Gift Books for Kids Who Love Animals

Lots of folks around the kidlitosphere have joined in the effort to promote buying books as gifts for the holidays. This is a no-brainer for me, as I always give books. I am however, a year-round shopper, so when I see the perfect gifts for my friends and family, I buy them. Whether or not I remember or can find the gifts come holiday time is another matter entirely!

In honor of this effort, I thought I would put together a series of thematic lists containing the titles of some of my favorite books. Today I'm focusing on books about animals.

For the kid in your life who can't get enough of "animal fact" books, here are some nonfiction titles you may want to consider. This list is organized around a few authors that routinely publish engaging and highly readable texts for elementary age readers.

Steve Jenkins (Visit his web site.)
For kids who want to examine the world of animals thematically and not by species, Jenkins has written (sometimes along with his wife Robin Page) and illustrated a number of books that explore animals through shared, yet distinctive traits. The books listed here are the ones my 7-year old and I return to again and again.

Biggest, Strongest, Fastest - This book highlights animals in the extreme, from the biggest to smallest, fastest and slowest, and more. Jenkins calls them "the record holders of the animal world."

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? - The newest book from Steve and Robin looks at animal ingenuity. Did you know animals are problem-solvers? You will after reading this book. Each double-page spread includes a question with an introductory statement and illustrations of six animals on the left, with an enlarged image of the question's focus on the right. Readers will learn how animals hatch eggs, use leaves, snare fish, and much more.

Living Color - Why do animals come in so many colors? This 2007 Cybils finalist in nonfiction picture books examines what color says about a variety of animals. Red says things like "I'm all grown up," "Don't even think about it," and "It must have been something I ate." Readers will learn about an amazing array of colorful creatures. Back matter includes more detailed information on animal color and a brief description of each animal in the book.

What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? - How do animals protect themselves from danger? This book introduces a variety of animals and their defense mechanisms, from spurting ink, to expanding in size, shooting hot chemicals and more.

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? - In this Caldecott honor book written with Robin Page, Jenkins asks readers to consider why animals have structures shaped in certain ways. On each double-page spread, the highlighted body part of five different animals accompanies the question "What do you do with a __ like this?" The next double-page spread shows the five animals in full and offers a brief explanation for the structure and function of that body part.

Sneed Collard III (Visit his web site.)
The author of more than fifty books for children, Collard's science books explore the wonders of the natural world. I am particularly enthralled by the thematic books that examine animal parts in detail.

Beaks, illustrated by Robin Brickman - This one is all about birds, providing a veritable feast of information. Each spread highlights one or two species and how they use their beaks. Readers will have many opportunities to consider the enormous variety of beak shapes, sizes, and functions.

Teeth, illustrated by Phyllis V. Saroff - While we most often think of teeth as tools to chew food, they are also used to warn predators and attract mates. Readers will learn about different types of teeth, how they are used, the number of teeth animals have, and how they grow. The differences between teeth and horns or antlers is also explored.

Wings, illustrated by Robin Brickman - This book isn't strictly about birds, because other animals have them too, like bats and insects. Collard explores the enormous diversity of wing styles, including differences in size, color, and covering, as well as the mechanics of flight.

Gail Gibbons (Visit her web site.)
A prolific author and illustrator of nonfiction, Gibbons has published a number of titles on specific animal species, both wild and domestic, as well as books on habitats. This list focuses on wild animals, but for kids crazy about Cats, Dogs, Horses, Pigs and other farm animals, be sure to look for those titles.

Bats - One of my favorite books about this much maligned mammal, Gibbons explores their physical characteristics, habits, and life cycle, as well as the myths that surround them. (You can read my review.)

Elephants of Africa - The newest in a long line of animal books, Gibbons explores the world's largest land animal and how they are threatened. Readers will learn about their trunks, tusks, skin, ears, eyes, and teeth, as well as many interesting facts about their social groups and how they live from day to day.

Giant Pandas - Gibbons explores the physical characteristics, habits, life cycle, and present status in the wild and in zoos in this book. A final page of facts and statistics is included.

Grizzly Bears - Packed with information, this book examines where grizzlies live, what and how much they eat, and their seasonal habits, life cycle, and much more.

Owls - Numerous species of owls exist in North America. This book explores this variety while looking closely at the habitats in which they live, as well as anatomy, behaviors, life cycle, and more.

Penguins - What kid isn't crazy about penguins? Gibbons introduces readers to the seventeen species of penguins and shares information about where they live, what they eat, their lifestyles nesting/brooding habits, and predators.

