Nonfiction Monday - World Without Fish

Last year I wrote a review of THE STORY OF SALT by Mark Kurlansky. I love Kurlansky's work in children's literature as he possesses great skill in making complex ideas accessible to kids. Heck, his work for adults is just as well-written, clearly conveying history and science in interesting and meaningful ways.

Unlike THE STORY OF SALT and THE COD'S TALE, which are nonfiction picture books aimed at ages 7-10, WORLD WITHOUT FISH weaves a graphic novel throughout the informational text and is geard towards older students, perhaps ages 10-16.

When I picked this book up last year I was looking for resources for teaching about food chains and food webs, but Kurlansky goes well beyond this in his determination to describe the causes and effects of overfishing on marine ecosystems.

In the Introduction Kurlansky writes, "Most stories about the destruction of the planet involve a villan with an evil plot. But this is the story of how the Earth could be destroyed by well-meaning people who fail to solve a problem simply because their calculations are wrong. Most of the fish we commonly eat, most of the fish we know, could be gone in the next fifty years."

Yeah, so this is not a happy story. It carries a heavy dose of doom and gloom, and while this is a scary message, it's one everyone needs to hear. I'll admit that I'm not usually keen on introductions, and this one is a crash course on Darwin, biological classification, the interconnectedness of things living and nonliving in the environment, and more. It does set the stage for the book, but it's a lot to take in at the beginning. The introduction ends with The Story of Kram and Aliat: Part 1, the graphic novel woven through the text. In fact, each chapter ends with a page of the story. These parts follow a young girl, Aliat, and her father, Kram, over a number of decades as the condition of the ocean grows increasingly bleak. Eventually it becomes an orange mess inhabited largely by leatherback turtles and jellyfish.

Following the Introduction there are these chapters:

1. Being a Short Exposition About What Could Happen and How It Would Happen
2. Being the True Story of How Humans Frist Began to Fish and How Fishing Became an Industry
3. Being the Sad, Cautionary Tale of the Orange Roughy
4. Being the Myth of Nature's Bounty and How Scientists Got It Wrong for Many Years
5. Being a Concise History of the Politics of Fish
6. Being an Examination of Why We Can't Simply Stop Fishing
7. Being a Detailed Look at Four Possible Solutions and Why They Alone Won't Work
8. The Best Solution to Overfishing: Sustainable Fishing
9. How Pollution is Killing Fish, Too
10. How Global Warming is Also Killing Fish
11. Time to Wake Up and Smell the Fish

You'll also find a lengthy section of resources and an index, but surprisingly, you won't find any references. Now, Kurlansky did work at one time as a commercial fisherman and has written a number of books on the industry, so he does have firsthand knowledge of the topic. He also thanks a number of biologists in the Acknowledgements at the end of the book, so I know he's talked to the experts. However, given that this is not a nonfiction picture and is targeted to an older group of readers, I think references are a must. 

Now that you know what I perceive to be the main weakness of the book, let me talk for a minute about all Kurlansky and Frank Stockton, the illustrator, do well. First, the text is imminently readable. Kurlansky makes the science understandable, underscores the causes and effects of the problems with many meaningful examples, and uses an arsenal of writer's tools to make the reader want to press on despite the incredibly depressing content. Kurlansky is a terrific storyteller, seamlessly integrating history, science, and politics into a compelling narrative. The text is littered with photographs, illustrations, sidebar pieces, maps, and more. Graphic variations in the font, similar to "SHOUTY CAPITALS" in e-mail correspondence serve to highlight important ideas and keep readers involved with the text. They also serve as natural stopping places to reflect on the gravity of the situation. Every so often reader's run across a full-page illustration that highlights some bit of information on the opposing page. Like the endpapers of the book, they are beautifully rendered and dramatic. Sadly, there are too few for my liking. 

I learned a great many things while reading this book and was reminded of some other things I hadn't thought of for a while. Here are few points that stood out for me.

• The jellyfish is actually a very highly evolved type of plankton. It is the cockroach of the sea, an animal little loved by human beings but particularly well designed for survival (p. 13). (For more on this check out Zooplanton at Marinebio.org.)
• Several times the size of the elephant, the humpback whale is one of the largest mammals on earth—and yet it feeds on one of the tiniest forms of life in the world (p. 42).
• For thousands of years, fishing was sustainable. But nowadays, between 100 and 120 million tons of sea life are killed by fishing every year (p.85).
• Fish prefer colder waters. The warming of the seas is a crisis for fish. If the seas are warming and ice is melting, this means that the melted ice, which is freshwater, will make the seas less salty (pp. 139-140).

As you can see, there is much to learn and ponder here. There is a ray of hope beginning on p. 149 when Kurlansky writes "What can we do about this?" The answer is, quite a bit! What we need to do is educate ourselves about all the ways we can help.

One more thing worth noting and something I appreciated was the inclusion of a quote from Darwin's ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES at the beginning of each chapter, each quote nicely aligned with the overall theme. These quotes give readers just one more thing to chew on. Perhaps some will even be inclined to pick up the book to learn more.

Overall, Kurlansky makes a powerful case here for not only the promise of sustainable fishing, but also its necessity for the health of our planet. RECOMMENDED.

Book: WORLD WITHOUT FISH
Author:  Mark Kurlansky
Illustrator: Frank Stockton
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 192
Grades: 5-12
ISBN: 978-0761156079
Source of Book: Personal copy purchased at a local independent bookstore

This review was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Jean Little Library and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Trimeric

After a long hiatus, the Monday Poetry Stretch is back! I hope a few of you are still out there and ready to take on some new challenges and forms.

The trimeric is a form that was invented by Dr. Charles A. Stone. Here's how he describes it.

