Rated By Kids

Book: Hardback

235 x 159mm
48 pages
ISBN 9780756655167
25 Aug 2009
Dorling Kindersley
7 - AND UP years

From the Publisher:
JONAS: The Essential Guide is a comprehensive companion to the Disney Channel TV series JONAS. Follow the Lucas brothers from rock star glamour to every day life with hundreds of exclusive full-color images, character profiles, locations and little-known facts about the Lucas brothers and their band, JONAS. This book's got all fans need to know about the TV series!

With the popularity of the Jonas brothers' TV series, it only makes sense to have a reference guide to the show. The book features bio of the characters along with interesting factoids that even the faithful viewer may have missed. We get a sneak peek at their musical equipment and into the old firehall they call home. We see how Stella influences the guys individual styles and how they balance their musical life with school.

When I asked Jordan what her favourite part of the book was, well, it was no surprise that she picked the Joe Jonas page! Typical fan, lol.

JONAS: The Essential Guide is just that, an essential part to any true Jonas Brothers fan.

Happy Reading
Jackie and Jordan

Paperback
235 x 159mm
256 pages
ISBN 9780756658236
22 Dec 2009
Dorling Kindersley
7 - 12 years

About the book:

Bringing together the best of the DK Guides series, Everything on Earth is an absorbing survey of our planet and its wildlife, with an emphasis on the extreme-from hurricanes to coral reefs, glaciers to crocodiles. Providing just enough detail to fascinate children without confusing or overloading them, Everything on Earth supplies a solid grounding in its subject, picks out the most awe-inspiring details, and inspires readers to explore further.

To conclude our Earth Day inspired week at Rated By Kids, I want to share with you Everything on Earth. From my inital browse through it, I knew this would be another great offering from DK. The vivid pictures blew me away.

As you may have read, I've pulled together guest reviewers this week, but with Everything on Earth, I did a little experiment. My nephews (Carson, 3 1/2 yrs and Nolan, 2 1/2 years), flipped through the book looking for there favourite things (lions and trucks); fortunately there are beautiful pics of lions, but sadly, for Nolan, no trucks, lol.

Then I kind of left this book lying around at home and at work to see what others (family & freinds) thought. Everyone that picked it up and looked through it said things like, "Wow!" and "This is a very cool book!" And, you'll have to take my word on this, but these are people that all have very different interests.

It's divided into 5 sections: Earth, Weather, Oceans, Mammals, and Birds. Then it breaks down these sections into smaller, very interesting, parts. For example, under the Earth section it talks about Volcanoes, Glaciers, Global Ecosystems, etc. Or, in the Oceans section, it talks about Sandy Shores, Coral Reefs, Marine Migrations, etc. This is just a taste of what is in this book. Each section is completed with jam packed data tables and a list of websites to visit for more information.

For me, I can see that Everything on Earth would be an expansive reference for kids doing school projects. As you can see above, it's been rated for 7-12 year olds, which I think is a good rating based on the reading level. But, I'm going to personally redefine that age rating from 4 to infinity! This book has mass appeal, especially for those who watch Discovery Channel or other nature related programs. I don't count myself as one of these, but the content of this book mesmerized me. My fave parts were under the weather category showing the different types of storms, especially lightning and the crazy photo of a hurricane from a satelite (?) perspective. Do yourself a big favour and check this fantastic book out!

Happy reading!
Jackie (and a myriad of experimental subjects :-)

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; 1 edition (Mar 1 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0590108263
ISBN-13: 978-0590108263

About the Book:

When it’s time to make sense of science, turn to Ms. Frizzle! Global warming is the science story of the century, and it will affect the younger generations the most. So why not turn to the teacher kids like the most, Ms. Frizzle!


Have you noticed a trend this week on Rated By Kids? That's right! We're celebrating Earth Day. Today's book, The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge is the perfect choice on Earth Day to make our kids much more concious of what's happening in their world.

