Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Fact or a good joke? 11.09.16

Every Wednesday I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other

kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.

The intention of today's blog is to give educational professionals

new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 

with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.

We have a responsibility to teach young readers to be critical of what they read, especially nonfiction.  Just because something is classified as nonfiction, or is shelved in the nonfiction section, means it is necessarily true.

Here are a couple of series that you could use with young readers that show nonfiction should not always be taken at face value.

TOON Books:

This is a fantastic series for young readers.  I really enjoy many of their beginning graphic novels.  There are also some nonfiction books as part of the series, but just be careful of everything you read.

A Goofy Guide to Penguins 

by Jean-Luc Coudray and Philippe Coudray

Definitely funny, but be careful what you read.  Some of the jokes are just that, silly riddles, without much truth to them.  Others hold truth, but you have to closely read and understand the illustrations to find the truth.

The Real POOP on PIGEONS!

by Kevin McCloskey

This one holds more facts than comedy, but young readers still have to be savvy enough to know when the characters are being silly and when they are disguising a fact in the joke.  I wish there were more back matter.

The Disgusting Critters/Creatures series

I really like this series by Elise Gravel, but with the critter/creature doing most of the talking, the young reader has to be savvy, just like in the above book, and distinguish between fact/truth.

            

I like both series, and I think they are helpful to get readers to try nonfiction.  But unless you can help the reader know the difference between fact and a cleverly disguised joke, the nonfiction definitely becomes fiction.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11.07.16

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

I always enjoy picture book biographies, but these are some really great ones out there.

I always find lists of books so helpful!  Here is a list of books you may want to give as a "Welcome to the World" or Graduation congratulations gift! 

Picture Books

It Is Not Time For Sleeping by Lisa Graff

5/5 stars

This is going to be a bedtime story that is begged to be read by millions of young children in the years to come.  It's timeless.  

And of course Lauren Castillo's illustrations are as beautiful as always.  I pour over each detail.  I think they are endearing to young children - they speak to them.


Pond by Jim LaMarche
4/5 stars
I loved this book about young Matt who decides that he is going to try and restore an area that looks like there had been a pond.  As the pond comes back, so do the wildlife and animals.  Kids can make a difference in our world and this book could be the springboard to make a child think about that!


I Don't Want to be Big by Dev Petty
4/5 stars
I admit I like the first one better, but this is a silly follow-up.  Fun to be in the mind of this child - his reasonings of why he doesn't want to be something (a frog, or in this one, big) are pretty transparent in everyone's eyes... except his.  And I love how quickly he changes his mind.


A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon
by Matthew Olshan
4/5 stars
The mostly true account of the two men, Dr. John Jeffries, an Englishmen, and Jean-Pierre, a Frenchman, who made the first international balloon flight.  It's humorous, many parts are silly when they are bickering.  Although mostly true, the story ends up fiction because of the liberties the author took in telling the story.


Informational Text


Because of an Acorn by Lola Schaefer
4/5 stars
I read this book and the next one over and over to small groups of students in honor of our school's Woodland Day.  This one was my favorite because of how much it teaches in such simple text and the wonderful illustrations.  Perfect book to use for cause and effect.


Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari
4/5 stars
Another book that I learned more and more from with each subsequent reading.  Perfect book to show the food chain and how animals use their defenses to get away from prey.  The back matter is also full of good information.


Giant Squid by Candace Fleming
5/5 stars
What an amazing mentor text!  I actually just used it to show my daughter how to write an exciting lead for a nonfiction text!
I guess I didn't realize how little we knew of the giant squid.  It's interesting to think about how many there are and how little we've seen.  
An exciting nonfiction text you definitely want to share with your students.

Poetry


Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes
5/5 stars
Wow.  Powerful.  Great middle grade themes - parental expectations, bullying, friendship, coming of age.  This book will speak to its readers.
Grimes writing is amazing as always.  Each poem/chapter is written in tanka verse.  The ability to tell a story while writing in a specific format will always amaze me.

Middle Grade

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan
5/5 stars

I am not a dog person.  I did not grow up with a dog, and while I wouldn't mind having one now, my lifestyle - too much traveling for extended periods of time - really does not make sense for us to have a dog.  As a result, I am often not over emotional with dog stories.  It's the well written ones that I fall in love with.  And this book is one of them.  I love how the story threads go together.  I love how every word matters in this short book.  I'm not sure this book is for every reader, but it's definitely right for many!

Young Adult

Replica by Lauren Oliver

5/5 stars

This book is actually two in one.  Two girls' stories - Gemma and Lyra - that tell the story from two points of view.  But neither story can be told without the other.  

