Picture Book of the Day – Page 24

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Snow Wonder
by Charles Ghigna (Author) and Julia Woolf (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A rhyming easy reader about a snow day (with 2 pages of peel-off stickers!)

Snippet:
We wake and wonder
at the snow.
It puts on
such a lovely show.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Hey, Jim Hill!

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Chapter Book of the Day

Freaky-Strange Buildings
by Michael Sandler (Author)
24 pages

Booktalk: Some buildings look so strange that it’s hard to believe that they were actually meant for people.

Snippet: (For the building on the book cover, it says:) “It looks more like a cave than a building, but Crazy House in Dalat, Vietnam, is actually a hotel.”
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STEM Friday

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

This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Wrapped in Foil.

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Nonfiction Monday on January 30, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on January 30, 2012

is at Wendie’s Wanderings.

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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Cinder Book Giveaway

Chapter Book of the Day

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles
by Marissa Meyer
400 pages

Booktalk: Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…. Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Snippet: Tossing the screwdriver onto the table, Cinder gripped her heel and yanked the foot from its socket. A spark singed her fingertips and she jerked away, leaving the foot to dangle from a tangle of red and yellow wires.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/pXrMAFGWyuE]

BOOK GIVEAWAY! Do you want to read this debut novel? The publisher will send a copy to ONE of my blog readers (U.S. or Canada only). Add your name to the comments and I will select one name for today’s book giveaway.

Edited to add: The winner is Linda Baie! Congratulations, Linda!

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Picture Book of the Day

Bright Baby Touch & Feel Colors
by Roger Priddy (Author)

Booktalk: A board book with bright colors and stunning photos, each page has a new color and a new object to touch and feel.

Snippet:
yellow
banana
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STEM Friday on January 20, 2012

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

The STEM Friday Round-up on January 20, 2012

is at Wrapped in Foil.

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Literary Links

Next (online) Intensive Picture Book Workshop is Feb 1-Mar 14, 2012

74% Of Book Buyers Have Never Bought An eBook (via eBookNewser)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred
by Samantha R. Vamos (Author) and Rafael Lopez (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A bilingual story of how the farm maiden and all the farm animals worked together to make the rice pudding that they serve at the fiesta (with a “house that Jack built” pattern).

Snippet:
This is the goat
that churned the cream
to make the MANTEQUILLA
that went into the CAZUELA that the farm maiden stirred.

A Pura Belpré 2012 Illustrator Honor Book
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Chapter Book of the Day

Soldier Bear
by Bibi Dumon Tak (Author), Laura Watkinson (Translator) and Phiip Hopman (Illustrator)
144 pages

Booktalk: A group of Polish solders stationed in Iran during World War II trade a pen knife and some canned beef for an orphaned bear cub, and Voytek, as they name the bear, travels with them from Iran to Italy and then on to Scotland. See how they train a bear to help them in the war. (Photographs of the real Voytek are in the back of the book.)

Snippet: The air rippled with heat. At that time of day, the army camp was like a ghost town. If you ventured out into the sun, it felt like you were about to burst into flames.

But even so, one creature still came out into the blazing heat, bumbling along the path between the parked trucks and stopping to sniff at every vehicle.

*This book (shared in October) won the Batchelder Award (given to books translated into English).
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The (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award

Winners and honor books for the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award for beginning readers were announced this week.

2012 Medal winner

Tales for Very Picky Eaters
by Josh Schneider (Author, Illustrator)
A father tells his son outrageous stories to try and get him to eat. Chapter book

2012 Honor Books

I Broke My Trunk!
by Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)
Uh-oh! Elephant broke his trunk, and now he has a CRAZY story to tell Piggie. Easy reader

I Want My Hat Back
by Jon Klassen (Author, Illustrator)
Bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back, so he asks everyone he sees about it. Picture book

See Me Run
by Paul Meisel (Author, Illustrator)
Dogs play in the park and find buried bones in this easy-to-read picture book.
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Literary Links

J.R.R. Tolkien & George Orwell Removed From Public Domain (via GalleyCat)

Take Your Child to the Library Day launches Feb 4th (via @sljournal)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Tyrannosaurus Dad
by Liz Rosenberg (Author) and Matthew Myers (Illustrator)

Booktalk: What’s forty feet long, fifteen feet high and wears a necktie? (Tobias’ Dad! He is, after all, a Tyrannosaurus.)

Snippet: With Tyrannosaurus Dad around, he never felt afraid of spiders or strange noises at night, Still he couldn’t help wishing his father would be — well, a little more part of things. His dad was always, always working.
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Fire Alarm
by Dori Butler (Author) and Jeremy Tugeau (Illustrator)
144 pages

Booktalk: On Buddy’s first day at school. someone sets off the fire alarm. Who could have set it? A kid? A ghost? Buddy is on the case!

