SEA BEAR: A JOURNEY FOR SURVIVAL

I know it's probably not politically correct, and  I'm probably not supposed to say this, but as a little girl, I loved going to the zoo. One of the animals I loved most was the polar bear. I remember watching them cavort in the water.

Now that I'm older, I understand that wild animals are supposed to be free. And I feel so sad to know that the choices we have made are hugely damaging to other inhabitants of our planet. Especially animals like polar bears. I want my students to understand that we have to make better choices.

That's why I am so glad that there are books like SEA BEAR. Debut picture book author Lindsay Moore, who has a degree in medical and scientific illustration, traces the journey of a polar bear, across the Arctic ice and through the ocean. It's one of those timeless picture book, simple enough for very young children, and yet one I am sure would also engage my middle school readers.

End matter includes a page of factual information about polar bears, sea ice, and climate change, and another page about other animals above and below the ice.

"Polar bears are patient beasts,as patient as glaciers. We know how to hope and how to wait.I learned to be patient long agofrom my polar bear mother- 

to be patient while hunting,to be patient with weather,to be patient in darkness. 

A polar bear can outwait almost anything--     seals,       storms,          and long sunless winters--             but a bear needs something to stand on, 

I watch the ice.           

NINE MONTHS: BEFORE A BABY IS BORN BY MIRANDA PAUL, ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASON CHEN

NINE MONTHS: BEFORE A BABY IS BORN follows a young child as she and her parents await the birth of a new baby. Miranda Paul's quintrains are playful and bouncy.  

Small.

Ball.

The point of a pin.

Then it divides…

Our story begins. 

Jason Chin’s detailed and accurate illustrations provide children with accurate information about pregnancy. Each two-page spread is divided in half. The left hand side shows the development of the fetus, most in actual size. The right hand side shows the family- a dad, a mom, and the big sister who is probably three or four, as they engage in a variety of “waiting for baby” activities- reading about babies, examining baby clothes, attending an ultrasound appointment, gardening, and building a crib. As the baby grows, it takes up more and more of the two-page spread. 

Rich end matter includes "More About Babies," a detailed description of a baby's development over nine months, "Whoa Baby!" (nine amazing things a baby can do before it is born), “Humans vs. Animals (gestation length for animals ranging from mice to lions to elephants) and then  “What If- What if there are two, or more than two embryos? What if a baby is born early, What if Something Goes Wrong?”

A perfect book for a big brother or sister who is waiting on a sibling to be born.

SCIENTISTS GET DRESSED by Deborah Lee Rose

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit, ok, so maybe this wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me, but I am a little nosy. I love knowing the details of people's lives, for instance, what the Rockies' have on their inboard flight menu, and where the actors from the performing arts center stay while they are in Denver. SCIENTISTS GET DRESSED, then, was a book that was made for me.

The book features photographs (some of them foldouts) of approximately twenty different kinds of scientists at work, everything from astronauts to neurosurgeons, to astronomers, to forest canopy biologists, to paleontologists, to volcanologists, to raptor biologists. Each is accompanied by two or three paragraphs of description about what that scientist wears when they are at work.

End matter for this book is super fun and super creative:

• Photos tell Science Stories- ten questions a person could ask when looking at a photograph of a scientist at work, 
• If You Were a Scientist How Would You Get Dressed
• What are scientists jobs called?
• You Can Be a Citizen Scientist
• A two page spread on scientists' gloves 
• Vocabulary list
• An interview of marine biologist, Eric Hoffmayer

A book I think lots of kids are going to enjoy!

CARTER READS THE NEWSPAPER- written by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Don Tate

As a long time urban educator and as the mom of two African American sons, I think I have a fairly extensive knowledge (not to mention a library) of famous African Americans. Nevertheless, this week I learned about a person that was totally new to me when I read CARTER READS THE NEWSPAPER.

Carter Woodson was born on a small farm in Virginia in 1875. His father was a former slave and solder in the Union Army. His mother had vivid childhood memories of standing on the auction block. The pair struggled to support their family of seven, and Carter only went to school four months out of every year, because he had to work on the family farm the rest of the year. Carter began his scholarly career reading the newspaper to his father.

