Italy ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Italy - Sharon Katz Cooper

We leave for Italy in a few days - two teenagers and me!  Here is a book I found to give an introduction
Italy ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Italy -  An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Italy.  Stay tuned for pictures from our adventure!

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/3859.aspx

For the First Day of Spring - Butterfly Birthday

Butterfly Birthday finds all the insects awakening to springtime and preparing a celebratory feast for the occasion. But while the wasps and spiders and beetles gather up food (at the direction of the ants), the caterpillars satisfy themselves to munch on leaves.

While to the little ant, it seems as though they're lazy, the other insects know what's up, and let things play out to surprise the little ant when the caterpillars turn into chrysalises (hung like Chinese lanterns around the party) which later hatch open to release butterflies and moths.

Mark Jones' illustrations give Butterfly Birthday a look akin to "A Bug's Life," with insects that are as true to real life as possible while also giving them facial expressions. Harriet Ziefert's story is a gentle one, avoiding much of the natural order of the food chain (in one scene, a return cardinal flies over, but ignores the gathering of insects on this special day out of respect).

Vibrantly colored from edge to edge and filled with a variety of critters, Butterfly Birthday will certainly be enjoyed by young readers (and, in particular, younger readers who count "butterfly" among their first words).

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Brooklyn Bridge by Thomas Ratliff

Very clever and interesting, part of a whole series of non-fiction books, check out the author's page as well - http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=69391
- Humorous "Handy Hints" that relate directly to the text are provided on each spread
- High interest topic for children of all ages
- Draws in even the most reluctant reader with a lighthearted tone and hilarious illustrations
- The cultures and traditions from ancient civilizations through modern times throughout the history of the world spring to life in the pages of this series
- Includes glossary and index - Perfect for struggling readers

My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life by Kate Feiffer

An Indie Booksellers Summer 2009 Kids' List selection!
Starred review! Publisher's Weekly
"Oh, the humor! My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life essentially defines the quintessential spirit of parent-child relationships. It's a picture book that even adults will appreciate reading to themselves -- giving it to your own mother would certainly be a way to show her that you appreciate her, now, even if you couldn't show it as a child...Kate Feiffer, with her pitch-perfect writing skills, and Diane Goode, whose artwork corresponds flawlessley, have got this book SO right! I urge you to check-it-out."
- Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review
The author's website as well -  http://katefeiffer.com/index.htm

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This author visited our school today.  She spoke with the children about perseverance and courage. 

A core novel in our 6th grade, all students have read the book.  INSPIRATIONAL!
A fictionalized autobiography in which eleven-year-old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan with her mother and sister at the end of World War II. Though Japanese, eleven-year-old Yoko has lived with her family in northern Korea near the border with China all her life. But when the Second World War comes to an end, Japanese on the Korean peninsula are suddenly in terrible danger; the Korean people want control of their homeland and they want to punish the Japanese, who have occupied their nation for many years. Yoko, her mother and sister are forced to flee from their beautiful house with its peaceful bamboo grove. Their journey is terrifying -- and remarkable. 
It's a true story of courage and survival