Trimeric \tri-(meh)-rik\ n: a four stanza poem in which the first stanza has four lines and the last three stanzas have three lines each, with the first line of each repeating the respective line of the first stanza.  The sequence of lines, then, is abcd, b – -, c – -, d – -.

At first I thought this would be relatively easy because the first lines of stanzas 2, 3 and 4 are already written (seeing as how they use lines 2, 3 and 4 of the first stanza). Boy, was I wrong! That first four line stanza is so important! The lines must hang together, but they must also be able to stand on their own as introductions to the other stanzas. 

There are many examples on Dr. Stone's trimerics page. Here is one of my favorites.

UNSIGNED

by Dr. Charles A. Stone 

I sent her a secret message on her birthday,

though she thought it was an ordinary card

in an every day envelope

from the innocent boy next door. 

Though she thought it was an ordinary card

she taped it to the wall with others she had

received in her eleventh year.  Then, 

in an every day envelope,

she mailed a simple thank-you note

back to me, but she forgot to sign it. 

From the innocent boy next door

to the man I am today, I’ll never forget how hard

I cried because I had forgotten to add I love you. 

Published with the author’s permission.

So, your challenge for the week is to write a trimeric. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results on Poetry Friday.

Science, Poetry, and Inspiration From Lowry

I'm writing the syllabus for my science class right now and am finding a great deal of inspiration in this quote from Lois Lowry.

A sense of wonder comes built in with every child. Powers of absorption greater than the most up-to-date Pampers are part of youth's standard equipment.

This comes from a piece Lowry wrote in response to calls for censorship of THE GIVER and is called Trusting the Reader. You can find it in the Kerlan Collection's Censorship Portfolio. (Scroll down the page to the author's response section for the link to the pdf.)

While Lowry was talking about readers in this piece, it most certainly applies to the teaching and learning of science. That curiosity about the world around us is one of things teachers need to kindle and encourage. Too often it's what is quashed by the lack of time afforded to science and the emphasis on teaching to the test. It is hard to find balance, but I'm convinced it can be done.

This sense of wonder and the ability to look closely and see beyond the surface of things is not unique to science and the work of scientists. It is also the work of the poet. Poets not only see deeply, but they see uniquely and encourage us to view the world from a different perspective. For example, I've never seen numbers the same way since reading this poem.

Cardinal Ideograms
by May Swenson

0     A mouth.  Can blow or breathe,
       be a funnel, or Hello.

1     A grass blade or cut.

2     A question seated.  And a proud
       bird’s neck.

3     Shallow mitten for a two-fingered hand.

4     Three-cornered hut
       on one stilt.  Sometimes built
       so the roof gapes.

Read the poem in its entirety.

And I've never seen the sky the same way since reading this poem.

The Blue Between
by Kristine O'Connell George 

Everyone watches clouds,
naming creatures they've seen.
I see the sky differently,
I see the blue between—

Read the poem in its entirety. 

See what I mean about seeing the world through a different lens? In the hands of a skilled poet, poetry can astound. And therein lies another connection to science. When kids embrace science (play, discover, and do, NOT memorize), it too has the power to amaze. 

Unpacking and Finding My Way Back...

For most of the summer my office looked like this.

All the while I tried to teach and keep my cool while working out of boxes and bags. 

Now I am unpacking and working hard (yes, on a Saturday) to get myself ready for the academic year. Here's what my new digs look like.

I have new paint, carpet and lights. The window will replaced at some point (they're WAY behind schedule) during the semester. OH HOW I MISSED MY BOOKS! They were so close but so far away while packed up.

Monday poetry stretch will be returning this week, as will a few reviews here and there beginning with this book by J. Patrick Lewis.

Sorry, but I've got math on the brain right now so you'll have to be patient while I work it out of my system!

So yeah, I have my computer back (though it's still not 100%), my work space, and my books. I'm ready to go. And by the way, I've missed you too!

Where is Miss Rumphius?

This question has a two part answer.

Here is my office.

Here is my computer.

Broken Computer clipart from Clker.com

It's been MANY, MANY days and I'm still waiting for the new hard drive and the files from the corrupted/damaged disk to be transferred.

I don't know how folks update their blogs by phone. I just can't do it. Keep your fingers crossed that one day soon I'll get my computer back. As to my office, it looks to be behind schedule. I'm living out of bags, boxes and a storage closet. Are we having fun yet?!

I'll be back when the dust settles. I promise.

Monday Poetry Stretch - To Sleep

Woohoo! This is me sliding the stretch in under the wire! I'm operating on about 4 hours of sleep, having spent 11 hours in the Philadelphia airport waiting and hoping to get home on Sunday. I did finally make it home in the wee hours of Monday morning.

I am tired. And longing for sleep. But there is no rest for the weary. So, today I am thinking Keats might inspire us.

To Sleepby John Keats

O soft embalmer of the still midnight!
Shutting with careful fingers and benign
Our gloom-pleased eyes, embower'd from the light,
Enshaded in forgetfulness divine;
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close,
In midst of this thine hymn, my willing eyes,
Or wait the amen, ere thy poppy throws
Around my bed its lulling charities;
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes;
Save me from curious conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed casket of my soul.

I'm not sure I have a sonnet in me this week, but I think I can be persuaded to write about sleep. How about you? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results here later this week.

Tuesday is the New Monday for Poetry Stretching!

I'm feeling as though the Monday poetry stretch should just be renamed the Tuesday poetry stretch! Monday has become the enemy. I can't seem to get myself together early in the week, especially with class on Monday. 

In any case, I may be late, but I'm still feeling poetic. (Heck, I'm always feeling poetic!) 

