Wild Fibonacci opens with front matter explaining the Fibonacci sequence and the spiral. It also offers ways to discover the sequence through exploration in nature.
The book continues showing the sequence through counting wild animals and each animal depicted shows the curve of the spiral on a part of the animal's body.
Why I like this book:
The sequence and the spiral are fascinating and appear in so many places. Introducing children to this concept will open the door to them seeing the word in new and exciting ways.
This book mainly focuses on the Fibonacci sequence, but uses animals and obvious body parts that fit the curve of the Fibonacci spiral.
Here's one I wrote: Nautilus Shell
Once
live.
Chambered
Nautilus
thread-like siphuncle (sigh-funk-el)
jet propulsing, moving backward
through the ocean. Rising, lowering, traveling the sea.
Hungry octopus spies a meal.
Soft delicious treat.
Empty shell
rides waves
to
shore.
I was at the library last week picking up a few books. This book caught my eye. Read on to find out why.
Title: Boo and Baa Have Company
Authors/Illustrators: Lena and Olof Landstrom
Translated by: Joan Sandin
Publisher: R & S Books, 2006
Themes: Humor, Fall, Cats, Animals,
First Lines: It's autumn. The tree has dropped its leaves.
Boo and Baa are a couple of sheep out raking their yard. The wheelbarrow squeaks so they oil it and then it meows.
Why I love this book:
I grew up on the Scandanavian-American Ole and Lena jokes. Here's one I found online: Ole, Lena, and Sven were lost in the northwoods and were becoming desperate, having run out of food several days ago. It was winter, the snow was deep, their situation was looking very bleak. When Ole dug down into the snow to look for something to eat , he found an old lamp and upon rubbing it to get the snow off, a genie came out. The genie says, "I am the great genie of the North and I can grant each of you one wish." Ole says, "I vish I vas back on my farm." Poof, Ole was gone. Lena quickly says, "I vish I vas back on da farm wit Ole." Poof, Lena was gone. Sven was sitting there looking sad and the genie finally says, "What is your wish?" and Sven says, "Gee, I'm really lonely. I vish Ole and Lena vas back here with me".
OK, so now you know a little something about my sense of humor and a little bit of why I love stories.
This is the long way of saying, when I saw the authors names on the book cover, I had to bring it home and read it. As it began, I thought, hmm, I don't know about this book, then I turned to . . .
She greases the axle. "Now it meows when I push it," says Boo.
It cracked me up. I stopped and made my husband read it with me. The illustrations and text really create the whole story. Kids will be in on the joke before Boo and Baa. Boo and Baa are adorable and timeless.
While the story has a fall setting, it would be cute to read any time of year.
Activities:
Go outside and play in the leaves. Or if you are in the Midwest, make a leafy snowman. (Our seasons got jumbled and the leaves fell after the snow.)
Check out a joke book and tell each other silly jokes and see who laughs first.
There are loads of sheep crafts on Pinterest. I chose this one because it looks like a scene and kids can create their own Boo and Baa stories.
Title: Fry Bread: a Native American Family Tradition
Author: Kevin Noble Maillard
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Publisher: Roaring Book Press, 2019
Opening pages:
Fry Bread is Food
Flour, salt, water
Cornmeal, baking powder
Perhaps milk, maybe sugar
All mixed together in a bowl
This book!
How do I describe it? It is poetry. It is history. It is truth. It is sadness and happiness. It is simple and complex. It is beautiful and powerful. It is a book for reading together and for discussing. It is for young and old.
"Fry Bread is Everything
Round, flat, large, small
North, South, East, West
Familiar and foreign, old and new
We come together"
It is a doorway to understanding, loving, making amends, opening our eyes, and creating a better future.
At the end of the book there are 8 pages of author's notes and another page of references and footnotes. So much information in a beautiful picture book.
Juana Martinez-Neal's illustrations are joyful, lively, thoughtful, sad, true and engaging. They were created in acrylics, colored pencil, and graphite on hand-textured paper.
Activities and Resources:
At the end of the book there is a recipe for Kevin's Fry Bread. This would be a wonderful family activity.
As always you can read about more perfect Picture Books at Susanna Hill's blog. Her last Perfect Picture Book was this same book. It is one worth sharing over and over again. Be sure to check out the wonderful list by themes on this page.