Polar Bears - This completes the trio of bear books, offering readers information about polar bears and where they live, what they eat, how they find food, rear young, and much more.

Snakes - This book explores everything about snakes, from their physical characteristics to how they give birth, how they eat, where and how they live, and much more.

Nic Bishop (Visit his web site.)
While the books listed above are all illustrated in various forms of media, Nic Bishop's books contain the most amazing photographs I have ever seen. The writing is equally engaging. I couldn't pry his most recent work out of my son's hands, and that is saying something.

Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close - In seven double-page photo collages, readers explore the various forms of life that live in the backyard. Each double-page spread is followed by a description of the animals found in the collage.

Forest Explorer: A Life-Size Field Guide - Double-page spreads highlight an area of the forest. Readers search to see what they can find and then turn the page to learn all about the animals pictured there.

Nic Bishop Spiders - This Sibert honor book provides an intimate and extensive view of spiders. Readers will learn that more than 38,000 types of spiders exist today, as well as an incredible amount of information, like the difference between spiders and insects, how they eat, reproduce, and much more. Cool and quirky facts abound in this winning volume.

Nic Bishop Frogs - In this, the year of the frog, could any book be more appropriate? Just like the volume on spiders, readers will be dazzled by the photographs and mountain of information. (You can read my review.)

That's it for now. If you have a favorite author or animal book you'd like to share, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to expand this list.

Book Covers and Boy Appeal

I am totally teeing this one up for Libby, who has written about boy books and girl books here and here.

The author of Jacket Whys writes the following about John Green's Paper Towns in her post entitled Margo vs. Quentin.

What boy is going to pick up this book based on the cover? Don’t get me wrong - I don’t dislike the cover (though my vision of Margo does not gel with the photo here, and I’m glad I got the blue one when I ordered from Amazon). But we all know the line. Girls will read books with boys on the cover - but boys will steer clear of books with covergirls. True for teenage boys? I think so.

A cover is a powerful thing. I hate to say that I judge a book by it's cover, but alas, I do. It's what attracts me to a book once I am intrigued by a title. What makes a good cover/book jacket anyway? Check out the very interesting responses to this very question at The Longstockings. (Scroll down the page for the posts.)

Do young people judge books in the same way? Do you think boys will be dissuaded from toting Paper Towns around simply because it has a girl on the cover? Let's chat, as I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Cybils Book Review - Nic Bishop Frogs, Round 2

What do you get when you combine a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world, sophisticated skills as a photographer, and a talent for making the complex simple and understandable? You get a book by Nic Bishop, and a darn good one at that.

Nic Bishop Frogs provides readers with a thorough introduction to members of the order Anura. Found on every continent, frogs and toads (which are just a type of frog) come in every imaginable size and color. Bishop does an outstanding job presenting this variety in the photographs and text.

Before I go on, I should tell you that absolutely no amount of description can do justice to the eye-popping photographs in this book. Get thee to Nic Bishop Frogs (his web site) to see a few examples of the photos that appear in the book. Then click on over and read about his photography. The photograph of Bishop waist deep in water with a camera on a tripod, holding an umbrella shows you his dedication to getting just the right shot. His description of the process further confirms his genius as a nature photographer. (I also think he must be the most patient man alive!) One of the nice things about the book is that the last two pages before the index are devoted to Bishop's description of his love for his work, the process of photographing frogs, and the interesting experiences he had along the way. Kids will love learning about how he captured the images on film almost as much they will love learning about the frogs.

The text in this book is inherently understandable. Each page has a main idea written in large font, a paragraph of information, and a short section in small font with an additional fact or two.
Here's an example.

Most frogs are found near ponds, swamps, and other wet places.
They need water, but they do not drink it. Instead, they absorb it through their skin, even just sitting on damp ground.
And that's not all. Although frogs have lungs, they breathe through their skin, too.

This page goes on to talk about how a frog's skin must stay moist or it will suffocate. Bishop also explains that frogs must shed their skin every so often, and that once they do, they usually eat it! (Insert squeals of delight and a chorus of "icks" right about here.)

Every page is filled with scientific information, amazing and sometimes quirky facts, and those gorgeous photos. One the page accompanying a photo of a glass frog (one in which you can see through its skin to its internal organs), readers learn that frogs have 159 bones, nearly 50 less than the number found in the human body. Bishop explains that frogs do not have rib bones, and that this explains why frogs are so good at squeezing through "small gaps, like between your fingers when you are trying to hold them."

