No need to introduce young Mozart or kids biographer extraordinaire Diane Stanley, but this brand new biography has a twist: she wrote the whole book as a marionette play! The pictures look as if his whole life is a show, with characters suspended on strings. Expect the usual detail-rich, high level writing that comes with her wonderful biographies.

Another innovative aspect is the medium she chose for the paintings for this book: the 500-year old method of egg-tempera. On the interior of the back jacket she explains about this medium and directs readers to the Society of Tempera Painters at www.eggtempera.com. For this art teacher, this definitely sparks my curiosity... potential projects abound in my head!

With the release of Newton and Me I was hoping to find an elementary science book written as an engaging story but, unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book is about a boy and his dog, Newton, discovering various forces in their daily lives, forces first described by Isaac Newton. The difficulty I have with this book is that the reading and concept levels do not match. I very much promote and encourage introducing science concepts at a young age; however, the basic story and rhyming text, appealing to preschool through first grade, does not introduce any concepts they do not readily realize naturally, and yet this same age group would have a hard time understanding the concepts presented in the "For Creative Minds" section, like friction, or pushing something "twice as hard." The colorful yet simple illustrations are well matched to the text and theme. Some of the concepts presented are things like: a ball rolls easier on a sidewalk than on the grass; when it is thrown into the air always comes down; a toy truck stays stationary on level ground yet rolls on a hill, and others. Many of the activities in the "For Creative Minds" section are cross-curricular relating mostly to language development. Sylvan Dell has long struggled to publish non-nature science story books for elementary-aged children. Based on how few titles from any publisher actually fit that description, it must be a tough genre. I am still holding out hope that they will publish better offerings in this area.

I never cease to be marveled by the wonder-full story of Guadalupe. This new picture book does a fabulous job of retelling it, with historical accuracy, gentleness, and vibrant illustrations. This lovely book will make a very nice gift to a child, and the child's older siblings and parents will enjoy it as well. 

Although the story of Guadalupe is one of the most well-known Catholic stories, the effects of this historical event are intricately woven in Mexican-American history. I believe this book will be of interest to any reader, independent of denomination, because of its historical ramifications. In the millions who visit the largest Marian shrine in the world in Mexico, there are many who are there for historical and cultural interest. A high quality, beautiful picture book! Highly recommended.

This latest title in the Bethlehem Books Lamb Time series is a short but sweet (and very funny) story about a busy little girl going through the very important and imaginative process of getting ready to walk the dog. Any parent with small children will appreciate the humorous truth about how children are that the author so clearly understands, even in such a simple story. This shouldn't surprise fans of the author's grandmother and the book's illustrator, Hilda Van Stockum, whose own books portray a beautiful understanding of small children.

My two reading-age children (ages 6 and 8) so enjoyed the punch line that they fought over who would be the first one to read the story to Daddy. As evidenced from the sticky fingerprints on every page, my younger children (ages 2 and 4) have been poring over the book as well. The story could be easily read by a younger reader who knows most of the phonograms (the story includes a few "challenging" words, such as "thought" and "would").