NC Teacher Stuff

Nonfiction Monday: A Warmer World

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

A Warmer World
written by Caroline Arnold; illustrated by Jamie Hogan
2012 (Charlesbridge)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Wendie's Wanderings

In A Warmer World, Caroline Arnold gives a straightforward presentation of the effects of climate change on the natural world. She starts with the case of the golden toad in Costa Rica. Arnold explains that drier weather brought on by climate change caused puddles to disappear quickly and leave the golden toad eggs without water. The golden toad was gone within two years and has not been seen since. The next section talks about how the Earth's climate has changed in the last century. I love how the author lays out the difference between climate and weather:

Climate is the average weather in a particular place measured over time. Weather is the state of the atmosphere around us at a particular place and time. In other words, climate is what you expect (for example, a wet spring) and weather is what you get (for example, a thunderstorm).

In later sections, Arnold addresses how climate change causes animals to migrate to places that were previously cooler. This can create more competition for resources. The melting of polar regions and rising sea levels are also presented as problems caused by global warming. More than once, the author explains that the earth has warmed before, but that it is the rate of warming at this time that concerns scientists.

I really like how the text is written in this book. Each one page piece is full of information, but not so that it is overwhelming for a strong second or third grade reader. There are not very many books on climate change for younger readers, but I also think this will be a welcome resource for a wide range of grade levels. Middle school students could use this book just as easily as a third grader. I also think there is a golden opportunity for discussion with A Warmer World. If you do a little research, you will find those who differ with some of the conclusions drawn by the author in this book. With nonfiction, one of the skills we would like to teach our students is to read and weigh the evidence. If you can find an opposing opinion that is well reasoned, I think it would be good to present it and work with students to develop their own opinion about the effects of climate change.

STEM Friday: Open Wide!

2012-01-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

Open Wide!
written by Catherine Ham
2012 (Early Light Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out STEM Friday at Wrapped in Foil

The obvious place to start when thinking about animal mouths is how the mouth is used to capture prey. Open Wide! provides plenty of examples of this feature. The ferocious jaws of an eel, the hook mouth of the penguin, and the pointy front teeth of the big cats are just some of the meal munching openings that you will see, but there is much more in this book. You have animals that use their mouths to cool off. Crocodiles can't sweat so their only way of cooling off in the heat is to open their mouths. This is where you understand the strength of Open Wide! You get interesting animal facts inside each poem. It's like my childhood where Mom would buy me a box of cereal and there was a cool toy inside. I would call these toys "Free Insides". The animal facts in Open Wide! are like free insides to me. One of the coolest "free insides" is learning about the poisonous slobber of the komodo dragon. The brightly colored tentacles of the file clam are another fascinating find in this book. In the back matter, you will see ten other animal mouths where you can make comparisons with the animals in the main part of the book.

Open Wide! would be a good book to use for teaching children how to categorize items. You can sort these animal mouths into beaks and non-beaks or sort according to the type of teeth or whether the animal is land-based or sea-based. Another thought is to pull this book out during Dental Health Week and talk about why teeth are so important and how we need to take care of them.

The Snow Leopard Dream

2012-01-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Snow Leopard Dream
written in collaboration with Rokhshana Girls' School Students, Afghanistan; illustrated by Buth Sonrin and Roeun Sokhum
2011 (Dot-to-Dot Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

The Snow Leopard Dream is a unique collaboration with the story generated by a writing competition led by the nonprofit Help the Afghan Children (HTAC). Twelve Afghan girls created this story about the endangered snow leopard. In the story, a girl in a small Afghan village asks her father about the snow leopard that lives at the top of a steep mountain. He tells her not to worry about the leopard and to get some rest. She drifts off to sleep and dreams that she and her father have traveled up the mountain. They are lacking food, so he leaves her at the tent as he goes off to find food. Later, the girl hears a loud snap and follows the sound up the mountain. The snow leopard has been caught in a trap and is freed by the girl. After being freed, the leopard leaves the girl and she begins to descend down the ledge. She is trapped by a pack of wolves and receives help from a surprising source.

This book is the result of a initiative by Dot-to-Dot to develop the creativity of children to help the cause of endangered animals (Endangered Species, Empowered Communities). In the back matter, you get information about snow leopards, Afghanistan, the girls' school, and HTAC. I think this story can send a message to children that books can change lives. The Snow Leopard Dream would be a good text to read before writing stories that you want to publish for display. Children can see that other kids have published their stories. You also get a story in a setting that our students have heard about (Afghanistan), but have little knowledge. Graphic organizers could be used to compare the two cultures. A percentage of the profits from this book will go to Help the Afghan Children and for the conservation of snow leopards.

Nonfiction Monday: Prairie Storms

2012-01-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

Prairie Storms
written by Darcy Pattison; illustrated by Kathleen Rietz
(2011) Sylvan Dell
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Shelf-Employed

I just finished reading Skylark, the sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall, with one of the reading groups in my class. The weather on the prairie is an important feature of the plot in this story and I wish I had taken time to read Prairie Storms as we were reading the novel. My students would have learned that it can be quite dry on the prairie and that information would have helped their understanding of the main issue in Skylark. Prairie Storms is a month-by-month account of the prairie climate, with weather and its effect on animal habitats described in a vivid paragraph narrative. Accompanying each monthly chronicle is a two page watercolor illustration that is realistic and engaging. I really like the language Darcy Pattison uses to illuminate the climate for a particular month. Look at this example for August:

Still no rain. Clouds gather, but in this heat wave, the air just crackles with dry lightning. Flash! Flash! Flash! In the dry sandy soil, the earless lizard shimmies and disappears beneath the surface.

Pattison takes great care in choosing animated adjectives and verbs to make the narrative sparkle. This book would be a good choice for modeling how to make nonfiction writing shine. After reading Prairie Storms, students could create their own monthly booklets to describe the weather and habitats in their area. You could divide students into partners and assign each group a month. Other lesson ideas (52 page pdf!) and related websites are available on the Sylvan Dell website. The back matter for this book is also available on the Prairie Storms website.

Other reviews:
Simply Science
Archimedes Notebook (includes interview)

Decimal Flash Games

2012-01-21T10:06:00.001-05:00

Decimal Squares
created by Albert Bradley Bennett, Jr.

I stumbled upon these flash games yesterday as I was preparing to work with a math review group. We played Decimal Darts and had a great time.
Players have to estimate the mixed number that will guide the dart to pop one of three balloons. It's a challenging game which keeps students interested. I used it as a reward between solving written problems with the review groups. I have a SmartBoard, but you can easily use this on a student computer in class as well. Cool stuff!

STEM Friday: A Leaf Can Be...

2012-01-19T21:18:00.001-05:00

A Leaf Can Be...
written by Laura Purdie Salas; illustrated by Violeta Dabija
2012 (Millbrook Press)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out STEM Friday at Laurie Thompson
Check out Poetry Friday at Wild Rose Reader

A leaf can be a ...
Soft cradle; Water ladle
Sun taker; Food maker

Lovely: Having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye. (Dictionary.com)

A Leaf Can Be... is lovely. The appeal to the heart for me is the number of connections I made while reading this book of leafy verse. I remember raking leaves with my grandmother and the woods that I played in as a child. The leaf booklet I made with wax paper in 5th grade and the beauty of the western North Carolina mountains in fall. Appealing to my mind were all the uses of a leaf Laura Purdie Salas manages to put into this book. Versatile is not the first word I think of when I hear leaf, but they can serve so many purposes. A lesson on theme using this book could be taught with the idea that leaves are essential to life. I would think about doing a before, during, and after reading circle map with young readers. I would write this question above the circle: "What can you do with a leaf?". You can have students suggest ideas for the map as a whole class and with turn-and-talk partners. There are also vocabulary lessons to be had with words like concealer and welter. Many of the two word phrases could also be introductions to science lessons on topics like photosynthesis or camouflage. The appeal to the eye is the sumptuous artwork by Violeta Dabija. I'm not terribly eloquent when describing illustrations, so all I can say is that I love these pictures. The combinations of blue and green are wonderful.

A Leaf Can Be... could also serve as a fun shared reading experience with younger readers. They will enjoy reading this book several times. It wouldn't be difficult to create a reader's theater script out of the text and have students draw leaves on bulletin board paper to serve as a backdrop for your performance. I would add A Leaf Can Be... to my science and poetry collections.

Sea of Dreams

2012-01-17T21:34:00.001-05:00

Sea of Dreams
illustrated by Dennis Nolan
2011 (Roaring Brook Press)
Source: Orange County Public Library

In this wordless fantasy, a young girl is creating a sand castle. She leaves the castle at the end of the day, but as dusk nears its end, a light comes on in a turret. A tiny community of people leave the castle just as the tide comes rolling through. Encountering an enormous wave, a small child falls off the boat. Fortunately, mermaids come to the rescue and the child is returned to his boat. As dawn breaks, the people in the boat see an island, dominated by a large rock, in the distance. The group disembarks and finds shelter in a cave. Meanwhile, the young girl arrives back on her beach to create another castle.

With an inventive wordless book, there are a lot of possibilities to tie in writing. Sea of Dreams would allow a class to create a sentence for each page or to create a sequel book. Good wordless books also create plenty of opportunities for prediction. When I flip through the pages, it is too easy to think of David Wiesner's Flotsam. If you read ten reviews of this book, I bet at least half reference Flotsam in the review. Still, it would be interesting to read these books back to back and see how students compare the two. I would also ask students to discuss the title and guess why Dennis Nolan chose this title. Sea of Dreams is a wordless feast for young readers.

Other reviews:
proseandkahn

Nonfiction Monday: If You Lived Here

2012-01-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World
written and illustrated by Giles Laroche
2011 (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at The Swimmer Writer

If You Lived Here is a unique look at home architecture through the ages. Each two page spread begins with a paragraph highlighting an interesting feature of a particular home. The first home in the book is a dogtrot log house so you learn about the outdoor open hall that separates the two sections of the home. This means you would have to step outside to go from your bedroom to the kitchen. You might think twice about that midnight snack if you don't want to encounter a critter wandering through. Following the opening paragraph are five categories (House Type, Materials, Location, Date, and Fascinating Fact) that provide more information about each house. Fifteen different houses from five continents are featured. Venetian palaces from Italy, Fujian tulous from China, and the decorated houses of Ndebele in South Africa are some of the houses you will find in this book. The information is great, but the illustrations are what really get your attention. The detailed collage artwork is stunning. A world map with the locations of the fifteen houses is a fitting end to the book.

This would be an excellent book to use for teaching the skill of cause and effect. Giles Laroche gives explanations for the style of construction of each house. The paintings of the houses of Ndebele were newspapers for all in the village. The homes on Astipalaia Island in Greece are all painted white to reflect the heat and the homes are built close together to protect from the wind. Each home in the book has a reason for the way it was constructed. If You Lived Here is also a fun geography lesson. The land greatly influences the construction of each house. After reading this book, students may also want to create their own homes through the use of collage art.

Other reviews:
Waking Brain Cells

STEM Friday: Sea Turtles (National Geographic Readers)

2012-01-12T22:26:00.001-05:00

Sea Turtles (National Geographic Readers)
written by Laura Marsh
2011 (National Geographic)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Capstone Connect

What I really like about National Geographic Readers is how they are great vehicles for teaching nonfiction text features to primary students. In Sea Turtles, you get a world map that shows where these reptiles travel. All of the continents and oceans are labeled. There is a fabulous two page spread of a green sea turtle where labels abound. You learn that the scales are called scutes and that sea turtles can't pull their heads in like land turtles. This information makes for an opportunity to teach contrasts. A cool bubble map could be created in highlighting the seven kinds of sea turtles. It also presents the opportunity to do a little extra research on each species. Valuable vocabulary words like endangered and instinct are also featured. There are two sections near the end that spotlight dangers to sea turtles. The first section talks about fishing nets catching turtles. Another problem are the lights of buildings near the beach which confuse sea turtles who think the light is natural and gravitate toward that light. The second section shows volunteers who rescued sea turtles caught in the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A diagram telling students how to help the turtles finishes the book.

When you are trying to teach nonfiction text features, you want a simple text that can highlight the feature and not be too complex. Sea Turtles has that quality which makes it a prime candidate for use in a K-2 classroom. Click on this link to see a video that is an excellent accompaniment to the book.

Meow Said the Cow

2012-01-10T21:03:00.001-05:00

Meow Said the Cow
written and illustrated by Emma Dodd
2011 (Arthur A. Levine Books)
Source: Orange County Public Library

There are few things more dangerous than an irritated cat. I have two at home and know this first hand. In Meow Said the Cow, the farm cat has had enough of the noise. He is especially tired of the rooster crowing, so he casts a spell to take care of the sunrise serenader. Suddenly, the rooster is squeaking like a mouse. Not content with that, the cat also causes a ruckus among the rest of the farm animals who have switched voices and are terribly confused. Hens and pigs trade their trademark sounds while the sheepdog and the sheep are the victims of more feline misdeeds. Feeling feisty and full of himself, the cat lopes off to the barn for a little mouse snack. Little does he know that the rest of the animals have figured out who is behind the vocal trickery and have some sleight of voice plans up their hooves. When the cat chases the mice, he is in for quite a surprise. At the end of the book, there is a new greeter of the new day.

Meow Said the Cow is a book that you will look forward to sharing as a read aloud. You know that the students will enjoy the illustrations and the humor, and will be ready to read along with you. There are plenty of opportunities for children to share predictions of which animals might have their voices switched. It will also be interesting to see if they have enough experience with picture books to predict that the cat will get his comeuppance in the end. This book is also a good choice when you are trying to teach the difference between fiction and nonfiction.