I'm thinking about time today. Yesterday was my 18th anniversary. I don't know where the time has gone! Within two months of getting married I defended my dissertation, moved to Virginia, and began my job at the university. It truly feels like it's gone by in the blink of an eye. And don't get me started on how fast my son is growing up! He'll be moving to middle school in the fall. 

While I've been musing on time passing, I have also been reading poetry. Here's one I like to use in my math class.

Time Passes

by Ilo Orleans 

Sixty seconds

Pass in a minute.

Sixty minutes

Pass in an hour.

Twenty-four hours

Pass in a day--

And that's how TIME 

Keeps passing away!

Are you too feeling the passage of time? Then join me this week in writing a poem about time. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results here later this week.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Epistle

I've been cleaning house and found a stack of old letters my mother sent me. It seems no one writes letters anymore. My mother claims she was a terrible letter writer, always sharing the most boring tidbits, but the news from home was and is always welcome.

After spending nearly two weeks in the hospital, my mother has been in rehab for about a week. I've been writing short notes, but think a letter is long overdue. Perhaps even a poem is called for. So today I'm thinking of an epistle. An epistle is a poem read as a letter. One of my favorite epistle poems is by Elizabeth Bishop. Here's an excerpt.

Letter to N.Y.  

For Louise Crane  

In your next letter I wish you'd say

where you are going and what you are doing;

how are the plays, and after the plays

what other pleasures you're pursuing: 

taking cabs in the middle of the night,

driving as if to save your soul

where the road goes round and round the park

and the meter glares like a moral owl, 

Read the poem in its entirety.

So, there's your challenge. Will you share an epistle with me this week?

Monday Poetry Stretch - Kyrielle

Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but it's been so long since I've been here that I wanted to get this out. I hope a few of you are still out there and will stretch with me.

Back in 2008 and again in 2010 we wrote poems in the form of kyrielle. I'd like to do this again, but think we should try a different definition of the form. This one comes from the book Fly With Poetry: An ABC of Poetry, written and illustrated by Avis Harley.

Kyrielle - a kyrielle is divided into couplets, each pair of lines ending with the same word which acts as the refrain.

Here is her example.

Birthstones
How is it the salmon know
where to bury ruby roe?

Something signals when to go;
they journey homeward, rich with roe.

To birthstones of so long ago
the fish return to lay their roe.

Under currents, just below,
the jade green streams are jeweled with roe.

Poem ©Avis Harley. All rights reserved.

So, your challenge this week is to write a kyrielle. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.

Poetry Friday - Undivided Attention

Normally on Poetry Friday I peruse my bookshelves and find something I want to share. Here's what my office looks like right now. 

Our building is being renovated this summer, so this means I must pack up so that carpet and windows can be replaced, walls can be painted, and much more. WHAT A PAIN!

I am in serious withdrawl without my books! What you are looking at is 26 boxes of books, and my office is only about 60% packed! Since I'm teaching math this summer, I have stubbornly refused to  touch these materials. I'll need to find a home for them since I will need them for class. But alas, all my poetry has been boxed. I miss it terribly.

This means you get something a little different from me today. Here's Taylor Mali performing Undivided Attention.

Now that you've heard it, read the poem in its entirety.

The roundup today is being hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem. Do stop by and take in all the wonderful poetry being shared this week. Happy poetry Friday all!

Poetry Friday - Part of the Chain

So, I've been silent for a while, dealing with family, life, and work. Graduation is this weekend, so now that my grades are done, I'm thrilled to be back with a little something my poetry sisters put together.

It started on April 24th with this nudge.

Anyone want to go for six days straight of haiku with me -- post yours on blog or facebook and I'll mention you or link to you??? OR, anyone just want to aim for a haiku Friday this Friday -- final Friday of April?  

Or linked haiku for Friday? One of you guys starts, like right now, and sends it to us. Then someone else uses it as a jumping off point, writes her own, sends it to us, etc. They're just haiku so we should easily have a whole batch by Friday? Anyone want in? If so, who's ready to kick us off???? 

Everyone needs a nudger in their writing group, the one that gently prods or suggests something outrageous. That's Liz. She started the fire at 4:00 pm. At 4:19, here's what showed up in the inbox.

I'm in! I've been doing a haiku or senryu every day, too. So short. But just keeping up... I do mine very fast, down and dirty. No revision, so they're not polished at all. Just warning you.

Happy to just link to your blog, or if you want to do a haiku daisy chain, here's one to perhaps start us off:

fall leaf in April

wearing last season's fashions--

shunned by the green crowd

That was Laura. By 6:31 pm, every member was in, except Tanita. Now, she's across the pond, so we can forgive her the difference in time because she was right there the next morning. New pieces started coming in (isn't it wonderful to have poetry arrive in your mailbox?), and then Andi threw out this idea.

These are wonderful! I am so glad it is spring and your poems are full of green and tart. I can't remember now if we started this game based on the Japanese tradition of haikai? Maybe it wasn't mentioned yet so I will bring it up. The earliest Japanese haiku started from a poetry game the masters used to play with each other. One person wrote a three line, 17 syllable haiku. The second person added a two line verse that linked to the first but also shifted slightly to another theme/topic. Then the first, or a third person added a three line verse. On and on it went, always with a link and a shift of topic. So you had a braid of poetry that could go on for ever. Over time the three line verses stood alone and became haiku. What if we tried inserting two line verses between our haiku?

Don't you just love smart, creative people? And so, after some online collaboration, we have a lovely little daisy chain haiku/renku. Heck, I'm not sure what to call it, but it's a beauty. Here's my contribution.

white melts into green

gardens blush Crayola proud

blooming shades of spring

You can read all the contributions over at a wrung sponge or the individual blogs linked below.

