1,2,3… by the Sea
by Dianne Moritz (Author) and Hazel Mitchell (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Will a day by the sea be filled with numerous fun things to eat, play, watch and do? You can count on it!
Snippet:
Jellyfish float in the sea …
swishy, squishy.
We find THREE.
This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Write Time.
Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Peek-a-Boo Bunny
by Holly Surplice (Author, Illustrator)
Booktalk: Bunny is having such a wonderfully exciting time during his forest game of hide-and-seek that he manages to miss most of his friends’ hiding places. Can you find them?
Snippet:
Bunny,
Bunny,
don’t you peek…
Bunny, Bunny, hide and seek!
Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Words with Wings
by Nikki Grimes (Author)
Booktalk: Gabby’s world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents’ arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. (Verse novel)
Snippet:
Dad is a dreamer
and Mom is a maker.
I’ve been thinking,
maybe
I can be
both.
Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Nat the Cat’s Sunny Smile
by Jez Alborough (Author, Illustrator)
Booktalk: Nat the Cat shares her smile with her friends, but then her own smile is gone. Luckily, she’s passed it on to her friends and they soon come along to cheer her right back up again! (Sheet music for Nat the Cat’s Picnic Song is in the book, and you can download the sheet music and the song, too!)
Snippet:
Nat the Cat jumped out of bed
with a smile spread halfway round her head.
She packed a picnic snack to share
with her friends, Billy Goat and Hugo Hare.
Listen to the author read the book.
Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Picture Book of the Day
Fiesta Babies
by Carmen Tafolla (Author) and Amy Cordova (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Use this lively book for Cinco de Mayo next week and march to the music!
Snippet:
Fiesta Babies march on parade
wearing coronas Mama has made.
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Comic of the Week
Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers
by Dav Pilkey (Author, Illustrator)
192 pages
Booktalk: Dr. Dilbert Dinkle started his career as an ordinary, everyday evil genius/inventor/bank robber. But when he awakens one day transformed into a walking, talking puddle of pee, he vows to destroy every toilet in town. Will the devious Dr. Dinkle and his conniving cat, Petey, ruin restrooms for the rest of us? Or could this be a job for the death-defying duo of Super Diaper Baby and Diaper Dog?
Snippet:
It took 24 hours
from when he’d begun,
‘Till the Robo-Kitty
Three Thousand was done.
“All I need is a driver.
I need someone mean.
I need someone evil
to run my machine.”
BONUS! See the video!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOrwAZd2XZY]
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STEM Haiku
old word, new place
cc means carbon
copy, but email doesn’t
use carbon paper
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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STEM Friday is coming!
STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
If you blog about science or math books tomorrow,
come share your link or a STEM haiku of your own!
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Literary Link
My interview, A Little Bit of Everything is at Sandi’s blog, The Write Stuff.
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Picture Book of the Day
The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Tale
by Cheryl Bardoe (Author) and Roy D. Kennedy (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Once upon a time, seven tiny duck beaks pecked their way out of their eggs, but the eighth egg was a little bit different. What emerged wasn’t a duck at all–he was a dinosaur! (Real dino facts in the back of the book.)
Snippet:
Just then the egg trembled
Thump, thump, thump.
SMASH!
A huge claw burst out, followed by a gigantic foot. The newest duckling exploded from its shell.
The mother duck gasped. Her other ducklings froze and stared.
“That is the ugliest ducking I’ve ver seen!’ the neghbor screeched.
**Cheryl is one of my former students!**
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Chapter Book of the Day
Irises
by Francisco X. Stork (Author)
304 pages
Booktalk: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. — if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.
Snippet:
“What do you means Father’s dead?” Kate shouted into the phone.
“I went to check on Moma after you left and he had died.”
“Oh, oh my–” Kate stopped herself. “Did you call 9-1-1?”
“No.”
“Do it now. Never mind, I’ll do it. I’ll be right over.”
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5 Great Mother’s Day Books
Eloise’s Mother’s Day Surprise
by Lisa McClatchy (Author) and Tammie Lyon (Illustrator)
Eloise gets ready for Mother’s Day in this easy reader.
