Number Seventeen

Mama: A True Story in which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama During a Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama by Jeanette Winter. (Harcourt; 32 pages: ISBN: 0152054952; Ages: All.)

In the author's note, Winter describes how the baby hippo in this true story was separated from its mother:

On December 26, 2004, a tsunami struck in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia. The resulting high seas caused a group of hippos that were swimming in Kenya's Sabaki River to be swept out to sea.

Most of the hippos made it back to the river safely, but a baby hippo was separated from his mother and the group. After a lonely night in the ocean, the hippo washed up near Malinidi.

The baby hippo was rescued and brought to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary, in Mombasa. There, it immediately took up with a 130-year-old giant tortoise name Mzee. The tortoise became a surrogate mother to the baby hippo.

In Winter's picture book of this amazing tale, the text consists of only two words, "Mama" and "Baby." The beginning of the story shows mother and baby hippo as they swim, eat, and sleep cuddled together under the stars. Suddenly a giant wave separates the two and they swirl away from one another. The baby is eventually washed ashore and rescued. It is taken by jeep to an animal preserve where it meets a giant tortoise. The final page depicts the tortoise and hippo snuggled together asleep under the stars. Against the dark blue background of the sky, a faint image of the mother hippo looks on.

Winter's simple acrylic illustrations depict the drama and emotion of this tale. Highly recommended.

This Little Piggy and Other Rhymes to Sing and Play by Jane Yolen; Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand; Musical arrangements by Adam Stemple. (Candlewick Press; 80 pages; ISBN: 0763613487; Ages: 3-6.)

Jam-packed with more than sixty lap songs, clapping games, and rhymes, this superb title contains, as an added bonus, a CD of thirteen beautifully arranged and performed songs from the text.

Here you will find tried-and-true favorites such as "The Eensy Weensy Spider" and "Hickory, Dickory Dock" as well as some not-so-well-known but equally appealing selections such as "See-Saw, Margery Daw" and "The Noble Duke of York."

Hillenbrand's whimsical, full-page illustrations and vignettes—featuring pig characters in a pastel pallet—are filled with wry and humorous details and are immensely appealing.

Yolen has included historical background about the various songs and rhymes as well as directions for play. In the introduction, she notes:

None of the lap games in this book are difficult. But they unite us across borders, across ages, and across abilities.

Even before a child can talk, can walk, and can name the parts of the body, play time is essential. The lap is kind of schoolroom. What a child learns there is learned forever.

If you have (or teach) babies or toddlers, this book deserves pride of place on your bookshelf. Highly recommended. District-wide purchase encouraged.

On the Way to the Pond (Green Light Readers, Level 2) by Angela Shelf Medearis; Illustrated by Lorinda Bryan Cauley. (Green Light Readers/Harcourt; 24 pages; ISBN: 0152055991; Ages: 5-7.; Guided Reading Level: E; Reading Recovery Level: 7-8.)

The Green Light Readers series is an excellent choice for the beginning reader. In this title, Tess Tiger and Herbert Hippo pack a picnic and make their way the pond. On the way, Herbert misplaces the picnic basket and Tess retraces their steps to find it.

The simple sentences vary in length and include dialogue to tell the story. The text is surrounded by lots of white space. The colored pencil and ink illustrations provide visual clues to the text. Two age-appropriate activities are included.

Solomon and the Ant and Other Jewish Folktales by Sheldon Oberman. (Boyds Mill Press; 168 pages; ISBN: 1590783077; Ages: 7 and up.)

When the teachers here at the Oasis read and reviewed this title, we unanimously agreed that it was one of the finest folktale collections we have read. Arranged in a chronological fashion, beginning with biblical characters, moving through the Roman age, the medieval period, and into the current era, these forty three collected folktales are a delight to read—either silently to oneself or aloud to a group.

Each retelling begins with an historical note—many of which are fascinating in and of themselves. In addition, appended to most of the folktales are commentaries as well as lists of sources and variants and motif designations, making this a valuable resource.

In the introduction Peninnah Schram notes:

When stories come alive in the minds of the readers-listeners, the past is projected into the present, and, in turn, transmit cultural identity and self-knowledge.

This title deserves a place on your classroom or library shelves. Folktales, when told well, provide powerful learning opportunities. A glossary and extensive bibliography is appended. Highly recommended. District-wide purchase encouraged.

Fireworks (Where's The Science Here?) by Vicki Cobb. (Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group; 48 pages; ISBN: 0761327711; Ages: 9-12.)

Near the beginning of the book, author Vicki Cobb notes, "Fireworks displays might be considered show business, but fireworks themselves are a product of chemistry and physics. The ideas of the science behind fireworks are pretty amazing, too. This book tells the story." Indeed it does—and a fascinating story it is.

Divided into nine sections, each builds upon itself to answer the questions: What are fireworks? What makes them explode? How are the colors created? How can an explosion be timed for the right moment? How can one shell produce many different effects?

Readers will learn about chemical elements, combustion, black powder (an important ingredient in fireworks), mortars, bursting charges, and choreographing explosions. Cobb also includes a section on the dangers of working with fireworks and the precautions professional pyrotechnicians take to avoid accidents.

A list of the names of fireworks with accompanying photographs is included, as is an index.

We found the volumes in this series extremely popular with our students, especially our reluctant readers.

Junk Food (Where's The Science Here?) by Vicki Cobb. (Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group; 48 pages; ISBN: 0761327738; Ages: 9-12.)

While munching on your favorite candy bar or potato chip, you're probably not thinking about the "science" behind the tasty treat. But, as author Vicki Cobb notes, there are indeed "a lot of scientific ideas behind candy and chips. Most of these ideas are chemistry—the science of matter and how it changes. Other ideas come from the science of nutrition."

Did you know, for example, that the brown color in potato chips is due to the presence of carbon? And, in order to prevent the chips from becoming rancid, manufacturers replace the air in the bag with nitrogen gas which will not react with the fat in the chips.

In addition to the chemistry involved in the food, Cobb also discusses the nutritional value of junk foods. Readers will learn how to analyze a food label. (Each section of the label is explained in detail.)

A list of key words and an index are appended.

As mentioned above, the volumes in this series were extremely popular with our students.

Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi. (Harcourt; 192 pages: ISBN: 0152057900; Ages: 8-13.)

You know when you open a book by master storyteller Avi you are in for a treat, and Strange Happenings is no exception. The theme of this short story collection is transformation in its various forms: person to animal, animal to person, shape shifting, and more.

In "Bored Tom," a twelve-year old boy has "few interests, little desire, and almost no energy."  What he desires to do more than anything else is sleep all day. He soon gets his wish. Maggie, a wizard-cat, transforms Tom into his pet cat, Charley. Charley is transformed into Tom. At first Tom enjoys being a cat and lounging all day. (Avi does a superb job of presenting the world from a cat's-eye-view.) By the fifth day, however, he is bored with being a cat and demands to be transformed back into a boy. Unfortunately for Tom, Charley—now a boy—prefers being human and refuses.

"Curious" is the tale of a young boy named Jeff who comes to understand first hand the truth of the proverb, "Curiosity killed the cat." Jeff is intrigued by his town's baseball team mascot. When he realizes who, or rather what, the mascot really is, it is too late.

Strange Happenings is an appealing mix of fantasy and fairytale, suspense and spine-tingler. Highly recommended.