SEA TURTLE SCIENTIST- Stephen R. Swinburne

I'm not surprised to discover that the SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series has several (at least four, I think) books on the CYBILS nonfiction list. Today's offering, SEA TURTLE SCIENTIST, follows Dr. Kimberly Stewart, the "turtle lady," in her efforts to save the sea turtles of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The reader follows Stewart in her midnight watches of enormous mama turtles crawling up onto the beach to lay eggs, and her digging of nests that have hatched. The book includes chapters on how the turtles hatch and begin their journey, how the community is working to save the turtles and interestingly, a chapter on a native from Saint Kitts, that used to hunt sea turtles, but now works with Stewart on her conservation effort. Swinburne presents the complexities of conservation- the local people depend on sea turtles for food and use the shells to make jewelery, which is a source of income.

The story of Stewart's work is interspersed with numerous (I counted at least ten) related articles, e.g. WIDECAST (a Caribbean organization that works to save sea turtles), sea turtle facts, a history of Saint Kitts, how sea turtles are killed, etc. Back matter includes a glossary, a selection on how to help sea turtles, another on how to adopt sea turtles, and a bibliography of books and websites for further reading. By the time I was finished reading, I had resolved to stop using plastic grocery bags and also to go on an eco-vacation to a turtle preserve.

AND ERIC CARLE DOES IT AGAIN…

There are some author/illustrators who just never put out a "bad book." Mo Willems falls into that category. So does Kevin Henkes. And Kadir Nelson. and, and…Of all of the author/illustrators I know, however, the one at the very, very top of that "Never has a bad book…" list is, of course, Eric Carle.

Carle's newest book, THE ARTIST WHO PAINTED A BLUE HORSE, just came out. The book starts with a small child= a couple of reviews I have read described this character as a boy, but I think it could also be a girl, saying, "I am an artist." This little artist paints a series of animals- a blue horse, a red crocodile, a polka-dotted donkey. The book ends, "I am a good artist…" The illustrations are classic Carle (think BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR) with one large animal and one brief chunk of text on a page. Our youngest page turners are going to love this book!

Like many of Carle's books, however, there is more to this story. The book was written as a tribe to Franz Marc, the German artist who created unconventional paintings in the early part of the 20th century, and died during World War I. So not only would it be a terrific addition to any primary grade classroom, but it could also be used in art classes, and maybe even literacy coaches, consultants, and administrators, to begin a conversation about creativity.

You need this book!

PEANUT BUTTER AND HOMEWORK SANDWICHES- Lisa Broadie Cook

It is Monday morning, and Marvin McGregor is eagerly anticipating seeing his teacher's pet tarantula. When he arrives at school, however, he discovers that the teacher has broken his arm and will be out sick for a few days. The substitute, Ms. Payne, gives lots and lots of homework.

Marvin has the best of intentions, but he keeps having homework mishaps. On Monday, he spills peanut butter on his homework and the dog eats it. On Tuesday, he accidentally leaves it in his pocket, and his mother washes it. Another day, he exchanges backpacks with his little sister, and takes her doll to school.

Shared this, along with the poem, "Homework, Oh Homework" today. The fourth graders loved it!

GOOD NIGHT LITTLE SEA OTTER- Janet Halfmann

OK, I am going to subject myself to humiliation one more time. I am the book auntie. You know, the person who always makes sure that every child (and usually every adult too) has a new book in their pile of Christmas gifts. Here is one that will be in my pile for the youngest members of our family this year.

GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE SEA OTTER is a sweet, sweet, sweet going to bed story. Listen to the first page:

"As the setting sun kissed the kelp forest, Little Sea Otter snuggled on Mama's chest. Mama fluffed his fur until he looked like a brown powder puff. Then it was bedtime, but Little Sea Otter wasn't ready to sleep. "I forgot to say good night to the harbor seals," he said.

After Little Sea Otter says good night to the harbor seals, he must say good night to the sea lions. Then a seagull. Then all of the orange and yellow and purple and striped and spotted fish. And all of the creatures living in the ocean below. And finally to the most important one of all- Mama Sea Otter.

The ocean content of this book will promote some really interesting discussions with your youngest reading friends. The illustrations, with Mama and Little Sea Otter floating in a wavy ocean that start out light blue and gets a little darker with every page, are detailed and interesting. And the mood of the book has that "GOOD NIGHT MOON, the whole world is going to sleep and I am going to sleep too" kind of enchantment that little guys always love.