It is clear that Bishop has his readers carefully in mind. Scientifically, he doesn't talk down to them, but rather helps to make the mystery that is life and science more understandable. The conversational tone hooks readers and keeps them interested. What kid hasn't wanted to hold a frog in his/her hand, only to have it wriggle away?

The text as a whole is thoughtfully laid out and proceeds in an orderly and reasonable fashion through a variety of topics, from where frogs live, to what they look like, how their bodies are constructed and adapted, their eating habits, means of escaping predators (camouflage and those incredible legs and jumping skills), the sounds they make, reproduction, and much more.

I can't sing the praises of this book loudly or strongly enough. It is simply an outstanding marriage of images and text. Any kid (or adult for that matter) interested in animals or the natural world will love this book. I am adding this title post haste to my thematic book list on frog, and since the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has declared 2008 as the Year of the Frog, I can't think of a more appropriate title.

Book: Nic Bishop Frogs
Author/Illustrator: Nic Bishop
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 48 pages
Grade: K-4
ISBN: 978-0439877558
Source of Book: Copy received from publisher for Cybils consideration.

Cybils Almost Book Review - Nic Bishop Frogs

I've been trying to review Nic Bishop Frogs since my Cybil's copy arrived from the publisher. Isn't the cover awesome? However, my 7-year old absconded with it and refuses to give it back. How's that for a ringing endorsement?

Once he falls asleep (yes, he's been taking it to bed), I will pry it from his hot little hands and write my review. I already have a sense of what's in it, as I have been bombarded with this statement more times than I can count -- "Mom, listen to this! This is sooooo cool!"

He likes this one better than Nic Bishop Spiders, a Sibert honor book, so that's really saying something. More to come . . .

Cybils Book Review - Wangari's Trees of Peace

Can one person make a difference in this world? If people believe in what you do and follow your example, can/will change occur? One need only read Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, for an unequivocal yes. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is the subject of this picture book biography. Written in clear, simple text, and accompanied by vibrant acrylic illustrations, readers learn the story of the woman behind the Green Belt Movement.

Imagine living in a world filled with lush green trees, forests filled with birds, and fields ripe with food for harvest. Imagine leaving that world for the opportunities an education would bring. Imagine returning home to find a world that looks completely different. This is what happened to Wangari.

After six years of study in the United States, Wangari returned to her home in the shadow of Mount Kenya to find that the trees were gone. Where women once collected firewood from close to home, these changes in the landscape now meant they had to walk miles away to find it. There were no longer crops to feed the people, and the birds had disappeared.

The trees in Kenya were cut down to make room for buildings, but new trees were never planted in their place.

Wangari thinks about the barren land.
I can begin to replace some of the lost trees
here in my own backyard--one tree at a time.
She starts by planting nine seedlings.

Watching the seedlings take root gives Wangari
the idea to plant more--
to start a farm for baby trees, a nursery.
In an open space, she plants row after row
of the tiny trees.

Wangari recruited women of the village and gave them seedlings to plant. She shared her vision for a better future, one in which the land was green. Wangari and her women kept planting, even in the face of those who mocked them. Wangari paid them for the seedlings that lived past three months. As the green returned to Wangari's village, women in other parts of Kenya began to plant seedlings too.

Despite all these efforts, the cutting continued. When Wangari placed herself between a stand of mature trees and those who would cut it down, she was beaten and taken to prison. However, the movement to plant trees continued, and the green returned to Kenya. Not only did new trees take root, but the land became rich again with crops.

In page after page we see seedlings being planted and how the landscape begins to change. Near the end of the book, an illustration of the earth with Wangari and her trees firmly planted in Africa is accompanied by the text, "The whole world hears of Wangari's trees and of her army of women who planted them." The book ends full of hope and beauty, as we see the view from the top of Mount Kenya, and row upon row of mature trees.

The author's note in the back provides more information about Wangari and the Green Belt Movement she started in 1977. By 2004, more than 30 million trees had been planted and the movement had spread to 30 African countries and beyond.

It is fitting that this book about an environmentalist is printed on 100 percent recycled paper. I found the story inspirational, and young readers will too, as they see how with one simple action, one woman was able to start a movement that changed the landscape of a nation.

Book: Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
Author/Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: K-4
ISBN: 978-0152065454
Source of Book: Personal copy purchased for Cybils consideration.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Book Review - Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs

On Saturday I published a thematic book list on animal homes. I often invite readers to post books that they enjoy as a means to expand the list and help me identify those missing gems. Laura Purdie Salas mentioned the book Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs as one of her favorites. As soon as I read the comment, I realized I had missed it. The book was not on the shelf where I was pulling titles from, but in my TBR pile waiting to be reviewed. I'm fixing this oversight today by reviewing the book and concurring heartily with Laura. This IS a perfect book for a collection of titles on animal homes. (It shall be added post haste!)

Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs, written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Lauren Stringer, is a quiet gem of a book. Written in rhyme and accompanied by vibrant acrylic illustrations, this book introduces many of the unique and interesting places that animals make their homes. It begins this way.

Many places make a home--
A heap of twigs.
A honeycomb.
A castle with a tower or two
An aerie with a bird's-eye view.

Can you name the animals introduced in the first few pages? As the text begins, readers find a family of beavers in their lodge, a swarm of bees protecting their honeycomb and its precious contents from a bear, two children playing in a play castle, and an eagle guarding the eaglets in its nest. The illustrations that accompany each line of the poem are bright and warm, depicting each animal in its home and often the habitat that home is found in.

In addition to the homes mentioned above, readers will learn that webs, sand dunes, cocoons, caves, warrens and many other places serve as homes for living things. One of my favorite parts of the text and illustrations shows "a hole beneath the floor." Can you guess what kind of animal might be living in your home? In this case it is a small mouse, munching on the remains of an apple core.

The book ends this way.

A home's a house, a den, a nest.
A place to play,
A place to rest.
A place to share,
A place to hug.
A home is someplace safe and snug.

This is an engaging text that will leave readers wanting to know more about the animals and their homes. You can even find some ideas for using this book in the classroom by downloading an activity guide. This is a most appropriate title for the study of animal homes. Don't miss it!

Book: Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Lauren Stringer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Date Published: 2001
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: preK-3
ISBN: 978-0152022112
Source of Book: Review copy received from the author.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Ekphrastic Poems

I've been thinking a lot about new and different writing challenges for us to undertake, so last week when Laura at Author Amok wrote about ekphrastic poetry for poetry Friday, I thought this would be a good form to try.

Poets.org defines ekphrasis in this way.

"ekphrasis"—a vivid description of a thing. Ekphrasis during the Greek period included descriptions of such battle implements, as well as fine clothing, household items of superior craftsmanship (urns, cups, baskets), and exceptionally splendid buildings.
. . .
ekphrastic poems are now understood to focus only on works of art—usually paintings, photographs, or statues. And modern ekphrastic poems have generally shrugged off antiquity's obsession with elaborate description, and instead have tried to interpret, inhabit, confront, and speak to their subjects.

In hindsight, we've been hearing about this form for a while, it's just that perhaps we haven't put a formal name to it. In January, Liz Garton Scanlon wrote about an ekphrastic poem taking the form of a villanelle, and Laura Purdie Salas encourages us to write ekphrastic poems every week in her 15 words or less challenge. (We even wrote poems based on photos here for a while, but I gave up when I found the task of selecting photos too difficult.)

So, this week I thought we would write ekphrastic poems again, only this time I've picked a work of art to inspire us. This is the Franz Marc painting entitled Tiger.

The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

What does this painting say to you? What kind of poem will it inspire? What form will it take? Feel free to reproduce the image and copyright information on your site to accompany your poem. Leave me a comment when you are finished and I'll post the results here later this week.

**Updated** - I just realized that Laura at Author Amok posted an ekphrastic poetry exercise of her own this week. In it she asks participants to choose a favorite work of art to write about. Her choice is a fabulous Mark Rothko painting.

Thematic Book List - Everybody Needs a Home

I spent the day today with some of my students, a few more preservice teachers from a nearby university, and some elementary teachers from the local school divisions. I led a Project WILD workshop in which we went on an outdoor scavenger hunt, played a game similar to hide-and-seek where predators searched for prey, went on a sock walk, created imaginary birds with unusual adaptations and more.

As part of the workshop, small groups select an activity from the guide and teach it to the rest of the participants. One activity presented was Everybody Needs a Home. In it, students draw a floor plan of where they live. In preparing their drawings, they must include the things they need in their homes for their survival, such as a place for food, a source of water, and a place to sleep. Once the sketches are finished, the class compares drawings and creates a gallery of homes. After discussing their homes, talk turns to animal homes, and how they are similar to and different from our homes.

As we were discussing different types of animal homes, I began thinking about all the great titles that could be used to extend this activity. Here are some of my favorites. Please note that these books are not focused on habitats, but the actual shelter/home in which animals live.

And So They Build, written and illustrated by Bert Kitchen - This beautifully illustrated book introduces readers to 12 animal builders, from birds (4 species) to spiders, frogs, fish and more. (You can read my review.)

Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs, written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Lauren Stringer - In rhyming text with bold, beautiful illustrations readers are introduced to some of the unique and varied places in which animals make their homes.

My Very First Book of Animal Homes, written and illustrated by Eric Carle - This split-page board book requires readers to match each animal with the home it lives in.

Homes of Living Things, written by Bobbie Kalman - This book examines how different kinds of animals make homes and how they are suited to the places in which they live. Photographs show animals that live high up in the trees, on the ground, and underneath the earth. Also included is a glossary and an index.

Whose House is This?: A Look at Animal Homes - Webs, Nests, and Shells, written by Elizabeth Gregoire and illustrated by Derrick Alderman and Denise Shea - This book looks at the homes of a variety of animals, including a snail red-eyed tree frog, arctic hare and more.

Animal Homes, written by Alice Jablonsky and illustrated by Jeffrey Terreson - I don't normally recommend pop-up books for the classroom, but this one is outstanding. In six elaborate spreads with one or two action devices on every page, readers will learn how the homes of animals homes provide protection and a place to raise young.

Animals Building Homes, written by Wendy Perkins - This title in the Facts First Animal Behavior series explains the ways animals build their homes. Animals detailed include bald eagles, hummingbirds, beavers and more.

Animal Homes, written by Diane James and Sara Lynn and illustrated by Sue Cony - Readers will find a full page photograph of nine different animals along with illustrations and text describing where they live, how they eat, protect themselves, and care for their babies. Homes covered are dens, burrows, nests, lodges, hollows, and shells.

Do Turtles Sleep in Treetops?: A Book About Animal Homes, written by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Jeff Yesh - In question-and-answer format this book looks at animal homes. Do you know which animals dig burrows, lodges, and towers? Read this book to find out.

Animal Homes, written by Angela Wilkes and illustrated by Steve Weston - This book in the Science Kids series examines the variety of places in which animals make their homes. In addition to providing factual information, the text provides activity ideas for readers to construct animal homes of their own, including a nest and a hamster playpen.

Who's Home?: An Animal Lift-the-Flap Book, written and illustrated by Neecy Twinem - Written in simple text with rich and detailed illustrations, each page includes a detachable flap that can be lifted to reveal the homes where hidden creatures live.

What Do You Call a Termite Home? And Other Animal Homes, written by Emma Nathan - This book explains the terms used for homes built by different animals and provides information on how such animals as beavers, termites, eagles, and rabbits build their homes.

Animals at Home, written by David Lock - This books begins, "What is your home like? Is it cozy and dry? Animal homes are all shapes and sizes. They keep animals and their babies safe and warm." What follows is a series of simply written descriptions of a variety of animal homes. This book is a Level 1 reader.

The Animal Homes series by Capstone Press contains more than 10 titles on specific animals and their homes. Illustrated with full-color photographs, these books are written using simple sentence structures, making them accessible to beginning readers. Titles in the series include:

• Ants and Their Nests, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Bears and Their Dens, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Beavers and Their Lodges, written by Martha E.H. Rustad
• Bees and Their Hives, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Birds and Their Nests, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Foxes and Their Dens, written by Martha E.H. Rustad
• Prairie Dogs and Their Burrows, written by Martha E.H. Rustad
• Rabbits and Their Burrows, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Spiders and Their Webs, written by Linda Tagliaferro
• Squirrels and Their Nests, written by Martha E.H. Rustad

That's all I have for now. When I get to the office on Monday I'll peruse my poetry collection and see if I can expand on this list. In the meantime, please let me know if I have missed one of your favorites. I would love to add it here.

NYT Best Ilustrated Children's Books 2008

The New York Times list of Best Illustrated Children's Books for 2008 is out. Here's some info about the list.

Every year since 1952, the Book Review has asked a panel of judges to select from among the several thousand children’s books published that year.

The judges this time around were Caroline Ward, the coordinator of youth services at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Conn., who has served as president of the Association for Library Service to Children; Luann Toth, the managing editor of the School Library Journal’s book review; and Christopher Myers, an award-winning writer and artist who is at work on a book about America with his father, Walter Dean Myers.

Before you click over there, take a minute or two to list your favorites and see how many of your choices made the list. Once you've viewed the books, come back and tell me how you did. I had a paltry three of ten titles.

Best Illustrated Children's Books 2008

P.S. - There are several Cybils nominees on the list. Can you find them?

Poetry Friday - A Bit of Yeats

It may be November, but we're in the throes of autumn here. Lush colored leaves still adorn the trees. Today I'm celebrating this gorgeous and most favorite of seasons with a bit of Yeats.

