Showing posts with label scenario. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scenario. Show all posts

Monday, October 04, 2010

Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Gross Jr. Edition

What's the grossest thing that's ever happened to me? Well, I've had pets, so I've done my share of gross clean-ups of various yuck that comes out of the front and back ends of dogs and cats. BLECH! I kept Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches as classroom pets for a lot of years. I think they are pretty cool critters, but for lots of people they were really high up on the scale of grossness. EEK! When I worked at the swimming pool, it became routine practice after giving swimming lessons to the littlest kids to skim giant snot-wads out of the water (with no protective gloves) and fling them onto the sidewalk to dry up and blow away. (Better that, than to swim into them!) YUCK! Come to think of it, being a teacher has given me plenty of gross experiences. The grossest was probably when I looked down at a student's head and saw it crawling with lice. GROSS! My most recent gross experience was last Friday when a surgeon cut four little slits in my belly, blew me up like a balloon through one, stuck a light and a camera in through a couple others, and reached in and--snip-snip--cut my gallbladder free and dragged it out through one of the holes. EWWW! I'm starting to think I could have been a writer or a consultant for Chronicle Books' newest Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook:
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Gross Junior Edition by David Borgenicht, Nathaniel Marunas, and Robin Epstein illustrated by Chuck Gonzales Chronicle Books, 2010 review copy provided by the publisher The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks have been favorites in my classroom since the first one came out. There is no doubt in my mind that this edition will be the most popular. It has boogers, farts, burps, pus, and pinkeye. It also has practical information about how to plunge a toilet, how to remove a tick (get an adult's help is the first step), and how to safely drink from the drinking fountain at school. For possible word study lessons, there is a table of barfonyms and a list of poopisms. You can learn how to say what you say after someone sneezes in seven different languages. But most of all, this book is just good GROSS fun! Here's an example:
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: GROSS Junior Edition is on tour. For further examples of icky wonderfulness, a chance to win a copy of the book, and more, check out these blogs: Sept. 27: Brimful Curiosities Sept. 29: Bookmarkable Sept. 30: Dad of Divas Oct. 1: Stiletto Storytime Oct. 2: A Sea of Books Oct. 3: Great Kid Books Oct. 4: A Year of Reading -- YOU ARE HERE! Oct. 5: The Children’s Book Review Oct. 6: 5 Minutes for Books Oct. 7: Two Writing Teachers Oct. 8: Mocha Dad
What's the grossest thing that ever happened to you? Share your story in the comments!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weird Jr. Edition

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weird Junior Edition
by David Borgenicht and Justin Heimberg
illustrated by Chuck Gonzales
Chronicle Books, 2010
review copy purchased for my classroom library

My fourth graders love reading the advice in the regular and extreme editions of the Junior Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks, so I'm sure they'll love this one, too.

In this edition, readers receive handy advice on how to deal with aliens, monsters, hauntings, time travel, and magic and myth.

I went straight to the time travel section to learn what to take (gold, snacks, a water purifier and a first-aid kit, among other essentials), how to survive in ancient times (eat gingko nuts in dino times, take toilet paper to ancient Rome, shave your head in ancient Egypt, and don't bother jousting in Medieval times) and what to ask your future self (What's the most important lesson I've learned?).

This fun parody of advice writing would make a great mentor text. It would also be fun to frame research writing in a how-to-survive format.