Nonfiction Monday: Bobo Explores Light (iPad book)

2012-01-08T19:08:00.000-05:00

Bobo Explores Light
Juraj Hlavac; Craig Fusco; Dean MacAdam
2011 (Game Collage LLC)
iPad book app ($4.99)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Cybils finalist in book app category
Check out Nonfiction Monday at Great Kid Books

Sometimes in life, you just do stupid things. When I first read Bobo Explores Light, for some reason I didn't think that much of it. I must have hit my head that day. When I went back and read it again, I realized that many of my hopes and dreams for nonfiction in the book app form had been realized. Bobo the robot trips the light fantastic and takes the reader on a journey to explore this most necessary phenomenon. Bobo starts his adventure with the Sun. Each section features three subsections where readers can learn different facts connected to the main topic on the screen. For example, Big and Small talks about the size of the Sun. Did You Know discusses gas, the heat of the Sun, and its relationship to the rest of the galaxy. There's a pretty nifty short video that goes along with this. The third subsection, Party Time!, tells readers about the history of solstice celebration. Back on the main screen, there is a lineup of the planets on the left side where readers can touch a planet and get a visual on the distance between it and the Sun. This is incredibly cool. Other topics explored include lightning, Thomas Edison, reflection, refraction, color, and many other subjects related to light.

If you have a child who loves nonfiction, you have to get this app. The information is supplemented by games and videos that are highly entertaining. If you have access to an iPad, you can ask a reader to create a graphic organizer on one of the topics in the app. They could turn around and write a short report. You could also use this with a document camera to provide a visual for a topic related to light. Bobo Explores Light sets a high bar for nonfiction book apps to follow.

Other reviews:
Wired
Digital Buzz Blog

STEM Friday: Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek

2012-01-05T20:22:00.000-05:00

Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek
written by Marianne Berkes; illustrated by Jill Dubin
2012 (Dawn Publications)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out STEM Friday at rovingfiddlehead kidlit
Check out Poetry Friday at Teaching Authors

In each two page spread of Over in the Forest, an animal parent and their children are featured. The first four line stanza introduces the parent, the children, and their habitat. Stanza two starts off with a verb related to actions of the animal. The children follow the lead of the mother. Look at the example of raccoons below:

"Dunk," said the mother.
"We dunk" said the eight.
So they dunked and dabbled
As they ate very late.

This is a counting book, so the number of animals increases from 1-10 as you read. Jill Dubin's collage illustrations are very engaging and will be great models if you want to try an art activity based on the book. I love that she has hidden other animals in each illustration and challenges readers to find them. Information about the hidden animals is located in the back matter.

Over in the Forest is such a smart book! Marianne Berkes covers a ton of bases with each set of two stanzas. You get information about the names of different animal babies, feeding habits, and a good lesson on using vivid verbs or writing dialogue in the space of eight verses. These poems would be great for shared reading lessons in kindergarten. I really like that each poem follows a predictable pattern which is helpful for beginning readers. I think the publisher should make this available in a big book format. In addition to all of this, the back matter contains a paragraph about each featured animal, tips from the author about looking for animals outside and a list of activities that can be done inside. Jill Dubin adds a terrific step-by-step account of how she created the illustrations. Over in the Forest would be an excellent addition to the nonfiction collection of a primary grade classroom.

The other books in the Over in the ... series have PDF activities on the Dawn Publications website, so I suspect that you will see a similar set of activities in the near future for Over in the Forest.

CookieBot!: A Harry and Horsie Adventure

2012-01-03T18:06:00.001-05:00

CookieBot!: A Harry and Horsie Adventure
written by Katie Van Camp; illustrated by Lincoln Agnew
2011 (Balzer and Bray)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Necessity is the mother of invention, so when Harry and his stuffed pal Horsie want cookies for a snack and the treats are out of reach, it's time to pull out the blueprints and build. The result is CookieBot. He is plenty big. Harry can maneuver him from outside his family's apartment building and reach the robot's arm inside to grab the cookie jar. Unfortunately, Harry may have done too good of a job building this sweet thief. CookieBot decides to empty the cookie jar in his mouth instead of giving the jar to Harry. Now CookieBot is running wild in the city and Harry realizes there is no off switch. It is up to Horsie to save the day with a trick right out of the King Kong playbook.

I enjoy and appreciate books that show children using their imaginations. Harry and Horsie are a dynamic duo who show us how much fun you can have in your everyday life. Lincoln Agnew's primary color illustrations have a great comic book style that doubles the fun. CookieBot! would be an excellent resource for teaching sequence (great transition cues) or for a lesson on writing narratives.

Other reviews:
Kids Book Review
Kiss The Book

Nonfiction Monday: Lost and Found: The Titanic and Other Lost Ships

2012-01-01T21:51:00.001-05:00

Lost and Found: The Titanic and Other Lost Ships
written by John Malam
2011 (QEB Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at The Nonfiction Detectives

You can count on a handful of topics that will get the attention of older elementary readers. Gross animal facts is on that list. Another favorite is shipwrecks which means The Titanic and Other Lost Ships is bound to turn heads in your classroom. Six vessels that were lost at sea are featured in this book. Of course, the headliner is The Titanic. All you have to do is whisper its name and at least five students will immediately grab the book from your hand. Other familiar names to me include The Atocha, Civil War submarine The H.L. Hunley, and the Mary Rose. Two unfamiliar ships, The Geldermalsen, and HMS Edinburgh, add to my shipwreck knowledge repertoire. Each section starts with a two page spread that explains the sinking of each vessel. There is a combination of text, illustrations, photographs, and a cool fact paragraph insert. The next two pages of each section explain how each ship was found. One of my favorite facts concerns Keith Jessop and the other divers who recovered gold from the HMS Edinburgh. Not only did they bring up 431 gold bars, but they also recovered unexploded bombs. How does one do this without completely losing their nerve? I am also fascinated by how 170,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain were recovered from the Geldermalsen. It seems the porcelain was preserved by tons of tea that was also on the ship at the time of its demise. These cups, dishes, and saucers were preserved for 233 years.

The Titanic and Other Lost Ships would be a good resource for a small research project. You could ask a student to create a chart that included categories like How It Was Lost, Methods of Restoration and Valuables On Board. You can also use this book to teach nonfiction text features and teach the skills of comparing and contrasting. For example, why do The Titanic and HMS Edinburgh sink? How are they the same and how are they different in the way that they end up on the bottom of the ocean? What could have been done to avoid these catastrophes? Lost and Found: The Titanic and Other Lost Ships will add to your knowledge of shipwrecks and raise new questions as well.

Cybils Results

2012-01-01T07:29:00.001-05:00

Check out the finalists for the 2011 Cybils! Thank you to everyone who nominated their favorites and to all who put this together. Good luck to the finalists. Yeah to Aggie and Ben!

The House Baba Built

2011-12-26T22:02:00.001-05:00

The House Baba Built
Told to Libby Koponen; illustrated by Ed Young
2011 (Little, Brown, and Co.)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Ed Young's father is concerned about his family's safety in 1935 Shanghai. He decides that they should move to the outskirts of the city to avoid the effects of the war with Japan. The land is too expensive for Baba to own, so he makes a unique deal with the landowner. He offers to build a spacious brick house with courtyards, gardens, and a swimming pool. After twenty years, Baba will turn over the house to the landowner. The deal is agreed upon and the resourceful Baba, who is an engineer, starts to design. What follows is a description of a family that thrives despite the threat of war and the hardships that have to be endured. Baba does everything with his family in mind and strives to help many others affected by the war. Later, after the children have grown up and the house turned over, Baba sends a letter with the following message which encapsulates his actions throughout the book:

You may put down as rule No. 1 that life is not rich not real unless you partake life with your fellow man. A successful life and a happy life is one as measured by how much you have accomplished for others and not one as measured by how much you've done for yourself.

The House Baba Built is an extraordinary book that combines a poignant autobiographical story with multimedia artwork by one of the best children's book illustrators of all time. Ed Young combines family photographs with illustrations and collage cutouts to tell the story of his childhood and deliver a message given to him by his beloved Baba. In addition to the storytelling and incredible artwork, there is a timeline, a four page blueprint of the house that folds out, and several city maps. This book begs to be a part of a unit on autobiographical picture books. You could include Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey, Peter Sis's The Wall, and James Stevenson's When I Was Nine. I would also consider using this book to compare children today to those of Young's childhood. You could create a Venn diagram to compare the two eras.

Other reviews:
Waking Brain Cells
Chicken Spaghetti
Rasco from RIF

STEM Friday: Storm Chasers

2011-12-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Extreme Jobs: Storm Chasers
written by Sarah Tieck
2011 (Abdo Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Booktalking

Storm chasing is a risky (some would say insane) business, but the data collected is extremely valuable in trying to understand how hurricanes and tornadoes are formed and how they function. Storm Chasers gives readers an up close look at the life of these meteorologists who chase tornadoes and fly into hurricanes. One of the interesting aspects of this book is the time that is spent researching and planning. Chasing tornadoes or hurricanes involves a lot of time reviewing data and trying to predict what is going to happen with a particular storm. This is an excellent lesson for young science students. I work with 5th graders on being able to read weather data and develop a forecast based on that day's numbers. Storm Chasers shows students that you have to be able to make observations using the latest technology and your background knowledge. After the two sections on tornadoes and hurricanes, a feature on two historical figures, Benjamin Franklin and John Muir, and their experience with weather observation closes out the book.

Chasing storms certainly has its thrills, but before you can track down a tornado or penetrate the eye of a hurricane in a plane, you have to use reading and math skills to prepare you for the chase. If you have a unit on careers or weather, you can use pieces of this book as a read aloud. A comparison of different time eras and their technology for predicting weather could be an activity you could use in conjunction with Storm Chasers.

My Favorite Nonfiction Children's Books for 2011

2011-12-19T18:48:00.002-05:00

Here is a list of the nonfiction books that I have reviewed in the past calendar year that were my favorites.

A Nation's Hope - This book is my overall favorite for 2011. I have loved sports since the crib, and this is a spectacular book about an important sporting event. I would be delighted if it won the Caldecott Medal.

Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas - I knew back in February that this would be one of my favorites and I haven't changed my mind. The quilted artwork is terrific and the text could be used for a variety of lessons in the classroom.

What's For Dinner?: Quirky, Squirmy Poems from the Animal World - Delightfully creepy. This was a good year for the marriage of science and poetry.

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont/My Hands Sing the Blues - I love history lessons that change your thinking. I was totally in the dark about Alberto Santos-Dumont and Romare Bearden before I read these books.

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem - Not a feel-good story, but well worth the time invested to learn about this somber period in American history. This is excellent storytelling.

From Pie Town to Yum Yum / Cool Animal Names - Two fun books about quirky names. The first is about names of towns in the United States while the second is full of unique animal names. I need to find a pig frog in Bat Cave.

Bloody Times - This connection of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train and the multi-state flight of Jefferson Davis was difficult to put down.

Animal Naps - Another fun combination of science and poetry, this book contains my favorite photographs of 2011.

After the Kill - Not for the squeamish, this book gives you an up close look at life on the Serengeti Plain.

Nonfiction Monday: Did Castles Have Bathrooms?

2011-12-18T16:39:00.002-05:00

Did Castles Have Bathrooms?
written by Ann Kerns
2011 (Lerner Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Practically Paradise

To answer the title question, castles did have bathrooms but not the kind we have today. A small room called a garderobe served as the place where you went to the bathroom. It was built against an outside wall and the "plumbing" was inside the wall and led to a pit or the moat. Fragrant herbs like lavender were placed in the garderobe to keep down the odor. Did Castles Have Bathrooms? thinks of just about every question a young reader would have about the Middle Ages and answers it directly with just enough content as to not drown you in facts. Each question is answered with a two page spread. A large illustration with a question is on the left with two columns of information on the right. Other subjects addressed include whether or not Robin Hood and King Arthur truly existed (They did not.). Another topic that will be of interest is jousting. I always assumed jousting tournaments were held strictly for entertainment. It seems tournaments were a source of income for knights who had to pay for armor, weapons, horses, and a support crew. I didn't realize being a knight was such an expensive proposition. Speaking of armor, there is a section on how knights were able to go into battle and still wear that heavy suit. Perhaps the most interesting and terrifying part of this book is the feature on the Black Death. From 1348 to 1352, the bubonic plague killed twenty-five million people which was one-third of Europe's population. That's unbelievable! Contrary to previously held beliefs, it wasn't the rats of Europe that were to blame necessarily, but the fleas that lived on the rats. In the midst of all this history, you get a little science to help you understand how flea bites were so deadly. Did Castles Have Bathrooms? is a fascinating study of a time period that may be overlooked by today's students.

Books like this are a valuable resource since you can use it to bolster dry accounts contained in textbooks. One activity would be to have a student reading this book create a poster divided into sections that contained different pieces of information about the Middle Ages. Did Castles Have Bathrooms? would be an excellent accompaniment to Newbery winner Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village.

Poetry Friday: Dear Hot Dog

2011-12-15T20:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Hot Dog
written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
2011 (Abrams Books)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Poetry Friday at Book Aunt

You gurgle happily
as I pour in milk
and introduce my spoon.

Dear Hot Dog is a series of poems that express the joy children find in everyday things. Rain brings a child time to be lost in books. The sun is like a brother that chases you around a pool and can play too rough with sunburn. Pillows think that they are clouds while we are away and then take us to dreams when we are together. A stuffed bear can be a best friend. The narrator in each poem talks to the subject as if it is alive which makes these poems perfect for lessons on personification. Mordicai Gerstein shows us that in a child's eyes, every day is special and anything is possible. The poems do not rhyme which I think is great since many young children have the misconception that poems have to rhyme. As a young writer, it makes writing poetry much easier if you are not struggling to find a rhyming word. I also like the connections I make to my childhood when reading these poems. I remember sunburns and dripping ice cream cones.

In writer's workshop, we've been working on making observations of the world around us and writing what those observations make us think. Dear Hot Dog would be a terrific accompaniment to these lessons. Individual poems could be copied onto chart paper and used for shared reading time. Older students could create a class booklet with each student writing a poem based on an everyday object.

