Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Mr. Wackenteach Teaches First Grade is the first volume in The Wackenteach Series written by J.C.M. When summer was finally over, there were a lot of students who were wondering what first grade would be like. They would ask their parents all sorts of questions about school, but one of the most popular questions was whether first grade would be fun. All the moms and dads were ready for these questions. They knew that first grade was a happy and special place, and each set of parents told their child that they had nothing to worry about. When the next morning arrived, the children were ready to start first grade. They went up to the classroom door and heard a voice telling them to come inside, but when they entered, they found an empty room. The boys and girls searched everywhere until they heard a loud snoring noise emanating from underneath the teacher's desk. When they realized the source of the noise, they all ran over to check -- and there he was. Their teacher was curled up on his side and taking a snooze as they watched.

There's an air of mystery, magic and suspense that pervades each page of J.C.M.'s children's book, Mr. Wackenteach Teaches First Grade. Mr. Wackenteach reminded me a lot of Willy Wonka, though I was relieved to discover that he was not quite as dark a character as Wonka sometimes got. I found myself wishing I could do first grade over again with the kind of teacher Mr. Wackenteach is. This is an entertaining and beautifully written story about a first-grade teacher who delights and beguiles his class as they begin their academic careers. I loved the way anything basically goes with Mr. Wackenteach as long as his Specialists remember that each of them is special and none of them are bullies. The drawings that accompany the story are lovely, minimalist sketches that give enough detail to keep the imagination working to fill in the blank spaces. Of course, there are the drawings of that very special teacher as well, and those I couldn't help but examine rather closely. Mr. Wackenteach Teaches First Grade is a marvelous introduction for kids who are getting ready for first grade. And as long as Mr. Wackenteach is the teacher, it's guaranteed to be a fun and special place indeed. Mr. Wackenteach Teaches First Grade: The Wackenteach Series, Volume 1 is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

In a delightful and engaging children's book about a difficult and scary period of time, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Nola the Nurse Remembers Hurricane Katrina by author Scharmaine Baker is a wonderful new addition to the field of children's literature. In it, we find our titular character, Nola, a little girl who dreams of becoming a nurse practitioner, just like her mother. Nola loves to care for her dolls and pretend she is a nurse. She and her mother discuss Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, and her mother, Dr. Eden, talks about how she and her friends helped to fix dolls and toys that had been damaged in the storm, and then returned them to the children they belonged to.

Nola the Nurse Remembers Hurricane Katrina is a book that deals with a subject that may be scary for children, especially those who remember Katrina or who have been through similar natural disasters, and it is an excellent resource for parents to have a jumping off point to discuss such issues with them in a non-scary way. The illustrations are wonderful and Nola is a spunky and fun character. Author Scharmaine Baker and illustrator Marvin Alonso have reason to be proud of this book. This book is a part of a series featuring Nola in the She's On the Go series, and I can definitely see a child wanting to collect all of these books. This is a charming book about dealing with the aftermath of a very tough time, and it is highly recommended to any parent looking for a great resource in talking with their children about these situations.

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Butters Comes Home is a children’s book written by Claudette Melanson and illustrated by Rachel Montreuil. Butters is a rabbit who lives in a shed which contains tiny cages, all stacked on top of each other and side by side. Other rabbits live in the shed, as do many chickens. The floor of each cage is wire mesh, with poop falling onto the animals below or sticking to the wire. In summer, the shed is too hot for the chickens and rabbits, and in winter it is too cold. When Butters and his siblings are taken away from their mama and put into a different cage, they are sad. They only receive pellets at meal time. Butters’ feet hurt a lot because the bottom of the steel cage is not friendly to animal feet. People start coming to purchase his siblings, one by one, and take them away. Soon Butters is all alone and miserable. His feet hurt and his food is very boring. Alone and very depressed, one day Butters is approached by two humans who come into the shed and buy him. In the car (on the way to his new home), Butters pees on his new human and is scared she will take him back to the cage in the shed. He is surprised when instead she shows him nothing but love.