This remix of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a a little creepy, a little gruesome, and full of heart.
Why I love this book:
There are not many books out there that include adoption as a topic. This one sets you up from the beginning that this family has room for one more. Something every adopted child wants to feel is that there is room for them and they are wanted.
I love Halloween and our local schools no longer celebrate the holiday. This book isn't a Halloween story, so it makes for a great book to read this time of year. You don't have to break any rules, but you get to have some spooky creepy fun.
Illustrations:
One of the things that I love about the end papers is that there is the black space at the bottom right corner. At first glance it seems like there was an odd choice in layout, but when you know the story, you realize it's black because it is waiting to be filled.
Activities and Resources:
You could pair this book with Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie to talk about adoption and finding a home.
Or
You could pair this book with Zombies Don't Eat Veggies by Jorge and Megan Lacera and have a non-Halloween at Halloweenie storytime. You could even add in Zombies in Love by Kate DiPuccio for a Zombie Trifecta.
You can read more about her journey in making this book here.
I love Halloween. For me it's family, creativity, and scary, but not too scary times.
Susanna Hill has brought back many fun memories and pushed my creativity. Thank you for putting on this fun writing contest and thank you to all the people who have donated incredible prizes.
I met Matilda at Michael's and she came home to live, well not live, but hang out, at my house. While she looks like a bunch of bones, she lives on in this story.
Halloweensie Rules: Halloween Story, 100 words or less, must include the words, potion, trick, and cobweb, for ages 12 and under.
I have always loved mysteries all the way back to the kittens who lost their mittens. I loved Encyclopedia Brown and The Bobbsey Twins. Scoobey Doo was my favorite cartoon. So Tara Lazar's Private I books are right up my dark and dangerous alley.
Her first book in the series got me with the title:
A couple of years ago, I was assisting a class of second graders as they were starting a math lesson. That day's assignment was on page 789. I let out a kind of snorty laugh and one of the kids looked at me like I was an alien. She had never heard the joke. Jokes are hard to explain to second graders. The humor gets lost when you are trying to explain a Homonym and how it makes for a funny joke. But, when the joke is laid out in front of you in a story, kids can get it all on their own.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and the second grade class I was subbing for were getting a little squirrely with their math and language studies. I pulled out my special copy of 7 Ate 9 and we had a math and language lesson all in one. Don't worry, I just read the book and didn't tell them they were putting their lessons to work. They already knew the story, but were happy to read the book again. They love being in on the jokes and the mystery. Thank you Tara for signing the book. It is now in the school library and the kids can read it again and again.
On to Perfect Picture Book Friday:
Title: THE UPPER CASE: TROUBLE IN CAPITAL CITY
Author: Tara Lazar
Illustrator: Ross McDonald
Publisher: Disney Hyperion, 2019
Now, before we get started, put on your best Humphrey Bogart voice and read this out loud . . .
Opening lines:
I was dozing in my chair when Question Mark barged into my office. He looked bent out of shape.
"What's the matter, Mark?" I asked.
The problem, you ask. All the uppercase letters are missing! But Private I is on the case and he's taking you along to talk to Little b, and all the punctuation to solve this mystery.
Why I love this book:
A mystery as noted at the beginning of this post.
Tara has a wonderful ability to bring language and number humor alive.
Throughout the story readers learn about punctuation in a fun way.
You get to use your Humphrey Bogart voice and create many more voices for all the characters.
I love how Ross McDonald brings all the letters and punctuation to life. Those little legs and big shoes . . . adorable.
Activities and Resources:
Practice your best Humphrey Bogart voice. Here's a little video to get you started.
I was going to add some "Fun ways to teach capitalization and punctuation." But so far I haven't found any that are as fun as this book. If you have fun ways to play with these lessons, please share them in the comments.
Title: Give Me Back My Bones!
Author: Kim Norman
Illustrator: Bob Kolar
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2019
Themes: Bone Structure, Pirates, Poetry, Halloween, Skeletons
First Lines:
A stormy Night has passed here
and toppled every mast here.
The ocean, flowing fast here,
has scattered all my bones!
