Reviews written by Terry Miller Shannon

You've gotta love a book that starts out teaching you how to FLY A HELICOPTER! But that's just one of the wowza (and more mundane) skills to learn about in this book, which covers how to tear a phone book in two, get out of quicksand, make a good campfire,...

Okay. This is totally awesome. Not only do we have here a huge book with maps, photos, and fascinating facts about different countries--but we also have a companion website at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/ so we can see and hear the sights of people and animals connected to the world's lands. This...

In this cool graphic novel for young readers (#7 in a series), Babymouse stuns the world with her ice skating skills . . .in her imagination, anyway. Later, as she passes the school trophy case, she is chagrined as she remembers all the trophies she did NOT win, citing some...

In this unforgettable graphic novel-type story celebrating triumph over unimaginable horrors, Martin Lemelman gives us the story of his mother, Gusta, who survived Nazi persecution in Poland in the 1930s. Gusta's story is told conversationally, as if she were talking directly to the reader, and the book is full of...

Everyone knows and admires Velma's big sisters, which makes Velma feel like the biggest loser in first grade. She is not good at the things her sisters excel at, but Velma loves science--and she especially enjoys the lessons on butterflies. After she learns about their life cycle, she wants to...

Excuse me while I drool over this colorful cookbook packed full of luscious recipes. The cookbook is the brainchild of pre-teen sisters Olivia and Isabella Gerasole who have won a prestigious James Beard award for their website (www.spatulatta.com), which teaches other kids how to cook via webcasts. The Spatulatta...

What would you do if you knew you were going to die soon? Sixteen year old Tessa has leukemia. She knows she has months to live. But before she dies, she wants to do the ten things on her list, beginning with something she's never done: making love. Tessa writes...

This book explores more than 85 different topics that include facts on history, art, science and technology, the human body, animals, and today's world--to name just a few. Each page is illustrated with bright pictures and photos, and the information is set forth in fun-to-read formats, with lots of sidebars...

Twins James and Amanda are sleeping one rainy night when they hear something crash onto the roof above them, followed by someone knocking at their skylight. Imagine their amazement when a girl enters, barefoot and wearing a white dress--and long white wings. The girl's name is Hilary, and one of...

Brother and sister Charlie and Frances interrupt an argument when Mom announces a package has arrived. The siblings are excited by its immense size and immediately begin guessing as to the contents. Each believes it's something wonderful just for him/her. When Mom announces they need to wait for Dad to...

Mary lives in a big brick house. A very small mouse lives in a tiny house inside Mary's home. Mary and the mouse have lots in common. They each have parents and a brother and a sister. When Mary goes to school to learn to draw, read, count, and sing,...

Emma and Lucie are drawing. Emma draws a beautiful princess named Aurora, who has fallen asleep because of an evil fairy spell. Emma looks at what little sister Lucie draws. Lucie says she's drawing a kitty, but Emma says it is just a scribble, which (of course) ticks Lucie off....

In lilting, rhyming verse, illustrated with bright and adorable pictures, Baby Bear tells what will happen when he grows up, starting with "in about a year, my special friends will move in here." Of course Baby Bear and his friends will stay up until all hours, never put the toys...

Melanie Watt is writing a story about a mouse that lives in the country . . .UNTIL Chester, her self-absorbed cat takes over. Chester feels free to wield his red pen, hijacking the story and making it all about Chester. He sends the mouse packing rapidly, and now Chester lives...

Here's another of those irresistible "who knew?" collections, highlighting what can happen in sixty seconds. These amazing facts range from the absurd/funny to the horrifying. Who knew that ten grown elephants can make one pound of poop every minute? Or that 2.3 million gallons of crude oil are used up...