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I was talking with a friend yesterday about children’s books, in particular, Robert Louis Stevenson, which reminded me that I haven’t done many picture books lately.  This week I’m mentioning three picture books I recently read.  I love reading such books, in part because they remind me to stay young at heart.

 

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A charming depiction of the bond between mother and child.

 

Hand in Hand

Rosemary Wells

Illustrated by Rosemary Wells

Consider this book to be an Ode to Motherhood as Ms. Wells’ illustrations show us the things mothers do for their babies.  The illustrations are endearing with vibrant colors and whimsical scenes.  The reader sees Momma Rabbit and her child from the baby in a bassinet.

The next picture is the two of them sitting on a swing under moon and starlit night. That painting is reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry, Starry Night. Along with the next illustration of Momma and baby shopping in a neighbor’s garden, the message to the reader is that the baby’s world revolves around its mother.  We see Baby learning to talk and walk with Momma’s help. She also feeds and reads to her baby.  The illustration for the page about reading is adorable. One page is devoted to teaching her baby good manners, and the next is to being brave.  That illustration is a nod to the wonderful Maurice Sendak. All-in-all, this book is a winner for the read-to crowd.

BIBLIO: 2016, Henry Holt and Company, LLC/MacMillan Kids, Ages 3 to 5, $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-62779-434-3

 

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If you like whimsical stories, you’ll love this one.

 

This Book Is NOT About Dragons

Shelley Moore Thomas

Illustrated by Fred Koehler

The rat who narrates this story is convinced there are no dragons in this book.  He walks into the forest and sees not a single dragon.  So, he tells the reader there are no dragons.  Of course, the reader sees shadows of dragons lurking behind the trees and breathing smoke out of caves.  Rat sees a rabbit, but no dragon.  He sees a red truck by a cabin, but no dragon. Even when the dragon catches the truck on fire, the rat doesn’t see the dragon.  Nor does he see the dragons in the sky, only clouds.  The moose sees the dragons and runs to the city, followed by the dragons and the oblivious rat.  Rat sees only pizza, but the chick sees the dragons and tells the naysayer to look more closely. Oh yes, there are dragons, much to Rat’s dismay.  In the end, he has to change the name of the book and take out the word NOT. This cute book encourages children to be observant and look for the whole picture.

BIBLIO: 2016, Boyds Mills Press/Highlights, Ages 4 to 7, $16.95.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-62979-168-5

 

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The illustrations are wonderful in this book.  I got quite a chortle out of it.

 

This Book Is Out of Control!

Richard Byrne

Illustrated by Richard Byrne

What fun book this is!  Ben gets a new toy which he takes to show his friend Bella.  The new toy is a remote-controlled fire engine.  But when he starts poking the buttons to get his fire engine to do what he wants, the fire engine just sits in front of his friend’s door, doing nothing.  On the other hand, Bella’s dog, against his will, does what the control button commands. Up into the air he goes. Then he spins in the air. When Ben pokes the siren button, Bella’s dog howls.  When Ben pokes the voice button, the dog shouts, “Help! This book is out of control!”  Poking the turn button causes Bella and Ben to join the dog on the ceiling, all of them upside down.  Bella asks for the reader’s help. After pushing almost all the buttons to no avail, finally Ben and Bella poke the power button, which causes an enormous a power surge, before allowing the remote to set everything right.  Once kids and dog are where they were meant to be, the dog pokes the up button and up goes the fire engine’s ladder.  The illustrations are cute and the dog is fully involved in the story.

BIBLIO: 2016, Henry Holt and Company, Ages 5 to 8, $16.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-62779-933-1

 

Until next week. Sarah

 

My father died as a prisoner of war having been on the Bataan death march, but my mother made sure we never associated that with the Japanese people, and I thank her for that. My father was originally schooled in a Japanese/American school in Hawaii, because his father felt if we didn’t understand Japanese culture better, we’d end up in a war them. Too bad he was right. Kathleen wrote a heartwrenching story, which is well worth the read. Sarah Maury Swan, author of Terror’s Identity

Sometimes I get a lull between shipments of children’s books and read a “Grown Up’s” book.  The one I read most recently is a mystery that takes place in the time of Stalin’s reign, shortly after the assassination of the Romanov family.

