It's Show and Tell Dexter by Lindsay Ward

It's Show and Tell Dexter 
by Lindsay Ward
Published July 17, 2018
from Two Lions
32 pages
Fiction
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Dexter T. Rexter is going to school. But will anyone like him?
Tomorrow is the biggest event ever in Dexter’s life: his best friend, Jack, is taking him to school for Show and Tell Day! Dexter has been getting ready for weeks. But now he’s a little nervous. What if the other kids don’t like him? So Dexter decides to come up with a plan. He’ll wear a costume. Dinosaurs in bunny ears look good, right? He’ll recite state capitals starting with…uh…ah…er. Then he realizes something. He can’t dance. He can’t recite things. He doesn’t have ANY skills. What’s a dino to do?
This comical, interactive tale of belonging, friendship, anticipation, and first-day-at-school jitters lets readers experience the excitement and nervousness along with Dexter—and even offer him a little advice along the way.

My Thoughts

This is "Dexter" book #2. I wrote about Don't Forget Dexter a little while back and just loved it. Now Dexter is back and is getting ready for show and tell. Well at least he hopes that his boy, Jack, will choose to bring him to share at show and tell. Dexter gets himself all worked up trying to find just the right costume, dance, other thing to better his chances of getting chosen. 
You will get no spoilers from me, but I will tell you that readers will be happy with the ending. 
This book offers young readers an opportunity to explore feelings such as worry or anxiety. It would lend itself to meaningful discussions. 

I would recommend It's Show and Tell Dexter for grades K-2.  

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Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of both Dexter T. Rexter books--Don’t Forget Dexter! and It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!, courtesy of Two Lions (U.S. addresses). Enter in the rafflecopter below. 

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If Polar Bears Disappeared by Lily Williams

If Polar Bears Disappeared 
by Lily Williams
Expected publication Aug. 28, 2018
Roaring Brook Press
40 pages
Nonfiction
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
The freezing ecosystem in the far north of the globe is home to many different kinds of animals. They can be

Strong, like a walrus
Tough, like a lemming
Resilient, like an arctic fox

But no arctic animal is as iconic as the polar bear.
Unfortunately, the endangered polar bear is threatened with extinction due to rapid climate change that is causing the ice where it hunts/lives to melt at an alarming rate. This book uses accessible, charming art to explore what would happen if the sea ice melts, causing the extinction of polar bears, and how it would affect environments around the globe.

My Thoughts

There is a lot of talk about "climate change" and "global warming" in the news. These terms can be hard for kids (and some adults) to understand. This book takes a look at what could happen if enough polar ice melted so polar bears would become extinct. Readers will learn about the ripple effect of too much melted ice including the impact on other species and the land. The information is not glossed over, but is presented honestly using the appropriate scientific terminology. 
The text is long enough to provide information, but is not too wordy and is accompanied by illustrations of polar animals and polar ecosystems. Diagrams and cross sections of the land showing where animals live, help readers to understand the information. 
The back matter includes a glossary, more information about the arctic and ways to help save polar bears. 
I think kids will enjoy learning about what could happen if one species became extinct. I would recommend If Polar Bears Disappeared for ages 7-10. 

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Absolute Expert Series from National Geographic

National Geographic Books has an excellent new series. Each book is dedicated to presenting information on a single topic including animals, sports and other things in science. Each book is chocked full of interesting facts, stats, diagrams, flow charts and other text features. These features accompany the amazing photographs and illustrations. This series has something for every reader. Here are the first 4 titles. 

Absolute Expert: Soccer

by Eric Zweig

Published May, 2018

National Geographic

112 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Learn everything you've ever wanted to know about soccer in an eye-catching, page-turning book for aspiring experts, featuring exclusive content from a real Major League Soccer referee, Mark Geiger!
Score! Can't get enough of your favorite super sport? This action-packed book is chock-full of awesome facts and fun for soccer fans! Join real-life Major League Soccer and Olympic referee Mark Geiger to get the latest, most up-to-date soccer intel around, plus fun facts and awesome trivia. Out just in time for the World Cup!

Absolute Expert: Dolphins

by Jennifer Swanson

Published May, 2018

National Geographic

112 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Kids who have a laser focus on dolphins will learn everything they've ever wanted to know about them in an eye-catching, page-turning book for aspiring experts, featuring exclusive content from a National Geographic explorer currently in the field.
Hey, dolphin fin-atics! Get ready to dive into the world of your favorite fabulous marine mammals in this action-packed book chock-full of awesome facts, photos, and fun! Join National Geographic explorer and dolphin expert Justine Jackson-Ricketts to get the latest, most up-to-date dolphin intel straight from the field, plus fun facts, in-depth info, and awesome trivia about every kind of dolphin under the sun (and beneath the waves). It's the ultimate book to help YOU become an absolute expert on one of your favorite topics.

Absolute Expert: Dinosaurs

by Lela Nargi

Expected Publication August 21, 2018

National Geographic

112 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Tear through tons of facts, figures, timelines, and the most up-to-date intel straight from the field, with National Geographic explorer and paleontologist Steve Brusatte as your expert guide, in this cool book all about dinosaurs.
Have you met Pinocchio rex? Meet this fascinating dino along with favorites, such as Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Giganotosaurus. Plus, check out some weird or newly discovered dinos you may not know about. See how fossils are formed. Learn about the epic, earth-shaking extinctions that paved the way for life today. Find out whether dinosaurs really had feathers, and so much more! All this, along with special features, awesome illustrations, sidebars, wacky trivia, and facts from experts in the field, make this the ultimate book to help YOU become an absolute expert on one of your favorite subjects.

