STEM Friday – Page 8 – Booktalking #kidlit

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
by Lee Wardlaw (Author) and Eugene Yelchin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A cat is adopted from the shelter and taken to a new home in this clever story told in haiku….

Snippet:
The Car Ride
Letmeoutletme
outletmeoutletmeout.
Wait–let me back in!

Winner of the 2012 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award!
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Check it Out

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Chapter Book of the Day

Snowmobile: Bombardier’s Dream Machine (Junior Library Guild Selection)
by Jules Older (Author)
64 pages

Booktalk: The true story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s journey to invent the snowmobile.

Snippet: “Ours is not the only child who cannot get to the hospital in winter. Now stop pacing and go invent something that will go on snow.”
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STEM Friday

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on February 24, 2012

is at Rourke Publishing.

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Nonfiction Monday on February 27, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on February 27, 2012

is at The Childrens War.

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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

Counting in the Garden
by Emily Hruby (Author) and Patrick Hruby (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Celebrate the joy of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables your garden as you count to twelve in this chunky board book.

Snippet: There are many wonderful things in my garden. I like to count them….
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Chapter Book of the Day

Zita the Spacegirl
by Ben Hatke (Author, llustrator)
192 pages

Booktalk: In this (graphic novel) comic book , Zita and Joseph discover a crater left by a meteroid, and inside the crater is a strange device…

Snippet:
ZITA: It’s probably an old remote or something.
SOUND AS ZITA PUSHES THE BUTTON: TEK TEK TEK TEK
JOSEPH: I still don’t think…
SOUND: CRAKKA KRAKA
SOUND: THOOOM!
(Light comes out of the crater and then a creature grabs Joseph…)

The 2011 Cybils Graphic Novels Winner!

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Austin SCBWI Regional Conference

Thanks for a GREAT weekend at the Austin SCBWI Regional Conference

Special thanks to RA Debbie Gonzales!
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STEM Friday on February 24, 2012

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on February 24, 2012

is at Rourke Publishing.

I’ve reopened the STEM Friday blog for my “early birds.” If you need to add your link before the host is ready, add it to comments for the announcement for that day on the STEM Friday blog. Thanks!
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Literary Link

My January Quick Tips column: Hot Topics: Winter Weather with STEM is at Booklist Online.
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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

Mother Goose Picture Puzzles
by Will Hillenbrand (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Twenty Mother Goose rhymes with {pictures} taking the place of some words. (Yes, it’s a rebus book!)

Snippet:
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory, dickory, dock,
the {mouse} ran up the {clock}.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Gathering Books

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Chapter Book of the Day

A Warmer World
by Caroline Arnold (Author) and Jamie Hogan (Illustrator)
32 pages

Booktalk: Over the past several decades, our world has been warming at a faster rate than ever before.

Snippet: Polar sea ice is shrinking and growing thinner, sea levels are rising, and patterns of rainfall are changing.
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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 Nomad Press.

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Nonfiction Monday on February 20, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on February 20, 2012

is at Lori Calabrese Writes!.

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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

Baby Happy Baby Sad
by Leslie Patricelli (Author, Illustrator)

Every right hand page says…

Baby HAPPY

And on the left it says…

Baby SAD

The story in art, however, changes on each page, so young children will memorize the story and “read” along.
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
by Carmen Agra Deedy (Author), Randall Wright (Author), and Barry Moser (Illustrator)
256 pages

Booktalk: Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, longs to escape his street-cat life. Tired of dodging fishwives’ brooms and carriage wheels, he hopes to trade London’s damp alleyways for the warmth of ye olde Cheshire Cheese Inn. He strikes a bargain with Pip, an erudite mouse: Skilley will protect the mice who live at the inn, and in turn, the mice will provide Skilley with the thing he desires most.

But when Skilley and Pip are drawn into a crisis of monumental proportions involving a tyrannical cook, an unethical barmaid, and a malevolent tomcat, their new friendship is pushed to its limits. The escalating crisis threatens the peace not only of the Cheshire Cheese Inn but also the British Monarchy!

Unbeknownst to Skilley and Pip, however, they have a secret ally: a famous author who scribbles away many an afternoon in ye olde Cheshire Cheese Inn…

Snippet: He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms.

Fleet of foot, sleek and solitary, Skilley was a cat among cats. Or he would have been, but for a secret had carried since his early youth. A secret that caused him to live in hidden shame, avoiding even casual friendship lest anyone discover–

The 2011 Cybils Fantasy & Science Fiction Winner!

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Austin SCBWI Regional Conference

I’ll see you this weekend at the Austin SCBWI Regional Conference

February 17-19, 2012

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STEM Friday on February 17, 2012

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on February 17, 2012

is at Nomad Press.

