"Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks".

"Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks"

Brian P. Cleary, author

J.P. Sandy, illustrator

Millbrook Press

c/o The Lerner Publishing Group

241 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1607

9780822578192, $16.95 www.lernerbooks.com 1-800-328-4929

Part of the "Adventures in Memory" series, "Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks" is a picturebook meant to introduce children to simple mnemonic tools for memorizing scientific facts. The title is an easy way to memorize the six different animal classifications (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Fish, Insects, and Amphibian), but the helpful tips and tricks include far more than just catchy phrases. There's a rap about light ("When light reaches somethin' / like a pool or a pumpkin: / reflected, refracted, absorbed"), a mock play about the ecosystem that shows cartoon characters anthropomorphizing the role of different forces ("Here are DeShawn and Denise, two decomposers ... Our decomposers are using karate chops to break down everything around them. Decomposers are usually fungi and bacteria."), a very silly song about photosynthesis ("Pho-to-syn-the-sis / helps us all to thrive. / Animals, plants, and people too- / it keeps us all alive!") and much more. An invaluable supplement to elementary and middle school children's libraries, and a useful go-to resource for science teachers (or parents!) who want to make sure the basic facts stick in their kids' heads! Highly recommended.