The Circus Thief by Alane Adams
The Circus Thief by Alane Adams is a sweet tale about a circus horse named Roxie. Georgie and his dad attend the circus and learn that this performance will be Roxie’s last. Georgie gets to ride Roxie in the circus ring, and ends up behind curtain where he learns from Roxie’s owner that she is not bound for retirement, but to a work farm. When the man startles Roxie, she takes off at a run. It’s all Georgie can do to hold on. The owner accuses Georgie of theft, and the ruckus he makes brings people out of the circus tent. Georgie’s father manages to stop Roxie and saves the day in more than one way.
This was a precious story of empathy and love. Georgie is clearly an empathetic kid, and still open to the natural world. He formed an almost instant bond with Roxie, as sensitive to the horse’s feelings as she is to his. This is a great story for teaching compassion and empathy. The artwork is gorgeous, bringing the story to life. Overall, it’s a quick read, geared towards slightly older elementary kids for solo reading, yet still good for bedtime story reading. Perfect for classroom use and personal libraries.
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Sparkle Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Voyage through Space by Katy Flint
Voyage through Space by Katy Flint is middle school level picture book that takes the reader from Sol, the innermost region of our solar system, all the way to the Kuiper Belt at the farthest reaches. Each celestial body, plus the two asteroid belts get their own two page spread full of fascinating facts. I had no idea there is a dwarf planet called Ceres in the asteroid belt in the midpoint of the galaxy. This is perfect for science classes, and sure to be enjoyed by any child interested in space.
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Amazing World: Bugs by LJ Tracosas
Amazing World: Bugs by LJ Tracosas give a peek at some of the oldest and most prolific creatures in earth. Twenty different creepy-crawlies are looked at, from fireflies to mantises. Each of the animal ‘snapshots’ has a picture of the bug, and gives the distribution/range, preferred diet, and defensive abilities, as well as a handful of interesting facts. My cubs and I really enjoyed reading this book. And the pictures! Absolutely stunning! Perfect for the nature-loving child, and anyone who loves bugs.
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Bug Lab for Kids by John W Guyton
Bug Lab for Kids by John W Guyton is a basic introduction to entomology, or the study of bugs, geared towards teaching kids. It’s not just a book of information, but is packed with information related to all aspects of bug collecting. Several units focus on creating appropriate tools, such as a net, spreading boards, and kill jars. Then follows several units devoted to different orders, such as Lepidoptera, or butterfly, and Coleoptera, or nettles. Each of these has its own set of experiments and/or tasks. Later units discuss other types of arthropods. I even learned a few new things myself! I had no idea pillbugs were not bugs but land crustaceans.
Some of these experiments seemed a bit sadistic, though. Really, we wouldn’t be encouraging kids to cut off mice tails, or to throw kittens in an alligator pen, so why encourage them to cut the halteres off of flies or throw moths into spider webs. Humane collecting I do not have an issue with, but those kinds of ‘experiments’ I’m against. Thankfully, while many of our cubs were interested in learning about insects, they came to the same conclusions over some of these experiments that Jonas and I did. Recommended for those interested in bugs.
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
