Thursday, March 22, 2018

#road2reading Challenge - The Fix-It Friends series and giveaway 3.22.18


All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools 
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.


The Fix-It Friends: Have No Fear!  The Fix-It Friends: Sticks and Stones  The Fix-It Friends: Three's a Crowd 
 The Fix-It Friends: The Show Must Go On  The Fix-It Friends: Eyes on the Prize  The Fix-It Friends: Wish You Were Here
Fix-It Friends series
written by Nicole C. Kear
illustrations by Tracy Dockray
published by Imprint, a part of Macmillan Publishing

Last year I had the pleasure of reading the first book in the Fix-It Friends series.  I was so excited as I read this book.  Here was a realistic fiction, transitional chapter book.  It's perfect for 1st-3rd grade readers.  My 4th grade readers who aren't ready for longer chapter books also devour it.  In these books, readers can see themselves.  There are situations that are just like the ones they see or know others who are going through the same thing.  Do any of these situations sound familiar to you?
  • making new friends, finding friends in surprising places and people
  • figuring out how to get things done when staying on task is really hard
  • dealing with words - when they hurt and when to use them for kindness
  • facing your fears
I bet you are nodding your head!  These are the issues our young readers face everyday and where else to get ideas but inside the pages of a book.  Author Nicole Kear crafts these stories so perfectly - I've seen these books treasured by young readers because they know these characters!  They are friends with them!  These books are perfect Social Emotional Learning (SEL) companions because not only are the stories comfortable for young readers, there is also a section in the back that Nicole includes that gives more background and research on the issue that particular book in the series is tackling.  It's a great resource for educators and parents to take a look through.

Nicole has stopped by today to answer some questions about her books.

I love that these books have real life problems that are universal to young kids today. How are you researching problems and solutions? Does it ever involve young readers input?

Absolutely! My process starts with kids and ends with kids, too. I decided which problems to address in the books by reaching out to my own kids (now aged 5, 11 and 13) and many other elementary school kids and teachers and asking what they thought were the most common and pressing issues kids today deal with. Once I'd decided which issues to address, I reached out to leading experts in the field -- child psychologists at places like the NYU Child Study Center, and authors of books on the subject at hand -- and I interviewed them about the issues and specific coping strategies. Then I circled back to kids and interviewed them about what it felt like to grapple with the problem and, most importantly, what they'd found was helpful in dealing with it. This was my favorite part -- I'm continually wowed by how smart kids are, and how resourceful. When it comes to solving kids' problems, kids are definitely experts. 

What made you stay with younger readers vs more middle grade?

I really felt like there was a need for this series, specifically for younger readers. There are many wonderful books for middle grade readers that address the problems addressed in The Fix-It Friends -- dyslexia, ADHD, grief, anxiety -- but there are very few that tackle these issues for younger kids. And we know, without a doubt, that kids start to experience these challenges at a young age, in many cases as early as Kindergarten. So, second and third grade classrooms are full of kids who've been grappling with some of tehse issues for a long time, and ready for some coping strategies. I wanted kids who are grappling with these issues to know they're not alone -- that so many other kids are in the same boat. I also wanted to cultivate empathy in all kids, so they can better relate to their friends, classmates and siblings. And, really, fundamentally, I wanted to write a series that would hook young readers, get them excited to read, and keep them turning pages.

When you’re writing, how are you supporting your young readers through the story?

For starters, I think writing a series supports young readers because there's so much they already know when they crack open book 2 or 3 or 4. They know the characters, the genre, the voice, the setting, and they have a general sense of how the story will go. Something I thought about, and had a ton of fun with, was keeping up running jokes, and fun character quirks from book to book. So, for example, in every book, Ezra and Jude make a new nacho concoction and in every book the mom recites a famous quote. Something funny always happens with Pearl's stuffed rat Ricardo. It's fun to find ways to sneak that stuff into every story, and I think young readers look forward to those recurring bits. I also thought a lot about vocabulary as I was writing -- I wanted it to be easy for kids to read, and written in a kid voice, but occasionally, I threw in some "fancy" words, because I love vocabulary, and I want to give kids the gift of beautiful words too - ones they might not stumble upon, like "glower" or "aghast."  Veronica always explains the word or uses it in a helpful context so that kids will immediately understand it, because a fancy word is of no use to a kid if they don't know what it means! 


What is one thing about your writing style that would surprise us?