Oliver talks about how all of our stories are seen differently through the eyes of other people who are involved within the story.  This book shows this and it's a great talking point.

How you read the story is up to you - you can read in alternating chapters, although this requires you to flip the book upside down and start from the other side (this is what I did) or you can read through one girl's story and then the other.  

I was fascinated with the concept of the book and the theme - human cloning - and I finished this book quickly.  Now if the sequel would hurry up and arrive...

Currently Reading


Zack Delacruz: Just My Luck by Jeff Anderson

Happy reading to you this week!

Spotlight Friday: welcome to the world! 11.04.16

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!

Spotlighting a roundup of books that make perfect welcome-to-the-world baby gifts.  Some could double as graduation gifts!

This is Our Baby, Born Today

written by Varsha Bajaj

illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

When the World is Dreaming

by Rita Gray

illustrated by Kenard Pak

King Baby

by Kate Beaton

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

by Emily Winfield Martin

The Knowing Book

written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

illustrated by Matthew Cordell

I Wish You More 

written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Bunny Roo, I Love You

written by Melissa Marr

illustrated by Teagan White

Wish

by Matthew Cordell

Wherever You Go

written by Pat Miller

illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

What books do you like to give as gifts?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - picture book biographies 11.02.16

Every Wednesday I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other

kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.

The intention of today's blog is to give educational professionals

new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 

with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.

Don't miss these picture book biographies!



Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
by Javaka Steptoe
What I love about art is how much it varies.  People really see something different in all art, and find something different that speaks to them.
It seems to me that I really don't know many current artists.  I'm always finding new ones through children's literature.  I'm glad many of them are being introduced to me.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is an artist I did not know about, but the layers of this man is fascinating to me.  To have so much passion at a young age, to see pieces of the world and social injustice and messages and put it all into art...
Steptoe's words are as vivid as his own artwork.  He includes a note both at the beginning and end of the book explaining the art in the book and his decisions that went into it.  I felt the need to do some further research and go back and forth between the author's real work and the illustrations in the book.
I have a feeling we'll be hearing this book title in January.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

by Debbie Levy

Fantastic picture book biography - well rounded information and Levy does a great job showing the reader how Ginsburg fought passionately - still is! - for the rights for all.  What stood out to me in this picture book biography was the big picture - Levy named the book "I Dissent" and then went on to show how this was a theme throughout Ginsburg's life.  Great back matter included.

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille

by Jen Bryant

I think I've read more about the blind but haven't really thought much about what is behind the Braille alphabet.  Great picture book biography about the young man who invented this alphabet.  I was surprised to learn that Braille was not born blind, but it was through an accident that lead to his being blind.  Another book with great back matter.


I Am Jane Goodall
by Brad Meltzer
I think this series has gotten better over time.  This one about Jane Goodall is packed with information that gives the young reader a great picture of who she is.  I thought the themes were placed just right - accomplish anything by working together, see how alike, not different, people are, share the Earth, take care of each other.


Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist
by Susan Wood
I had never heard of the musician Esquivel, but when I saw the book was illustrated by the wonderful Duncan Tonatiuh, I knew it was a book I would check out.  I think what enhanced my reading experience was listening to Esquivel's music as I read the book.  I pulled up some of his songs on Apple Music and the sound was absolutely unique and different.  Some of the artistic decisions Tonatiuh made absolutely made sense as I listened to the music.  Esquivel created a unique mix of sounds that while different, came together to make a very interesting listening experience.  I'm not sure if I read the book without the music it would've stayed with me the same.


Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature
by Cindy Jenson-Elliott
I've heard of Ansel Adams, but I'm sorry to say I'm not as familiar with his work.  I appreciated how this book scattered representations of his work through the book.  Through this book, readers will understand a few important points about Ansel's life - that from a very young age he knew he belonged outdoors, and through the camera lens, he shared the outdoors with people.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading 10.31.16

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

I finished my blog series about reading longer nonfiction texts when you don't read cover to cover with Deborah Hopkinson's Dive.  Check it out here.

Are you doing a Mock Caldecott this year?  Here is how we started ours this year and our lists!

Have you seen Elaine Vickers' debut novel, Like Magic?  It is pure magic - make sure it's in your classroom library if you're 3rd-6th grade!

Picture Books

Nanette's Baguette by Mo Willems
4/5 stars
Another silly, yet witty, treasure from Mo!
Nanette has been given the ultimate responsibility - to get the baguette from the bakery.  But it's so warm and smells so good!  So Nanette does what you would expect her to - eat it all up!  Fun surprise at the end.