At age 16, Carter followed an older brother into the coal mines. One of the coal miners opened his home to the miners every night. When the men discovered Carter could read, he was again pressed into service. At age twenty, Carter finally returned to high school. He graduated in two years, then went on to college, eventually earning a Ph.D from Harvard. When a professor stated that the Blacks had no history, Carter was determined to prove him wrong. He dedicated the rest of his life to proving that, establishing Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month,  in 1926.

Deborah Hopkinson is one of my favorite storytellers and Don Tate's artwork definitely enhances the story. During the first pass, I read for story, but during the second, I noticed how Tate had worked drawings of more than fifty famous African Americans into the illustrations.

End pages include "Learn More about Carter G. Woodson" as well as an author's and illustrator's note.

THE CRAYON MAN: THE INVENTION OF THE CRAYOLA CRAYON by Natascha Biebow, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Once there was a man who saw color EVERYWHERE.

     He noticed the yellow-orange petals of the black-eyed Susans
         in his garden. He marvelled at the rich scarlet-red tones of
             the cardinal's feathers. He admired the deep blue-greens
                 of the waves in the sea. 

                         Color made him really, really HAPPY!

So begins Natascha Bierbow's picture book biography about Edwin Binney, the man who invented crayola crayons. Binney worked at a factory where carbon black, a substance used in things like printing inks and shoe polish, was made. In his spare time, Binney invented slate pencils and a wax crayon that would write on wood and paper packaging. When his wife told him that children needed better and cheaper crayons, Binney went to work. And all of us know the result....

End pages include a two-page spread about how crayons are made today, and another page with more information about Edwin Binney.

Pair this with MAGIC RAMEN and POP, also Chris Barton's WHOOSH!

MAGIC RAMEN by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz

My middle schoolers love, love, love their ramen noodles.

And I'm pretty sure they will love this picture book biography that describes how Momofuku Ando invented ramen noodles shortly after World War II.  Thinking MAGIC RAMEN would pair really well with POP: THE INVENTION OF BUBBLE GUM by MEGHAN McCARTHY. Or make a nice addition to a unit on persistence.

End pages include an author's note, a pronunciation guide, and an afterword with additional information about Momofuku Ando.

The Tenth Annual Picture Book Ten for Ten- We're All In This Together

The events of the last few weeks have left my heart heavy to the point that I wasn't sure I was even going to do a PB Ten for Ten this year. But somehow, I just couldn't not participate in the Tenth Annual Picture Book Ten for Ten. Hence my theme (such as it may be)- We're All In This Together.

There will be lots more great collections at Cathy Mere's Reflect and Refine. 

Bear Came Along

by Richard Morris and LeUyen Pham

One of those absolutely perfect picture books that all kids from age 2 up to 102 will love!

Lottie and Walter

Anna Walker

Lottie doesn't want to go into the swimming pool because she knows there are sharks in the water. 

Her friend, Walter, convinces her otherwise. 

Otto and Pio

Marianne Dubuc

Otto the Squirrel is perfectly content living alone in his treehouse until the day when a furry white creature, enclosed in a bushy green egg arrives....

Hangry

Drew Brockington

A small green monster is a mess until a hot dog vendor saves the day!

I could see using this book to introduce a discussion 

as to how our actions can soothe or escalate situations. 

I Can Only Draw Worms

by Will Mabbitt

A crazy fun counting book in which the narrator is decidedly unapologetic about his talents. 

If I Was the Sunshine

by Julie Fogliano and Loren Long
It's by Julie Fogliano (If You Want to See a Whale and When Green Becomes Tomatoes) and Loren Long. That might be all I have to say. A beautiful and poetic picture book.

Lawrence in the Fall

Matthew Farina
Lawrence the Fox needs to share a collection at school.
His friends are excited but Lawrence doesn't collect anything...

Where Are You From?

Yamile Staled Méndez and Jaime Kim
A little girl keeps getting asked where she is from.
Her abuelo helps her craft an answer.
Also available in Spanish.

My Heart is a Compass

Deborah Marcero
A girl draws several different "maps" of her world. 

I want to use this book before kids create heart maps of the stories they want to tell this year. 

If DaVinci Painted a Dinosaur
by Amy Newbold and Greg Newbold

Dinosaurs as seen by many different artists.
A reminder that there are many ways to see the world.