Why I love this book:
A fun way to teach a child the names of the bones in our bodies.
A Pirate story!
Poetry
Kim uses Anadiplosis (not a dinosaur) but the repetition of the last word in each of the lines of poetry.
In the first three lines of each page/poem, her meter matches and ends of the lines use the same word. Then as she is showing us which bone the skeleton is seeking, the meter and last word change. The first three lines skip along at a fast fun beat. The fourth line is shorter yet takes longer to say making the name of the bone sticky and memorable.
Beautiful under water illustrations.
I am always curious to figure out how illustrations are made. It was a challenge for this book. I was pretty sure it was digital art, but that was a guess and I wanted to be sure. I found a sentence on a Pinterest post that says his work is created with Adobe Illustrator. Bob Kolar has a way of making the images cartoony yet realistic.
I guess what I mean by that is there is a playfulness to the illustrations and yet, you can tell there was research and an understanding of the subject. The fish are recognizable as real fish you could see in the ocean. The bones are simplified, yet you know what they are.
I love the way he uses texture to create depth and dimensionality.
The color scheme with the dark background and bright foreground is engaging.
Activities and Resources:
Don't wait until Talk Like A Pirate Day to share this book. It would be fun now around Halloween. If you are talking about the human body and want to teach the names of the skeletal bones, share the book. Share it in a poetry unit to teach the meter and anadiplosis style of poetry.
This past summer I met Daria Peoples-Riley at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. On our last night, we all headed over to the Executive Director's family farm for a cookout. Daria, Matthew Winner, and I were in the same van for the trip. Daria pulled out her copy of her about to be released picture book, I Got Next. It's the sequel to her book This is It.
Title: I Got Next
Author and Illustrator: Daria People-Riley
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2019
When I got home, I ordered both books. There are so many kids I would love to share these books with. They are inspiring, encouraging, and filled with rhythm, poetry, and joy.
In the van, Daria mentioned that she wished there was a way to teach people how to read the books with the rhythm, poetry, and joy that is infused throughout. You see there are some videos of people reading the book. The readers do a beautiful job of enunciating and reading each page slowly for someone looking will be able to linger over the images. The problem with that is these books are more like music and when you read the story without the music, you leave part of that story in the book. (my thoughts.)
To give you a sense of the rhythm, here is the flap cover text:
It's Game day!
Time to put
your game face on.
Shake shake 'em.
Playground play, 'em.
Work hard.
Don't quit.
And leave your heart
on the court
because
YOU
GOT
NEXT!
I emailed Daria and asked if I could interview her for this post. She graciously agreed and a I sent her a few questions.
What would you tell readers to help them get the rhythm?
I think in order for readers to understand the rhythm and rhyming in THIS IS IT and I GOT NEXT they should research the rhetorical devices deeply rooted in African traditions. One of the stylistic devices I use in my books, through voice and structure, both in text and visually is call and response. Call and response is the foundation for many African American oral traditions. It is a dialogue between the speaker and the audience, the author and the reader.
Some stories have an obvious tune based on a song that we know. Others are like these two books where the text size, the punctuation, the images provide clues to the voice of the story. This is a part of why we fall in love with a story and want to share it with the world. As librarians, parents, and teachers, we should have the courage to give each story we read the energy it deserves. It helps children become engaged with the story, and encourages them to want to read even more stories.
The end pages in I Got Next are beautiful and filled with symbols and portraits. Why did you choose this for the end pages? There is so much there to look at and wonder about.
I’m happy to hear this. I think this is exactly the purpose of public art, to make us pause, reflect and wonder, and maybe even wander into our own imagination. I chose to create a mural for the end pages because I imagined it would exist in the neighborhood where my hero lives, a reminder to him of the heroes and heroines whose lives he should use as mentor texts. Their stories of resilience and contribution should inspire him to put his game face on and use his gifts and abilities to work hard and to be a leader on the court, and in extension, in his community.
Would you share a little bit about your illustration style and process?
My illustration style is a result of me learning to work with the materials and knowledge I gain as I grow as an artist through my life experiences and through trial and error.
When I began, I enjoyed painting, but lacked the education of traditional art school training. I didn’t know things like how to prepare paper for a painting or the elements of composition or really the “right” way to do anything. Pretty much everything I learned about illustration was more or less a result of playing and experimenting with mediums and various processes.
