Number Six

Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear by Matt Dray. (Kane/Miller; 40 pages; ISBN: 1929132786; Ages: 4-8.)

"Dougal was a shy little bear with a heart of gold." Unfortunately, he "never got to play with the other toys . . . because they were all new and clean and perfect and he was not." Dougal ends up in the garbage dump. Luckily, a kind man working at the dump saves the little bear. After a series of adventures, Dougal (along with many other "dumped" animals and toys) ends up at the man's house. There Dougal "realized that sometimes bad things happen so that good things can happen. You just had to make the best of it."

Designed to look like a scrapbook, the book is clever and creative and a wonderful read-aloud.

Why? by Lila Prap. (Kane/Miller; 32 pages; ISBN:1929132808; Ages: 4-8.)

Why? is a series of questions about animals. For example, "Why do kangaroos have pouches?" "Why do rhinos have horns on their noses?" and "Why are zebras striped?" Along with the "serious" answer (as indicated by the asterisk), there are a few "silly" ones too. Why do elephants have trunks? To trumpet their goodbyes.

We took the book into a first-grade classroom and read it aloud. It was, as predicted, wildly popular. Highly recommended.

Lucky by Gus Clarke. (Kane/Miller; 32 pages; ISBN: 1929132840; Ages: 4-8.)

Lucky is a shelter dog that gives readers a dog's-eye-view of life in the pound. Luckily for Lucky the shelter owners are kind and sometimes "they bring people around to see if we'd like to go and live with them." Bernard, another pound hound, wants to be adopted but no one seems to want him. Lucky and the other pooches hatch a plot to help Bernard find a family.

A warm and enjoyable tale.

How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers by Jeannine Atkins; illustrated by Dusan Petricic. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 224 pages; ISBN: 0374335036; Ages: 9 and up.)

Atkins has done a sensational job of bringing to life the stories of twelve women explorers who overcame obstacles and adversity to accomplish their goals. Here you will find the thrilling tale of Kay Cottee, an Australian, who was the first woman to sail alone, nonstop, around the world. Also included are Sylvia Earle, who set the record for untethered diving in 1979 when she descended 1,250 feet below the ocean's surface as well as Ann Bancroft, the first woman to cross the ice to reach the North Pole.

A definite "must-have" for your classroom or school library.

Galileo: The Genius Who Faced the Inquisition by Philip Steele. (National Geographic; 64 pages; ISBN: 0792236564; Ages: 9 and up.)

Galileo is one in a series titled National Geographic World History Biographies. Superbly designed and well-written, the book is divided into four parts: Galileo's Childhood, Student and Teacher, Inquisition, and The Final Years. A glossary, bibliography, and index are included.

Non-fiction at its best. We highly recommend this series.