Greetings!
High-Low Books: One of you asked me for lists of books for low readers in higher grades; particularly students in middle school who are reading at about 2nd – 4th grade reading levels. I will keep an eye out for titles like this, but I will be the first to admit that this is NOT my specialty. If any of you have found books on these levels that are age appropriate for upper levels, please send those titles to me and I will compile a list that we can all use when needed.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Monday, December 3, 2018
Monday, November 26, 2018
Coloring Books and One More Idea
Hello,
I have two short subjects to let you know about. One of them is the subject of coloring books. You will likely have noticed that coloring books are very popular now. There are hundreds of kinds of coloring books; many for adults. I bought a few for the library thinking I would make copies of a particular page each week for students to take and color. As I read the small print, I realized that due to copyright, I was not allowed to make copies. I began to think how I could use the coloring books and decided to try something new and different. I would let the students check the coloring book out and actually color in it! I put a disclaimer in the front of the coloring book telling students that they could color in the book, but I would like for them to try to finish the page and also put their name on the page(s) they colored.
It has been a great plan. Only a few students actually check the coloring books out, but those that do love this plan. You might consider trying something like that. If you are currently copying coloring pages for your students, make sure you have permission to do this.
The second subject has to do with books that you have that you decide to not put in the library. I bought a book from the Scholastic book fair a few years ago that intrigued me. I read the book and really enjoyed it, but decided that it wasn’t worth putting in the library. It was the kind of book that I felt didn’t have universal appeal. I had it on a small bookshelf by my desk and a student saw the book. She had wanted it from the book fair, but was unable to buy it. I lent it to her and asked her to put her name and the date in the front cover of the book. It wasn’t checked out; if she had not returned it, there was no big issue since it was really my personal book. When she returned it, a few others wanted to read it, so I told them the same thing: read it and sign your name and the date inside the front cover. Hand it around and bring it back when everyone has had a chance to read it.
The main thing for me was to share the book with those who really wanted to read it. It’s kind of a special thing to borrow a book that way, so I have tried it with a few others. These are books that aren’t personal treasures so I don’t mind if they are gone a long time or even go missing.
Think about these two ideas. If you have other ideas that you’d like to share with the group, just send them to me and I’ll post them.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are gearing up for the next few weeks.
Audrey
I have two short subjects to let you know about. One of them is the subject of coloring books. You will likely have noticed that coloring books are very popular now. There are hundreds of kinds of coloring books; many for adults. I bought a few for the library thinking I would make copies of a particular page each week for students to take and color. As I read the small print, I realized that due to copyright, I was not allowed to make copies. I began to think how I could use the coloring books and decided to try something new and different. I would let the students check the coloring book out and actually color in it! I put a disclaimer in the front of the coloring book telling students that they could color in the book, but I would like for them to try to finish the page and also put their name on the page(s) they colored.
It has been a great plan. Only a few students actually check the coloring books out, but those that do love this plan. You might consider trying something like that. If you are currently copying coloring pages for your students, make sure you have permission to do this.
The second subject has to do with books that you have that you decide to not put in the library. I bought a book from the Scholastic book fair a few years ago that intrigued me. I read the book and really enjoyed it, but decided that it wasn’t worth putting in the library. It was the kind of book that I felt didn’t have universal appeal. I had it on a small bookshelf by my desk and a student saw the book. She had wanted it from the book fair, but was unable to buy it. I lent it to her and asked her to put her name and the date in the front cover of the book. It wasn’t checked out; if she had not returned it, there was no big issue since it was really my personal book. When she returned it, a few others wanted to read it, so I told them the same thing: read it and sign your name and the date inside the front cover. Hand it around and bring it back when everyone has had a chance to read it.
The main thing for me was to share the book with those who really wanted to read it. It’s kind of a special thing to borrow a book that way, so I have tried it with a few others. These are books that aren’t personal treasures so I don’t mind if they are gone a long time or even go missing.
