March 2012 – Booktalking #kidlit

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

A Dress for Me!
by Sue Fliess (Author) and Mike Laughead (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Hippo is looking for a new dress. There are so many choices! Dresses with beads and fringe, dresses with shiny sequins, dresses with stripes and checkers, and more!

Snippet:
Rows of dresses,
wall to wall.
Watch me as I
try them all…
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by my juicy little universe

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Chapter Book of the Day

Shetland Ponies Are My Favorite!
by Elaine Landau (Author)
24 pages

Booktalk: Shetland ponies have small, broad heads and stocky bodies, and they’re known for being hard workers. Did you know that Shetlands hauled coal in England’s coal mines in the mid-1800s? Or that modern-day Shetlands sometimes help the blind by serving as guide ponies?

Snippet: Shetlands are the perfect size for kids to ride. They are usually about 44 inches (112 centimeters) tall. That’s just a little bit bigger than a very large dog.
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STEM Friday

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

Come visit the new STEM Friday blog – and add YOUR link!

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Nonfiction Monday on April 2, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on April 2, 2012

is at Rasco From RIF.

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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Princess!
by Viviana Garofoli (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The rhythmic text in this board book follows a young “princess” from morning to night.

Snippet:
Princess wakes up!
Time to start the day.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Binky Under Pressure (A Binky Adventure)
by Ashley Spires (Author, Illustrator)
64 pages

Booktalk: In Binky’s third adventure, our intrepid, sometimes accident-prone hero is shaken out of his routine when he’s forced to contend with Gracie, a dainty striped foster kitty who comes to live at Binky’s space station (aka his home at 42 Sentinel Parkway). Binky instantly resents the new arrival, whose cute face and perfect manners are downright annoying. Indeed, Gracie seems too perfect. So Binky decides to do some undercover investigating and discovers a shocking truth about the family guest. Soon Binky is thrust full-throttle into a situation that puts all his Space Cat skills to the ultimate test!

Snippet:
Why would his humans do this to him?
Another cat? Wasn’t he good enough for them?
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The March 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature is up!

Have you visited the March Carnival Of Children’s Literature
at the Just Children’s Books! yet? Hop over and say hello to Nichole!

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STEM Friday is coming!

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

If you blog about science or math books tomorrow, come share your link!

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Literary Link

My March Quick Tips column: Hot Topics: Hatching Eggs with STEM is at Booklist Online.
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Big Little Brother
by Kevin Kling (Author) and Chris Monroe (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Being an older brother has its benefits, of that there’s little doubt. But how would you feel if your little brother grew to be bigger than you?

Snippet:
It’s my own fault.
I wanted a little brother.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBGmGI40y7g]
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Faerie Ring
by Kiki Hamilton (Author)
352 pages

Booktalk: The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic.

Snippet: Tiki eyed the item that Leo had tossed under the desk. Mesmerized by its beauty, she reached for the ring. It was a burnished band of rich gold, capped by an intensely red stone the color of blood that almost seemed to beckon her.

Tiki stared into the ruby red depths, turning the stone this way and that to catch the light. Something flickered and her heart caught in her throat as she peered closer. Deep within the heart of the stone, flames burned.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5K7kQaMOcM]
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5 Great Earth Day Books

Earth Day
by Trudi Strain Trueit (Author)
Learn why we celebrate Earth Day in this Rookie Read-About Holidays easy reader.

Earth Day Girl
Wordgirl saves the world on Earth Day. Easy Reader.

Fancy Nancy: Every Day Is Earth Day
by Jane O’Connor (Author) and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)
Fancy Nancy goes green in this I Can Read Level 1 easy reader.

The Earth and I
by Frank Asch
A boy talks about his friend, the Earth. Picture Book

What Do You See at the Pond?
by Anastasia Suen (Author) and Aaron Boyd (Illustrator)
A boy and his mom take a nature walk in this simple easy reader.
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Literary Links

Ready to write your children’s book? Apr 4-May 23 (online) writing workshops begin next Wednesday!

Library Skills = Information Literacy Skills = Common Core Skills
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Road Work Ahead (in the book club!)

My Book of the Week

Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen
A transportation picture book

Copyright: April 2012
Ages: 3-5
Hardcover
Publisher: An April 2012 Scholastic Book Club paperback!

“Suen’s sparse rhyming verse leads readers through the busy scenes and uses simple vocabulary that suits both the youngest listeners and those just beginning to read.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

“A batch of Grandma’s homemade oatmeal cookies beckons, but for this backseat narrator, the sights and sounds along the road to her house are equally compelling.” ~ Publishers Weekly

Activities:

Play the Road Signs Matching Game.

Find out more about Cars, Trucks, and Construction Play.

Watch the construction site video.