Rescue Squad No. 9 by Mike Austin
4/5 stars
A follow up to last year's Fire Engine No. 9, this time young readers see a rescue boat and helicopter in action.  I like how the end pages label and name rescue equipment that is used throughout the book.


I Love Cake! by Tammi Sauer
4/5 stars
Absolutely predictable, but perfect for showing young readers how to draw conclusions.
Rabbit, Porcupine and Moose are getting together to celebrate Rabbit's birthday.  Rabbit has a great day planned, but all Moose wants is the cake.  When the cake is eaten up and Moose is no where to be found, readers can definitely guess what happened to the cake!

Informational Texts

Build, Beaver, Build! by Sandra Markle

5/5 stars

Told in a narrative format, Markle covers a year in the life of a beaver family.  This particular family lives on a beaver dam that has been there for generations.  Each generation has added to the growth of the dam.  We see how the young beaver kit grows in his first year - we see what he needs and how he changes.  We see how the family prepares for the different seasons.  Markle cleverly adds details about how beavers protect themselves from predators, how they eat, how they grow stronger through play, how they communicate with other beavers - all of these facts but written into a narrative story that is sure to capture young readers' attention.

Graphic Novels


DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis by Shea Fontana
3/5 stars
I know readers are going to really enjoy this graphic novel series.  I already have several readers in mind for this book.
Not my favorite graphic novel, but I am definitely not the intended audience....

Transitional Chapter Books


The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon and Dean Hale4/5 stars
I love this series!
The newest one has the Princess in Black (or as my student calls her P.I.B.) is ready for a vacation after fighting 14 monsters all within this week!  She gets to take a vacation because Duff is The Goat Avenger and will help watch over things.  So glad to see The Goat Avenger again!
I've been using this series with a small group of readers and they have loved getting to know... P.I.B.   :)

Currently Reading


A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins


The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Hoping to get some reading done in between the doorbell ringing with trick or treaters! 
Happy Halloween!

Spotlight Friday - Mock Caldecott 10.28.16

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!

Our Mock season has officially begun.  We've had our first Mock Newbery meeting with our 4th grade club and now we're getting ready to kick off Mock Geisel and Mock Caldecott at our school. Here's an update on how our Mock Caldecott is going this year!

As I've been reading picture books this year, I've been adding potential Caldecott books to my list. It's grown quite long, but I was able to create our Mock Caldecott LONG list from it.  Here's what we started with:

• Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport
• When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek
• Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
• Freedom in Congo Square by Carol Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Gregory Christie
• Tell Me a Tattoo Story by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
• The Secret Subway by Shana Corey, illustrated by Red Nose Studio
• Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
• Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski
• We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
• The Airport Book by Lisa Brown
• This is Not a Picture Book by Sergio Ruzzier
• They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
• Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Thomas Holland, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
• The Knowing Book by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Matthew Cordell
• The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow
• Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer
• The Princess and the Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Shy by Deborah Freedman
• The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers
• The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin Stead
• Return by Aaron Becker
• Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill, illustrated by Francis Vallejo
• Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
• School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson
• Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat

Fantastic books. I knew it would be hard to cut this list down. My colleague and I started having discussions, but we still had trouble cutting anything down. We decided to try something new this year.

To help us figure out the books we really wanted for the Mock list, we enlisted help from the staff. Our 2nd-4th graders participate in the Mock Caldecott each year, so we asked teachers from those grade levels to help. We set aside one afternoon after school to dig into these books and look at them with the Caldecott criteria in mind. My colleague and I pulled the books from the long list and I made up a Google survey. I asked our teachers to note the art medium the book used (thank goodness that is usually listed on the copyright page!) and evaluate the book on the following criteria:

• excellence of artistic technique
• excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme or concept
• appropriateness of style of illustration to the story
• you can visually see the plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the illustrations

We also asked the teachers to add any additional comments about the book.

Based on their responses, we formed our official 2017 Meadowview School Mock Caldecott list. On our list this year:

• Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport
• Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
• The Secret Subway by Shana Corey, illustrated by Red Nose Studio
• Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
• Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski
• We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
• The Airport Book by Lisa Brown
• This is Not a Picture Book by Sergio Ruzzier
• They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
• Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Thomas Holland, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
• The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow
• The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers
• The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin Stead
• Return by Aaron Becker
• Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill, illustrated by Francis Vallejo
• Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, illustrated by Lauren Castillo

As you can see, it helped us bring down the list a bit, but it's still pretty long! We'll begin the second week of November. Teachers will have until the Friday before the awards to read the books. My colleague and I will create a padlet the teachers can use during the unit giving websites and video links.

I'm looking forward to beginning this year's unit!

Want even more information? Check out our Celebration from last year!

Thinking about holding a Mock Geisel? Check out last week's post!