Think about these two ideas. If you have other ideas that you’d like to share with the group, just send them to me and I’ll post them.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are gearing up for the next few weeks.
Audrey
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Commonsense Media Website
Hello,
This week I want to let you know about a great website that will help you in numerous ways. Do you want to teach digital citizenship? Review digital citizenship? Learn if a book or movie or video game is appropriate for your child or students? You can do all this at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. There is a place to click if you are a parent or an educator. Lesson plans along with activities are available. This week I have had my students working on the Digital Citizenship site. For us, it is a review over some of the lessons we have learned this quarter. It looks like just fun and games, but there is still some learning that can happen.
Another thing I like about this website is that there are book reviews available. If you see that a student of yours is reading a book that appears to be inappropriate for school, you can type the title in and usually a review will come up that gives a lot of information about the content. The books are rated for educational value, positive messages, positive role models and representations, violence, sex, language, consumerism, and drinking/drugs/ and smoking. An age level that the book would be appropriate for is also given. There is a summary of the book and usually reviews from parents who have read the book and also kids who have read the book. Parents can give an age recommendation and kids can give age recommendations, too. Another section gives subjects that families can talk about with their kids regarding the book.
I have been hearing a lot about the game Fortnite, so I looked it up on Commonsense. The age level that Commonsense gives for this game is 13+. Parents say age 11+ and kids say 10+. Here are the other scores for that particular game.
Educational Value 2/5
Positive messages 3/5
Postivie role models 2/5
Ease of Play 3/5
Violence 3/5
Sex not present
Language 1/5
Consumerism 3/5
Drinking/drugs not present
The “What Parents Need to Know’ section has a nice long paragraph telling about the game and the players.
Reviews of the game by one parent says that the game is ‘gun violence sugar-coated’ and give the age for the game as 18+. One 12 year old student reviews the game and grades it as age 6+. It is interesting to read the reviews and see what different opinions people have. It also helps someone who is having questions or issues about a game to know more about it without having to play it for hours personally.
This website also gives articles to read such as “!0 Most Violent Video Games of 2014 (and What to Play Instead).
All in all, I really like this website. It is full of great advice and information. I recommend that you let parents know about this site so they have the opportunity to make better choices for their children.
Have a great week,
Audrey
This week I want to let you know about a great website that will help you in numerous ways. Do you want to teach digital citizenship? Review digital citizenship? Learn if a book or movie or video game is appropriate for your child or students? You can do all this at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. There is a place to click if you are a parent or an educator. Lesson plans along with activities are available. This week I have had my students working on the Digital Citizenship site. For us, it is a review over some of the lessons we have learned this quarter. It looks like just fun and games, but there is still some learning that can happen.
Another thing I like about this website is that there are book reviews available. If you see that a student of yours is reading a book that appears to be inappropriate for school, you can type the title in and usually a review will come up that gives a lot of information about the content. The books are rated for educational value, positive messages, positive role models and representations, violence, sex, language, consumerism, and drinking/drugs/ and smoking. An age level that the book would be appropriate for is also given. There is a summary of the book and usually reviews from parents who have read the book and also kids who have read the book. Parents can give an age recommendation and kids can give age recommendations, too. Another section gives subjects that families can talk about with their kids regarding the book.
I have been hearing a lot about the game Fortnite, so I looked it up on Commonsense. The age level that Commonsense gives for this game is 13+. Parents say age 11+ and kids say 10+. Here are the other scores for that particular game.
Educational Value 2/5
Positive messages 3/5
Postivie role models 2/5
Ease of Play 3/5
Violence 3/5
Sex not present
Language 1/5
Consumerism 3/5
Drinking/drugs not present
The “What Parents Need to Know’ section has a nice long paragraph telling about the game and the players.
Reviews of the game by one parent says that the game is ‘gun violence sugar-coated’ and give the age for the game as 18+. One 12 year old student reviews the game and grades it as age 6+. It is interesting to read the reviews and see what different opinions people have. It also helps someone who is having questions or issues about a game to know more about it without having to play it for hours personally.
