Can An Aardvark Bark?
by Melissa
Stewart (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2017)
by Melissa
Stewart (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2017)
I really enjoyed the unique format
of this book. “Can a seal squeal? No, but it can bark. Lots of other animals
bark too.” It’s so interesting to put animals in categories based on the
communication noises they employ. My son and I had fun learning about animals
new to us such as the margay, oyster toadfish, and Hamadrayas baboons. He also
had a great time with the last two interactive pages where he had the
opportunity to make all the animal sounds featured in the book. This book is a
winner!
of this book. “Can a seal squeal? No, but it can bark. Lots of other animals
bark too.” It’s so interesting to put animals in categories based on the
communication noises they employ. My son and I had fun learning about animals
new to us such as the margay, oyster toadfish, and Hamadrayas baboons. He also
had a great time with the last two interactive pages where he had the
opportunity to make all the animal sounds featured in the book. This book is a
winner!
Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home by Michelle Mulder (Orca, 2014)
This is a true “window” book into
another’s life experience. We take our water faucets and hot showers for
granted. However, this book convinces readers what a valuable resource water
truly is. We used this book for a family book club. The activity was to walk up
and down the hall with two gallons of water tied to a broom handle across our
shoulders. Students experienced just how difficult carrying water can be. When
reading this important book you learn how people around the world are coming up
with ingenious ways to harness water for themselves and their crops.
another’s life experience. We take our water faucets and hot showers for
granted. However, this book convinces readers what a valuable resource water
truly is. We used this book for a family book club. The activity was to walk up
and down the hall with two gallons of water tied to a broom handle across our
shoulders. Students experienced just how difficult carrying water can be. When
reading this important book you learn how people around the world are coming up
with ingenious ways to harness water for themselves and their crops.
Grand Canyon
by Jason
Chin (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, 2017)
by Jason
Chin (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, 2017)
Aside from being aesthetically
pleasing, this book is chock full of text features such as maps charts, and
cutaways that reveal something on the following page depicting the Grand Canyon
of the past. The background of many pages features Grand Canyon wildlife
illustrations. The back matter includes even more information about the Grand
Canyon’s history and formation, plants and wildlife, ecosystems, and rocks and
fossils as well as an extensive bibliography. What an incredible way to
introduce our fourth grade national parks unit!
pleasing, this book is chock full of text features such as maps charts, and
cutaways that reveal something on the following page depicting the Grand Canyon
of the past. The background of many pages features Grand Canyon wildlife
illustrations. The back matter includes even more information about the Grand
Canyon’s history and formation, plants and wildlife, ecosystems, and rocks and
fossils as well as an extensive bibliography. What an incredible way to
introduce our fourth grade national parks unit!
Kids Who Are Changing the World
by Anne
Jankeliowitch (Sourcebooks, 2014)
by Anne
Jankeliowitch (Sourcebooks, 2014)
This is an inspiring compilation of
forty young people who are doing their part to help the environment. I like
that each cause is broken into five categories: objective, action, how I’ve
changed the world, my biggest mistake, and my advice. Our students are very
interested in fairness and justice. I envision this book becoming a springboard
for their own design thinking and action plan for making the world a better
place. As the President of the GoodPlanet Foundation says in the book’s
opening: “Kids have an amazing ability to come up with exciting ideas and carry
them out with remarkable energy.”
forty young people who are doing their part to help the environment. I like
that each cause is broken into five categories: objective, action, how I’ve
changed the world, my biggest mistake, and my advice. Our students are very
interested in fairness and justice. I envision this book becoming a springboard
for their own design thinking and action plan for making the world a better
place. As the President of the GoodPlanet Foundation says in the book’s
opening: “Kids have an amazing ability to come up with exciting ideas and carry
them out with remarkable energy.”
Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines by Sarah Albee (Crown, 2017)
If you’ve ever met Sarah Albee, you
know she is smart, funny, and charming. And that is exactly how she comes
across in her writing. I appreciate that she writes as if you are an equal and
she wants you to be part of the inside scoop. She hooks you right from her
author’s note: “Let’s get one thing straight, right off the bat: this is not a
how-to book. It’s a history book. It’s about how people have poisoned one
another from ancient times to the present.” Most of my students will not read
this cover to cover in one sitting, as it’s very dense. However, the format is
such that they’ll do a picture walk and digest it in small bites (pun
intended).
know she is smart, funny, and charming. And that is exactly how she comes
across in her writing. I appreciate that she writes as if you are an equal and
she wants you to be part of the inside scoop. She hooks you right from her
author’s note: “Let’s get one thing straight, right off the bat: this is not a
how-to book. It’s a history book. It’s about how people have poisoned one
another from ancient times to the present.” Most of my students will not read
this cover to cover in one sitting, as it’s very dense. However, the format is
such that they’ll do a picture walk and digest it in small bites (pun
intended).
Melanie Roy is a library teacher for grades 4 and 5 in Barrington, RI. She
believes in the power of books to build community and understanding. You can
find her at @mrsmelanieroy and hmslibraryri.wordpress.com. She reads a mixture
of fiction and nonfiction with her son which you can find with the hashtag
#bedtimebookaday.
believes in the power of books to build community and understanding. You can
find her at @mrsmelanieroy and hmslibraryri.wordpress.com. She reads a mixture
of fiction and nonfiction with her son which you can find with the hashtag
#bedtimebookaday.
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