Geo Librarian

BIG TOP BURNING: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show on Earth by Laura A. Woollett Chicago Review Press, 2015 ISBN: 978-1-61373-114-7 MG/YA Nonfiction Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK On July 6, 1944, thousands of fans made their way to Barbour Street in Hartford, Connecticut, to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performance. Not long after the show’s start, a fire broke out and spread rapidly as panicked circus-goers pushed and scrambled to escape. Within 10 minutes the entire big top had burned to the ground, and 167 people never went home. Big Top Burning  recounts the true story of one of the worst fire disasters in US history. It follows the tragic stories of the Cook family—including children Donald, Eleanor, and Edward, who were in the audience that day—and 15-year-old Robert Segee, a circus employee with an incendiary past. Drawing on primary sources and inter...

THE RACE TO THE BEACH by Anna Shuttlewood little bee books, 2015 ISBN: 978-1-4998-0099-9 Picture Book Ages 4-8 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. REVIEW The animals at the zoo take off for the beach for a nice summer holiday. After boarding the train and enjoying various individual activities at the beach the animals start to get bored.  When seal proposes a race the other animals all agree, except for Giraffe.  The animals speculate about why Giraffe won't join the race.  The winner is to be the one who swims the farthest out into the ocean.  But when Crocodile starts calling for help, Giraffe can't just sit by.  I found the story quite fun with the bright, colorful illustrations.  I especially liked the fact that the text refers to specific things going on in the illustrations, I couldn't help looking at the pictures to find the referred to activities.  The overall feel of the story is upbeat and...

LITTLE BIRD TAKES A BATH by Marisabina Russo Schwartz & Wade, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-385-37014-1 Ages 3-7 Source: author for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. REVIEW Little bird hates rain, but loves to take baths.  After sleeping through the night and the rain, little bird goes looking for a puddle in which to take a bath. But he struggles to find the perfect puddle.  When the perfect puddle presents itself, little bird starts taking his bath only to be interrupted over and over. Will little bird find the perfect place to take a bath or will he have to fly home without?  Russo has created an adorable story about a cute little bird.  Close-ups of little bird alternate with shots of little bird flying through the city making this a great book for talking about perspective.  Also, the story and illustrations are arranged perfectly for giving young readers a chance to predict what's coming, there's even some foreshadowing once little b...