This website also gives articles to read such as “!0 Most Violent Video Games of 2014 (and What to Play Instead).
All in all, I really like this website. It is full of great advice and information. I recommend that you let parents know about this site so they have the opportunity to make better choices for their children.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Monday, October 15, 2018
Books Boys (and Girls!) Like
Note: I wrote and sent this post in March 2015, but the subject comes up fairly often asking for books for boys to read. I am repeating this post simply because it is relevant, but I have also updated and added to it. So, if you read it before, there are some differences this time! amc
Greetings!
Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to find books that boys like and will read? I hate to label books as ‘boy books’ or ‘girl books’, but face it, books about cupcakes and girls being unkind to other girls in school really don’t appeal to most boys. It seems that girls who are readers will read anything – books that appeal to both girls and boys. Boys will seldom pick up a book with girls as the main character. So, I went looking for authors and titles that appeal to many boys in my school. One real plus for purchasing these is that the girls will probably read them, too!
One suggestion was the author Ralph Moody (1898 – 1982). You or your parents may have read his books as young people. Little Britches, Man of the Family, and The Home Ranch are three of his books. Most of his books are set in the American West and the ones I mentioned above are autobiographical. If you like these, they continue with Mary Emma & Company, The Fields of Home, Shaking the Nickel Bush, The Dry Divide, and Horse of a Different Color. You may even already have some of these in your library, but they may look old and dry. I suggest you begin with Little Britches and just start reading that book aloud to your students. This is very likely to get them started and interested in reading more from Ralph Moody.
Another author that was suggested to me is John D. Fitzgerald (1906 – 1988). He wrote a series called The Great Brain which are also loosely based on his childhood. The main character – The Great Brain – is based on his mischievous older brother, Tom. There is a movie of the first book on YouTube with Jimmy Osmond playing the main character.
Roland Smith (1951 - ) is really one of my favorite authors. He writes exciting adventures and I haven’t noticed any problems with language in the ones that I have. Roland lives near Portland, Oregon. He has had some very interesting jobs over his lifetime which translate into his books. He was a zookeeper and also was one of those who worked to save wildlife after Exxon Valdez spill. His book Sea Otter Rescue is the story of his work helping to rescuing sea otters during that particular adventure. He writes both fiction and nonfiction. My favorites are Peak, Jack’s Run, Zach’s Lie, The Storm Runner series, and Legwork (only available in Kindle edition). There are two sequels or companion books to Peak called The Edge and Ascent. Smith has also written a few alphabet books that are beautifully illustrated. Don’t be put off by some of his titles that may appear to be inappropriate. I wondered about Sasquatch, read it, and found it to be a great story.
Will Hobbs is an author I happened upon in the public library. I picked up one of his books and read it, then returned to see what else he had written. Then I bought a bunch of them for our school library. He writes for upper elementary, middle school, and young adult readers. When students need to read an adventure story, I point them to his books. So far, he has written nineteen books for young people and two picture books for younger ones. His goal is to “take young people into the outdoors and engage their sense of wonder” so he sets his stories in wild places he knows from firsthand experience. He has won multiple awards for some of his books and some have been translated into other languages. I suggest Crossing the Wire, Far North, Jason’s Gold, Take Me to the River, River Thunder, and Leaving Protection but there are many more to choose from.
If your boys and girls like to read about war, what about a true story about a Seventh-day Adventist man? The Seventh Escape by Jan Doward will fit that requirement. This is the story of Walter Loge’s escape from a prison camp hoping to reunite with his wife and children and might be a great read aloud when studying World War 2 (or any other time). The Adventist Book Center sells this book and if you go online, to their site, you can read the first chapter.
Another World War 2 true story is the story of John Weidner, a Seventh-day Adventist who helped save the lives of Jews and other who were fleeing the Nazis. Check out Flee the Captor by Herbert Ford.
