Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?

Mickey Wonders Why: Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?

By Alexandra Parsons

Published by Disney Books By Mail (1992)

Reading Level: Ages 7-10 years

Pages: 28

Genre: Nonfiction

Summary: Polar Bears are really tall and live in cold climates. Their fur keeps them warm. Stick plants can hold very still so they won't be seen by predators and their eggs look like seeds. A tiger's stripes go up and down so it can blend in with the plants. Crocodiles look like logs, and their tails are strong enough that they ca rear up and propel through the water. Many eggs are speckled so they are harder to spot. Chameleons have different colored spot all over their bodies that grow and shrink to make the different colors, they also turn colors when they are mad. Some fish are flat so they don't look like fish. Snakes are camouflaged so that they can wait for food without being seen. Some butterflies look like leaves. Baby deer can walk hours after they are born and they hide in the grasses. Some insects look like other animals to scare off predators. Sloths fur has green scum on it that bugs live in.

My Reaction: It was interesting. it had Mickey Mouse in it and that always makes me happy.

Potential Problems: some of the animals could be scary to sensitive children.

Recommendations: I think this would be great to read to curious children. I would also recommend this to any child with lots of interest in animals.

Safari

National Geographic Kids Safari

By Gail Tuchman

Published by Scholastic Inc. (2010)

Reading Level: Ages 4-6 years

Pages: 24

Genre: Nonfiction

Summary: I go on a safari and see elephants spray. I see lions playing and running rhinos. I also see giraffes and zebras eating. Finally, I see a hippo in the water. It is all just for me. There are animals everywhere when I am on a safari.

My Reaction: This book is super simple and short, I was a little shocked. When I got it I thought there would be a little more info in it, even words.

Potential Problems: No

Recommendations: It would be a good one to read to young children and it would be good for new readers as well.

Three Cheers for Tacky

Three Cheers for Tacky

By Helen Lester

Published by Scholastic Inc. (1994)

Reading Level: Ages 4-8 years

Pages: 32

Genre: Picture Book

Summary: In an icy land there were many perfect penguins and one that was really weird, his name was Tacky. A cheering contest was announced and the winners got blue bow ties. Their team comes up with a cheer, but Tacky doesn't fit the look and he doesn't do the cheer right, he does his own cheer. The other penguins tell him he has to be like them. so he works really hard to do things like them and finally gets it right before the competition. At the competition all of the cheers were very similar and boring and they put everyone asleep. When it's Tacky's team's turn he trips and makes lots of noise that get's everyone's attention. The team does the routine over Tacky and the crowd goes wild. They have Tacky give encore performances and his team wins and get's the ribbons.

My Reaction: I like stories where it is okay to be different and break the status quo. I think we need to be more tolerant of people that are different and see what good things we can gain from them. I thought the story was cute.

Potential Problems: No

Recommendations: I would give this to first graders to read and I would read it with kids that haven't yet learned to read. I think yunger children would love the repetition in this story.

Knots on a Counting Rope

Knots on a Counting Rope

By Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Published by Turtleback (1997)

Reading Level: Ages 4-8 years

Pages: 32

Genre: Picture book, Historical fiction

Summary: This is a story about a grand father telling a story to his grandson and the grandson knows the story pretty well. The story is about the grandson. The grandson was born on a stormy night, but the storm stopped when he was born. He was blessed by his grandma but was very sick through the night. Grandpa took him out to see the morning, but the child never open his eyes put reached out to touch two blue horses. He was named Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses. When he was a little older his own horse was born and grandpa named it rainbow and it was the boy's eyes because the boy was blind. The boy taught the horse to race and entered in an official race and didn't win, but beat expectations by finishings. It made him closer to going through the dark mountains. He puts another not in his counting rope and when his counting rope is full he will know the story, even when grandpa is gone.

My Reaction: I thought this book was very sweat and had a nice meaning. It reminded my about a book I read in fourth grade about a mute Nez Peirce boy that had a horse. I also loved the illustrations and some of the story was told by the pictures.

Potential Problems: I don't see any.

Recommendations: I think it would be great to read to children around three or four, but it think I would recommend it to second graders to read. It would be great to read in the classroom when the class learns around Native Americans.

Smoke Jumpers

Smoke Jumpers (Choose Your Own Adventure #29)

By R.A. Montgomery

Published by Chooseco (2009)

Reading Level: Ages 9-12 years

Pages: 144

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Summary: In this book you get to choose your own pathway. This is the story I chose. I am an environmentalist training to fight forest fires. I am scheduled for my first jump test, or a test involving jumping from a plane. That is sometimes required when fighting forest fires. During breakfast I notice smoke from a nearby forest fire. A man named Henry comes to tell us to prepare for our jump. We go up in the plane and reach the drop zone. I jump from the plane and focus on landing which I do well. When an instructor get a call to help with a couple small fires I volunteer even though it will delay my training for a couple days. We get to the site and they need help immediately, I decide to help fight the fire immediately. We check our gear and get necessary supplies and walk along an unfamiliar trail. I see a man far off waving and decide to get the experienced fighter, Stamos, for help about what to do and leave Finn there. I tell him then go back to Finn, we are surrounded by smoke and Finn retreats. We see the helicopter and get in to help find a family that got lost shooting a documentary. We spot them and make successful jumps and save the family. We become famous because that family makes a documentary based on our work as firefighters and I have to appear on talk shows, but I claim that I would rather fighting fires.

My Reaction: I liked the end result far better than the Titanic choose your own adventure story. I don't mind reaching celebrity status. It was fun. Not as thoroughly involving as regular books, but I still enjoyed it.

Potential Problems: The danger expressed could be scary.

Recommendations: I would recommend this to second grade boys. I think second grade was when I first heard about these books and I think boys would enjoy them more than girls. Firefighting is usually something boys like to learn about.

Hello, Red Fox

Hello, Red Fox

By Eric Carle

Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (1998)

Reading Level: Baby-Preschool

Pages: 32

Genre: Picture Book

Summary: This book is based on Goethe wheel of primary and complimentary colors. Little frog is having a birthday. His mom asks who he wants to come. The guests start to arrive one by one. As each arrives mother frog is concerned that they are being called the wrong thing for example a green fox is called red fox. Little frog tells his mom to look longer, then the reader looks at the green colored fox for a long time then to look at the blank page opposite and we see a red fox in the blank spot. This happens with each of the guests that arrive. Then little frog is given a flower that looks green with red leaves. Mother frog tells little frog to look at it longer and it does look like a red flower with green leaves. Then everyone tells little frog happy birthday.

My Reaction: I thought Eric Carle's use of the color wheel was really cool. I have always loved optical illusions so I had fun reading this book. The story was cute as well.

Potential Problems: No

Recommendations: I would recommend this to kindergarten and first graders. I would also recommend this to people that love optical illusions as I do.

The Very Lonely Firefly

The Very Lonely Firefly

By Eric Carle

Published by Philomel (1999)

Reading Level: Baby-Preschool

Pages: 14

Genre: Picture book

Summary: A firefly is born and he is lonely so he goes in search of other fireflies. He sees a light bulb, a flashlight, a lantern, several sets of eyes, car headlights, and fireworks. But he can't find other fireflies. After everything is dark he sees flashing lights and finds other fireflies and isn't lonely anymore.

My Reaction: It was a delightful book! The pictures were amazing and i loved the flashing lights on the last page.

Potential Problems: None

Recommendations: I would recommend reading this to infants on up. I think elementary kids would love reading this themselves because of the flashing lights at the end.