Eye of the Red Tsar

Sam Eastland

I was put off at first by the switching back and forth between the present action to large junks of backstory, but I soon got into the rhythm of the narrative.  The title comes from the nickname for Stalin.

The main character, Pekkala, was Tsar Nicholas Romanov’s most trusted agent, after the Tsar watched Pekkala disobey a direct command to jump his horse over a barbed-wire obstacle after the horse had been injured during a previous attempt.  Tsar Nicholas was impressed that Pekkala would disobey his superior to save the horse.  So, when Pekkala is discharged from the Corp for insubordination, he is recruited by Romanov to be part of his personal cadre of secret agents.

The two become good friends and Pekkala also strikes up a friendship with the rest of family.   But, after the family is murdered, Stalin makes sure Pekkala ends up in a prison, originally for the rest of his life.

Of course, circumstances change and his services are need again.  Stalin wants Pekkala to tell him where the Romanovs buried their treasure.  Which means Pekkala has to figure out where the family was buried after their murders.  He does that, but finds no sacks of gold.

The story is complex and Pekkala’s friendship with the Romanov family is fully fleshed out.  The several subplots add depth to the story.  So, if you want something different from your usual reading habits, I would recommend this book.

BIBLIO: 2010, Bantam Books/The Random House Publishing Group, $25.00.

ISBN: 978-0-553-80781-3

 

Next week, I’ll be reviewing the latest batch of children’s book I’ve gotten.  The first batch of 2017!  One of the books is a new one from Nicola Yoon, who wrote the outstanding Everything, Everything. I’

However loosely, these three books have connections to the changing to the year, which, of course, is inspired by the coming of a New Year.  2017 is upon us.  I remember as a child wondering if I’d still be above ground when 2017 came around.  At age seven, the year 2000, seemed like forever, much less seventeen years later. And that brings me to a quote from one of my most favorite Robert Louis Stevenson poems.  My mother used to read it to me often and part of it has always stuck with me.

And when I am so very, very old,

            ‘Bout 28 or 9,

            I’ll ‘dopt a little orphan girl

            And bring her up as mine.

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR to us all.  May our new year be filled with love, adventure and joy.

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The first selection is two chapter books melded into one book.  The characters are sweet and the second chapter books has a celebration of the new year in it. That fits, right?

 

Agnes and Clarabelle & Agnes and Clarabelle Celebrate!

Adele Griffin

Courtney Sheinmel

Illustrated by Sara Palacios

Agnes Pig and her best friend Clarabelle Chicken help each other through the tough parts of several adventures.  The first four chapters are delineated by seasons. In spring, the two friends make a surprise birthday party for Clarabelle and Clarabelle pretends to be surprised.  In summer, Agnes doesn’t want to go to the beach with her parents until Clarabelle makes the day fun.  The fall story, Agnes finds Clarabelle in a department store after they get separated. In the winter story, the friends make a pizza covered with roasted chestnuts, cheese, popcorn and white chocolate chips, but decide it’s too pretty to eat.  They eat mac and cheese and admire their work of art.  Then the reader flips the book over and, voila, there are four more chapters.  Each chapter centers around a holiday starting with May Day.  Agnes and Clarabelle are now old enough to participate in the May Pole Dance, and Agnes  has a grand time, but Clarabelle discovers she’s allergic to her flower garland, she can’t squeeze any juice out of her lemons for lemonade and she gets tangled up during the May Pole Dance.  On the Fourth of July, Agnes gets stage fright when she’s supposed to twirl her baton on a float during the big parade.   Clarabelle rides on the float and Agnes pretends she’s only performing for her friend. For Halloween Agnes is a ghost, but Clarabelle scares herself with her scary witch costume, so Agnes draws a mustache on her friend. The final chapter is set on New Years Eve and the friends’ plans for saying goodbye to the old year and ringing in the New Year are foiled when they fall asleep before midnight. These stories are cute and encouraging with enough repetition for children to quickly understand them.

