Today’s Air Force Heroes

Today’s Air Force Heroes
by Miriam Aronin (Author)

Booktalk: Meet real-life airmen and women who have displayed incredible courage in the face of danger as they served their country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Snippet: At sunrise on a bitterly cold day in March 2002, a helicopter carried Airman Cunningham and a team of Army Rangers toward a tall mountain in Patkia province, Afghanistan. There were on a mission to rescue a Navy SEAL who had fallen out of a helicopter when it was hit by rockets and gunfire from Al Qaeda forces.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2013 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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Decoding Our DNA: Craig Venter Vs the Human Genome Project

Decoding Our DNA: Craig Venter Vs the Human Genome Project (Scientific Rivalries and Scandals)
by Karen Gunnison Ballen (Author)

Booktalk: The Human Genome Project launched in 1990, with scientists around the world collaborating on the research. They worked slowly and methodically, trying to produce the most accurate information possible. By 1991 one of these scientists, Craig Venter, became fed up with the HGP’s slow pace. He challenged the HGP to move faster and started his own company to compete with the HGP.

Racing neck and neck, the two organizations reached their goal years ahead of schedule. But the challenge also led to a bitter public argument, especially over who could use the sequence and how. This book reveals how ambition, persistence, ego, greed, and principle combined–often with explosive results–in the quest to decode our DNA.

Snippet: Rosalind Franklin was a British biophysicist. In the early 1950s, she produced extremely high-quality X-ray images of DNA crystals. Her work was key to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Bambino and Mr. Twain

Bambino and Mr. Twain
by Priscilla Maltbie (Author) and Daniel Miyares (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Grieving the death of his wife, America’s favorite author and humorist shuts himself up in his Fifth Avenue house and abandons his writing. Only his daughter’s cantankerous cat, Bambino, seems to understand Samuel Clemens and his moods. When the feisty cat disappears, Sam is determined to find him

Snippet: “Everyone wants to meet witty Mark Twain,” the man said. “But tell me, Bambino, would they want to meet sad, old Samuel Clemens?”

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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Watch Me Grow!: A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City

Watch Me Grow!: A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City
by Deborah Hodge (Author) and Brian Harris (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A city is a great place to grow food. Everywhere you look–front yards, backyards, rooftops, balconies, windowsills–people are planting gardens and growing delicious healthy foods for themselves and others to eat.

Snippet: A seed is a new life, waiting to grow. It can sprout anywhere–even a busy city!

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup (Sporting Championships)
by Blaine Wiseman (Author)
32 pages

Booktalk: Every year, hockey players compete for a chance to win the Stanley Cup, one of the most-recognized symbols of hockey. The Stanley Cup playoffs are the biggest annual event in hockey.

Snippet: The boards around the rink are designed to keep the puck and players inside. There is usually glass or wire mesh that sits on top of the boards. This keeps the puck from flying out and hitting people in the stands.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Friday Reads

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)

Come share your link!

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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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Site Meter Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday

El día de los niños/El día de los libros

Today’s the 16th anniversary of El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Day/Book Day

Lola Reads to Leo
by Anna McQuinn (Author) and Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Lola becomes a big sister in her latest story celebrating books and reading. From potty time to bath time to nap time, Lola knows just the right book to read to baby Leo.

Snippet:
Lola and her mommy read together a lot.
Lola chooses stories the baby will like.

BONUS! See the Día Celebrations video!
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Picture Book of the Day

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat
by Susanna Reich (Author) and Amy Bates (Illustrator)

Booktalk:This biography introduces the iconic American chef Julia Child to a new audience of young readers through the story of her spirited cat, Minette, whom Julia adopted when living in Paris. While Julia is in the kitchen learning to master delicious French dishes, the only feast Minette is truly interested in is that of fresh mouse! This lively story is complete with an author’s note, a bibliography, and actual quotations from Julia Child and comes just in time for the 100th anniversary of her birth. (It’s the first-ever children’s book about the beloved chef.)

Snippet: Minette Mimosa McWilliams Child was a very lucky cat, perhaps the luckiest cat in all of Paris.