The Wild Swans at Coole
by William Butler Yeats

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

The round up this week is being hosted by Ms. Mac (Jone) at Check It Out. Do stop by and take in all the wonderful poetry being shared. Before you go, be sure to check out this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday, all!

Poetry Stretch Results - Odd Cinquain

A cinquain is a poem with five lines in the syllable pattern of 2/4/6/8/2. We've turned the cinquain on its head this week and instead wrote using an odd number of syllables, creating poems in the pattern 1/3/5/7/1. Here what has been shared so far.

cloudscome at a wrung sponge give us a poem and a picture.

TadMack at Finding Wonderland left her poem in the comments. It is below.

Gift:
Opened hands,
Held out and holding;
Pull you close, the wide world shrinks.
Linked.

Laura Purdie Salas wrote hers as part of her weekly 15 Words or Less challenge. It is called Blown Away. (Be sure to scroll down the page to find it.)

Allison at The Unnamed Forest shares a poem inspired by a trusty office supply.

I was thinking fall this week. My poem is below.

Walk
with me through
colored woods, strewn with
acorns and crunchy, wrinkled
leaves.

Time
well spent, just
us alone. With hands
clasped tight, our souls are filled with
joy.

It's not too late if you still want to play. Leave me a comment about your poem and I'll add it to the list.

PW Best Books - Children's Nonfiction

This week Publisher's Weekly highlighted the books they feel to be the very best in a variety of categories. Here's what they chose for children's nonfiction.

The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir
Cylin Busby & John Busby (Bloomsbury)
No one with even a marginal interest in true crime writing should miss this page-turner, by turns shocking and almost unbearably sad, alternately narrated by an ex-cop who, in 1979, narrowly escaped assassination in an underworld-style hit, and his daughter, Cylin, then nine.

What the World Eats
Faith D'Aluisio, photos by Peter Menzel (Tricycle)
Visiting 25 families in 21 countries around the world, D'Aluisio and Menzel photograph each surrounded by a week's worth of food and groceries, then use these as a way to investigate different cultures, diets and standards of living as well as the impact of globalization—issues introduced conversationally and examined memorably.

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
National Children's Book and Literary Alliance, intro. by David McCullough
An all-star roster of more than 100 children's authors and illustrators, as well as a few scholars and former White House employers and residents, offers a history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in entries that range from poems to presidential speeches, satirical cartoons to stately portraits; a blue-ribbon choice for family sharing.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West
Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
Amusingly illustrated with period engravings, newspaper cartoons and ephemera, this stylish biography is top-notch entertainment.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Kadir Nelson (Hyperion/Jump at the Sun)
No baseball fan should be without this sumptuous volume, a history of the Negro Leagues delivered in folksy vernacular by a fictional player. While this handsome, square book could sit proudly on a coffee table by virtue of Nelson's muscular paintings, it soars as a tribute to individual athletes.

Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry
Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson (National Geographic)
Nelson models the study of history as an active and passionate pursuit as he shows readers how he pieced together a panoply of facts and anecdotes to find the real-life subject of the folk song “John Henry.”

Several of these titles appear on the list of nominees for the Cybils in the category of Nonfiction Middle Grades/YA books, including Ain't Nothing But a Man, Our White House, The Trouble Begins at 8 and We Are the Ship.

The list for children's picture books includes only one nonfiction title. It also appears on the list of nominees for the Cybils in the category of Nonfiction Picture books. That title is:

What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!
Barbara Kerley, illus. by Edwin Fotheringham (Scholastic)
It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt.

Cybils Book Review - Fabulous Fishes

Fabulous Fishes, written and illustrated by Susan Stockdale, is, in a word, FABULOUS. It is exactly the type of nonfiction picture book that will capture the attention of readers and have them begging for more.

The text is written in simple, rhyming format. What Susan Stockdale has accomplished is elegant, because using words that are easy to read yet highly descriptive, she has given us an introduction to the amazing diversity that exists in this group of animals. Here is how the book begins.

Round fish,
clownfish,
fish that like to hide.
Striped fish, spiked fish,
fish that leap and glide.

The depth and breadth of information provided in the pairing of text and illustrations is astounding. Readers can learn about fish color, shape, size, and camouflage. Reading through the text made we want to know the names of the fish depicted, where they lived, what they ate, how they adapted and more. Let me repeat that. This book left me wanting more information.

Some of this thirst for information was quenched in the back matter, where each fish is pictured again in miniature and identified by name. Also included is a brief bit of information about it, as well as the location(s) where the fish can be found in nature. Here's what I learned about the porcupinefish.