Other reviews:
Shelf-Employed

Nonfiction Monday: About Hummingbirds

2011-12-11T20:07:00.001-05:00

About Hummingbirds
written by Cathryn Sill; illustrated by John Sill
2011 (Peachtree Publishers)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Geo Librarian

As you probably know, hummingbirds fly around at incredible speeds. Having been buzzed by these tiny territorial beasts, I know this first-hand. The problem with hummingbirds is you can't get a good look at them. This is one of the reasons why I really like About Hummingbirds. John Sill's artwork is amazing. You get to see the action that is normally too quick for human eyes and the colors are incredible. The man can flat out draw feathers! I especially liked the feet on the Booted Racquet-tail. They look like the shovels that kids use on the beach to dig sand. Cathryn Sill's text is sparse and informative which makes a perfect partner for the illustrations. An advanced first grader or a second grader can read the text, then focus on the picture to pull out several more details. The cherry on the sundae is the afterword. In the afterword, each of the 18 plates (pictures) in the main text is accompanied by a rich paragraph of information. I could see taking one of these plates and creating a circle map to review the facts about that particular hummingbird. You could also create a chart for older students and have them gather facts under headings such as anatomy, predators, and habitat. Full of interesting information and gorgeous artwork, About Hummingbirds would be a terrific addition to a unit on birds.

STEM Friday: Ugly Animals

2011-12-08T17:55:00.001-05:00

Ugly Animals
written by Gilda and Melvin Berger
2011 (Scholastic)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Wrapped In Foil

Gilda and Melvin Berger are not engaging in name calling. Instead, they are bringing attention to some unusual animals whose decidedly unattractive features are actually quite useful. In past times, the mop-like fur of the sheep herding komondor dog kept it safe from attacking wolves and bears. The lack of fur on a naked mole rat allows it to move more easily through tunnels. Male proboscis monkeys have exceedingly large noses, but apparently these are a big hit with the female of the species and the deepness of the "honk" produced by this super snout warns other monkeys of impending danger. Several other unique animals are featured in this easy reader. The red-lipped batfish is almost too strange to be believed and the ruby red lips may not be the weirdest thing. This is a fish that walks, with its fins, on the bottom of the sea since it is not a very good swimmer. A fish that can barely swim? These are the kind of unusual facts that make Ugly Animals a fun read.

Since many of the animal features are useful in fending off predators, this text would be a good resource in teaching cause and effect lessons. Kindergarten and 1st grade students would also enjoy creating a circle map involving one of these critters. Another possible lesson would be to talk about how these animals are quite effective regardless of how we might view their looks. That's a good life lesson for kids beginning to worry about how they look. Older struggling readers can read this book and not worry about carrying around a book that "looks younger". With the wide-eyed aye aye on the cover, nobody is going to think about the reading level when they see Ugly Animals.

Stars

2011-12-06T20:03:00.001-05:00

Stars
written by Mary Lyn Ray; illustrated by Marla Frazee
2011 (Beach Lane Books)
Source: Orange County Public Library

What if you could have a star? They shine like little silver eggs you could gather in a basket.

My youngest daughter and her best friend take great joy in discovering small wonders in the area between the woods and the playground at school. We planted a pine tree sprig (named Fred) in our yard that had been packed in sand from the school sandbox. It's easy to be cynical in this world, but when you spend time with kids like these, your level of optimism tends to rise. This youthful exuberance is overflowing in Stars. As expressed by author Mary Lyn Ray, the symbolism of a star for a young child comes in many forms. It is a comforting light in the dark night. A star is the possibility of a wish coming true. Stars are also manifested in many forms in the natural world. There are the white stars that become strawberries and the yellow stars on the vine that become pumpkins. Stars are magical whether in the sky or placed on our chest for achieving a goal.

The text and illustrations of Stars capture the many moods of childhood. There is the happiness of spending time with friends and the sadness of being alone on the swings. Marla Frazee's artwork is pitch perfect in reflecting the beauty of the stars and what they can mean to a child. A great writing activity to accompany this book would be to create a star booklet that contained student reflections on stars. There are also several examples of similes that could be used to teach figurative language. If you are looking for a special book to give to a primary teacher this season, Stars would be a nice choice.

Nonfiction Monday: Bug Shots

2011-12-04T18:48:00.001-05:00

Bug Shots: The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly
written by Alexandra Siy and photomicrographs by Dennis Kunkel
2011 (Holiday House)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Gathering Books

Are bugs criminals? Bug Shots seeks to answer this question by sorting out the good bugs and the bad bugs. Readers are encouraged to join the FBI and become a Fellow Bug Investigator. Mug shots of these "criminals" are photomicrographs which give you a close-up look of these potential villains. This is such a smart approach to attracting students to the study of entomology. After the introductory chapter, readers meet the worst offenders. These are the bugs like bedbugs and mosquitoes that cause a great deal of physical harm to humans. In the next chapter, you meet the "common criminals". These are beetles that chew through crops, forests, and other valuable items. Other insects featured later on include identity changers like butterflies and moths, and those that carry concealed weapons like bees and wasps. The final chapter decides which "bad guys" are really good and those who deserve a hefty punishment.

Alexandra Siy's combination of cool facts, clever writing, and humor make this book a winner. The photomicrographs are amazing. You see so many details. One activity in the classroom that instantly jumped to mind when reading Bug Shots was to create wanted posters. Students could be divided up according to the categories in the book. This would be a fun writing activity. You could also create a ten most wanted list. Bug Shots is a unique look at an amazing part of the animal kingdom.

STEM Friday: How Does Medicine Know Where You Hurt?

2011-12-02T05:05:00.001-05:00

Wonderopolis: How Does Medicine Know Where You Hurt?
Thinkfinity
November 30, 2011

Check out STEM Friday at Archimedes Notebook

Thanks to Mary Lee and Franki at A Year of Reading, I found out about Wonderopolis, which is a daily nonfiction article accompanied by a video and links for further research. Each article begins with a bulleted summary of the article. The text is written on about a 4th or 5th grade level, but you could easily use it as a read aloud in lower grades as well.

Wednesday's article was about pain relievers and how your body knows where to send the medicine that you take to heal it. Prostaglandin is a chemical sent out by cells to tell the brain where pain is happening in the body. The pain reliever that has gone through your stomach and into the blood stream goes throughout your body with the purpose of stopping cells from transmitting this chemical. Fascinating stuff!

There are several ways you can use Wonderopolis articles in your classroom. I have two computers in my classroom and each daily article is available during Reader's Workshop when my students are independently reading. It is especially helpful for those students who do not read a lot of nonfiction. I will also use an article during read aloud when I am teaching a strategy or skill or just for enjoyment. Wonderopolis is a terrific resource for classroom teachers.

Teaching Transversal Lines

2011-11-30T21:52:00.001-05:00

Image by School Genius

Transversal is not the name of a one hit wonder 80's band, but instead the name of the line that crosses two or more lines in the same plane. In teaching this concept to 5th graders, I have been given several helpful resources that are listed below. Other subjects that come into play include interior, exterior, vertical, and corresponding angles.

SmartBoard lesson: This is a really good lesson. Students are able to manipulate sections and get a good visual feel for interior, exterior, and vertical angles.

Khan Academy videos: Angles formed between transversals and parallel lines
Angles of parallel lines 2
These videos by Salman Khan are great resources to reinforce your lessons. A couple of numbers in the second video are out of place, but this can easily be rectified. Khan has a great sense of humor and does well to simplify difficult subjects.

Math Worksheets 4 Kids has two good sets of problems that can be used for practice or homework:
Parallel Lines and Transversals #1
Parallel Lines and Transversals #2

If you have any other helpful resources, please list them in the comments section.

The Woods

2011-11-29T21:37:00.001-05:00

The Woods
written and illustrated by Paul Hoppe
2011 (Chronicle Books)
Source: Mebane Public Library

A young boy is ready to turn in for the night. He goes through his normal routine when he discovers that his bunny is missing. This calls for a trip to the woods. These woods are directly connected to his bedroom which is very convenient. Not too far into the journey he meets a scary brown bear. Except this bear is not scary but instead scared. He is afraid of the dark so our narrator offers his nightlight for relief. This party of two continues until they meet two scary giants. Seems the giants are not scary either. They are just bored and in need of a bedtime story, which is quickly provided. The next creature met along the way is a three headed fire-breathing dragon who is not interested in providing a fright but rather needs help with a stomachache. Our kind narrator provides a hug which is just the tonic needed. Afterwards, a trip to a big dark cave yields the bunny and a surprise ending.

The Woods is a terrific option for a bedtime story. The lead character helps others face their fears with solutions for various nighttime needs. This is a clever text which provides opportunities for rich discussions about being afraid and how we deal with these feelings. It would be interesting to see if children put two and two together to see that the boy is giving each creature something he uses at night to help himself go to sleep. Paul Hoppe's watercolor illustrations have a classic look that remind me of early 20th century Sunday comics. The Woods would be an excellent choice for a read aloud in a preschool or kindergarten class.

Other reviews:
Picture Book of the Day
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Nonfiction Monday: Hey Diddle Diddle

2011-11-27T21:20:00.001-05:00

Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale
written by Pam Kapchinske; illustrated by Sherry Rogers
2011 (Sylvan Dell)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at A Curious Thing

A slithering snake came slinkin' past
when he spotted that bug - a snack at last!
He swallowed it whole and shimmied along,
a hissin' and a grinnin' and a singin' a song.

No one is safe in Hey Diddle Diddle. As soon as you start celebrating your latest meal, you end up on someone else's dinner plate. Welcome to the food chain. Each sequence is presented in a four line rhyme that will be a popular shared reading experience. It is an AABB pattern so you can withhold the last word in the second A and B lines and see if students can predict the word. Speaking of predicting, you can also ask students to use their background knowledge and predict what animal will be on the next page. Hey Diddle Diddle is a good science lesson (Lessons on herbivore/carnivore, predator/prey, and habitat are possibilities), but I think the hidden strength of this book is in the writing lessons that can be taught using this text. Author Pam Kapchinske loads these verses with vivid verbs which can be used as a mentor text for beefing up stale writing. It would also be a fun activity as a class to create your own pair of four verse rhymes featuring a predator and their prey. Perhaps a kid attacking a grilled cheese sandwich. As with other Sylvan Dell titles, check out the back matter for activities that can be used in the classroom or at home.

Other reviews:
Just Our Thoughts

Nonfiction Monday: The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

2011-11-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont
written by Victoria Griffith; illustrated by Eva Montanari
2011 (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Books Together

Alberto Santos-Dumont was a celebrity in 1903 Paris. He flew his dirigible around the French capital and easily outpaced the cars below. But Alberto was restless. As he explained to his friend, the jeweler Louis Cartier, he wanted flying machines to go faster and be more useful. For three years Alberto worked on a flying machine and was ready to unveil it in November 1906. Nearly a thousand people gathered at a field to see his new invention. An unexpected interloper by the name of Louis Bleriot was also there with his new flying machine. Being a gentleman and supremely confident, Santos-Dumont offered Bleriot the chance to go first. This was a huge risk for Alberto as he stood to lose the opportunity to be the first man to fly an airplane powered only by itself. Bleriot made three attempts and on the third one his airplane fell apart. Alberto started the engine on his plane and soon soared above the heads of the spectators. He managed to fly for twenty-one seconds before a hard landing. Alberto knew the time since he was wearing a new wristwatch created by Louis. Cheering spectators carried the new champion of flight on their shoulders. Alberto Santos-Dumont was the first man to take off in a plane using its own power.

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont brings to light an historical figure previously unknown to me and I suspect many others. This book is a perfect example for students of how our understanding of history is subject to change. It is an interesting debate as to who actually invented the airplane. The Wright Brothers flew with the assistance of wind and a rail system while Santos-Dumont's airplane was self-powered and there are others who could possibly lay claim to being the first. This could be the subject for an research/opinion paper or a compare/contrast assignment in a classroom. Victoria Griffith's captivating text could also be used for a lesson on sequence. Students would describe Alberto's big day in a series of boxes filled with illustrations. It would be interesting to create a picture book unit on early flight featuring aviators such as the Wrights, Santos-Dumont, Elinor Smith, and Amelia Earhart.

Other reviews:
Picture Book of the Day (check out the video!)
Fuse #8

STEM Friday: Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra

2011-11-17T19:28:00.001-05:00

Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra
written by David A. Adler; illustrated by Edward Miller
2011 (Holiday House)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Dig This Well

David A. Adler and Edward Miller have done it again! Last year they created the terrific Time Zones which translated a complex subject into a fun read. As if that wasn't difficult enough, this dynamic duo is now tackling algebra in Mystery Math. A haunted house is the perfect setting for a subject that strikes fear in the hearts of millions. Adler starts the book by comparing equations to seesaws. Both need to be balanced in order to work. Simple equations (e.g. 6 + 2 = 8) combined with spooky owls on tree branches illustrate this idea of balance. Next, the mystery number is introduced. Adler explains that variables get their name because they vary from one equation to the next. A simple rule is given to help deal with variables: Whatever is done to one side of the equal sign must be done to the other side. Finally, readers are guided on how to solve for variables in each of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). In each section, guides Mandy and Billy and caretaker Igor present the operation in the form of an algebraic word problem. The problem is broken down so the reader can see how to find the value of the variable. A nice finishing touch is a piece of procedural text in the back matter that shows you how to build a balance scale that can be used to find unknown numbers in equations.

Mystery Math would be a great introduction for elementary students who are beginning to learn about algebra. Students could write their own word problems to match the setting of the book and share these for homework.

Other reviews:
Nonfiction Detectives

Little Pig Joins the Band

2011-11-14T19:11:00.001-05:00

Little Pig Joins the Band
written and illustrated by David Hyde Costello
2011 (Charlesbridge)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Little Pig is frustrated. He is never called by his real name, Jacob, and when his family gets out Grandpa's marching band instruments, Little Pig finds that he is too small to play them. With no piccolo, harmonica, or kazoo in sight, Little Pig is resigned to being a spectator. When his brothers and sisters start playing, it is a maelstrom of missed notes and steps. What this band needs is a leader, and there is no height requirement for that position. Little Pig steps in as drum major and harmony ensues.