Don’t forget The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge. Desmond Doss’ life is truly exciting and amazing. Older titles about Doss are The Unlikeliest Hero and Desmond Doss: Conscientious Objector. I believe all of these are available at the ABC.
If you haven’t read any books by Farley Mowat, you really must find one and get started. I recommend beginning with Owls in the Family. This is the story of Farley’s boyhood and the animals he collected in his Canadian prairie hometown. Be prepared to laugh and even cry as you read it. It is a wonderful read aloud, but I have a difficult time not bawling at the end when I read it aloud. No spoilers here. The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be has a few of the same incidents in it, but focuses more on his dog than the owls. Lost in the Barrens is a wonderful survival story about a Canadian teen and an Inuit teen who decide to go on a quick adventure rather than staying in the spot where they were told.
Keep in mind the classic ‘captured by Indians’ stories. You really must have a copy of Swift Arrow by Josephine Cunnington Edwards and Spotted Boy and the Comanches by Mabel Earp Cason. Countless SDA teachers have read these stories to their students and loved them. Students then check these books out and read them again. (and again!) I used to wonder what I would do if I were captured by Indians, but was pretty sure the chances were slim in Orlando, Florida.
I have a set of books that I can barely keep on the shelves. Students check them out again and again and just love them. I originally bought them for the middle grades, but they have also descended into the 3rd grade and even some 2nd graders love to read them. They are books from the I Survived . . . series by Lauren Tarshis. I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii AD 79, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic 1912, I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens 1980, and more. There is usually a new title out each year. This year the title just published is I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies 1967. Ms. Tarshis researches famous disasters and writes an exciting story of survival from the point of view of a young person who was there. I actually haven’t read one since they are usually all checked out.
Another kind of book that I just can’t keep on the shelves is the Choose Your Own Adventure book. This kind of book is one that you read and get to a point where you actually choose how the story will continue on. You may have read this kind of story years ago, but the children at my school almost fight over these. I often see some very sad faces when they learn that all those books are checked out.
I hope you can find some books here that will appeal to your boys (and girls) and get them started reading. If you have other suggestions, I would love to add them to my list.
Have a great week.
Audrey
Greetings!
Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to find books that boys like and will read? I hate to label books as ‘boy books’ or ‘girl books’, but face it, books about cupcakes and girls being unkind to other girls in school really don’t appeal to most boys. It seems that girls who are readers will read anything – books that appeal to both girls and boys. Boys will seldom pick up a book with girls as the main character. So, I went looking for authors and titles that appeal to many boys in my school. One real plus for purchasing these is that the girls will probably read them, too!
One suggestion was the author Ralph Moody (1898 – 1982). You or your parents may have read his books as young people. Little Britches, Man of the Family, and The Home Ranch are three of his books. Most of his books are set in the American West and the ones I mentioned above are autobiographical. If you like these, they continue with Mary Emma & Company, The Fields of Home, Shaking the Nickel Bush, The Dry Divide, and Horse of a Different Color. You may even already have some of these in your library, but they may look old and dry. I suggest you begin with Little Britches and just start reading that book aloud to your students. This is very likely to get them started and interested in reading more from Ralph Moody.
Another author that was suggested to me is John D. Fitzgerald (1906 – 1988). He wrote a series called The Great Brain which are also loosely based on his childhood. The main character – The Great Brain – is based on his mischievous older brother, Tom. There is a movie of the first book on YouTube with Jimmy Osmond playing the main character.
Roland Smith (1951 - ) is really one of my favorite authors. He writes exciting adventures and I haven’t noticed any problems with language in the ones that I have. Roland lives near Portland, Oregon. He has had some very interesting jobs over his lifetime which translate into his books. He was a zookeeper and also was one of those who worked to save wildlife after Exxon Valdez spill. His book Sea Otter Rescue is the story of his work helping to rescuing sea otters during that particular adventure. He writes both fiction and nonfiction. My favorites are Peak, Jack’s Run, Zach’s Lie, The Storm Runner series, and Legwork (only available in Kindle edition). There are two sequels or companion books to Peak called The Edge and Ascent. Smith has also written a few alphabet books that are beautifully illustrated. Don’t be put off by some of his titles that may appear to be inappropriate. I wondered about Sasquatch, read it, and found it to be a great story.