Make a Traffic Light Necklace with yarn and stickers.
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Picture Book of the Day

The Adventures of Granny Clearwater and Little Critter
by Kimberly Willis Holt (Author) and Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The Clearwater family is heading west in their covered wagon. But when Granny and Little Critter are accidentally thrown from the back, they are suddenly on their own.

Snippet: They flew through the sky for almost a mile until they landed stuck to a prickly pear cactus. Granny kept napping as if nothing has happened, but Little Critter’s eyes popped open wide as he watched his family’s wagon disappear from the horizon.
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Gray Wolf Throne (A Seven Realms Novel)
by Cinda Williams Chima (Author)
528 pages

Booktalk: Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. But nothing prepares him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to queendom of the Fells.

Snippet: Three lean young men in Ardenine civilan garb played cards at a table by the door. Four had come in, but one of them had left a while ago. Several times, Raisa looked up and caught one or another of them staring at her. Apprehension slithered down her spine. Thieves or assasins? Or just young men showing interest in a girl on her own?

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/bXksII_uVG8]

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Literary Links

Ready to write your children’s book? Apr 4-May 23 (online) writing workshops begin next week!

How can you help your child learn to read?
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

Surviving the Hindenburg
by Larry Verstraete (Author) and David Geister (Illustrator)

Booktalk: On May 6, 1937, the giant German airship the Hindenburg exploded in a ball of fire as it attempted to land at Lakehurst Navel Base in New Jersey. Of the 93 people on board, a remarkable 62 survived, including Werner Franz, the ship’s 14-year-old cabin boy.

Snippet: As the Hindenburg‘s cabin boy, 14-year-old Werner had many chores to do for the officers and crew–setting tables, washing dishes, making beds, cleaning boots and uniforms. Much of the time, Werner lived and worked below deck.

BONUS! Download the teacher’s guide!
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Chapter Book of the Day

Attack of the Killer Video Book Take 2: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors
by Mark Shulman and Hazlitt Krog (Authors) and Martha Newbigging (Illustrator)
76 pages

Booktalk: Originally published in 2004, Attack of the Killer Video Book has become indispensable for budding filmmakers and video production classes. This updated edition has been revised to include new technology, with hot tips on digital cameras and editing; shooting on a phone or webcam; adding cool and safe special effects; and much more. Aspiring directors will discover tricks and techniques for becoming a camera sharpshooter; lighting like a pro; making awesome music videos; and using social networking sites to post and promote their movies.

Snippet:
Let There Be Lighting:
Your camera can adjust to the color of light because it has an automatic light balance. That means it works to make white things look white, even if there’s yellowy light on them. Then all of the other colors shift, too.

BONUS! See inside the book!
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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up is here at Booktalking.

Nonfiction Detectives

100 Scope Notes

Shelf-employed

Kidlit celebrates Women’s History Month

True Tales & A Cherry On Top

Anatomy of Nonfiction

Biblio File

Archimedes Notebook

All About Books with Janet Squires

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Spring 2012 Call for Nonfiction Monday Hosts

Nonfiction Monday

We’re looking for Spring 2012 Nonfiction Monday Round-up hosts.

Go here to sign up.

Edited to add: The list filled up before noon!

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Susan Goldman Rubin booktalks Music Was IT: Young Leonard Bernstein

on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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March 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our March 2012 host is Just Children’s Books!.
Add YOUR post to this carnival by commenting here.
The deadline for adding your post is TODAY, March 26th.
The carnival will go live on March 28th.

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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

March 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

March 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our March 2012 host is Just Children’s Books!.
Add YOUR post to this carnival by commenting here.
The deadline for adding your post is March 26th.
The carnival will go live on March 28th.

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Spring Break

Booktalking will be on Spring Break until March 26th.

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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Here Comes the Bus

My Book of the Week

Here Comes the Bus by Anastasia Suen
A Bebop Easy Reader

Reading level: Guided Reading™: B DRA: 2 Intervention: 2
Paperback: 8 pages
Publisher: Bebop Books

A Chinese American girl takes the bus to school and greets her friends, one by one, at each stop.

Also available in Spanish as Ya viene el autobús

Activities:

Use the lesson plans from the 91 page Illinois School Bus Safety Program.

First School has school bus music, coloring pages, crafts, and online games.

Play the online School Bus Safety Games.

Visit the Traffic Safety Kid’s Page for coloring pages, puzzles and a word scramble.

Download Free Bus Safety Presentations in PowerPoint.

Use these lesson plans with your class.

See inside the book
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Picture Book of the Day

St. Patrick’s Day
by Anne Rockwell (Author) and Lizzy Rockwell (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Mrs. Madoff’s class celebrates St. Patrick’s Day!