BIBLIO: 2017, Read and Bloom/Bloomsbury Publishing, Ages 5 to 7, $9.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-61963-137-3

ISBN: 978-1-61963-217-2

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Okay, a new year means time has ticked along, but what does one minute mean?  If someone says to you give me a minute, how long do you have to wait?  Maybe the person will only be a minute, but….

One Minute

Somin Ahn

Illustrated by Somin Ahn

A lot can happen in one minute and the minute just zips by, or nothing can happen and the minute draaggss on f.o.r.e.v.e.r. Ms. Ahn has lots of whimsical drawings in her picture book, including having the hours on her clock represented by the different stages of a tree growing.  The drawings are fairly simple in nature, but still appealing, though depicting the girl with very long hair when discussing how long one’s hair grows in a minute is confusing. The child’s interaction with other creatures and other people are sweet or depict a special message. For instance, a minute is short if you’re riding on roller-coaster or a merry-go-round, but very long if the dentist is cleaning your teeth. Make sure you get to the train station early, even if you spend minutes waiting, because if you’re a minute too late, the train will leave without you. With the help of a parent or teacher or grandparent, even an older sibling, young children will learn a great deal about time and, perhaps, patience by reading this book.

BIBLIO: 2016, Chronicle Books, LLC, Ages 3 to 5, $15.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978145215647

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The new year means hope for new beginnings, so I thought this story fit into the theme.

Spare Parts

Rebecca Emberley

Ed Emberley

Illustrated by Rebecca Emberley

Illustrated by Ed Emberley

Rhoobart is very unhappy, what with being made up of spare parts that are all tattered and worn.  Not only that, he has a second-hand heart, which, on this particular day, won’t start.  Even with a twist or a yank, his heart won’t start. He tries everything he can think of, but Rhoobart’s heart won’t start. With sorrow in his head, he goes to Blaggart, the spare parts man, who doesn’t understand what Rhoobart needs.  Blaggart orders Rhoobart to look around his spare parts yard to see if he can find what he needs.  But he warns Rhoobart to watch out for Mozart, whoever that might be.  Poor Rhoobart searches and hunts without any luck.  Then he meets Mozart, which scares the already mangled Rhoobart to pieces.  Unfortunately, Mozart doesn’t start Rhoobart’s heart.  The sad misshapen creature is feeling very forlorn, but then along comes Sweetart, who jump starts Rhoobart’s heart.  What a pair they make when Rhoobart’s heart starts thunking away. This sweet story has the added advantage of being nicely written in rhyme.

BIBLIO: 2015, Neal Porter Book/Roaring Book Press/Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership, Ages 5 to 8, $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT:  Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-59643-723-4

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So break out the bubbly and gather your family and friends close to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t have any book reviews to share that you haven’t already seen, so I’m writing about Christmas memories from my childhood.

My mother was very artistic along with being an organic chemist. I don’t think she ever heard the rule that people are supposed to be right-brain dominant or left-brain dominant.  She loved to paint and draw, sing in the church choir, and act in plays.  She also loved to dance and played several sports, though tennis was her favorite.

One of her favorite activities at Christmas time was decorating the house and especially our annual Christmas tree.  Each year we’d buy a cut tree early in December and stand it in the living room near the fireplace.  We tried to keep it well watered, but we always had a dog who drank for the water reservoir. We would decorate it with handmade ornaments such as jar lids with holiday photos printed on the top.  Not very pretty, but we had proudly made them in school.  We also hung store-bought ornaments that glittered and jingled and graced the tree with delicate ceramic figures.

But rather than string it with electric lights, we would attach small candle holders containing candles that were lit every evening.  More than one visitor to our house would eye those candles with trepidation and sit as close to the front door as was possible.  We never did burn the house down, or even scorch it a little.  And we all thought our tree was the most beautiful of everyone’s.

Every Christmas we would go to the local church turned town government building and watch the community tree be lit for the first time. We’d sing carols, drink mulled cider and play with our friends.  We’d walk back home feeling cherished and safe.  Then we’d pray for snow.