My introduction to art was photography, so I learned Photoshop as a result and used it as apart of my process. Because of Photoshop, I think about the composition of an illustration in layers which is the way Photoshop is structured.
I begin by painting individual layers, scan, or photograph the layers, and then composite them in Photoshop, from the background to foreground. If I mess up, it’s no big deal because I can just paint the layer over again until it can be added to the composition in Photoshop.
I used this process for both THIS IS IT and I GOT NEXT. I paint in watercolor, gouache, and ink. For the portraits in I GOT NEXT, I drew those using charcoal.
Many people ask me if I call my style collage. I guess it is in a non-traditional way, but as I grow as an artist, I find myself moving away from Photoshop, primarily because I don’t really like using the computer as much these days. I do, however, like the idea of collage, so I’m experimenting with ways to retain my style while using a new process that doesn’t always include Photoshop or drastically limits my use of it.
How did these stories come to you; through words or images first?
All of my stories (up to this point) come through the inspiration of a protagonist who wants me to tell his or her story. When I sit down to tell it, some spreads come as words, others as images and after it’s gone through the revision process, both words and images tell the whole story.
More Questions?
I could have asked her many more questions, but a book, once released into the world, is a partnership of the author, illustrator, and reader. We as the readers get to make our own interpretations and bring our individuality into each story we read.
Why I love these books:
For their poetry, their encouragement, and because I can easily see myself sharing them with loads of kids.
I love that the characters in these picture books are older. I love reading picture books to school aged children. They have the ability to see the layers within the stories and use their own imaginations to create art and stories of their own.
Daria uses a shadow person as the other character in the book. I have thought a lot about that. The shadow looks like the character, but it could also be the shadow of an important person in the child's life. Our shadows can be uplifting and our shadows have the potential of trying to tear us down. I believe this comes from who we have in our lives and how they talk to us each day. As adults and parents who connect with children, it is our opportunity to help each child we encounter develop their positive uplifting shadow.
Activities and Resources:
Check out the trailer for this is it. A celebration of individuality, self-expression and dance.
I had to laugh when I opened my email for the latest episode of The Children's Book Podcast and saw that it is an interview with Daria Peoples-Riley on the same week that I was working on my Perfect Picture Book Friday post of her books. I guess connections made at Highlights Foundation are really strong.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
I have to start by saying I love these writing contests. They help me stay creative, help me focus on best word choices to make a complete story in a limited number of words, and I get to read loads of stories written by many writers.
Having said that, this time, I had a hard time getting started. I have been participating in Inktober and my creative brain was drawing focused. I almost gave up. I figured I would promote the contest and read other people's stories and be satisfied. But that didn't feeling right. It felt like giving up on a tiny bit of my writing dream.
I sat down looked at the images again (I had limited my choices to two photos)
Image 11
I really thought the story would come from the crows. We have three crows who hang out in our Cottonwood tree from fall to spring and I have been waiting for their story to emerge. I must continue wait. Sitting on my table by the window was a little acorn that I had picked up one day while walking the dogs. The story didn't come from here, though a couple lines appeared:
"I told him not to eat the acorn. Who eats anything that glows?"
"You know if you hadn't said anything, he probably wouldn't have eaten it."
"So it's my fault he turned into a . . .?"
Then, I drew this:
Still not a story.
Image 6
But Acorn Man came to mind and then the Spider Man song from the sixties started playing in my head and this is what came out: Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn!
Superhero Halloween
By Sarah Tobias, 159 words
“Aidan, Halloween is coming. Do you want to make a costume?”
“Oh, Yeah!”
“What would you like to be this year?”
“Acorn Man!”
“Tell me about this Acorn Man.”
Aidan began to sing:
“Acorn Man, Acorn Man! Enchanted by Squirrel Man.
Wears an Acorn hat and leaf.
Gathering acorns, he’s no thief.
Oh Yeah! He’s the Acorn Man.
Acorn Man, Acorn Man, Plants the seeds as fast as he can.
He’s strong as a tree
and floats like a leaf.
Make Way! For flying Acorn Man.
Acorn Man, Acorn Man! Nurtures seeds with a plan.
