Tag: perfect picture book friday

Books

PPBF: One Plastic Bag

Kirsten W. Larson

Yes, I’m a huge Miranda Paul fan. I’ve read Miranda’s debut book, ONE PLASTIC BAG, many times. This year, I shared it with my kindergarten through 3rd-grade LEGO League team. The FIRST LEGO League Jr. challenge was  “Waste Wise,” and students learned about trash, reusing, and recycling. This book was a perfect fit for one of our research sessions.

TITLE: ONE PLASTIC BAG

AUTHOR: Miranda Paul

ILLUSTRATOR: Elizabeth Zunon

PUBLICATION INFO: Millbrook Press, 2015

ISBN:978-1467716086

SOURCE: personal copy

INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades 1 through 4

GENRE: nonfiction picture book

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Isatou walks with her chin frozen.

Fat raindrops pelt her bare arms. Her face hides in the shadow of a palm-leaf basket, and her neck stings with every step.”

From the publisher: “Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. Water pooled in them, bringing mosquitoes and disease. Some bags were burned, leaving behind a terrible smell. Some were buried, but they strangled gardens. They killed livestock that tried to eat them. Something had to change.

Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person’s actions really can make a difference in our world.”

THEMES/TOPICS: social activism, recycling

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: One Plastic Bag has so many hooks. First, Miranda incorporates Gambian culture and language into the text, immersing the reader into Isatou’s world. Second, the book has great read aloud-ability. Miranda uses a repeating refrain: “first one, then two, then ten,” which makes kids want to chant along. Finally, who can resist a story about one person seeing an insurmountable problem and taking a small step that leads to a giant change?

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • One Plastic Bag‘s Web site is packed with activities and information, including a PowerPoint about The Gambia and instructions for turning plastic bags into purses.

You’ll find way more cool books at Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Perfect Picture Books.” Every Friday folks review a host of new books. Join us!

Books, Science/Math

PPBF: Blue On Blue

Kirsten W. Larson

blueonbluecover1

TITLE: BLUE ON BLUE

AUTHOR: Dianne White

ILLUSTRATOR: Beth Krommes

PUBLICATION INFO: Beach Lane Books (2014)

ISBN:9781442412675

SOURCE: library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades K-3

GENRE: picture book

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Cotton clouds.

Morning light.

Blue on blue.

White on white.”

From the publisher: “Discover the joys of a wild rainstorm in this poetic picture book, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist.

Join a farming family as they experience the full range of a thrilling seaside thunderstorm—from the wild wind and the very first drops; to the pouring, pouring rain; to the wonderful messy mud after the sun returns!

With gentle, rhyming text and vivid artwork from a Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator, this sublime depiction of nature’s patterns turns a storm into a celebration.”

THEMES/TOPICS: weather

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Dianne White’s rhythmic text builds and bursts just like the thunderstorm it depicts. Beth Krommes’s illustrations add an additional layer to the story, showing the reaction of a girl and farm animals to the storm. Young children will love the rhythm and rhyme. In the classroom, teachers can use the book to discuss weather patterns.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

You’ll find way more cool books at Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Perfect Picture Books.” Every Friday folks review a host of new books. Join us!

Books, Education, Homeschool, Nature, Science/Math

Perfect Picture Book Friday: FROM SEED TO PLANT

Kirsten W. Larson

Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Fridays are back. I missed the boat last week, but I wrote my post early this week so I wouldn’t forget.

TITLE: From Seed to Plant

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Gail Gibbons

PUBLICATION INFO: Holiday House, 1991

ISBN: 978-0823410255

SOURCE:  library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 5 and up

GENRE: nonfiction

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Most plants make seeds. A seed contains the beginning of a new plant.”

Gibbons moves through a plant’s life cycle, showing children how seeds are formed through pollination, how they are dispersed, and how they grow into new plants.

THEMES/TOPICS: nonfiction, educational, nature, science

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Cooper was working on a plant life cycle project for school this week, and we checked this book out from the library. Gail Gibbons is a nonfiction favorite in our house. She uses beautiful drawings and simple writing to explain science concepts in a way young children can understand.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • The book has a “Seed to Plant” activity in the back using bean seeds. It’s a different take on the classic bean sprout in a baggie activity used in many preschool classrooms.
  • We’ve also done seed collections before to spark discussion about the different types of seeds and how they are scattered. You’ll find that activity…here.
  • Finally, for older students, you can try the plant life cycle project that Cooper’s class did. Students had to collect five different types of seeds and draw or collect pictures that showed the seedling, mature plant, flower and fruit. They had to label each stage, and I had Cooper draw arrows so he could see that the whole cycle is a circle. I’ll blog about our project next week.

