Skip to main content

Elementary School (K-5)

Colette is missing

Posted by on Jan 10, 2025
A review of Tornado Brain by
Cat
Patrick

Neurodiverse thirteen-year-old Frankie has more than her share of challenges. She is learning to cope with multiple issues and manage her impulses. Meanwhile, Frankie’s twin sister, Tess, is handling the challenges of having a neurodiverse sibling.

Word adventures

Posted by Abby R on Jan 2, 2025
Kristina Smith &
Heather Vidal

The six realistic stories in this slim collection follow 10-year-old twins Ash and Mel and their younger brother Calvin. With carefully chosen and decodable words, this is a great option for both beginning readers and emerging readers looking to hone their skills. A list of content words (words that enhance the story but may not yet be decodable by all readers) is included at the beginning, and rich vocabulary words are bolded and defined in the text. And did I mention that the stories are fun and relatable?

Visual delight

Posted by Jane J on Nov 25, 2024
A review of Animal Countdown by
Laura Vaccaro
Seeger

Part guessing game, part counting book, part an environmental warning - it all adds up to another great book by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.

Britannica Library: All Ages

Comprehensive reference and learning resource for children and adults.

Britannica Library is a comprehensive reference and learning resource for children and adults. It includes four distinct collections and reading levels in one site: Young Children (PreK-2nd grade), Children (3rd-5th grade), Young Adults (6th-12th grade), and Reference Center (Adults).

 

Britannica Fundamentals

Innovative early learning resource for students in grade levels kindergarten through second grade

Britannica Fundamentals (previously Britannica Learning Zone) is an innovative early learning resource for students in grade levels kindergarten through second grade.

How (not) to say you're sorry

Posted by Holly SP on Aug 12, 2024
A review of I'm Sorry You Got Mad by
Kyle
Lukoff

Let me just start by saying this is my current favorite book - I think everyone can learn something about emotions, apologies, and sincerity by reading this epistolary tale filled with classroom drama.

First, the facts. Jack knocked over Zoe's castle, and now he is trying to write an apology letter. The story opens with a crumpled note stating "sorry," and we see Jack working through various iterations. A couple attempts later:

How to help

Posted by Holly SP on Aug 12, 2024
A review of Just What To Do by
Kyle
Lukoff

This book is all about how to help the people you love when they are sad and grieving. The narrator makes a card for their brother when his cactus dies, but it turns out he just wants to hear a joke to make him laugh.

So then, they go to the library for a joke book when their cousin’s goldfish dies, but it turns out that what she wants is a hug.

Holding on to what matters most

Posted by Molly W on Jul 30, 2024
A review of Tree. Table. Book by
Lois
Lowry

This is a touching story that starts with a day that is not like the others. Eleven-year-old Sophie Winslow is best friends with her neighbor, eighty-eight-year-old Sophie Gershowitz. Eleven-year-old Sophie is an unusual child - she's an old soul and hypochondriac. She loves using traditional library reference tools such as looking up medical ailments in the Merck Manual and memorizing quotes from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

Introduction to the Norendy tales

Posted by Molly W on Jul 30, 2024
Kate
DiCamillo

This is the first book in "The Norendy Tales" series by Kate DiCamillo. The Puppets of Spelhorst is a wonderful story filled with hope, adventure, wisdom, courage and love. Five puppets: a king, an owl, a boy, a girl, and a wolf are "in a story together" that starts with their purchase from a toy shop by an old, broken-hearted sea captain named Spelhorst.