A common theme in picture books is a young character who doesn't seem to fit in and has to find a way to belong. This theme is popular among young readers because they have experienced similar feelings in their lives. Little Pig Joins the Band would be a good mentor text for making text to self connections and also for teaching a lesson on problem and solution. In conjunction with this book, I would ask students how they can be leaders in their classroom and home.

Other reviews
Waking Brain Cells

Nonfiction Monday: Time to Eat

2011-11-13T16:55:00.001-05:00

Time to Eat
written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
2011 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Playing by the book

Have you watched competitive eaters scarfing down hot dogs in the July 4th contest on Coney Island? The winner will eat about 50-60 hot dogs. Sounds impressive (or disgusting or both), but the true competitive eating champs reside in the wild animal kingdom. For example, a tick can drink about one hundred times its own weight in blood. This amounts to a human drinking 6,000 milkshakes as an equivalent meal. A crucifix toad stores insects on its sticky skin and then peels off the skin for a tasty treat. Baby blue whales drink enough milk to gain 200 pounds in 24 hours. Shrews have to eat every two or three hours to stay alive and end up eating three times their own body weight each day. With Time to Eat, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have collected a cornucopia of "wow" facts about animal eating habits and combined with their usual cool collage artwork will easily capture the imagination of young readers. Seventeen different animals are featured in this book and in the back matter there are extra facts included for each animal. Time For a Bath and Time to Sleep are two more books in this series for young readers.

For teaching purposes, there are several sets of pages where there is a connection between the two animals featured. A butcherbird impales its prey on a thorn while a black widow wraps up its prey in a tight cocoon. You could read the two pages and ask students why the two animals are paired together. This could be an introduction to author's purpose. There are also opportunities to teach main idea and supporting details with several of these passages.

Other reviews:
100 Scope Notes

SmartBoard and United Streaming lessons for weather

2011-11-12T11:41:00.001-05:00

Image by Simon

I'm working on a weather unit for 5th grade so I've listed several SmartBoard links below for lessons that would work well with this unit.

The Water Cycle: Good overview. Really like the run-off section.
Weather: Excellent information on fronts and air masses. Great graphics.
Weather Clouds: Great graphic of the Earth with explanation of humidity.
Virginia Weather Lesson: Developed for Virginia students, this lesson has a terrific Venn diagram activity for the four cloud types (cumulus, cumulonimbus, cirrus, stratus).

If you have access to United Streaming, there are Weather Smart videos and check out the first 12 minutes of the Magic School Bus video, Wet All Over, which gives an entertaining overview of the water cycle.

STEM Friday: SmartBoard Lessons for Geometry

2011-11-11T06:58:00.001-05:00

Image created by Gustavb

We are starting our math unit on identifying, estimating, and measuring angles and my colleague sent me several SmartBoard lesson links that will be extremely helpful in teaching these lessons.

Classifying angles: Overview of angles and their classifications.
Angles: Learning to identify and measure angles.
Angle Measurement: Introduces angles and the tools to measure them. Fun lesson!
Measuring Angles: Includes complementary (90 degrees) and supplementary angles (180 degrees).
Measuring and Classifying Angles: Quick quiz on types of angles and their measures.

Check out the SmartBoard Exchange link in the links section to the right to find more lessons for your interactive whiteboard.

STEM and Poetry Friday: Double Play!

2011-11-11T06:15:00.001-05:00

Double Play!: Monkeying Around With Addition
written by Betsy Franco; illustrated by Doug Cushman
2011 (Random House)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Ana's Nonfiction Blog
Check out Poetry Friday at Teaching Authors

Chimps Jill and Jake make the most of their recess time. They hang out on the bars, jump rope, play foursquare, blow bubbles, and engage in other fun activities. As they play, the reader will notice that recess presents a great opportunity to think about math. The subject today is doubles in addition and when Jill and Jake hang upside down on the bars, they see two sets of knees; 2 + 2 = 4. When there are two games of foursquare being played, you have 8 squares; 4 + 4 = 8. Learning about doubles is an integral part of the process of being able to add numbers and Double Play! makes this fun.

Betsy Franco has mixed poetry and math before with Zero Is the Number of Leaves On a Tree and with Double Play! she again strikes a perfect chord in blending words and numbers. After reading aloud this book with a preschool or kindergarten class, you will hear addition sentences being trumpeted by students all over the playground for days. Students will also delight in viewing Doug Cushman's playful and bright artwork. I would definitely use Double Play! to create a writing activity combining recess, addition sentences, and illustrations. Your class could create their own version of the book. Another thought would be to think about the addition sentences in other areas of the school including the lunchroom. Double Play! is a great lesson for young children on applying the skills you learn in school to all parts of your life.

Other reviews:
Kiss the Book
Journey of a Bookseller

The Abandoned Lighthouse

2011-11-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

The Abandoned Lighthouse
written by Albert Lamb; illustrated by David McPhail
2011 (Roaring Brook Press)
Source: Mebane Public Library

A well fed bear finds an empty rowboat on the beach and decides to take a nap. The tide rolls in and takes the boat to the rocks surrounding an abandoned lighthouse. As the bear fishes near the rocks, the boat floats away. A boy is playing on a different shore later that day, kicking a ball with his little dog. The ball bounces into the back of an empty rowboat. When the boy enters the boat to recover his ball, the boat floats out into the sea. His dog paddles furiously and catches the boy in the boat. Exhausted, both boy and dog fall asleep and later find themselves on the rocks beneath an abandoned lighthouse. The bear rescues them and also catches fish for dinner. That night, a storm blows in and brings a large ship perilously close to the lighthouse. Will the three friends be able to revive the lighthouse and save the ship from the rocky shore?

The Abandoned Lighthouse reminds me of Maurice Sendak's Little Bear books which are very appealing to beginning readers. It has a similarly peaceful feel to it with plenty of opportunities for readers to practice their skills of prediction and sequence. As experienced readers, we know that when the bear falls asleep, he is going to float out to sea. Beginning readers don't necessarily know this, so this book is a good opportunity to think through why this happens and how it drives the story. Reading The Abandoned Lighthouse would also be a good opportunity for younger readers to practice retell with the use of sequence. I also like the open ending which would lend itself to a shared writing experience where you could write a new adventure for the rowboat.

Other reviews:
A Book and A Hug

Nonfiction Monday: Earthquake in Haiti

2011-11-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

Earthquake in Haiti
written by Miriam Aronin
2011 (Bearport Publishing)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Charlotte's Library

The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 was devastating in many ways. Earthquake in Haiti documents this destruction with heartbreaking stories and photographs. Personal accounts are presented through the eyes of 24 year old Wismond Exatus Jean-Pierre who spent 11 days trapped in the rubble of the hotel where he worked. Christa Brelsford was an American volunteer who was helping Haitians learn to read. She was trapped by falling concrete and lost her right leg to amputation, but was so grateful to her rescuers that she started a charity, Christa's Angels, to raise money to rebuild schools in Haiti. Several sections of the book are also devoted to the relief and rescue efforts that quickly came to Haiti in the aftermath of the disaster. Schoolchildren raised money through sales of hot chocolate, parades, and handmade cards. There is still quite a bit that needs to be done today in Haiti. You can click on this link to find out how to help.

Earthquake in Haiti is less a book about the science of earthquakes and more about the human effects of such a tragedy. Students could use this to study the skill of cause and effect by listing the bad effects (homelessness, death, lost jobs, etc.) and good effects (people around the world helping) of this natural disaster. There are also several words (desperate, compassion, volunteering) that could be used for vocabulary study and for making connections.

Happy Halloween and See You In A Week

2011-10-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

I have Halloween, report cards, parent conferences, and my oldest daughter's play this week so I'm not going to do any book reviews. I will be back next week for Nonfiction Monday. I may throw a link or two up in the meantime. Have a great week everybody!

STEM Friday: Journey Into The Deep (iPad book)

2011-10-27T22:33:00.000-04:00

Journey Into The Deep
written by Rebecca L. Jefferson
2011 (Lerner Publishing)
$2.99 on iTunes

STEM Friday is here! Leave your link down below and thanks for joining the fun.

In her foreword to Journey Into the Deep, oceanographer Sylvia Earle says "only 5 percent of the ocean has been seen so far, let alone explored." It is this mystery that should excite readers as they marvel at the incredible photographs (in brilliant color on the iPad) and read about the Census of Marine Life that is the subject of this book. Author Rebecca L. Jefferson explains in her video prologue that reading an article and taking a trip in a submersible spurred her to create this in-depth look at the work of researchers participating in this study. The book is divided into chapters according to the part of the ocean that is being explored. In Open Water, scientists in the western Pacific Ocean are looking for zooplankton during the day. They are seeking to capture samples to place in lab aquariums for further study. After dinner, the crew launches a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that travels over 1,000 feet down to search for creatures that give off their own light. The photographs are simply amazing. One of my favorites is a see-through sea cucumber on the ocean floor. Students will marvel at the pictures and the information they learn through reading this book.

Journey Into the Deep is perhaps a glimpse into the future of nonfiction books. The back matter comes alive with links in the bibliography and website sections. For nonfiction there is so much you can do with direct access to the Internet and the possibilities of adding video. I can see authors teaching a video lesson based on the content in their book and games that could be created as bonus features. It's an exciting world that awaits us.

Other reviews:
Great Kid Books
School Library Journal

Decimals and John Smith

2011-10-26T15:12:00.001-04:00

In my 5th grade class, we're working with decimals in math and studying exploration in social studies. I wanted to share two cool links that help with both subjects:

Decimal Spy Guys is a SmartBoard math lesson from Learn Alberta that introduces decimals. When you include spies and baseball in your lesson, you have a winner.

On the Trail of Captain John Smith is an animated interactive lesson from National Geographic that provides an overview of the explorations led by this English captain famous for helping start the Jamestown settlement. I like the thought questions interspersed with the narrative. These questions make for a good lesson on cause and effect.

Greece! Rome! Monsters!

2011-10-25T19:53:00.002-04:00

Greece! Rome! Monsters!
written by John Harris; illustrated by Calef Brown
2002 (J. Paul Getty Museum)
Source: Orange County Public Library

If you want an easy to read primer on mythology, check out Greece! Rome! Monsters!. Twenty Greek and Roman monsters are featured in this entertaining book. The text is humorous and informative. Author John Harris knows what interests young readers. You get the scary details regarding each monster combined with their place in mythology. The cover monster Chimaera breathed fire with the head of a lion and also had a goat's head growing in the middle with a snake as a tail! It takes the hero Bellerophon and his horse Pegasus to take out this frightful creature. Other monsters spotlighted include the Basilisk, Cyclops, Harpies, and the Phoenix. Calef Brown's artwork is distinctive and funny.

This would be a great book for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Those readers will enjoy learning the background of these legendary creatures. Greece! Rome! Monsters! would also be an excellent resource for teaching figurative language. Several words and phrases (panic, siren's song) come from these mythological beings. It would be an informative to discuss why these creatures were created in ancient cultures.

Nonfiction Monday: Eliza's Cherry Trees

2011-10-23T22:06:00.000-04:00

Eliza's Cherry Trees: Japan's Gift to America
written by Andrea Zimmerman; illustrated by Ju Hong Chen
2011 (Pelican Publishing Company)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Apples With Many Seeds

Eliza Scidmore lived an unusual life for a young woman in the late 19th century. She was able to travel to Europe as a teenager and this fueled her desire to travel to more places. Eliza found that writing would pay her way to travel around the world. One of her stops was Alaska, which fascinated her so much that she wrote the first guidebook about the territory. Another destination captured her heart. Eliza's brother worked in Japan which led to her visiting there. She fell in love with the culture and most of all the gardens. Her favorite plant was the Japanese cherry tree. Japan so enthralled her that she wrote a book and hoped that the two countries could become greater friends. Later, as she was walking on the muddy banks of the Potomac in her hometown, Eliza remembered the cherry trees and began a more than twenty year quest to bring Japanese cherry trees to the nation's capital. Eliza's patience won out as she picked up an important ally in the wife of President Taft. Finally in 1912, the first cherry trees were planted.

Eliza's Cherry Trees shows what can be done with determination and patience. Eliza Scidmore led an incredibly interesting life and met her goal. Students can learn from her persistence. It would interesting for students to hypothesize on why it took so long for Eliza's dream to come true. It's not speculated on by the author, but perhaps her gender played a part. This would also be a good book to share around Earth Day as your class thinks about ways to help the environment. In the back matter is a good example of a time line which could be used as a model for students to use.

STEM Friday: My Friend the Box Turtle

2011-10-20T23:01:00.003-04:00

My Friend the Box Turtle
written by Joanne Randolph
2011 (Windmill Books)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Growing With Science

When I was a child, I received a box turtle as a present and it didn't end well. Given my past experience, I am hopeful that reviewing My Friend the Box Turtle will help other children avoid a similar experience. In the first section of this book, there is general information about box turtles including different species and habitats. I was surprised to learn that there are box turtles in the desert. I would have thought they needed more moisture, but apparently they can dig deep enough to meet their needs. The meat of this book begins with the next section titled Home Sweet Home. Readers find information about how to build a home for a box turtle. Since reptiles can't make their own heat, you will need to purchase heating pads and heating lamps. Caring for a turtle may be more of a task then first thought. Turtles need several different areas in their home to thrive. A dry area, a hiding/sleeping spot, and a pool are all necessary amenities for a turtle. This sounds like an episode of House Hunters, but building this habitat the right way is extremely important. The final section, Caring For Your Turtle, includes tips for daily care including a once a day misting, vitamins, and a diet that includes slugs, mushrooms, and fruits.

I like shorter nonfiction titles like My Friend the Box Turtle because primary students like my youngest daughter eat them up. They don't receive a lot of attention, but these books are a valuable part of any elementary school media collection. They help build background knowledge and are a great resource for science instruction in K-1 classrooms. These books are also a gateway to learning about how to research a topic. Our kindergarten classes create nonfiction books and titles like this one provide a resource that is a perfect fit for them.