Thanks to Liz, Laura, Sara, Tanita, Kelly and Andi for taking the time to do this and for once again sharing their amazing talents. Head on over to their blogs to see what they had to say.

The roundup for today is being hosted by Elaine at Wild Rose Reader. Do stop by and take in all the great poetry being shared.

Stepping Away For a Bit

We had an unexpected death in the immediate family today. All my big plans for poetry month are now on hold, as I'll be stepping away for a while. Please keep my family, and especially my husband, in your prayers.

Monday Poetry Stretch - I Left My Heart

Last week's prompt was titled "I Left My Head." Folks wrote some really wonderful poems about faulty memories and absent-mindedness. This week I want to write about where we've left our hearts, and the unusual things or places that have captured them. A few years ago I lost my heart to Tibet. Watching the news and reading about events there makes me realize I've lost my heart to a place I may never return. As a child I lost my heart to books. Each fall I lose my heart to school supplies. Yes, I love bouquets of sharpened pencils. And don't get me started on chocolate ...

So, to who, what, or where have you lost your heart? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Monday Math Freebies - Domino Dance

Today's Monday Math Freebie is up over at Bookish Ways in Math and Science. You'll find a problem solving activity where students must determine a pattern of dominoes placed on a table. The pattern is missing the lines showing the individual dominoes. Students must use their reasoning skills to determine the arrangement of the dominoes. 

Head on over and check it out!

Monday Poetry Stretch - I Left My Head

I've been playing the absent-minded professor lately. I seem to be forgetting everything. In thinking about my seemingly constant state of confusion, I was reminded of this poem by Lilian Moore.

I Left My Head
by Lilian Moore

I left my head
somewhere
today.
Put it down for
just
a minute.
Under the
table? 

Read the poem in its entirety.

So, I'm thinking we need to write some forgetful poems this week. Will you join me? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Monday Math Freebies - Add-it Bingo

Today's Monday Math Freebie is up over at Bookish Ways in Math and Science. You'll find two versions of a bingo game that allows students to practice addition with multiple addends and the associative property.

Head on over and check it out!

Women in Science – Trailblazers of the 20th Century

In part one of this series (over at Kidlit Celebrates Women’s History Month), I wrote about women in science who boldly went where no women had gone before. Today I want to continue this series by looking at 20th century women and their contributions to science.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson developed an interest in and curiosity about nature at an early age. She took long walks with her mother where she learned the names of the local flora and fauna. She became an author at the age of ten when her first work was published in a children's magazine. She studied biology in college and graduate school, eventually taking a position with the agency that would eventually become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over the years she wrote books about the ocean, nature study, and more. Her best known work is SILENT SPRING, a book that was first published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962, and written to raise awareness of the pesticide DDT and the impact it was having on the environment. RACHEL CARSON: PRESERVING A SENSE OF WONDER, written by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Thomas Locker, is a poetic biography that briefly presents describes her childhood, education, career and accomplishments. The back matter contains excerpts from her writings and additional biographical information, including the titles of her most notable books. 

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has an informational page devoted to Rachel Carson and her legacy.
• You can view a brief video introduction to Carson and her work.

Mary Leakey (1913-1996)

Mary Leakey is recognized by many as one of the world’s most distinguished archaeologists and fossil hunters. At the age of 17 she began auditing courses in archaeology and geology at university and was soon recognized for her knowledge of stone tools and skills in scientific illustration. She was invited join Louis Leakey on a trip to Africa to draw the stone tools he had found. Three years later they were married and her lifelong work had begun. MARY LEAKEY: ARCHAEOLOGIST WHO REALLY DUG HER WORK, written and illustrated by Mike Venezia, is a title in the quirky, humorous, informational series "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors & Scientists." Combining photographs, cartoon illustrations, and easy-to-read text, Venezia tells the story of Mary's life, from birth to death with heavy emphasis on her work in Africa and her many important discoveries.

• The Leakey Family site has a nice biography of Mary, as well as a photo gallery, list of books published by the Leakey's and more.
• Mary Leakey: Unearthing History is a reprint of a profile of Dr. Leakey that originally appeared in the October 1994 issue of Scientific American.

Jane Goodall (1934- )

Jane Goodall was an observer, spending her childhood watching the animals in her world. She dreamed of traveling to Africa to study animals. When she finally realized her dream of traveling to Africa, she met Dr. Louis Leakey within weeks of arriving. He hired her as an assistant and eventually asked her to study of a group of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, believing that knowledge about wild chimpanzees might help us to better understand our evolutionary past. Jane spent more than 25 years studying chimpanzees in what eventually became known as the Gombe Stream Research Center. Her book detailing this work, THE CHIMPANZEES OF GOMBE: PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR, was published in 1986. THE WATCHER: JANE GOODALL'S LIFE WITH THE CHIMPS, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, highlights Goodall's life as an avid observer and focuses largely on her accomplishments with the chimpanzees.  With vibrant illustrations and economical text, Winter gives readers a moving biography. In her note about the story she writes, "I wish that when I was a little girl, I could have read about someone like Jane Goodall--a brave woman who wasn't afraid to do something that had never been done before. So now I've made this book for that little girl, who still speaks to me."

Another terrific title about Goodall is ME ... JANE, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. This 2012 Caldecott honor book tells the story of Goodall's childhood, highlighting her love of nature, curiosity, and dreams of Africa. Ironically, Jane does it all with her beloved stuffed chimpanzee, Jubilee, by her side. McDonnell's art is composed of India ink and watercolor in earth tone shades. The pages include ornamental engravings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. These images evoke Jane's love of nature, and enrich the overall design with illustrations that include a ship, elephant, zebra, chimpanzee, eggs, a leaf, tree, moons, squirrels and more. McDonnell also includes pages of Jane's childhood journal, as well as an image she drew as an adult of her life in the forest at Gombe.