I get a lot of inspiration from real life -- from my own kids, and their friends and classmates, and from kids I observe on the streets of New York City. It's part of why I love living in the city; I'm always surrounded by interesting exchanges, and hilarious happenings. Also, being a mom to three kids, I'm pretty flexible about my working environments. Usually, I'm writing at a desk or table, listening to classical music but I've worked in lots of strange locations - waiting areas at gymnastics studios, and music schools, at the orthodontist's office, in high school cafeterias. I just stick in headphones and I'm all set. 


With a series like this, I bet you’ve already started hearing some great stories about how the books helped someone. Can you share one?

I received a message a few weeks ago from a mom whose child was being teased. It was something that had been going on for a long time, and it was really weighing the little girl down. The mom wrote to me to tell me her daughter had really related to book 2, Sticks and Stones, about a second grade boy who's teased because of his height. It had raised her daughter's spirits to read about a similar experience, and to know she wasn't the only one struggling with the problem. I haven't gotten an update but it sounded like the little girl was becoming empowered to advocate for herself, and the mom, too, was galvanized to advocate for her daughter. It's the kind of message that fills my heart and makes me think: "I love this job."

Thank you, Nicole, for taking the time and answering these questions!  

Would you like to share these books with young readers?  Thanks to Imprint, we have a set of all 6 Fix-It Friends to giveaway!  The giveaway will be open through Wednesday, March 28th for US residents.  Just fill out this form!

Thank you to Nicole Kear and Morgan Rath for setting this up!



Do you work with readers who are starting their journey on the road to reading?  Join Alyson Beecher from Kid Lit Frenzy and me every Thursday as we explore books and ideas to help readers have a successful start to independent picture book and chapter book reading. If you blog or have a Goodreads page, please link up with us!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - books for spring 3.21.18

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017
Every Wednesday I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other
kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.
The intention of today's blog post is to give professionals that work in the
education field new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 
with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.


It's officially spring!  And even if spring hasn't sprung by you (or it has, yet cold temperatures are sure to stop by - that's call midwest spring!), these books will get you in the season!

Warbler Wave by April Pulley Sayre
Warbler Wave
by April Pulley Sayre

I've always loved April Pulley Sayre's words and in this one she's teamed up with her husband to give us a beautiful book.  Wonderful poem about the migratory birds - warblers.  Full of rich vocabulary in simple text, there is much to learn.  Jeff Sayre's photographs are simply gorgeous and makes this a book to pour over time and time again.  Fascinating information in the backmatter.

Thank You, Earth by April Pulley Sayre
Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet
by April Pulley Sayre

Sayre is busy, giving us two new books this spring!  She always amazes me - her poetic story that gives us so much to think about and wonder as we read and look at the photographs.  But then you get to her backmatter, and there is always so much to learn there!  This is a book you'll want on your shelves this Earth Day!

Spectacular Spring by Bruce Goldstone
Spectacular Spring: All Kinds of Spring Facts and Fun
by Bruce Goldstone

I am so excited to have this book - it's absolutely one of the best books about the spring season.  One reason I love it is it shows the difference that occurs within the season.  For example, the weather - at the beginning of spring there may be snow, at the end there is rain.  At the beginning of spring, you still wear sweaters, at then end you wear a raincoat.  It shows flowers and animals that make appearances in spring, and also why.  It's a longer book because of all the information but short enough that it still works as a read aloud.  I am excited to see the Fall and Winter books are already published.  I'm sure we'll see a book about my favorite season in the near future!  If you work in the primary grades, this is a book I highly recommend for your libraries!

Thank you to Macmillan for the review copy!

The Things That I Love about Trees by Chris Butterworth
The Things That I Love About Trees
written by Chris Butterworth
illustrated by Charlotte Voake

A beautiful ode to trees - a narrative story explains why our young narrator loves trees throughout the seasons.  The narrator shares how trees change in each season and gives the readers interesting facts and reasons to love the changes.  In smaller print is further information that corresponds with the narrative.  The author also includes some more information, including an index for the book, in the backmatter.

Thank you to Candlewick for the review copy!

A Seed Is the Start by Melissa Stewart
A Seed is the Start
by Melissa Stewart

This is such a beautiful book from National Geographic Kids!  I love the photographs.  So much for young readers to learn by the visuals.  No surprise, but Stewart has this organized in a way that is easy for readers to process and understand and also find a reason to go back and reread multiple times for multiple purposes.  For example, on the first read, you might just read the large print words on each page that end up reading like a poem all the way through.  Then go back and check out the information on each page.  A third reading could be warranted by closely reading the photographs and put the visual with the information that had been read together.

Our second grade classrooms spend a unit focusing on seeds as part of their NGSS focus.  I am excited to add this book to our library for the teachers and students to use as a resource during their unit.

