Part-time Princess by Deborah Underwood

During the day she does regular girl stuff but at night she becomes a princess.  With the princess crown on her head she gets right to work doing, sliding down fire poles to save the kingdom, lassoing dragons, and going to school.  Not your typical princess, there are lots of fun and activity for this young princess before dancing in a sparkly dress at the ball!  Young princess loving girls will enjoy this fun twist on the ever popular princess tale.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Heidi Heckelbeck and the Cookie Contest by Wanda Coven

A chapter book??  I know, I know...been a LONG time since I read a chapter book.  This is the sweetest series.  A great book for girls in grades 2-3.  I do not like to pigeon hole a book as a girl or boy book but this one.....What I like about this book the most - it is appropriate for kids in elementary, no questionable material here!

Heidi is preparing cookies for the Brewster Elementary annual cookie contest.  Heidi decides to make the famous Heckelbeck Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  Heidi knows how proud of his recipe her dad is but she is worried it just won't cut it - too boring.  Heidi decides to make some changes to her cookies - which backfires with a smelly result.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves (Great support to readers just getting into chapter books!!)

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

Beatrice Bottomwell has always done everything perfectly.  She NEVER makes mistakes. From getting dressed to making sandwiches to her juggling act she has done the last 3 years in the talent show, she does everything without any mistakes.  But this year is different.  The day of the talent show arrives and during a cooking lesson at school, Beatrice almost makes a mistake.  What could this mean?  When it is her turn to perform at the talent show she is nervous but the crowd is not because she is "the girl that never makes mistakes!"  It is too late in her juggling act when Beatrice realizes her salt shaker actually has specks falling out that are not salt.....and the hamster suddenly.....A great book for teaching kids about making mistakes and that everyone makes mistakes, even perfect Beatrice Bottomwell.  

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl!

Geraldine believes she is a fairy princess.  She knows this because she has a "sparkly feeling" inside.  Geraldine spends lots of time and energy spreading "sparkle".  Geraldine is very excited because she just found out her Aunt Sue is getting married and she is going to be a flower girl.  She begins working very hard to make everything as sparkly as possible.  When the big day arrives and Geraldine is somewhat disappointed when her flower girl dress is revealed.  Will she still be her sparkly self?

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

*My favorite book in this series so far!!*

Rosie Sprout's Time To Shine by Allison Wortche

Rosie and Violet are very different.  Violet is the BEST at everything and she has no problem letting everyone know it!  Rosie on the other hand is not the best at anything.  When their teacher Ms. Willis announces that each student will be planting pea seeds, Violet is quick to announce HERS will be the best.  Rosie takes great pride in her little plant and one day notices a tiny bit of green poking through the dirt.  But no sooner has she noticed and Violet announces her plant is growing!  The next morning Rosie goes inside to take care of her tiny pea plant and decides to cover Violet's plant with dirt.  Once school starts, Ms. Willis announces that Violet will not be at school because she has chicken pox.  Rosie's guilt begins to grow.  Rosie begins taking care of both plants and when Violet finally returns to school, she is in for a big surprise.  This is a great book for teaching kids about "being the bigger person" and how to best deal with individuals that are not always nice.  Sometimes it is hard to be a "good person" when you are not treated nicely by others.  Great character building book!!

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Zoe Gets Ready by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

I can SO relate to Zoe's dilemma.  Zoe is use to being told what to wear.  On Saturdays though Zoe gets to select her own outfit.  Then the trouble begins:  twirling day, cartwheeling day, exploring day, etc.  Zoe is finally comes up with a "solution"!  Cute book which girl especially will enjoy the book.  Simple text and cute pictures makes this a great book for young children.

To see the book trailer click HERE!

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Here Come the Girl Scouts! by Shana Corey

Juliette Gordon Low, or “Daisy” as her friends and family called her, was born during a time when girls were supposed to be dainty and delicate. Daisy wanted more. She wanted adventure and excitement. Daisy discovered a group in England for boys called the Boy Scouts. This group spent a lot of time outside doing the very things Daisy enjoyed. Daisy was especially excited to learn there was a sister group called the Girl Guides. Daisy soon began making plans for her own version of the Girl Guides, known as the Girl Scouts, in Savannah. Daisy spent much of her time traveling around the country giving speeches and raising money for Girl Scouts, and before long Girl Scout troops could be found throughout the country, as they still are today. Great informational biography about a woman that has impacted the lives of many girls throughout the country. A great length for introducing biographies to younger students.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Naughty Toes by Ann Bonwill

Another gem from Tiger Tales (have I mentioned I love their books!!).

Chloe and Belinda are sisters in Madama Mina's ballet class. From their leotards (classic pink and white for Belinda and red, purple, and green for Chloe) to their feet ("good toes" for Belinda and "naughty toes" for Chloe) these two sisters definitely unique. No matter how hard Chloe tries, she just can't fit into the ballet class like her sister, the swan and madame Mina's "prima Ballerina". Very cute book, adorable illustrations, with a great message about finding your specialty and strength.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves - Love the illustrations! Great backgrounds.
Endpages: 5 Buckeye Leaves - So super cute!!!