• Visit the Jane Goodall Institute to learn more about the woman and her work.
• Animal Planet has a nice piece on Celebrating 50 Years in Gombe.
• SLJ has a nice interview with Patrick McDonnell about ME ... JANE.

Sylvia Earle (1935- )

Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer who has led more than 60 expeditions worldwide and spent more than 7000 hours underwater in connection with her research. In 1990 she was appointed as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the first woman to hold such a position. Today Dr. Earle is Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society. Recently she led the Google Ocean Advisory Council where she provided content and scientific oversight for the ocean components in Google Earth. LIFE IN THE OCEAN: THE STORY OF OCEANOGRAPHER SYLVIA EARLE, written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola, introduces readers to Sylvia's early life, her passion for the ocean, and her work in ocean exploration and advocacy. The gorgeous illustrations showcase the wonders of the sea. Nivola's  use of quotes from Earle nicely convey the spirit of this underwater explorer.

• National Geographic Kids has an interview with Sylvia Earle.
• Spend a few minutes and listen to Dr. Earle talk about the oceans.

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

Wangari Maathai was a scientist, environmentalist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, advocate for social justice, human rights, and democracy, and a Nobel Peace Laureate. At the urging of her brother she attended school at a time when most young women were not educated. She studied in the United States and returned to Kenya in 1966.  In 1971 she became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a Ph.D. In 1976 she introduced the idea of community-based tree planting and eventually founded the Green Belt Movement (GBM), an organization focused on poverty reduction and environmental conservation. To date the GBM has assisted women in planting more than 40 million trees on community lands including farms, schools and church compounds. MAMA MITI: WANGARI MAATHAI AND THE TREES OF KENYA, written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is a beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated work. When a succession of village women come to Maathai for advice about how to survive with dirty water, sick cows, too little food, and other problems, the answer was always the same--"Go home and plant trees." Maathai suggested a different species to solve each of these problems.  After advising each woman on a type of tree to plant, she bids them, "Thayu nyumba," or "Peace, my people." The back matter includes a Kikuyu glossary, a short biography of Maathai, additional resources, and a note from the illustrator describing the artwork.

WANGARI'S TREES OF PEACE: A TRUE STORY FROM AFRICA, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, is a biography of Mathaai told in clear, simple text and accompanied by vibrant acrylic illustrations. Readers see the landscape of Kenya change from barren to beautiful as a result of efforts by Wangari and the women who embraced her Green Belt Movement. It is a story full of hope and beauty. The author's note in the back provides more information about Wangari and the Green Belt Movement she started in 1977.

PLANTING THE TREES OF KENYA: THE STORY OF WANGARI MATHAAI, written and illustrated by Claire Nivola, is a more detailed biography that is accompanied by intricate pen and watercolor illustrations. Nivola uses words and pictures to show Mathaai's connection with nature developed as a youth, and how this connection inspired her environmental practices as an adult. This one also includes an author's note with additional information on Wangari and her life.

• Just a few days ago Donna Jo Napoli wrote a post for the Kidlit Celebrates Women’s History Month blog entitled Writing About Wangari Maathai.
• You can learn more about the Green Belt Movement.

Once again, I'm amazed at the power of women with brains, heart, determination, and passion. I hope these brief introductions motivate you to learn more about them and look for their inspiring stories.

Women in Science is Up!

Head on over to KidLit Celebrates Women’s History Month and check out my guest post entitled Women in Science: Trailblazers Before the 20th Century. Here are a few of the books you'll read about. Do you know these women?

 

Women's History Month in the Kidlitosphere

KidLit Celebrates Women’s History Month is a blog that was founded in 2011 to commemorate Women's History Month across the kidlitosphere. You can read about the blog's founding and last year's efforts in the SLJ article Kidlit Bloggers Celebrate Women's History Month.

This year is the blog’s second annual celebration. Each day this month the blog will feature a post by authors and bloggers alike. 2012 contributors include:

• Selina Alko, author
• Marc Aronson, author
• Karen Blumenthal, author
• Sylvia Carol Branzei-Velasquez, author
• Shirin Yim Bridges, author
• Jen Bryant, author
• Gina Capaldi, author
• Margarita Engle, author
• Ruth Feldman, author
• Marty Rhodes Figley, author
• The Fourth Musketeer
• A Fuse #8 Production
• Monica Kulling, author
• Michaela MacColl, author
• Anna Malaspina, author
• The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Claire Rudolf Murphy, author
• Donna Jo Napoli, author
• Nonfiction Detectives
• Peaceful Reader
• Andrea Davis Pinkney, author
• Practically Paradise
• Trina Robbins, author
• Elizabeth Rusch, author
• Vicky Alvear Schecter, author
• Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Shana Corey, author
• Shelf-employed
• Twenty by Jenny
• Jim Weiss, storyteller
• Gretchen Woelfle, author

On March 8th you will find me there, writing about science. The post focuses on women in science prior to the 20th century and a few children's books that highlight their lives and work. 

I hope you'll stop by KidLit Celebrates Women’s History Month every day this month and check out the wonderful tributes to women.

Monday Math Freebies

For a while now I have been encouraging my students and the teachers I work with to consider games for homework. Can you imagine what your view of math might be today if your teacher sent you home with a game instead of a worksheet with 50 problems? I'm a game player at heart and know that my problem solving skills and facility with numbers developed in part because I played board games of all kinds. With so many kids spending time on the computers, smart phones, Wii's and other electronic devices, I'm convinced they miss out on a great deal when they don't sit down with another human being and engage in simple conversation and a battle of wits over a game. 

