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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jennifer Crain

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the BeansFee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought it was interesting the author changed Jack to Jacqueline (side note- I appreciated this, my late grandmother’s name!). So many fairy tales have young boys, so it was refreshing.

I loved Jacqueline’s smarts- for example, arguing with the old man giving her the beans that all plants touch the sky. (Allows for a science discussion or wondering!).

The vocabulary chosen might expand a child’s mind, like how the vines were intertwined. Overall, a comical and entertaining re-do of Jack (loved the part of Jacqueline washing off sweat in the dog’s water dish)!

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Cindy Mayberry

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the BeansFee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This retelling of the famous beanstock has a different view of the story. One being it is Jacqueline who takes the cow to market. Yes she comes back with the 3 beans. But this is where the story changes. Jacqueline learned many lessons that day. As will the children that get to read / listen to this story. Again this author impressed me with her Open Ended story. Many lessons are taught within this book. Along with science, and providing food from our gardens. Great book to introduce children to at the beginning of Spring. I look forward to reading the next folktale by this author.

Review@cinful

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Little Red, the Detective (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Heidi Sturgess

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Little Red, the Detective: a science folktale (Science Folktales)Little Red, the Detective: a science folktale by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just LOVE the cover 📚❣️

As a school librarian I’d love for my kids to read this especially now with our school participating in a national science fair 😉

It’s a different take on Red Riding Hood and I adore the twist 🫶🏼

So Red is off to visit her granny when she meets a wolf along the way , he gives her 2 types of plants so bring the inquisitive person she is she goes straight to her books for information, with this distraction eolf heads off to granny …

Red realises something is amiss and detectives skills are honest in because granny needs to be kept …

Beautifully illustrated 🥰

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Megan Conley

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans (Science Folktales)Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very cute retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk staring Jacqueline. I love the lesson of this book (and how Wickstrom always manages to work them into her stories) and how uncomplicated the story and lesson are. The illustrations are great as well. As always, I love Wickstrom’s writing style and her ability to always tie in a lesson. Highly recommend reading this (and all of Wickstrom’s stories) to the littles!

Reviewed by @meggs1717

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Megan Conley

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the cute story of Alex, the inventor, who invents a way to talk to flowers. She is able to hear and talk to them and goes on an adventure. I love the way Wickstom is able to tie creativity and science together with strong female characters. The illustrations are so cute and well done.

Reviewed by @meggs1717

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Christine Baranek

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Monster for Meg
By: Lois Wickstrom

Once again, Lois Wickstrom does not disappoint. She delivers a wonderful children’s book with amazing pictures on each page. This book has the most wonderful characters. I loved the way the author tackles the idea of monsters. I also love how she shows how things can be different for people who are different from others. She tackles the idea of being blind in such an easy way that children will understand. This is so amazing! I definitely recommend this.

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Emily H

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the BeansFee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, this story has Jacqueline with her mother trying to sell the cow for money for food. Meeting a stranger who gives her three beans to plant with her mother upset she was so careless, it isn’t until morning when things change and Jacqueline and her mother get the surprise of a lifetime.

This was a fun retelling. I liked the illustrations. I think children will enjoy this one quite a bit.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tori Mitton

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<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/120498400-a-monster-for-meg” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”A Monster for Meg” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681534608l/120498400._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/120498400-a-monster-for-meg”>A Monster for Meg</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/331633.Lois_Wickstrom”>Lois Wickstrom</a><br/>
My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5575714644″>5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Sue is trying to explain how monsters are to her sister Meg. Meg happens to be blind so she can’t see any monsters, so her sister Sue tries to explain monsters and Meg always comes back with a question or statement to Sue. This was an adorable story and explaining adaptations.
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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Kristine Solano-Witucky

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a great read, my girls enjoyed it as well. The way Meg’s sister describes the monsters o her because she is visually impaired is unique and also informative.It’s well written and unique. Definitely going to read more from this author.

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tonya Merritt

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can never decide which books by Lois Wickstrom are my favorite because every time I read a new one, I love it. This is an Alex the Inventor book and it’s one of my favorites. I love the science involved and how everything is explained in a way a child would understand and wonder. Lois Wickstrom has a way with teaching children the things that you don’t think about teaching them.

