Animal Bites: A Nonfiction Series from Animal Planet

I am always looking for good new nonfiction series that are accessible to my 3rd graders. I recently received a copy of OCEAN ANIMALS from the newish Animal Bites series from Animal Planet.  It looks like it will be a perfect fit for 3rd and 4th graders.

The book is filled with amazing photos so it will definitely attract readers--it is one they will pick up on their own. And there seems to be just the right amount of text on each page. Each page contains more than a few facts but not so much text that the book becomes overwhelming for young readers.

The book's text features are color-coded so readers are directed to a key on the Table of Contents page.  There are several categories covered in the book and the colored tabs alert the reader to which umbrella topic is being discussed on a page.  Topics like "Where They Live", "How They Live" and "Big Data" are some of the categories. There are also some pages that focus on one type of animal to get more information.

The book has a good progression so can easily be read from cover to cover over a few days. But the pages also stand alone so each page can be read alone and there are lots of mini lesson possibilities form the stand-alone pages.  This is a good series to use to share various ways to read nonfiction and the ways the various nonfiction text features are used to help share information.

There are a few other books in this series and I am anxious to see if my kids like them as much as i think they will. I definitely have plenty of series about animals but many of  my 3rd graders could read about animals every day and still want to read more! They are a sturdy paperback book so they seem like they will hold up well in a classroom.

The other books in the series include Polar Animals, Farm Animals and Wild Animals.

I'm excited to discover this new series!

Early Chapter Book: Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels

As I've mentioned before, I've been reading lots of books to prepare for my move to 3rd grade in the fall. I've been focusing on series books but I also know that many of my readers will need more support that the popular series chapter books provide.  This week, I found an easier beginning early chapter book series Joe and Sparky published by Candlewick and read Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels by Jamie Michalak.  I'm so glad to have discovered this series--I think it will be perfect for some of my incoming students!

Joe and Sparky are pretty fun characters who are fun to read about. In this story, this turtle (who likes to hide in his shell) and giraffe (who loves an adventure) go out of their cageless zoo on a car ride adventure.  It is full of fun surprises.

The sentences are simple so transitional readers should have lots of success with text. This book supports young readers in lots of ways. The humor is sophisticated enough to keep readers engaged. The characters stay true to character and there is lots of inferring to do. There is lots of picture support but also lots that has to be comprehended from text only.  Readers have to hold onto the plot of the story in a very minimal way so this book is perfect for readers new to chapter books.

I am excited about this series and hope to pick up a few more. My test for books like this is my own engagement--if I enjoy the characters and story well enough to stay engaged, I am set and I truly enjoyed these characters and their adventure. So I am confident, this is a great series for my students. 

Series Books for 3rd Grade: Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford

I read a review of a Violet Mackerel book and added it to my list of series books that I have somehow missed. Well, I read Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot and I am so glad I discovered this series! Violet Mackerel is for sure one of my new favorite characters. I just called Cover to Cover to order the rest of the series.

I fell in love with the book on the very first page.  There were many times in the book when the writing reminded me of Cynthia Rylant, one of my favorite authors of all time.  The story begins like this:

Violet Mackerel is quite a small girl, but she has a theory.

Her theory is that when you are having a very important and brilliant idea, what generally happens is that you find something small and special on the ground.  So whenever you spy a sequin, or a stray bead, or a bit of ribbon, or a button, you should always pick it up and try very hard to remember what you were thinking about at the precise moment when you spied it, and then think about that thing a lot more.  That is Violet's theory, which she calls the Theory of Finding Small Things.

Violet Mackerel is the kind of girl who has lots of important ideas. She is the kind of girl who wears her pajama bottoms under her skirt. She is the kind of girl who creates brilliant plots!

I love Violet Mackerel and can't wait to read more about this great character!

Series Books for Third Grade: Lulu by Hilary McKay

Someone recommended the Lulu series to me and when I noticed that Hilary McKay was the author, I immediately ordered one. I read Lulu and the Duck in the Park (Book 1).  I am happy about this new series as I think it will be a great one for primary students.  There are lots of things I like about this book:

-I love the main character Lulu.  The author lets you get to know Lulu quickly and she is a fun character with lots of spunk.

-I love the supports for readers who are new to chapter books. The print is large and the illustrations support the text.

-The writing is what you would expect from Hilary McKay--well crafted:-)

-Hilary McKay lets you know some of the other characters well which I love.

-The story is well developed and perfect for readers new to following a longer/chapter book length story.

There are only two books out about Lulu but I am hoping we see more about this character soon1

Series for Third Grade: Goofballs by Tony Abbott

I have been spending time reading some series books that I've somehow missed as I get ready to move to third grade in the fall.  One series that was recommended was Goofballs by Tony Abbott.  This is a mystery series. I am not always a fan of mysteries for younger readers because I think they are really hard to do well for this age.  I read the first book in the series: Goofballs #1: The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder last week. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this series and how much I think it is perfect for 3rd graders. There is the perfect amount of humor and enough clues for readers to pick up on their own without making the mystery too obvious.

The Goofballs are 4 kids who work together to solve mysteries.  There are two boys and two girls who work together to find mysteries, wear disguises, and have a fun time together.  There is humor and word play throughout the books that are perfect for this age.

The language is classic detective language. I'm not sure the kids will pick it up but it is very well done and the simple sentences are a great support for readers newer to chapter books.

I am so excited that I discovered this series. It is a great series for readers new to mysteries--I never seem to have enough mysteries to recommend to this age but I'll definitely be recommending these.

This series is fairly new (2012) with 4 books out so far. The 5th is due out in August. I just bought the next three and am thrilled to add these to my classroom collection!

Books for 3rd Grade: Galaxy Zack

I will be moving from 4th grade to 3rd grade next year. One of the things I have not kept up on in my reading life is series books.  I knew moving to 3rd grade, that I'd need to read lots of newer series books to be able to put the right books in the hands of my students next year. When my doctor said I could start "light" reading, I figured this was the perfect time to read the books I'd missed out on. So I put out a tweet asking Twitter friends for recommendations of new series books or other titles that I should read. Of course, they came through with great titles and these have been perfect "light" reading for me over the past 2-3 weeks.

I tend to read the first one or two books in a series so that I know what to expect in terms of content, text complexity, etc.  One of the series I have newly discovered is GALAXY ZACK by Ray O'Ryan. This is a fun series that I think will appeal to lots of kids.  The format and text of this series reminded me a bit of the Stink series. The plot/content reminded me a bit of The Jetsons!

The first book, Hello, Nebulon! (Galaxy Zack) sets the stage for the series.  The series is set in the year 2120 and Zack and his family are moving from Earth to a planet called Nebulon. Kids will love the idea of space travel, the gadgets used in the book, and the universal feelings one has when moving to a new place.

It looks like there are 2 books available in the series with a 3rd coming out today. 3 more are due out later this summer/early fall. So, by the end of the year, there should be 6 books for kids who fall in love with this series.  This is a fun series that I am excited to add to my classroom library!