This book is recommended for ages 4-8 but I couldn't convince my nephews to help me with this one, so I had to get Jordan back on board. Having recently turned 8, I felt she would be a good judge of the actual reading level. Jordan became very engrossed in the pictures and dialogue boxes but still struggled with a few of the bigger words throughout; that's always an opportunity for parents to share additional knowledge with our kids, right?

Jordan's thoughts:

Jordan says this book is about The Magic School Bus and taking care of the Earth. It's about preserving things. She told me that long time ago, when she was 7 (Mom giggles at this point) she learned about solids, liquids, and gases (which are talked about within the story.) Then she told me that after gym class today, they put on gloves and went outside to pick up garbage from the school yard to help protect birds and cats from getting sick. Her favourite parts of the book were when the kids were painting a mural for their play, when the kids were travelling up and down the sunbeams, and the question section at the end that helps to answer some of the concerns kids may have reading this book (ie. "Can a class really go up in the sky and ride sunbeams into the earth?") Overall, Jordan gave this book 2 thumbs up :-)

Mom's thoughts:

Ms. Frizzle and her class are trying to research global warming. As "the Friz" and her class jet around the world (yes the bus turns into a plane), we see what's happening with the polar ice caps, farm land, water levels, etc. and what this means to plant and animal life. There are cute notes at the side, in the form of reports from the students with tidbits of extra info.The book concludes with lessons on what each person can do to help change our consumption of fossil fuels and other natural resources.

I think this is a great way for parents to reinforce the conservation ideals that are readily being taught in schools. From above, you can see that it's definitely a concern in Jordan's school, which I've noticed  on many days with lights not being turned on until later and making the kids aware through elements in science class and observance of Earth Hour and so on.

The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge is a refresher and an eye-opener for parents, too. With some technical explanations and samples of eco-friendly solutions, it shows that, if we all pitch in, we can make a difference! Kudos to Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen for making this a fun, colorful, educational tool.

Happy reading!
Jackie and Jordan

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Canada/Madison Press (Oct 1 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545986214

About the Book:

A stunning collection of paintings depicting the world’s most threatened habitats and the animals that live there. In the tradition of his other award-winning titles for children, Vanishing Habitats is the ultimate pairing of Robert Bateman’s role as artist and as passionate ecological advocate.

My guest reviewer for Vanishing Habitats is my nephew, Carson :-)
Carson is 3 1/2 years old and loves, loves, loves Lightning McQueen.

Carson and I sat down and flipped through this book, twice. For his age, he did very well, though was definitely more interested in the pictures than Bateman's messages accompanying the pics. He loved the lion but says the song about the lion in the jungle is a bit scary. Too cute! And fortunately for him, I didn't sing it; my singing voice would have only made it worse for him, lol.

From my point of view, I thought the artwork in this book was brilliant. Robert Bateman is well known (at least in my neck of the woods) for his detailed depiction of all things wildlife. What's nice about Vanishing Habitats is that it gives Bateman a voice, to go along with his paintings, that describes how tenous situations are in the animal kingdom. It allows us a good look at what's happening and what we can do to help. There are elements that reminded me of geography class, where Bateman discusses temporate zones and environments: the African savannah, the Boreal forest, oceans, wetlands, etc. But this is all looked at from the endangered plant and animal perspective.

While the reading aspect was out of reach for Carson, Vanishing Habitats is a good place to start talks with younger children with reference material for parents to pass along. It's visually stunning and a bit of an eye-opener.

Happy reading!
Jackie and Carson

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Orchard Books; 1 edition (April 1 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545070759
ISBN-13: 978-0545070751

About the Book;

There is so much to look at and learn about on a farm--animals, tractors, crops, and barns. And children feeding animals for morning chores! With lyrical writing and beautiful illustrations that capture the rhythms of the changing seasons, Elisha Cooper brings the farm to life.

So for this week, I've recruited some guest reviewers to help me out here. First up is my nephew, Nolan. Nolan is 2 1/2 years old and is a big fan of all things truck and tractor. He knows the names of all the variations, so I thought he'd be the perfect one to help me with this book.