When threatened, the porcupinefish blows up like a spiky balloon so it will appear too large to fit into a predator's mouth. (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans)

Featuring 20 species of fish, the acrylic illustrations are brightly colored and boldly rendered. Each fish is pictured in its natural environment. The overall selection of fish is quite varied and helps readers to understand that fish come in all shapes and sizes, and that in many cases, the shape is not the "standard" fish shape so many of us imagine when we picture a fish. The illustrations in this book are a visual delight. You can learn more about the creation of the book in the article Every Picture is a Story.

I am crazy about this book and found so much to enjoy in it. You will too. I highly recommend this delightful introduction to these fascinating creatures.

Book: Fabulous Fishes
Author/Illustrator: Susan Stockdale
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: K-3
ISBN: 978-1561454297
Source of Book: Copy received from publisher for Cybils consideration.

For all you teachers and librarians considering this book, be sure to check out the teacher's guide for the book.

Other Reviews: Young Readers

The Comment Challenge - I'm In! Are You?

In some ways, blogging is about connecting, isn't it? Sometimes keeping up those connections is difficult. We may be reading each other's words, but not always taking the time to engage in conversation about them. In answer to this, Lee Wind and MotherReader have cooked up a 21-day comment challenge. The idea is to leave comments on at least 5 other blogs in the kidlitosphere for the next 21 days. There will be regular check-ins, and perhaps a bit of swag at the end.

I'm in. Are you?

TMRE Turns Two Today!

See that cute little countdown button over there? (Psst! Look right!) It's reminded me that today is an important day in the life of TMRE. My little blog turns two today. After more than 760 posts since it's auspicious birth, I've come to see this as a rather grand adventure. There just aren't that many other places where I get to discuss/write about things I love with others who so genuinely share my passions.

I didn't add a Sitemeter counter to my site until April 2007, but I imagine there weren't many folks tuned in to my early ramblings, so it's probably pretty accurate. Since the counter was installed I have had close to 76,000 visits and more than 131,000 page views. What's the difference? Page views represent the number of individual pages viewed on a site, while a visit is a series of page views by one person.

Right around the time of Robert's Snow last year I added a NeoCounter to track visitors from different countries. This is a very cool widget that shows the flags of nations and the number of visitors from each. Today it lists more than 60,000 visitors from 146 countries.

What do all these data tell me?
First, that people search for some strange things! No matter how you find your way here, I'm glad you've come, and equally grateful that you keep returning. It's an amazing thing to throw your ideas out into the void and find that they actually take wing and reach others. The fact that you take the time to comment and engage in conversation, however brief, is immensely gratifying.

Second, that I am in some small way fulfilling the mission I set for myself when this blog was started. Here's what I had to say in that very first post.

So today I launch The Miss Rumphius Effect. As for the title, I selected it because I am living my life in the shadow of Miss Rumphius and trying to live by these words:

"When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea."
That is all very well, little Alice," said her grandfather, "but there is a third thing you must do."
"What is that?" asked Alice.
You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said her grandfather.
"All right," said Alice. But she did not know what that could be.

Miss Rumphius planted lupines, but I want to do so much more. What could that be? Like young Alice, I still do not know. When I find the answer, I'll let you know.

I suppose my goal all along has been to contribute in some meaningful way to a community that embraces a love of books and reading in a variety of ways. I hope that teachers, librarians, parents, home schoolers and others find value in what I share.

Finally, they tell me that what I am doing is indeed worth the time I am investing.

While TMRE celebrates her second birthday, let me offer my thanks to YOU--my supportive, kind, and thoughtful readers. I would not be here without you.

The Best Post I've Read Today

I am a regular reader of the Core Knowledge Blog. Today I read some of the most inspiring words about voting. Here is an excerpt.

Here’s hoping that our young people have been well-served by the adults entrusted with their education, so that they appreciate the ideals of our democracy and the sloppy miracle of this day. May their knowledge of history be deep enough to allow a little bit of awe–and a large amount of pride–to witness a handover of power marked by passion, but not by tanks in the streets and flights into exile.

Go now and read the entire post (it's short). You'll be glad you did.

Link of the Day - Voting America: United States Politics, 1840-2008

Voting America: United States Politics, 1840-2008

Voting America examines the evolution of presidential politics in the United States across the span of American history. The project offers a wide spectrum of cinematic visualizations of how Americans voted in the presidential elections at the country level from the beginning of the modern party system through the modern day. Visitors will be able to see the historical developments in American voting patterns as they moved across the landscape of the United States.

