October 2011 – Booktalking #kidlit

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

by Jane Brocket (Author, Photographer)

Booktalk: Ruby flowers, violet quilts, lime frosting–colors are all around us. How many colors can you find in this book?

Snippet:

Primary colors are pure colors.

They can’t be made by mixing

different colors together.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Freestyle BMX

by Isabel Thomas (Author)

32 pages

Booktalk: The high-adrenaline thrill of freestyle BMX is creating a stir on the extreme sports scene. Make sure it’s on your radar!

Snippet: When adventurous cyclists began racing over the crazy bumps and jumps of motocross tracks, bicycle motocross (BMX) was born. Riders did tricks between races to have fun and impress their friends. Some began to enjoy the stunts more than the racing.

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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Jean Little Library

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Carnival Of Children’s Literature

The October 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

is online at Jump Into A Book.

Hop on over and took a look! You’re in for a treat!

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Literary Links

Use my Silly Zombie Writing Workshop with your young writers today!

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

His Shoes Were Far Too Tight: Poems by Edward Lear

by Daniel Pinkwater (Editor) and Calef Brown (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Edward Lear’s first nonsense poems were publshied in 1846…and have been loved ever since!

Snippet:

Nonsense Alphabet

A was an ape,

Who stole some white tape,

And tied up his toes

In four beautiful bows.

A!

Funny old ape!

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Chapter Book of the Day

Plagues, Pox, and Pestilence

by Richard Platt (Author) and John Kelly (Illustrator)

32 pages

Booktalk: A comprehensive history of disease and pestilence, told from the point of view of the bugs and pests that cause them.

Snippet:

Pick Your Germ

Just 150 years ago, people thought that bad smells spread disease. Now we know that it is germs that cause illness. There are three kinds.

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AASL 2011

I’m speaking at AASL 2011 on Saturday

Read and Write Sports Book Signing at AASL 2011 National Conference

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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Random Noodling

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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by NC Teacher Stuff

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

You Are My Sunshine

by Jimmie Davis (Author) and Caroline Church (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The classic song in a cute board book.

Snippet:

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

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Chapter Book of the Day

A Field Guide to Aliens: Intergalactic Worrywarts, Bubblonauts, Sliver-Slurpers, and Other Extraterrestria

by Johan Olander (Author, Illustrator)

61 pages

Booktalk: Find out ALL of the details about your favorite (and not so favorite) aliens in this field guide filled with alien “facts.”

Snippet:

The Alien Hunt

As with the hunt for monsters, when you’re investigating aliens it is helpful to bring a writing/drawing tool as well as something to hide under, like an old blanket or sheet.

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STEM Friday on October 28, 2011

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

The STEM Friday Round-up on October 28, 2011
is at NC Teacher Stuff.

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AASL 2011

I’m speaking at AASL 2011 on Saturday

Road Work Ahead Book Signing at AASL 2011 National Conference

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Clues in the Attic (My First Graphic Novel)

by Cari M. Meister (Author) and Remy Simard (Illustrator)

Booktalk: In this comic book mystery, Ben lost something that belongs to his sister, and he has to find it. He is scared, but it doesn’t matter. Ben has to be brave. He has to go into the attic.

Snippet:

Suddenly the door slammed shut.

SFX: (sound effects) BANG!

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5 Great Books About Veterans

America’s White Table

by Margot Theis Raven (Author) and Mike Benny (Illustrator)

Did you know that we set a place at the White Table to remember soldiers who didn’t come home? Picture book

George Washington — Soldier, Hero, President

by Justine Fontes and Ron Fontes (Authors)

Our first president was also a veteran. Level 3 easy reader

The Veterans Day Visitor

by Peter Catalanotto (Author) and Pamela Schembri (Author)

When Pop-Pop finds out that the children don’t know what a veteran is, he volunteers to talk to their class. Easy reader with chapters

Veterans Day

by Jacqueline S. Cotton (Author)

Learn all about Veterans Day in this easy reader.

The Wall

by Eve Bunting (Author) and Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

A boy and his father visit the Vietnam War Memorial. Picture book

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Chapter Book of the Day

Soldier Bear

by Bibi Dumon Tak (Author), Laura Watkinson (Translator) and Phiip Hopman (Illustrator)

144 pages

Booktalk: A group of Polish solders stationed in Iran during World War II trade a pen knife and some canned beef for an orphaned bear cub, and Voytek, as they name the bear, travels with them from Iran to Italy and then on to Scotland. See how they train a bear to help them in the war. (Photographs of the real Voytek are in the back of the book.)