And now a interview with author Susanna Reich. Her awards include the NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor, Tomás Rivera Award, International Latino Book Award, ALA Notable, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and Best Books of the Year honors from School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, Scripps-Howard, and the Association of Booksellers for Children.

Q. When did you start writing?

A. I started writing children’s books in the early 1990’s, but I’d done other kinds of writing before that. My first published article was actually about Polynesian dance. I have a B.F.A. in Dance from N.Y.U.’s Tisch School of the Arts and had done some graduate work in Dance Ethnology at the University of Hawaii, so the subject came naturally.

After dancing in New York for a few years, I switched careers and worked as a florist. Before long I was writing about floral design. I published an article about wedding bouquets in Bride’s magazine, and another about the flower arrangements I created for Julia Child’s 80’th birthday party.

By the early 90’s, I was married and had a young child. My husband, Gary Golio, and I  were reading a lot of picture books. We were also studying T’ai Chi with the children’s book illustrator Ed Young, who often talked about his work and about the world of children’s books. I became more and more intrigued and began to experiment with picture book texts. I joined SCBWI , went to conferences, submitted manuscripts – and got lots of rejections.

It seemed like everyone was trying to write picture books (this was before the current YA craze), so I figured it would be easier to break in with something different, like nonfiction. My local children’s librarian told me there was a need for biographies of women, and my mother, a music historian, suggested Clara Schumann. At first I said, “Oh, Mom, that’s your thing!” Then I thought about it and realized it was a good idea. I worked on a biography of Clara for about three years before selling it. That became my first book, Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso.

Q.  Describe your writing process.

A. Most of my books are biographies, so my process begins with figuring out who to write about. Since Gary also writes biography, this is something we talk about a lot!

A subject has to meet several criteria. First, it has to be someone with whom I want to spend a lot of time, someone whose work interests me and has had a significant cultural impact. Second, there has to be sufficient source material. Third, and perhaps most importantly, I have to be able to find an angle that will interest young readers.

Once I’ve chosen a subject, the research begins. I read the adult biographies on the subject and study the subject’s work by visiting museums, listening to CDs, watching videos, going to performances. I pay special attention to primary sources – like personal letters, memoirs, photographs, archival newspapers – to ensure accuracy and to find good quotes. I also read background material to get a feel for the historical context – for example, Mexican history and dance history for José! Born to Dance, and Native American tribes and languages for Painting the Wild Frontier. Researching Julia Child was especially fun because I got to read cookbooks and try recipes. I even researched the history of cat food!

As I research, I take extensive notes and begin to formulate the book’s structure. I’m looking for that child-friendly angle and developing a narrative thread for my story. If it’s a book for which I’ll be providing images, I’m doing illustration research at the same time.

Only once I’ve completely immersed myself in the person’s life and times, and feel like I know the person really well, do I begin to write. At that point, the words flow pretty easily, though I do a lot of revising as I go. I’m very attentive to details of structure and style, and tend to write and rewrite until I’m satisfied. Of course, after the manuscript is sold I get editorial feedback, and then there’s more writing and revising.

Q. Tell us about your latest book.

A. I come from a family that loves to cook and eat, and I’d wanted to write a picture book about Julia Child for a long time. The challenge was to find the right approach. I didn’t want to just write about how Julia Child learned to cook boeuf bourguignon.

Then I read that Julia was a cat lover who got her first cat, Minette, when she and her husband, Paul, lived in Paris. Minette ate Julia’s leftovers, but there were also mice in the apartment. Now, I’ve lived with cats my whole life, and I know that no matter what you give them to eat, you can’t compete with fresh mouse—even if you’re Julia Child! So that became the premise for Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat. I didn’t have to invent any of the anecdotes about Minette or any of the dialogue. All of the quotes in the book are things Julia actually wrote in her memoirs and letters.

I’ve never had so much fun writing a book. Julia was a joyful, enthusiastic, energetic person with a great sense of humor. I tried to channel that into Minette’s Feast. And Amy Bates’ illustrations are perfect. They’re both historically accurate (we worked on that a lot!) and full of feeling, and they really capture the look of Paris in the late 1940’s, as well as Julia’s warmth and personality.