The Voting America maps will help voters deconstruct myths about the American electorate, such as the popular notion that the U.S. is divided into large regions of opposing "red" and "blue" sections of America. If you know where someone lives, goes the common perception, you can probably guess their politics. By looking at elections at the county level, however, these maps show that the U.S. is not so clearly divided into red and blue regions.

A new collaboration with Google will make digital maps of presidential elections from 1980 to 2004 available in Google Earth. These maps detail how people voted in every county in the United States, providing far more detail and information than what is currently available in Electoral College maps. The voting returns are also paired with population data—including information on race, age, gender and income levels—in every county, allowing people to examine the factors that affected voting in any given election.

You can access the Google Earth layer by going to Google's 2008 Election site.

Anyone with an interest in history and/or politics, as well as teachers of secondary social studies will find much here to think about and discuss.

10 Minutes to Make a Difference

Ten minutes. That's all it took to participate. I was prepared to stand in the rain. When I arrived at the polls just after 7 am, more than 200 people had already voted. The line was long, but once I learned that there were lines for folks with last names I-P and Q-Z, I walked right up to the registration table. (This is the one occasion for which I am grateful for my hyphenated name, and glad not to be in that long A-H line!) I checked in and was ushered immediately to a voting machine.

It was simple. It was humbling. It was necessary.

I voted today. Will you? Don't miss this opportunity to have your voice heard. Please vote.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Odd Cinquain

A cinquain is a poem with five lines in the following syllable pattern: 2/4/6/8/2. Since I spent the day in a math workshop today, I'm thinking numbers, lots of numbers. We covered properties of numbers, including even and odd, and I think the odd numbers need just a little bit of love. I'm proposing to write "odd" versions of cinquains this week. Instead of following the traditional pattern outlined above, let's try writing them in the pattern 1/3/5/7/1.

That's it. Leave me a comment about your "odd" cinquain and I'll post the results here later this week.

Nonfiction Monday - From Zero to Ten

Today I spent the the bulk of my day working with a group of enthusiastic teachers on strategies for improving children's number sense and their knowledge of basic facts. We played a lot of games and looked at a lot of books.

One of my favorite books about numbers for older students is From Zero to Ten: The Story of Numbers, written by Vivian French and illustrated by Ross Collins. After a brief introduction that looks at how often we use numbers, the question "So where did numbers come from?" is asked. The first section of the book is entitled "How Did It All Begin?" and starts this way.

Maybe prehistoric men and women sitting in their caves boasted about how many animals they had killed, or told each other how many there were in an enemy attack:

"I caught so many fish, the river is empty!"
Ugh! You caught fewer fish than I have noses!"
The enemy came. They were like a swarm of bees!"
Ugh! There were as many as the toes on my feet!"

But what if there have been 17 enemies on the mountain? Or 170? What if they had to hurry off to warn neighboring families? How did people begin to count? And then remember how many they had counted?

The cartoon illustrations that accompany the passage are whimsical and a bit quirky. While one caveman writes in tally marks on the wall, two caveman carry on this conversation:

The mammoths are coming!
How many?
I can't say.
How far away?
I can't say.
This isn't working ...

The book goes on to cover counting without numbers (systems using one-to-one correspondence and tally systems), counting big numbers, place value systems, Arabic numbers, measurement and using our bodies to measure, standard measurement, and more.

The section on big numbers covers bases. Readers learn that ancient Egyptians chose a base-10 counting system, and that many others since have followed in their footsteps. The Mayans, however, chose a base-20 system (that's a vigesimal system). While the base-10 system can be connected to counting on fingers, a base-20 system uses fingers and toes. Sumerians and Babylonians used base-60 systems. Can you imagine? I'll bet you can, as we still use a remnant of this system every day when we tell time.

I particularly love the section on Using Our Bodies to Measure. Not only do readers learn about body measurements like cubits (the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger) and spans (the distance from the top of the thumb to the tip of the little finger), but also words used by tradesman for describing quantities, such hogsheads, firkins, puncheons and more. Did you know that many trades developed their own systems of measuring? For example, paper came in sheets, quires, reams, and bundles. It also came in sizes with names like Emperor, Double Elephant and Atlas.

Near the end readers will find sections on lucky numbers and the calendar. Also included is a brief glossary of terms that are not well-defined in the text. Overall, this is an engaging and informative book about the history of numbers. I highly recommend it.

Book: From Zero to Ten: The Story of Numbers
Author: Vivian French
Illustrator: Ross Collins
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date Published: 2002
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: 3-8
ISBN: 0195219252
Source: Personal copy

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.