Absolute Expert: Volcanoes

by Lela Nargi

Expected Publication August 21, 2018

National Geographic

112 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Get expert insights from National Geographic explorer and volcanologist Arianna Soldati in this lava-hot book, exploding with the most up-to-date geological intel straight from the field.

Plunge deep beneath Earth's crust to find out how volcanoes form. Get up close to clouds of ash and molten lava. Learn about the biggest, most extreme volcanic eruptions to date. On the hunt for incredible volcanoes, you'll travel around the globe, dive into the depths of the oceans, journey into space...and so much more!
History's most famous volcanic eruptions are all included: Mount Vesuvus, Mauna Loa, Stromboli, Mount Etna, Olympus Mons, and more. With special features, sidebars, wacky trivia, and more, it's the ultimate book to help YOU become an absolute expert on one of your favorite subjects.

Young readers are sure to love these fact-filled volumes as they become "experts"!

Lost in the Library by Josh Funk and Stevie Lewis

Lost in the Library 
by Josh Funk 
Illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Expected publication August 28, 2018
Henry Holt/Macmillan
Fiction 
Picture book
40 pages
Review advanced copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Holt has bought Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Stevie Lewis, about the two lions who faithfully guard the New York Public Library. When Patience goes missing, Fortitude realizes the secret to Patience's disappearance may be within the Library itself.
Lost in the Library is the first picture book that Macmillan plans to publish in partnership with the New York Public Library; it’s scheduled for publication in 2018.

My Thoughts

As a book nerd, I hope to have the opportunity to visit the New York Public Library one day. After reading this book I feel like I have been able to get a bit of a peek inside of it. It is obvious that Josh Funk and illustrator Stevie Lewis know the library well. Clearly they have done their research and include illustrations and descriptions of the different and well-known rooms, statues and artwork inside.
I have read most of Josh Funk's books and one of his hallmarks is incorporating higher level vocabulary within rhyming verse. Readers will be exposed to rich vocabulary such as, impeccably, adorning, ensued, and cherished as they watch Fortitude look for his companion Patience.  Young ones will enjoy how the suspense builds with each turn of the page. Will Patience be found before people start arriving so they both can take their posts outside the library? 

The illustrations are great! The soft colors and light make it feel like the library might feel very early in the morning. 

Image from https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250155016

I would recommend Lost in the Library for ages 4-8. 

Check out this great video.

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Check out more books by Josh Funk here. 
Visit Stevie Lewis' website.

A Round of Robins by Katie Hesterman and Sergio Ruzzier

A Round of Robins 
by Katie Hesterman 
Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier 
Published March, 2018
Nancy Paulsen Books
Hardcover
Poetry
40 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Sixteen fresh and funny poems welcome a new batch of robins to the world!
Food Fight
Jumble, jostle, rumble, squirm;
Dad has landed with a worm.
Game of tug-of-war begins--
Biggest bossy baby wins.

Mama's a skillful architect, constructing a sturdy nest, while Dad's a champion turf defender. And those hatchlings! Such fluffs of plump perfection!
Katie Hesterman's vibrant verse celebrates this awesome circle of bird life, as we follow a pair of robin parents from nest-building and egg-laying, to raising their hungry hatchlings, and finally sending off their flying fledglings. Sergio Ruzzier's brilliant, candy-colored art pays tribute to all these stages of a robin's life cycle, reminding us that while robins may be common, they are also extraordinary!

My Thoughts
This book chronicles Mama and Papa bird's journey to raise their little brood from nest construction to becoming empty nesters.  The book is written mostly in rhyming quatrains that are fun to read aloud. They are set in a variety of formats around the pages surrounded by the excellent illustrations.  Some pages contain wide landscapes full of color from edge to edge. Others show more of a close up view of isolated illustrations. The birds are adorable and kids get to watch their development from inside the egg to their first flight. What a great way to learn about the life cycle of robins!

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Round-Robins-Katie-Hesterman/dp/0399547789

I would highly recommend A Round of Robins for your classroom, school or public library. It would be an fabulous addition to a poetry collection, part of a life cycle or bird unit. 

Pair with other fiction and nonfiction about robins. 

  

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Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma and How She Got Her Name 
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Published April, 2018
Candlewick Press
Picture Book
Hardcover
Fiction
32 Pages

Goodreads Summary
What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be.
If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.

My Thoughts

It was not until I reached adulthood that I finally began to appreciate my name. People call me Gigi because that is the nickname my grandmother gave me when I was born. She thought my parents had given me a name that was too long for a baby. My given name is Georgianna. My kindergarten name tag was really long and I had a hard time learning how to spell it. My classmates had names like Kimberly and Nichole or Julie. I was ashamed of my long name that was so different. I was named after a lovely longtime friend of the family and I can now appreciate where my name came from and I like that it is not like everyone else. However, I could totally relate to little Alma who wasn't happy with her long name. 

I love how her father described each ancestor for whom she is named and Alma's reaction as she learned more about them. The names did seem to fit after all. The author gives the reader so much to examine in the illustrations. In each ancestor illustration there is a resemblance or a mannerism that can be seen in Alma. 

This book could spark some interesting discussions about names and how they originated with children at home or with students at school.  

I would recommend it most to ages 3-7. 

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Publishers Weekly-Starred review

Kirkus

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