Snippet: “There was a fire at our school a long time ago, and part of the school burned down. This girl–her name was Agatha Curry–she got burned up in the fire and now her ghost haunts the old part of the school.”
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5 Great Books About Valentines

Arthur’s Great Big Valentine
by Lillian Hoban
Arthur argues with his friend on Valentine’s Day. Level 2 easy reader

Clifford’s Valentines
by Norman Bridwell (Author, Illustrator)
Clifford makes his own Valentine. Level 1 easy reader

It’s Valentine’s Day!
by Jack Prelutsky (Author) and Marylin Hafner (Illustrator)
This classic poetry collection is back in print with new illustrations. Level 3 easy reader

Let’s Get Ready for Valentine’s Day
by Lloyd G. Douglas (Author)
A young girl gets ready for Valentine’s Day in this photo-illustrated easy reader.

Scooby-doo Reader #10: Valentine’s Day Dognapping
by Gail Herman (Author) and Duendes Del Sur (Illustrator)
Scooby-doo finds pizza and witches in this Valentine mystery! Level 2 easy reader
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Literary Links

Citing High Implementation Costs of Local Taxes, Powell’s Closes Pennsylvania Affiliates (via @publisherslunch)

Babies Don’t Just Listen, They Try Lip-Reading While Turning Babble into Words (via @washingtonpost)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

100 Day

My Book of the Week

100 Day by Anastasia Suen
Math easy reader

A class of kindergarten children celebrate the 100th day of school.

Copyright: 2011
Guided Reading level: C
Intervention Level: 4
DRA Level: 3
Paperback: 8 pages
Publisher: Bebop Books

Book Activities:

Use these 100 Day Lesson Plans and Printables.

Make your own 100 Days of School book.

Use these 100 Day with your class.

Also available in Spanish

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Picture Book of the Day

A New Year’s Reunion
by Li Qiong Yu (Author) and Zhu Chen Liang (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Little Maomao s father works in faraway places and comes home just once a year, for Chinese New Year. At first Maomao barely recognizes him…

Snippet: Papa bries a coin in one of the balls and says, “Whoever finds the ball with the coin will have good luck.”
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Chapter Book of the Day

Tempest: A Novel
by Julie Cross (Author)
352 pages

Booktalk: The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps– it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Snippet:
The first time I jumped was about eight months ago, during my first semester of college. I was sitting in the middle of a French poetry class. I nodded off for a few minutes and woke up to a cold breeze and a door slamming me in the face. I was standing in front of my dorm. Before I even had a chance to panic, I was right back in class again.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/sidaeJl0qOE]
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Literary Links

Reading Comprehension Strategies (via @rourkebooks)

YA novel readers clash with publishing establishment (via guardian.co.uk)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families
by Susan L. Roth (Author, Illustrator) and Cindy Trumbore (Author)

Booktalk: For a long time, the people of Hargigo, a village in the tiny African country of Eritrea, were living without enough food for themselves and their animals. The families were hungry, and their goats and sheep were hungry too. Then along came a scientist, Dr. Gordon Sato, who helped change their lives for the better. And it all started with some special trees.

Snippet:
These are the trees,
Mangrove trees,
That were planted by the sea.

BONUS! Read an interview with the book’s creators!
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Poetry Friday

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

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Chapter Book of the Day

Infections, Infestations, and Diseases
by Shirley Smith Duke (Author)
48 pages

Booktalk: It’s that time of year again, cold and flu season. Are you staying well? Learn how in this book on communicable diseases.

Snippet: Infections and diseases are spread in several ways. They are spread through touch, air or water, food animal bites, or insects. Sneezing or coughing sprays germs into the air.
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STEM Friday

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

This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Capstone Connect.

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Nonfiction Monday on January 16, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on January 16, 2012

is at The Swimmer Writer.

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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Bedtime

Booktalk: A simple bedtime board book for babies…

Snippet:

It’s bedtime for Baby Bear.

First he puts on his pajamas.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Nikki and Deja: Election Madness

by Karen English (Author) and Laura Freeman (Illustrator)

112 pages

Booktalk: When the students in Nikki and Deja’s class find out that their school is going to hold its first-ever election for student body president, some kids are more excited than others. But none is as excited as Deja, who figures she’s a shoo-in for the third grade nomination. Deja decides that Nikki will be her campaign manager, of course, and puts her to work right away. But will Deja’s tendency to rush into things and boss people around alienate her best friend when she needs her most, and spoil her chances of becoming president of Carver Elementary?

Snippet: Nikki turns toward Deja then, and her lip quivers as she says loudly, “Be quiet, Deja. Quit bossing me around. You’re not the boss of me!”

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School Visit at John Paul II High School

Thanks for a great day, Cardinals!

Special thanks to Media Specialists Gracelyn Shea and Linda Berger!

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STEM Friday on January 13, 2012

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

The STEM Friday Round-up on January 13, 2012

is at Capstone Connect.

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Literary Links

Love children’s and YA poetry? Join the new Poetry Ambassadors listserv!

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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye
by Jane Yolen (Author) and Jim LaMarche (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Tiger Rose has lived a long cat’s life, so she says goodbye to one and all before she dies. (A gentle look at death from the pet’s point of view.)

