More books for kids

How to catch the kid market (or not)
Otto: The Boy Who Loved Cars by Kara LaReau (illustrated by Scott Magoon): Red-headed Otto loves car and has car paraphernalia all over his house and his room, including car pajamas and a bed shaped as a racing car, until one night he turns into a car and he can't eat, he can't get on the school bus and no one will play with him on the playground. When Otto wakes up the next day, he is glad to be a boy and finally willing to think about activities and food that do not involve cars. A simple object lesson with cut cartoony pictures, aimed at little boys who love cars, certainly a place for this one.
The Lost and Found Pony written and illustrated by Tracy Dockray: The pictures in this book are delightful, but the text and concepts are too sophisticated for a young audience. It reminded me of Black Beauty and the author alludes to this book in her end notes. This might be appropriate for older readers who love horses, but it failed to keep my interest.
Fractions=Trouble by Claudia Mills: Written for the second and third grade set who are just beginning to read chapter books, this tells the tale of Wilson who is a great artist, but needs help with fractions. A well-told school tale that should hold the interest of both boys and girls who are ready for early chapter books. Mills knows what she's doing.
Escape by Night: A Civil War Adventure by Laurie Myers: I was disturbed by this book on many levels. The title (A Civil War...) indicates a northern perspective, however it is set in Augusta Georgia. No one in the south would refer to this war as the Civil War; it is still known as the War between the States all over the South. The story itself is well told, has a nice plot and pulls the reader in to the adventure. It also will lead the teacher to talk about issues of slavery and right and wrong. However, the author refers to Woodrow Wilson at the end of the book, and infers that the main character is based on Wilson (who was called Tommy as a young boy). But, if the author did any historical research at all, she would know that Wilson is one of the most bigoted of our US presidents and did more than any other president to undermine the civil rights of African Americans, so it was a little galling to have him depicted in this story as a boy who went out of his way to help free a slave. When we present historical information to children, we need to be sure that we are presenting facts and not glorified myths.