How to use this Page

Quackers Written and Illustrated by Liz Wong Alfred A. Knopf BYR    3/22/2016 978-0-553511543 32 pages    Ages 3—6 “Quackers is a duck. Sure, he may have paws and whiskers. And his quacks might sound more like…well, meows, but he lives among ducks, everyone he knows is a duck, and he’s happy. Then Quackers meets …

Kid Lit Reviews is pleased to welcome Frog and his father. Frog is the star in Dev Petty’s debut picture book, I Don’t Want to be a Frog! from  Doubleday Books for Young Readers and artist Mike Boldt. Frog doesn’t like being a frog. He’s rather be a cat, or an owl, or even a pig. Dad just …

Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne and illustrated by Sal Murdocca

Reviewed by: Peter Wingard

About the author:
Mary Pope Osbourne is an American author currently living in Connecticut.  She grew up in a military family and by the age of 15 had lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina.  She has over 80 books to her credit including the best selling Magic Tree House series.

About the series:
The Magic Tree House series begins with “Dinosaurs Before Dark”.  In this book we meet the two main characters, Jack and his little sister Annie.  In the woods near their house in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, Annie discovers the longest rope ladder the two have ever seen.  The rope leads them to a tree house at the very top of the tree.  Via this tree house Jack and Annie experience many adventures.

The Magic Tree House is an award winning series and has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.

My take on the series:
Grab a book, curl up in your favorite reading spot and let you imagination run wild.  Time virtually stops.  This is essentially what happens to Jack and Annie in the tree house when they grab a book about dinosaurs and Jack whispers, “I wish I could see a Pterodactyl for real.” The next thing they know they are transported back in time to prehistoric times and come face to face with a Pterodactyl. Through books and the Magic Tree House Jack and Annie experience adventures throughout time.

Each book is a new adventure for Jack and Annie.  Where will they go next, on a pirate ship in Pirates Past Noon (#4)? Or  Down the Amazon in Afternoon on the Amazon (#6)?  What will they experience next, a tornado in Twister on Tuesday (#23)? Or the Olympics in Hour of the Olympics (#16)?

This series is great for early readers and with such a vast number of titles there is sure to be an adventure or two every reader will find interesting.

We found this series of books at our local bookstore while looking for short chapter books for our first grader as he was devouring every non-chapter book we put in front of him.  He has already read several of the books and is always looking for others at the library.  After reading several books from the series I feel confident recommending them, especially for readers making the transition to chapter books.