Over at my other blog, Bookish Ways in Math and Science, I've started a new feature called Monday Math Freebies. If you are a teacher, know a teacher, or just like to play games with your kids, then this is for you. Each week I'll be sharing a few math resources to help kids practice basic skills and other important math concepts. The games require few resources beyond a game board (which I provide), dice or playing cards, and some kind of marker. The game files are free and come with directions. I hope you'll try them out and let me know what you think.

Head on over and check out today's freebies, Fishing for Numbers and Monkey Madness: Three to Win!.

Monday Poetry Stretch - The Zeno

Last week I was feeling Fibonacci.  Since I'm still in a mathematical mood, this week I'm feeling Zeno. The Zeno is a poetic form that was invented by our esteemed Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis. Here's Pat's explanation of the form.

I've invented what I had called a “hailstone," after the mathematical "hailstone sequence." It has nothing to do with Mary O'Neill's Hailstones and Halibut Bones, but it would no doubt instantly be confused with it. Hence, "hailstone" is problematic. So I call the form a "zeno," so named for Zeno, the philosopher of paradoxes, especially the dichotomy paradox, according to which getting anywhere involves first getting half way there and then again halfway there, and so on ad infinitum. I'm dividing each line in half of the previous one. Here's my description of a zeno:

A 10-line verse form with a repeating syllable count of 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1.
The rhyme scheme is abcdefdghd.

Here are two examples.

Sea Song
A song streaming a thousand miles
may sound like a
fairy
tale,
but it’s only
love’s bulk-
mail
coming out of
the blue...
whale. 

Why Wolves Howl
Gray wolves do not howl at the moon.
Across a vast
timber
zone,
they oboe in
mono-
tone,
Fur-face, I am
all a-
lone.

Poems ©J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.

So, that's the challenge for the week. What kind of Zeno will you write? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - Feeling Fibonnaci

Have you seen this?

If you want more, you check out Part 2, and Part 3 of Doodling in Math Class: Spirals, Fibonnaci, and Being a Plant. Oh heck, while you're there check out Vi Hart's channel where math + art = poetry!

Now that you've seen the video, I know you're itching to write a Fib (or at least I am).

Greg K. from GottaBook posted his first Fib entry on April 1st, 2006. Was it an April Fool's joke? I think not. Here is an excerpt that describes the form of a Fib.

I wanted something that required more precision. That led me to a six line, 20 syllable poem with a syllable count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8 – the classic Fibonacci sequence. In short, start with 0 and 1, add them together to get your next number, then keep adding the last two numbers together for your next one.

In the post More Fibbery, Greg talks about some of the rules he follows when writing. Here are a few of them.

Since I started Fibbing to focus on word choice, the one rule I've held myself to is "no articles in the one syllable lines." I also try not to use conjunctions, though part of that is that when I use them, I start singing School House Rock and annoy the neighbors.

You can read lots more about Fibs at GottaBook. So, just a reminder, here is the sequence for your Fib. Each of these numbers represents the syllable count for that line.

1
1
2
3
5
8

You can keep going if you like, just remember to add the previous number to the current line to get the next number of syllables.

So, your challenge is to write a Fib. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award 2011

This year I had the pleasure of serving as a judge for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. After months of reading, the committee of judges met virtually to discuss our top choices. The authors have been contacted, so we've been given the go-ahead to share the news. I am pleased to announce this year's choices.

Winner

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

written by Lee Wardlaw and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Honor Book

Hidden
written by Helen Frost

Congratulations to Lee Wardlaw and Helen Frost.

Cybils Winners Announced

Yes, they're in. Go now!

Cybils 2011 Winners

And here are the short lists they were selected from.
Cybils 2011 Finalists

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - NOT About WHO You Love, But WHAT You Love

I was given a book of love poems (Shelley) when I was a teen. My response then was ... YUCK! Thirty+ years later, my opinion hasn't changed much. I'm not a big fan of love poetry, but I am a big fan of odes. I enjoy reading about the things people obsess over. I could read poems about birds, a favorite pencil, dad's chair, and lots of other things you can name, over and over. So, while I'm not about the mushy, heartfelt, loving another human being desperately, kind of poem, I do appreciate other kinds of love.

This week let's write an ode to your favorite pair of slippers, an old t-shirt, that ticket stub collection, or anything else that floats your boat. What thing do you love? I can't wait to read your poems.

Poetry Friday - A Happy Childhood

I don't normally write about political issues, but today I must, so please bear with me. (If you just want the poetry without the preface, scroll down a bit.)

I was adopted in 1965 shortly after my birth. Just over a year later, "Baby Cross" officially became a member of the Stohr family. I was so fortunate, so lucky, and so loved. I still am. Because of this legacy, I believe that every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a loving home. I also believe that every willing and qualified individual and/or family should have the right to provide such a home. This is why I'm so disappointed that the Virginia state Senate approved a "conscience clause" bill that allows state-funded (albeit private) adoption agencies to deny placement services to children and prospective parents who "don't share their beliefs." The governor will sign this bill if it crosses his desk. When this happens, the state of Virginia will effectively legalize discrimination by allowing organizations to deny the adoption of children by gay parents. You can read more about this issue in the article Adoption agencies 'conscience clause' passes Senate.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be if I hadn't been adopted. Every child deserves to have the kind of childhood I had, and every family deserves an equal opportunity to provide it. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Since I'm wishing and hoping for homes and happiness for children everywhere, I'm sharing a poem that has many lines I love and reminds me in many ways of aspects of my very happy childhood. 

A Happy Childhood
By William Matthews

Babies do not want to hear about babies; they like to be told of giants and castles. 