My sister, Anne, and I shared a room that had a window looking over the flat roof of our screened porch.  On Christmas day, Anne and I would check for reindeer hoof marks in the snow.  Of course, the marks made by birds or fallen twigs quickly turned into cloven hoof prints.  With a mother like ours, our imaginations knew no boundaries.

One Christmas holiday time, Anne and I were given tickets to watch a radio play production in Washington, D.C. The production was fascinating to watch and I was enchanted to see how they produced sounds like horses’ hooves clomping on the street, or doors opening.  All the things we now take for granted because of movies and graphics, really were like magic on the radio. In a way, I miss that simplicity. Anyway, when the production was over, we left the theater to find the world blanketed in crisp, silently falling snow.  What a wonderful sight.  All the government buildings were decorated with clumps of snow clinging to the columns and mounding on the roofs.  We caught the bus that headed toward our town. We had to stop at the bus terminal just before the Maryland state line in Chevy Chase.  But the bus to Garrett Park was not running, so we called home to ask what to do. Mother said to take a cab home.  The cab would only take us as far as the neighboring town.  The driver had no intention of trying to make it the very steep and windy Garrett Park Hill. We didn’t mind.  It turned into a beautiful, starry night with little wind and all of us walking toward Garrett Park were in a friendly, boisterous mood—laughing as we trudged along.  The snowy scene was clean and sparkling, cold but not bone chilling and the walking kept us warm.  It was one of the few times in our young years when Anne and I were having fun together.  And I cherish that memory.

Another good memory was when my best friend and I had gone to the midnight service at the Kensington Episcopal church for the Christmas Eve Midnight Service.  My mother was singing in the choir and she warned me and Karen that we should behave ourselves during the service.  And we did until the recessional hymn was being sung.  Our neighbor, Mr. Weaver, was a Deacon in the church and he was at least three sheets to wind.  He was literally swinging from the railings of the back barrier between the pews and the vestibule.  Karen and I tried desperately not to laugh, but to no avail.  Just as my mother past, we were both doubled over in laughter because of Mr. Weaver’s antics. Boy, did I get a scolding.

The last memory I’ll share was after my brother Richard had moved to Florence, Italy, where he still lives with his wife almost 57 years later.  I arranged very carefully, I thought, for him to call on Christmas Day, as part of Mother’s Christmas present.  Of course, things didn’t turn out as planned and the call had not come through by the time Mother wanted my other brother, Bill, to dig her car out so she could go to church.  Bill kept procrastinating until I finally had to explain what we were waiting on.  Turns out it was a good thing, because Mother immediately burst into tears.  She would never have gotten a word out if the call had truly been a surprise.

I’d love to hear some of your memories and I hope you enjoyed mine.

Merry Christmas or Merry Whatever to you all.

Sarah Maury Swan

I’ve been concentrating on Young Adult stories with love interests, so I thought I’d change it up with a few picture book and middle reader stories this week. The drawings in the last two entries are quite nice. And it’s always fun to have a little mystery with a doofus dad trying to run the show.

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The first book is the weakest of the trio, but still has some merit and a good smattering of humor to encourage people to read it. It will especially attract reluctant boy readers.

Knightley & Son: 3 of a Kind

Rohan Gavin

Alan Knightley and his son, Darkus, a.k.a. Doc, are detectives in England, that is until Knightley, Senior, is hypnotized and falls into a swoon for four years. Doc despairs of getting his father back and decides he doesn’t want to be a detective, but rather an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy doing ordinary kid things. But after Alan finally awakens and, with the help of his ex-wife’s step-daughter, Tilly, begins to track the Combination, their arch enemies, the whole family gets caught up in a trap set off by the bad guys kidnapping the family’s prize assistant, Bogna Rejesz. They eventually end up in Las Vegas, Nevada, having been led there by clues. There the trio of detectives discovers they’ve walked right into the trap and are summarily delivered to the leaders of the Combination, which is led by Tilly’s long lost mother. Mildly amusing, the book does weave quite the tale of deceit. Tilly’s dad, Clive, is now married to Darkus’ mother, to make things even more complicated. Teachers could use the book as a jumping off point for studying geography. It seems to be part of a series, so somebody must like it.