Melissa has been adding information to her blog that gives ideas how you can use her new book.  Here are some posts that have been added so far:
ways to use the book in grade 3
ways to use the book in grade 2
ways to use the book in grade 1
ways to use the book in kg

Thank you to National Geographic Kids for the review copy!


And one fun fiction story:

The Weather Girls by Aki .
The Weather Girls
by Aki

I know a lot of primary grades study weather and patterns.  This is just a fun fiction book about things you see and wear in the different seasons told through poetic verse.

Thank you to Macmillan for the review copy!


Let's do some spring reading and see if we can get spring here just a bit faster!

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Aru Shah and the End of Time - a review 3.20.18



Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava #1)
Aru Shah and the End of Time
written by Roshani Chokshi
a Rick Riordan Presents book
published by Disney-Hyperion
March 27th


Goodreads Summary
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from their latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?



Why you want to know about this book
With Rick Riordan's name attached, you know right away you're going to have a lot of readers for this book!  However, Rick Riordan did not write this book.  We all know Riordan knows his mythology.   What Riordan knows is there are tons of other myths that come from many different cultures.  What he also knows is he does not have understanding of them.  So, he has set off to go find authors that do and they will write the stories.
Roshani Chokshi, the author of New York Times best-selling novel The Star Touched Queen, is writing the first series of Riordan's imprint.  Choskhi gives us Aru Shah - a middle grade student who invents some perhaps larger than life stories (a.k.a. lies) so her classmates will think she is cooler than she actually is.  The reader quickly sees that she is a character we want to know due to her witty sense of humor (I laughed out loud in almost every chapter) and her reluctance to go save the world!  
I only got through The Lightning Thief and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't compelled to read the rest of the series.  After reading Aru Shah, I can tell you I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series!  I think it was Aru's sense of humor that made me love the story.  I'm looking forward to the next one... in 2019!  Small wait... In the meantime I'll be looking forward to September 18th when we get the next series in this imprint - The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes.

Give this to kids who
  • enjoy the other Rick Riordan series
  • like mythology
  • interested in other cultures
  • like humorous books
  • like adventure
Don't miss the interview Rick Riordan did with author Roshani Chokshi:




This is the first book in a planned four-book series.  I'm already excited for 2019 to see what happens next!  Don't miss this book on March 27th.  I have a feeling you'll need multiple copies.

Monday, March 19, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading 3.19.18

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts
 and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  
It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.


Last Week's Adventures

Looking for some new poetry books for your collection?  Stop by this round up!

I couldn't love this character more - stop by the Bat and the Waiting Game blog tour and be sure to enter the giveaway!

What has been in my nonfiction stacks?  Take a peek!


Picture Books

Teddy's Favorite Toy
Teddy's Favorite Toy
written by Christian Trimmer
illustrated by Madeline Valentine
Really great story about a boy and his favorite toy - a doll named Bren-da.  What I loved about this one is you can tell it's about a boy whose favorite toy is a doll.  But don't be quick to be making any incorrect gender assumptions - it's not about a boy who is made fun of having a doll a his favorite toy.  It's not an "issue" book, it's not meant to be about a boy who likes a doll, it's about what happens when a child's favorite toy is broken.

I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't
I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't
by Diane Dillon
When does that little voice, the one we have inside our heads, when does it first make its appearance?  When we're young, the world is full of possibilities, they are limitless.  But at some point, we start doubting ourselves.  We question our decisions.  We think about why we can't.  
This is a wonderful book to read aloud again and again.  Believe in the possibilities.  Use can not can't.  
While I should have known Diane Dillon's name, I didn't.  Diane and her husband, Leo, are the award winning husband and wife team behind books such as Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, The Hundred Penny Box, and Honey, I Love amongst others.  Their work has been awarded the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor several times.  This is interesting to note because Leo is African American while Diane is white.  I just heard about this in recent weeks.
This is one of those books that looks like it's for young readers, but really, I think it's the older kids who need to hear the message the most.

The Book About Nothing
The Book About Nothing
written by Mike Bender
illustrated by Hugh Murphy
This one is just a funny book.  It's going to make young readers laugh.  I noticed on Goodreads, it says it's for fans of The Book With No Pictures and I think they are right!

I Am Enough
I Am Enough
written by Grace Byers
illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo
I really love this book - I think kids will see themselves in different parts of this story.  Great diverse pictures, I appreciated the different colors, sizes and abilities.  I think the words and illustrations are powerful in different ways.