He cleans the air that we breathe
with his forest of Oak trees.
Oh Yeah! He’s the Acorn Man.”
“Well, all right then. Let’s get started making your
costume.”
They planned and they drew.
They cut and they sewed.
By Halloween, the costume was ready.
Aidan wore his pouch filled with acorns and,
for every treat he received . . .
he planted an Oak tree seed.
Be sure to check out more stories on the official entry page.
There are poems and stories; humorous and scary, sweet and dreary. They all show how creative people can be when they spend time and allow themselves to play, be inspired, and put pen to paper.
If you want to try your hand at writing a story, check out Susanna Hill's Halloweensie Contest. Get your butt in a chair and start writing. Your creative brain will thank you.
It's National Hispanic Heritage Month! What a wonderful opportunity to highlight Pura Belpre!
Title: Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre
Author: Anika Aldamuy Denise
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Publisher: Harper. 2019
Themes: Librarians, Biography, stories, Diversity, Puerto Rico
First Lines: It is 1921. Pura Teresa Belpre leaves her home in San Juan for a visit to Nueva York. Words travel with her: stories her abuela taught her. Cuentos folkloricos Pura retold in the shade of a tamarind tree., in Puerto Rico.
Why I love this book:
It's about a librarian! Even better a librarian from Puerto Rico. She loved children, told stories and wrote stories which were published.
As I read her story, I think about storytimes in the library and the sense of simple pleasure they provided. "In the children's room, she lights the story hour candle . . . and begins:
To me there is still nothing as lovely as sharing stories with a group of children.
Pura crafted her own puppets to bring her stories to life. Folktales were shared en ingles y espanol. taking us back in time to a special place that lives on to this day.
There is a joyful gentleness in the illustrations. Many colors, but they are all a little bit muted, soft and feel like we are being taken back in time to the world of Pura Belpre.
Write a story and act it out with your new puppet.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
I would love to hear your thoughts about the books I share. Have you read them? Were they available at your library? Did you ask the library to purchase them? How did you use them in your classroom or library? Feel free to share the posts with family and friends. Reading is wonderful and sharing about books you love, helps authors, illustrators and publishers.
My apologies for missing accents on words. I have looked up how to get them to work on my laptop, but my laptop doesn't want to play the way other laptops do. I will get it figured out and will edit this post once I do. If only it were as easy as it is on my phone and tablet. (That might be the solution, but I would like one that allows me to do all the work in one place.)
Title: When Aidan Becomes a Brother
Author: Kyle Lukoff
Illustrator: Kaylani Juanita
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 2019
This is another book that I learned about from Matthew Winner while I was out at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. I love that Matthew strives to share books for underrepresented groups. You can listen to the podcast here.
Opening Lines: When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name. His room looked like a girl's room.
Why I love this book:
Aidan's story is not just about his getting a new sibling, but about how everyone thought Aidan was a girl when he was born, but he felt and knew that he was a boy. His parents came to terms with this realization and accepted him for who he is. When Aidan finds out he is going to become a brother, he wants to make sure that the new baby is welcome and given the opportunity to figure out who they will be.
I believe that all children should feel comfortable in their own skin. OK, I believe everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin and that works best when it starts early. This book is all about a family feeling comfortable in their skin. Life is not perfect, but when we recognize our mistakes and take steps to fix them, we make the world a better place; a more comfortable place for everyone to live happy full lives.
I like that this story is specifically about a child recognizing his gender doesn't match his body. There are many books about boys who want to wear dresses and they are wonderful for all children to see that it's OK to dress in girls clothes if you are a boy and boys clothes if you are a girl. Those books tell a child it's OK to be who you are and to discover yourself through dress-up and play. This book is about knowing who you are and being accepted for being that person.
I admit that I never wondered who I was in terms of gender. I'm a girl with a bunch of what would have been considered tomboy tendencies. (I like science and nature. I loved climbing trees and learning how to use the chain saw and help with cutting down dead trees to use as fire wood.) But I am a girl/woman. I also know that in my life, there were times when others said things that made me feel less than whole. I was teased for my red hair. I didn't find out I was adopted until I was 13 years old and even after that it was a family secret. So while I always felt like my gender matched my physical body, I often struggled to feel accepted in the world.
