In case you have a school project coming up...

This week we are going back to some sort of normalcy at our home- holiday decorations have been put away and kids are back to school , which means school projects are now coming home.  This got me thinking about some of the projects students would be doing over the next couple of months. Of course there is the always reliable science fair, which I would explore in another posting, for this week I went with Government and Presidents.  One thing I really wanted to do was to look for alternatives to the traditional biography books on presidents and found this nice picture book.

Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman, published by Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012. K-2. One of the many facts you will learn about Lincoln when reading this book is that there are over 16,000 books written about our 16^th president -Abraham Lincoln. Kalman’s passion for everything Lincoln is hard to miss. She shares with the reader personal details of Lincoln's life, his upbringing, his beliefs, fears, likes and dislikes- did you know that he loved his dog Fido, an classical music in particular Mozart’s The Magic Flute opera.  The illustrations are done using gouche in a mix of realism/surrealism styles using vibrant colors for backgrounds and pictures. The text itself is a mix of typed print and free hand writing. I personally liked the combination of personal facts with historical ones. This could be an interesting source for a book report or biography project.Check it out at our library.  

While I love picture books I understand that our readers would need different type of sources and the Searchlight Book Series is a great way to explore a variety of topics. They are full of beautiful photographs, short chapters, and additional resources in the glossary.

Searchlight Books Series- The President, Vice President, and Cabinet by Elaine Landau, published by Lernel Publications, 2012. 2-5 Grade.  This series provides a great overview of different topics, in this case a look at the executive branch and how it works.  Full of photographs, the quick chapters contain facts and information that young readers would enjoy. Throughout the text there are text boxes inserted with interesting bits of information. The additional resources are comprehensive and appropriate for the audience. Check it out at our library.

And here is my shout out to picture books for this week. 

 

Hello! Hello! By Matthew Cordell published by Hyperion, 2012. K-2.  Lydia, the cute red hair is hyper connected to the Whole Wide World and at the same time she is lonely. Mom is at the computer, dad on his cell, and her little brother is just playing away on the tablet- no one pays attention to her until she decides to venture out into the world. What started by just following a little leaf turns into a while race of animals- horses, buffalo, dinosaurs, chickens, and octopus!  Her imagination is running wild, until her cell phone rings and she has to return home. Would she change her parents and brother? Would they disconnect? You have to read this amazing picture book. This is one of those books that remind us to slow down and enjoy the little things like a flower or a ladybug.  I loved the author’s clever use of different fonts from the text, robotic “hello” to a free hand “hello”  when Lydia is exploring the world.  The watercolors are also limited to our character with the rest of her family grayed out until they follow Lydia into a full colorful world. Check it out at our library.

New books for the New Year

Happy New Year!

Like most everyone I have spent the last few days thinking about my new year's resolutions, this year one my resolutions is to keep up my reading and reviews, along with starting a Storytime Themes section on this blog.  I have also decided that I need to venture out of my comfort zone and explore our informational text (aka non-fiction books). My library has a growing collection and try really hard to find books that would appeal to a wide range of readers.

As I was browsing the new books shelves I came across this very interesting  biography.

  Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch.  It caught my eye for several reasons- first it fit my new resolution, it is also a biography-double reward, and the illustrations are a unique combination of watercolors, oversized characters, and black outlines. As I read it I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't read as a biography, Ferris has done a great job at including some humor and personal anecdotes on Webster's life while ensuring the facts are there.  Throughout the text there are short definitions such as "CON-VINCED [verb: overcame by argument]" adding a sense of urgency, action, or simply humor.  The book includes a nice timeline on Webster's life and accomplishments.  Check it out at our library.


I couldn't abandon picture books and since we still haven't had any significant snow this year this book just called my name. If you are like me missing the white backgrounds check out our latest display of winter books- everything snow and winter there.

A Perfect Day by Carin Berger. This book reminds me of Snowy Day by Ezra, the perfect snow day to share with friends playing, sledding, throwing snow balls and much more on their snowy hillside village.  Berger’s snowman characters are full of color to pop through the white snowy backgrounds. The  illustrations on this book are unique cut-paper collages made out of old books, letters, catalogues, and ticket stubs.  I enjoyed finding the small details on each collage. You can check out this come at our library.

You’re Finally Here! By Melanie Watt. This little bunny is so excited to have you (the Reader) finally here. Where have you been all of this time? Waiting has been so hard but now that you are here you two will have the greatest time reading this book…as long as you have canceled all of your plans, that is. The large print and animated illustrations would capture the attention of young readers.  I loved reading this book to my 5 year old, granted some of the settle humor was lost on him.  The super sized pictures are great to capture the attention of readers plus it lends itself for some dramatic reading.  Come check it out at our library.