I have read illustrated versions of Silent Night before, but I appreciate this one for a couple reasons.

For one thing, I really like the illustrations, especially the contrasting tones -- the dark backgrounds make the central figures and settings of the nativity story stand out all the more, perfectly portraying the paradox of both "night" and "all is bright," reminding us how strongly a light can stand out in the darkness.

Also, I appreciate that the people in the scenes here are portrayed as the Middle Easterners that they were, with dark skin, rather than Americanized as whitewashed Caucasians, which has long been a problem with the way the nativity (and Jesus in general) has been presented to children. 

It can be a lot of fun to "sing" a book to children when we're used to reading, so this is a lovely way to package this beloved Christmas carol.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley.com

Format: Kindle
Author: Joseph Mohr
Illustrator: Lara Hawthorne 
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Halloween can be fun, but aspects of it can also be frightening for young children, or for older children who are more sensitive. These are a few books we've come across that cover Halloween without trying to be scary about it. 

My children have really enjoyed the Leslie Patricelli board books featuring bright paintings of a bald, smiley toddler who introduces toddler-specific topics with few words. In Boo!, he enjoys October experiences such as picking out a pumpkin and deciding how to carve it, and picking out a costume and going trick-or-treating. At first he's a bit nervous about trick-or-treating in the dark, but once the candy comes out, he gets excited and decides he really does love Halloween.

Featuring Tasha Tudor's gentle illustrations, Pumpkin Moonshine involves Sylvie Ann, a little girl in a pumpkin patch who finds the perfect pumpkin, until it decides to roll away down the hill and into the farmyard, causing a bit of mischief. But by the end, Sylvie Ann and her grandfather manage to corrall the pumpkin and carve it into a moonshine (which is apparently another name for a jack-o-lantern).

I don't always like books that turn into series, but while the seasonal Little Blue Truck books lack the narrative of the original, they are still fun and feature the same lovely illustrations. In Little Blue Truck's Halloween, we meet a bunch of dressed up farm animals, which young children can "unmask" by opening the sturdy flaps. At the end, even Little Blue Truck takes a turn! 

Curious George is a classic, and while this isn't my favorite of the bunch, Hooray for Halloween (previously published as Curious George Goes to a Costume Party) is still a fun story of George and the Man with the Yellow Hat attending a party that they didn't know was a costume party. Even though George ends up accidentally scaring the guests with his last-minute costume, it's not designed to scare any young readers.

This is a good book for children who may be apprehensive about Halloween, or who simply like to hear about the traditions. Herbert's First Halloween, by Cynthia Rylant, introduces a pig named Herbert and his caring, involved father who gently walks him through the process of choosing a costume, and in the meantime helps to pique his interest by sharing some of his own childhood memories of Halloween.

Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover is a great book for kids who are curious about outer space and astronomy, robots, or science and technology in general. While it conveys a lot of information and has more pages than many picture books, most pages aren't very wordy and so it might also appeal to some pre-kindergarten-aged children too.

The story is told from the perspective of Curiosity itself, and that plus the eye in the cover picture made me a bit wary, because it can be easy for the personification of non-human characters to distract from the story or veer into absurdity. But I think it works here. Curiosity's story is still told in a straightforward, nonfictional manner -- the personification wasn't done for entertainment value but instead to help keep the narrative relatable and focused.

This book is about Curiosity, but it's largely about science in general -- about questions and answers and why we send all these robots into space to begin with. I like how the grander desire for exploration is expressed so clearly throughout the story of the robot, making the scope much larger than just one robot or planet.

Of course, the robot's story is primary, from the whys and hows of development, to interesting details and complications involved in the launch, to the tension of the final moments of Curiosity's arrival on Mars that was witnessed by people around the globe. And all this still manages to stay within the realm of understanding of a young elementary-aged child. 

I thought this book was really well done, and would make a great gift or science resource for elementary-aged children.

Scrounged From: Amazon

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Markus Motum
Pages: 56
Content Advisory: None

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I really enjoyed Charlotte Milner's The Bee Book (see my review here), and even based a homeschool summer science unit around it. So I was happy for the chance to review The Sea Book, another installment (rhyming, even!) from the same author/illustrator. 

Like the previous book, this one features clear designs and colorful illustrations (with lots of blue, of course), and begins with the big picture of the oceans on our planet, and then "zooms in" to look at specific areas and ecosystems (such as coral reefs, kelp forests, and the arctic), as well many examples of the types of sea creatures that inhabit them. The blocks of text are fairly short and concise, but there are enough pages here that this would probably be best read in multiple sittings, at least if read to young children.

The last few pages focus on the problem of plastic trash in the ocean, and give some ideas for how we can help keep our planet clean. There is also a tutorial for how to make a reusable shopping bag out of an old T-shirt! I like how this section seems to flow in a straightforward manner from the rest of the book and takes the problem seriously without coming across as heavy-handed.

I think this one will be a great addition to our homeschool library as well.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley.com

Format: Kindle
Author/Illustrator: Charlotte Milner
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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Counting Birds starts off as the story of a man named Frank Chapman, who decided to do something to combat what was a Christmas tradition in some places 100+ years ago: shooting birds for fun. 

His idea of an annual "bird count" has since developed into a massive citizen science project organized by the Audubon Society. This book celebrates the joy of discovery and conservation of our feathered friends, in a way that reminds me of The Sky Painter, which features another bird lover who also decided to find a way to depict birds without shooting them (see my review here).

That spirit of conservation is present here, displaying an attitude of enjoyment and appreciation of wild birds, and portraying the thrill of the "hunt" as well as the benefit this participation can be to science.

The last few pages give some more information on how the bird count works, and how the average citizen can participate. This is definitely something I'd like to be involved in someday, and would make a great homeschool project.

Oh, and, plot twist! When I read the page about calling owls, I couldn't help but think of Jane Yolen's Owl Moon. Turns out the author of this book is actually her daughter, who is the girl who goes owl calling with her father in Owl Moon. Nifty!

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Illustrator: Clover Robin
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: One scene shows a bunch of dead birds lying on the ground, but it's from a distance and not graphic.

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