Title: Who was Marco Polo?
Author: Joan Holub
Genre: Biography

Review:
This book is about the life and times of Marco Polo. Marco Polo lived from the year 1254 to 1332. When Marco Polo was fifteen he traveled from Italy (where he was born) to China! In China he met a man named Kublai Khan and became very good friends with him and then Kublai ordered Marco to stay in China 30 years. Marco was with his father and his uncle for that time period. Marco died at the age of 69 in Venice, Italy.

I liked this book because it had very good illustrations. I think the publishers of the “Who Was” series do a very marvelous job because they always give you so much information that you will remember it. Another great thing about this book is that it has a lot of expressive drawings. I, personally myself, didn’t know that Marco Polo was a real person. I thought he was just a name of a game that was played in a swimming pool.

I give this book òòòòò out of 5 stars.

Review by Graham W.

More Babymouse, Please!

From Lower Elementary to Upper Elementary, students are clamoring for Babymouse!
And guess who else has been reading Babymouse? Dane Peters, himself! Dane borrowed Camp Babymouse the other day, to see what the fuss was about. I think he's a new fan.


I'm pleased to announce that several more Babymouse books have joined the 741.5 shelf, including #8, Puppy Love. Come to the library, and check out our new Babymouse books!

Little Room Yellow visited the the library on Friday. Everybody loved listening to Leonardo the Terrible Monster, a fun picture book by Mo Willems.

Poor Leonardo can't scare anyone. He's a terrible monster. At last, he finds the perfect scaredy-cat kid, Sam, to frighten. Sam bursts into tears and Leonardo is thrilled! But Sam quickly explains that he's not scared at all, he's been having a terrible day! Leonardo thinks for a moment, and realizes that he may not be a great monster, but he could be a great friend for Sam.

Little Room Yellow is filled with great friends: everyone listened intently, and some friends gripped each other's hands during the almost-scary (but also funny) part.

Anyone checking in over Spring Vacation?

What are you reading?


I've been reading The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives this week.

A reader from LE highly recommended it to me, and so I bumped it up to the top of my reading list! I'm about halfway through, and enjoying it quite a bit.

Sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, find themselves living with a grandmother they never knew they had...in a peculiar enchanted forest... They're not sure what to believe. Fairies, pixies, and giants aren't real, right? So, what about the teeny flying things that glow and sing and bite at night? ...And how did a giagantic footprint left at the scene of a crushed house?

There's also the matter of the grandmother... Can she be trusted? Is she really their grandmother? ...Is she just a crazy old woman? Why does she have a room that's all locked up and off limits? And what are the strange noises coming from that room? What is she hiding?

The Sisters Grimm have some detective work to do.

I have a feeling readers in LE and UE who are looking for a magic-infused tale that weaves old fairytales into present-day reality, in a wacky way, will like this book. There's a bit of a mystery, too; so readers who like figuring out mysteries might try it too.

I'll be done by Tuesday, and will have it on my desk ready for the next eager reader!

NEW BOOK ALERT!
Look forward to a bunch of new books that will be arriving when we get back from break. I'm most looking forward to Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow--a book of nature poems just in time for Poetry Month!
And there will be a whole bunch of shiny new books about Maya, Inca, and Aztec history, just in time for your new unit, UE!

See you soon.

All About Babymouse
Book interview with
Rebecca & Sophie

REBECCA: When did you start reading Babymouse?
SOPHIE: I was in BookCourt and I wanted to get a new book, but I had nothing in mind. I was just looking all around, and couldn’t find anything. Then I looked at the top of the shelf and I saw Babymouse!

REBECCA: What do you like about Babymouse?
SOPHIE: I think that Babymouse is just a typical girl…but then when you get to know her in the book, she daydreams a lot. And, like, when she’s walking down the school hall, in her mind it’s the yellow brick road.

SOPHIE: Who introduced you to Babymouse?
REBECCA: You did!

REBECCA: Babymouse is a little different from other books. It’s a graphic novel. It’s as much about the pictures as it is about the words. What kind of reader do you think would like to read Babymouse?
SOPHIE: In my mind, I feel like, I don’t really love graphic novels. I feel like Babymouse is different from other graphic novels, partly with the story. I think it’s good for all ages—anyone who can read! Someone who likes funny stories and who wants something quick and easy to read, should try Babymouse.

REBECCA: Is Babymouse a series by any chance?
SOPHIE: Yes, Babymouse is a series! And there are five books. Our library has Babymouse: Queen of the World, Babymouse: Our Hero, and Babymouse: Rockstar!

REBECCA: Which is your favorite?
SOPHIE: The first one—Queen of the World.

REBECCA: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Babymouse?
SOPHIE: My tip for anybody who starts to read Babymouse is when it’s black and white it’s her real life, and when it’s pink and white she’s daydreaming.


Babymouse trivia: Jennifer and Matthew Holm are siblings! Jennifer writes the stories and Matthew draws the pictures.