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air

2011-10-18T21:20:00.001-04:00

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air
written by Stewart Ross; illustrated by Stephen Biesty
2011 (Candlewick Press)
Source: Orange County Public Library

The story of exploration is not just about technological advances; it's also about people. - Stewart Ross and Stephen Biesty

Into the Unknown presents fourteen journeys that transformed our knowledge of this planet. These accounts include Pytheas the Greek, who sailed far north from his home almost 2,500 years ago, Leif Eriksson, Marco Polo, Admiral Zheng, Columbus, Magellan, Captain Cook, and several others who blazed new paths. It ends with a journey out of this world, the flight of Apollo 11. Told in chronological order, each section provides a fascinating narrative that recounts the journey of each explorer or explorers. Accompanying these narratives is some of the best artwork I have seen for a nonfiction book. The stand alone illustrations are terrific by themselves with detailed labels providing important information, but the real stars of this book are the unfolding cutaways and cross sections. On the fold of one piece of paper in the section on the ascent up Mt. Everest, you see a cut out of a mountaineer and the equipment he would use for climbing above 20,000 feet. On the top half of that same piece, you get a detailed map of the path from Kathmandu to the base camp for the journey up Mt. Everest. On the back side, there is a fold out of the path from the base camp to the summit of Everest. There are 14 of these incredibly detailed cut outs in this book! I would have journeyed into unknown lands as a kid to get my hands on a book like this. You can spend hours examining and reexamining the pages and not get bored. For twenty dollars, this book is a bargain.

Nonfiction Monday: Voices of World War II: Stories From the Front Lines

2011-10-16T19:48:00.001-04:00

Voices of World War II : Stories From the Front Lines
written by Lois Miner Huey
2011 (Capstone Press)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Simply Science

Voices of World War II features five people who fought in battle:

William Ash: A British prisoner of war
Ruth Straub: An American nurse
David Webster: An American paratrooper
Hanna Reitsch: A Nazi pilot
Hayashi Ichizo: A Japanese kamikaze pilot

The experience of each soldier is presented in a four page spread with photographs and a highlighted vocabulary word. A mix of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources are used to tell their stories. Each narrative is brief which will be a benefit to struggling readers. They can use this book to build background knowledge on World War II without being overwhelmed with text. The stories give you insight into the difficult choices that are a part of waging war and the sacrifices made to defend countries. Especially poignant was Ichizo's statement that "To be honest, I cannot say that the wish to die for the emperor is genuine." The book ends with a chapter titled The Cost of War. Information on the destruction during the war, including the Holocaust, is briefly reported. An interesting question that might be posed to students who read this book would be "Can a soldier be considered brave if they fought on the wrong side of the war?"

STEM Friday: Even an Octopus Needs a Home

2011-10-13T22:35:00.001-04:00

Even an Octopus Needs a Home
written and illustrated by Irene Kelly
2011 (Holiday House)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Shelf-Employed

But all animals, including humans, need homes for the same reason: to have a safe and snug place to live and raise a family.

Even an Octopus Needs a Home explores the theme of every living thing needing a safe place to live by categorizing the types of habitats created by animals. It starts with Tree Houses. Familiar (chimpanzees, honey bees) and exotic animals (monk parakeet, Montezuma Oropendolas) are featured. Each section tells what materials are used and how the animal builds the home. Several "wow" facts are included which makes for fun nonfiction. For example, some monk parakeet nests "can be as big as a car." One colony of Montezuma Oropendolas built 172 nests in one tree! Other categories of habitats include Towers (ants, coral reefs), Caves (bears, octopi who hang eggs from the ceiling), and Burrows (shrimp, tortoises). Each animal feature is accompanied by bright watercolor illustrations and fascinating information that will energize young nonfiction fans. This is the perfect book if you teach a unit on animal homes. I could see kindergarten and first grade students creating booklets of animal homes based on this book. Whole classes or small groups could create Venn diagrams that contrast different homes within a category or across categories. I might have an "Animal Home of the Day" and feature a different animal perhaps accompanied by other photographs and/or United Streaming video if that is available to you. There are several possible uses to Even an Octopus Needs a Home, so find a copy for your animal units in science.

Perfect Snow

2011-10-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Perfect Snow
written and illustrated by Barbara Reid
2011 (Albert Whitman and Company)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Scott and Jim are brothers who love snow days. Jim doesn't even crack a frown when his sister tells him that school will still be open. He can't wait for recess. Scott decides to build a team of snowmen while Jim is trying to create a "Snow Fortress of Doom." Scott can only make so many snowmen by himself, while Jim is caught up in a blizzard due to everyone taking snow from his fort efforts. The recess bell gives the boys time to reflect and they decide to combine their ideas to make a massive fort of snowmen at lunch time. The end of the day brings the satisfaction of a job well done in the perfect snow.

I saw the word distinctive in a blurb from the Booklist review of Perfect Snow and I can't think of a better word to describe the illustrations. I have limited knowledge, but I can't recall seeing anything like this with the combination of pressed plasticine, that gives it a 3-D look, and panels of ink drawings. Absolutely cool! This book captures the joy of watching falling snow and then playing in it. You could use this book to teach lessons on cause and effect or problem and solution. I like how the brothers work together to problem solve. An excellent companion book for Perfect Snow would be one of my favorite pieces of nonfiction text, Recess at Twenty Below, which chronicles a day at school for a class of Alaskan students.

Nonfiction Monday: My Hands Sing the Blues

2011-10-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

My Hands Sing the Blues
written by Jeanne Walker Harvey; illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon
2011 (Marshall Cavendish)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Practically Paradise

Today my memory whirls back to my North Carolina past.

Famed 20th century artist Romare Bearden was born in North Carolina in 1911. At the age of 3, his family moves by train to New York City to escape the oppressive Jim Crow laws of the South. This makes a huge impression on the young Romare as he has to leave his beloved great-grandma and great-grandpa behind. As an adult artist in Harlem, Bearden uses trains in several of his paintings including the inspiration for this book, "Watching the Good Trains Go By." Bearden is later quoted as saying "I never left Charlotte except physically." Romare Bearden received the National Medal of Arts in 1987 and left behind a legacy of helping younger artists and being the "nation's foremost collagist."

One of the great joys of writing this blog is learning about people you never knew before and what inspired them to greatness. My Hands Sing the Blues is an excellent biography that combines rhythmic language and wonderful collage illustrations that illuminate the heart and soul of Romare Bearden's childhood journey. I appreciate Jeanne Harvey's choice of how to structure the sentences in this book. The text is one long blues song that helps you understand Bearden's attachment to his past and his eagerness to capture this journey in his collages.

Like a flower, I have roots in my Carolina past,
roots sunk deep in my childhood long past.
The people and the places are in my art to last.

Likewise, Elizabeth Zunon's exquisite collages give us insight into Bearden's work and his heart.

My Hands Sing the Blues could serve as a resource in your classroom in several ways. Students could create a collage to reflect an important moment in their lives or to accompany a poem that they have written for a poetry unit. For older students, I would add this book to my biography collection. I would also accompany this book with works by Donald Crews. My Hands Sing the Blues reminded me of his work and in doing some searching I found that Mr. Crews's daughter Nina Crews lists Romare Bearden as an influence.

STEM Friday: Why Do Puppies Do That? (iPad book)

2011-10-06T22:59:00.000-04:00

Why Do Puppies Do That?
written by Seymour Simon
2011 (Seymour Science LLC)
Source: iTunes
$2.99

Check out STEM Friday at Celebrate Science

The king of science books, Seymour Simon, tackles perhaps his cutest challenge yet with Why Do Puppies Do That?. In two page sections with photographs of adorable puppies, Simon answers questions that young children might have about their furry friends. For example, one piece is titled Why don't puppies sit when they are told?. It is explained that puppies have to be trained with a command and a gentle push on the hindquarters. This e-book is a good match for a preschooler or a primary school student who wants to read or needs to use the audio option to have it read to them. Simon doesn't go "cutesy" with the text, but in a simple manner explains the behavior of these animals. He covers about every question that a child might ask, including explanations of scratching and wetting on the floor.

Accessing this on an iPad would be very easy for a preschooler to accomplish. Paw prints serve as the page turns and there is a menu at the bottom so you can go to any page. The photographs will engage beginning readers and prompt them to continue turning the pages. Why Do Puppies Do That? would be a good primer for a child that is about to receive a puppy. After reading this, you could ask children to list the positive and challenging parts of owning a puppy or talk about the character traits of a good dog owner. Why Do Puppies Do That? would also be an excellent resource for showing children how you don't need to start at the beginning of an informational text. You can show all the pages on the screen and just pick one section. This is an e-book that will be read several times by a young dog lover.

Isabel's Car Wash

2011-10-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Isabel's Car Wash
written by Sheila Bair; illustrated by Judy Stead
2008 (Albert Whitman) Paperback just released.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Isabel Dinero needs ten dollars to buy a new doll. Since she has washed several cars with her older brother, Isabel decides to start her own car wash. The first thing she will need are supplies, but shammies and soap cost five dollars and she only has fifty cents. Fortunately, five of her friends are willing to be investors and give her a dollar each to help start the business. Isabel promises to pay them back with interest. The next morning, she starts her car washing business and ends up with twenty customers. With a profit of twenty dollars, Isabel is able to double her investors' money and still have ten dollars left over to buy her doll.

Children can start learning at an early age about financial literacy. Saving and investing are important topics that can be taught through the use of stories like Isabel's Car Wash. I think this book would also be a good source for teaching students about character. Isabel is a plucky youngster who problem solves and shows a lot of grit. These are traits that we certainly want to emphasize in our classrooms. Lessons on sequence and problem/solution could be taught using Isabel's Car Wash. Questions like "What are the steps to starting a business?" or "How/Where do you get the money to start a business?" could be discussed as part of these lessons.

A good companion book for Isabel's Car Wash would be Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday.

Nonfiction Monday: Wagons Ho!

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wagons Ho!
written by George Hallowell and Joan Holub
illustrated by Lynne Avril
2011 (Albert Whitman and Company)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at 100 Scope Notes

Two young girls are getting ready to move with their families from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. Jenny Johnson and her family are moving by wagon in 1846. Katie Miller and her family are traveling by car in the 21st century. Both families are seeking a new life in Oregon. As the story progresses, we see both families making preparations for the move. Panels allow the reader to compare the similarities and differences between the two centuries. In 2011, you might travel in an hour what it would take the wagons of 1846 to cross in five days. For the move, both families have to leave behind treasured things including friends and pets. For each day of Katie Miller's car trip, we read about a month in the travels of the Johnson family. Along the way, we learn new information about life on the Oregon Trail and remember highway trips of our own.

Wagons Ho! is an inventive tale of the Old and New West that beats the pants off a stuffy book I read months ago on the same subject. Yes, it is historical fiction, but it is easy to separate the fictional elements from the nonfiction and learn quite a bit about families that migrated to Oregon in the 19th century. The bonus with this book are the connections students will make through the character of Katie Miller. We've all been on long car trips and can contrast that with the five month wagon trip of the Johnson family. Wagons Ho! would be a great resource for using graphic organizers in teaching history. Lynne Avril's delightful watercolor illustrations help make this a trip that you will want to take with young readers.

Cybils 2011

2011-10-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

The nominations for the 2011 Cybils have opened up so click on this link and nominate your favorite books and book apps. This is an especially great opportunity for those books that might not have gotten a lot of notice when they were published. Authors really appreciate the love shown so if you have a book that you really liked, stop reading this and get over there and nominate it.

STEM and Poetry Friday: Multiply on the Fly

2011-09-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

Multiply on the Fly
written by Suzanne Slade; illustrated by Erin E. Hunter
2011 (Sylvan Dell Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library
Check out STEM Friday at Chapter Book of the Day
Check out Poetry Friday at Read Write Believe

Nine brilliant butterflies
twinkle in the dark-
glowing lights flash on and off
How many in the park?

There have been several good titles this year that combine science and poetry. Multiply on the Fly takes it a step further and adds math to the mix. Each two page spread features a multiplication equation with animals as the centerpiece. A four line poem, with the second and fourth lines in rhyme, accompanies each beautiful illustration. Some of the animals featured include walking sticks, luna moths, and ladybugs. Students who are beginning to work on fluency in multiplication will enjoy this unique way to visualize these equations. As with other Sylvan Dell books, you get an abundance of back matter that you can copy for educational use. Sections on life cycles and insect body parts are especially helpful resource and you can click on the link above to find more activities.

This would be a great read aloud for second and third grade students who are starting to learn about multiplication. You could read one poem each day to start math and discuss how the groupings fit the equation. Then you could brainstorm other ways you could illustrate the equation. For example, for the above poem it could be a school of fish or a flock of geese. Multiply on the Fly is a fine mix of rhyme and arithmetic.

Miss Fox's Class Shapes Up

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Miss Fox's Class Shapes Up
written by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Anne Kennedy
2011 (Albert Whitman)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

The students in Miss Fox's class are having a tough time. Frog is falling asleep in class. Bunny doesn't have time for breakfast and Squirrel is winded after a short run on the playground. It's time to shape up this class and the determined Miss Fox starts with a visit to the school nurse who recommends healthy foods to eat. Next, ideas are solicited for exercises during recess time. Even the principal and the custodian join in the fun. Soon all of the students are eating better, sleeping more, and exercising each day. Even Frog is staying awake all day. Will the class be ready for Field Day?

Miss Fox's Class Shapes Up is a delightful story with a serious message. It's important to exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. Physician, heal thyself! I love the focus on physical fitness, but there is something else going on here that could be easily overlooked. This is a fantastic book for teaching young students the skills of finding cause and effect and finding the problem and solution in a story. Eileen Spinelli practically serves it on a platter for teachers. With its focus on problems common to all of us and terrific illustrations, Miss Fox's Class Shapes Up will engage primary students and help them understand how one thing can make another thing happen. "What happens when we don't get enough sleep?" or "Why do we need to eat a good breakfast?" are instant discussion starters to which everyone can make a connection. Now I need to put down my diet soda and put on my running shoes!

Nonfiction Monday: Why Did English Settlers Come to Virginia?

