Mara Rockliff

{my thoughts} – Cornelius is the town’s grudge keeper. If someone has a grudge against someone else, they write it down and give a copy to Cornelius. He then stacks them into piles depending on what category they fall under.

This is a nice little book that helps to show children that it isn’t nice to hold grudges. That when you do you live in a hostile kind of environment and that it is difficult to find happiness. Near the end of the book all the written grudges are blown out of Cornelius’s house and he ends up underneath the mountain like pile. The people of the town then realize how wrong they were to be holding them and they let loose and smile.

The book ends with a couple in the town getting married. It’s a really good book that helps to introduce morals to children. The only complaint I have is aside from the cover art, I wasn’t able to see any of the pictures, it was just white pages with words on them.… (more)

{My Thoughts} – This is a story about a little boy named Ravi. It is Ravi’s birthday and he is really sad. It turns out that his mom is out of town and she is the one that helps to make his birthdays extra special. This year, however, he is stuck home with dad who isn’t as fun as mom on birthdays. Ravi doesn’t think that his dad will be able to make his birthday as special as his mom could be able to.

When Ravi gets home from school he finds an envelope. Inside is a clue to a clue hunt that was designed just for Ravi. This clue hunt sends him all over town. While he is following all the clues, he is also able to teach the children reading the book about the police, the library, the fire station, the school nurse, an ambulance, and then what it’s like for him to be back home. At home Ravi gets the biggest surprise of all, his mom is back home.

The best thing about this book is that Ravi’s dad had set the whole thing up. He helped to make Ravi’s birthday extra special even though his mom wasn’t going to be there. However, it turned out his mom was there, and it was a great ending to a wonderful clue hunt for Ravi.

This book is nicely illustrated, each illustration goes hand and hand with the story within the pages. Aside from that, it is also a good introduction learning tool for children about the community in which they live. I Really enjoyed reading this with my son.… (more)

{My Thoughts} – This is a story about a little boy named Ravi. It is Ravi’s birthday and he is really sad. It turns out that his mom is out of town and she is the one that helps to make his birthdays extra special. This year, however, he is stuck home with dad who isn’t as fun as mom on birthdays. Ravi doesn’t think that his dad will be able to make his birthday as special as his mom could be able to.

When Ravi gets home from school he finds an envelope. Inside is a clue to a clue hunt that was designed just for Ravi. This clue hunt sends him all over town. While he is following all the clues, he is also able to teach the children reading the book about the police, the library, the fire station, the school nurse, an ambulance, and then what it’s like for him to be back home. At home Ravi gets the biggest surprise of all, his mom is back home.

The best thing about this book is that Ravi’s dad had set the whole thing up. He helped to make Ravi’s birthday extra special even though his mom wasn’t going to be there. However, it turned out his mom was there, and it was a great ending to a wonderful clue hunt for Ravi.

This book is nicely illustrated, each illustration goes hand and hand with the story within the pages. Aside from that, it is also a good introduction learning tool for children about the community in which they live. I Really enjoyed reading this with my son.… (more)

So this famous French dude called Buffon started badmouthing American flora and fauna in print, and Thomas Jefferson wasn't having it! He used his lifelong passion for numbers to disprove Buffon's assertions (although Buffon actually died before admitting he was wrong) in Notes on the State of Virginia.

Back matter includes a Jefferson quote and more information about his "mania for math" some of "Jefferson's numbers" (answering the questions raised in the book, e.g. How far was an hour's walk? How hot was it in Philadelphia in July 4, 1776?), primary sources, and selected secondary sources.… (more)