Both the story and the illustrations in Butters Comes Home are absolutely delightful. The story also describes the realistic beginning to many domesticated rabbits’ lives. Telling the story from Butters’ point of view is essential in teaching children that animals have feelings and need to be respected, loved and treated well. Claudette Melanson has conveyed this message very clearly and, accompanied with Rachel Montreuil’s unique and stunning illustrations, this is a book that will educate children, allowing them to understand how their pets may be feeling. As a former Veterinary Nurse, I feel that Butters Comes Home should be offered for sale not only at book stores, but also at animal shelters, showing both children and adults the right way to treat your new rabbit. This book is ideal for all children, especially those in the 3-10 age group.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Three Little Gnomes and a Boy Named Orion by Rhonda Paglia is an early learning book for children. Grammy has a wonderful garden, full of birds and helpful insects and no weeds. Do you know how it got that way? Because of the garden gnomes. Three little gnomes tend Grammy’s garden happily and in secret. They watch Orion playing in his sand pit and pretending to be Superman. They watch Grammy do the “honey” dance with Orion. But one day, the gnomes realize they have a big problem – they don’t have any names. Turn the pages to find out how these loveable gnomes solve this problem and make a new friend in the process. This is an updated version of the book with large print.

Three Little Gnomes and a Boy Named Orion by Rhonda Paglia is a delightful story. I don’t have children myself but if I did, this is certainly a book I would want them to have. It is packed full of pictures which help the story along wonderfully. One thing I especially liked was the use of different sizes of font. This really makes the story stand out and makes it very easy to read. This isn’t just a story about gnomes though; it also teaches children all about caring for a garden, its plants, and the wildlife that inhabit it, as well as making new friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I think it will be one of those books that children want read to them over and over again.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Swimming to the Moon by Jeff McMahon is a wonderful collection of tall tales and silly stories, filled with words of wisdom, whimsy, and wonder. Throughout the pages and poems in this book, you will find funny, strange, and unforgettable rhymes and stories that will have you wanting to read more and more. As you read through this book, you will find poems such as, Under All This Dirt; Juice Box; The Shopping Cart Adventure; Vacuum Cleaning; Holly Looya; There’s a Zoo in My Head; Sweet Ideas and Banana Split. And there are so many more, but just not room enough to list here, so you need to get the book. But rest assured, they are certainly not what you think! These poems will surprise you, make you laugh, make you cry, and create hours of fun and enjoyment for you and your family.

This is a hilarious and fun book. Most of the time with poetry books, I find some I like, and others are not so good, but I enjoyed each and every one of the poems and stories in this book. They are fun, funny, enjoyable, and you will even find a bit of wisdom in each of them. Just for fun, I included a short one I really like.

Rise and Shine
When I wake up in the morn I’ve got
the rising part just fine
but I’m grumpy and dumpy and generally schlumpy
so I'm working on my shine.

And this is just a tiny bit of what you are getting in this special book. I highly recommend this fun-loving book of poems. I really think you will find hours of enjoyment with Jeff McMahon’s Swimming to the Moon.

Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite

The Big Book of Hugs: A Barkley the Bear Story by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor is an adorable story for children. The book is about all different kinds of hugs. Barkley the Bear is now old enough to join the family business. His father decides to show him the ropes on his first day of work.

I chose to read The Big Book of Hugs: A Barkley the Bear Story with my four-year-old daughter. She enjoyed seeing all the different animals in the forest. However, she was a little curious as to why the Oscar the French bulldog was in the forest. She really liked the names of the different hugs and wanted to try each hug out after reading about it. Our favorite hug was “the squeezer.” My opinion is that this is a cute book. I can see kids and parents having a lot of fun with all the different hugs. I really liked that Ortner and Taylor pointed out that not everyone likes or wants hugs. This is very important for young children to know. It is also something my daughter’s pre-k class is talking about now.

The illustrations in the book are well done. They are very colorful and the different fonts of the words make the story more appealing to the eye. This is the perfect bedtime book, especially with “The Goodnight Bear Hug” being the last hug in the book. If you have young kids that you read to at night, then I recommend this book.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Reading Promise by Troy Kent is an adorable story of Daniel and his mother, Katherine, who used all her money to buy food and clothes for the baby. She felt sad knowing she could not buy any fancy clothes and toys for her son. Katherine joined a public library and she made a promise to Daniel that she would read aloud to him every day. When Daniel grew up, he loved reading more than anything else. Daniel became an adult, lost his mother, got married, and had a child of his own. He found the first book that his mother had read out to him and he did the same thing his mother did to him; he began reading books aloud to his little daughter.