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What do the Plants Say? Is part of the Alex, the Inventor series. This book is a fun, creative story with colorful pictures. I read it with my 7 year old son- he read the first half, then I read the second half. It is a good book for early readers. He said he enjoyed it, but over analyzed it a bit. He pointed out Alex didn’t have her recorder while flying, lol. I love the creativity of the sounds the flowers make. I like that the illustrator drew the flowers in different levels of bloom on each page. The author is full of endless creativity and I always enjoy sharing her book with my kiddos.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy

A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Manda Kelly

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a cute book. While the older sister was trying to point out the scary side, the little sister was pointing out the “real life” similarities. This is a great read for younger kids. The story reads quickly. The art work is engaging. My 3rd old nephew loved the story and the monsters.

A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Nichole Chrisman

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a cute book! So Meg doesn’t understand why monsters are scary, because she’s never seen one. You see Meg is blind! Her big sister tries explaining what it is that makes monsters scary only to have Meg compare each thing to something normal. At the heart of this story it helps kids see that monsters aren’t scary but they are good for something other than scaring, spending time with each other! Again super cute book and will definitely use it in a classroom!

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Cindy Rushin

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute little story and I did enjoy it. I enjoyed the interaction between the two sisters as they played their game of trying to describe monsters. This book is something many children will enjoy because it makes a game out of describing a monster that is countered by comparison to something normal, making them seem just a little less scary. This author writes cute stories and I think they are appropriate for many children.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Shannen Kern

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of our FAVORITE authors in our home because we always love the interesting stories that are told. The illustrations are beautiful and really add depth to the story. A Monster for Meg helps kids reimagine the scary, hairy monsters in their imagination and relate them to not-so-scary things of everyday life. Meg is blind and doesn’t understand why monsters are so scary. Her big sister, Sue, tries to paint a picture as best she can with her scary, creative voices, but Meg just says that all the scary depictions sound like normal life. My youngest is 7 and sometimes still has trouble with monsters, but this sparked a great conversation about how to reframe those thoughts. I enjoyed the diversity and inclusion in this book as well. Another favorite in our house for sure!

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meg is a young girl who has an older sister, an older sister who tries to scare Meg with monsters, but Meg is also blind, so when her sister tries to describe the monster to her, she isn’t scared in the slightest because she can just picture her sister doing the same thing, drooling, being too tall for something, licking her fingers when she has something tasty on them and other things she has done.

Would you be able to scare Meg with your descriptions of a monster? This is another charming tale where something scary is made into something else through wonderful descriptions and charming illustrations for all ages.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Monster for Meg is an adorable story about a little girl who is blind and does not know what a monster looks like. Meg’s big sister, Sue, tries to explain to her what a monster looks like using other senses such as taste, sound, and touch. Sue is trying to scare Meg a little bit about monsters, but Meg compares everything Sue says to things that Sue has done. The game of comparison is fun for Meg, and she is enjoying how her sister explains monsters to her.

This book was beautifully written and perfect for children to learn about using other senses besides sight and what it is like for someone who is blind. The illustrations were bright, colorful, and really brought the story to life. I really enjoyed how the author used vivid descriptions to describe how a monster would feel or how it might sound. The relationship between Meg and her older sister Sue was loving and it was sweet how Sue was so patient in her explanations to Meg. I highly recommend this book and feel it is great for children of all ages.

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Kerry Baker

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the BeansFee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We never go too long in this house without reading a book by this author and I think this book has got to be one of the most entertaining we have read so far. We all loved the unique take on the typical Jack and the Beanstalk story, especially my daughter who had just done this book at school.
As expected from this author, the book was engaging, fun, had great characters and yet was educational as well. I have lost count of the number of times we have read this book and I am excited to read it again. This author is a master at children’s books and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tanya Wall, May 2023

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans (Science Folktales)Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a take on Jack and the Beanstalk. In this story, Jacqueline falls for the old trick of giving her cow for some magic beans. She figures out how to make the trick work to her advantage and get her family the food they need for the winter. This is a cute retell, great illustrations and it is nice to see the girl outsmart the giant!

