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Have you nominated your book yet for the Feathered Quill Book Awards???  With fourteen different categories, lots of planned publicity, a LOW nomination fee, and plenty of special awards, this is one award program you don't want to miss!  Learn more at Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Book Review - A Butterfly Called Hope

A Butterfly Called Hope

By: Mary Alice Monroe
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607188568
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

Butterflies flitted quietly in her mother’s garden, hiding in and around the colorful flowers. If you look closely you can find a monarch, a cloudless sulphur, a gulf fritillary, and a black swallowtail. The little girl spotted a “bright yellow and black bug starring” at her from the top of a milkweed leaf. Her brow furrowed as she watched him eat. She called to her mother, “Mommy, come quick! What is it? Will it bite? Or sting me? Will it make me sick?” No, it was a very special caterpillar that would one day be a “beautiful butterfly.” How could that happen and just what kind of butterfly would it become?

There was one person who could answer their questions and that person was Nana Butterfly. They put the little caterpillar in a jar and brought it to her shop. Nana knew at once that it was a monarch butterfly and wanted to take care of it. The little girl wanted to do that herself and they took it back home. They carefully set up an aquarium to take care of the monarch caterpillar. What would happen as it grew and what special name would they give to it when it emerged from its chrysalis?

This is a fascinating tale of the life cycle stages of a monarch butterfly. Of course this is also the special story of what the little girl decided to name her monarch when it was time to set it free. The entire story is accompanied by photographs that relate the life cycle of the monarch. The centerfold has eight amazing pictures that show the new monarch emerging from its chrysalis. Newly independent readers can tackle this book with some assistance. The text is large and bold and is generously illustrated with full-color photographs. In the back of the book are additional activities, including downloadable instructional materials on the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent read and discuss book in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: If you are doing a module on life cycles in the classroom, this is an excellent book to consider!

Book Review - The Fort on Fourth Street: A Story about the Six Simple Machines

The Fort on Fourth Street: A Story about the Six Simple Machines

By: Lois Spangler
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186328
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

The backyard on Fourth Street had flowers, a tree, some stones, and a dog. There was something missing and that was a fort that would soon be built with Grandpa’s help. He leaned over his drafting table, poring over the plans that would make that special fort. There were many simple tools that Grandpa would need, including many simple machines such as levers, wedges, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, and wheels and axles. Perhaps you can think of some things that he might be using when he started to make the fort?

Grandpa’s dog raced happily beside the wagon when the project began. “These are the wheels and axles / that move my wagon without hassles. / It carries wood in a great, big mound, / with wheels that make a squeaky sound.” Grandpa began by using his saw, then used some screws to hold those boards in place, set up a pulley that will “bring up the treats,” used a crowbar to move those rocks, and built a ramp. Soon the fort would be complete, but do you know what kinds of simple machines Grandpa used to finish it?

This is an excellent book to introduce the scientific concepts of simple machines to young students. The book, presented in picture book format, will entice even the most reluctant reader. The concepts are much easier to understand when presented with visuals of everyday objects children are familiar with. As a story in rhyme, accompanied by a progressive rhyming sequence on alternating pages with visuals, it’s much easier to grasp the concepts. In the back of the book are additional activities, including downloadable instructional materials on the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent read and discuss book in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: This is a perfect book to introduce the scientific concept of simple machines to young students ... painlessly!

Book Review - Anybody Home?

Anybody Home?

By: Marianne Berkes
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186304
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

Polly `Possum held on tightly to her little red polka dotted suitcase as she glanced up into the branches of an old oak tree. It was swarming with activity as all the animals tended to their homes and families. A home would be a nice thing to have and Polly wondered, as she looked up, “Was there room for her?” Hmmm, perhaps Sammy Spider just might have a bit of room for her. He was very busy spinning his web and when Polly stepped on it ... oops! Sammy would have no part of her toes in his house and told her to bug off. Maybe someone else would have a bit of room for her.

Robbie Robin was busy tending to his house, but there wasn’t any room for Polly. Polly was going to have her babies soon and definitely needed a place to stay. Robbie flapped his wings at Polly and exclaimed, “I’m going to have babies too. We built our nest way up high to keep predators like you away!” Maybe someone else would have a bit of room for her. Polly kept moving and checked out the homes of Becky Bee, Suzy Squirrel, Timmy Turtle, and even Milton Mole. She searched and she searched. Would someone have a home for Polly `Possum before her little babies arrived?

This is the delightfully charming story of Polly `Possum who is searching for a home of her own. Young children will definitely love accompanying Polly as she searches for the perfect home to raise her own little family in. As the tale goes on, we find out about the many homes other animals have. For example, we learn that Milton Mole has a burrow and Betty Beaver has a lodge with a mote around it. The tale is upbeat and the full-page, full-color artwork is bold and bright with a touch of humor. In the back of the book are several activities, including some that can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. This is fun book that can be read at home or utilized for educational purposes in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: If you want to know just where other critters live, this is a fun, imaginative tale that will tell you just that!