BONUS! We’re celebrating the launch of the book with a giveaway, courtesy of Abrams. Readers can enter to win a free, signed book by sending an email with the subject line “Minette’s Feast giveaway” to susanna@susannareich.com. Winners will be selected on May 31.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 30 – Booktalking – interview with Susanna

Tuesday, May 1 – Books Together – interview with Amy

Wednesday, May 2 – Tales from the Rushmore Kid – interview with Susanna’s cat

Thursday, May 3 – The Fourth Musketeer – interview with Susanna

Friday, May 4 – Original Content – review and discussion of creative nonfiction

Sunday, May 6 – Great Kid Books – guest post by Susanna about reading as a child

Monday, May 7 – Shelf-Employed – interview with Abrams art director Chad Beckerman

Tuesday, May 8 – Readerkidz – “Dear Reader” guest post by Susanna
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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is GatheringBooks

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Seymour Simon booktalks Butterflies

on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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Literary Link

Need a great Mother’s Day gift?
May 2-June 20 (online) children’s book writing workshops begin this Wednesday!

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STEM Haiku

Share your own haiku about a STEM topic on this last day National Poetry Month.

(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

30 in 30: a body of work
thirty poems in
thirty days: one poem a
day–isn’t math grand!
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Site Meter Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

A Leaf Can Be . . .
by Laura Purdie Salas (Author) and Violeta Dabija (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Find out about the many roles leaves play in this poetic exploration of leaves throughout the year.

Snippet:
A leaf can be a …
Soft cradle
Water ladle

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

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Poetry Friday

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

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Chapter Book of the Day

Explore Simple Machines! With 25 Great Projects
by Anita Yasuda (Author)
96 pages

Booktalk: Investigating the common contraptions that make so much possible—from zippers and rolling pins to catapults and the pyramids—this book encourages kids to look differently at the numerous objects in everyday life. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the six straightforward implements that are at the core of daily activity: levers, inclined planes, pulleys, screws, wedges, and wheels and axles. Using only discarded items from the recycling bin, this guide harnesses kid-power by inviting young readers to build gadgets of their own design, including a working crane, a drawbridge, a car made of fruit peels, and an actual whirligig.

Snippet: Simple machines are all around you. They are in your home, your school, and your park. They are used in sports. They are used in games you play, even in board games. Simple machines can even be found in your body!

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

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STEM Friday

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

come share your link or a STEM haiku of your own!

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STEM Haiku

simple machines
pulley, screw, wedge and
wheel, planes and axles too
simple, but mighty
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Literary Link

Bank Street/SLJ Unveil Children’s Choice Award for Best STEM Picture Book

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Nonfiction Monday on April 30, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on April 30, 2012

is at GatheringBooks.

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Site Meter Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

Seabird in the Forest
by Joan Dunning (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Until the 1970s, no one knew where the marbled murrelet laid its eggs. The little bird seemed to live entirely at sea.

Snippet: For thousands of years murrelet chicks have simply waited, all alone, high above the forest floor, waited for their paernts to return each day with a little silver fish…waited a whole month to grow up…and so will this one.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood
by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Author) and Steve Rolston (Illustrator)
122 pages

Booktalk: Gory and fascinating (and if you’re a vampire, delicious) blood is at the heart of human life. Take a stab at understanding this vital fluid via a mix of science, history, pop culture, and even cookery.

Snippet: Today the average grade four student probably understands more about blood than the world’s most educated doctor did 500 years ago. Back then, blood was seen as one of many important but mysterious boldily fluids–something doctors tried to measure and regulate.
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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Books 4 Learning

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Ginger Wadsworth shares activities for First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low

on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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STEM Haiku

In honor of National Poetry Month, we invite you to share an original STEM haiku.

(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Share your original STEM haiku at the new STEM Friday blog.

Earth Day
We celebrate Earth
Day once a year, but each day
we live is Earth Day.
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Site Meter Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.