It's a heartwarming story that shows a special bond between Katherine and Daniel, and how she weaves into his mind the importance of reading books and how the circle of life continues when Daniel has a daughter. The illustrations are lively, vivid, and give a good pace and movement to the story. It will make an excellent bedtime storybook and can be used for read aloud sessions in classrooms and school libraries. The book captures the struggles and financial hardships of a mother beautifully and also the importance of spending quality time together, and a mother's love and devotion. This story will touch the hearts of readers and this story will encourage children to enjoy the reading experience.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Jeffrey Hickey is sick, very sick. But he's not sick enough for his wife to pack up the family camping trip and head home. He is, however, sick enough to be miserable and grumpy, so his family leaves him alone to sleep in the tent. It's while he's alone at Wages Creek Campground that Jeffrey meets three ducks - three talking ducks: a father duck, a daughter duck and her fiance duck. The father doesn't like his daughter's fiance because he looks different. Jeffrey tries to point out to the father that one shouldn't discriminate because a person looks different. Jeffrey suggests a horseshoe toss to decide the young couple's fate. The father duck is much better at this game than Jeffrey, but in the end, he realizes that his daughter's happiness is more important than his prejudice. It's a happily-ever-after type of story with a new twist. Jeffrey recovers from his sickness; his wife gets sick and they decide to pack up the campground, only to discover that by leaving early they'll be missing a wedding - the daughter duck's wedding, of course.

It's unusual to have a children's story centered with an adult as the protagonist, but author Jeffrey Hickey and illustrator Karen Kiser have really brought this story together. The language is simple and the humor carries the plot along. It never hurts to allow young readers to see the comical nature of adults and to point out that adults need to learn just as much as children do. A good story with a lesson on the importance of accepting others as they are. Well done.

Reviewed by Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite

ABC, Adoption & Me - a Multi-cultural Picture Book for Adoptive Families is a must-have for families who have adopted a child or are considering adopting. Gayle H. Swift and Casey Anne Swift have crafted a sweet and fun book that shows that it's okay to have a family that isn't "traditional." It raises important questions that need to be addressed by adopted families and showcases that love and acceptance are huge parts of what brings families together.

As someone considering adoption very carefully, ABC Adoption and Me seems like a great read for an adoptive family. Adopted kids can be very sensitive to their situation, even if they were adopted from birth. There is a lot of potential stress there that can be avoided if you just talk to your kids about the issues.

The illustrations by Paul Griffin were very nice. Though they seemed like they were done digitally, I still really liked his artistic choices. The colors were bright and beautiful and matched the text perfectly. I especially loved how different nationalities were represented and shown so that many kinds of families could relate.

Gayle H. Swift and Casey Anne Swift clearly have done their homework with this book. I especially appreciated the "How to Use ABC, Adoption & Me" section which clearly notes how adopted children may be feeling and why the book is important. I'd say it's a definite must-read for adopted families and regular families alike as it has a sweet storyline and great meaning to it.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

We are all nervous at one time or another. It's not surprising that children are nervous, too, even when they put on a front and look brave. Going to a new school, meeting new friends, trying out for baseball ... the list goes on. Everything in life has the potential of making all of us nervous. Yet, we must face everything in life.

In Just Breathe by Annette Rivlin-Gutman, a little boy must learn to face a classroom full of students that he doesn't know, and a teacher he doesn't know. Calmly, before he leaves for school, his mother gives him the best advice ever: "Just breathe!" As the little boy hesitantly confronts the new classroom full of strangers, he remembers his mother's words and takes a deep breath: "Instead of retreating, I trust how I feel. I take a deep breath and my fear starts to heal." The little boy has already learned a valuable lesson and throughout the story he remembers his mother's words: "Just breathe!"

Annette Rivlin-Gutman has written a charming story, completely (and very cleverly) told in rhyming verse. With illustrations by Melissa Bailey, the story takes the reader through the challenges of a little boy's first day at school. It's not unlike the challenges that any boy or girl might face on their first day of school.

This is an important story for young people, told in verse and with colorful illustrations. We all need to face nerve-wracking situations and, like the little boy in the story, we just have to remember to breathe deeply and carry on. We can't hide from the world, so we may as well face it head on. Well done!