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, History

Perfect Picture Book Friday: ALL STAR!

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: ALL STAR! HONUS WAGNER and the MOST FAMOUS BASEBALL CARD EVER

AUTHOR: Jane Yolen

ILLUSTRATOR: Jim Burke

PUBLICATION INFO: Penguin’s Philomel, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-399-24661-6

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 6-8 (Publisher’s recommendation)

GENRE: picture book biography

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“In July 2007 a rare baseball card was sold at auction for almost three million dollars.”

From the publisher’s Website:

The Honus Wagner baseball card is the most valuable baseball card of all time! But he was born poor, ugly, bow-legged, and more suited to shoveling coal in his Pennsylvania mining town than becoming the greatest shortstop of all time. How could it happen? Did those strong arms and fast legs turn him into a Pittsburgh Pirate and one of the game’s most unforgettable players?

In this true story, Jane Yolen shows us that wit, talent, perseverance, and passion score more than home runs. As Honus would say, “How about that!”

THEMES/TOPICS: baseball, perseverance

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: As Yolen points, out Wagner was a star in the days before performance enhancing drugs and fancy training schedules. As an early teen, he gained strength and endurance by working in the coal mines of Pennsylvania alongside his father. Also, the reason Wagner’s card is so rare, is because he had it pulled from the market. The card was found in packs of cigarettes. Wagner was a nonsmoker and worried about the health of his young fans.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, Science/Math

Perfect Picture Book Friday: ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD

AUTHOR: George Ella Lyon

ILLUSTRATOR: Katherine Tillotson

PUBLICATION INFO: Atheneum/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2011

ISBN: 978-1416971306

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades pre-K through 2nd

GENRE: nonfiction picture book

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“All the water in the world … is all the water in the world.”

From the publisher’s Website:

“Faucet
well
raincloud
sea …

from each of these
comes water.

But where does
Water go?

To find out, honey,
turn the page,
dive in
with tongue
or toes,
with eyes and ears and nose—
and wonder
at the flow
of this great world’s
life story.”

THEMES/TOPICS: science, water cycle

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: This is my favorite kind of nonfiction picture book. Lyon’s voice is so strong and lyrical that children will be swept up in the poetry. They may not even realize that they are learning something until the end.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • George Ella Lyon provides a teacher’s guide on her site.
  • The EPA has this lesson plan on the water cycle for grades K-3 and 4-6.
  • The US Geological Survey has a cartoon infographic about the water cycle, here. They also have a graphic available as a placemat. Now you can think about the water cycle when you have a glass of water with dinner.
  • For grades 3-5, check out Scholastic’s Study Jams lesson plan on the water cycle.

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, Geography, Science/Math

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Island: A Story of the Galapagos

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: ISLAND: A STORY OF THE GALAPAGOS

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Jason Chin

PUBLICATION INFO: Roaring Book Press’s Neal Porter Books, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-59643-716-6

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades 2-4 (Booklist)

GENRE: picture book (nonfiction)

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“The sun is rising over a lonely group of islands more than six hundred miles away from the nearest continent.”

Jason Chin, author or REDWOODS and CORAL REEFS, chronicles the “life” of an island from birth six million years ago to old age, when it sinks beneath the sea. During its life, animals come to live on the island and change through natural selection. Chin’s back matter includes pieces about Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands.

THEMES/TOPICS: science, natural selection, geography

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: This was a bit of a departure from the Jason Chin books I’m familiar with. Normally, he offers a fictional storyline “told” through the illustrations, matched with encyclopedic text. Here, he maps an island’s development to a human life cycle. Illustrations depict the story told within the text.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, Holidays

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Llama, Llama Holiday Drama

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: Llama, Llama Holiday Drama

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Anna Dewdney

PUBLICATION INFO: Penguin’s Viking, 2010

ISBN: 978-0670011612

SOURCE: Personal library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 3+

GENRE: picture book (fiction)

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Llama Llama holidays.

Jingle music. Lights ablaze.”

