Nimbus, the Rain Cloud by Sandra Barnes

An adorable rhyming story about acceptance and working together can be found in Nimbus, the Rain Cloud by Sandra Barnes.

Nimbus wants to play with the cumulus clouds, but they shoo him away because the children won’t play in the rain. After the children sing, “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” Nimbus is sure the cumulus clouds are right. But once Nimbus disappears, there is no more rain, which causes all kinds of other problems.

Licensed clinical and forensic psychologist Sandra Barnes channeled her passion for multiculturalism and helping young people into a sweet story about the importance of appreciating our uniqueness, accepting others, and the joy of working together. This book teaches an important lesson in a nice way. The story is followed by a note to parents, discussion questions, and ways for readers to apply the story to their lives.

Courtney Smith created the artwork for Nimbus, the Rain Cloud. From the deep greens of the grass to the brown rabbit sipping from blue puddles to the white, blue, and black of the sky as the clouds cool the earth, each illustration brought this story to life for me.

If you like cute stories with meaningful messages, Nimbus, the Rain Cloud is an excellent choice.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. (August 4, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1649493541
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1649493545
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
• Purchase your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Nimbus-Rain-Cloud-Sandra-Barnes/dp/1649493541

I purchased a free copy from Amazon during a special promotion. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

A Toad That Explodes and Other Cool Animal Facts by Melissa Abramovitz

Did you know that horned lizards can shoot blood from their eyes? Discover other mind-blowing facts about animals!

Age Range: 10 – 12 years
Grade Level: 2 – 3
Lexile Measure: HL470L
Series: Mind-Blowing Science Facts
Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press (January 1, 2019)

Purchase here!

Melissa Abramovitz is the author of hundreds of magazine articles, more than 30 educational books for children and teenagers, numerous poems and short stories, and several children’s picture books. She is a graduate of the University of California San Diego. Visit her website at www.melissaabramovitz.com

New Release: The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm

Ellie’s grandpa Melvin is a world-renowned scientist . . . in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. His feet stink, and he eats everything in the refrigerator–and Ellie is so happy to have him around. Grandpa may not exactly fit in at middle school, but he certainly keeps things interesting. When he and Ellie team up for the county science fair, no one realizes just how groundbreaking their experiment will be. The formula for eternal youth may be within their reach! And when Ellie’s cat, Jonas Salk, gets sick, the stakes become even higher. But is the key to eternal life really the key to happiness? Sometimes even the most careful experiments yield unexpected–and wonderful–results.

Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Lexile Measure: 0500
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 4, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1524719803
ISBN-13: 978-1524719807

Purchase from:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

The Water Cycle: Water Play Series, Book 1 by Mayra Calvani

Youngsters learn about the water cycle from clouds to earth and back to clouds again in this enjoyable book by Mayra Calvani. With its bolded words and lyrical style, The Water Cycle: Water Play Series, Book 1 will captivate readers. Calvani’s flowing text combined with the whimsical artwork provided by Alexander Morris makes learning fun.

What is unique about this book is how it becomes interactive when the reader is asked how certain weather makes people feel. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Also included are two fun activities to help readers remember what they learned.

Teachers and parents will want to pick up this one.

Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Ages: 4 – 8

• Paperback:20 pages
• Publisher:Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (March 15, 2012)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1616332379
• ISBN-13: 978-1616332372

I received a free ecopy of this book from the author’s representative in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

Newton and Me by Lynne Mayer

Title: Newton and Me

Ages: 4-8
Author: Lynne Mayer

Illustrator: Sherry Rogers
Paperback or hardback: 32 pgs, Hardback or Paperback
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing

Publication Date: March 2010
ISBN-13:  978-1-60718-067-8  (H)  $16.95/978-1-60718-078-4  (P)   $ 8.95

Reviewed by Kathy Stemke

Lynne Mayer’s story of a boy and his dog, Newton, playing and discovering the laws of force and motion will delight kids everywhere.  Whether this duo is playing with a ball or solving a problem with a wagon full of rocks, they illustrate how Newton’s laws of motion affect the world we live in every day. 

The whimsical illustrations by Sherry Rogers will fascinate young children as they find new details with each reading.  The clever rhymes will help new readers to navigate easily through this informative story. 

“Saturday morning I was asleep in my bed,

when Newton, my dog, dropped a ball on my head.

Then Newton and I ran out the back door,

We had the whole day to play and explore.” 

In the “Creative Minds” section at the back of the book Ms. Mayer recaps the laws in simple language, and asks the children some questions to reinforce and continue the learning process.  

 “A pull is a force that moves something toward you.  What are some things in the book that the boy pulls? What are some things that you might pull?”

She continues to challenge kids by asking them to match up these laws with illustrations from the book.  More facts about Sir Isaac Newton and his important contributions to math and physics are included here as well.  As a teacher, I treasure Lynne Mayer’s book, Newton and Me, as a fun-filled, and useful tool for every classroom.

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