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Building an Orchestra of Hope

Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash
by Carmen Oliver (Author) and Luisa Uribe (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In Cateura, Paraguay, a town built on a landfill, music teacher Favio Chavez longed to help the families living and working amid the hills of trash. How could he help them find hope for the future? Favio started giving music lessons to Cateura’s children, but soon he encountered a serious problem. He had more students than instruments!

But Favio had a strange and wonderful idea: what if this recyclers’ town had its own recycled orchestra? Favio and Colá, a brilliant local carpenter, began to experiment with transforming garbage into wonder. Old glue canisters became violins; paint cans became violas; drainpipes became flutes and saxophones. With repurposed instruments in their hands, the children of Cateura could fill their community–and the world–with the sounds of a better tomorrow.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The author, Carmen Oliver, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Sky Is Not the Limit

The Sky Is Not the Limit
by Jérémie Decalf (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In 1977, a space probe was built to help human beings learn a little more about outer space. Soon, along with its twin, Voyager 2 slipped through the clouds and left Earth behind. The spacecraft traveled for years through the deep, infinite night. At last Voyager 2 reached its first goal: Jupiter. Then it met the spellbinding sight of Saturn. Then, going further than any previous mission, the probe visited the blue ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Past the boundaries of our solar system, Voyager 2 sails on, carrying a Golden Record for any new friends it makes in interstellar space…

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars

Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars: Fun Projects, Skills, and Adventures for Outdoor Kids
by Steven Rinella (Author) and Max Temescu (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: A hands-on, gloves-off, muddy-boots activity book for young adventurers ages eight and up with projects and adventures in the natural world that build lifelong skills and knowledge. Here’s one for the week after summer solstice:

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Concrete: From the Ground Up

Concrete: From the Ground Up
by Larissa Theule (Author) and Steve Light (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the architecture of the future, humble concrete plays a mighty role in the creation of the human-made world. See how a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement turns into sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, sturdy lighthouses and magnificent palaces, long bridges and massive dams.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Mushroom Rain

Mushroom Rain
by Laura K. Zimmermann (Author) and Jamie Green (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: What can smell like bubble gum, glow neon green at night, be poisonous and yet still eaten by humans, and even help create rain? The answer is mushrooms! From their hidden networks underground to the fruiting body above, mushrooms can do incredible things. But don’t call them plants–mushrooms are fungi. They’re more closely related to animals like you! Back matter includes a glossary, additional mushroom facts, and a science activity.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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How Birds Sleep

How Birds Sleep
by David Obuchowski (Author) and Sarah Pedry (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: From the parrots of Thailand to the ostriches of Australia and even the pigeons of New York City, every bird sleeps–but they do it in ways that will surprise you. Discover the mysterious and fascinating sleeping habits of more than twenty bird species from around the world in this picture book.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Real History of Angel Island

The Real History of Angel Island
by Carol Kim (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: People often learn about Ellis Island when they are taught the history of immigration in the US. However, many people also came through Angel Island in California. Discover the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station, the experiences of the people who arrived there, and how it closed.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.