Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog December 11, 2009

Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog by Tim Beiser

Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog is a wonderfully old-fashioned picture book.  The high quality paper and lovely watercolour illustrations by Rachel Berman make this an enchanting read.  Told in rhyme, this is the story of Bradley McGogg, who lives rather happily in his hollowed-out log until one day he realizes he is getting thin, and he must go out to find some food.  He visits his neighbours, and is offered many mouth-watering delicacies, such as ‘cheddar with chives and a peppercorn dusting’, and ‘carrots covered in honey’.  Bradley is not impressed with these offerings, and makes his excuses to avoid eating the fancy foods.  When he finally arrives back home his log is filled with bugs – ‘His house was a-crawl with a pest infestation’ – which is exactly the kind of food he was looking for all along!

This book works exceptionally well as a read-aloud, and has been enjoyed by students in many different grades in my library. It would also work well as an introduction to a unit on healthy eating or ecosystems.

Poop-Eaters: Dung Beetles in the Food Chain December 10, 2009

Poop-Eaters: Dung Beetles in the Food Chain by Deirdre Prischmann

I cannot get enough of this new NF book in our collection. It’s another of the fabulous ones from Capstone Press that is super engaging and so high-interest for kids. I’ve used it as a mentor text for NF book reviews on Destiny with both 4th and 5th graders, and it has been highly successful. Picture a group of kids and the sounds that come with being so incredibly grossed out. It’s very graphic and detailed and has snippets of GROSS! facts along the way that kids are eating up.

As kids are winding up their NF unit of study, this was a nice way for them to write book reviews about NF books, which surprisingly were easier to write than fiction reviews. Here are some samples of the class model review before they went off on their own to write one:

December 8, 2009
If you like gross things, this is just the right book for you! This book is filled with poopy facts about dung beetles. For example, their favorite food is elephant poop. If you are wondering what happens to different animals’ poop, this is a MUST READ! by Ms. Hellyer’s Non-fiction Superstars!
November 30, 2009
Do really gross books amaze you? If the answer is yes, you’ll love this book! This book tells us about beetles that gorge on POOP! Careful–you might throw up after reading this book. By Ms. Terry’s Super Non Fiction Readers

Love That Dog! Love That Book! December 9, 2009

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech is a terrific writer. No doubt about it. The cover of Love That Dog drew me right in, but when I opened it up and saw that the entire thing was written in free verse, I admit that I was disappointed. I know I should enjoy poetry, but sometimes I just don’t get it, so I shy away from it. But this week I made a major poetry breakthrough! We had Poem in Your Pocket day on Thursday and I loooooved reading fun poetry to classes. Then I read Love That Dog and I did love that dog! So now I’m hip on poetry.

Love That Dog is about a boy named Jack who is writing in a journal for school. He starts out saying that he doesn’t want to write poetry; poetry is for girls. Pretty quickly he writes poems and feels proud when they get put on the bulletin board. Meanwhile he’s reluctant to write about a dog he once had. He eventually writes about his dog and that part gave me actual goosebumps.

What I enjoyed most about the book is that I got an excellent story in such a quick read – I finished it in 20 minutes! Because it is written in prose, every word is valuable. The story never drags. I was pleasantly surprised that I got to know a likeable character and followed him through his school year. It was a fun, thought provoking, emotional read that I think kids will relate to.

Now I want to read Hate The Cat (more about Jack?) and Heartbeat, both my Creech, both written in poetry form.

The Pirate and the Penguin by Patricia Storms December 3, 2009

The Pirate and the Penguin by Patricia Storms

Author Patricia Storms visited my school in November; her presentation on the life of a writer and illustrator, and her ‘how to draw cartoons’ workshop was a hit!  Although she has been an illustrator for many years, this is Storms’ first author credit.

Both Pirate and Penguin are fed up with their lives.  Penguin yearns for somewhere warmer, as well as some adventure, while Pirate is fed up of following treasure maps that don’t lead to any riches!  Storms’ illustrations are wonderful; her wide-eyed characters show great expression, and they enhance the story perfectly.

This is an excellent book for primary students, who will be captivated as they follow the adventures of the pirate and the penguin around the world.  Fans of The Pirate and the Penguin should also try Thirteen Ghosts on Halloween by Robin Muller – this book is illustrated by Storms – it’s a spooky tale set to the rhyme of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Scaredy Squirrel November 30, 2009

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

 

Truly one of my favorite new characters living in the library (do I say that too much?!), Scaredy Squirrel is wonderful on many levels. First off, it’s HILARIOUS in that Scaredy Squirrel is petrified of the ‘unknown,’ which means anything outside of his nut tree. He prepares himself for the worst always, and has a plan A and plan B and even a plan C in case of emergency. His fears are mostly ridiculous but help kids feel ok about their fears, I think. Melanie Watt’s illustrations are key and perfect for teaching procedural writing as well. It’s also on Tumblebooks, so that is a good introduction to the character. When I read one of the sequels today, Scaredy Squirrel Finds a Friend, with the 2nd graders, we all were howling with laughter.

 

A sneak peek at the wonderful illustrations and some of Scaredy Squirrel’s fears…see what I mean?

