For instance, I like the fact that they cover what kinds of things can be done in the kitchen.  Children are smart and they get to thinking about those ideas (they are contagious you know); once the ball gets rolling…they come up with some pretty smart ideas of their own.  Here the book talks about making better choices when shopping for groceries or even the items that we use to serve our meals and snack.   Household chores are discussed and really teach about making the most of conserving water while doing dishes.  Opening up a dialog with children about using real dishes instead of toss away, like paper or styrofoam, products shows children that even simple choices can impact the world and save money.

        Reusing or recycling products is a great way to go green and this book has wonderful pictures and suggestions for doing just that.  This book is wonderful also for the fact that it encourages the whole family to make a commitment to saving the planet by telling the children to “help” their parents.  Sometimes it takes the faith of a child to move a mountain. 

        Taking care of the earth is important if we expect to have a place for our children and grandchildren to live safely with all that they need.  Gardening is making a resurrgence and learning how to do it properly is not hard to do if someone takes the time to teach you.  Conserving water and protecting it is crucial to the health of human beings. 

         The pictures or photos in this book are colorful and are relatable for both children and their family to grasp the concept of nurturing the world that we live in.  Many of the ideas are familiar but some of them aren’t.  In fact, you older readers may be surprised by the wisdom of those elders before us who did precisely some of these things; perhaps without knowing exactly how wise they were.

          I would recommend this book for children from ages 5-12 (and their parents of course). 

       The text of the book explains in real language that doesn’t talk down to a child.  The book was written by Pam Rosenberg and she does a wonderful job of answering the question of how the end product, ice cream, goes from raw product, to the wonderful delight on the desert wish list of most children. 

       Through both mouth watering pictures and words designed to lead from one thought concept to another about what has to happen to turn milk into ice cream…the reader is left with an understanding of how that happens. 

        I like that Pam Rosenberg inspires the reader to ask questions of those people in the everyday life of the reader who may play a part in a manufacturing process.   Those people may include a farmers who produce raw products, to a trucker who delivers raw or finished products, to a factory worker who works on an assembly line or, maybe even a grocery worker who stocks the product, or a cashier who sells the ice cream.

       I like the fact that this book also has a list of glossary terms to help young readers understand words that may not be in their vocabulary as well as a page of websites and other resources on the subject.  There are 24 pages and the reading level is for children grades 2-4. 

        Those examples in manufacturing open the eyes of a child to the world around them…not only for ice cream products; but , also to open their eyes to other manufactured products, and jobs or potential careers that may be in their future.

          This children’s picture book was published by: http://www.cherrylakepublishing.com  in Ann Arbor, Michigan; copyrighted in 2010. 

       There are some behaviors that the young man, Dylan, does that confuse Mackenzie Mackabee.  He sits and swings alone for long periods of time.  He covers his eyes and his ears for no apparent reason.  He doesn’t seem to smile or talk back when any other students talk to him.  One day, the kids are playing soccer when out of the blue, the young man runs and takes the ball and continues running.  The kids are upset thinking that he is trying to stop their game.

       Mackenzie consults her teacher about her questions regarding young Dylan’s behavior.  The teacher is thrilled to have an opportunity to explain that Dylan has Autism and how that affects him.  She explains that she is sure that Dylan isn’t trying to stop their game or trying to be a bully. 

       You will have to read the wonderful story to see how the situation is resolved and how a little understanding can go a long way to helping others to include someone who is a bit different from themselves.  This is a wonderfully written book and the colorful pictures on the pages help to show how students can learn about one another and appreciate their differences.   The emotions of the characters are reflected in the artwork so that the reader can empathize with the characters in the story. 

        I think this is a wonderful story book for any classroom setting; but, especially any classroom that may include special needs students who may be struggling to feel acceptance from their peers.   The author of the story is Julie Coe and the illustrator is Sondra Brassel; the story was inspired by the children of Jennifer Maloni.  I like the fact that these women intend for this book to make a difference in how children see another child who is a bit different from themselves and appreciate and include them in their social lives!   There are even some great activities to promote positive interaction between children who are living with Autism or any other challenge that sets them apart from their peers and others who are in their daily lives.   After all, everyone deserves the opportunity to be accepted for who they are and to feel like they fit or belong with others in the peer group.  Pick up this book and let it be an inspiration to teachers, students and families everywhere!

        The book can be purchased at:  http://www.amazon.com

      The book has great pictures and maps showing the way that the pioneers had to travel on their way out west to grab their own piece of land to start a new life.  The book explains about all of  the dangers that the travelors faced on their trip and talked about what the settlers would need to make the journey.  It is interesting to note that there were certain times of the year that the pioneers could travel because of the changing seasons and weather conditions.  Traveling by covered wagon was not as fast or as safe as traveling today. 

        Some interesting facts are that there was a mountain trail that was so narrow that they called it the Devil’s Backbone because both people and the wagons with the animals had to walk single file along it’s ridges.  Did you know that there are still to this day wagon tracks that can be seen on parts of the Oregon Trail?  This book is educational and fun to look at and imagine what it would be like to travel across the country in the same way that the pioneers did.

        Oregon Trail was written by Sarah Tieck and was copyrighted in 2008 by ABDO Publishing Company.  You can visit their website here:  http://www.abdopublishing.com

            Inside the covers of the book are charts to help motivate the young ones to reach their financial goals.  There are ideas for raising money or jobs that are age appropriate.  Guidelines are given for a kid to help compute their free hours that they have to work into their schedules to help them decide if they have time for a job.   This encourages them to consider their schedules and to make earning money a priority in their life.  There is information that expresses the importance of planning what kind of equipment or cost is needed to perform a job.  There is a section on budgeting your money so that you don’t spend all of your income on supplies to complete a job.   Information that applies to making enough money to cover all expenses and still make money is addressed in the book. 

