CARNIVORES by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Dan Santat (Chronicle Books, 2013) It’s not easy being at the top of the food chain. In fact, it’s downright depressing. And it hurts, too. After all, it’s not the lion’s fault that the gazelles don’t trust him. And the great white shark? Well, he’s just misunderstood. The timber wolf… Read more »
Dianne White
All That’s Missing by Sarah Sullivan
We spoke with author Sarah Sullivan about her journey from early draft to final revision and the aha moment that eventually became the evocative debut, All That’s Missing (Candlewick Press), set to hit bookstore shelves October 8th. *** Thanks to all who entered this month’s giveaway! Congratulations to Colleen Malley, winner of a signed copy of All That’s Missing!… Read more »
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
ON A BEAM OF LIGHT: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, pictures by Vladimir Radunsky. For the first three years of his life, Albert Einstein barely said a word. “He just looked around with his big, curious eyes. Looked and wondered. Looked and wondered.” He seemed different than the other children and perhaps it was… Read more »
A Few New Gems for Young Readers
THE HAPPY OWLS by Celestino Piatti (North South, 2013) The origins of this timeless picture book reach back over 100 years ago to Dutch artist, Theo van Hoijtema’s words and illustrations. Piatti, known for his many memorable representations of owls, first published his version of the fable in 1963. He loved owls and wrote,”You can draw an… Read more »
California ReaderKidZ Recommend…
Nicole, Janelle, and Dominic are third graders from California. Check out their favorite books and see what they’re planning to read this summer vacation! Nicole, age 9, recommends… 1) Holes 2) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’ Stone 3) Legend of the Ghost Dog 4) A Coyote’s in the House 5) Big Nate in a… Read more »
Notes from the Read-Along Crowd
Preschool and kindergarten teachers know that one of the best ways to develop life-long readers is to introduce young ones to books with lots of repetition, books that encourage young listeners to engage with the text by chanting along, adding motions, and predicting what comes next. Kale, 3, already has a list of favorites. Here… Read more »
Genre Connections: POETRY
Like her previously published, Comprehension Connections (Heinemann, 2007), Genre Connections: Lessons to Launch Literary and Nonfiction Texts by Tanny McGregor (Heinemann, 2013) is a great go-to resource for teachers looking for concrete, hands-on lessons that introduce students to “Big Idea” concepts. I particularly love Tanny’s idea of launching a unit of study on poetry by asking, “How is a poem like a… Read more »
