a young Asian-American girl struggling to reconcile her expectations regarding the American celebration of a particular holiday with her immigrant family's own traditions, Duck for Turkey Day reminded me a bit of the middle-grade novel, Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas, about a Chinese-American girl and her longing for a "real" American Christmas. The story here is sweet, and the conclusion heartwarming, leading young reader/listeners to the idea that there is no one true way to celebrate Thanksgiving (or any other holiday), and that the day isn't really about the food you eat, but the feelings you have, and the people with whom you celebrate. The artwork from illustrator Kathryn Mitter is colorful and cute - well-matched to the story. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that feature diverse ways of celebrating Thanksgiving. show less

A friend put me on to this series and I absolutely loved it! I've always been sad that I couldn't get any kids to get into Jules' Zapato Power series. I'm not sure why - the covers are a little bland maybe. But Sofia Martinez, oh I can booktalk this one!

Sofia is the youngest of the three Martinez sisters. Everyone says she and her sisters, Luisa and Elena look alike. But Sofia wants to look different! A family get-together gives her an idea and in her next school picture Sofia will show more definitely stand out of the crowd!

The pictures are colorful and attractive. Sofia is an enthusiastic, bouncy little girl whose personality shines through both the words and pictures. The art picks up the changing emotions of the simple story and gives the reader glimpses into Sofia's warm and busy family.

The text is intermediate, what I'd call a level 2 or 3 in my library, perfect for kindergarten up through 2nd grade. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text in bright pink. The meaning is easy to pick out from the context, but there's also a helpful glossary in the back. Several discussion questions are also included.

I've been looking for more realistic easy readers and Sofia's Latina identity is just the icing on top of the cupcake. Kids will empathize with her dilemma and giggle over her solution. The text is smoothly written and the Spanish integrated so that it won't disrupt the reading experience, whether or not kids know what the words mean. Sassy pictures and a depiction of a caring, happy family round out a very nice start to a new easy reader series.

Verdict: Picture Window only offers paperback or library binding, but the $15 price tag is quite reasonable and definitely worth it to add a little diversity and a fun new series to your easy reader section. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781479857738; Published 2015 by Picture Window/Capstone; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less