October 2014 – Page 2 – Booktalking #kidlit

A Trip into Space: An Adventure to the International Space Station

A Trip into Space: An Adventure to the International Space Station
by Lori Haskins Houran (Author) and Francisca Marquez (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Visit the International Space Station, where astronauts work, sleep, and walk in space!

Snippet:
Tasting a drink
That may float around
Sipping in space

Taking a walk
Without any ground
Flipping in space

Two in One!

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up will be hosted by Today’s Little Ditty.

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

Norman, Speak!

Norman, Speak!
by Caroline Adderson (Author) and Qin Leng (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A boy and his family who adopt a dog that just can’t seem to learn the things other dogs do. Norman won’t respond to commands. He doesn’t even know his own name. During a chance encounter with another dog owner in the park, the family is very surprised to learn the reason for Norman’s confusion; he “speaks” Chinese instead of English! And so the family enrolls in a language class…

Snippet:
We went over to the man. He was talking to both dogs, and both dogs were listening. We didn’t understand a word he said.
Then he turned to us and asked, “Is this your dog?”
“Yes,” we said.
He laughed. “Your dog understands Chinese. Did you know that?”

Explorer: The Lost Islands

Explorer: The Lost Islands
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Booktalk: This second volume of the critically acclaimed Explorer graphic novel series is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places.

Snippet: From the Raina Telgemeier’s blog
Desert Island Playlist

Imani’s Moon

Imani’s Moon
by Janay Brown-Wood (Author) and Hazel Mitchell (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Imani wants to touch the moon. She is eager to achieve something great, just like the heroes do in the stories Mama tells her each night. But how can a tiny girl soar so high in the sky?

Snippet:
“Look at tiny Imani!” the other children teased.
“She’s no higher than a lion cub’s knee!”
“Careful,” they called to her.
“Don’t let the meerkats stomp on your head!”
“Mini Imani! You’ll never accomplish anything!”
Day in and day out, the children teased her, and Imani began to believe them.
Every night, Imani’s mama lifted her spirits with stories. This night, Mama told her of Olapa, goddess of the moon who fought a great battle against the god of the sun and triumphed.

Vibrations Make Sound

Vibrations Make Sound
by Jennifer Boothroyd (Author)

Booktalk: Young readers will learn how vibrations make sound that we can hear with simple text for beginning readers.

Snippet: Sound is what we hear.

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

The Hero In You

The Hero In You
by Ellis Paul (Author) and Angela Padron (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Meet thirteen real-life American heroes from Chief Joseph to Rosa Parks with a song, facts, and a famous quote for each in this picture book collection of song lyrics with a music CD.

Snippet:
THE HERO IN YOU
Everybody’s got a story
of all their troubles, all their glories
Tell me yours, you cannot bore me
I love to listen to you

All your bumps and all your scratches
All your holes and all your patches–
It’s you! It’s true! You have no matches
There’s a hero in you

Hear Ellis Paul sing the title song!.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up will be hosted by The Poem Trail.

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure
by Fred (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: On an ordinary day in the countryside, Philemon falls into a well on his father’s farm and lands . . . on the Atlantic Ocean — literally on an A-shaped island complete with unicorns, centaurs, and exploding clocks. He begins a wild and whimsical journey home through a fantasy world as original as Alice’s Wonderland, as richly imagined as Little Nemo’s Slumberland, and as exciting to explore as Oz.

Snippet: From the TOON BOOKS

I’m Brave!

I’m Brave!
by Kate McMullan (Author) and Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Meet a brave fire engine at work!

Snippet: In position now..
Chocks? Under my wheels!
Hydrant wrench? Open the valve!
Twin connector? Double supply!
Pump? Gimme pressure!
Nozzles? Get ready!

Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters

Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters
by Laurie Ann Thompson (Author)

Booktalk: Do you wish you could make a difference in your community or even the world? Are you one of the millions of high school teens with a service-learning requirement? Empower yourself in today’s highly connected, socially conscious world as you learn how to wield your passions, digital tools, and the principles of social entrepreneurship to affect real change in your schools, communities, and beyond.

Snippet: Want something to show the college admission officers–not to mention scholarship selection committees–that you stand out from the other applicants? Changemaking shows off your real-world leadership skills and demonstrates a commitment to community service in a way that short-term volunteer positions don’t.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

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

The Soda Bottle School

The Soda Bottle School
by Laura Kutner (Author), Suzanne Slade (Author) and Aileen Darragh (Illustrator)

Booktalk: In a Guatemalan village, students squished into their tiny schoolhouse, two grades to a classroom. The villagers had tried expanding the school, but the money ran out before the project was finished. No money meant no wall materials, and that meant no more room for the students. Until they got a wonderful, crazy idea: Why not use soda bottles, which were scattered all around, to form the cores of the walls?

Snippet: The empty bottles weren’t strong enough to build a wall, so students stuffed the bottles with trash to create eco-ladrillos. Using small sticks, they shoved old chip bags, grocery sacks, and plastic trash into the bottles.

See how they made the bottles into eco-ladrillos and built a wall.

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