2011-09-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

Why Did English Settlers Come to Virginia?
written by Candice Ransom
2011 (Lerner Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at True Tales and a Cherry On Top
*Jeanne's new book, My Hands Sing the Blues is featured.

On December 20, 1606, three ships commissioned by the Virginia Company of London set sail from London. They made it to the coast of Dover before setting anchor again to wait for a good wind to push them across the Atlantic. Ever waited on an airplane after it had landed? Very minor compared to the wait of these three crews. It took almost two months for them to set sail again! It would take another two and a half months for these 105 men and boys to land in Virginia. Once there, they set about trying to find silver and gold to match the Spanish who had already been in this part of the world for over a hundred years. Another goal was to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean to make it easier to trade in Asia. Neither of these goals was reached, but the settlement of Jamestown did take hold despite battles with the Algonquians, disease, near starvation, and vicious infighting among themselves.

Why Did English Settlers Come to Virginia? focuses on John Smith who is a fascinating historical figure. It's amazing how many times Smith falls in and out of favor with his fellow settlers and the Native Americans. You need to read this to any young person whose only knowledge of Pocahontas is from animation. Author Candice Ransom makes this story five hundred times more interesting than a textbook. It reminds me of Joy Hakim's A History of Us in its skillful storytelling. I like her inserts of extra background information and the side vocabulary notes as well. If you teach this era in American history or just like studying history, you will enjoy this book. The back matter is generous with website links and synopses of other books that have been written on this subject.

STEM Friday: Animalogy: Animal Analogies

2011-09-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

Animalogy: Animal Analogies
written by Marianne Berkes; illustrated by Cathy Morrison
2011 (Sylvan Dell Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Rasco from RIF

Analogy: A form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect. (Dictionary.com)

In their seminal work, Classroom Instruction That Works, authors Robert Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, and Jane Pollock listed identifying similarities and differences as one of nine strategies that have a positive impact on student learning. I never thought about introducing analogies to young children until I read Animalogy. This book is full of analogies that will stir critical thinking in your classroom. Beaver is to build, as spider is to spin. I read this analogy and thought about other things that animals build. That helped me create this analogy: Nest is to bird, as den is to fox. Each analogy can take you in several directions. Some of these analogies would be very helpful in trying to teach general vs. specific to older students. Other analogies will prompt you to think about classifying and using graphic organizers. Each two page spread is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations that will keep young students engaged. The back matter contains many activities that further stretch young minds and you can photocopy these lessons for classroom use. But wait, there's more! Publisher Sylvan Dell also had a PDF with activities that can be replicated for use in the classroom. Animalogy is a valuable resource for any primary teacher interested in enhancing student thinking in their classroom.

Sparky the Fire Dog

2011-09-20T21:12:00.000-04:00

Sparky the Fire Dog
written by Don Hoffman; illustrated by Todd Dakins
2011 (Imagine Publishing)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
Available on October 1st

One of the highlight weeks of a preschool or kindergarten year is National Fire Prevention Week, which is October 9-15 this year. We either visit a fire station or ask firefighting personnel to visit our classrooms. It's an important week as we teach children to think about how they can promote fire safety in their homes. An old ally in helping to publicize the need for fire safety is 60 years old this year and he is the subject of a new book.

Sparky the Fire Dog is a member of Fire Station Number 5 as a result of his heroics in alerting firefighters to a young girl's burning home. During the day, Sparky sits next to the captain in the fire truck. At night he dreams of being a superhero who alerts others to potential dangers in and around their homes. In his dream, he leads a group of Junior Inspectors in visiting homes in the neighborhood. They change batteries in Mrs. Sheep's fire alarms. Mrs. Flamingo is alerted to an unattended candle burning in her house. Ellie the Elephant and her mother share the escape plan they have created. Sparky and his friends go from house to house doing good deeds related to fire safety. A fire alarm awakes Sparky and he races to the fire truck remembering how much he loves being a fire dog.

Sparky the Fire Dog is an engaging vehicle for discussing fire safety with young children. The narrative of the story weaves in tips which can be used for teaching fire safety in the classroom. This book would be an excellent resource for preparing children who are about to visit a fire station or receive a visit from firefighting personnel. The class could create a list of safety tips contained in the book. You could use these tips to create an illustrated booklet where each child illustrates one page that has a safety tip written on it. Another activity would be to draw a T chart and ask students which safety tips are known and which ones are new knowledge.

Other activities such as drawing a home escape plan can be found at http://www.sparky.org. A good home activity for children and adults would be to review the inspection checklist.

Nonfiction Monday: Exploring Countries - England

2011-09-18T22:11:00.002-04:00

Exploring Countries: England
written by Walter Simmons
2011 (Bellwether Media)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Tales From the Rushmore Kid

Bellwether Media has published 40 books in the Exploring Countries series. These books are ideal for children who are beginning to learn how to read text for the purpose of researching a topic. Each book focuses on one country and gives students information about the culture, economics, geography, and politics of that country. The book in my local library features England. Geography is the focus of the beginning sections with information about where England is located and the landforms and ecosystems that you will find there. Facts about the culture follow with a page of slang words, a snapshot of daily life, economic data (jobs), and a page about education in England. These chapters provide an opportunity for students to make connections with their own lives here in America. Sports, holidays, food, and landmarks make up the remainder of the book. There is a glossary of terms in the back matter and a URL address for finding kid-friendly links about England. I found 4 websites when I used the URL address.

There are two things that I really like about this series. One, it is a great synopsis of the 5 themes of social studies. You could take this book at the beginning of the year and give examples of each theme. Second, the Exploring Countries series is ideal for older students who need to acquire research skills but have difficulty with grade level text. For example, students in 5th grade who read at a 3rd or 4th grade level would be able to handle this text without too much difficulty and be able to focus their attention on summarizing information for instance, instead of having to worry about decoding. That is a pretty handy resource to have in your possession.

STEM Friday: How Does My Garden Grow?

2011-09-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

How Does My Garden Grow?
2011 (DK Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Archimedes Notebook

How Does My Garden Grow? starts with a fabulous six page spread that puts a science textbook to shame. You get explanations of the parts of plants, how plants grow, what a plant needs, and why we need plants. A combination of short bursts of advice and facts with helpful graphics and photographs make this section a winner for teaching science. The next section, Making Stuff With Things You've Grown, shows children how to use plants for craft activities. One of the more intriguing activities for me was the article on making corn paper. There are step by step instructions on a single page which make for great instructional material in teaching reading. Other activities include making a container garden and a sweet smelling lavender buddy. The last section, Growing Things and Cooking, is composed of two part pieces that start with how to grow a particular plant and then a recipe for a dish using the plant. For example, there are two pages devoted to growing rhubarb. I learned that you don't eat the poisonous leaves. Again, you get step by step instructions on how to plant the rhubarb. One of the great strengths of this book is that all of these plants can be grown in several different settings. What follows is a recipe for rhubarb cobbler that has photographed instructions that make me want to find some rhubarb and create this immediately.

How Does My Garden Grow? is an excellent resource for children and adults who may be creating a garden at home or in a courtyard at school. In the classroom, you could take a two page spread and work with students on how to read nonfiction. You have plenty of main idea sentences with details that follow. The introductory section would be great for teaching about plants in science. This garden grows with informative text. Now on to that rhubarb dessert.

Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art

2011-09-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art
written by J.H. Shapiro; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
2011 (Charlesbridge)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
Published in October, 2011

Can art change the world? Or is it merely for our appreciation and enjoyment? This is a good question to ask students. In the case of Tyree Guyton, art transformed his life and the life of Heidelberg Street in Detroit, Michigan. Young Tyree collects junk and makes it into toys. One day his house painter grandfather puts a paint brush in his hand and tells him to "paint the world." He leaves Heidelberg Street at age sixteen to find his way. After turns as a soldier, a worker on an assembly line, and a firefighter, Tyree enrolls in art school to fulfill his childhood dream to be an artist. Unfortunately, when he returns home he finds that his street has changed. Trash and troublemakers have taken over. Tyree decides to take back his neighborhood one stroke at a time. With the help of Grandpa Sam, he begins painting and creating art out of the junk that is there. A small group of neighbors and the city are skeptical and bulldozers lay waste to Tyree's work. After the passing of his grandfather, Tyree once again works to renew his community. This time, his neighbors work with him and a court allows the art work to stand. This year, the Heidelberg Project celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Magic Trash is an uplifting story of a person who makes a difference in his neighborhood. J.H. Shapiro's story could be used for several purposes in a classroom. If you are teaching students how to use quotations in their writing, Magic Trash has several examples that can serve as a model. I really like how she weaves lines of poetry into the narrative. These three line sections act as a Greek chorus summarizing the action in the story. It would be an intriguing exercise to follow her example and ask student writers to write three line summaries in sections of books that they are reading. I don't always comment on the illustrations in a book, but I would be negligent if I didn't mention Vanessa Brantley-Newton's dynamic mixed media collages. I won't be surprised if Magic Trash garners some awards for illustration at the end of the year. When you are teaching biographies, this book would be an inspired choice to show children how one person can change their surroundings.

Nonfiction Monday: Witches - The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer
2011 (National Geographic)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
Publication Date: September 13, 2011

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Wrapped in Foil

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I remember this adage from my childhood. It came back to my mind after reading Witches. In January 1692, two young girls begin mysteriously twitching, contorting, and speaking nonsense. Living under the roof of Reverend Samuel Parris, these two girls did not improve in the coming days and no sensible prognosis is able to be made. Instead, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams are declared bewitched by a local doctor. What follows is a series of such wild lies, accusations, and sheer madness in the village of Salem that 20 people ended up losing their lives. Rosalyn Schanzer unravels this tragic tale with riveting storytelling and unforgettable illustrations.

Unlike the childhood adage, words can be quite powerful and devastating. Salem is certainly proof of this. Author Schanzer shows us how people can be whipped up into a frenzy without giving a care to evidence and reasonable thought. If you teach American history, Witches would be an excellent resource for information on the witch trials in Salem. An interesting comparison would be to contrast this event with the McCarthy era "Red Scare" of the mid 20th century. My preference would be to use this book with middle school or older students, but others may disagree.

Rosalyn Schanzer has written and illustrated what is sure to be one of the most talked about nonfiction titles of 2011. What happened in Salem was truly tragic as families were destroyed and innocent lives lost. It can be terribly frustrating reading for students who are used to happy endings and justice prevailing. A final aspect about Witches that was especially revealing for me was the role of money in this disaster. There were several conflicts between families in the village that were connected to land and/or money. This is a prevalent theme in history and one I urge students to consider. Probably not the main source of the accusations in Salem, but Schanzer's book makes me think of the saying from All The President's Men: "Follow the money."

Other reviews:
Fuse #8

STEM Friday: Paramedics to the Rescue

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Paramedics to the Rescue
written by Nancy White
2011 (Bearport Publishing)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Ana's Nonfiction Blog

I picked up Paramedics to the Rescue because this is a subject that I had not seen featured in a book before. Nancy White creates an interesting mix of information and stories involving paramedics. I never thought about this, but paramedics have only been around since the mid-1960s. There have been ambulance drivers for several decades, but they didn't give medical treatment to patients. This book tells how the profession got started in the United States. One of the hooks for reluctant readers are the stories contained in this text. I would read one as a way to sell it to students. You could choose the story of Lawrence Van Sertima who was bitten by a venomous snake on 9/11. Paramedic Al Cruz had to convince the government to allow a plane to fly to Miami from San Diego in order to deliver the medication needed to save Van Sertima's life. Paramedic Lisa Desena, who set up a first-aid station near the collapsed Twin Towers on 9/11, is also featured. Another facet of Paramedics that I like is the emphasis on training and working together. That lesson can easily transfer to the classroom so students can understand that teamwork and studying are extremely important.

If your class is studying careers in medicine or if you're looking for a nonfiction book to catch the eye of reluctant readers, you should find a copy of Paramedics to the Rescue. You could read sections of the book and invite a paramedic to speak to your class. They may even bring in equipment to show students what they use to save lives. This book is also a good source for science related vocabulary (unconscious, intravenous, proficient).

Word Study in 5th grade

2011-09-08T15:14:00.001-04:00

I have carved out 15-20 minutes each day for word study in my 5th grade classroom. I assessed the class using the Elementary Spelling Inventory from Words Their Way and we have now settled on a schedule with the help of Words Their Way and another wonderful book about spelling instruction called Word Crafting. The assessment helps determine where the developmental level is for a particular student.

Our schedule is listed below:
Monday: Open Sort - I give the students a sheet of about 20 words for them to cut out and decide how to sort. After a few minutes, we discuss the categories that the students generated. Students place their cut words in an envelope for future sorting. The words come from the list of sorts in the back of Words Their Way, which is probably the leading resource for word study instruction.

Tuesday: Closed Sort - I give students the categories and they sort their words accordingly. Then they record them in their word study notebook.

Wednesday: Blind Sort - Students partner together and are given the headings for their sorts. Then they need to sort the words without seeing them.

Thursday: Word Games - One of the games we play is Spelling Spree which comes from Word Crafting. Students start with a simple word like "cat". Then, they try to make another word by making only one move which could be adding a letter or deleting a letter. For example, I could replace the "t" in cat with a "p" and make "cap". The players continue making words in this fashion in a seven minute time period. Other activities you could use for this day include word hunts where students search text for words that fit the categories for the week.

Friday: Blind Writing Sort - I give the students the categories and then call out words for them to write and place in the categories. This is a great formative assessment to check their knowledge of the featured patterns for the week.

We'll see how this works out, but we're off to a promising start.

The No. 1 Car Spotter

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

The No. 1 Car Spotter
written by Atinuke; illustrated by Warwick Johnson Cadwell
2011 (Kane Miller)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

On the continent of Africa, you will find my country. In my country there are many cities, all with skyscrapers, hotels, offices. There are also many smaller towns, all with tap water and electricity and television. Then there is my village, where we only talk about such things.

