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Little Miss, BIG SIS
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Author) and Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Little Miss learns the wonders of becoming a big sister as she and her family celebrate the momentous arrival of a new baby.

Snippet:
The big news is this:
Little Miss
will be a big sis.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization This poem tells a story and like all stories, it begins at the beginning. A story starts when something changes. And what is that big change? The first page of the book gives us a hint.

The big news is this:

And that is all it says, so you MUST turn the page to find out what happens next. (I mean really, aren’t you curious?)

Little Miss
will be a big sis.

And there we see the BIG news. In 12 words, we have the beginnings of a new baby (and new big sis) story, told in rhyme.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Reflections on the Teche.

Space: The Whole Whizz-Bang Story
by Glenn Murphy (Author)

Booktalk: What is a black hole? How do we know that stars and galaxies are billions of years old? What is the difference between stars and planets? Find the answers to these and other space-related questions in this funny and informative book.

Snippet:
Hang on a Minute — What Is the Universe?

That is a very, very good question. One that most people don’t bother to ask.

The Universe is all there is.
Literally.

EVERYTHING. All of it.
It contains everything from vast galaxies, stars, black holes, planets, moons, oceans, rivers, lakes, land masses . . . plus every single life-form that lives on (or in) them.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Voice Use this nonfiction middle grade book as a mentor text for voice. No stuffy lists of facts here! This is not a classroom lecture. The informal tone makes it feel like a conversation.

Trait: Organization The conversational tone is also seen in the way the information in the book is organized. How? The book is organized like a conversation. A question (in bold) is followed by an answer. And that answer leads to the next question. The next page of the book begins like this:

Snippet:
All there is? Like, EVERYTHING?

Yep. Everything. The word ‘universe’ comes from the Greek, meaning ‘all together’ or ‘turned into one’.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!