Will Hobbs is an author I happened upon in the public library. I picked up one of his books and read it, then returned to see what else he had written. Then I bought a bunch of them for our school library. He writes for upper elementary, middle school, and young adult readers. When students need to read an adventure story, I point them to his books. So far, he has written nineteen books for young people and two picture books for younger ones. His goal is to “take young people into the outdoors and engage their sense of wonder” so he sets his stories in wild places he knows from firsthand experience. He has won multiple awards for some of his books and some have been translated into other languages. I suggest Crossing the Wire, Far North, Jason’s Gold, Take Me to the River, River Thunder, and Leaving Protection but there are many more to choose from.
If your boys and girls like to read about war, what about a true story about a Seventh-day Adventist man? The Seventh Escape by Jan Doward will fit that requirement. This is the story of Walter Loge’s escape from a prison camp hoping to reunite with his wife and children and might be a great read aloud when studying World War 2 (or any other time). The Adventist Book Center sells this book and if you go online, to their site, you can read the first chapter.
Another World War 2 true story is the story of John Weidner, a Seventh-day Adventist who helped save the lives of Jews and other who were fleeing the Nazis. Check out Flee the Captor by Herbert Ford.
Don’t forget The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge. Desmond Doss’ life is truly exciting and amazing. Older titles about Doss are The Unlikeliest Hero and Desmond Doss: Conscientious Objector. I believe all of these are available at the ABC.
If you haven’t read any books by Farley Mowat, you really must find one and get started. I recommend beginning with Owls in the Family. This is the story of Farley’s boyhood and the animals he collected in his Canadian prairie hometown. Be prepared to laugh and even cry as you read it. It is a wonderful read aloud, but I have a difficult time not bawling at the end when I read it aloud. No spoilers here. The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be has a few of the same incidents in it, but focuses more on his dog than the owls. Lost in the Barrens is a wonderful survival story about a Canadian teen and an Inuit teen who decide to go on a quick adventure rather than staying in the spot where they were told.
Keep in mind the classic ‘captured by Indians’ stories. You really must have a copy of Swift Arrow by Josephine Cunnington Edwards and Spotted Boy and the Comanches by Mabel Earp Cason. Countless SDA teachers have read these stories to their students and loved them. Students then check these books out and read them again. (and again!) I used to wonder what I would do if I were captured by Indians, but was pretty sure the chances were slim in Orlando, Florida.
I have a set of books that I can barely keep on the shelves. Students check them out again and again and just love them. I originally bought them for the middle grades, but they have also descended into the 3rd grade and even some 2nd graders love to read them. They are books from the I Survived . . . series by Lauren Tarshis. I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii AD 79, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic 1912, I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens 1980, and more. There is usually a new title out each year. This year the title just published is I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies 1967. Ms. Tarshis researches famous disasters and writes an exciting story of survival from the point of view of a young person who was there. I actually haven’t read one since they are usually all checked out.
Another kind of book that I just can’t keep on the shelves is the Choose Your Own Adventure book. This kind of book is one that you read and get to a point where you actually choose how the story will continue on. You may have read this kind of story years ago, but the children at my school almost fight over these. I often see some very sad faces when they learn that all those books are checked out.
I hope you can find some books here that will appeal to your boys (and girls) and get them started reading. If you have other suggestions, I would love to add them to my list.
Have a great week.
Audrey
Monday, October 8, 2018
Library Club
Hello,
It’s been a while since I sent a post about using student helpers in your library. Most of us are very busy and many of you have small schools or very little help in the library so I knew that we could all benefit from student helpers. It may be that you are already benefitting from student help in your classrooms.
