Laura GehlResenhas

A book about counting and sharing, with a fun rhyme scheme.

A story for kids that enjoy being in on a secret the narrator is missing. A man keeps coming home with a dog masquerading as items on his shopping list (a pillow, an ottoman, etc), and eventually realizes what he needs most is a new friend.

What a precious, love-filled book! One can tell that trees have a special place in author Laura Gehl's heart. The story is about a sweet young girl named Britta and her certainty that her two favorite trees, Apple and Magnolia, are best friends. Apple gave gifts to Magnolia, and Magnolia waved at Apple. The book is filled with the wonder and joy of nature and the connection between all living things. Patricia Metola's illustrations are glorious and full of pastel beauty. From the melodic flow of the words to the joyous, colorful illustrations, this book is a marvel that shows that "unusual friendships can be the most powerful of all."
Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, Flyaway Books, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lively illustrations, sly humor, and creativity make this story of a girl learning to appreciate her grandmother's unconventional birthday gift shine.

First sentence: Frog can hop. Pig can flop. Frog can mop. Pig can flop. Frog can shop. Pig can flop.

Premise/plot: Frog and Pig are friends....mostly. However, Frog does tend to carry the load while Pig, well, Pig mainly just flops, and flops, and flops. But when Frog drops....well, Pig may just have the opportunity to do more than flop.

My thoughts: This is an early reader for those just beginning to learn to read. The illustrations do some of the heavy lifting in terms of storytelling. The plot moves forward mainly because the illustrations clearly convey the action and characters. The simple text is focusing on the '-op' family. (Bop, chop, drop, flop, hop, mop, plop, pop, shop, stop) It also includes two basic sight words: "and" and "can."

I do think this one has a plot. It is more than just practicing sounding out op words. I enjoyed the humor.

AR: 1.6

This story is about a family and their two trees. Brita is a little girl who is absolutely positive that the trees talk to each other. Not only do they talk to each other but they’re friends. Her dad tells her nicely when he doesn’t believe her. Her sister tells her not so nicely when she doesn’t believe her. But Brita still believes. And she sets out to prove that she’s correct. I really liked the intro to this book where the author gives a little bit of information about trees in real life and it just helps push this sweet story into something that will want to be read over and over again. The illustrations are unique mainly because they look like they were illustrated by a child. A good child but a child, so you feel that this is the story of a child for a child.

First sentence: Loud moos in the night
gave Farmer a fright.
Who made the loud moos?

Premise/plot: Expect the unpredictable. Don't be led astray by common sense OR rhyming clues. For example, COWS (which you can see outside his window) are not the ones mooing.) It is instead a silly owl. This book celebrates all things silly. And it is a celebration...or sorts...though not a "birthday party."

My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I wanted to love it. I'm all for celebrating silly. (Though not all the time. There's a time and place for pure silliness and nonsense.) But the illustrations just weren't my personal cup of tea. It didn't help that I read this one back to back with MINE (see above) which I absolutely adored--mainly for the illustrations. That being said, I could see this one being used in libraries and classrooms as a group read aloud to young children.

May Saves the Day by Laura Gehl is a delightful, children's picture book!

May runs a busing of saving words! When someone has angry bees attacking everyone, she launches a T into the problem and now all the kids are saved. Why? Because now there are only beets! They don't sting like bees do. She continues to save people from the scary and horrifying words that come at them, with quite a comedic twist! We also have a little bit of diversity with Stu, a boy who gets around in a wheelchair, and his handy lasso.

This is a super sweet problem solving book that makes learning how to spell super fun. It's a great way to have fun with words with young children. I highly recommend this for parents and educators. I can see ages 3 and up finding this book super cute.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

What can you do to help the planet and fight climate change? Climate Warriors is a book that is updated for our modern times on the latest research in climate change science and how to fight it effectively. This book is written for children as an informational text but is relevant for all ages. Gehl has taken the time to compile information about fourteen scientists and has written a high-quality informational picture book with brilliant photography. Contained in the book is a concise outline of some of the key things we can do to fight climate change; reduce the plastics we use, be mindful of our water use, reduce our energy use, plant a garden, compost, choose to eat sustainable foods, and perhaps most importantly, make our voices heard by our community leaders. There is also a section in the book that spotlights young climate warriors who are making their voices heard around the world, such as Nobel Peace Prize nominated Greta Thunberg. The author, Gehl, holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and taught biology for years. Gehl's background no doubt helped her to write this compelling and educational book about what we can all do to fight climate change while also highlighting the research of fourteen of our brightest scientists. These scientists are devoting their lives to increasing our chances of evolving into a better future where we work together to create a healthier world for all who live here.