BIBLIO: 2016, Bloomsbury Children’s Books/Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc., Ages 10 to 14, $16.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Middle-Reader

ISBN: 978-1-61963-830-3

ISBN: 978-1-61963-831-0

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This picture book is enchanting for any person with an imagination, something that all writers and illustrators are endowed with.

Maggie McGillicuddy’s Eye for Trouble

Susan Hughes

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

The characters in this story, well, at least two of them, are sure to keep their neighborhood safe from tigers and pythons and eagles and elephants and crocodiles. Maggie McGillicuddy’s weapons are her tickety, tickety, tacking knitting needles, which she always has at the ready while watching the passing world from her front porch swing. She scares the tiger away with those. Her other weapon is her whickety, whickety, whacking walking cane which she uses to scare the python away. But one day she has to use her most powerful weapon of all before her new neighbor, Charlie, runs into the street in front of a moving car. Maggie McGillicuddy hollers at the young boy to stop and he does, right in his tracks. But when Charlie turns to come visit his neighbor, he has to scare away a herd of elephants with a roar. His dachshund, Cody, helps by wagging his tail. When the two met a crocodile along the walk, Charlie shows his karate moves and Cody chases his tail. Charlie, Cody and Maggie McGillicuddy become great friends and protect the neighborhood from all kinds of trouble. Be sure to look carefully for all the danger lurking around them. Children and their parents will want to read this book over and over. The author encourages the reader to search for the trouble. The illustrations have the right amount of whimsy in them.

BIBLIO: 2016, Kids Can Press/Corus Entertainment Company, Ages 4 to 7, $16.95.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-77138-291-5

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You may have to change your view of rats after you read this story. The rats are drawn as very ratty, but at the same time quite adorable.

The Infamous Ratsos

Kara LaReau

Illustrated by Matt Myers

Louie and Ralphie Ratso live in the Big City with their dad, Big Lou. Their mother died long before the story starts, leaving Big Lou to be the silent, growly type, except when he tells his sons to “Hang tough” every morning as he leaves for work. The boys take their dad’s surly manner as how to be tough and decide to prove they’re tough also. Except everything they do turns out to have been a good thing. They steal the hat off Chad Badgerton, the school bully, only to be rewarded for helping out the hat’s real owner, Tiny Crawley. Everything the boys do turns out to help whomever they’re trying to pick on and wins them praise. What is Big Lou going to think of them, if they keep not being tough? They mean to bury the grocer’s walk in snow so he won’t be able to get out in the morning, but instead they clear his walkway. Next they’re going to pick on the new girl in school, only to befriend her. Soon the reports of their kind deeds reach Big Lou’s ears. The boys are sure they’re in a heap of trouble, but instead their father praises them and they all have a good cry. Then they start doing more good deeds. This is an amusing tale on why being good is not such a bad thing. Mr. Myers succeeds in making the rats endearing with his pencil drawings.

BIBLIO: 2016, Candlewick Press, Ages 5 to 7, $14.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7636-0

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Hope you’re having a good day and looking forward to pleasant cool weather. Please let me know what you think of my selections. Thanks, Sarah Maury Swan, author of Terror’s Identity.

Joan Edwards is a very encouraging person. Feeling down about your work, or yourself, or life in general? Let Joan know. She’ll do her best to perk you up and urge you on to reach higher. He…

Source: An interview with the Amazing Joan Y. Edwards

Yeah, Sarah is getting a faster computer, since her faithful old HP with XP as its system is no longer cutting the mustard.  I’ll be back by the weekend, I hope.

At that time, I’ll send out my interview of Joan Y. Edwards.  See you then.  Sarah

 

It’s too hot where I live to do much other than sit on or close to an air conditioning vent. And what better time to chill out than with a book of lists? Invite a friend or two over, guzzle something cool and have fun.

To quote the lyrics of a Cole Porter song sung by Ella Fitzgerald;

I’d like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
I’d like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
But brother, you fight my baby tonight
‘Cause it’s too darn hot

According to the Kinsey Report, ev’ry average man you know
Much prefers his lovey-dovey to court
When the temperature is low
But when the thermometer goes ‘way up
And the weather is sizzling hot
Mr. Gob for his squab
A marine for his queen
A G.I. for his cutie-pie is not

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So what’s up first?  How about a book about something cool to drink?

