If Dogs Were Dinosaurs by David M. Schwartz and illustrated by James Warhola looks like a book for preschool dinosaur lovers, but it is acutally a book for elementary-age children that demonstrates the math concept of relative size. The silly concepts combine wonderfully with the vivid illustrations, bringing humor and fun to math. Children will enjoy the book and it easily extrapolates into them coming up with their own relative size humor. Recommend this one to elementary math teachers to get it into the right hands.

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen with illustrations by Mark Teague is another success in Yolen’s How Do Dinosaurs picture book series. The books combine huge realistic dinosaurs with vintage feel homes and families. The dinosaurs first show kids how not to act at the table and then demonstrate how to be polite diners. I have used the previous books in storytimes and they work very well. Just be prepared to find the long dinosaur names on each page and pronounce them for the group. This one will be great in a food-related storytime.

Truth Cookie by Fiona Dunbar is the story of Lulu, whose father is dating the model Varaminta le Bone. Lulu knows that Varaminta’s son Torquil is a monster who enjoys torturing her, but her father doesn’t believe her. Add to that the fact that Varaminta is cruel to Lulu too, but only behind her father’s back, and you understand why Lulu had to find a way to show her father what monsters these people really were. But how? It is not until she is escaping from Varaminta’s disastrous birthday present that she discovers the little golden book that will give her the solution. Could it be a gift from her dead mother? And how will the cookies made from such strange ingredients work?
This is a light fantasy perfect for young girls. It reads like a movie script, with broad humor, a fast-moving plot and truly villanous characters. There is little depth here. Even at the end the villains stay villains and no new realizations are made by any of the characters. But as a light read with a twist of magic, this book will be popular. The fun cover will help sell it to exactly the right audience. Recommend this one to girls looking for a sweet read.

Indigo Blue by Cathy Cassidy is a book about Indigo, a preteen girl who is hiding a secret. Indigo lives with her mother, baby sister and stepfather in a lovely house, but all is not as nice as the surface. Her stepfather is beating her mother. When the beatings finally get too be too much, her mother flees across town and hides with the girls in a dingy basement apartment. When Indigo confides in her best friend, Jo, she doesn’t find the support she needs. In fact, Jo is becoming more and more jealous of Indigo at school where Indigo gets a starring role in the class musical and has a boy who is interested in her. Indigo’s entire world is falling apart, and as her mother falls deeper into depression, Indigo worries who will look after them and whether her stepfather will reappear in their lives.
This easy-to-read book is a perfect book for girls who will read Lurlene McDaniel in a few years. The violence of the story all takes place out of sight, so that readers onlly see the aftermath. Indigo is a real girl with real issues and real reactions. The adults in her life are also well-rendered characters where the stepfather has a nice side, her mother is often capable, and her stern teacher surprises her. Add this one to your collection if you need more books for preteen girls that read like teen novels without the sexuality and violence.