There Was An Odd Princess Who Swallowed A Pea by Jennifer Ward

I should be doing sub plans BUT...



So predictable....Maybe a little BUT kids LOVE books like this (as do I) where they can enjoy a new adaptation on a popular oldie but goodie. This book also capitalizes on the very popular "princess" theme that many young girls are currently loving right now...trust me I am around elementary kids all day! This ODD princess starts off swallowing a pea and from there ends up eating a long list of other princess-related items such as: a slipper, crown, rose, wand, witch, etc. Kids will love this book, yes, even the boys :)

Text: 4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye Leaves
*Jennifer Ward has also written other books including THERE WAS AN OLD MONKEY WHO SWALLOWED A FROG and THERE WAS A COYOTE WHO SWALLOWED A FLEA both of which are very popular in our library.

Birdie Books by Sujean Rim

I had not heard about these books until a parent donated one to one of my schools. Another perfect books for little girls!


In the first Birdie book, Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes, Birdie is wishing and hoping to get to wear her mother's fancy high heeled shoes. She loves the many different kinds of heeled shoes her mother has and imagines herself wearing the shoes. Finally after much begging her mother allows her to try her does on. It does not take long for Birdie to realize the heeled shoes are not nearly as fun as she thought they would be and actually hinder many of her daily "kid" activities. So Birdie decides on a new kind of footwear: her barefeet!



The newer Birdie book, Birdie's Big Girl Dress, Birdie is preparing for her birthday. She is very excited to dress up until she tries on her favorite party dress and realizes it is too small! Now what will she wear? Her mother takes her shopping but nothing seems to be the perfect dress for Birdie. Very disappointed, Birdie decides to try one last effort to find the perfect dress by going to the attic at home. In the attic she finds the perfect party dress by taking different things that belonged to her grandparents.

Both books are very cute for the little girl readers (though I read them twice to the 3 year old boy here before he decided they were "girl" books!). Very simple text, very simple pictures.

Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots by Rebecca Janni

Nellie Sue, cowgirl, is back and this time her boots are ready to DANCE! Mom suggests she asks the girls to join her dancing but they decline. The girls don't dance unless it is in ballet slippers. Nellie Sue decides to have a party but will anyone come? An upbeat example of kids making the decision to do for themselves. Great follow up to her first book.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

You Can't Eat a Princess! by Gillian Rogerson

It is Princess Spaghetti's birthday and everything is set perfectly for the celebration. But the celebration is put on hold when it is discovered that her dad, King Cupcake has been taken by aliens. Without another thought, Princess Spaghetti revs up the rocket and takes off in search of her father. She quickly finds the culprits but must escape, with her father, in time before the aliens have them for lunch! Such a cute book that girls will quickly add to their "okease buy me list!!!

Text:4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves -front endpages are covered with milkshakes, cookies, cakes, candy.....how can you go wrong! The end endpages...in Mil

Orange Peel's Pocket by Rose Lewis

Orange Peel, nicknamed such by her parents because she use to try to eat the peels when she was little, is asked by classmates questions about where she was born, China, and is upset she can not provide the answers. That afternoon after c;ass she sets out to talk to neighbors that know more about China than her. Orange Peel visits Mr. Fan at his tailor shop, Ma Sang, the poet, Mrs. Liu's flower shop, Mr. Yu's noodle shop, and finally Jasmine at the ice cream store. Each person not only gives Orange Peel knowledge about her birth country but also a little gift in her pocket to show her class. The next day Orange Peel enters school with her items, knowledge, and a bit more confidence than before! As a big, HUGE, fan of Lewis' book I Love You Like Crazy Cakes (Yes, now I can ALMOST get through it without crying....almost), I was very excited to see a new book from her about adoption. Although the book does not focus on adoption (which I love), it does point out one of the challenges as children get older. I have researched both China and Kazakhstan for my kiddos, though China is MUCH easier to find information on! Living in Kazakhstan for almost 5 weeks I am hoping we can pass along the information we learned about the every day life to Adam. Thank you Rose Lewis for adding another book to our wish list for our house and one that every cross cultural adoption house should add to their home libraries!


Text:4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:4 Buckeye Leaves
Endpages: 3 Buckeye Leaves

Princess Palooza by Joy Allen

What do you get when six princesses meet another 6 princesses at the park?
A PRINCESS PALOOZA of course :)

In Joy Allen's Book Princess, the twelve princesses come together, with their imagination, and it is one big party.
"Ballerina Princess has been to France
She teaches the girls a fancy dance."

All the Angelina Ballerina and Fancy Nancy books fans will fall in love with this pink, purple, tutu, and everything frilly book.

Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves -fit the story nicely
Text: 4 Buckeye leaves - Simple but cute and fun
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves - cute

Penny Loves Pink by Cori Doerrfeld

Penny LOVES pink. Not LIKES it....but LOVES it! Everything is pink in her world (including the front endpages). Then a new baby arrives in the house and....so does BLUE! Throughout the book and Penny's list of pink items she likes, are hints about the upcoming arrival of Parker. Little girls will LOVE this book...perfect intro to all things PINK! Fun!


Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves
endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves

Gigi in the Big City Charise Mericle Harper

I LOVE Charise Mericle Harper's books....and this is no exception. It is so fun! I would definitely, which I do not like to do, put this in the category as a GIRL book. Gigi is spending the day in the big city. While she is there she visits many neat stores, meets new people, and goes to many museums. Children will love the pulling tabs, lifting flaps, turning wheels, etc. Great interactive book.

Visit Barnes and Noble.com to see a video of the book!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Gigi-in-the-Big-City/Charise-Mericle-Harper/e/9780375842351/?itm=1&USRI=gigi+in+the+big+city

Story: 5 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye Leaves

Author's Website:
http://www.chariseharper.com/SITE/HOME.html

Dream Big Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi

Did you read that right? Yes, you did. Now I am a little skeptical when I first see a "famous" person with a book out. I just get a little bent out of shape when someone "famous" is able to publish a book that is not really any good at all but because of their name, they get published. (Ok, maybe a little bitter) So I laughed when I saw this book online but I do like the illustrator (Tim Bowers...yeah, for local Ohioan) so I decided to reserve it because I knew SOMEONE would ask me if I had read Kristi Yamaguchi's book. Well, I LOVED it. She has not only a good, solid message for kids but also great language, FUN language throughout the book. It is truly DARLING! Poppy Pig has lots of dreams but just does not seem to be very good at anything. Lucky for Poppy she has some great cheerleaders, her mother, grandparents, and best friend. Poppy finally ends up on the ice, big surprise, where she truly shines. I think it is obviously a great message for KIDS to "dream big" like Poppy but also for parents, family, and friends, to encourage youngsters to not give up. Loved it!!

Story: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations 5 Buckeye leaves

The Best Birthday Ever! By Charise Mericle Harper

I love Charise Mericle Harper's CUPCAKE book so I was quite happy to find this book. The girls at both of my schools love her Fashion Kitty series so I am guessing this book will be quite popular as well! RIght off - I LOVE the endpages! Stripes, balloons, flowers, so cute! Lana Kittie(little sister to Fashion Kitty) is ready to celebrate her birthday! In HER book Lana Kittie explains 10 steps to having a great birthday celebration. I love Harper's journal like style with notes throughout the book. Cute book for birthday gift!

Story: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 buckeye leaves

Fancy Nancy Aspiring Artist by Jane O'Connor

If you are around a little girl long, you have probably heard of Fancy Nancy. Well, she is back again in her latest ART adventure. I am not always a huge fan of series books but Fancy Nancy has done a nice job of going beyond some of the earlier "girl" topics and on to things that are a little more educational. Of course I also like the mere fact that Jane O'Connor exposes kids to such "fancy" (yes, I had to say it) vocbulary into the books and offers synonyms (standardized testing scores will benefit...)! In this book Fancy Nancy is stuck at home over spring break. In order for Fancy Nancy to still have a fun break, her mom, a "splendid parent" indeed, buys her glitter markers. With glitter markers in hand, Fancy Nancy takes on the art world and studies various artist on the way. I love how the illustrator incoprates some of the actual art work of the various artist mentioned into the book.
note: There is a difference between the Fancy Nancy books and the I Can Read Fancy Nancy books.

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Celebrating....FOOTWEAR!

Come to my house and look in my closet you will not see stacks of shoe boxes, all labeled with the color name. You will not find every variation of color. Bottom line I am not a shoe person because I have a triple A width shoe and finding shoes that are "cool" and stay on my feet is an ongoing battle. However there seems I have come across a TON of books recently dedicated to FOOTWEAR!!

Ooh La La Polka-Dot Boots by Ellen Olson-Brown
This is a favorite. It is just plain fun! Fun words, fun pictured, fun endpages, and fun half page flip pages make this book exciting for kids and adults to read.

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye Leaves




Shoe-La-La! By Karen Beaumont
Another fun books geared more for the girl reader - on the pink scale, this is the definite winner! The four young ladies in the book are trying to find some new shoes for the "party" they are preparing for. Unfortunately they can not seem to find the right pair and instead uses their own creativity to create the perfect shoes.

Story: 3 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves


Shoes for Me! By Sue Flies
Hippo needs some new shoes so mama hippo takes her shopping. Along the way she sees LOTS of other styles, colors, patterns, etc. Would be a good book for Kindergarten and


Story: 3 Buckeye leaves
illustrations 3 lRWE MW