Book Review - A Day in the Deep

A Day in the Deep

By: Kevin Kurtz
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186298
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

A massive sperm whale swam deep in the ocean as other stranger than fiction animals swam alongside him. There were somehow lights in the dark waters that made them visible in the depths of the seas. Far above, “As you first dive into the ocean, / the sun is still shining bright. / Brown algae floats near the surface / and makes its own food from the light.” If you look closely, you can see many creatures as they disguise themselves in the Sargassum seaweed. Five hundred feet below, there are “sharks with bellies that glow.” Are there really such critters?

Yes, and it seems the deeper down we go, the stranger they become. “One thousand feet below sea level, / a fish with protruding jaws / waits patiently in the darkness / with teeth like a raptor’s claws.” Watch out! A shrimp will soon be a tasty snack for the viperfish as he flashes a light protruding from a “spine attached to his back.” Down, down, down, you go. Can anything be stranger than that viperfish? Once you read this book you’ll know that there are some really strange creatures beneath the ocean waves!

This is an amazingly well-written and illustrated book that will captivate the young audience. The artwork and the verse seem to contribute equally to the allure of this book. This story in rhyme is written with ballad stanzas (the 2nd and 4th lines rhyme). The full-color, full-page artwork is quite stunning and will mesmerize the reader as they travel further and further down into the ocean. Confident readers should be able to tackle the material readily, but it will also be of high interest to those much younger. In the back of the book are several activities, including some that can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent book to read and discuss in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: This is a fun, fascinating journey beneath the ocean waves that will mesmerize young and old alike!

Book Review - The Perfect Pet

The Perfect Pet

By: Samantha Bell
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186335
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

Every girl and boy wants a pet, but sometimes the answer is “no, no, no!” One day the answer was “yes,” but just what kind of a pet would do? There were all kinds of animals at the pet store, including that slithering snake, the terrifying tarantula, and even a rascally looking rat. Just what kind of pet would do? “The kingdom Animalia / is where I’d start my search ... / a bear, a slug, a killer whale, / a catfish, or a perch.” It didn’t look like there would be a perfect pet in that bunch so it was off to think about another group. No invertebrates in Mom’s house!

Perhaps a crocodile, an anteater, or maybe, just maybe, that cobra. They all were very, very interesting and a croc in the tub would be awesome. “No reptiles or -- amphibians; / they are too hard to scrub. / You just can’t bathe a crocodile-- / it won’t fit in our tub.” Just what kind of pet would do? There were birds of all kinds and that elephant had big appeal. A lion or tiger or even a cheetah would look great on a bunk bed. Not. Just what kind of pet would do? There had to be a perfect pet somewhere!

This is a humorous story in rhyme that will delight any youngster who’s in search of that perfect pet. The verse definitely has charm and the flow of the story is perfect as animal classification is covered as a child's imagination thinks about the “perfect pet.” Naturally, a child’s notion of the perfect pet can greatly differ from one looked at from an adult perspective. The full-color, full-page illustrations are vibrant and lend a lot to the pet-appeal of the story. Newly independent readers can tackle this beginning nonfiction book with a bit of assistance with unusual terms such as Canis lupus familiaris. In the back of the book are several activities, including some that can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent book to read and discuss in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: This is a humorous, charming way to introduce young students to animal classification ... and that perfect pet!

Book Review - Dino Tracks

Dino Tracks

By: Rhonda Lucas Donald
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186311
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2013

The dinos roamed the banks of the river, their heavy feet sinking into the mud and sands. In time the river would disappear, yet something would remain behind. “T’was quite long ago in Hadley, Mass., / a farm boy plowed a field. / What he turned up, created a fuss -- / what had his work revealed?” The dino footprints made so long ago, had turned to stone. The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of the massive tracks. Three-toed fossilized prints were all around him. What could they tell the world about the dinosaurs that made them? There would be much more to learn than he ever expected.

Some of the dinos traveled alone, while others formed herds. You can even figure out “what it might eat” by looking at the tracks. Amazing! Some of the tracks are massive, while others might only span a few inches. Many at the water’s edge could have been aiming to catch that fish as the dragonfly flitted overhead and the turtle swam beneath the water. “Down by the river where crocs were thick / are tracks of dainty feet. / They skitter on by--it’s best to be sly-- / or hungry crocs they’d meet.” What else could those tracks made long ago tell us about how the dinos lived?

This is a fun look at some of the things fossilized dinosaur tracks can tell us. The amazing full-color, full-page artwork definitely lends a hand in telling the story of those dinos long ago as they made those tracks. The tale itself is a story in rhyme, with ballad stanzas (the 2nd and 4th lines rhyme). Newly independent readers can tackle this beginning nonfiction book with a bit of assistance with unfamiliar words such as “squeezed.” In the back of the book are several activities, including some that can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent book to read and discuss in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: If you have a youngster who loves dinos, he or she will be fascinated by what their tracks can tell us!