Edda, a Little Valkyrie's First Day of School

Written and illustrated by Adam Auerbach.

32 pp. Christy Ottaviano/Holt. $15.50.

Edda's home is in Asgard, "a land full of magic and adventure." But Edda, the littlest Valkyrie, doesn't have quite enough to do, until her father flies her "all the way to Earth for the first day of school."

The contrast between home and school is hard to get used to (in one, she can ride reindeer; in the other she gazes guinea pig through glass at the classroom). In his first picture book, Auerbach mixes the two worlds perfectly. Children are likely to appreciate the joke.

Planet Kindergarten

By Sue Ganz-Schmitt. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore.

32 pp. Chronicle. $14.99.

After careful preparations and a successful blastoff, a boy finds himself in a very unfamiliar environment. "We're aliens from many galaxies on Planet Kindergarten," he reflects as he sees his very varied classmates for the first time.

Prigmore, who designs for the movie industry, uses black backgrounds and bright colors to give this space adventure visual excitement and humor.

The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade

By Justin Roberts. Illustrated by Christian Robinson.

42 pp. Putnam. $18.99.

It makes sense that the author of the long, rhyming lines in "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" is a children's music performer. The story is about the power of one small person to fight prejudice.

Sally, whom no one ever seems to notice, is "paying super extra special attention" to the "terrible stuff" happening around her. When she decides to take action, she's not alone for long.

And Two Boys Booed

By Judith Viorst.

32 pp. Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.59.

Ever felt quietly confident one minute, and a shaking mess the next? In Viorst's story about determination, a little boy wakes up thinking about singing his song in the class talent show. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What book is written by Justin Roberts?
Answer: 1. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade

There was once a small town by a river. There were many houses in this town and they were all different colors, shapes and sizes. which made the people happy. On one street there was a red house, a green house, a blue house and one purple house with yellow stripes. The people in the town were all very friendly and knew each other well.

When the people of the town went out they loved to wear hats but never wore shoes and the hats were also many different colors, shapes and sizes. On Sundays all the families in town would go to the park by the river and have picnics. The children would run, skip and play and the parents would talk, eat and laugh. The children loved the picnic foods they had. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and steak. They also had salads, coleslaw, fries and chips. The kids' favorite was hamburgers with fries.

On days when it rained the children and parents would stay inside and read or color pictures and drink hot chocolate and they loved to wear big warm sweaters. At night the family would all go to the kitchen and cook dinner together and after dinner was finished they would all clear the table and clean the dishes together before getting ready for bed. They would put their pajamas on but never wear socks and they would get under the covers and fall asleep. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. where was the town
2. how many different color houses are in the town
3. what are they
4. how are the neighbors who live in them
5. what are their sunday plans
6. where
7. what if its raining
8. and do what
9. what are they wearing
10. what goes on in the kitchen
11. and after dinner?
12. are they helping each other with that?
13. after the cleanup whats it time to do
14. and pjs?
15. and bare feet?
16. do they use blankets?
17. and then its time to stay awake?
Answer: 1. by a river.
2. Five
3. red, green, blue and purple
4. very friendly
5. have picnics
6. the park by the river
7. they stay inside
8. read or color and drink hot chocolate
9. hats
10. cook dinner
11. clear the table and clean the dishes
12. yes
13. get ready for bed.
14. yes
15. always
16. yes
17. no

The city's name was historically written as or (both read as "Nagoya"). One possible origin is the adjective , meaning 'peaceful'.

The name Chukyo (, consisting of "chu" (middle) + "kyo" (capital)) is also used to refer to Nagoya. Notable examples of the use of the name Chukyo include the Chukyo Industrial Area, Chukyo Metropolitan Area, Chukyo Television Broadcasting, Chukyo University and the Chukyo Racecourse.

Oda Nobunaga and his proteges Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were powerful warlords based in the Nagoya area who gradually succeeded in unifying Japan. In 1610, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province from Kiyosu, about seven kilometers () away, to a more strategic location in present-day Nagoya.

During this period Nagoya Castle was constructed, built partly from materials taken from Kiyosu Castle. During the construction, the entire town around Kiyosu Castle, consisting of around 60,000 people, moved from Kiyosu to the newly planned town around Nagoya Castle. Around the same time, the nearby ancient Atsuta Shrine was designated as a , called Miya (the Shrine), on the important Tokaido road, which linked the two capitals of Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo). A town developed around the temple to support travelers. The castle and shrine towns formed the city. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Does the city of Nagoya have another name?
2. What is it?
3. What does that mean in Japanese?
4. Were there warlords in the area?
5. Name one of them.
6. Name another, please.
7. What was their goal for the country?
8. Was Nagoya always the capital of its province?
9. Since when has it been?
10. Who made that happen?
11. When?
12. What was the old capital?
13. How far away is it from Nagoya?
14. What's the advantage of where the new capital is?
15. Did any important buildings go up around the time of the move?
16. Where did they get the stuff to build it?
17. Was there a population center there, too.
18. What happened to it?
19. What word do some people think the city's name comes from?
Answer:
1. yes
2. Chukyo
3. "chu" (middle) + "kyo" (capital)
4. yes
5. Oda Nobunaga
6. Toyotomi Hideyoshi
7. unifying Japan
8. no
9. 1610
10. Tokugawa Ieyasu
11. 1610
12. Kiyosu
13. about seven kilometers
14. it is a more strategic location
15. Nagoya Castle
16. Kiyosu Castle
17. yes
18. it moved from Kiyosu to the newly planned town around Nagoya Castle
19. peacefu