All the watching and waiting for ONE DAY, sends little Llama into a tantrum. Will Mama help Llama remember what the holiday season is all about?

THEMES/TOPICS: Christmas, holidays, family

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: This is hands-down one of my favorite Christmas books. I tend to get overloaded during the holiday season with baking, parties, Christmas pageants and shopping. Occasionally I find myself in a Llama-like tantrum. This book always reminds me to slow down and give my loved ones a snuggle.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • Why not bake some Christmas cookies with your little ones and share them with family and friends?
  • Make some snowflakes and tape them on the window just like Llama Llama.
  • Llama Llama makes a candle jar. Here are some great gifts you and your little ones can make out of jars.
  • Anna Dewdney’s site has printables from the book.
  • Take time out for a snuggle.

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, Holidays

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Uncles and Antlers

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: Uncles and Antlers

AUTHOR: Lisa Wheeler

ILLUSTRATOR: Brian Floca

PUBLICATION INFO: Simon and Schuster’s Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004

ISBN: 978-0689864698

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 3-6

GENRE: picture book (fiction)

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“Seven uncles, every year,

seven uncles travel here —

shaggy coats , scarves of red,

two tall antlers on each head.”

Join seven wacky reindeer uncles and their favorite niece in this adorable Christmas counting book. Whatever could those reindeer be up to?

THEMES/TOPICS: counting, Christmas, holidays

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I happened upon this book at our local library while stocking up for our advent book basket. Brian Floca is one of my favorite nonfiction author/illustrators, and Lisa Wheeler is a perennial favorite (DINO HOCKEY, anyone?). This book is a fun way to work a little counting practice into the Christmas season.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • Lisa Wheeler offers a link to reindeer crafts on her site.
  • Older children might enjoy learning more about reindeer in this reindeer investigation.
  • Have you tried making some reindeer food for Christmas Eve?
  • How about singing “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?”

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

Books, Science/Math

Perfect Picture Book Friday: ZERO THE HERO

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: ZERO THE HERO

AUTHOR: Joan Holub

ILLUSTRATOR: Ton Lichtenheld

PUBLICATION INFO: Henry Holt / Christy Ottaviano Books, February 2012

ISBN: 978-0805093841

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: 6 and up, but my four-year-old things this is hilarious

GENRE: picture book (fiction)

OPENING and SYNOPSIS: “Unlike most numbers, Zero believed himself to be a hero. He just needed a chance to prove it.”

From the publisher: “Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That’s what all the other numbers think of Zero. He doesn’t add anything in addition. He’s of no use in division. And don’t even ask what he does in multiplication. (Hint: Poof!) But Zero knows he’s worth a lot, and when the other numbers get into trouble, he swoops in to prove that his talents are innumerable.”

THEMES/TOPICS: math, counting

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Rarely do my boys find a book to be laugh-out-loud funny. This book has a lot going for it — a caped superhero, a fight with the Roman (numerals), comic-book comedy and lots of puns. We can’t read this at naptime or bedtime without having a 10-minute conversation about math. In fact, Finley (age 4) walked out of his bedroom after I put him to bed last night to let me know that 1+0 = 1. I am buying this book.

If you need more convincing, check out the book trailer.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

  • The publisher has a teacher’s guide on its Web site.
  • BainPop has this helpful lesson on addition and subtraction, which includes zero’s special properties.
  • The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics uses macaroni to explore math concepts including our hero, Zero.

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.

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Books, Science/Math

Perfect Picture Book Friday: The Beetle Book

Kirsten W. Larson

TITLE: THE BEETLE BOOK

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Steve Jenkins

PUBLICATION INFO: Houghton Mifflin, April 2012

ISBN: 978-0-547-68084-2

SOURCE: Library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: 4 and up, though this is more appropriate for elementary-school students

GENRE: picture book (nonfiction)

OPENING and SYNOPSIS: “Line up every kind of plant and animal on Earth … and one of every four will be a beetle.”

Beloved author/illustrator Steve Jenkins crafts an encyclopedic book about beetles.

THEMES/TOPICS: science, beetles, bugs/insects

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Steve Jenkins’s illustrations reveal the beauty and diversity of the humble beetle. Unlike many of his other books, there is no narrative line, and he does not rely on layered text. This is a book to be savored, one spread at a time rather than read all at once.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.