If you know someone who feels unaccepted for who they are, hug them, and let them know that they are perfect, loved, and they belong. Share this book with them.
With kids:
Have a conversation about the things that make the child not feel like they fit in. Talk about what would make the child feel accepted.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
Title: Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!
Created by: Megan Lacera and Jorge Lacera
Publisher: Children's Book Press an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc, 2019
First lines: Mo was a zombie with a deep, dark craving. It was dreadful. Devious. Absolutely despicable. Mo loved to eat vegetables.
The love and joy of having his vegetables is so sweet.
Why I love this book:
1. The end pages. The front end pages are framed images of Dad being a very successful zombie. The back pages show Mo being Mo.
2. Recipes. Combining delicious vegetable dishes with creepy zombies terms. Zombie finger foods. Ha Ha H.
3. The zombie food is disgusting and sure to incite groans and gags from any audience. Dori-toes (For dipping), Arm-panadas.
Once again pure joy for their favorite foods.
4. Such a cute/gross lovable family, each family member with different skin tones.
5. Turning the tables on eating vegetables. The kid has to convince the parents that they are good.
6. They have mixed in some Spanish words here and there to give it a little extra cultural flavor.
7. Wonderful illustrations. Look at the color combinations, the grossness, the humor.
And finally, It's a story about being accepted for your differences.
Activities and Resources:
Practice your Spanish.
Make one or more of the recipes at the end of the book.
Learn more about the author illustrator team and listen to their podcast interview with Matthew Winner.
Have conversations about the things you like and don't like. Find ways to make each other feel more comfortable about your differences.
Draw your own Zombie Head. How would you make your zombie portrait?
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
Title: Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together
Author/Illustrator: Andrea Tsurumi
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019
First lines: Under the sea, where sunlight touches sand, lies a place that's home to many incredible creatures. Clownfish hides in the stinging anemone (ah-neh-mo-nee). Manta Ray gets cleaned. . . And Crab bakes cakes.
Why I love this book:
One: It is beautiful. Andrea's illustrations are full of color, detail and emotion. You could sit and look at each page for hours.
Two: It's about the creatures in the ocean. I love the ocean.
This is true. To add to it, if you are snorkeling in shallow coral areas, you can actually hear the Parrotfish crunching on the coral. And, if you think about it, when you put you feet on the sandy bottom, you are standing on Parrotfish poop (the sand).
Three: The play on words. Crab Cakes, get it? Popular people food and in this story, Crab bakes cake.
Four: It's an important story about saving our ocean.
Five: Fear can freeze us in our tracks, but if one person or crab shakes things up just a little bit, great things can happen.
And Six: Cake!
It's delicious, beautiful, poignant, and important!
Activities and Resources: Learn more about the ocean life shown in the book. Who knows, you may discover some fun and strange facts along the way. Check out books from your school or public library.
Visit an Aquarium: In Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium offers free days to Illinois Residents and is a Museums for All partner. Check out the Aquarium closest to you and spend the day under the sea. Take Action! Even if you don't live near an ocean, there are loads of things you can do to help protect your family, the planet, and future generations.
When you go to the beach, a park, or forest, take a bag and pick up garbage you find.
Be sure to recycle.
Rethink what you use, can you do without it? Can you use it again? Can you . . . .
As the story of the Starfish goes, you alone may not be able to do a whole lot, but by tossing that starfish back into the sea, you have made a difference to that one starfish.
Did you know that Maine is the first state in the US to ban Styrofoam?
Start a program in your neighborhood/school and see how you can make it grow. Maybe the program is to teach people about the ocean, or the life cycle of butterflies, or how to grow a garden, or collecting plastic bottle caps to have made into benches. The sky's the limit.
Write letters to your government officials, let them know you want change and you are willing to help make it happen.
Be sure to listen to Matthew C. Winner and Andrea Tsurumi talking about the book on The Children's Book Podcast Blog. This is one of my favorite podcasts so far. I enjoy them all, but the joy, compassion, humor, and enthusiasm that Andrea and Matthew have in this interview is contagious. You can subscribe to The Children's Book Podcast through just about any podcast app.