A perfect Christmas present for your youngest friends. This book would also make a great baby gift!

REVIEW COPY PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER

ROCKS! ROCKS! ROCKS! Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

If you work with young children, you probably know Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, the author of SHELLS! SHELLS! SHELLS! and FLY, MONARCH, FLY! In Wallace's newest book, ROCKS! ROCKS! ROCKS! Buddy Bear visits the Rock Ridge Nature Center. He and his mom hike the Blue Diamond Nature Trail, where Buddy learns some basic geology facts and concepts, e.g. the earth is a ball of rock, rock erodes over time and that there are more than one hundred kinds of rocks. They also meet a park ranger who teaches them how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock are made.

ROCKS! ROCKS! ROCKS! definitely rocks! The "facts wrapped in a story" format makes this fairly difficult topic easily accessible to young children. Diamond-shaped signs along the nature trail act as headings or subtitles and provide a great jumping off point for a discussion of how authors use different tools to support readers. Rectangular signs give kids with some fun facts to know and share. The illustrations are Wallace's trademark collage and include not only a variety of papers, but also some great photographs of rocks. Appendixes encourage young petrologists to start a rock collection, make rock magnets, write a rock joke, or build a cairn. Two other appendixes list rock places, e.g. Rocky Ford, Colorado, and rock sayings.

Visit Nancy Elizabeth Wallace's website here.

PIGS TO THE RESCUE- JOHN HIMMELMAN

On Monday, Farmer Greenstalk's tractor breaks down. Pigs to the rescue! On Tuesday, Mrs Greenstalk gets a leak in her garden hose. Pigs to the rescue! On Wednesday, Jeffrey Greenstalk's kite gets stuck in the tree. Pigs to the rescue!

John Himmelman, author of KATIE LOVES THE KITTENS, is back again! The crazy antics of this herd of exuberant, overly helpful pigs are sure to hook primary grade kids. Days of the week, simple text, and supportive illustrations will make this book extra friendly for beginning readers. The surprise ending is reminiscent of Betsy Lewin's CLICK CLACK MOO series.

MY LITTLE POLAR BEAR- Claudia Rueda

Sunday morning. I'm on a post church, pick up a gift, run through of a local bookstore. I know exactly what I want and have no reason to go further than twenty feet inside of the store. Even so, the siren song of the children's book area calls to me, and I head to the back of the store, just for a minute.

I'm immediately drawn to the pale blue, sprinkled with white sparkles cover of MY LITTLE POLAR BEAR. I open it and know that I have found a new favorite. This book, a dialogue between a mama polar bear and her cub, works on a lot of different levels. First, it's a really sweet RUNAWAY BUNNY kind of story about the love between a mama and her child- it would be a terrific baby present. I'm guessing that could quickly become one of those bedtime ritual books that young children would ask for again and again. The illustrations, all done in shades of blues and grays and whites, are quiet and soothing.

This seemingly simple bedtime story, however, could be used in a whole different way. On each two page spread, the cub asks for reassurance as to whether it is really a polar bear. Rueda uses specific factual information, "Your feet are large and padded. You can walk on snow and melting ice, just like a polar bear. You smell seals from far away." I could see using MY LITTLE POLAR BEAR, then, as a model for research reports for primary grade students. Even kindergarteners with a few good facts could write a really nice little research report using MY LITTLE POLAR BEAR as a mentor text. I can't wait to try it.

A beary nice find, perfect for this time of year…

MARTHA DOESN'T SAY SORRY- Samantha Berger

Martha is a spunky little otter, kind of a cross between Ian Falconer's Olivia and Kevin Henkes' Lily. On one particularly rough day, she spills cake batter on her mother, paints her father's back red, and wakes her baby brother during nap time. Sent to time out, she stubbornly refuses to apologize. She changes her tune, however, when she realizes that people who don't apologize don't get cookies from their mothers, or piggyback rides from their dads, or hugs from their baby brothers.

I love everything about Martha- her pink dress with the Peter Pan collar and headband, her spunky attitude, and her stubborn streak. The illustrations are lots of fun- I especially love the one where Martha is reading HARRY OTTER! I know kids are going to flat out love the story, but I also know the book is going to lead to great discussions about how we treat each other, and why it's important to apologize when you make a mistake. Can't wait to share this new find with kids!