Emergent Readers
ZIG AND WIKKI IN SOMETHING ATE MY HOMEWORK
By Chris Wilson Editor-in-Geek STORY SYNOPSIS No kid wants to hear those dread words: “Your homework is late again.” For kids like Zig it’s a common occurrence. He and his friend, Wikki, are making a trip to grandma’s house to pick up a pet for Zig’s classroom zoo. They get a bit off track, thanks to too much gaming, and their space ship ends up near Earth.
STINKY
By Chris Wilson Editor-in-Geek STORY SYNOPSIS Stinky the monster and Wartbelly his pet toad are a couple of dirty little guys. They root and play in filth, eat pickled eggs and pickled bananas, and enjoy all things … well, stinky. The two are wary of the very scary, and very clean, kids on the other side of the swamp. He has no use for the sanitary little buggers; he steers clear.
RED TED AND THE LOST THINGS
By Chris Wilson Editor-in-Geek STORY SUMMARY The cuddly and sweater-clad Red Ted finds himself in the lost-and-found at the train station. Unlike the other toys, he is not content to sit on the shelf and await rescue. He and his fearful crocodile inmate hopped off the shelf and sojourned through the busy city streets trying to get back to Stevie.
ONE STORMY NIGHT
By Kevin Hodgson Staff Writer STORY REVIEW Two cats can’t agree over who eats a mouse caught in the house of the old woman, and after both argue and fight over the mouse, the old woman accidentally tosses them out into the cold wintry night where they realize that neither was right in the fight over the mouse.
JACK AND THE BOX
By Chris Wilson Editor-in-Geek STORY REVIEW When I first found out that Pulitzer Prize winning comic creator Art Spiegelman started a comics company for primary aged children, I was ecstatic – couldn’t contain my excitement. Comics for little ones! He’s the perfect person to take such an undertaking because 1) he understands the importance of great storytelling and 2) he learned to read by looking at comics.
LUKE ON THE LOOSE
By Chris Wilson Editor-in-Geek STORY SYNOPSIS Luke is bored. What child doesn’t spin and shake in the wake of his father’s incessant jabbering with a neighboring dad? Luke does what kids do: He observes a flock of pigeons cooing and when they fly the coop, so does Luke. It’s all innocent enough; he simply follows what he finds interesting.
HIRO: DRAGON WARRIOR
By Kevin Hodgson Staff Writer STORY REVIEW This short graphic novel is one of a series that is being put out by Innovative Kids under the banner of Phonics Comics. HIRO: DRAGON WARRIOR tells the story of a young dragon, Hiro, who must learn the ancient ways of the Dragon Claw dojo (taught by the patient Master Fu). Hiro is sent on a quest by Master Fu to recover seven Power Jades that were once stolen by the nemesis, Master Gomi. Along the way, Hiro recruits his former bullies to become his allies and uses his new understanding of harnessing […] Read More
THE FLYING BEAVER BROTHERS AND THE FISHY BUSINESS
By Tegan Conner Staff Writer STORY REVIEW When Ace and Bub wind up in a tree thanks to their new penguin friends, they make an awful discovery: a volcano is on their island. They are pretty sure it wasn’t there the day before; so, they decide to investigate. What they find are literally fish out of water (wearing a water suit of sorts), harvesting trees, polluting the island, all in the name of a tiny product called “Fish Stixs.”
HOW DO WE STAY ON EARTH?
By Kevin Hodgson Staff Writer STORY SUMMARY Gravity is one of those unseen things that can truly perplex young people. Maybe older people, too. Why don’t we just drift off into space? My sons have all asked me that question at one time or another. HOW DO WE STAY ON EARTH? (A Gravity Mystery) by writer Amy Hansen and illustrator Korey Scott is a non-fictional graphic book look at what gravity is and what it does.