Remember, 71% of our earth is covered by water. You are made up of 60% water. Clean water is important. Not just the oceans, but our lakes, rivers, and streams too.
Be Like Crab and . . . Bake A Cake
Any cake. If you want to share it with me, I need it to be gluten free.
I found this mix from Simple Mills at the grocery store, and it's really tasty.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
Title:The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown Author: Mac Barnett Illustrated by: Sarah Jacoby Publisher: Balzar and Bray, 2019
I was so fortunate to hear Mac Barnett read this book at the Anderson Bookstore Children's Literature Breakfast way back in February. I fell in love. This is an important book.
It is a little bit biography of Margaret Wise Brown. You will learn bits and pieces of her life as you read. It is a little bit biography of Anne Carroll Moore who doesn't even appear in the book until page 20. A little bit about censorship. A little bit about life and death. A little bit about being strange and being yourself. Yes, it is an important book that tells you important things about Margaret Wise Brown and important things about life and death.
The First page: "It did not seem important that anyone wrote these stories. They were true. And it still doesn't seem important! All this emphasis today on who writes what seems silly to me as far as children are concerned." -- Margaret Wise Brown.
The first lines of the story: (I say story because while this is a biography, it is also a story.)
"Margaret Wise Brown lived for 42 years. This book is 42 pages long. You can't fit somebody's life into 42 pages, so I am just going to tell you some important thing."
Man, he had me at Hello.
Most picture books are not paginated. But this one is. Mac refers to the page we are on several times in the book just as he tells us how many pages the book is. We learn about Margaret as a child, as an author, and as an adult. We get tidbits of her life surrounded by the world around her and how she interacts with it. He tells us her books are strange, she is strange, and yet, she is compelling and exciting. I love people who are all of those things.
And then there are the illustrations. Sarah Jacoby brings Margaret Wise Brown to life in vivid colors and movement. Throughout she slips in book covers of Margaret's books and uses the characters from her stories to show the action within the biography. Be sure to check out the cover under the paper cover. It is lovely. Look closely at the illustrations. It's more than just Margaret's books (I think I missed that until I took a close-up photo of the page) So many details!
Activities:
Play Seek and Find throughout the book. What book covers do you see? Have you read those books? Check them out and keep the reading going. What other details do you notice? Are illustrations used in tiny spots from larger illustrations in the book? Count the rabbits.
Pick a bouquet of flowers and set them on your table. Enjoy the fleeting moments of flowers.
Read books by Margaret Wise Brown
Teachers and Librarians: This would make a great read for Banned Book Week. Or maybe the week before Banned Book Week. A door to open up to conversations about Banned Books. "Because every good book is at least a little bit strange, and there are some people who do not like strange things in their worlds." I hope today, libraries are less restrictive in their selection policies. I believe for the most part that they are. But, I also believe that we can ALWAYS do better. Whether that is buying more Indie published books that maybe didn't get reviewed in the major journals, seeking out more diversity in books by own voices authors, offering controversial programming, speaking up for all people, and being the place that communities can rely of for opening our minds and allowing us to learn and release our biases.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
Books for Babies and Toddlers! Celebrating the beginnings of independence. These books would make lovely gifts for newborns and first birthdays.
Title: Peekity Boo What You Can Do!
Author: Heidi Bee Roemer
Illustrated By: Mike Wohnoutka Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books Henry Holt and Company, 2019
First three pages: Peekity Boo! Look what baby can do . . . There's a shirt to slip off. Socks to kick off. Splishity splash! Here's a Baby's bath.
Themes: Bedtime, independence
Heidi creates wonderful poetry for young children. This story is an illustrated bedtime poem perfect for any toddler getting ready for bed.
The repetition of end words is a wonderful way to help a child build their language skills. It won't take may times of reading this book and toddler will be saying it along with you.
Why I love this book:
First I must admit that I had the privilege of taking a poetry writing class from Heidi. I may not have caught this book if not for that as I tend to read an look for books for an older age group.
This is a wonderful book for toddlers who are starting do do things on their own. It encourages them to try it themselves while at the same time, it is about family and the whole bedtime experience.
This book would make a wonderful gift for a child's first or second birthday.
Activities:
Turn getting ready for bed into a fun activity encouraging your toddler to do each activity in the story.