Dr. Johnson 



No one keeps a secret so well as a child 


Victor Hugo

My mother stands at the screen door, laughing.  
“Out out damn Spot,” she commands our silly dog.  
I wonder what this means. I rise into adult air

like a hollyhock, I’m so proud to be loved  
like this. The air is tight to my nervous body.
I use new clothes and shoes the way the corn-studded  

soil around here uses nitrogen, giddily.

Read the poem in its entirety.

The round up today is being hosted by Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids. Do stop by and take in all the great poetry being shared. Before you go, stop by and check out the skeletonic verses written for this week's poetry stretch. Happy poetry Friday all!

Monday Poetry Stretch - Skeletonic Verse

While looking over verse forms I came across some references to Skeletonic verse. Most references link back to Robert Lee Brewer's blog Poetic Asides, but I can't get the darn link to work. So, here's what I've been able to cobble together from other sources about the requirements for writing in this form.

• Lines should be between three and six words in length
• Every end word rhymes with the previous, until a new set of rhymes is started
• The rhyme should stay the same until it loses its energy or impact

You can read a much more academic definition at Poetry Magnum Opus - Skeletonic Verse / Tumbling Verse / Sprung Rhythm. You'll also find an example here (in ye olde English!).

You'll find a nice description at Daniels Nester's Teaching blog with examples of rap lyrics that fit this form (though perhaps not the line length).

I'll share one more example, this excerpt from an Allen Ginsberg poem.

Jumping the Gun on the Sun  
by Allen Ginsberg

Sincerity
is the key
to living
in Eternity

If you love
Heav'n above
Hold your ground,
Look around
Hear the sound
of television,
No derision,
Smell your blood
taste your good
bagels & lox
Wash your sox 

Read the poem in its entirety.

So, your challenge this week is to write a skeletonic verse. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Award Winners and Poetry

I know everyone is writing about ALA midwinter and all the awards announced yesterday. Have you taken stock of the poetry on the list? Here's a recap from a poetry perspective.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Author Honors
The Great Migration: Journey to the North, written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Never Forgotten, written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon 

Pura Belpré Author Award Winner AND William C. Morris Finalist
Under the Mesquite, written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Pura Belpré Author Honor Book 
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck, by Margarita Engle

John Newbery Medal Honor Book
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

This is not a bad showing for poetry. Check out all the winners at the 20102 ALA Youth Media Awards page.

Monday Poetry Stretch (On a Tuesday) - Homework

I've had a hard time getting my homework done these days. Over the weekend my son asked why I still have homework if I'm not in school anymore. Well, technically, I am still in school (and will be in school until they drag me out kicking and screaming), though he doesn't see it this way. I did try to explain that sometimes people just need to bring their work home. My homework consisted of reading through a stack of poetry books published in 2011. Not a bad assignment as far as I'm concerned.

My students are complaining about homework, though they're doing it. My son is complaining about his. (He's doing his too!) So, now that we've hit mid-year (academically), let's write about the homework that's dragging us down. Perhaps someone out there will write an ode to homework that's actually positive!

Monday Poetry Stretch - Like LEMONADE or Lawson

Okay, I know it's Tuesday (and late on Tuesday), but classes started yesterday and I got a bit behind. Please forgive me!

I have been reading and rereading Bob Raczka's book LEMONADE: AND OTHER POEMS SQUEEZED FROM A SINGLE WORD. I'm really impressed by the way he used each word to provide the constraints for the lipogram he wrote. The letters from each word are the only letters allowed in the poem ABOUT that word. It's elegant and probably very difficult to pull off, but we're going to try! For a bit of inspiration, here's one of my favorite poems from the book.

bleachers

ball

reaches

here

bases

clear

cheers

So, there's your challenge for the week. Pick a word, any word, and use the letters in it to write a poem about that word. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

**Updated**
I was thinking a bit about Jane's comment that this exercise if more like Boggle than poetry. It's not a bad comparison given the constraints. If you need a little more wiggle room, try the form of lipogram favored by JonArno Lawson in A VOWELLER'S BESTIARY. This alphabet book is based on vowel combiations rather than initial letters. The lipograms in this book exclude certain vowels  from each set and include each of the vowels in the word. Here's an example.

Excerpt from  "Moose"
(p. 30) 

Yellow-toothed wolves
lope somewhere close, rove homeless over broken slopes,
overwhelm moose's forest home.
Moose seldom welcome wolves.

In this case, the poet is limited only to vowels and vowel combinations, not limited to using only the letters found in the word. Feel free to try this approach if it works for you. Either way, i guess we're writing lipograms!

Resources on Pinterest

I blame my students for seducing me, and Loreen Leedy for finally convincing me to take the plunge. Let me back up. Have you read the post Pinterest for nonfiction (and everything else)! by Loreen Leedy? Leedy has a new book coming out called SEEING SYMMETRY. She has a Pinterest board dedicated to Seeing Symmetry. The images she has found are very cool. I'm already thinking about how I can incorporate these ideas in math this semester.

So, based on Loreen's post, I asked her to invite me to Pinterest. I've only started pinning, but what you'll find are largely resources devoted to teaching, though I do have a board for 2012 books I can't wait to read.  Here are a few links to my boards.

Math Resources

2012 Books I Can't Wait to Read

My Pinterest Account (other boards include foldables, classroom organization, making teaching easier, bulletin board)

If you like this idea and don't have an account, send me a note and I'll invite you.

Top Five List Continued

Okay, here's the recap. In my last post I began the excruciating task of picking my 5 favorite books of 2011. I had to leave for a meeting before I finished, so here are my last two choices. (If you want to know what the other three are, you'll need to check out my last post!)