 

Coke or Pepsi? Girl!

Mickey Gill and Cheryl Gill

Designed by Mickey Gill and Cheryl Gill

This is a book of silliness; just the thing to while away some time at a sleepover or when you’re out with your bff tasting the latest coffee flavor at your most fav latté joint.  It is designed to be written in and cut apart and there are quizzes to take with your friends. Write your own short story or flash fiction in it.  Make lists of stuff, paint graffiti on the pretend wall, or write down secrets and lock them in the safe.  On the other hand, if you don’t say things like “fav” or my “bff” you may find this book a bit irritating and condescending.  Still, there’s a page or two where you can write down your comments about what you think of the book or life in general.  The graphics are fun and I was tempted to crumple up the page that looked like quilted toilet paper to see if it really would end up soft.  This book is designed to be bought for an individual and not for a library.

BIBLIO: 2010, Fine Print Publishing Company/coke-or-pepsi.com, Ages 9 +, $7.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Middle Reader

ISBN: 978-189295147-2

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Or you can pretend you’re in an air condition movie house watching a movie about cold places.  “Frozen” anybody?

Movies and TV Top Tens

Sandy Donovan

If you have a burning desire to know what the highest earning movies ever are or who the highest paid actors are or even which are the most popular reality TV shows, then this is the book for you.  This is a hard type of book to review, because the reviewer’s tastes and preferences most definitely must be checked at the door.  But those people who like lists and who care about what’s happening in the entertainment business might find this book of interest.  Placing tenth in the Highest-Earning Movies of all Time category is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest–$1,066,179,725 and the movie with the highest earnings is Avatar–$2,781,505,847.  The determining criterion is dollar amount of total tickets sold.  In the Most Watched Reality TV Shows category, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! with 11.4 million viewers came in tenth and American Idol won first place with 37.7 million viewers.  The following chapters list the Youngest Academy Award Winners for Best Actor or Actress, the Highest-Pain Actors, the Highest-Paid TV Personalities and the Truth about Top Tens, which poses questions for the reader to think about.  The final chapter encourages the reader to come up with lists for other subjects such as the best animated movie.  The book might promote discussions on values, what does subjectivity mean or other tangents to the theme.

BIBLIO: 2015, Lerner Publications Company/Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., Ages 8 to 12, $26.60.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Middle Reader

ISBN: 978-1-4677-3840-8

ISBN: 978-1-4677-4674-8

“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

Finally think about traveling below the Equator where it’s winter time and chilling out with this final book.

Quiz Whiz 6: 1,000 Super Fun, Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions

National Geographic Kids Staff

This is one amazing assortment of facts presented in a user-friendly format of multiple choice, trivia quizzes.  The categories run the gamut from where seals give birth (“In the Wild”) to Will Smith’s first acting role (“Pop Culture”) to what fruit seed Persephone ate that made her return to the underworld (“Picture the Past.”) Each category is broken down into eight quizzes ranging from “Alpine Journey” the second quiz of “Wild World,” to “Rolling Down River,” the fourth quiz of “Go Get Outside.”  The sixth set of quizzes, “Go Figure,” deals with numbers including quizzes on the Taj Mahal. “Super Science,” the seventh set asks questions about simple machines and super stars and the eighth and last section is about adventure quests.  Each category ends with a “Game Show Ultimate” group of questions having to do with the subject explored.  The reader is bound to learn something in these quizzes and will have fun answering the questions.  The whole family can play the game.  The illustrations are good as well.

BIBLIO: 2015, National Geographic Kids/National Geographic Society, Ages 8 +, $9.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Non-Fiction

ISBN: 978-1-4263-2084-2

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Fall and winter will be here before we know it and we’ll all be wishing it were hot.  We should remind ourselves to be careful what we wish for.  Please let me know what you think and what you’re doing to keep cool. Sarah

 

My mother-in-law never ceases to amaze and inspire me.  She’s 99 years old and still drives her car.  At her last driver’s test she was told she could drive until she reaches 104!  Good genes play …

Source: Keep Going