Bug and Bear: A Story of True Friendship
by Ann Bonwill (Author) and Layn Marlow (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Bug wants to play, but Bear wants to nap.
Snippet:
Bug was being annoying.
He zipped and zapped aound Bear’s head.
“Will you play with me, Bear?” he buzzed, “Please, please, pleazzze?”
Bear didn’t want play. She wanted to nap.
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Ellen’s Broom
by Kelly Starling Lyons (Author) and Daniel Minter (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Ellen always knew the broom resting above the hearth was special. Before it was legal for her mother and father to officially be married, the broom was what made them a family anyway. But now all former slaves who had already been married in their hearts could register as lawful husband and wife.
Snippet: Sunday morning, Ellen sat on the front pew with her family. She wiggled on the wooden seat, trying to get comfortable.
**Kelly is one of my former students!**
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Hockey (Record Breakers)
by Blaine Wiseman (Author)
Booktalk: Whether it is a huge play to win the Stanley Cup or a big trade, hockey is full of exciting moments. Learn about the greatest achievements of hockey’s biggest stars.
Snippet:
Shut the Door
A shutout is very important in hockey. It happens when the goalie stops every shot in a single game. During a game, if the opposing team has not scored, it is considered bad luck for a player to say “shutout.”
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Little Quack Counts
by Lauren Thompson (Author) and Derek Anderson (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Two little ducks count to five.
Snippet:
Little Quack and Widdle
see 1 butterfly.
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Little Bea
by Daniel Roode (Author, Illustrator)
Booktalk: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Little Bea is a busy, busy bee. When the sun wakes up, so does she.
Snippet:
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz!
Little Bea scoots from her flower and takes off.
Flutter. Flutter. Flutter. Hello, Butterfly!
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.
Little Bea buzzes as she flies by.
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Aliens on Vacation (The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast)
by Clete Smith (Author) and Christian Slade (Illustrator)
272 pages
Booktalk: Scrub isn’t happy about having to spend the summer with his hippie grandmother in “Middle of Nowehere,” Washington. When he arrives at her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, he’s not surprised by its 1960s-meets-Star Wars decor; but he is surprised by the weird looking guests. It turns out that each room in the inn is a portal and his grandma is the gatekeeper, allowing aliens to vacation on Earth. She desperately needs Scrub’s help with disguising the tourists as humans. As if that weren’t difficult enough, the town sheriff is already suspicious of Granny. One wrong move and Scrub could blow Grandma’s cover, forcing the B&B to shut down forever. And when it comes to aliens, every move seems wrong . . .
Snippet: A sheriff’s car cruised down the street, and the driver stared at me as he passed. A wide-brimmed hat cast a shadow over his round face, partially obscuring his frown and bushy mustache. A toothpick jutted out of the side of his mouth. His gaze stayed fixed on me as he drove by.
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Wetland Animals (Saving Wildlife)
by Sonya Newland (Author)
Booktalk: Wetland Animals investigates how people are working to save one of our most important ecosystems, and the millions of animals that rely on the world’s wetlands for survival.
Snippet: Over the last 100 years, more than half of all the wetlands in the world have disappeared as humans have taken the land and the water to meet their own needs.
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Picture Book of the Day
Sir Cumference and the Viking’s Map
by Cindy Neuschwander (Author) and Wayne Geehan (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Xaxon Yellowbearyd was the fiercest Viking warrior of his time. Now a map to his hidden treasure lies in Radius’s and Per’s hands. Together the cousins must decode the strange numbered grid on the map-and figure out the secret of the Viking’s X and Y axes. As bungling bandits pursue them, Radius and Per use coordinate geometry in their quest for “treasure of the greatest measure.”
Snippet: “We’re well and truly lost,” Per said to her cousin, Radius. “How I wish we had a map.”
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STEM Friday
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
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Chapter Book of the Day
Self-Portrait With Seven Fingers
by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen (Authors) and Marc Chagall (Illustrator)
40 pages
Booktalk: A biography in free verse, penned by J. Patrick Lewis, the 2011 Children’s Poet Laureate, and Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America,” with paintings by Marc Chagall on every spread, this collection of fourteen poems is aptly named, as to do something “with seven fingers” is a Yiddish expression meaning to do something well or adroitly. Notes for each painting explain the vocabulary as well as Chagall’s art and personal history.
Snippet:
Paris Through the Window (J. Patrick Lewis)
My window opens to you, Paris!
Inhabit my brushes, dine on my canvas.
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Poetry Friday
This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Wild Rose Reader.
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Nonfiction Monday on May 7, 2012
Nonfiction Monday is coming!
The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on May 7, 2012
is at The Swimmer Writer.
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Picture Book of the Day
Baby Animals At the Zoo
by Editors of Kingfisher
Booktalk: With playful text, and beautiful close-up photography this board book features baby animals in their natural habitats.
Snippet:
Golden lion tamarin
I am a tiny monkey with a golden mane like a lion. My long fingers help me find yummy insects. Munch munch!
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Comic of the Week
Chick and Chickie Play All Day!
by Claude Ponti (Author, Illustrator)
32 pages
Booktalk: Chick and Chickie love to play in their very own way, whether scaring each other silly or tickling the letter A. As young readers eagerly turn the pages of the story, they’ll look forward to spotting all the witty side jokes and hilarious details.
Snippet:
Chickie, let’s make masks!
Good idea, Chick!
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Free Comic Book Day
The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day!
See the video and visit the Free Comic Book Day website find out more!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/1pHAG2ClVKU]
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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,
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Children’s Book Week
Today is the LAST day to vote for the Children’s Choice Book Awards
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Picture Book of the Day
I Will Try
by Marilyn Janovitz (Author, Illustrator)
Booktalk: Ella is in awe of Jan, the star of her gymnastics class. Jan can spin and leap on the balance beam. Can Ella? (This I Like to Read picture book is also a Level D easy reader! It has one short line of text on each page.)
Snippet:
I pack my bag.
TURN THE PAGE
“Time to go,” says Dad.
“Have fun,” says Mom.
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Chapter Book of the Day
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
by Jordan Sonnenblick (Author)
304 pages
Booktalk: Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls’ swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class?
Snippet: If I had known it was goind to be the last baseball game I’d ever play, I would have asked my mom to bring the video camera or something. But you never know that kind of stuff in advance. All you can do is play every game like it’s your final shot at the World Series, and hope that for you, it isn’t.
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5 Great Books About Soldiers for Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day is May 19th, 2012.
D-Day Landings: The Story of the Allied Invasion
by Karen Wallace and Richard Platt (Authors)
Find out more about this famous World War II event. Level 4 easy reader
From Slave to Soldier: Based on a True Civil War Story
by Deborah Hopkinson (Author) and Brian Floca (Illustrator)
A slave boy runs away and joins the Union army. Level 3 easy reader
Hero Dad
by Melinda Hardin (Author) and Bryan Langdo (Illustrator)
A young boy talks about his father, the soldier. Picture book
Pearl Harbor
by Stephen Krensky (Author) and Larry Day (Illustrator)
See how and why the U.S entered the World War II. Level 3 easy reader
Sam the Minuteman
by Nathaniel Benchley (Author) and Arnold Lobel (Illustrator)
A boy helps his father fight the Battle of Lexington. Level 3 easy reader
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Literary Links
Last call! May 2-June 20 (online) children’s book writing workshops begin today!
Study Links Dyslexia to Visual Attention Problems in Preschool (via Education Week)
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.