Can We Save the Tiger, written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Vicky White - No surprises here. Did you honestly think I'd make a favorite book list and leave out science? I loved a lot of nonfiction picture books this year, but I was especially impressed with Jenkins take on endangered species. The language is compelling, yet easy enough for children' to understand. Jenkins does a fine job emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts and recognizing this complicated work. Good science and fabulous illustrations make for a terrific read.

The House Baba Built: An Artist's Childhood in China by Ed Young - This is a moving memoir provides a unique look at Young's early years in Shanghai. Not a straightforward narrative, but rather an episodic look at growing up in a fantastical house (where kids roller-skated on the roof and rode bikes in an empty swimming pool) during years of depression, occupation, and war. Young's illustrations are beautiful collages constructed of sketches, painting, paper, and photographs.

2011 Recommendations - Top Five Lists

Are you looking for some of the best reads from 2011? The staff members at Powell's each selected their top 5 titles of the year. There are picture books, middle grade novels, young adult titles and plenty of adult fiction in here. It's a fascinating collection of lists that has given me some new titles to start of 2012. Hop on over and take a look at Staff Top 5s of 2011.

If asked to select your 5 favorite reads of 2011 could you do it? I'm going to try and I hope you'll join me. Here is my list (in no particular order).

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd - I read this one on the plane ride home to see my mom. Big Mistake. I sobbed through the last portion of the book, probably frightening those around me. Given what I know about the untimely death of Dowd, it made the tale even more moving. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I loved Karou and her relationship with Brimstone and got swept up in the mystery surrounding Karou's history. I was enchanted with Prague, the art, the chimaera, and Akiva (of course!). However, the kicker for me came at the end of the book. Just as I thought things were winding up -- no way! I should have seen it coming, and darn, now I must wait for book 2!

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul Janeczko - Heartbreaking, shocking, and brutally honest, Janezcko's poems pack an emotional punch. There is beauty in this collection, even though readers repeatedly experience loss and death. The humanity and strength of the victims, the depravity of the SS, and the horror that was the Holocaust  is evident in Janezcko's carefully chosen words. Reading this is like watching a train wreck—you want to look away, but can't. I wanted to stop reading, but couldn't put it down. 

Okay, I've got to head out to a meeting. Books 4 and 5 when I return. Until then, won't you join me in listing your top five of 2011?

Best Poems of 2011

I read a lot of poetry in 2001, yet I still can't imagine picking the single best poem I read. Never fear! If you're looking for some guidance on this issue, the good folks at NPR picked a few. Hop on over and check out Savage Beauty: The Top Three Poems of 2011.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Prose to Poem

I've been inspired by Walter Dean Myers' book We Are America: A Tribute From the Heart to reread the Declaration of Independence, portions of the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and more. This got me thinking about transforming a prose document into poetry. Consider this your first found poem challenge of the year. Take a letter, a speech, a passage from a favorite book, any portion of prose with some meaning, and use words from it to write a poem. (Note that if you use excerpts from poems by other authors that you will be writing a cento. You can read more about the cento at Poets.org.)

I've been reading (for the umpteenth time) Walden: Or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau. Here's a poem I wrote based on the words from the chapter Winter Animals.

Hills rose up around me
and in misty weather loomed
like fabulous creatures.

I could walk freely
far from the village street,
where I heard the forlorn but
melodious note,
quite familiar to me,
of a hooting owl.

At length the jays arrived
with discordant screams.
Then came the chickadees
in flocks, hammering away
with their bills.

And once a sparrow
alighted upon my shoulder.
For a moment,
I felt more distinguished
by that circumstance
than by any epaulet
I could have worn.

So, there's your challenge. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

And the Finalists Are ...

The finalists for the 2011 Cybils are in! This year there was a new category (Book Apps) and as usual, many wonderful titles up for review.

Links to the finalists are below.

Book Apps
Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Nonfiction for Middle Grade & Young Adult
Nonfiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction

I had the honor of serving on the round 1 panel for poetry. We had a wonderful group of judges who engaged in some thoughtful discussions about the award criteria and the nominated titles.

So, off you go! I  do hope some of your favorites made the lists.

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - Snow

William and I have been reading books about snow -- Snowflake Bentley, The Story of Snow, and The Secret Life of a Snowflake.

Sadly, we won't be having white holidays this year. In fact, it looks like it will be raining. Even though we don't expect to see flakes any time soon, we're still dreaming of snow angels, sledding, snowball fights, and hoping for at least one snow day.

Have you been dreaming of snow? Whether you love it or hate, we've all got some snow poetry in our hearts. I particularly like to read about it during this time of year. I'm fond of Dickinson (It sifts from leaden sieves,/ It powders all the wood,/ It fills with alabaster wool/ The wrinkles of the road.), Collins (Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,/ its white flag waving over everything,/ the landscape vanished,), Stevens (One must have a mind of winter/ To regard the frost and the boughs/ Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;) and many others.

So, I've been inspired to read and write about snow this week. How about you? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Monday Poetry Stretch - "Index" or "Table of Contents" Poem

If you could write your life or someone else's in an abbreviated form, what would it look like? This is the question I ask myself every time I read Paul Violi's poem "Index." You can read the poem at The Agonist. You may also be interested in Violi's words on the poem.

While thinking this might be an interesting form to try, I came across some "table of contents" poems.

So, I'm imagining this as something of a biographical (or autobiographical) list poem. Let's see what kind of poetry we can make of this, shall we? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results here later this week.

Elementary Math Work Stations

My students have begun to turn in their final projects for math. This semester, a few brave souls are putting all their materials online. As their work goes live, I'll link it here for those of you with an interest. 

Today I am highlighting the work of Christine Mingus. Check out her project entitled Playing With Patterns. You'll find kindergarten resources for at least 10 different station activities, all complete with downloads.