         There is a chapter on the legalities of working…what is required if you want to work and you are under age.  Some jobs require you to be a legal adult to do a job…this book talks about that as well.  It teaches critical thinking when discussing getting a job and making money. 

           The book was written by Tamra Orr and was copyrighted in 2009.  It was published by Mitchell Lane Publishers and their website is:  http://www.mitchelllane.com .  If found this book informative, attractive and I think it teaches children to really look at making money from several different angles.    I would recommend this book for children from ages 8-13.

         There are chapters on Hiking, Camping, Wildlife, Mini-Wildlife, Plant Life, Exploring The Shore, and Night Life.  Each chapter has activities, helpful hints, photographs and exploratory ideas.  It is so interesting in fact that I do believe a child looking for something to do will find it between these pages and not even realize that they are learning valuable information! 

           While the book fosters the idea of exploring the world we live in it also instills practical and solid information about the proper ways to do so; keeping safety and conservation in mind.  I really like how the book teaches kids to practice independent outdoor skills but also, instills the wisdom of keeping adults involved and informed about the activities.

           This book is a few years old, it was published in 2003 by Lark Books, a division of Sterling Publishing Co, Inc.    It was written by Joe Rhatigan  and the  photographs were taken by John Widman.

       Sometimes people find themselves in the wilderness due to an accident or through a natural disaster.  Tim O’Shei gives practical advice whether you are an adult or a child that can save your life if you should find yourself out in the wilderness without preparation.  He teaches you how to find or make a shelter in all kinds of weather.  He warns you about where you should build your shelter and why you need to consider changing weather patterns when you do build one.

         In the book, Tim teaches you how to make a fire, how to find water when there is no obvious lake, river or pond; he even talks about warming up snow to get water so that you don’t lower your body temperature by just eating snow.  This is important to maintain your body temperature because it could mean life or death.

          There is a section in the picture book on finding food in the wild.  He talks about what to look for and what to avoid; so that you don’t get sick from eating the wrong things.  He also tells you how to store your food so that it doesn’t draw wild animals to your campsite or shelter; because that could be dangerous to have wild animals looking for food in the area where you are staying. 

           Another important part of the book teaches you how to make SOS signals that will get noticed by rescuers.  They tell you where is the best place to go to be found.  Some more practical advice given says not to go far from your original starting point.   How to avoid getting trapped in the lowest valleys in case of flooding…and how to use the sky for directions when trying to find your way out of the wilderness. 

            How to survive in the wilderness is a book that is very useful.  I think both boys and girls will enjoy learning some basic information on being independent in the woods.  This book was published in 2009 by Capstone Press.  You can find their website here: http://www.capstonepress.com  It appears that there are about 6 titles in this series of How To Survive…. but they are not all by the same author.  The other titles are:  How to survive a flood, How to survive an eathquake, How to survive a tornado, How to survive being lost at sea, How to survive on a deserted island.     

         Many a young child expresses and interest in becoming a police officer.  Lots of television shows, focus on police dogs in their dramas.  There has always been alot of interest in how police dogs know what to do.  This book explains the kind of work that they do, how they are trained, who they stay with and how they act when they are not doing a job for the police.  Police dogs are also called K-9 units; they live and work with their handlers.  There are certain kinds of dogs that are better at police work than other dogs.  See how the dogs are taught to chase criminals, work at airports to find drugs, help protect their human police partners. 

        This is a book that answers questions that kids ask, that many parents and teacher don’t have the answers to.  This book was written by Judith Janda Presnall.  It was copyrighted 2002 by KidHaven Press, an imprint of Gale Group, Inc.  It is written as juvenile literature.

        There are many pictures in the book and even a glossary of terms in the back for a child to understand the terminology better.

         People are becoming increasingly aware that food allergies can be severe and life threatening.  Even smelling a food that a person is allergic to can cause serious health problems for some.  This book, Food Allergies, teaches children to be sensitive towards those who suffer from food allergies.

         I like the fact that the book show pictures of people who are affected by food allergens.  I think sometimes, people think food allergies and they think mild reaction like itching or sneezing…but that isn’t always the case, sometimes food allergies can be life threatening.

         The book goes into detail about how to communicate to others about any potential food allergies and how to avoid being contaminated by another person.  It also show children that their actions can hurt another person just by touching something that someone else might be allergic to and going near them. 

         The book is wonderful in the fact that it teaches children that they can have some control over their environment by learning how to avoid hidden food ingredients, by reading food labels.  Often times, the ingredients in some foods have more than one name and can still be harmful to the person with allergies.  The book teaches that when cooking or baking a person can substitute certain food items in place of the ones that they are allergic to.

           This book, Food Allergies, was published for Juvenile literature by Children’s Press an imprint of Scholastic.  You can see their website here:  www.scholastic.com/librarypublishing .       

           If the book was written for adults it would be a tourist guide written in small print with photographs and written descriptions of where to go, where to stay, and how much everything costs.  However, this is written for children; so it tells about things that interest them.

           There are sports, heros, dinosaur footprints, activity centers, famous food places, orchards, planetariums, bridges, lighthouses, animals, water parks, inventors, museums, festivals, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Bear caves, boats, trains, ferries and so very much more to explore. 

           No boring old pictures in this book…the whole book is illustrated and in a fun way…turn the book in different directions and you find something new to peak your interest.   The book was illustrated by Wendy Popko. Kids will love this book.  It is fun to discover new places and things to see in your own back yard. 

            Hidden Michigan was copyrighted in 2006; and was published by Mackinac Island Press, Inc.  Here is there website:  www.mackinacislandpress.com