Thus we are introduced to the engaging character Oluwalase Babatunde Benson, who goes by the name "No. 1". His nickname comes from being the best car spotter in the village and perhaps the world. A car spotter is one who can hear an engine and know what kind of car is approaching. It is a hobby learned from his grandfather. A road runs right by the village, so there is plenty of opportunity for car spotting while working to clear brush, collecting palm nuts for their oil, or sitting under an iroko tree. All of the men enjoy this sport while the women think it is a waste of time. And time cannot be wasted as it is the day before going to market. The people of the village sell the products they have grown and collected in order to buy needed things (salt, kerosene, pencils for school) that cannot be grown or hunted. Disaster strikes the village when the cart for all the goods breaks in half. The only vehicle in the village is a broken down Toyota Corolla that was abandoned long ago. All of the villagers are in despair over the cart, but a spark of an idea comes to No. 1. He runs most of the day to the neighboring town where his older cousin Wale lives. Using ingenuity and laboring all night, Wale and his friends bring to life No. 1's idea. A Toyota "Cowrolla" that runs on cow power.

As with her earlier Anna Hibiscus series, author Atinuke takes us to Africa and connects the reader's heart to wonderful families who love one another, argue, and work together. All four stories in this book are filled with humor and warmth, but also grounded in reality. Life is tough for these villagers, but they manage to survive and thrive despite not having many material possessions. No. 1 and the Wheelbarrow, the last story in the book, is particularly affirming. I love the language in the conversations and the stories behind the names of the characters. I look forward to reading more stories about No. 1 and his family and friends.

Nonfiction Monday: The Civil War Today (iPad app)

2011-09-04T22:17:00.000-04:00

The Civil War Today
The History Channel
2011 (iPad app)
Source: iTunes

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Playing by the book

On April 12th, The History Channel launched an iPad app to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the beginning of The Civil War. Each day, events in real time will be revealed as they happened in the war. It will conclude on April 26, 2015. Several features give subscribers information about the progress of the war and the people who fought it. When I read this app, my eyes are usually drawn first to the Quote of the Day feature. Today's (Sept. 4, 1861) quote is from General Ulysses Grant:

"Well, somehow or other, I never learned to swear."

To the left of the quote is the main feature which focuses on events for that date. On Sept. 4th, 1861, thousands of Confederate soldiers moved into Columbus, Kentucky. Other paragraphs talk about a skirmish near Washington, D.C., a bridge burning in Missouri, and arrests of Confederate soldiers in northern cities. In the Headlines highlights a newspaper front page from the era. I was able to read a page from the Shreveport Daily News which printed war news and advertisements. Casualties To Date tallies the deaths for each side of the war. Day in the Life focuses on diary entries or other writing from 15 people connected to the war. John Beauchamp Jones, a clerk in the Confederate war department, writes less than glowingly about a man appointed brigadier general by Jefferson Davis:

"He too, was a West Pointer; but does not look like a military genius."

There is also a Photo Gallery, Battle Maps, and game features.

I see The Civil War Today as a valuable resource for social studies classes. Getting to read primary source documents is a great thing for students. One of the drawbacks is that some of the documents can be difficult to decipher due to smallness of print. I would combine this app with the American Memory collection from the Library of Congress to provide students with a richer experience in researching this monumental era in our history.

** You can access previous dates through a button on the bottom of the screen.

STEM Friday: Snakes, Salamanders and Lizards (Take-Along Guide)

2011-09-02T13:14:00.000-04:00

Snakes, Salamanders and Lizards
written by Diane L. Burns; illustrated by Linda Garrow
1995 (NorthWord Books for Young Readers)
Source: Orange County Library

Check out STEM Friday at A Life in Books

When I started teaching in the Mesozoic Era, we used guide books, for identifying animals, that were dense and full of high level vocabulary that made them difficult to access for third grade students. I wish I would have had a class set of Take-Along Guides. These guides use kid-friendly language with bright illustrations that are eye catching. Each animal page in Snakes, Salamanders, and Lizards follows the same structure. There are four categories: Tips to Find This ____ (Snake, Salamander, or Lizard), What It Looks Like, What It Eats, and Where It Lives. The information is brief but full of useful facts. Since coloring is extremely important when looking for snakes, the language in the What It Looks Like section is very clear so young explorers know exactly what they are looking for and what to avoid. Special Warning tags are attached to each page of an animal that could be threatening. In addition to the animal pages, there is a craft activity page for each section (Snakes, Salamanders, Lizards) of the book. For example, for snakes there is a dried bean craft activity. This is a good source of procedural text as well as a fun project.

I looked on Amazon and these guides are still available even though they were published many years ago. It would worth your time to check them out. If you live near a creek, lake, or river, this book would come in handy if you decided to go exploring with a group of children.

13 Photos Children Should Know

2011-08-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

13 Photos Children Should Know
written by Brad Finger
2011 (Prestel)
Source: Orange County Public Library

13 iconic photographs from the 20th and 21st centuries are featured in 13 Photos Children Should Know. Each photograph is accompanied by a narrative and other photos that provide facts about the picture. For example, one photo shows Tenzing Norgay on top of Mt. Everest in 1953. He is holding an ice axe with the flags of many nations attached. Author Brad Finger provides information about why it is so difficult to climb the mountain and how the two men, Norgay and Edmund Hillary, were able to scale it. A time line runs across the top of the page showing more facts connected to the photograph. Other photographs include Albert Einstein's tongue wagging, Buzz Aldrin on the moon, and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. My favorite is a photograph of a row of men sitting on a beam high in the sky while working on the construction of the Rockefeller Center. It gives me goosebumps seeing them so casually eating lunch while hundreds of feet in the air with no attachment to the beam.

One of the reasons why I like books in the 13 series (Paintings, Art Mysteries, Buildings, American Artists) is you can create arguments for what should be included in a particular book. In this book, I would have included the picture of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square at the end of World War II. These books make for interesting discussions. They can also be the beginning of a research project. Students can be handed photographs and asked to research the background of the event depicted in the picture. If you are teaching time lines, 13 Photos would also work well in this capacity.

Pirate vs. Pirate

2011-08-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Pirate vs. Pirate
written by Mary Quattlebaum; illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
2011 (Hyperion Books)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Bad Bart rules the high seas of the Atlantic while Mean Mo controls the waters of the Pacific. What happens when these two fierce pirates meet in the middle? A standoff that can only be settled by a contest that doesn't destroy ships. A swimming race, among the sharks, between the two ruffians only yields a tie. Subsequent battles involving cannonball throwing, mast climbing, arm wrestling, and hardtack eating fail to find a winner. The only thing left for the two pirates to do is to count their treasures and see which scurvy dog has the most. Avast, they both have the same amount! This leads to a surprise twist that may change maritime history.

Pirate vs. Pirate is a sweet and funny read that would make for interesting lessons on author's purpose and prediction. I appreciate Mary Quattlebaum's playful use of font and end marks. Thoughtful discussions could be built around the question of why some phrases are in bold. A page of this book could also be used to teach young writers how to use quotation marks. I would also ask students to predict which pirate was going to win this battle and why. A fun writing activity would be to list a couple of the similes from Pirate vs. Pirate and develop a list of pirate specific similes. I nominate "shiny as a swabbed deck."

Here is a link to Mary Quattlebaum's website which has more classroom activities.

Other reviews:
There's a Book
Book Dads

Nonfiction Monday: Cool Animal Names

2011-08-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

Cool Animal Names
written by Dawn Cusick
2011 (Imagine Publishing)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Capstone Connect

My youngest daughter is in a "Did you know?" phase of reading right now. She is sharing facts left and right as she is reading nonfiction. This morning she was telling me about the saguaro cactus. I live in North Carolina. Not exactly cactus country, but it is still fascinating to her. Cool Animal Names is just the kind of book that kids like her will inhale in one big Hoover-like gulp.

Author Dawn Cusick explains in the beginning of this book that there are many strange animal names out there. For example, I just assumed that a skunk was a skunk. I was wrong. Did you know there are skunk bears, skunk beetles, and skunk clownfish? The bears (actually a type of weasel) and beetles earn the name honestly with the ability to emit horrific odors. Skunk clownfish have a white stripe that runs down their backs. Each section features animals that share a name with a familiar species. For example, Cusick delivers fabulous photos and facts about 24 different animals that have tiger in their name. My favorite is the Tiger Heron which gets its name from the sound of its call.

Cool Animal Names would be an excellent resource for students learning how to write nonfiction or working on how to organize information. You can pull a paragraph from this book and show it on the overhead projector or Smartboard and discuss why the author chose to include this information. I could also see students creating a chart featuring some of the animals with habitat, favorite foods, and appearance as categories. Being able to display information in a different format is an important skill for students to learn. After reading Cool Animal Names, I'm ready to find a pig frog!

STEM Friday: It's Snowing!

2011-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's Snowing
written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons
2011 (Holiday House)
Source: Orange County Public Library

Check out STEM Friday at Picture Book of the Day

If you teach kindergarten or first grade and teach a unit on snow, you should check out It's Snowing. Gail Gibbons gives a comprehensive look at snowfall that could be used in several different ways in a primary classroom. A beginning section that explains evaporation would fit nicely in a lesson on the water cycle. I would combine this with a later section called Snow Falls to the Ground in Many Different Ways to reinforce the teaching on the water cycle. Following this are several pages dealing with the formation and uniqueness of snowflakes. Google snowflake craft and you will find many ideas that could accompany this part of the text. A geography lesson could be taught using the section titled Snow Falls On All Seven Continents. If you have access to Google Earth, you could visit these sites and share photographs with your class. Gibbons also includes information on staying safe in snowstorms, how snow benefits plants and animals, and a fun experiment using black paper and snowflakes. It's Snowing is a handy book to have when you get into winter and want to teach seasonal lessons. Or you could read it while trying to cool off from the summer heat!

Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!)

2011-08-23T21:56:00.002-04:00

Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!)
written by Heather McLeod; illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
2011 (Fitzhenry and Whiteside)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Ella is playing basketball when she is approached by a talking frog. The frog asks that she kiss him so he can turn back into a prince. Ella picks up the frog and stuffs him in her pocket. The frog continues to plead his case, explaining to Ella that she would have a life of a princess if she would only kiss him. It would be a lavish life of studying and wearing fancy clothes. Ella would rather have a talking frog so she stuffs him back in her pocket. The frog soon learns that life with Ella is delightful. She likes to play hopscotch and Simon Says and go swimming in the pond. He has so much fun that he forgets about being a prince until the royal courtier takes him away. When the frog arrives at the castle, his mother and father command everyone to kiss him. None of the castle contingent can break the spell. His fairy godmother says it will take the kiss of a true friend and who could be truer than Ella? Will she kiss the frog and break the spell?

Kiss Me! is a sweet twist on the traditional fairy tale of the frog prince. The character of Ella is charming in her outlook on life. Right before the ending is a great opportunity to work with students on prediction. I would ask them to decide what Ella should do. You could say "What are the consequences of kissing the frog?" Author Heather McLeod wisely leaves out just enough information for readers to stop and think before continuing to the end. The ending stays true to the characters and proves satisfying.

Other reviews:
Canadian Teacher Magazine

Anna Hibiscus' Song

2011-08-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

Anna Hibiscus' Song
written by Atinuke; illustrated by Lauren Tobia
2011 (Kane Miller)
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Anna Hibiscus is so happy that she isn't quite sure what to do with herself. Living in amazing Africa with her extended family brings so much joy. Grandfather suggests that she hold her hand out and count the reasons why she is so happy. There are simply not enough fingers to hold Anna's happiness. Other family members give suggestions (e.g. dancing, helping pound yams) and each one increases Anna's joy, but none of them feels exactly right. Finally, Anna's mother mentions that she likes to sit still and quiet when she is happy. Anna tries this and something wonderful happens. She hears the birds and they inspire her to create a song. This is the outlet for her happiness that Anna has been seeking.

I am delighted that the character of Anna Hibiscus is now appearing in a picture book. The chapter books are favorites of mine and this book will be equally appealing to younger readers who are not familiar with Anna. Students know all about being happy and will be able to easily make connections. This would be a great opportunity to channel those thoughts through a graphic organizer like a bubble map or to create a book of all the things that make us happy. For beginning writers, this would be an engaging activity. I also love that the setting of the book is a place that is unfamiliar to most students and therefore a fresh perspective. Anna Hibiscus' Song is a terrific introduction to a beloved character.

Nonfiction Monday: Animal Tails

2011-08-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

Animal Tails
written by Beth Fielding
2011 (Early Light Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Ana's Nonfiction Blog

Take a minute and check your background knowledge on tails. First, you don't have one and neither do I. Second, you know that animals use their tails for several purposes. They communicate with other animals, hang on tree branches, swat flies, and use them for balance. But did you know that some male lemurs transfer smelly oil from their wrists to their tail and then throw their tail at other males? Fourth grade boys aren't the only male living creatures to do weird things when girls are involved. How about chameleons unrolling their tails and cracking them at other chameleons like a whip? Kind of like your older brother snapping his towel at you at the community pool. Using fun facts and vibrant photographs, Animal Tails will introduce readers to information old and new. Author Beth Fielding has also included experiments (I think the stuffed animal idea would be a big hit in class.) and advanced vocabulary (e.g. prehensile) to further engage young readers. Like cool extras on a DVD, Tail Talk gives even more facts in the back matter.

Books such as Animal Tails are extremely important in helping children understand that we live in a fascinating world. The more you know about it, the more you care about conserving it. If you have access to other Early Light books, students could create booklets featuring their favorite animals and their unique body parts. Animal Tails is also a good source for text to use in teaching how to spot and write nonfiction main ideas. You could write this lead sentence from the book on the board: Stingrays may win the prize for the scariest tails. Then, read the rest of the page to see how the author supports this opinion. In the new Common Core standards, this is an important skill for children to master.

