Mary Popham, Book Reviewer

Book Review

Chickadees at Night

by Mary Popham

The chickadee: a bird so small it fits into a child’s hands; a birdfeeder resident twelve months a year; and a songster with a “fee-bee and a buzzy chicka-dee-dee-dee.” Using rhyming short phrases, Bill O. Smith and Charles R.... Read More

Book Review

The Magic Spoon

by Mary Popham

Beginning with “Once upon a time” and featuring elements of fantasy―magic and talking animals―"The Magic Spoon" is a modern-day fairytale. Beautifully illustrated characters enhance the simple story and will delight children... Read More

Book Review

Combat Infantry

by Mary Popham

Most of the people who served during wartime didn’t fight at the front. A very small percentage actually saw ‘the sharp end,’ combat. Even fewer survived it. Most of them probably couldn’t talk about it, when they got home.... Read More

Book Review

Arizona

by Mary Popham

It’s a fact. Two of Arizona’s creepiest creatures, the Gila monster and the tarantula, are shy: the largest lizard in the state is venomous but spends most of its life burrowing underground during the day and coming out at night to... Read More

Book Review

Gobble Gobble

by Mary Popham

Imagine a Children’s Picture Book about turkeys and not a single mention of Thanksgiving! "Gobble Gobble" by author and illustrator Cathryn Falwell presents a factual and beautifully detailed book describing mostly North America’s... Read More

Book Review

The Tribe of Tsulib

by Mary Popham

The fiction shelves burgeon with end-of-the-world scenarios, with stories of what happens when humanity must begin anew. The Tribe of Tsulib: A Story of Survival, by Helen Quinn, is one such story. “We are all destined for... Read More

Book Review

Achoo!

by Mary Popham

On the Island of Blue, a sneeze erupts and a pleasing tale of rhythm and rhyme unfolds. "Achoo!" is the title of the book. It’s also the startling noise heard in a place where healthy monkeys live happily swinging among blue trees with... Read More

Book Review

Fred the Fox Shouts "NO!"

by Mary Popham

With the title as the first line, thus begins a superb story of a family of foxes who discuss the dangers of sexual abuse. Parents and caretakers will find teachable moments to use as a warning to their children—not only about... Read More

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