Elementary school | Page 13 of 21

I Am A Tornado, a great read-aloud illustrated book that seeds STEM curiosity

Illustrated books teach best when it’s done via a metaphor that’s so obvious it makes adults question if the book is really about what they think it’s about. I Am A Tornado by Drew Beckmeyer is an illustrated book that completely fits that bill. The book is obviously about a tornado, in a meteorological sense, and presented at a level for early elementary school ages to enjoy. The book is an over-the-top metaphor about how kids can become out of control when their emotions aren’t in check. Isn’t it obvious? I Am A Tornado is a mix of the two ideas and is presented with infectious, energetic art that brims with movement and fun. No, I Am A Tornado is almost certainly an age-appropriate book on the whirling wind that kicks up in the summer months.

I Am A Tornado is an illustrated book on those windy cyclones, with a possible metaphor on cranky children, that will please all ages 4 through 8.

Metaphor or STEM, it’s up to you, but great for all

Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thunderstorm, a demystifying read aloud

Pre-k through middle elementary school kids know who their El Guapo is. It’s the thunderstorm. Those ages can be as happy as a clam in a tide pool but their mood will shift like the sands when they see black clouds on the horizon. Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thundstorm is an illustrated book that those ages, especially the younger ones, will enjoy. Older folks are able to appreciate the fringe benefits that are associated with thunderstorms. That’s one thing that the book does a great job of incorporating to those young ages. They have difficulty seeing how the big noise, torrents of rain and white-hot light can be beneficial at all. However, they can be and Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm does a great job at illustrating to kids that everything has a purpose.

Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thunderstorm is an illustrated book that explains and demystifies the loud thing that scare so many young kids.

Explaining why they are could be the key to chilling them out

Fann Club: Batman Squad, big laughs in text and art for this all-age winner

Fann Club: Batman Squad is not a story that exists in the multiverse. There also isn’t a typo in the book’s cover. Once you see the cover it’s obvious that it’s a graphic novel intent on making elementary school-age readers and up laugh, which it succeeds at very quickly. Our sometimes surly 13-year-old picked up Fann Club: Batman Squad, plopped himself on the sofa, and proceeded to read it. This is worth noting because he’s an avid reader, but mainly sticks to mglit. “This is from the Catwad guy, isn’t it?”, he asked. Yeah, some readers might know Jim Benton from that, but they also might recognize his work from the Dear Dumb Diary book series, Franny K. Stein books, Victor Shmud or his cartooning work. For me, the most entertaining was Attack of the Stuff, which was criminally ignored and still is by most elementary school libraries that I visit. Fann Club: Batman Squad is a Jim Benton book because it’s his style, set against the background of a young boy who knows everything about Batman.

Fann Club: Batman Squad is an original graphic novel that aims at elementary school ages, but covers ages eight and up.

Proof that great IP can cross demographics and still entertain.

The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie wills itself into your bookshelf

When the first book in The One and Only Sparkella series came out I was not a fan. Because it’s written by Channing Tatum I placed the book in the category of ‘published due to his fame’ and not on the merits of the book. Well, here we are three books into the series and I find myself eating a large plate of crow. The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie is cut from the same template as the first two books which ran with energy and color.

The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie is a charming book about being a good friend, telling the truth and bringing others into the fold.

All Aboard! The Sesame Street Subway is rabbit hole, Extend-A-Book magic

For a time period in every kid’s life, they’ll hopefully be best friends with a book. For many of those on the younger spectrum, it’ll happen when they’re in pre-k or even younger. It’s those board books that they’re able to wrangle with their evolving hands. When they get slightly older the pages get skinnier and are combined with more content. Abrams Extend-A-Book has created a new category that overlaps those two and created an entirely new area. All Aboard! The Sesame Street Subway is an Extend-A-Book that will make the eyes of those pre-k kids bug out as if they’re tasting chocolate ice cream for the first time.

All Aboard! The Sesame Street Subway is an Abrams Extend-A-Book and stretches out the pages to where those who love Big Bird can ride along in a book that they’ll love.

So entertaining that older kids will find something to love

Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take A Hike!, is the start of something wonderful

This is the start of a beautiful friendship. When you read Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take A Hike! you might be reminded of when you first dug into Dog Man or InvestiGators. When you read both of the first books in those series, especially the latter one, you immediately wanted more once the last page turned over and the book was finished. Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take A Hike! leaves you with that same desire. Take A Hike! operates in that early graphic novel space that lower to upper-elementary school kids crave. It’s relentlessly silly, has chapters to provide confidence to those young ages, full-color illustrations, and effortlessly entertains readers whose minds can easily be distracted.

Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take A Hike! is an all age graphic novel that’s enjoyable from the first read and will produce repeat giggles for elementary ages.

Scoot to the store and get this silly all-age graphic novel already

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (A Collector’s Classic Board Book) review

“Is this the good Star Wars or the bad Star Wars?”, said the 11-year-old when he saw Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (A Collector’s Classic Board Book). Internally I was hoping that my bias towards certain Star Wars movies hadn’t prejudiced his opinion about the cannon. But then, after thinking about it for a moment I realized that some of those films deserved the negative scrutiny that they received. Then, I remembered that Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (A Collector’s Classic Board Book) is not intended for audiences who hold debates with themselves questioning the ranking of the films.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (A Collector’s Classic Board Book) features the classic art by Al Williamson in a book that’ll engage readers in pre-k and up.

It’s for the kids. It’s for you. It’s for the kids. It’s for you.

Party Hearty Kitty-Corn, the Borg embodiment for non-Unicorn kidlit

I don’t like unicorns. Certainly, I’m not too fond of kittens. Pugs are the lowest form of canines. Resistance is futile. If you’re a pre-k through second-grade student, and you think any one of those first three sentences is a resolute truth, then resistance is futile to Party Hearty Kitty-Corn. This is the sort of vivid, in-your-face, read-to-me book that runs with enthusiasm and speaks loudly to those who hear it.

Party Hearty Kitty-Corn is illustrated book giddiness that runs with energy and soft lessons for pre-k and early elementary.

Irresistible