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Literary Link

My February Quick Tips column: Hot Topics: Telling Time with STEM is at Booklist Online.

Science, math, geography—these titles about telling time cover the curriculum!

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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

Soccer Hour
by Carol Nevius (Author) and Bill Thomson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Soccer practice begins, and the players stretch, warm up, and work on their footwork, juggling, goal shooting, and keep-away skills…

Snippet:
We practice playing as a team.
A winning season is our dream.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Writing the World for Kids

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Chapter Book of the Day

Path of the Pronghorn
by Cat Urbigkit (Author) and Mark Gocke (Illustrator)
32 pages

Booktalk: Pronghorns are the fastest land mammals in North America, clocked at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour. Of all the world’s land animals, only cheetahs are faster.

Snippet: Fawns start running when just a few days old, dashing around their mothers at speeds up to twenty-five miles an hour! As fawns mature, they will run even faster.
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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 Red Phoenix Books.

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Nonfiction Monday on February 13, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on February 13, 2012

is at Wrapped in Foil.

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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

My Little Baby
by Begin Smart Books

Booktalk: On each page spread, a proud animal mom talks about what her baby says…

Snippet:
My pup says
WOOF!

And the baby animal says it twice…

woof
woof

Each baby animal also has a texture to touch.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Ten (The Winnie Years)
by Nathan Bransford (Author)
208 pages

Booktalk: Winnie Perry is turning ten and ten is BIG: it means double digits, more responsibility, and being an almost-middle-schooler. Ten means that Winnie can handle anything, even a three-year-old baby brother and a practically teenage (and acting like it) older sister. And with her best friend, Amanda, by her side, Winnie plans on enjoying every last second of their last year in elementary school.

Snippet: The thing about birthdays is that they are shiny and sparkly and make the birthday girl feel special. And guess what? Today I was the birthday girl. As of today–oh my goodness gravy–I, Winnie Perry, was living in the Land of Double Digits.
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School Visit at John Paul II High School

Thanks for another great day, Cardinals!

Special thanks to Media Specialists Gracelyn Shea and Linda Berger!
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STEM Friday on February 10, 2012

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

The STEM Friday Round-up on February 10, 2012

is at Red Phoenix Books.

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Literary Link

Tips for connecting with reluctant and struggling readers (via @paulgreci)
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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

Feeding the Sheep
by Leda Schubert (Author) and Andrea U’Ren (Illustrator)

Booktalk: As a little girl asks questions, we all learn how wool from a sheep turns into a sweater.

Snippet:
“What are you doing?” the little girl asked.
“Feeding the sheep,” her mother answered.
Snowy day, corn and hay.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by The Iris Chronicles

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Chapter Book of the Day

Glaciers (Eye to Eye with Endangered Habitats)
by Precious McKenzie (Author)
24 pages

Booktalk: Learn about glaciers and how can we protect this endangered habitat.

Snippet: Glaciologists identified several types of glaciers. The two main types are continental and valley glaciers.
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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 Simply Science.

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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 Capstone Connect.

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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

Trains Go
by Steve Light (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: A fun board book with 8 noisy trains!

Snippet: The big steam train goes, CHUGGA chugga chugga CHUGGA chugga chugga CHOO CHOOOOOOO!
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Chapter Book of the Day

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow
by Nathan Bransford (Author)
288 pages

Booktalk: Jacob Wonderbar is used to detentions, but when a spaceship crashes near his house, he finds himself in a whole new level of trouble. After swapping a corn dog for the ship, he and his two best friends, Sarah Daisy and Dexter, take off on a madcap adventure…

Snippet: Suddenly the street lit up and there was a flash in the forest, almost like an explosion without sound. A green laser shot up into the sky and then disappeared just as quickly. A moment later there was a faint whirring sound and a hiss. Then the street was silent again.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/2uu3TvAi1Kc]

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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 Simply Science.

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Literary Links

Book Bloggers Convention officially comes under the BEA Umbrella (event now *before* BEA, not *after*)

Barnes & Noble Stores Will Not Stock Books Published By Amazon via @GalleyCat
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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

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)

Bones: Dead People Do Tell Tales

Bones: Dead People Do Tell Tales
by Sara L. Latta (Author)
104 pages

Booktalk: All bones tell a story–you just have to know how to read them. See how forensic anthropologists do it.

Snippet: Forensic anthropology uses the scientific study of humans to answer legal questions. “Forensic” comes from a Latin word referring to the forum. The Roman forum was a place where legal issues and politics were discussed and debated. Today, the practice of public speaking and debating is often called forensics. The term forensic science has come to mean science used in a court of law or the justice system.

STEM Friday

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