Snippet:

The air rippled with heat. At that time of day, the army camp was like a ghost town. If you ventured out into the sun, it felt like you were about to burst into flames.

But even so, one creature still came out into the blazing heat, bumbling along the path between the parked trucks and stopping to sniff at every vehicle.

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Literary Links

My October @ALA_Booklist Quick Tips column: Hot Topics: Body Books

Cubes: An Inside Look at Scholastic’s Global HQ = video! (via @eBookNewser)

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Unexpected…

Picture Book of the Day

M.O.M. (Mom Operating Manual)

by Doreen Cronin (Author) and Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Take care of MOM and she’ll take care of YOU. Kids can see how in this detailed “Mom Operating Manual.” The snippet below is on the If All Else Fails Page where it recommends “a spontaneous song and dance routine” to override a “malfunction.”

This book is a MUST BUY for kids with busy moms!

Snippet:

Cranky Pants

(sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Why do you wear cranky pants?

Cranky pants?

Why do you wear cranky pants?

Breathe deep and count to ten.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

by Richard Paul Evans (Author)

336 pages

Booktalk: To everyone at Meridian High School, fourteen-year-old Michael Vey is nothing special, just the kid who has Tourette’s syndrome. But in truth, Michael is extremely special—he has electric powers. Michael thinks he is unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor has the same mysterious powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up with their abilities, and their investigation soon brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric teens—and through them, the world.

Snippet:

“Have you found the last two?” The voice on the phone was angry and coarse, like the sound of car tires over broken glass.

“Not yet,” the well-dressed man on the on the other end of the phone replied. “Not yet. But we believe we’re close–and they still don’t know that we’re hunting them.”

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFz0c33VpxU]

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My Book of the Week

Can You Eat a Rainbow? by Anastasia Suen

A healthy eating easy reader

Look inside this book to find out if you really can eat a rainbow.

Copyright: 2011
Paperback: 16 pages
Guided Reading: A
Intervention: 1
DRA: 1
Publisher: Bebop Books

Also available in Spanish as ¿Puedes comer el arco iris?.

Book Activities:

Use these Guided Reading lesson plans with your class.

Share the new USDA MyPlate. (En Español)

Create a video for the MyPlate Fruit and Veggies Challenge. (11/15/11 deadline)

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October 2011 Carnival of Children’s Literature

Our October 2011 host is Jump Into A Book.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by October 26th.
The carnival will go live on October 28th.

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

If the World Were a Village – Second Edition: A Book about the World’s People (CitizenKid)

by David J Smith (Author) and Shelagh Armstrong (Illustrator)

Booktalk: If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own.

Snippet:

Welcome to the global village

…what if we imagined that the whole population of the world as a village of just 100 people? In this imaginary village, each person would represent 69 million (69 000 000) people from the real world.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Haunted Houses The Unsolved Mystery

by Lisa Wade Mccormick (Author)

32 pages

Booktalk: Footsteps echo down empty hallways. Ghostly shadows float across rooms. Are ghosts real? Do they haunt houses and other places? Find out about haunted houses and how science is trying to solve this mystery.

Snippet:

Haunted Fact

One of the earliest ghost stories comes from Ancient Greece. In this story, a ghost in chains walks through a house at night.

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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Apple with Many Seeds

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Literary Links

Lerner Publishing’s New iPad App Offers Access to 1,800 eBooks (via @eBookNewser)

My secret for battling procrastination (it’s a 2-step plan!) (via @JaneFriedman)

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters

by Jane Yolen (Author) and Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Meet two young monsters who are far from scary — they’re too busy having fun.

Snippet:

Monsters creep,

Monsters crawl,

Over the meadow

And up the wall.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Uninvited Guests: Invisible Creatures Lurking in Your Home (Tiny Creepy Creatures)

by Jennifer Swanson (Author)

32 pages

Booktalk: Your parents may be gone, but you’re still not home alone. From sneeze causing mold to fabric eating moths, take a look at the tiny uninvited guests keeping you company at home.

Snippet: You leave for school in the morning and your parents go to work. Aside from your cat or dog, there’s nobody home, right? Think again. Billions of tiny microscopic creatures are making themselves at home on your counters, your toilet, and even your bed. They live right next to you everyday.