We start off here with all of the ingredients that go into making a farm: people, animals, silos, barns, etc. Then the book discusses how the farming season comes about, how weather affects planting, where the food goes when it's been harvested, and so on.

I asked Nolan for his favourite part and he kept taking me back to the page where the big rig was delivering the food to town. Then he turned his baby blues on me and said, "Auntie Jackie, could you buy me one of these?" I'm not sure if he meant a toy version or the real thing but he'll have to wait for his birthday :-)

This is a cute book that can be read to a child of this age who loves animals and farms (and trucks.) It's full of pictures that could very well be water colours. Nolan very much enjoyed Farm and I enjoyed reading it with him!

Happy Reading!
Jackie and Nolan

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Key Porter Books; 1st edition edition (Feb 18 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1554702666
ISBN-13: 978-1554702664

Product Description:

Neil Flambé is a fourteen-year-old wunderchef. He can cook anything, and he brags that he can cook it better than anyone else. He`s cocky, but he may also be right. Patrons pay top dollar and wait months for reservations at his tiny, boutique restaurant. What many of Neil’s patrons don’t know is that he’s also a budding detective. It all started when he used his knowledge of cooking and his incredible sense of smell to acquit his mother’s client of murder. Ever since, Police Inspector Sean Nakamura has relied on Neil to help him crack case after case. Now, the city’s crime scene has taken a turn for the personal. Some of the best chefs in town are turning up dead. The cops are stumped; the only real clues are a mysterious smell and some equally mysterious notes that seem to have something to do with Marco Polo. As more chefs fall prey to the killer, Neil finds himself working not only to solve the murders, but to eliminate himself as the prime suspect!

This story starts off with the impending death of Marco Polo and a secret he shared with only one other person. This secret becomes the underlying story to the deaths that surround our young protagonist, Neil Flambe.

What I enjoyed in this book was the historical references to Marco Polo's journeys and his dealings with Kublai Khan. While I have heard of these two figures ("In Xanadu did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome decree..."), I had no deeper knowledge than basically their names and the begininning of the famous poem. Kevin Sylvester takes a cute book, intended for young readers, and spins in some history and learning (just don't tell the kids!)

The chapters were about 4 pages long; the story was fast paced and fun (except for the poor murder victims, but it is fiction, right?) This is a book I will give to my daughter to read in a year or two (when she's 9 or 10.)

There are parts of this book that are a little far-fetched. Neil, the 14 year-old wunder-chef and his abilities as a "nez", sniffing out the clues, may be unrealistic, but it was still enjoyable. I must say though, if Neil was my son, he'd have been grounded through much of the book for his bad (superior to everyone) attitude!

It is evident Kevin Sylvester knows his way around a spice rack, or at least, has done some yummy research. Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders is chock full of edible alliteration (and other culinary references) with a dash of history and mystery; this makes a recipe for one fun, entertaining read! I look forward to seeing what adventures Neil Flambe has in store for us next!

Happy Reading!
Jackie

Publisher: DK Publishing

Released: September 21, 2009

Hardcover: 96 pages




From publisher:

In true DK style, LEGO® Star Wars™: The Visual Dictionary elucidates, illuminates, and
excites even the most discerning LEGO Group, Star Wars™, and minifigure fans around the
world.. Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and more are brought to life with
dozens of little-known facts and hundreds of photos, as are accessories, vehicles, weapons,
and even the Death Star! Learn about the history, manufacture, and construction of the
minifigures of the Star Wars galaxy, and come away a LEGO® Jedi Master.

Jacob's thoughts:

People will want this book if they like Lego. My favorite part was that I got special edition and you get a Lego guy in it. You get to see lots of Star Wars Lego in the book. You get to learn all about the Lego guys equipment and what sets they come in. I like that I saw Rotta because I never see him often. I think that the droids are cool.

Mom's thoughts:

Every Star Wars / Lego fans dream book! Inside is an extensive collection of Star Wars Lego sets from 1999 to 2009. The book is nicely broken down into four chapters - The Movie Saga, The Clone Wars, Specialist Sets & Beyond the Brick. A page is devoted to a character/set of characters providing a little background of the character or scene, along with information on the set (name, year, number of pieces, Lego number and film(s) they appears in) and pictures...tons of pictures!