STEM Friday: Caterpillars

2011-08-18T22:47:00.001-04:00

Caterpillars
written by Marilyn Singer
2011 (Early Light Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out STEM Friday at Simply Science

Caterpillars starts out with a unique feature that I have not seen before in a nonfiction book. Marilyn Singer has crafted a six stanza poem about caterpillars that serves as the table of contents. Each line of the poem serves as a title for a page in the book. The first line of the poem is Caterpillars smooth which corresponds to a page that has a column of text about caterpillar eggs. The next line is Caterpillars hairy which talks about a variety of larvae which have hair or are smooth. Lush photographs accompany each page of text. Several inserts are included which provide a close-up of these captivating critters. The back matter includes a matching game, pop quiz, an abundance of websites for further research, and sections featuring information on anatomy and taxonomy.

Presented in a chronological fashion and neatly tied together, you get a feast of facts in this book. With over 100,000 species of butterflies and moths, there is a lot to know. Caterpillars is a book that can be used for a wide range of grade levels. If you are teaching a unit on butterflies and moths in the primary grades, you can use Caterpillars for several days by sharing one or two pages each day with students. Older students can take information from a column of text and convert it into a graphic organizer like a table, a flow chart, or a Venn diagram. If you are studying scientific names, the taxonomy page is a good primer on this subject. I would also recommend Caterpillars for teaching the skill of contrasting two or more pieces of information.

Big Bouffant

2011-08-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Big Bouffant
written by Kate Hosford; illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
2011 (Carolrhoda Books)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Annabelle only sees pony tails and braids in her classroom and decides that she needs to go a different route. Inspiration comes from a picture of her bouffant coiffed grandmother. She begs her mother to help her. Mom instead tries to talk Annabelle into a different hairstyle. This won't do, so Annabelle decides to use some kitchen items to make her own bouffant. What follows is a catastrophe of hair, ketchup, a bird, and other various items. Mom feels pity for Annabelle and decides to help. Upon the first appearance of the new 'do at school, Annabelle's classmates are skeptical and a little rude. This doesn't bother her at all and the next day brings a change of heart from several classmates. Soon bouffants rule the day, which actually makes Annabelle a little sad since she doesn't stand out from the crowd anymore. It's back to the drawing board for a new look and Annabelle does not disappoint.

As a teacher, I have striven to help students find their own voice. Annabelle finds hers through hair. My oldest daughter is named for a student who used red Kool-Aid to streak her hair one year. I liked the fact that she, like Annabelle, was not worried about what other students would say. This student also wore mismatched socks which were kind of cool. Big Bouffant is about being yourself and creating your own path.

I would pair this book with Laurie Halse Anderson's The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher or This is My Hair by Todd Parr for a nice 'do duo.

Other reviews:
Cynsations

A Book for Black-Eyed Susan

2011-08-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

A Book for Black-Eyed Susan
written by Judy Young; illustrated by Doris Ettlinger
2011 (Sleeping Bear Press)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Ten-year-old Cora's family is traveling on the Oregon Trail. Cora wakes one evening to see her Aunt Alma holding a baby and her father holding his head in his hands. Cora's mother has passed away during childbirth. The families have to move on, so Cora's mother is quickly buried and the new baby stays with Aunt Alma. When the wagons stop later on, Cora is given a chance to hold her baby sister who has black eyes and reminds her of a black-eyed Susan. These were her late mother's favorite flowers, so the name Susan sticks. Cora is inspired to begin a quilt book because she knows that Susan will not remember her mother. Using pieces of cloth from her mother's sewing box, Cora begins creating squares. Unfortunately for Cora, she and her sister will be soon parted. Cora and her father are continuing on the Oregon Trail, while Aunt Alma and Uncle Lee are going to take the California Trail. Cora's father feels she is too young to help raise a child so he sends Susan with Aunt Alma. With little time left, Cora quickly completes the book and sends it with Susan. In later years, Cora goes on to become a teacher who is in for a surprise at the end of the book.

Life on the Oregon Trail was difficult, and I applaud Judy Young for her approach to this book. In a picture book format, it would have been much easier to have a family that has some difficulty traversing the trail but making it to the end of the book intact. Young takes a risk by including the death of the mother and the separation of the sisters in the story, but I am more apt to use this book in my classroom since it gives students a better idea of the dangers involved in taking this trip and the frailty of life in this era. Make sure you read the author's note to students after finishing the book as it will provide useful background knowledge.

Ducks Go Vroom

2011-08-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

Ducks Go Vroom
written by Jane Kohuth; illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
2011 (Random House)
Source: Mebane Public Library

You know how you tell visitors to make themselves at home? Mi casa es su casa? The three ducks in Ducks Go Vroom take this phrase to the nth degree when they visit Auntie Goose's house. Soon after arriving, the ducks yak loudly on their cell phones, help themselves to some loud television and snacks, decide to make cookies, and conveniently forget to clean. Fortunately, Auntie Goose helps them receive a needed comeuppance at the end of the book.

Ducks Go Vroom is one of those fun books that you share with a child just learning to read. I would read it several times with the child before expecting them to read it independently. Sound words abound (onomatopoeia) which makes it difficult to decode initially. Don't forget to focus on comprehension as your child reads this book. There are predictions to make and this would make for a nice lesson on sequence as well. I would also ask if the ducks learned a lesson at the end of the book.

Nonfiction Monday: From Pie Town to Yum Yum

2011-08-15T00:01:00.004-04:00

From Pie Town to Yum Yum: Weird and Wacky Place Names Across the United States
written by Debbie Herman; illustrated by Linda Sarah Goldman
2011 (Kane Miller)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Amy O'Quinn

From Pie Town to Yum Yum is a book that illustrates why I love nonfiction. It is indeed stranger than fiction. With this book, you have an entree of fascinating facts with two sides of weirdness and humor. Top it off with a dessert of comedic illustrations and this makes for a great read. Debbie Herman starts off with an explanation of toponymy, which is the study of place names. Knowing the history behind a town name can help you get a sense of the local culture. After the foreword, each of the fifty states (from Scratch Ankle, Alabama to Hole-In-The-Wall, Wyoming) is represented by a two page spread with a paragraph about the unique town featured on the left. The right side has a list of other intriguing town names in the featured state along with information about state geography, history, and destinations to visit on a road trip. My fair state is represented by the town of Bat Cave which is located in the mountains. The irony is that Bat Cave is not far from Transylvania County and when the fog gets thick, it can get quite spooky.

Students in your home state will enjoy finding out which towns they have visited and trying to decide which town name is their favorite. I would also ask them to create a name for a town and explain why they made this selection. Books like From Pie Town to Yum Yum can serve as a gateway to getting students interested in history. The sense of humor in the text and illustrations will keep them engaged and perhaps they will be prompted to do research on their own. If there is a volume two of this book, I'm nominating Lizard Lick for the North Carolina section.

Classroom Library: Getting Started

2011-08-13T10:22:00.001-04:00

I am working on creating a classroom library for my 5th grade class. A kind colleague of mine told me about Beth Newingham's excellent website for creating a classroom library. Beth is a Scholastic Top Teacher so you know this is good stuff. I'll be printing the basket labels she has provided on her website, but there is so much more that Beth is sharing, so check it out!

STEM and Poetry Friday: Animal Fights

2011-08-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

Animal Fights
written by Catherine Ham
2011 (Early Light Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Check out STEM Friday at Wrapped in Foil
Check out Poetry Friday at Karen Edmisten

Let's get ready to rumble! If there is an audiobook for Animal Fights, boxing announcer Michael Buffer should narrate because the action level is high in this new science book. Author Catherine Ham uses plenty of action verbs to describe the rumbles in the jungle (tigers), the melees on the mountain (ibex), or the scuffles in the sea (cuttlefish). Bold photographs give you a ringside seat to view these battles for supremacy in the animal kingdom. Accompanying each of these pictures of pugnacity is a playful rhyme that provides science facts about animal behavior and models descriptive vocabulary (e.g. colossal, hideous, dreadfully) for young writers. One of my favorites was this stanza about foxes:

Foxes always hunt alone
And do not care to share
Whatever food they catch
They're awfully quick
To pick a scrap
With any sneaky, cheeky chap
Who tries to nick their patch

In introducing this book to students, I would ask them this question "Why do animals fight?". This is one aspect of animal behavior that is not focused upon very often in classrooms, but it is a vital part of natural life. It would also be interesting to ask students how humans handle situations that cause animals in the wild to fight. What makes us different? Animal Fights could be the source of many rich discussions about behavior.

Beginning of the Year Picture Books

2011-08-11T10:05:00.003-04:00

If I were teaching a primary (K-2) class this year, I would be building a beginning of the year unit around Amy Krouse Rosenthal's One Smart Cookie. The book, without being preachy, will help students think about how they treat each other and how they act in general. The cookie theme is rich with opportunities for bulletin boards and fun activities.

One of the tasks for the beginning of the year is for everyone to get to know each other. A book I like that encourages self-expression is Walter Dean Myers' Looking Like Me. This book celebrates individuality and would be a great gateway for students to share who they are with other classmates.

A good book to kick off Reader's Workshop at the beginning of the year is Mordicai Gerstein's A Book. This story is about a young girl who is trying to find her own story. Gerstein takes the reader through several genres which would be a jumping off point for picking your own book for independent reading.

Click on the link below to read an article on beginning of the year books. It's written by Shari Frost and located on the superb Choice Literacy website. Check out this site to help your year get started.

Read Alouds for the First Day of School

Hide and Sheep

2011-08-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hide and Sheep
written by Andrea Beaty; illustrated by Bill Mayer
2011 (Margaret K. McElderry)
Source: Mebane Public Library

While Farmer McFitt is snoozing away, his sheep escape so they can go play. One sheep even pole vaults his way out. Ten of his critters find their way to the zoo where they frolic with the locals. Nine other sheep join the circus and discover their acrobatic talents. Since this is a counting book, eight sheep are discovered interrupting a baseball game while trying their hooves at being groundskeepers. The counting continues as the oddball sheep find themselves in atypical settings. Finally, one last sheep follows Mary into school and is apprehended and sheared by the suddenly cognizant Farmer McFitt. With sheep in tow and in sheep's clothing, Farmer McFitt enjoys a well deserved reward.

Looking above, you see sheep dressed in a polka dot bikini top, a cowboy hat, and fake nose and glasses respectively. The very definition of humor. Small children like to count and they like to laugh. You get both with Hide and Sheep and visual jokes that will make adults sheepishly grin. Andrea Beaty's text and Bill Mayer's illustrations are a hoot. It would be fun to ask students to think of other settings in which the sheep appear. A nice craft idea would be for students to create an outfit for the sheep. Needless to say, your class will also enjoy reading Hide and Sheep out loud several times.

Here's a question to ponder: Which animals are the best sources of humor in picture books? I know there are many chicken books out there, but sheep may be giving them a run for their feathers.

Other reviews:
books4yourkids.com (Check out this review and the terrific pictures!)

Animal Naps

2011-08-09T00:01:00.001-04:00

Animal Naps
written by Catherine Ham
2011 (Early Light Books)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

A sloth's not much good on the ground
He spends his whole life in a tree
He keeps hanging around
Likes to sleep upside-down
Should we give that a try, you and me?

When you read nonfiction to young children, it is vital that you have great visuals to pull in their eyes. If you are reading to a pre-K - 1st grade crowd, the cuter the pictures the better. You would be hard pressed to find more adorable pictures than you will see in Animal Naps. A lizard holds on to a leaf like a toddler holding a blanket. You think the ducklings on the cover are charming? Try viewing a photograph of a snoozing hedgehog. I can almost hear the oohs and aahs from kindergarteners right now. But wait, there's more! Catherine Ham writes playful rhymes chock full of science information. Check out the sloth poem above. This poem would make a fun shared reading piece, but do you see the facts embedded inside? Sloths live solely in trees. They sleep upside down. Fun and full of facts, my friend. That's a great combination.

Animal Naps would be a superb resource for teaching a lesson on contrasts or categorization. You could create a table for animals that sleep on land, water, or off the ground. Then you could go through the book and decide where each animal would go on the table. I would encourage further research to find out when the animal sleeps (diurnal vs. nocturnal) and for how long. You could also go through this book and find the animals that hibernate. There are several routes you can pursue with Animal Naps. Click on the link above to find more Early Light books. You won't be disappointed.

Nonfiction Monday: Bloody Times

2011-08-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis
written by James L. Swanson
2011 (Collins)
Source: Mebane Public Library

Check out Nonfiction Monday at Apples With Many Seeds

Like the previous Chasing Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson has adapted one of his adult works, Bloody Crimes, and created a version for younger readers. Bloody Times juxtaposes the multi-city funeral procession of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln with the flight from Richmond of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Swanson crafts a riveting narrative once again that keeps you glued to the page even though you know how this is going to turn out. As a history nerd, I was aware of these two events, but Swanson has added a lot of depth to my knowledge. The level of mourning for Lincoln is heartbreaking as thousands stand in often rainy conditions to get a brief glimpse of the fallen president. Assistant Adjutant General Edward D. Townsend has the unenviable task of supervising the funeral procession from town to town, making sure the train arrived and left on time. Swanson's details give us a picture of what a monumental task it was to lead Lincoln's body to eventual burial in Springfield, Illinois. I appreciate the brief stories of people who met the procession and left tokens of their respect. Especially touching was a group of young girls that created a flower arrangement for the accompanying casket of Lincoln's previously deceased son Willie. At this same time, Jefferson Davis is fleeing further and further south as Union troops advance and move to end the war. These sections read like a cliffhanger as you wait for Davis to be captured. He has difficulty bringing himself to the realization that his cause is lost and that his life is in imminent danger. I found the section of the book that deals with how Jefferson Davis has fared in the annals of history to be particularly interesting and thoughtful.

If you teach specifically about the Civil War, you can read passages of Bloody Times to give students a sense of the mood of the country as the war ended. You could also ask students to put themselves in the position of President Andrew Johnson and ask them what they would have done with Jefferson Davis once he was captured. Bloody Times could be the starting point of many interesting history discussions.

Here is a link to the Smithsonian Institute's Civil War 150 commemeration. There seems to be a ton of material here.

Other reviews:
Lori Calabrese Writes!