Booktalks – Page 5 – Booktalking #kidlit

A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones

A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones
by Brian P. Cleary (Author) and Martin Goneau (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Do you think there’s no more to know about homonyms and homophones? This book will prove you wrong! With dozens of laughs per second, the value of the lesson doesn’t lessen the second time around. (In the book each pair of homonyms or homophones appears in color for easy identification.)

Snippet:
Homonyms are spelled the same,
and they’re alike in sound.

Their meanings, though
are different–like
“That sink may
sink into the ground.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Buffy’s Blog.

#kidlit Link of the Day:
Looking for book comps? Check the Children’s Picture Book Database at Miami University for a collection of picture book abstracts searchable by topics, concepts, and skills.

Face-Off

Face-Off by Jake Maddox
(ghostwritten by Anastasia Suen)

Booktalk: Kyle wants to be a great hockey player, just like his brother, Caleb. Unfortunately, Kyle spends a lot of time sitting on the bench. The only way he’ll ever catch up to his brother’s goal total is if the coach lets him play more, and if his teammates begin to accept him. If Kyle can get his head in the game when he is on the ice, he might have a chance at scoring some major points for the team.

Copyright: 2007
Guided Reading level: M
Lexile Level: 470L
ATOS Level: 3.2
AR Quiz Number: 109966
Library Binding / Paperback: 72 pages
Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Book Activities:

Explore the Science of Hockey.

Find the words in this hockey word search.

Make your own Hockey Word Search.

Author’s Note:
Tonight is the first night of the Stanley Cup Finals! When Mike Modano and the Dallas Stars were playing for the Stanley Cup, it was hockey madness at our house. The kids played street hockey in front of our house every day after school and into the summer. (The final Stanley Cup game against Buffalo in 1999 went into TRIPLE overtime, but the Stars won! Go, STARS!)

I Love You Just Enough

I Love You Just Enough (The Hazel Ridge Farm Stories)
by Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen (Author) and Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)

Booktalk: After she gets off the bus on the last day of school, Heather discovers a wood duckling alone in the grass.

Snippet:
Hiding in a cluster of lupines was a frightened duckling.

“Now that is quite a treasure you’ve found,” Dad said. “It looks like this little guy has been separated from his family.”

“Will his family come back for him?” Heather asked.
“Or can I take him home and be his family?”

“I don’t know Heather. Taking care of a baby animal is a lot of responsibility,” Dad explained. “You have to keep him safe and wam and fed. You have to teach him how to be a duck–to swim, to hunt for bugs, and how to fly.”

Literary Link:

Kate DiCamillo wants you to sign up for #SummerReading ! http://t.co/2pWwkFlUrs pic.twitter.com/16xogaMCpn

— Candlewick Press (@Candlewick) June 1, 2015

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling

#kidlit Book of the Day: Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling from August House

Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling
by Margaret Read MacDonald (Author), Jennifer MacDonald Whitman (Author), and Nathaniel Forrest Whitman (Author)

Booktalk: An invaluable resource book for using storytelling in the classroom, this book correlates with the Common Core Standards and covers “The Seven C’s” of Storytelling: Community, Character, Communication, Curriculum, Cultural Connections, Creativity, and Confidence.

Snippet: We will use the Common Core Standards as our guide and we will highlight the direct links that storytelling has with many of the standards we are already trying to teach. If someone ever questions the fact that you are spending time telling tales, you can explain how many different standards you are addressing every time you tell a story.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Literary Link:A new first for the Carnival of Children’s Literature–our May 2015 Carnival of Children’s Literature Roundup links to 2 #kidlit book tours!

Noah Chases the Wind

Noah Chases the Wind
by Michelle Worthington (Author) and Joseph Cowman (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Noah is different. He sees, hears, feels, and thinks in ways that other people don’t always understand, and he asks a lot of questions along the way. (Notes in the back indicate the book is also for children on the autism spectrum who cannot stop asking a question until an answer has been unearthed.)

Snippet:
Noah liked to find out how things worked,
where they came from and where they went.

When he didn’t understand
it hurt his head and his heart.

Buster the Little Garbage Truck

Buster the Little Garbage Truck
by Marcia Berneger (Author) and Kevin Zimmer (Illustrator)

Booktalk:Buster is a sweet little garbage truck. He can’t wait to grow up to be a big truck, just like his father. Buster practices driving and lifting and beeping with his friend, Kitty. There’s one small problem. Loud noises frighten Buster. When his father takes him to the truck yard to meet the other vehicles, their air-horn blasts and roaring engines send Buster skidding away to hide. He wants to be big and brave, but how can he work with Daddy and his friends when their loud sounds scare him?

Snippet:
Later Buster heard Daddy whispering to Mommy. “He wouldn’t leave my side for hours. I didn’t know what to do.”

A tear slid down Buster’s grill. He wanted to be brave, but the trucks in the yard were so big and noisy.

Marcia is one of my former students and this is her first picture book!
CONGRATULATIONS, MARCIA!

I read my book at Yellow Book Road today. They loved honking their horns with Buster, my little garbage truck! pic.twitter.com/cb59Y0mMzy

— Marcia Berneger (@MarciaBerneger) April 8, 2015

Some Kind of Magic

Some Kind of Magic
by Adrian Fogelin (Author)

Booktalk: It is the last summer before the big shift to high school for Cass, Jemmie, Ben, and Justin, the neighborhood kids readers first met in Crossing Jordan. Ben worries that their summer break will just be the same-old-same-old until his little brother Cody finds a hat left behind by their mysterious missing uncle. The hat — is it magic like Cody believes? — leads the gang to an abandoned building in the woods. Little do they suspect that this old property with a tragic past might just nudge open the door to the future for all of them.

Snippet:
Cass
It was the first day of summer vacation–well, second, really. But Saturday didn’t count since I’d had to help Mama clean the house. Jemmie, my best friend, hoped summer would go by quick. She couldn’t wait to get to high school, where we could run track for real.

Dirt Bike Racing

Dirt Bike Racing
by Lori Polydoros (Author)

Booktalk: Dirt bike racers don’t let anything stand in their way as they blaze to the finish line. Tight turns, steep hills, or huge jumps these riders brave them all. Take a look at dirt bikes, how they work, and the races they compete in.

Snippet: Dirt bikes are built to handle high jumps and sharp turns. Made to be lightweight, a dirt bike changes direction easily. Strong suspensions help riders tackle bumps and jumps. Knobby tires help grip loose dirt.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Will and Wendy Build a Website with Digital Tools

Will and Wendy Build a Website with Digital Tools
by Darice Bailer (Author) and Sean O’Neill (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Will’s family is moving to Australia, and he’s worried he’ll miss his friends from his old class. But Wendy has an idea! They’ll build a class website so they can keep in touch. They’ll write news stories, add hyperlinks, and even upload photos. What news will Wendy and Will share?

Snippet:
Will and Wendy were ready to post news on the website. “Remember what Mrs. Gold told us,” Wendy reminded Will. “We shouldn’t write things on the Internet that aren’t safe for a stranger to read.

“No addresses or full names either,” agreed Will. “And Mrs. Gold or another adult should read what we write before we post it.”

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

Birthday Rules

Birthday Rules
by Laurie B. Friedman (Author) and Teresa Murfin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When it comes to birthdays, no one knows how to party like Percy! Just follow his simple rules—like #2 “Happy times call for happy measures” and #9 “Be careful what you wish for”—to make the most of your celebration.

Snippet:
And here’s a little secret.
I’m a birthday pro.
When it comes to festivities,
There’s nothing I don’t know.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Random Noodling.