I can see why this was on the NY Times Best Seller's list for so many weeks. Jacob loves both Star Wars and Lego, so this book was bound to be a hit. The fact that it came with a 'Lego guy' (an exclsive Luke Skywalker), as you can see above, put him over the moon. As we looked over the book together, it was fun to find the sets we own & characters/ships that his cousins have passed down to him. I heard a lot of "need it, want it, got it" and "wow, this is as old as me" as we turned the pages. He's taken this book to school, showed his friends that come over to the house, and won't let his younger brother touch it; all signs that this is a keeper and one he'll be cherishing for a while.

Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Sep 1 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316013560
ISBN-13: 978-0316013567

Product Description:

In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.

I had seen mention of this book around the web, particularly that it had won The Caldecott Medal: this  intrigued me. With many thanks to Melanie at Hachette, I received a copy of this stunning book to review.

From the picture above (which is the dust cover) to the book cover itself, the inner linings, as well as the actual content of the book, Jerry Pinkney's drawings are beautiful, and barely any space is left blank. The size contrast between the lion and the mouse, the visual effect of the lion's roar, and the mouse diligently working to free the trapped lion, are lively rendered through the pages. The stunning drawings of the Serengeti are a reminder, also, of the delicate nature of our world in Earth's current tumultuous time.

Aesop's story was one that I vaguely remembered, but on reading the author's note at the end, I had to re-read it for myself (which I found online). With Mr. Pinkney's version, it is truly a tale we can teach our children from a very early age, with the purely visual aspect, but also remind ourselves how relevant the moral of the story is and how it transforms through circumstances and remains true in this modern age.

Definitely a fantastic addition to any book collector's library!

Happy Reading!
Jackie

Book: Hardback
235 x 159mm
64 pages
ISBN 9780756655419
27 Oct 2009
Dorling Kindersley
8 - 17 years

From the Publisher:

More delightful fun with the Brainwaves. This time they blast off into space to bring the science to you - in fabulously fun--and funny--text. Stars, galaxies, black holes, nebulae, asteroids, and more are discussed in clear text, meant to engage and entertain readers of all ages.

The Greatest Intergalactic Guide to Space Ever (phew, that's quite the title!) is a fun, fact filled book. There are lots of little caricatures running around making funny comments (I'm going to assume they are the Brainwaves, though I couldn't really find the proper reference.)

We get to see everything from Planets, Stars, Galaxies, etc. to learning about astronomers and what the Earth is composed of. Cute factoids about the naming of planets, moons, comits, etc make it an easy learning/teaching tool for our kids.

My favourite part of the book was the section called "Space Spinoffs" which talks about things that were created for use in space but have been adapted into more common usages (next time you're holding a golf ball in your hand, just know there's something special about it and it's relationship to the space shuttle!)

The Greatest Intergalactic Guide to Space Ever is a cool gift for the want to be astronaut or astronomer but is also a good resource for learning more about our world and what's far beyond it.

ISBN 9780756655334
25 Aug 2009
Dorling Kindersley
10 - 17 years

From the Publisher:

The zany world of The New York Times Best Selling Pick Me Up comes to you in a fabulous paperback edition. This is no run-of-the-mill reference book. Graphic novels, blog sites, comic strips, and more present information on everything you can think of. All entries are cross-referenced to others, keeping readers engaged for hours. You won't be able to put it down!

