Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Eric Puybaret

1st graders were captivated by this story of Jacques Cousteau who made over 115 films, now available on DVD, and wrote over 50 books as spokesperson for the oceans of our world.

Patrick's Dinosaurs and What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs by Carol Carrick, pictures by Donald Carrick

Our kindergartners are learning about dinosaurs, have crafted dinosaur eggs, and are awaiting "hatching" dinosaurs. So what a great time to read these 2 stories. Imagination is the key ingredient along with a touch about relationships between older and younger brothers.

Tricking the Tallyman: The Great census Shenanigans of 1790 by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by S. D. Schindler

A story of what it took for one "tallyman", Phineas Bump, to count the people of Tunbridge, Vermont, in the first U.S. census in 1790. A good story for each decade's census.

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Another captivating story of this Newbery Honor winning author. Jane, a 12 year old oldest sister who lives with her single mother, 2 brothers and sister, decides she needs some adventure in her life. Helping her pastor deliver bibles, meeting her mother's former boyfriends or being forced to babysit, offer valuable life lessons too.

Ron's Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, illustrated by Don Tate

A meaningful fictionalized story of astronaut Ron McNair who loves to learn about airplanes and space. Discover his efforts to check out library books in the segregated South Carolina of the 1950's.

Boy in Motion: Rick Hansen's Story by Ainslie Manson, illustrated by Renne Benoit

A marvelous story of how Canadian Rick Hansen worked to rebuild his active and athletic life after becoming a paraplegic as a teenager.

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth, collages by Susan L. Roth

The children of Korphe, Pakistan, retell the story of Greg Mortenson who stumbled into their village cold, hungry & sick, after trying to summit K2. To thank the people for helping him recover, Dr. Greg decided to build a school for their village, the first of over 130 that he and the Central Asia Institute have helped build in Pakistan and Afghanistan!

Rhyming Dust Bunnies and Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny by Jan Thomas

Fun stories, enjoyed by Preschool to 5th grade students, with a touch of the unexpected, featuring 4 rhyming dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob.

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery

An amazing story of a dog of war and a Marine who's friendship, which began in Iraq - a not to be missed story!

posted 4/16/2010 11:09 AM | comment | view comments (0)

Look Out, Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek is a delightful picture book that students and adults will enjoy about a goose trying to find some peace and quiet. It is a great followup to Don't Fidget a Feather by Erica Silverman.

posted 2/26/2010 10:54 AM | comment | view comments (0)

If you enjoyed the movie "The Bucket List" you will probably enjoy How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. This story is a great way to explain to kids how our interactions each day impact how we and others feel, and is written by the author of How Full is Your Bucket?

Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland is a fun way to see how powerful hugs can be and the value of taking the time to care about others.

Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix by Graham Salisbury tells a tale of sibling rivalry. Calvin "fixes" his babysitter, Stella, by having a cat sit/sleep on her pillow knowing she is allergic to cats. When things go a bit too far, Calvin and a couple of friends try doing whatever work they can to to earn enough money to buy a special birthday gift for Stella. If you have siblings, this story is very familiar :)

posted 12/2/2009 9:32 AM | comment | view comments (0)

Do you know who invented TV? The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull begins by providing us with an idea of what life was like in 1906 (the year Philo Farnsworth was born), especially if you lived on a farm: no electricity, no refrigerators, no cars, few indoor bathrooms and NO TV!

Philo was an inquisitive and inventive boy, and marveled at 2 inventions as he grew up: the hand-cranked telephone and the hand-cranked phonograph. He tinkered with broken machines such as the electric generator which stopped working frequently. Philo developed "gadgets" to make life easier, such as attaching a motor with pulleys and a level to churn the clothes in a washtub so he wouldn't have to stand for hours doing the laundry.

One day while plowing potato fields, and seeing the parallel rows, he realized how to use electricity to create TV. For those of us who love to watch television, we owe Philo thanks, and the illustrator Greg Couch for including historical photos of many types of tvs.

Stagecoach Sal: Inspired by a True Tale by Deborah Hopkinson is based on the life of Delia Haskett Rawson who was the first (& maybe the only) 
woman to carry the U.S. mail by stagecoach in California. Stagecoach Sal (Delia) started driving stagecoaches at about 14 and was known as "Singing Delia Haskett" because she sang to the passengers on their journey.

The story includes the lyrics to many of the American folk songs Sal (Delia) sang and you can listen to some of Stagecoach Sal's favorites at" http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/music.htm - the Kids' Page of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

posted 11/14/2009 2:10 PM | comment | view comments (0)

We recently received a new picture book titled In the Belly of an Ox: The Unexpected Photographic Adventures of Richard and Cherry Kearton by Rebecca Bond. This is the true story of how 2 brothers from the Yorkshire Hills of England became known as the most innovative bird photographers of all time, and copies of a dozen of their photographs are also included! This is a great story and if you are wondering about the title, you will have to read this story :)

A second new picture book to enjoy is Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming. According to the story, Imogene's first words as a baby were "Four score and seven years ago", and as a preschooler, she created an accurate map of the Oregon Trail in finger paints. Imogene LOVED history!

After Imogene and her father clean up the community historical society building and open it for tours, no one even stops in. Then she learns the building is going to be torn down so a shoelace factory and Imogene sets out to save her town's history. Sprinkled throughout the story are quotes of famous Americans such as John Paul Jones - 'I have not yet begun to fight!' and Eleanor Roosevelt 'You must do the think you think you cannot do'.

This must have been a fun book to write for Candace Fleming - she won her school's Halloween costume contest in 3rd grade for dressing as Betsy Ross!

Happy Reading!

posted 11/11/2009 11:30 PM | comment | view comments (1)

--The Return of the Killer Cat by Anne Fine - This is a 2010 Sasquatch Reading Award nominee, grades 4-6

--Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell - This is a 2010 Sasquatch Reading Award nominee, grades 4-6

--Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy - This is a 2010 Sasquatch Reading Award nominee, grades 4-6 - A great historical fiction told in free verse by the niece of the main character. Syvia was only 4 years old when the 277,000 Jews in Lodz, Poland were ordered into a ghetto. She spent five one-half years in hiding. When the ghetto was liberated by the Russians at the World War II, Syvia was one of only 800 Jews and one of only 12 children who survived the ghetto. An amazing, quick read! For more info click: http://www.jenniferroy.com/

--Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear by Norma Fox Mazer

--How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor

--Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff - a GREAT story about a filly - Wild Child, a girl - Lidie, immigrating from Brazil to New York, English as Lidie's second language, Lidie knowing her abilities and talents as well as those of Wild Child.

I have been reading Patricia Reilly Giff throughout my 30 years of teaching and always enjoy and learn from her stories. Now I'm motivated to read Eleven, another of her titles that the Library purchased during the Fall Conference Week Book Fair.

--The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell - This is the 2nd titled by this author I have enjoyed in the last few weeks. It is an fun & intriguing fantasy adventure about 10 year old Christina who lives a very sheltered life - only allowed to go outside 1 hour each day, until she continues her pursuit of a secret tunnel in her home. The adventure includes friendships, orphans, garbage collecting, a mysterious energy material, and more.

I started reading this title on my way home by ferry from Seattle and could hardly put it down to drive home :)

posted 11/11/2009 1:50 AM | comment | view comments (0)

posted 11/10/2009 1:42 AM | comment | view comments (0)