The Norsemen: Explorers, Traders, and Warriors: Life As A Viking by Allison Lassieur

From ghoulies and ghosties

And long-leggedy beasties

And things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

And to that earnest prayer from the Dark Ages might be added Viking raiders. Their narrow longboats, capable of crossing oceans and sailing up shallow rivers, were the scourge of the coast of eastern Europe, making sudden attacks on cities and villages, monasteries and village churches alike at will. What was with those guys?

The population of Scandinavia had grown, the growing season for farmers was short, and fertile land was mostly taken, forcing young men to take to the sea and, in blitzkrieg attacks, loot the people along the shores of the North Sea. When they went bump in the night, it was bad! But for those Norse warriors, life also was, as the saying goes, "nasty, short, and brutish."

The narrow wooden Viking longship heaves and creaks beneath your feat as you sail away from your homeland. You carry only clothing, some food, and your armor and weapons.

There isn't much left for someone like you. Is that land you see? What adventures await you?

In Allison Lassieur's Life as a Viking: An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose: Warriors) (Capstone Books), a young would-be warrior sails south in a dreki (dragon) boat, indentured to his leader-captain, in this choose-your adventure book for young readers which boasts three complete story lines, 51 choices, and 24 potential plotlines not all of them with happy endings for their character. But with this young Viking, the reader gets to experience vicariously some of the significant events of this historical period--beginning with the bloody raid and looting of the rich monastery of Lindisfarne in 793, in which not only gold chalices, but also priceless illuminated manuscripts were taken or destroyed, the capture of the town of Dublin in Ireland, the conquest of Eoforwick, now the city of York (or Jorvik), the battle and death of the Saxon king Aethelred, and the treaty with his successor Alfred (the Great) who agreed to give the Vikings half of the Saxon lands to be called the Danelaw, the deaths of the Viking leaders, Halfdan, Ubbi Ragnarsson, and Ivar the Boneless, the defeat of the Viking Harald Sigurdsson at Stamford Bridge by the Saxon king Harold Godwinson, and the death of that last Saxon king, by the Norsemen of France led by William the Conqueror (known as the first Norman king of England) whose successors ruled England for centuries.

Young readers who choose this book to share the adventures of their Viking alter ego will learn a lot of history along the way to spark continuing interest, and although the putative hero winds up dying in at least half the scenarios, they will get some understanding of the big events of the period and how it shaped the modern world. Far more than cartoon characters welding axes, the Vikings were  explorers, traders, navigators, and makers and keepers of  a significant part of European history. Author Lassieur provides an appendix with a timeline, glossary, bibliography of books and websites, and  an index to help readers see the big picture and polish up those reports.

Snorkel Rabbit! Bunny Overboard by Claudia Rueda

 

IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TO SAIL AWAY WITH ME?

A sailing we shall go with Bunny! It's over the waves, Mateys, as Bunny launches his little red sailboat. But he needs help! His sails need some BREEZE, please!

BLOW!

AHH! THANK YOU! But now Bunny needs someone to rock the boat, just for the fun of it. But THEN he wants more! But too much rocking is... OOOOO!

STOP! BUNNY OVERBOARD!

Kersplash! Too much rocking almost swamps the boat. A curious seal gives this maneuver a fishy eye, while Bunny decides it's time to drop anchor. Bunny suits up in his snorkeling gear, fins and all, and jumps off the stern of his sailboat. 

Be Wary, Larry! Don't Push the Buttons: A Halloween Treat by Bill Cotter

WOW! We did such a good job of trick-or-treating.

We have so much candy!

This is the only house left.

Larry, be wary! This house is rumored to be the residence of monsters. Should he quit while he's ahead?

Please! Don't ring that doorbell!!!

But Larry, that cute little lavender monster, has never met a push button he didn't love, and this spooky, dark, haunted house is no exception.

So of course he pushes that button!

EEK! MONSTERS!

Larry is going to need lots of help from his young fans on the way to a big surprise beyond that final BIG RED BUTTON, in Bill Cotter's latest interactive book for young fans, Don't Push the Button! A Halloween Treat Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2018). Great for toddlers just discovering the joys of books as well as just right for emergent readers who will delight in its easy-reading interactive style with plenty of pushing, shaking, and noise-making that invite kids to get into a book in a fun way. Cotter's bold graphics will lead youngsters through the actions even if they can't quite read the brief text, and this one is a fun way for the grown ups to get in on the Halloween-themed action.

More metafictional Larry adventures by Bill Cotter are Don't Push the Button! Don't Touch This Book! and Don't Push the Button! A Christmas Adventure.

Strike Up The Band! Play This Book by Jessica Young

TO START OUR SHOW WE NEED A BAND--

MAYBE YOU CAN LEND A HAND!

It's an invitation you can't turn down! But what does it take to make that sound?

It takes melody, harmony, and rhythm.

First, to move your feet, you've got to have that rhythmic beat: There's a snare drum, with two drum sticks, one for each hand.

RAT-A-TAT!

And to back it up, shake-shake-shake those two maracas!

CHICK CHICK CHICK!

But for a melody we need some instruments that can play a lot of notes:

There's the trombone, with his long slide. He can play fast and hot and slow and sweet!

BWAH! B-W-A-A-AH!

And to mellow out that brass, there's the sax:

DOO-BEE-DOO-BEE-DOO!

And don't forget the piano and guitar! They can do it all--melody, harmony, and rhythm! At the same time!

TINK TINK TINK!

STRUM, STRUM! STRUM WITH YOUR THUMB!

And for a little drama, to end with a smash, there're the cymbals! Give them a --

CRASH!

Kids are part of the show in Jessica Young's interactive introduction to musical instruments, Play This Book (Bloomsbury, 2018). Young's simple narrative builds a band, with kids busking along on every page. Daniel Wiseman's bright and busy illustrations back up this simple intro to some of the instruments that make music and kids will want to join in and take a bow as the author invites them to do at the end of the performance. Says School Library Journal, "Music-loving kids will go nuts for this interactive book. . . ."

For more interactive book fun, share this one with Young's earlier book, Pet This Book.

Or for preschool would-be musicians, pair this one with Shirley Parenteau's Bears in a Band (Bears on Chairs). (see review here)