This book is inspiring and of a highly educational quality. A must-read for anyone with an interest in becoming a climate change activist. This is also a relevant informational text for all of us who love living on planet Earth and want to see humans live effectively through climate change. The photography only helped this text to remain engaging despite the heavy amount of research contained on each page. This book may be one of the best ways to pass the word along to others that we all are needed to make small changes in order to help scientists make big ones to improve our climate.

SUBJECTS:
Books Children
Kids Books
Literature For Children
Sisters Fiction
Animal Picture Book
Juvenile Books
Board Books
Books For Young Children
Children Animal Books
Picture Books For Toddlers
Kids Animals
Chickens Fiction
Kid Books
Animal Books For Children
Children Books
Young Childrens Books
Birth Fiction
Bird Books For Children
Children Stories
Children Books On Birds
Fear Fiction
Eggs Fiction
Children Story Books

Grandpa is in a car center and Daria visits him often. The reader experiences Daria’s loss of her grandfather as he gets worse and eventually passes away. This book does an excellent job of pointing out how to keep love alive and still feel and love people after they are gone. It’s a sad book, but one that focuses the topic and makes it easier to understand and give children a way to cope with loss.

Odd Beast explains to young readers the strange and wild things that live in the wild all over the world. I allows kids to explore and see the wonders of the world.

First sentence: Dog can hide. Frog can hide. Cat can seek.

Premise/plot: Dog, Cat, and Frog are playing hide and seek with one another in Laura Gehl's early reader. What you see is exactly what you get: an early reader with limited vocabulary emphasizing certain word families, certain sight words, etc., telling the story of three friends playing hide and seek.

My thoughts: It has a story. Perhaps it isn't the most exciting story in the world, but, it is a story. (I would say it has more of a story than some of the readers I had in kindergarten growing up. (Though our family still loves to talk about "Let us take a peek at the mean goat.") I liked the illustrations--very expressive. These illustrations will also "help" young readers read the text. There are plenty of clues to help readers. (Though the text, as I mentioned, is simple).

A comforting pictorial story about a little girl who is undaunted by her grandpa's declining health while he is hospitalized. Then comes the time when he is no longer there but she keeps and treasures the pictures she made of them together in the sunshine. Everyone grieves differently, and the end of the book suggests resources for support. Extremely well done.
The illustrations by Udayana Lugo are simply delightful, imaginative, and very colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone who needs it, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Flyaway Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Climate change is a real threat to the planet and all the people on it. But there are people doing things to help, and so can each of us. This book assembles many who are committed to working in the area of climate change and it explained how those occupations contribute to the cause. Each of the problems is detailed and thoroughly explained in language you don't need a doctorate to understand (aimed at ages 9-14).
Be empowered! Become an activist!
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Acrobat Reader from
Lerner Publishing Group, Millbrook Press ™ via NetGalley. Thank you!

Ruby and her family are hosting the first Passover seder in their family this year. Ruby wants everything to be perfect. But when nothing goes as planned, can Ruby find a way to still enjoy the holiday?

Ruby loves making hamantaschen with her family and dressing up in her Queen Esther costume on Purim. But as she gets ready for this year's celebration, she realizes she's lost the special ring Bubbe gave her for Hanukkah. Will her relatives be able to help her find it?

To help make sure Avital still has a happy holiday, Ruby plans an enormous eight-night treasure hunt.

. Ruby and her cousins go apple picking before Rosh Hashanah. They pick far too many apples to dip in honey or to bake a single apple cake so they whip up apple pancakes, pizza, and lasagna. After services and their festive meal, they gift a pretty basketful of their goodies to a grateful neighbor. Recipes and a holiday overview are included.