Published by Henry Holt 
Summary: All kinds of facts about winter are presented, illustrated with large, colorful illustrations. There’s scientific information about the solstice, snow, animal adaptation, cold, and the simple machines that are used to shovel snow. The sounds, sports, tastes, holidays, and feelings of winter are all highlighted with their own two-page spreads. The final four pages include photos and instructions for six winter activities. This is a follow-up to Bruce Goldstone’s book Awesome Autumn, and from the looks of things at the end of this book, I would say Spectacular Spring cannot be far behind. 48 pages; ages 4-8.
Pros: A very thorough introduction to winter for the primary grades. Easy-to-understand science information is interspersed with quick takes on some of the words used to describe winter. Young readers will enjoy the large, clear photos of familiar winter objects.
Cons: The “fake snow” activity that involves shredding a disposable diaper sounds a bit messy.
Summary: Jack’s summer is not looking too great: he’s expected to take care of his autistic sister Maddie while his single mom struggles to make ends meet with two jobs. At a flea market, an unsavory vendor (with the help of Maddie, speaking for the first time) trades Jack a box of seeds for the keys to his mother’s car. Needless to say, this doesn’t go over too well with Mom. The next day, Maddie is outside at the crack of dawn, digging up the backyard to plant the seeds. Before long, the two kids have created a garden of plants that come to life in more ways than one, and that attracts both the neighbor girl, Lilly, and a talking dragon. After a gigantic snail almost crushes Maddie, Jack has had enough, and tries to burn the entire garden. But complete destruction seems impossible, and by the end of this book, Maddie’s been carried off by a garden monster, and Lilly and Jack are arming themselves to go after her. Readers will have to wait for the next installment to see if they will be successful. 208 pages; grades 4-7.
Summary: A day in the life of Hank, the pill bug, begins with him crawling out from beneath his rock home and setting forth through the grass, across the sidewalk, and to the home of his best friend, a girl named Amelia. Today Amelia is pretending to be Amelia Earhart, and she puts Hank on top of her leather helmet and takes him for a ride. After an afternoon playing together, the two friends gaze at each other lovingly (an illustration labeled “what friendship looks like”), then Hank reverses his morning journey to get back home. The last page pictures him happily asleep under his rock. 40 pages; ages 3-7.
Summary: On September 11, 2001, after the collapse of the World Trade Center, more than a million people were looking to get out of Manhattan. New York City was under attack, and bridges, tunnels, and subways were closed. The only way to escape was by water. When lines for the ferries became miles long, the Coast Guard put out a call for any boat to come help with the evacuation. “If it floated, and it could get there, it got there,” said an engineer who was part of the rescue effort. Wondering if there would be more attacks, the ships and their crews knew they were easy targets, but they courageously sailed on. Some put out sheets with their destinations in New Jersey painted on them. They tried to help the shocked, distraught people who boarded their boats, and then they took them safely across the water. In about nine hours, just under 500,000 people were helped, the largest sea evacuation in history. Back matter includes an author’s note telling of her 9/11 experience being rescued by a boat, a brief glossary, and a few additional resources and source notes. 32 pages; grades 3-7.