Graphic Novels

The Prince and the Dressmaker
The Prince and the Dressmaker
by Jen Wang
Loved this graphic novel.  Immediately handed it to my middle school child.
Prince Sebastian's parents would love nothing more than seeing their only child betrothed to a princess.  What they don't know is his secret - he loves wearing beautiful dresses and parading as Lady Chrystallia.  Sebastian hires a seamstress, Frances, to create his dresses and finds a new friendship.

Currently Reading

The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2)
The Wild Robot Escapes
by Peter Brown
I have some serious peer pressure to get this book read and soon - by a lot of 3rd and 4th graders!

Happy Spring Reading!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Spotlight Friday: new poetry books! 3.16.18


Time to get ready for the weekend!
Kick up your feet and find a good place to read.
Sharing #booklove for your classroom or library.
Spotlighting a book or two because these books deserve the spotlight!


Today's spotlight is on poetry!  Sharing some new books that you may want to find!

Did You Hear What I Heard? by Kay Winters
Did You Hear What I Heard? Poems About School
written by Kay Winters
illustrated by Patrice Barton
published by Dial Books for Young Readers

I think I would wait and use this book towards the end of the school year - lots of fun poems that take you through a school year.  And with the illustrations by Patrice Barton (The Invisible Boy), this is a book kids will return to throughout the year!

Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
written by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Also
published by Carolrhoda Books

Back and forth poems between the two authors, written as if it were a school project - discussing all kinds of relevant topics.

Crawly School for Bugs: Poems to Drive You Buggy
Crawly School for Bugs: Poems to Drive You Buggy
written by David L. Harrison
illustrated by Julie Bayless
published by WordSong: an imprint of Highlights

Humorous bug poems that are sure to tickle your funny bone!

Dreaming of You by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Dreaming of You
written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
illustrated by Aaron DeWill
published by Boyds Mills Press

Beautiful nighttime poem, but a wonderful mentor text - vivid language that loops through the story and connects the poem together. 

School People by Lee Bennett Hopkins
School People
poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
illustrated by Ellen Shi
published by WordSong: an imprint of Highlights

15 poems celebrating school and the people who are the heart of the school, written by 14 amazing poets.  A gorgeous compilation and a must have.  Pair with Did You Hear What I Heard? for some fun school reading!

I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni
I Am Loved
written by Nikki Giovanni
illustrated by Ashley Bryan
published by A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book
Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Gorgeous poems about being and feeling loved illustrated by the great Ashley Bryan.  You can't go wrong with this one!

A Round of Robins by Katie Hesterman
A Round of Robins
written by Katie Hesterman
illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
published by Nancy Paulsen Books

I am so excited for this book!  It's perfect for young readers and our kindergarteners go through a whole bird unit.  I am really happy to add this to their collection.  Quick, rhyming poems, there is so much to learn about robins in these fun poems.

Earth Verse by Sally M. Walker
Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up
written by Sally M. Walker
illustrated by William Grill
published by Candlewick

This book will have a lot of uses in 3rd and 4th grade with their NGSS.  Such an interesting choice for each poem to be in a haiku - every word counts!  Each page has a small icon where the page number might be - this icon corresponds with specific information that is found in the backmatter.  Makes this book not only a mentor text for poetry, but also for science with the cross curricular ties!


Wow, such amazing poetry we have available right now.  I hope you found some to add to your collection!

Thursday, March 15, 2018

#road2reading Challenge - Bat and the Waiting Game blog tour 3.15.18


All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools 
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.


I still remember reading A Boy Called Bat.  It was summer of 2016 and I had received an e-galley (electronic early copy).  I read it on my kindle app while working out at the gym.  I often have a hard time falling into books that I'm reading electronically - I don't connect with them as much.  But this one was different.  This one I knew was special.  The crazy thing was I had to wait until the following March to share it with students. Since its publication, I've spent a lot of time sharing it with readers and talking to them about it once they've read Arnold's beautiful words.  It was even on our Mock Newbery list this year and Debbie at Walden Pond Press made sure we had plenty of copies to share with our readers!




Now, it's time to celebrate, because we have more Bat to love!


Bat and the Waiting Game
by Elana K. Arnold
illustrations by Charles Santoso
published by Walden Pond Press
publishes March 27th


Book Summary:
The second book in the irresistible and “quietly groundbreaking”* young middle grade series starring Bat, an unforgettable boy on the autism spectrum.

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life is pretty great. He’s the caretaker of the best baby skunk in the world—even Janie, his older sister, is warming up to Thor.

