Booktalks – Page 23 – Booktalking #kidlit

Ants

Ants (Insect World)
by Mari Schuh (Author)

Booktalk: See how ants find their food in this beginning reader with large close-up photographs.

Snippet:
Ants are hungry little bugs.
They work hard to find food.

Nonfiction Monday

Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Tower in the World

Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Tower in the World
by Stuart A. Kallen (Author)

Booktalk: Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, with 163 floors rising half a mile into the sky. World records in construction and design were shattered when this engineering marvel rose out of the desert to reach the clouds above Dubai.

Snippet: The three tower cranes used to build the superstructure of the Burj Khalifa worked 24 hours a day. The cranes were positioned at the top of the tower as it rose from the desert floor.

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

Fish Had a Wish

Fish Had a Wish (I Like to Read)
by Michael Garland (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: The butterfly has wings. Fish wants wings too.

Snippet:
“I wish I were a bird!”
said Fish.
“I wish I could fly high up
in the sky.”

Outside In

Outside In
by Sarah Ellis (Author)

Booktalk: Lynn’s life is full — choir practice, school, shopping for the perfect jeans, and dealing with her free-spirited mother. Then one day her life is saved by a mysterious girl named Blossom, who introduces Lynn to her own world and family — both more bizarre, yet somehow more sane, than Lynn’s own. Blossom’s family is a small band of outcasts and eccentrics who live secretly in an ingenious bunker beneath a city reservoir. The Underlanders forage and trade for the things they need (“Is it useful or lovely?”), living off the things “Citizens” throw away. Lynn is enchanted and amazed. But when she inadvertently reveals their secret, she is forced to take measure of her own motives and lifestyle, as she figures out what it really means to be a family and a friend.

Snippet: “Where are we? What is this place? I mean, what was it before it was your house?”

“It’s one of the forgotten places. Fossick says it was some kind of construction storage area when they were building the reservoir. It got walled off.”

“How did you guys find it?”

“Fossick discovered it, before I was born. He likes to look around behind things. He says that even in a city there are many places unaccounted for. I’ve lived here my whole life.”

Leo Loves Baby Time

Leo Loves Baby Time
by Anna McQuinn (Author) and Ruth Hearson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: On Wednesdays, Leo and his mom go to Baby Time. There he plays peek-a-boo; sings the rolly song, the happy song, and the name song; plays with animals; and meets new friends. Board book

Snippet: Leo loves Wednesdays.

The Very Big Carrot

The Very Big Carrot
by Satoe Tone (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: When six rabbits find a giant carrot, they’re not sure exactly what they should do with it.

Snippet:
What could they do with the very big carrot?
Maybe they could make it into a boat…

I Can Make That!: Fantastic Crafts for Kids

I Can Make That!: Fantastic Crafts for Kids
by Mary Wallace (Author)

Booktalk: FIVE books in one! The Costumes, Puppets, Nature Crafts, Toys, and Games books are now in a single updated volume…just in time for summer fun! Children as young as four years old can take common household items and easy-to-obtain natural materials like twigs and turn them into costumes, puppets, toys, games, and more. Step-by-step instructions and photographs keep things simple and easy to understand, making this book perfect for home, school, library, camp, or even daycare.

Snippet:
Superheroes

Wonderful Wizard

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

How was the invention of bubble gum engineered? Help K-5 students answer this essential question (and meet the Common Core State Standards) with the Teaching STEM lesson plans for this mentor text: Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy (ATOS 4.8 / AD740L)

Unit Summary: Students will examine the essential question, “How was the invention of bubble gum engineered?” They will review the steps engineers take when they explore a solution to a problem. They will then determine the steps Walter Diemer took to create bubblegum after listening to the text of the book and apply and explain his ideas and actions to the way an engineer works to solve a problem. They will present their information and discuss their finding in a large group.

The Library Activity begins on page 154. The Collaborative Teacher Activity is on page 155.

Extension Activities(sample)

1. Have the students make a number line with markings to eighths on a sentence strip or sheet of paper. Hold a bubble gum blowing contest. Put their bubble on the number line and measure it from the part of the bubble that actually touches the paper (to get the most accurate measure). Compare and announce the winner.

2. Determine the mean, median, and average for the class.

3. After reading the book, have the students write a short description of the main idea of the book. Use the phrase, “I am a engineer.. I know that _________.”

You can find more Teaching STEM lesson plans on the Teaching STEM blog

Pop and Play: Under the Sea

Pop and Play: Under the Sea
by Simon Abbott (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Dive into the ocean and under the sea in this interactive new pop-up board book featuring underwater animals and surprises.

Snippet: The octopus has eight legs. (And each of them pop off the page!)

Boo ABC: A to Z with the World’s Cutest Dog

Boo ABC: A to Z with the World’s Cutest Dog
by J.H. Lee (Author) and Gretchen LeMaistre (Photographer)

Booktalk: A is for Adorable, B is for Boo! The world’s cutest dog takes on the ABCs, and his adventures are more precious than ever. Boo and his best friend Buddy are featured in their favorite situations and places alongside the letters of the alphabet. The ABCs have never been so furry—and fun!

Snippet:
A Awake
Rise and shine!
Time to wake up
and start the day!