**Jennifer is one of my former students!**

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Library Expo 2011

I’m speaking at Library Expo 2011 today!

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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by alphabet soup

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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Growing with Science

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Numbers

by Sara Anderson (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Turn the pages and count to ten…with the dots and the items on each page in this wordless board book.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Vordak the Incomprehensible: Rule the School

by Scott Seegert (Author) and John Martin (Illustrator)

192 pages

Booktalk: Vordak the Incomprehensible, that world-class Supervillain and Evil Master, is BACK (in junior high)!

Snippet:

VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE’S

Lip-Licking Loathsome List

of Most Cherished Evil Goals

Dispose of my arch-nemesis, Commander Virtue, once and for all.
Take over and Rule the World!
Make all escalators travel only in the downward direction (MUAHAHAHAHA!!!).

BONUS! See the original Vordak video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oDzMpEgL_E]

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STEM Friday on October 21, 2011

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

The STEM Friday Round-up on October 21, 2011

is at Growing with Science.

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Literary Links

S&S Gives Sales Data to Authors Through New, Internal Web Site (via @PublishersWkly)

Meet the iPad Generation (via @ebooknewser)

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXV-yaFmQNk]

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Chicken, Pig, Cow Horse Around

by Ruth Ohi (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: It was always Chicken, Pig and Cow. Then it wasn’t. There was also Horse.

Snippet:

“Where’s Horse?” asked Pig.

“Who cares?” asked Chicken.

BONUS! Watch the video!

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5 Great Halloween Books

Big Pumpkin

by Erica Silverman (Author) and S.D. Schindler (Illustrator)

A witch wants to make pumpkin pie but her pumpkin is too big! Picture book

Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever!

by Don Freeman (Author) and Lisa McCue (Illustrator)

Corduroy and his friends get ready for Halloween. Picture book

Fancy Nancy: Halloween…or Bust!

by Jane O’Connor (Author) and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

Fancy Nancy loves dressing up for Halloween. Picture book.

Nate The Great And The Halloween Hunt

by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (Author) and Marc Simont (Illustrator)

Nate the Great and his dog Sludge look for a missing cat on Halloween. Easy reader

Scary, Scary Halloween

by Eve Bunting (Author) and Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Share this classic Halloween picture book with a surprise twist at the end.

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Chapter Book of the Day

The Wikkeling

by Steven Arntson (Author) and Daniela J. Terrazzini (Illustrator)

224 pages

Booktalk: In the enormous city of the Addition, all children are SAFE, SECURE, and SUPERVISED, and are watched by cameras even while they sleep. Henrietta is unlikable at her competitive school until she meets Gary and Rose. They all share something in common: headaches with an unknown cause. Then, late one night, Henrietta makes a startling discovery when she finds a wounded cat in the attic above her bedroom. Soon after, a series of strange occurrences follow, including the appearance of a threatening creature with long, waxy fingers, who calls itself the Wikkeling. With the help of an ancient Bestiary, will Henrietta and her friends solve these mysteries before the Wikkeling finally catches them?

Snippet:

An enormous cat lay there, in a puddle of blood.

Ms. Span’s voice popped into Henrietta’s head instantly, warning her about the risk of boldily fluids, infection, tetanus, dust mites, rabid animals, and falling from heights. But Henrietta didn’t budge.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7nzJirAZcY]

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Literary Links

Halloween iPad app reading for kids (via @eBookNewser)

Why and Watch Me: Making the Abstract Concrete for Readers

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Unexpected…

Picture Book of the Day

Binky to the Rescue (A Binky Adventure)

by Ashley Spires (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Binky the space cat falls out of his space station (through the bathroom window) and lands in outer space (the back yard!) in this comic.

Snippet:

SFX: (insect sound effects) bzzzzz

Another one got in.

It’s the third alien today.

But it will not escape.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Shine

by Lauren Myracle (Author)

376 pages

Booktalk: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it.

Snippet: Back when we were kids, Patrick and I escaped the summer heat by worming into the crawl space beneath his house, which was cool and private and, best of all, ours. It was our secret hideaway, and we spent countless hours down there with no one to keep tabs on us but blind and sluggish bugs. The sort of bugs that would eat us one day, we used to say for the shiver of it. Coffin bugs.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5gGOqO-xDg]

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Literary Links

Arthur Goes Digital, with Creator Marc Brown (via @ShelfAwareness)

eBook sales rose 105% in July compared to same period last year (via @ebooknewser)

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)