Snippet: On St. Patrick’s Day, I wore my green shirt, green pants, and even my green striped socks. Pablo wore green sneakers.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Tails of Spring Break
by Anne Warren Smith (Author)
128 pages

Booktalk: Everyone, it seems, is going somewhere fun for spring break-everyone except Katie Jordan and her family. Even her best friend, Sierra, is going to Hawaii! But then Katie realizes she’s not the only one being left behind-what about all those poor lonely pets? And so Katie sets out to save her spring break with a pet-sitting business. But Katie hadn’t bargained on having a business partner-especially not someone as awful as Claire Plummer!

Snippet: On the last day of school before spring vacation, it sounded like almost every kid in my fourth grade class was getting away from Oregon. They were going places where the sun was shining. Places like Disneyland and San Diego. Even Hawaii!
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Literary Links

Research Shows that Books without Text Can Increase Literacy, Vocabulary Skills in Children with Developmental Disabilities

Join @CBCBook in celebration of the 93rd annual Children’s Book Week, May 7-13, 2012! #CBW
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper
by Ann Malaspina (Author) and Eric Velasquez (Illustrator)

Booktalk: See how Alice Coachman, born poor in Georgia, became the first African American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Snippet:
Alice’s teacher saw
something special
in that never-sit-still girl.
She took her to a track meeet
whereS a boy leaped
over a crossbar
into a pile of sawdust.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Right To Play
by Jesse Goossens (Author)
144 pages

Booktalk: Johann Olav Koss, triple world skating champion and winner of four Olympic gold medals, wants to make it possible for everyone, everywhere, to have the opportunity to play. “Everyone” includes those children who, through war, natural disasters, violence or famine, have lost everything. It is for this cause that Koss has given up his career as a top class athlete to found the organization Right to Play. This book takes the reader on an adventure around the world–through schools in Rwanda, refugee camps in Palestine, the slums of Mali and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The reader will meet child soldiers who have returned from war, children who have to survive on the streets of Africa, and boys with nothing but a rolled up T-shirt as a football because they have nothing else to use.

Snippet: Barely two weeks after the death of his father, Isaac had to pack his things together. He found it hard to keep back the tears when bidding his mother, brother and sister goodbye before getting into the van for Rwanda.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVJQ-3Kwy14]

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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Rasco From RIF

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Ginger Wadsworth booktalks First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low

on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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Literary Link

A Survival Guide for Beating Information Addiction (via @zenhabits)
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Zero the Hero
by Joan Holub (Author) and Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That’s what all the other numbers think of Zero. He doesn’t add anything in addition. He’s of no use in division. And don’t even ask what he does in multiplication. (Hint: Poof!) But Zero knows he’s worth a lot, and when the other numbers get into trouble, he swoops in to prove that his talents are innumerable.

Snippet: Unlike most numbers, Zero believed himself to be a hero. He just needed a chance to prove it.
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STEM Friday

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on March 9, 2012

is at Practically Paradise.

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Chapter Book of the Day

I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery
by Cynthia Grady (Author) and Michele Wood (Illustrator)
34 pages

Booktalk: Through imagery drawn from quilting and fiber arts each poem in this collection is spoken from a different perspective chronicling the various experiences of American slaves: a house slave, a mother losing her daughter to the auction block, a blacksmith, a slave fleeing on the Underground Railroad. Each poem is supplemented by a historical note.

Snippet:
North Star:
Age six saw me with a new master. He
was no slaver. Instead of tobacco
fields, I plowed the planes of Euclid. Instead
of flax, I spun my way through Homer’s verse.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Gathering Books

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Nonfiction Monday on March 12, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on March 12, 2012

is at Rasco From RIF.

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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Bright Baby Touch & Feel Colors
by Roger Priddy (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Each page in this board book has a new color and a new object to touch and feel.

Snippet:
yellow
banana
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Chapter Book of the Day

Mercy Lily
by Lisa Albert (Author)
240 pages

Booktalk: Lily’s mother has slowly been losing herself to multiple sclerosis. After traditional treatment fails, she uses bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can’t handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that her mom wants to die.

One beautiful spring day, Lily’s mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. While navigating first love, friendship, and other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: help her mom go, or cling to her fading life for all it’s worth.

Snippet:
I take the bees outside, unscrew the lid of the bee jar, and listen to their angry buzzing.
“I hate you,” I whisper.
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March 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our March 2012 host is Just Children’s Books!.
Add YOUR post to this carnival by commenting here.
The deadline for adding your post is March 26th.
The carnival will go live on March 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

STEM Friday on March 9, 2012

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on March 9, 2012

is at Practically Paradise.

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Literary Link

Create a Query that Gets a ‘Yes’ (via @CBIClubhouse)
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My NEW chapter book is Just So, Brianna (All-Star Cheerleaders)