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jamie Burns

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Lois Wickstrom writes fun and engaging stories for kids of all ages. Most of her books provide amazing opportunities for children to learn something new. Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans Is no different, it teaches about how bean plants grow. A fun project to do with children would be to heave them grow their own bean plant. You could take measurements about how tall the plant grows over time. This story was enjoyable and different than many other retellings and I have to have I like it the best. I have read many Jack and The Bean Stalk retellings as an elementary librarian.

What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Michelle Mulvey

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alex is a very creative girl who invents a flower inflator, plant translator and a balloon plant leash. She talks and listens to her plants pop, pop, bop. Love the imagination of this authors characters. Always know it will be a great read when starting one of her books.

review by @xchellex

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Kristin Boutelle

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very colorful and great use of imagination. The story is very easy to follow and understand. The character is very relatable especially when it comes to children using their imaginations. The illustrations are consistent and very colorful to capture the children’s attention to continue reading the story.

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jules Herbert

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a really creative story by a wonderful author and filled with truly gorgeous illustrations. It would be a great read for Primary age kids.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jules Herbert

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Megs sister Sue tries to explain monsters to her because she is blind and can’t see them But Meg is very cleverly able to have an answer for every suggestion Sue makes. I really loved that about Meg. I highly recommend this book with its creative storyline and wonderful illustrations.

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jennifer Reimer

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans (Science Folktales)Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was not what I was expecting. But it was super cute and absolutely loved it. the base line is like jack and the beanstalk but with a little twist. Jacqueline is a young girl and had fallen for the trade the cow for the beans. But Jaqueline is also a smart girl, and she does figure out how to get the food she needs to get for her family. Were everything works out all in the end. The illustrations match the story amazingly to be able to follow along in the story. the characters and story line are amazingly put together.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Jennifer Reimer

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was not what I was expecting. I thought I was going to get a kid’s books that was about monsters and trying to be brave but boy was I wrong. Meg the little is blind and has no idea what monsters look like. Her sister being the older of the two tries to help her by explaining what they look like and trying to get Meg to understand why they are scary. The interactions with the two girls made this book enjoyable because it shows that Megs older sister Sue really cares about Meg and tries to do everything, she can for her. The little humor and banter in the story between the two really shows how sisters can be. This picture book is wonderful right from the story line to the amazing pictures in it.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Moriah Venable

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meg is blind and her older sister Sue, is using words to describe how scary monsters are. Each time Sue describes something about monsters, Meg retorts with how that sound or feel is similar to something else. This becomes a fun game for Meg.

‘Sue jumps beside me and shouts, ‘Boo! Monsters jump out at you when you don’t expect it.”

“But Sue, I always know when you are sneaking up on me”.

This was cute and shows senses that some people don’t think about. Because Meg is blind, she does not view monsters as scary and Sue is trying to tell her scary monsters can be.

Very creative with conveying the bond between sisters and the illustrations of the characters and monsters.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Santana Hicks

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meg is blind so she has never seen a monster before. Her sister Sue tries her hardest to explain what monsters are like with the intention of scaring Meg but Meg just compares everything that is said to her sister Sue. No matter what Sue says Meg thinks it’s a fun game of comparison.

I thought this book was cute. You could tell that Meg loves and looks up to her older sister Sue. Meanwhile Sue is the perfect example of an older sibling. Tries to mess with the younger but lovingly. I like how the main character is blind which makes the story unique. The author always has ‘different’ main characters making their stories very diverse. With this author there is a story for everyone!

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Santana Hicks

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alex hears noises coming from the balloon flowers in her yard. She hears pop pop noises coming from them so she decides to make a translator to find out what the popping means. She discovers that the flowers want to have a flying party. Alex tries to invent more things to make the flowers happy and have an awesome plant party!

I wish this author existed when I was a kid or even when my own child was younger. I really like how the author implements science and other important things into the stories. I also like how she made the inventor a little girl. We need more girl power in children’s books and this author is doing just that.

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A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tausha Treadway

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A Monster for MegA Monster for Meg by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Monster for Meg (Giants and Monsters) by Lois Wickstrom. This author writes the best book for kids and families. They always have a fun story and a lesson as well. This one is about Sue and her Sister Meg who is blind.Sue always tries to teach Meg about certain things by her senses but when it comes to monsters under your bed its hard to explain. Most kids are scared of Monsters but if you can’t see them why would you be scared. This is such a sweet, story that has a very valuable lesson about siblings. This book would make a great gift.

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