Due to a change in schedules about twelve years ago here at Rogers, I knew that I would be losing some of my help in the library. I did a little research and found that many schools have a Library Club of some kind. I saw elementary students through high school students helping in their school libraries and decided to try it. Here we are in our 13th year with Library Club.
This is a service club. In looking at my schedule, I realized that the best time for me to have students come in to help would be from 11:30 – 11:50. This happens to be lunch recess for our 5th and 6th graders, so that is the group that I started working with. I would like to use 7th and 8th graders, but the timing just doesn’t work at our school.
At first I advertised by mentioning it in library class periods, but I don’t do that any longer. I don’t need to. Students who want to be in Library Club come and ask me about it at the beginning of the school year. Students who were in the club last year come and ask when Library Club starts. They are my commercials for this. I used to have an application form for the students to fill out including a parent signature and a teacher signature, but this year I decided to see what would happen if we just started and didn’t worry about all that. The main thing is that the teacher knows where the students are when they come here to work. Students do need to keep up with their schoolwork in order to stay in Library Club.
I have found that my limit of Library Club members is right around the dozen mark. I really can’t manage more than that easily. If that many are all in the library at the same time, it tends to gravitate toward chaos rather than help.
I ask students to come at least twice a week during their lunch recess, but some of them come every day. The students receive training in shelving books and we can keep up with all the books that are returned each week. They come all week when we are having a book fair and they help with that. They also learn to straighten the shelves, ‘read’ the shelves, and keep the magazines, DVDs, and all other materials in order.
Library Club members receive some little perks such as coming to have lunch in the library once each week, free books at book fair time and Christmas, occasional treats, and a special party at the end of the school year.
This system might work for you, too. Think about it and see if you can train a few students to help you with your work.
Have a great week!
Audrey
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
New Books
Greetings!
I have a few new books to share this week. I know, I know, but I just can’t help it. I see these great books and just have to tell someone about them.
The first two are part of a set called Toy Trailblazers. They are from the Checkerboard Library published by Abdo Publishing. I chose just these two from the set of six books.
American Girl Entrepreneur by Paige V. Polinsky is about the maker of the American Girl dolls, Pleasant Rowland. The story of how Ms. Rowland came up with the idea to create dolls from a historical perspective. She met with a lot of opposition to her idea. People said that the historical themes would be too boring. We know that they were wrong and the dolls were and are a huge hit.
Yo-Yo Maker by Paige V. Polinsky is about the maker of the yo-yo, Pedro Flores. Flores didn’t actually invent the yo-yo; it was a popular toy in his home country, the Philippines. But he is the one who brought the yo-yo craze to the United States.
Each of these books tells a little about the history of the toy and something about the creator of the toy. The other books in the set of toy makers include Mr. Potato Head, Pokemon, Rubik’s Cube, and Monopoly.
Another set of books is about fashion. I bought just two of them, too. Levi Strauss, Blue Jean Genius by Elsie Olson is about Levi Strauss and how he created the blue jeans that became a craze and are worn all over the world today.
Mary Quant, Miniskirt Maker by Rebecca Felix is about Quant who gave customers in London shorter skirts when they asked for them. She herself wore the miniskirts while helping her customers. She gave the shortened skirts the name ‘mini’ after the Mini Cooper, her favorite car.
Both of these books are part of the 1st in Fashion set. Other books in the series include Eddie Bauer Down Jacket Developer, Louis Reard Bikini Designer, Chuck Taylor Sneaker Sensation, and Sam Foster Sunglasses Success. This set is also from the Checkerboard Library published by Abdo Publishing.
When I saw the next set of books, I knew that I had to have the one about ketchup and the one about jelly. Henry John Heinz: Ketchup Developer by Heather C. Hudak is a short biography about Heinz and his persistence in creating his company. He had lots of troubles and lost a lot of money, but was able to persist and make a success of his company. I read this book to the first and second graders and we really enjoyed learning about Mr. Heinz.
