Booktalks – Page 12 – Booktalking #kidlit

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology
(21st Century Skills Innovation Library: Innovations from Nature)
by Josh Gregory (Author)

Booktalk: Have you ever noticed that is it more difficult to read an electronic display screen when you are in bright sunlight? Find out how butterfly wings inspired the invention of new digital display technology that solves this problem.

Snippet: The development of this remarkable new technology began when an engineer named Mark Miles read an article about the way butterfly wings reflect the sunlight in a special way. This reflection is what creates the wings’ bright colors as the insect flutters through the air on a sunny day. Miles realized that this process could provide important clues that might help him create a better kind of display technology. He knew he would need to not only re-create the butterfly’s wing structure using available materials but also find a way to make his invention change colors on demand.

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

All Through My Town

All Through My Town
by Jean Reidy (Author) and Leo Timmers (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Meet the people in your neighborhood in this rhyming walking tour of the community.

Snippet:
Rising, waking
Bread is baking
School bus honks its horn

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by A Teaching Life .

Batman Classic: Winter Wasteland

by Donald Lemke (Author), Steven E. Gordon (Illustrator), and Eric A. Gordon (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When Mr. Freeze and the Ice Pack bring a blast of villainous cold to Gotham City, it’s up to Batman to break the ice. With a little help from Wonder Woman and the Flash, the World’s Greatest Detective will stop these criminals in their icy tracks. (Level 2 beginning reader)

Snippet:
On a nearby rooftop stood
two other members of the Ice Pack,
Captain Cold and Killer Frost.
“We’re sending Gotham back
to the Ice Age,” said Captain Cold.

Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight

Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight
by Wendy Mass (Author), Michael Brawer (Author), and Elise Gravel (Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s not every day a regular kid like Archie gets to wake up at midnight. But today is Take Your Kid to Work Day, and Archie is finally allowed to ride along in his dad’s taxi cab. He has been waiting eight years, eight months, and eight days for this moment to arrive.

But he’s about to discover his dad is no ordinary cab driver…In fact, he drives an intergalactic space taxi! All night long, he shuttles aliens from one corner of the universe to another. And being a space taxi copilot is no easy task: Archie must steer them into wormholes, keep them from crashing into planets, deal with a very unusual cat…and save the universe from an evil mastermind!

Snippet:
“Dad!” I shout. “Can you please tell me what is going on? I thought you were a taxi driver!”

“I am, son. Now this is gonna feel a bit strange, but trust me, you’re totally safe.”

I tighten my grip on the arms of my seat. Dad presses a red button and . . . BANG! BOOM! KA-BLAMMO!

Playing Pro Football

Playing Pro Football
by Paul Bowker (Author)

Booktalk: Playing professional football is a dream for many—but it’s also a high-pressure, grueling job. If you’re the pro player on the field, millions of people are scrutinizing your every play, expecting you to make your blocks, outsmart your opponents, move the ball to your end zone, and score. To play at 100 percent on Sundays, you are constantly preparing for the next game—practicing, lifting weights, going to meetings, or watching video. Throughout the year, you must also maintain your fitness through proper workouts, rest, and nutrition. Playing in the pros is an incredible challenge. But for those who suit up on Sundays, the journey is totally worth it.

Snippet: Getting to the NFL is one thing. Staying in the league is a whole other challenge. The NFLPA lists the average NFL career as approximately 3.5 seasons. The best and most consistent players often stay in the league much longer. However, many careers are cut short by injury and ineffectiveness. Athletes such as Peyton and Eli Manning who last for many years in the NFL must dedicate themselves to the sport. After all, football is their full-time job. They must stay fit, They must continue to improve and perform well. And, importantly, they must stay healthy. A badly timed injury or a poor performance can end one’s career in an instant.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days

100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days
by Bruce Goldstone (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s the 100th day of school–what can you do to celebrate?

Here are 100 different ideas for celebrating this fun and important day.

Snippet:

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

Paddington Bear Goes to Market Board Book

Paddington Bear Goes to Market Board Book
by Michael Bond (Author) and R. W. Alley (Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s market day! Join Paddington Bear on his errands to the Portobello Market in this rhyming board book…

Snippet:
If you see a bear out shopping
Hurrying, hurrying, never stopping

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by The Opposite of Indifference.

Dixie and the Best Day Ever

Dixie and the Best Day Ever
by Grace Gilman (Author) and Jacqueline Rogers (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When Emma is stumped by a school assignment—to write a poem about her “best day ever”—could a day of playing in the snow be exactly the thing Emma needs to help her write the perfect poem? (Level 1 beginning reader)

Snippet:
“Let’s make snow angels!”
said Emma.
Dixie didn’t want to make a snow angel.
She ran off with Emma’s scarf.
“Come back, Dixie!” called Emma.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle
by George Hagen (Author) and Scott Bakal (Illustrator)

Booktalk: How can twelve-year-old Gabriel find his missing father, who seems to have vanished without a trace? With the help of Paladin—a young raven with whom he has a magical bond that enables them to become one creature—he flies to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face a series of difficult challenges and unanswerable riddles that could lead to his father… or to his death.

Snippet:
Gabriel? Wake up!

Opening his eyes, Gabriel found himself high above a barren salt marsh extending for miles along a shore. His first assumption was that the eagle was carrying him, but then he realized that he was actually flapping his own wings. Apparently he and Paladin had succeeded in exchanging bodies in midair–a pretty extraordinary feat in itself–as well as escaping the vicious bird.

The Cart That Carried Martin

The Cart That Carried Martin
by Eve Bunting (Author) and Don Tate (Illustrator)

Booktalk: This story about the funeral procession of Dr. King begins with the two men who found the cart to carry him through the streets of Atlanta.

Snippet:
The cart was old.
Its paint had faded.
It was for sale outside Cook’s Antiques and Stuff.
Nobody wanted it.
Then two men came along.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

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