By: Lizzie Rebstock

This is my first book review. I chose my favorite, five star, laugh out loud chapter book, Aliens on Vacation!​ At first I was not sure about it, but by the second chapter I was so into it that my mom had to yell at me to put it down. I liked the whole book so much I don’t have a favorite part. There were so many funny parts! I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I’m usually only on my seat towards the end and sometimes in the middle. But never really in the beginning, this book was the exception. The way the aliens talked and acted was just plain ridiculous! ​​

One of the funny parts was when Scrub’s grandma shows him her retirement money. Apparently, his grandma got into a trade with an alien. His grandma gave the alien trader a bucket of alien currency a.k.a. a bunch of glowing cubes made of a substance that would have the world’s best scientists astonished.  In return, the alien trader gave the grandma a bucket of gold and diamonds from a planet where they were in abundance and as worthless as rocks and pebbles. Ironic, isn’t it? 😉  

​​The thing about this book that caught my eye was Scrub was kind of clueless. In one scene, a family of aliens was walking aroud on FOUR feet. I mean, if you had a family of humans who were bear crawling around the house, what would you think? (Probably along the lines of, that’s not normal.) Scrub did not even react when the Dad Alien looked at him walking and said to his family “Of course, this is the way it’s done here.” Then, the Dad Alien stood up on his rear legs.​ ​

This book is amazing and a must read for any si-fi lovers. Look for it at your local library! And be sure to check out more in this series.​​ Catch ya later!

​​More in this series:​​

Aliens on Rampage​
Aliens in Disguise

Sometimes you are short on time and need a simple book to read with your kids. You know, the one that has about one sentence per page but is not so basic it’s boring. “Not a Box” and “Not a Stick” both fit the bill. These books cleverly show kids how to use their imaginations with a smattering of words and a series of simple sketches.

In “Not a Box,” a bunny shows how a BOX can be the most fun of play things. “Why are you sitting in a box?” the book asks the reader. Turn the page and you see will see: it’s not a box, it’s a race car! The outline of a box is then shown in black while added red lines show how you could imagine it as a car. My son’s favorite page was the bunny shown squirting a box with a hose. Well, of course it wasn’t a box, it was a burning building and the bunny was a fireman putting out the fire! 🙂

In “Not a Stick,” a pig is shown holding a STICK and the first page reads, “Hey, be careful with that stick.” What kid hasn’t heard that? Attention grabbed. The book then goes on to show the pig using the stick as a fishing pole, a baton in a marching band, a paintbrush, etc. The ending is very clever with the stick finally becoming a sword and the pig fighting off a fierce dragon. Kids, go grab your sticks! Adventure awaits 🙂

I love how these books encourage children to use their imaginations. There is no complex plot and no special voices are needed for this read aloud. Instead, your child will read this book over and over on their own and really enjoy it. It’s relatable — when has a stick every been really just a stick? Or a box just a box? 🙂 For a child with a good imagination, the possibilities are endless.

Say Something! lets children know that their voice matters in this world. The forward of this book reads ” … to all the people who are brave enough to say something – and move the world to a better place – inspiring others to do the same.” This book cleverly showcases the many ways kids can change the world if they make actively make the choice.

Though the language was clear and simple, I was worried the message might be too sophisticated for my 4 year old. I was wrong. My son was excited about the idea of kids choosing to take action! At the end of the book, he said enthusiastically “Mom, you just need to Say Something!” He totally got it 🙂

Through carefully chosen examples, children are encouraged to make an impact:

• “If you see someone lonely… SAY SOMETHING… by just being there for the them.”
• “If you see something beautiful… SAY SOMETHING with a poem.”
• “If you have a brilliant idea… SAY SOMETHING with confidence.”

I love how this book encourages kids to look into their hearts and say what is important them. Each child will choose the best way to communicate their heart song — words, music, personal actions, art, etc. This book’s beautiful message should be shared with all kids: everyone has something to say and you can make a difference. A must have for your own home library.

We have been having a lot of fun reading the “What if You Had” series, a non-fiction series on animals. So far, we have read:

• What if You Had T. rex Teeth!?
• What if You Had Animal Teeth
• What if You had Animal Ears!?
• What if You Had an Animal Tail!?

The book we started with was “What if You Had T. rex Teeth” and my son thought it was hilarious! He was asking out loud, “What? What if I had dinosaur feet?!” The illustration of a child with big dinosaur feet caught his attention for sure! My favorite was the Triceratops page which featured a child using his three horns to carry in a whole bunch of groceries for his mom – SO GREAT! 🙂

These books are clever because you aren’t just reciting interesting animal facts to your children. You are asking them to ACTUALLY IMAGINE what it would be like have a certain animal body part and the fun they could have with that capability. It’s outrageous and funny to consider so your kids will remember what they are learning. I have never been this entertained by an animal facts book before.

Watching your kids reactions is the best part. Tonight, we finished the “What if You Had Animal Teeth” book. My kids were fascinated by the fact hippos would never have to brush their teeth because they grind them together so they always stay clean. In the illustration, the child with imaginary hippo teeth throws away her toothbrush! My son couldn’t believe it! “Mom, she can throw away her toothbrush! Hippo teeth always stay clean.” I could tell that he wanted hippo teeth too 🙂

Fun facts are sprinkled in on every page. For example, we found out that elephants can be either left or right tusked just like humans are left or right handed – who knew? Fascinating! And a crocodile’s teeth always stay out of its mouth. My daughter turned to me and said, “You wouldn’t need x-rays at the dentist!” There was page on bats that can literally hear mosquitos flying in the air. As a parent, I appreciated that there was just the right amount of factual details on each animal (1-2 short paragraphs) so that even my younger child stayed engaged.

I highly recommend these book series for all kids of all ages. The series was informative, imaginative, and downright funny – an unusual and winning combination in the non-fiction category. 6 stars. I’m giving it an extra star because both my 10 year old and 4 year old loved these books. If you added these books to your home library, your kids would enjoy them for years.

PS. Check out the fun way this teacher used these books in a classroom project: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/2017/What-If-You-Had-Animal-Body-Part-An-Adaptation-Project/

To be honest, when I got this book I thought “ok, here’s another dragon book.” You know how it goes – dragons one day, unicorns the next etc. until another fad rolls in. However, this book had dragons AND monsters (cute ones) AND noodles so it looked worth a read. After two pages, I noted that the book possessed several elements my kids love in picture book, namely:

• conversation bubbles
• humor
• eye catching illustrations
• an unpredictable storyline

My son was on the edge of my lap waiting to hear what would happen next. There was an engaging “story within a story” plot as the characters were imagining the different ways a story about a dragon might end. We really laughed at the funny illustration that depicted what a dragon supposedly eats on different days of the week – “Monday: Knights” but on “Tuesday: Noodles (only)” etc. I think the best part for the reader is when the dragon gets in on the storytelling fun and surprises his monster friends with an important revelation.

My son asked me to the read the story 3 times in a row. That’s a 5 star book in our family. He also tried to read it on his own by looking at the pictures and that’s when I know he’s really into a story. Check out this book for some good laughs and and a fun, unpredictable ending.