Saturday, July 31, 2010

Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Just had to post this today as my niece's beloved cat "Winnie" passed away while they were on vacation.  How sad for her.   Bri is a loving child and has now experienced one of the necessary passages of life.

Simple verse and bold, folk-art illustrations, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant invites readers to visit Cat Heaven, a place where cats have an eternal supply of catnip, tuna, and warm laps. There is also Dog Heaven.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

This series made its debut in 2007 with rave reviews.  Check out the author's website for a blog, news, video and audio, among a few other things.  The movie opened this past Spring and comes out in DVD soon.  Check it out for some fun stories.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, illustrated by Babara Cooney

A beautiful old story that lends itself to many activities including economics, history and storyline.  Wonderful picutres ehnance this reading.  Check out the many activities - http://blog.richmond.edu/openwidelookinside/archives/2405, http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=454, www.liveoakmedia.com/client/guides/27971.pdf

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Seashells by the Seashore by Marianne Collins Berkes

Little sea creatures build their shell homes in a wonderful variety of shapes and colors. In this lovely lilting rhyme, children walk the beach, counting, naming, and appreciating forever the whelk, olive and other beautiful shells, and the creatures that lived in them. The paperback edition contains a tear-out shell identification card to enhance the hand-on lesson in nature's simple wonders.  Check out the author's website as well. http://www.marianneberkes.com/seashells_by_the_seashore_23318.htm

Here are some of my favorites .................http://www.seashells.org/

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James

It is vacation time, so Emily has to write to her teacher for help. "Dear Mr. Blueberry, I love whales very much and I think I saw one in my pond today. Please send me some information on whales."
Mr. Blueberry answers at once, pointing out that whales live in salt water, not in ponds, so it can't be a whale. But Emily believes in her whale and replies that she is putting salt into the pond every day before breakfast and that she has seen the whale smile. After several letters, Mr. Blueberry explains more forcibly that a whale cannot live in Emily's pond and that whales are migratory. Emily then reports that her whale has at last become migratory again because of Mr. Blueberry's letter and has left the pond. She is sad. But in her last letter, she has a happy surprise to tell Mr. Blueberry, and all is well.
Emily's very real concern for her whale comes through most convincingly in this delightfully imaginative, childlike text. Children everywhere will sympathize with Emily, and, like her, will learn some basic facts about these great creatures from Mr. Blueberry's letters.
Simon James's full-color illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to this unusual book that gives small children a gentle introduction to the world of nature.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Alhberg

I loved using this book for letter writing (a lost art with the texting and email world now upon us!).  Check out these ideas - http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/genre-study-letters-with-322.html , http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/730.html

There is also a holiday version of the story.  Fifteen years ago, long before anyone else thought of tucking actual letters and notes inside a book, Little, Brown published The Jolly Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg. This wonderful book gave children a chance to read letters sent from one fairy tale or Mother Goose character to another. Among the funny notes was one from Jack, who lolled on a sun-drenched island, thanking the Giant for the gold that let him afford such a nifty vacation. All this amusing correspondence was deftly illustrated and the book attracted hordes of eager readers.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey

Couldn't resist one more ..................

One Morning in Maine

Taken from Children's Books - In this 1953 Caldecott Honor Book, Sal is several years older and about to lose her first tooth. Everything Sal does that day, from clamming with her father to going by boat to Buck's Harbor for supplies, is affected by her tooth. When Sal's tooth falls out and is lost, she consoles herself by wishing on a gull's feather in place of her lost tooth. By the time Sal, her father, and sister Jane, arrive in Buck's Harbor, Sal is eager to tell everyone that her tooth is out. This book provides a very interesting look at daily life for a family living on an island in Maine. Once again, McCloskey's black and white illustrations create a mood of activity and anticipation.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Comet's Nine Lives by Jan Brett

Anyone planning a trip to the beach this summer, whether for real or virtually, will want to share this book with their youngsters.  Many activities are avaible for this book, including seashell counting, geopgraphy, cat idioms and more on the Jan Brett site. Other activities including poetry, water study and recipes are numerous.  The internet hunt is fun as well. For another link to Nantucket Island, the setting for Comet's Nine Lives, see the March post on Maria Mitchell. This will get you started on your "summer reading list"!

On another note,  I thought the bluest hydrangeas ever, could be found in Nantucket.  Check out these from my yard.  Gotta love aluminum sulfate and iron additives.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey

Time of Wonder 

Taken from Children's Books - This book, the Caldecott Medal winner in 1958,  set in Maine, but it is a decidedly different type of book. Time of Wonder was McCloskey's first picture book in full color. Beautiful watercolors of life on the islands in Penobscot Bay illustrate each page. Sunny weather, foggy weather, rainy weather, and a hurricane are all part of life on the islands. So, too, are boating, castle building, nature walks, and playing. The writing is lyrical and speaks very personally to the reader/listener, beginning with "Out on the islands that poke their rocky shore above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day, season to season." This is a wonderful book, one to be cherished and read, and read again by both children and adults.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow

In Charlotte's The Seashore Book, a little boy asks his mother "What is the seashore like?" Her sensuous, detail, child's-eye description brings a day at the seaside so alive to him (for "he lived in the mountains and had never seen the sea.") that by the end of her recounting --- with his eager questions --- he can say, "I like the seashore a lot, and now I can always close my eyes and be there the way I was just now with you." (Cover, by Wendell Minor, shown left.)

Published in 1992 by HarperCollins and edited by Robert Warren, the large book is extraordinarily illustrated with paintings by artist Wendell Minor. A Reading Rainbow selection, The Seashore Book has been called " A graceful, handsomely produced tribute to a favorite childhood experience, " by Kirkus Reviews, and "Poetically descriptive," by the Horn Book. "Minor's lovely paintings heighten the serene nature of the book, " continues Horn Book, " which reads almost like a guided meditation. A useful and relaxing story for bedtime or any time."

Monday, July 5, 2010

Love the title ............check it out ................

Who Pooped in the Park?          Gary D. Robson, Elijah Brady Clark
Find out about animals that live in Yellowstone National Park by following their tracks and scat (poop) – grizzly bear, mule deer, elk, moose, bison, gray wolf, mountain lion and badger. (Picture book)

Fun book - check it out ...............

Friday, July 2, 2010

Happy 4th of July!

Lots of books to wish the United States a  - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Or try this link for books for young readers, as well as pre-teens.
Also, for a wonderful "all-American" celebration visit Wardsboro Vermont for their 4th of July parade and celebration.
Happy Birthday!