The King’s Taster November 23, 2009

The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel

Kenneth Oppel is an award-winning Canadian author, who writes primarily for older elementary and middle school students.  However, his latest book, The King’s Taster, is a picture book aimed at younger students.

Max is a dog, and he is the king’s taster.  He tastes all of the king’s food, to make sure it is not poisoned, and eats any food that drops on the floor.  He belongs to the chef who, as Max proclaims, is the best chef in the kingdom.  However, when a new king is crowned, he refuses to eat the food, and pushes it away.  Max and the chef are horrified; they set out on a trip across the globe to find the finest foods to feed the new king, but he still refuses to eat.  Is there anything they can do to remedy the king’s loss of appetite?

This is an excellent book, but what makes it truly wonderful are the illustrations.  Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher have brought Oppel’s words to life; their pictures are full of energy and expression.  This book works well as a read-aloud – it is a funny story – but it is also ideal for a small group of children to share and to pore over.

Time Soldiers November 23, 2009

Robert Gould’s Time Soldiers

Kids in camouflage clothing ready to save the day + A huge T-Rex invading a city = Smashing Success!

So, I have this one class this year that is, shall I say, um…a wee bit challenging. They come to me the last period of the day, and the books that are deep and beautiful and inspire all sorts of discussions simply do–not–appeal to them at this point in the year (I do have faith that they will one day hang on every word of Cynthia Rylant’s work). I believe strongly in going to where the kids are, and so last week, I brought out a new series I ordered called Time Soldiers.

Let’s just say that got their attention. It’s a pretty gripping series, and the kids in the story are portrayed with real photographs, as well as the T-Rex photo that is superimposed on the pages. The T-Rex goes around destroying things in the city, and the kids get to be the heroes. Action-packed and at a lower reading level, this series is a huge hit in our library. There is also another book about King Arthur as well. A definite must for reluctant readers and fans of adventure books.

Roscoe Riley November 21, 2009

Roscoe Riley Rules by Katherine Applegate

 

I read about this new series on another blog and ordered all seven titles. Mind you, I haven’t seen more than one title in the library because they leave with another kid the minute they get checked in. And that doesn’t count the huge number of holds that are put on it as well. It’s a hit for a number of reasons: it’s funny and those are always popular, it’s written for a middle-level reader (perfect for grade 2-3), and the character makes all these mistakes but he doesn’t really mean it. I’m thinking lots of kids are connecting with this text. Another thing I love is that both boys and girls are raving about this series.

 

An interesting note is that the same Katherine Applegate wrote one of my favorite novels in verse, Home of the Brave. The two books couldn’t be more different, and I like that she has a serious side and a silly side.

No Talking November 21, 2009

No Talking by Andrew Clements

I’m embarrassed to say that this is the first book by Andrew Clements I’ve read. I’ve always been intrigued by Frindle, but never got around to it. My excuse is that I’ve been working more with secondary students and spent a lot of time reading books that I could recommend to them. That and there are just so many great books to choose from. Now that I’ve read No Talking, I’m definitely going to put Frindle at the top of my list.

I think finding a read aloud for upper elementary is a difficult task. Teachers make a huge commitment of time and have to hope that it holds the students’ attention. There’s nothing worse than a book that’s dragging on and you’re too far in to stop. I think No Talking would make a perfect read aloud. In fact, I quickly finished it yesterday at my desk so that I could give it to a 3rd grade teacher.

The premise is a simple one – a group of boisterous 5th graders have a 48 hour no-talking contest – boys vs. the girls, of course! They establish rules, such as they can answer an adult, but can only use 3 words at a time. They keep track of infractions and tally up the points. The contest has unpredicted effects on the 5th graders and the entire school. What started out as a dare has turned into a learning experience beyond everyone’s expectations.

I really liked this book for the usual reasons – realistic characters, situations that students can relate to, etc. – and also because it doesn’t deal with any sensitive topics. I’m not saying that addiction, death and other sensitive issues shouldn’t be in children’s books, but sometimes teachers don’t want to deal with those issues in a read aloud. Understandable. This book doesn’t have any sensitive topics, but it’s not fluff. The book starts out light and fun – Who’s going to win? How will they get through Language Arts class while only saying 3 words at a time? Then things go deeper. Dave and Lynsey, the two chatterboxes that started the contest, start to realize things about themselves. Adults have very strong reactions to the children’s silence and make assumptions that aren’t accurate and even take very drastic actions. I think this book would create rich conversations in upper elementary classrooms.

It makes you think.

Grumpy Bird November 19, 2009

 

 

 

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

 

Jeremy Tankard’s wonderful book, Grumpy Bird, is a favourite in my library. Bird is grumpy when he wakes up.  So grumpy, in fact, that he decides he is too grumpy to fly.  As he walks around his neighbourhood he meets up with his various friends including Sheep, Raccoon and Fox.  They soon help Bird forget he was ever grumpy in the first place.

The bold drawings, and simple repetition make this a great book for younger students, but older students and staff have enjoyed it too. It never fails to bring a smile to my face as I read it, and it is wonderful as a read-aloud.

We were lucky enough to host Jeremy for two author visits last year; his presentations were wonderful, and our students were enthralled.  Fans of Grumpy Bird will be thrilled to hear there is a sequel available; in Boo Hoo Bird, Bird recovers from a bonk on the head with a little help from his animal friends…