"Lighthearted and entertaining, Raczka's irreverent quatrains show middle graders no figure is too lofty for some poetic play. (Informational poetry. 8-12)"
"Quiet winter scenes / Santa ponders in writing, / sharing the season. (Picture books/poetry. 4-12)"
Santa himself is the purported author of this calm but bright collection of 25 haiku, one for each day of the December countdown to Christmas.
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"The old ball game is still great fun. (Picture book. 5-9)"
Will there ever be joy in Mudville now that mighty Casey has struck out? It is the day after that awful game, and now there is a chance for redemption.
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"A true celebration of fall certain to be a winner with teachers and children alike; here's hoping that the rest of the seasons will follow. (Picture book. 4-8)"
This rollicking fall frolic is sure to arouse a chorus of hearty negatives in every audience as children race to point out the mistakes in both the text and the illustrations.
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"Fun as a prompt for poetic exploration but less fulfilling as a stand-alone volume. (Poetry. 8-12)"
Fresh off his engaging Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys (illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, 2010) and inspired by the work of Andrew Russ, Raczka continues to dabble in short lyric forms, here experimenting with images conjured up by breaking down a single word.
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"Unfortunately what might have begun as a terrific classroom or museum-education presentation is less than compelling in print. (Nonfiction. 9-14)"
Raczka, an artist and a reliable purveyor of workmanlike and generally lively introductions to major works of art for kids (More Than Meets the Eye, 2003), here trains his educated eye on 18 movement-rich paintings that each exhibit child appeal.
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The simple, playful rhymes make this celebration of winter a solid choice for sharing with toddlers and beginning readers alike.
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"The eye-catching format is brilliant, but this is an experience best shared by older elementary readers, with an adult to lead the discussion. (Picture book. 6-10)"
Paintings, sculpture and photographs depicting American scenes and people and representing artists and styles from the 18th century to the present are the focus of Raczka's latest lesson in exposing young minds to viewing and understanding art.
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"Includes a page of fall facts that defines the more advanced vocabulary words and presents some general information about the season. (Picture book. 4-6)"
There is a lot to love about the fall, as readers can see in this action-packed, rollicking book of noun-oriented rhyme.
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"The minimum of words should make this more inviting to its very young target audience, while the pictures might stimulate creative play. (Picture book. 2-5)"
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