Play with the lovely Onomatopoeia words, Peekity Boo, Splishity Splash. Make up more words that sound like the activity you are doing.
Play Bath Games.
Title: Hooray for Babies!
Author: Susan Meyers
Illustrated by: Sue Cornelison Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 2019
Themes: Babies, activities, self-understanding
Gently rhyming, these babies discover the world in many different scenarios from looking in the mirror, to visiting the beach, playing in a pool, and taking a nap.
Opening Line: I'm glad that I'm a baby. I love my baby face.
Why I Like this Book:
This is a cute book for babies (6 months +). It's a full size picture book with a board book feel. Heavy paper for easier page turns. Toddlers will see all kinds of babies in this story as they experience the day. The babies are realistically painted, reminiscent of the old Gerber Baby Food campaigns with added diversity.
Title: Baby Day
Authors: Jane Godwin & Davina Bell
Pictures by: Freya Blackwood Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018 Themes: birthday, babies, activities and emotions
First lines: Today is baby's birthday. There's going to be a party. Happy baby! Here come baby's friends. Hello!
Description and Why I like this book:
This is a cute day in the life of a baby book set on a first birthday when lots of other babies come for the party. The sparse descriptive language with the illustrations, show all the emotions and activities that can happen during a birthday party. This is great for language building and associating words with emotions and activities.
I read in the CIP notes that the "illustrations are rendered in line work and watercolor on paper, with digitally composited oil paint lino-block prints." Freya's sketchy style creates movement throughout the story. It's like she was the outsider watching the birthday party and capturing all the little moments, good and bad.
Finally, if you want to find more cool picture books check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes.
Activities:
Eat ice cream.
Play with baby.
Spend time at the park.
Summer weather has finally arrived. The mosquitoes are busy making us itch, the worms are close to the surface of the garden soil, butterflies and bees flit from flower to flower drinking nectar and spreading pollen. It's a great time to be outside. When you need a break from the heat and mosquitoes, head to the library to check out these two book and learn about two incredible entomologists.
Title: The Bug Girl: Maria Merian's Scientific Vision
Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Illustrator: Filippo Vanzo Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2019
Opening: As a young girl growing up in the 1650's, Maria Merian was curious about everything. Her hometown of Frankfurt Germany, was full of creatures that crawled, flew, and scuttled. Butterflies were her favorite insect because their wings held a rainbow of colors. She could watch for hours as the butterflies flitted around the flowers blooming near her home.
Why I like this book:
This is a wonderful picture book biography about Maria Merian and her scientific illustrations. I had never heard the phrase "spontaneous generation" before reading this book. It opens the door to so many topics of discussion.
* Encourages kids to study the living world around them.
* Women scientists in the 1600's
* Spontaneous generation -- seeing how taking the time to understand the world around us changes our world view.
* Women artists
* Curiosity
*Forging ahead even when it is not the popular thing to do.
Title: Small Wonders: Jean-Henry Fabre & His World of Insects
Author: Matthew Clark Smith
Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri Publisher: Two Lions, 2015
Opening: Once there was a village in the sunny south of France: a village much like any other, where the cocks crowed and the church bells rang, and everyone seemed to know his or her place. Everyone, that is, but one.
At the very edge of town, behind high walls and plane trees, there stood a pink house. In the house lived an old man with beetle black eyes and a black felt hat who talked to animals. Whether he was a sorcerer, or simply a madman, no one could agree.
Why I like this book:
I love learning about people who studied nature and paved the way for us to have a better understanding of the world around us. Jean-Henry Fabre loved nature and insects and spent his life studying them and writing about them.
This book starts like a scary story with the old man in the black coat and hat coming from the pink house. We don't know who is man is and yet, the President of France is coming to visit him. How curious.
Start a Nature Journal. See what you notice throughout the year about the insects and nature around you. Here are some tips about nature journaling.
Raise a caterpillar and watch the metamorphosis process. Keep track of it in your nature journal. Then set your butterfly or moth free. This time of year, you can find eggs and caterpillars to bring in and raise on your own. You probably already know that Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. Did you know you might find a swallowtail egg or caterpillar on a dill plant. I wonder where you might find a Cabbage White caterpillar?