Snippet:
“It is time,” Tiger Rose said to the jay,
to the butterflies,
to Rowf, deep in his doggy dream.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Tiger’s Voyage
by Colleen Houck (Author)
560 pages

Booktalk: In this third volume of the Tiger’s Curse, eighteen-year-old Kelsey must embark on a third voyage. She must find the goddess Durga’s sacred pearl necklace and free her beloved Ren from both the tiger’s curse and his sudden amnesia.

Snippet: It had been more than a month since we had rescued Ren from Lokesh’s Baiga camp and three weeks since my terrible birthday party–and life was purgatory.Even though I gave him my journal and used up all the flour baking double-chocolate peanut-butter cookies, Ren still had no memory of me. We were reunited, but we weren’t together.
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CYBILS Early Chapter Book Finalists

The new CYBILS Early Chapter Book Finalists are…

Clementine and the Family Meeting
by Sara Pennypacker (Author) and Marla Frazee (Illustrator)
What will Clementine do about the new baby? Early chapter book (176 pages)

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!
by Atinuke (Author) and Lauren Tobia (Illustrator)
Anna Hibiscus leaves her home in Africa to to visit her grandmother in Canada for Christmas. Early chapter book (109 pages)

Just Grace and the Double Surprise
by Charise Mericle Harper (Author, Illustrator)
Grace and her best friend in the whole world, Mimi, have two big surprises. Early chapter book (176 pages)

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie
by Julie Sternberg (Author) and Matthew Cordell (Illustrator)
Eleanor’s beloved babysitter, Bibi, has to move away and things just aren’t the same without her. Early chapter book (128 pages)

The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery
by Doreen Cronin (Author) and Kevin Cornell (Illustrator)
Can J.J. Tully, a a former search-and rescue dog, find the missing chickens? Early chapter book (128 pages)
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Literary Links

Another Makeover for B&N: Spinoff of Nook, sale of Sterling would return company to its roots (via @publisherswkly)

Tips from @ReadingRockets: Building Your Child’s Vocabulary (via @jensbookpage)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Golden Dragon Parade

My Book of the Week

Golden Dragon Parade by Anastasia Suen
Holiday easy reader

Chinese New Year is here.
Come along to the Golden Dragon Parade.

Guided Reading level: B
Intervention Level: 2
DRA Level: 2
Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Bebop Books

Book Activities:

Welcome in the Year of the Dragon on January 23rd with stories and games.

Enjoy these Chinese New Year crafts, puzzles and games.

Make a Chinese New Year Dragon.

Use these Golden Dragon Parade lesson plans with your class.

Also available in Spanish

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Picture Book of the Day

The Very Fairy Princess
by Julie Andrews (Author), Emma Walton Hamilton (Author) and Christine Davenier (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Her friends and family may not believe in fairies, but Geraldine knows, deep down, that she is a VERY fairy princess. From morning to night, Gerry does everything that fairy princesses do…

Snippet: The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is put on my crown.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Calvin Coconut: Kung Fooey
by Graham Salisbury (Author) and Jacqueline Rogers (Illustrator)
144 pages

Booktalk: Calvin Coconut’s fourth grade class meets Benni Obi, a weird and likable new kid. Benny brags about knowing kung fu, wears mirrored sunglasses, eats worms, crickets, and chocolate-covered scorpions, and says all the wrong things to bully Tito. Uh-oh. Meanwhile, the neighborhood kids and pets clear the road—Calvin’s babysitter Stella is learning how to drive. She’s got a lead foot.

Snippet:
Before lunch at school that day, right in the middle of our silent reading time, in Mr. Purdy’s class, this new kid walked in with Mrs. Leonard, the principal.
I looked up.
Whoa!
I stopped breathing.
The whole class did.
The new kid looked us over, his eyes scrunched.
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Literary Links

Study: Children Prefer eBooks (but remember less with “enhanced” ebooks) (via @eBookNewser)

Peskin to Head FSG Books for Young Readers (via @publisherswkly)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

When Anju Loved Being an Elephant
by Wendy Henrichs (Author) and John Butler (Illustrator)

Booktalk: After fifty years of working in the circus and then the zoo, Anju the elephant is on the way to a new home…

Snippet: She first came to America as a wee calf of only five years, bought and sold as a circus elephant.

BONUS! Download the teacher’s guide!
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Chapter Book of the Day

Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World
by Susan Hughes (Author)
64 pages

Booktalk: Did you know that there are schools in caves, and on boats and on train platforms? There’s a whole world of unusual schools out there! See inside 23 schools on five different continents…

Snippet: After seeing many of his friends and family members in Bangladesh miss out on an education, an architect named Muhammed Rezwan decided he was not going to let the floods stop any more children from getting to school. He figured that the best way to beat the rising waters is to rise with them–on a boat.
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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Great Kid Books

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Susan Stockdale booktalks Fabulous Fishes 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 Links

Buerkle to Join Kingfisher (via @publisherswkly)
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My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)