Smuckers has had commercials on television using their grandchildren or great grandchildren. I was pleased to realize that real people, a real family, started this business. In The Smucker Family: Jelly Pioneers by Heather C. Hudak we learn about the family and how they began the jam and jelly business.
Other books in the set titled “Food Dudes” include S. Truett Cathy: Chick-fil-A Founder, Oscar F. Mayer: Hot Dog Manufacturer, Henri Nestle: Food Company Creator and Sam J Porcello: Oreo Innovator.
Again, these books are from the Checkerboard Library and published by Abdo Publishing.
Well, that will do it for this week. If you have any questions or need titles for a specific section of your library, I might be able to suggest some titles for you. Enjoy the weekend.
Audrey
I have a few new books to share this week. I know, I know, but I just can’t help it. I see these great books and just have to tell someone about them.
The first two are part of a set called Toy Trailblazers. They are from the Checkerboard Library published by Abdo Publishing. I chose just these two from the set of six books.
American Girl Entrepreneur by Paige V. Polinsky is about the maker of the American Girl dolls, Pleasant Rowland. The story of how Ms. Rowland came up with the idea to create dolls from a historical perspective. She met with a lot of opposition to her idea. People said that the historical themes would be too boring. We know that they were wrong and the dolls were and are a huge hit.
Yo-Yo Maker by Paige V. Polinsky is about the maker of the yo-yo, Pedro Flores. Flores didn’t actually invent the yo-yo; it was a popular toy in his home country, the Philippines. But he is the one who brought the yo-yo craze to the United States.
Each of these books tells a little about the history of the toy and something about the creator of the toy. The other books in the set of toy makers include Mr. Potato Head, Pokemon, Rubik’s Cube, and Monopoly.
Another set of books is about fashion. I bought just two of them, too. Levi Strauss, Blue Jean Genius by Elsie Olson is about Levi Strauss and how he created the blue jeans that became a craze and are worn all over the world today.
Mary Quant, Miniskirt Maker by Rebecca Felix is about Quant who gave customers in London shorter skirts when they asked for them. She herself wore the miniskirts while helping her customers. She gave the shortened skirts the name ‘mini’ after the Mini Cooper, her favorite car.
Both of these books are part of the 1st in Fashion set. Other books in the series include Eddie Bauer Down Jacket Developer, Louis Reard Bikini Designer, Chuck Taylor Sneaker Sensation, and Sam Foster Sunglasses Success. This set is also from the Checkerboard Library published by Abdo Publishing.
When I saw the next set of books, I knew that I had to have the one about ketchup and the one about jelly. Henry John Heinz: Ketchup Developer by Heather C. Hudak is a short biography about Heinz and his persistence in creating his company. He had lots of troubles and lost a lot of money, but was able to persist and make a success of his company. I read this book to the first and second graders and we really enjoyed learning about Mr. Heinz.
Smuckers has had commercials on television using their grandchildren or great grandchildren. I was pleased to realize that real people, a real family, started this business. In The Smucker Family: Jelly Pioneers by Heather C. Hudak we learn about the family and how they began the jam and jelly business.
Other books in the set titled “Food Dudes” include S. Truett Cathy: Chick-fil-A Founder, Oscar F. Mayer: Hot Dog Manufacturer, Henri Nestle: Food Company Creator and Sam J Porcello: Oreo Innovator.
Again, these books are from the Checkerboard Library and published by Abdo Publishing.
Well, that will do it for this week. If you have any questions or need titles for a specific section of your library, I might be able to suggest some titles for you. Enjoy the weekend.
Audrey
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
New Books
Greetings!
I have four new books for you this week.
Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares. The first one is a Christmas book. Look for it now, because the holidays come much too fast! Red and Lulu are cardinals that live in a large tree. The family who lived in the house near their tree would decorate it with lights and gather around and sing “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy leaves are so unchanging. . .” Red and Lulu loved this and sometimes sang along. One day Red flies off to find something to eat and when he returns, his tree had moved! It was tied to a big truck and then the truck drove away. Red flies along trying his best to keep up with the tree that still has Lulu in it. But before long he loses sight of the tree. In a big city, he tries to find his tree, and after a few days, he hears singing. “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy leaves are so unchanging. . .”
He quickly flies toward the music and there is his tree with Lulu still there. The two birds have a happy reunion. Soon workers come and take their tree away, but Red and Lulu stay behind this time in the park surrounded by trees and friends.
There are a number of wordless pages in this book. Students of all ages will enjoy the story.
I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoet. I really like wordless picture books and I found this next one to be just perfect for our school and really any school. Vanessa is the new girl in school and is being bullied by one of the children. A little girl sees this and decided the next day that she can walk with Vanessa and be her friend. Along they way to school, other children join them and when they arrive, there is a large crowd of children walking with Vanessa. The boy who was bullying her the day before, is red-faced to see that everyone else is standing up for Vanessa instead of bullying. What a great lesson to be an upstander!
What’s Your Favorite Color? By Eric Carle and Friends. Many of you may know Eric Carle as a talented artist. If you don’t know him by name, think of The Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug, and more. In this book Eric gathered together fifteen children’s book artists and each tells what his or her favorite color is giving an explanation and then illustrates the color beautifully. Some stories are just a few sentences and others have a paragraph or two. I LOVE color and I LOVE children’s books and this has both! What a treat!
Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes. I am in process of collecting the Washington Children’s Choice books for the 2019. This book came just this week and the illustrations were so lush I sat down to read it immediately. A family in Iraq is escaping a dangerous situation and leave. Sura, the mother, decided that they could not leave without their beloved cat, so she hides him in a small carrier basket hoping that he would stay quiet. The different problems that fall to them as they meet smuggler after smuggler helping them. After crossing the sea in a very small boat, Kunkush is left on the sand while the older son helps the rest of the family. Kunkush is frightened and escapes his carrier and runs off. The family is heartbroken, but after hours of searching, finally must continue on to safety. Thanks to a number of kind people, and the magic of technology and Facebook, Kunkush is reunited with his family. There is an author’s note that gives more information plus a map to show Kinkush’s journey and the last few pages have photos of little Kunkush and his family. I have already decided my favorite of the Washington Children’s Choice books. THIS one.
I love that the story is true. The refugee crisis is very real and this book tells just one small story of one family trying to find a better place to live.
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
I have four new books for you this week.
Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares. The first one is a Christmas book. Look for it now, because the holidays come much too fast! Red and Lulu are cardinals that live in a large tree. The family who lived in the house near their tree would decorate it with lights and gather around and sing “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy leaves are so unchanging. . .” Red and Lulu loved this and sometimes sang along. One day Red flies off to find something to eat and when he returns, his tree had moved! It was tied to a big truck and then the truck drove away. Red flies along trying his best to keep up with the tree that still has Lulu in it. But before long he loses sight of the tree. In a big city, he tries to find his tree, and after a few days, he hears singing. “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, Thy leaves are so unchanging. . .”
He quickly flies toward the music and there is his tree with Lulu still there. The two birds have a happy reunion. Soon workers come and take their tree away, but Red and Lulu stay behind this time in the park surrounded by trees and friends.
There are a number of wordless pages in this book. Students of all ages will enjoy the story.
What’s Your Favorite Color? By Eric Carle and Friends. Many of you may know Eric Carle as a talented artist. If you don’t know him by name, think of The Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug, and more. In this book Eric gathered together fifteen children’s book artists and each tells what his or her favorite color is giving an explanation and then illustrates the color beautifully. Some stories are just a few sentences and others have a paragraph or two. I LOVE color and I LOVE children’s books and this has both! What a treat!
I love that the story is true. The refugee crisis is very real and this book tells just one small story of one family trying to find a better place to live.
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
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