Fancy Nancy’s Marvelous Mother’s Day Brunch
by Jane O’Connor (Author) and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)
Nancy plans the perfect Mother’s Day. Lift-the-flap book
I Like Noisy Mom Likes Quiet: A Mother’s Day Story
by Eileen Spinelli (Author) and Lydia Halverson (Illustrator)
The title says it all! Picture book
The Mother’s Day Mice
by Eve Bunting (Author) and Jan Brett (Illustrator)
Three mouse brothers try to find the perfect gift for their mother. Picture book
The Night Before Mother’s Day
by Natasha Wing (Author) and Amy Wummer (Illustrator)
Dad and the girls get ready for Mother’s Day. Picture book
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STEM Haiku
Share your own haiku about a STEM topic during National Poetry Month.
(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
stand up
sitting all day is
bad they say, so stand or walk
as you work today
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
May 2012 Online Workshops
The May 2012 workshops will begin on Wednesday, May 2nd.
Which workshop is best for you?
New to children’s books?
Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.
Passionate about literacy?
Find out how you can write for children learning to read in the Children’s Literacy Workshop (for Writers).
Ready to write?
Write and edit your book in the
After you finish a writing workshop you can work through two more edits in a “work-in-progress” workshop, by rewriting your picture book or easy reader or working on the next chapter of your children’s chapter book or children’s novel.
The May workshop dates are May 2-June 20, 2012.
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Picture Book of the Day
Take Your Mama to Work Today
by Amy Reichert (Author) and Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator)
Booktalk: When Violet visits her mom’s office on Take Your Child to Work Day (April 26th this year), she is very helpful.
Snippet: Sometimes the boss won’t say hello because he’ll be getting ready for a presentation–that’s like show-and-tell for grown-ups. You’re probably an expert at show-and-tell, so be sure to offer to help.
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Chapter Book of the Day
Take Your Mama to Work Today
by Valerie Hobbs (Author) and Jennifer Thermes (Illustrator)
336 pages
Booktalk: Maggie is always full of questions. But a young maid in a fine lady’s house isn’t supposed to wonder so much, so one day Maggie is thrown out into the street with only a tiny heart-shaped locket for a keepsake. Who is the lady in the locket?
A little dog named Oliver is pushing his nose along an icy sidewalk searching for his lost mistress, or at least something to eat. No matter how hard he looks he can’t find either one, but he does see a girl with round blue eyes and a golden locket around her neck. The girl calls him “Lucky.”
Snippet: For once in his short life, Oliver was happy to be an ordinary mutt, with parts of many kinds of dogs all mixed together. The part of him that was bloodhound would help find Bertie. With one last look at the cozy house where he had been raised from a pup, Oliver headed into the wide open world.
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April 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature
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STEM Haiku
Share your own haiku about a STEM topic during National Poetry Month.
(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Percentages
A little of this
a little of that, bit by
bit, add up to one.
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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
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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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
See you at TLA!
The Texas Library Association is meeting in Houston this week.
I’m signing these books on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (That’s tomorrow!)
I’m signing Road Work Ahead from 10am-12pm at Overlooked Books Booth #2629
I’m signing All-Star Cheerleaders from 10am-12pm at Overlooked Books #2629
I’m signing Read and Write Sports from 1-3pm at ABC-Clio Booth #1502
I’m signing A Girl’s Guide to Volleyball from 3-4pm at Capstone Booth #1919
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Picture Book of the Day
A Hockey Story
by Richard L. Torrey (Author, Illustrator)
Booktalk: A young boy joins a new hockey team…
Snippet: Every Saturday morning I wake up really, really early and go to the ice rink.
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Chapter Book of the Day
The Wood Queen
by Karen Mahoney (Author)
336 pages
Booktalk: To keep her best friend, Navin, from being killed at the hands of vicious wood elves, Donna Underwood stole the elixir of life. Now she’s facing an alchemist tribunal while her mother lies dying, succumbing to the elven curse that shattered her mind. In desperation, Donna seeks an audience with Aliette, the fierce and manipulative Wood Queen, who offers a deal: if Donna can use her strange and burgeoning powers to help the wood elves, Aliette will free her mother from the curse. Along with Navin and Xan, the half-fey guy she’s falling for, Donna struggles to unlock the secrets of her iron tattoos in time to save her mother’s life. But some secrets are better left untold.
Snippet: And the crows; so many of them. A murder of crows? Circling around and around in an indigo sky, shedding oly feather that look like black petals.
Maybe I’m just having anxiety dreams ahead of the trial. Aunt Paige gets mad when I call it that–my trial–but isn’t that what it is?
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April 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature
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STEM Haiku
Share your own haiku about a STEM topic during National Poetry Month.
(STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Power
Zip, Zap! Electrons
move in a circuit, bringing
electricity.
© 2012 Anastasia Suen
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Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.