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| Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Graham Canny |
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| Flickr Creative Commons Photo by NitroxAnyOne |
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| Flickr CreativeCommons photo by mmbooklover WORDS THAT GIVE ME HOPE I love you. Delicious! Come in! I finished my book! Thank you! Don't worry, I can fix that! How may I help? Would you like seconds? You want to play, too? Is it okay to use the dictionary? Are you feeling better? Will you sign this petition? © Mary Lee Hahn, 2011 |
I loved Andrew Clements' book DOGKU and so did my students. DOGKU
is a story about a dog who finds a new home. Each page is told in Haiku and the Haiku work together to tell a story. So, I was thrilled to see a new book that is similar called WON TON: A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU
by Lee Wardlaw. This is the story of a cat--told from the cat's perspective. He starts the story from a shelter and is quickly adopted by a young boy. The story shares the joys and stresses of moving in with a new family and the relationships between the cat and his new family. There are parts in the story that are more serious and others that are humorous. The shape of the book and the colorful illustrations add to story. A fun addition to any poetry collection and a great companion to Dogku.
A LAND OF BIG DREAMS: VOICES OF COURAGE IN AMERICA
is a picture book that celebrated 13 Americans. Each page features the words as well as a bit of information about one of these Americans. Included in the book are Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others. The pages are organized in chronological order--beginning with Thomas Jefferson and ending with Barack Obama. A quote by the famous American starts each page and a bit of information connected to the quote is explained following the quote. The back of the book includes a short piece with biographical information on each of the 13. This book is organized in a way that can really help children see the influence of others and the words that made a difference. 
TOTALLY HUMAN: WHY WE LOOK AND ACT THE WAY WE DO
by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson is 
this month's Junior Library Guild Selection for the category we receive. I was excited to see it as it was new to me and I am sure kids will love it. This book shares the reasons we, as humans, do many of the things we do (hiccup, throw up, listen to music and love pets to name a few). Each two-page spread focuses on one of these questions and each question is followed by a pretty detailed explanation. I like this book because it brings together difficult scientific concepts with fun illustrations to engage readers. The text is written in a way that helps readers understand the basics of genetics and inherited features. It does so in a very fun way, with topics that are interesting to children. This book is pretty packed and can be read cover to cover or in short pieces. 
I learned about DON'T TOUCH THAT TOAD AND OTHER STRANGE THINGS ADULTS TELL YOU
by Catherine Rondina at the last Twitter #titletalk that was focused on nonfiction books. (If you have never participated in #titltetalk, it is a Twitter conversation around children's books hosted once a month on Sundays by Donalyn Miller and Paul Hankins. More info as well as archives can be found on the Title Talk Wiki). This is a small book that kids will love. Each page focuses on something that kids have heard such as, "If You Sit Too Close to the TV, You'll Ruin Your Eyes" and other common adult warnings. Following each of these quotes, the authors answer whether the warning is true or false and go on to explain why in a short one page piece. This is a fun book filled with scientific answers and explanations. As with the other books, the pages can be used individually as short text or the book can be read from cover to cover.
