Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Four siblings are spending the summer along England's Lake District.  Their father, who is away at sea, gives them permission to camp out on an island.  When they land their boat, Swallow, on the island, they see signs that someone else has made a camp there.  Soon adventures begin as they encounter a surly man living in a houseboat and two rambunctious sisters (The Amazons) who declared war on them.
Full of adventure yet it took me awhile to read the book (older English).  I am not sure how readers in modern times would like the book?
Youngsters nowadays are clueless about playing in this imaginative manner and playing unsupervised.  I am curious how readers today would respond to this book.  Would they be able to relate to these children's imaginations and their ability and willingness to problem solve?
I really liked the mother -she played along with their imaginations and gave them enough space to play and take risks.

Strategies: check for understanding, schema (boating terms, pirates, 1930's England, Robinson Crusoe)

Magic Tree House-Shadow of the Shark #53 by Mary Pope Osborne*

"A Merlin Mission"
My third grader read this book to himself and thought it was very exciting.
He liked the ending when Jack and Annie helped a Mayan girl become the ruler of the Mayans.
Jack and Annie travel to Mexico for a vacation but their relaxing time soon turns horrific when a shark attacks their raft.  They soon come to a Mayan village and a new adventure begins.
*Highly recommend.

Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard illustrated by Nadine Takvorian

"Learning about Autumn Leaves"
With simple text, Ms. Bullard explains why leaves change color and fall to the ground.
A sweet dialogue between a boy and his mother keep this nonfiction text personable.
An art activity using leaves is shared in the back.
Text features: glossary, "more books to read",  index and a list of other books in the Autumn series (Apples, Apples Everywhere, Busy Animals, Pick a Perfect Pumpkin).  All those books look interesting and great to add to a classroom  Autumn unit.
My kindergartner saw the leaves starting to change and mentioned a fact from this book.

My Best-Ever Book of Bible Stories by Phil A. Smouse

Through humorous rhymes, Mr. Smouse shares seventeen Bible stories.
As I read them aloud, I found some stories rather long and drawn-out.  He also incorporated objects and concepts not relevant to that time period . . . but I guess that made it humorous?!
My boys seemed to like the stories.  I, however, like our other collections better.
Recommended for preschoolers and for beginning readers.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal*

I love this author/illustrator team!
A grandmother and her granddaughter enjoy the fruits of the garden and witness the interactions of insects, animals, and plant life in this ecosystem.
The reader also views the garden starting in late winter through the other seasons.
Although this book offers a lot of didactic opportunities, the author and illustrator permit fun, sweet interactions between grandmother and granddaughter.
I loved viewing the insect and animal life under the ground.  I also enjoyed the sketches of different plants/vegetables on the end pages.
In the back are three pages with further explanations of the animals and insects featured in the book.
**Highly, highly recommend.
Strategies: vocab expansion/word choice, compare/contrast (Read this team's book Over and Under the Snow and compare/contrast it with this book), main idea/details

Here is the African Savanna by Madeleine Dunphy illustrated by Tom Leonard*

In the pattern of "This is the house Jack built", the author shares how the various animals and plant life are dependent upon each other for survival.
A great book to feature when learning about habitats.
More in the series- Here is . . .
*Highly recommend.

Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett

Bo, an armadillo, is curious and often is distracted by the sights surrounding him.  One he is separated from his mother and three brothers when he spies a bright red armadillo.  This "armadillo" (Harmony Jean's new cowboy boot) leads Bo on an adventure around Curly H ranch.
In typical Jan Brett style, the borders help tell the story.
Guided Reading Level: N (3rd grade)
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.6 (maybe because of ranch terms and Texan dialect-is there such a thing?)