Owl Diaries - Trip to the Pumpkin Farm review

 

 Eva and her friends are taking a field trip to the farm!(goodreads summary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eva and her class are taking a school field trip to the pumpkin farm. They spend three days learning and helping out around the farm to prepare for the Falling Leaves Day Party. But when the giant Thank-you Pumpkin goes missing, Eva and her friends become farm detectives to help solve the mystery before the parties can begin.  

 

If your child likes the Owl Diary Series, here is a fun early chapter book to add to the fall reading list.  The story has colorful illustrations with fairly easy to read text perfect for the newly independent reader.  Eva and her friends showed teamwork, perseverance, kindness, sharing and a sense of community.  So many good things kids will learn but in a subtle way.  It is a fun story with a bit of adventure and mystery with a happy outcome.  I think this is a "just right book" for ages 6-7.~

Title:  Owl Diaries - Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

Author: Rebecca Elliot

Pub. date:  July 2019, Scholastic

Genre: early chapter book

Paperback, 80 pgs.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Day at the Zoo review

 

When farmers and pumpkin patch owners donate their pumpkins to the zoo, the animals chomp, chew, play, and give hearty hoorays for their favorite squishy squash!(goodreads summary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only do we celebrate the fall season but these Zoo animals are enjoying a fall harvest feast as well.  Farmers and families donate their pumpkins to the local Zoo on a Saturday morning giving the animals a special treat.  They fill their tummies and play happily making Pumpkin Day an exciting event.  The illustrations are bold, colorful and lively with lot's of new vocabulary words highlighted for readers to learn.  On the last page it recommends finding out if your local Zoo accepts donations of pumpkins. I never thought about this before but it is a great way to help feed the numerous animals by reusing our pumpkins after Halloween.  I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-6.

Title: Pumpkin Day at the Zoo

Author: Susan Meissner, illustrated by Pablo Pino

Pub. date: July 2023, Tommy Nelson

Genre: picture book

Hardcover, 32 pgs.

 

 

It's Fall review

 

 Colors bursting, shadows tall. There's lots to celebrate-it's fall!(book jacket)

 

 

 

There are so many fabulous things about Autumn!  This is a great new book to start off the fall season with by remembering all the things we love.  Beginning with the many beautiful colors and warm cozy clothes to scarecrows and corn mazes, this story takes you on a fall journey of your senses.  Not only do you see the beautiful and colorful pages, but during reading I could feel, taste, hear, smell and touch everything the author celebrates about fall. What a wonderful way to show children how to take in the season by using all of their senses.  The easy and rhyming text flows nicely for a read aloud to a group or alone as a family.  It starts with early fall and goes to Thanksgiving. On the last page, it asks the reader what things do you love about fall?  It would make a wonderful theme unit book for the classroom.  The end pages are so cute and I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-7.~

 

Title:  It's Fall!

Author: Renee Kurilla

Pub. date: September 2023, Little, Brown and Company

Genre: picture book

Hardcover, 32 pgs. 

Hopefully the Scarecrow review

A poignant picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is.(goodreads summary)

 

 

 

 

 

Today is the first day of Fall and here is a beautifully illustrated story of friendship to start off the season.  Hopefully looks forward to the little girl reading stories to him while he watches over the garden. Year-after-year through her favorite books, she takes him on various journeys and adventures. One Spring, someone new places him in the garden and he waits patiently for his little girl to come read to him. He does not give up hope as time goes by and she hasn't returned with an armful of new stories.  When she finally returns,  instead of reading to him, she takes Hopefully from the garden to a new and unusual place.  A place that they both know he will love!  This book is perfect for an Autumn season read aloud. After reading this charming book, kids could make their own scarecrow and read stories to it too.  I think this is a "just right book" for ages 5-6.~

 

Title:  Hopefully the Scarecrow

Author:  Michelle Houts, illustrated by Sara Palacios

Pub. date: August 2023, Flamingo Books

Genre: picture book, fall season

Hardcover, 40 pgs.

 

A Rover's Story review

 

 Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name.(goodreads summary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resilience (Res) is a robot that was built for a mission. He is learning about his anticipated journey to Mars as he collects and processes information from the NASA Scientists.  After landing on Mars he will explore the planet, take samples, send back photos and locate a missing Rover named Courage. It is very important that Res finds Courage so he can bring it back online to retrieve its collected data.  But in the meantime, Res is also learning about human emotions and storing that information into his system as well.  But having human-like feelings is not suppose to be a part of Resilience's mission or a part of being a robot.  Res is determined to live up to his name and make his humans proud of him by completing his mission and being the first robot to return to Earth.

This is definitely one of my favorite books that I have read this year!  The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Resilience and a 12 year old girl named Sophie.  Sophie is the daughter of Rania who is one of the Scientists that created Res.  She writes letters to him while he is on Mars and the time spans over 21 years. Res will never know about the letters but they are an important part of Sophie's character.  As Res navigates the Red Planet, he runs into many obstacles and adventures where his emotions and human-like feelings take hold.  His interactions with Fly, a drone along for the mission and Guardian, an orbiting satellite, have humor and tender moments of friendship that I forgot they were machines.  I found myself wanting to keep reading his adventure as Res meets danger and many perils during his exploration. He problem solves sometimes without the command center sending information making him seem to be thinking on his own.  The author did a wonderful job giving Res emotion, feelings and a unique personality that you can't help but fall in love with.  At one point he questions his purpose and existence and I felt the sadness. This is what great writing does and how it gives us that certain connection to our reading.   This would have been a great summer read to my kids when they were younger.  They would have loved the concept of the book! It is a beautiful middle grade story about strength, hope, perseverance, friendship, love, family and of course, outer space and the exploration of Mars.   I think this is a "just right book" for ages 9-12.~

Title:  A Rover's Story

Author: Jasmine Warga

Pub. date: October 2022, Balzer & Bray

Genre: fiction, middle grade

Hardcover, 294 pgs

 

Moles Quiet Place

 

This touching sequel to Jane Chapman’s Good-bye, Bear offers a sweet tale of friendship and valuing each other’s needs. Perfect for any young child who likes to spend time alone.(goodreads summary)
 

 

 

 

 

In the evenings, Mole and Beaver like to spend quiet time together in their tree house.  Being there also brings thoughts of their friend Bear.  They light a lantern that shines over the trees and across the lake making a path to the tree house.  One night, Rabbit knocks on their door and joins them for a story.  But each night after that, more and more friends arrive making Mole feel crowded and missing the quiet alone time with Beaver she once had.  

 

What a wonderful follow-up book to Goodbye, Bear and this is just as heartwarming.  As nice as it is to be among her many friends, it makes Mole feel overwhelmed and longing to find a quiet space of her own. Beaver is a good friend who is understanding of Moles feelings.  He wants to make sure she has a calm, safe space of her own whenever she feels the need for some peace and finds a perfect solution.  The illustrations are so sweet and relaxing during reading.  You feel a sense of togetherness among the friends but also a sense of Mole needing quiet time. We all need a little quiet place of our own sometimes which is okay. I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-7.~

 

Title:  Mole's Quiet Place

Author:  Jane Chapman

Pub. date: May 2023, Tiger Tales

Genre: picture book

Hardcover,  32 pgs.