Edited by Dan Fox. A visually enchanting anthology of traditional children's songs with musical arrangements for piano and guitar, that pairs each song with a work of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The songs and images are explained in short summaries. Delightful. For grades 2-8.

WPL Call Number: J782.42 TR
Review Date: 5/25/04

Our library has many books written in two languages. This anthology about and by Koreans includes stories, history, proverbs, poems, and songs with English and Korean language translations. With many colorful illustrations, this book is a winner! Grades 3-8. Edited by Andrew Nahm.

WPL Call Number: J951.9 I
Review Date: 11/22/04

Barbour records the reminiscences of Mr.Williams, an African-American, born in 1929 on a farmstead in Arcadia, LA. Mr. Williams describes his childhood with poetic simplicity in great detail and readers can learn much about this era through this exquisite oral history. Barbour's rich paintings combine with the spare narrative to create a magical book. K- Gr 3.

WPL Call Number: JE 973BA
Review Date: 12/23/05

Twelve year old Addie wants to have a normal family life, but her family is far from being normal. Her mother's irresponsible behavior causes a divorce between her and Addie's beloved stepfather, resulting in Addie having to live with her in a trailer park. Addie yearns to be with her stepfather and two sisters, for he has custody of them. She exhibits tremendous courage, kindness, and self-reliance through all of her struggles. For grades 5-7.

WPL Call Number: Y Connor
Review Date: 10/13/10

Edward Hopper by Emma Foa This biography of the great realist 20th century American painter, Edward Hopper, is one of the finest for the upper grades. An abundant mix of photos, paintings, complement the text, while short explanations of artists and movements that influenced Hopper provide further illumination of this brilliant painter. Hopper was the master of depicting the loneliness of modern American urban life in unique ways. Grades 5-8.

WPL Call Number: Y759.13 FO
Review Date: 5/26/04

Roxanne is a thirteen-year-old American-Israeli who feels she is different from her American friends. Her mom is away and her dad is a taxi driver, she is terrible in gym and she is always picked last. She meets another Israeli, Liat, who is strong and confident, and thereby improves Roxanne's self-confidence, showing that she can be fully American too. A charming aspect is that this story is set in the 1980's. For sixth through eighth grades.

WPL Call Number: Y Friedman
Review Date: 11/11/09

Pepsi and Coke McDonald are thirteen year-old twins who are on a Midwestern leg of a road trip across America with their parents in this sequel to Mission Unstoppable. Chicago is part of their journey. Gutman deftly uses humor and interesting photos of real places and amusing signs to enrich their journey. But watch out! The twins are being pursued by comic book type assassins that send out weird ciphers for the twins to decode as they travel! The reader can follow Pepsi and Coke's route using Google Maps. This is a fun travelogue for kids. Grades 4-6.

WPL Call Number: J Gutman
Review Date: 3/27/12

This excellent publication was edited by Sarah Hale. It is part of a Civil War series published by the notable magazine "Cobblestone". High quality informs this book. Superb photographs, drawings, maps, and time lines occur on every page. Both sides of the Civil War are presented, with children's diary excerpts providing thrilling insights. Indeed, the main focus of this book is on the children caught within this conflict. Poignant photos of slavery and war devastation address these troubling aspects of this period.

WPL Call Number: J973.7YO
Review Date: 8/23/06

Pee Wee the guinea pig and Lexi the squirrel live in Central Park and are good friends. Pee Wee gets advice from Lexi to convince Plush to be his special friend by demonstrating to her that he can enjoy opera music like she does. They have a family together. They manage to learn how to cope with the winter cold (by hiding in a rain forest indoor habitat). A charming read for those in grades 2-4.

WPL Call Number: J Hurwitz
Review Date: 1/17/11

If you enjoy singing silly poems, this book is for you. Readers can "sing" these hilarious poems to the tunes of fourteen classic children's songs. The exaggerated cartoon drawings perfectly complement the text. Have fun! For ages 5-10.

WPL Call Number: J782.4 KA
Review Date: 4/26/04