Lions, Leopards, and Storms, Oh My! by Heather L. Beal

Learning about storms has never been so much fun. In Lions, Leopards, and Storms, Oh My! by Heather L. Beal, we return to Ms. Mandy’s childcare for another entertaining and educational story.

When Lily and Niko are playing outside, a loud boom makes them wonder what is going on. Ms. Mandy brings them back to the classroom, and with the help of Mr. Raccoon, talks to them about storms and what to expect. Most importantly, the students learn how to stay safe.

Just like in Tummy Rumble Quake, Beal shares important information with young children in a lighthearted way. The cute animal characters, illustrated so sweetly by Jubayda Sagor, ask the questions youngsters will want to know when faced with experiencing a storm for the first time. The colorful artwork also serves to make the story more playful to lessen anxiety. The final page of the book has questions and activities, and the children will enjoy going out to the Train 4 Safety website with the help of their parents to print out a certificate of training completion.

I look forward to more safety books from Beal and Sagor soon.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Train 4 Safety Press (May 22, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0998791261
ISBN-13: 978-0998791265

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Coming in February: Midnight Teacher by Janet Halfmann

Halfmann tells the powerful story of Lily Ann Granderson, an enslaved woman who “believed the path to freedom was through education.” Ladd’s rich, naturalistic acrylic-and-pencil images depict Granderson’s upbringing in Kentucky, where she learned to read and write in secret, then shared her knowledge with other children. As an enslaved adult in Mississippi, Granderson risked punishment by holding night classes in an empty cabin: “Landowners feared that if the enslaved could read, they would discover that some northerners wanted slavery abolished.” After the school is discovered, Granderson is shocked to learn that she won’t be punished (Halfmann speculates about why she might have escaped punishment in an afterword) and reopens her school, teaching as a free woman for many more years. The painful but uplifting narrative may spark readers’ curiosity about other enslaved individuals whose stories have not yet been told.

Age Range: 7 – 11 years
Grade Level: 3 – 4
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books; Illustrated edition (February 6, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1620141639
ISBN-13: 978-1620141632

Pre-order from Amazon or other online retailers.