When Janie gets a part in the school play and can’t watch Bat after school, it means some pretty big changes. Someone else has to take care of the skunk kit in the afternoons.
Janie is having sleepovers with her new friends. Bat just wants everything to go back to normal. He just has to make it to the night of Janie’s performance…


My thoughts:
Oh, we so need more Bat!  Bat gave us the perfect window and mirror into life with autism.  Now the autism spectrum is wide and long and a person with autism may look very different than Bat's high functioning ways, however, for many readers, it gave them an inside look at the way autism can affect thinking, muscle control, and everyday social situations.  Arnold navigates this very well and Bat's autism is an important part of the book, but does not take over the story.

In this second book, we see Bat and his best animal friend, Thor the skunk kit 
We also see Bat have more social time with his friend, Israel.  The reader usually understands Bat's social flaws and hopefully this will bring out empathy in the reader.  I love that this book series can help educate about autism while drawing us into such a heartfelt story.  Kids recognize differences but they also can empathize with the situations Bat is in - when he gets into a fight with a friend over reasons he doesn't even recognize, when he needs some extra understanding at school, when navigating sibling relationships.  These stories create everyday mirrors into lives and lets readers know it's ok to have these feelings. 



More about Elana K. Arnold:  
Elana K. Arnold grew up in California, where she, like Bat, was lucky enough to have her own perfect pet - a gorgeous mare named Rainbow - and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She is the author of picture books, middle grade novels, and books for teens, including the National Book Award finalist title What Girls Are Made Of. Elana lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. She calls the “Bat” series for Walden Pond Press “books of her heart.” You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com.


Be sure to take a look at all the stops on the blog tour:

3/12 For Those About to Mock, @abouttomock Sam Eddington
3/15 Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook @knott_michele Michele Knott
3/15 @iowaamber Amber Kuehler
3/16 The Hiding Spot @thehidingspot Sara Grochowski
3/18 Educate*Empower*Inspire…Teach @guerette79 Melissa Guerrette
3/19 Maria’s Melange @mariaselke Maria Selke
3/20 Nerdy Book Club post by Elana
3/20 Writers Rumpus @kirsticall Kirsti Call
3/22 Bluestocking Thinking @bluesockgirl Nicole Levesque
3/28 Unleashing Readers @unleashreaders Kellee Moye

Don't miss the amazing and comprehensive teaching guide here.

The generous folks at Walden Pond Press are donating a copy of Bat and the Waiting Game to a reader (US/Canada resident).  The giveaway will be open Wednesday, March 21st at noon.  Good luck, and as always, happy reading!



Do you work with readers who are starting their journey on the road to reading?  Join Alyson Beecher from Kid Lit Frenzy and me every Thursday as we explore books and ideas to help readers have a successful start to independent picture book and chapter book reading. If you blog or have a Goodreads page, please link up with us!

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - nonfiction in my stacks 3.14.18

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017
Every Wednesday I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other
kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.
The intention of today's blog post is to give professionals that work in the
education field new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 
with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.


Here are some books that have been in my nonfiction stacks...


Made for Each Other by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Made for Each Other: Why Dogs and People are Perfect Partners
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Dog lovers are going to want to get lost in this book.  Between the information and photographs, I have no doubt that many readers will flock towards this book.
This is a chapter book but I love the length and readability.  This book will appeal to those readers who are ready to move beyond picture books.

Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs by Melissa Stewart
Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs
written by Melissa Stewart and Steve Brusatte
illustrated by Julius Csotonyi
I have some dinosaur enthusiasts that are going to be so excited for this book!
When I first began teaching in the early 1990s, I always taught a unit on dinosaurs because it was PreK and so many kids had a fascination with dinos!  After reading this book, I can't believe how many new discoveries have been found - and so recently!  

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix
written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee
illustrated by Man One
I am so grateful for the ALA awards and NCTE awards to letting me know about books.  This title is one I first saw at NCTE and then when it was announced in February as a Sibert Honor, it reminded me I needed to get ahold of this book.  
Very cool read, which I should have known anyway since it's a part of the Readers to Eaters series (check them out if you haven't already!)

Snowy Owl Invasion! by Sandra Markle
Snowy Owl Invasion! Tracking an Unusual Migration
by Sandra Markle
I absolutely love Markle's books - they are so clear and structured in the way she writes, it makes it so easy for the reader to follow along in her books.  This one is about the snowy owl and how in 2013 so many of them migrated to the U.S.  What caused this migration?  Will it happen again?  Where have they gone?  Markle asks the questions that we all want to know and lays out the information in an easy to follow along book.  One that is lengthy enough to appeal to older readers, but is straightforward enough for the younger readers to comprehend.


Hope you found another nonfiction book to check out!  Happy reading!