Pick Me Up is divided into 8 sections - Science, technology, and space, Society, places, and beliefs, History, The Natural World, People who made the world, Arts, entertainment, and media, You and your body, and Planet Earth. What's cool about this book (beyond the actual information in it) is that on most pages you will find a reference to something which will link to another blurb within the book. When you  go to the next indicated page, you are off on a tangent learning some other fact that is loosely related to the first. You could easily get lost following the information associations forever! (And not in a bad way :-)

There are pictures, diagrams, puzzles, mind tricks, and more. Strange correlations like Ancient Greece's influence on chewing gum or guessing who would win a fight between Genghis Khan and Spiderman are some of things we get to learn about or ponder

Pick Me Up is a great way for kids to learn about the world we live in, in small amounts at a time, while hopefully piquing further curiousity into the topics. The format used to present the information is also very effective in maintaining a kid's attention. But you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this book; Pick Me Up is a great book for lovers of Jeopardy type shows or those (like myself) who love researching interesting tidbits to learn something new.

Happy Reading
Jackie

Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (Oct 1 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545030358
ISBN-13: 978-0545030359

Product Description:
One of Liz’s favorite memories of her father is the day they passed the window of Kronenberg’s department store. Daddy had bought her a very special gift something warm and wonderful to remember him by. A gift she would never outgrow. Now Daddy is back from the war, and his gift is perfect, as the two of them set out together on a cold autumn morning—first to town, where they share a special slice of cherry pie, then to the gray-green hills of the Pennsylvania farmlands, where they beckon crows from the quiet sky. Lois Lowry pairs with acclaimed artist Bagram Ibatoulline to deliver a timeless story about the power of a very special relationship.

I had tried to get Jordan to read this one a few times on her own, but she kept telling me there were too many words (hmm, not sure about that one, lol). So one day, we sat down and I read this book to her. What I found in Crow Call was a lovely, heart-touching story

Liz set's off to spend the day with her Dad, who has just returned from the war. My guess from the author's note is that it's World War 2, but I think what's going through Liz's mind, the reconnection with her father after so many years away, is still felt by many families today with mothers and fathers away fighting wars, even now. Liz seems a bit shy at first, getting to know her Dad again but quickly warms to him through some silly circumstances.

The illustrations in the book are in muted tones which very much goes along with the feel of the story. There's a certain frozen in time quality that gives it an ageless feel. There's a bit of sadness that you feel as you realize these days have probably happened to all of us but then as we grow older, we lose sight of them. It is lovely that Lois Lowry remembered this one and shared it with us.

Crow Call is a sweet peek into a memory of a special day. It's a beautiful book for all ages.

Happy Reading!
Jackie & Jordan

The Clone Codes
Scholastic
978-0-439-92983-7
By Patricia C. McKissack, Frederick L. McKissack, and John McKissack

From the Publisher:

The Cyborg Wars are over and Earth has peacefully prospered for more than one hundred years. Yet sometimes history must repeat itself until humanity learns from its mistakes. In the year 2170, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when the World Federation discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement. As startling family secrets are revealed, Leanna must face truths about self-identity and freedom. Through time travel, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence, this exhilarating adventure asks what it means to be human and explores the sacrifices an entire society will make to find out.

The Clone Codes is set in a futuristic world where Earth now has the technology to clone humans and create cyborgs (humans with mechanical/electronic parts). The clones' skin is shaded certain colours to distinguish their purpose and cyborgs are stamped/tattooed to indicate there difference from "humans". Both of these new life forms, though, are deemed as less than human and are restricted from some parts of society.

Leanna attends a virtual school and as we start the book, she is running with slaves, attempting to escape to the underground railroad. This actually blends in beautifully with the story as we see more about The Liberty Bell Movement and what the restrictions placed on the cyborgs and the clones truly means.

I think this is an excellent story for kids around the 9-12 age range, when they are learning alot about history, especially slavery. We see many tie-ins between America's past and this fictional future world. There is an awesome summary at the back that reinforces the historical facts while differentiating the fictional parts that are woven through the book.

The Clone Codes is a book I probably wouldn't have picked up while looking around a bookstore. It does have a cute cover but I'm not sure the premise made it as appealing as it actually is. I'm very glad now that I've read it and will be passing it on to my daughter in a year or two, when she's a bit more involved in chapter books (this is something she's just beginning with in school.) I very much enjoyed the story and actually felt an open-endedness to it that could evolve into more from Leanna's world.


Jackie