Kellee

From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Eleven: Nonfiction Picture Books | Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating, Hillary Rodham Clinton by Michelle Markel, Two Friends by Dean Robbins, Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, & The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle

September 4, 2016May 4, 2016 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 11!).

Pink is for Blobfish: Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals
Author: Jess Keating
Illustrator: David Degrand
Published February 2nd, 2016

Goodreads Summary: Pinkalicious meets National Geographic in this nonfiction picture book introducing the weirdest, wildest, pinkest critters in the animal kingdom!

Some people think pink is a pretty color. A fluffy, sparkly, princess-y color. But it’s so much more.
Sure, pink is the color of princesses and bubblegum, but it’s also the color of monster slugs and poisonous insects. Not to mention ultra-intelligent dolphins, naked mole rats and bizarre, bloated blobfish.

Isn’t it about time to rethink pink?

Slip on your rose-colored glasses and take a walk on the wild side with zoologist Jess Keating, author of How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied, and cartoonist David DeGrand.

My Thoughts: I loved how Keating set up the book. The information that was included was fascinating, there were many text features that added interesting tidbits throughout, and there was some hilarity thrown in. Such a great read! I also was told that it is going to be a series, and that is such great news!

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Published January 5th, 2016 by Balzer + Bay

Goodreads Summary: In the spirit of Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope andAmelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride comes an inspiring portrait of Hillary Rodham Clinton: a girl who fought to make a difference—and paved the way for women everywhere—from Michelle Markel and LeUyen Pham.

In the 1950s, it was a man’s world. Girls weren’t supposed to act smart, tough, or ambitious. Even though, deep inside, they may have felt that way. And then along came Hillary. Brave, brilliant, and unstoppable, she was out to change the world.

They said a woman couldn’t be a mother and a lawyer. Hillary was both. They said a woman shouldn’t be too strong or too smart. Hillary was fearlessly herself.

It didn’t matter what people said—she was born to lead.

With illustrations packed full of historical figures and details, this gorgeous and informative picture book biography is perfect for every budding leader. Includes a timeline, artist’s note, and bibliography.

My Thoughts: Alyson Beecher shared with me that Pham did a tremendous amount of research for this book though she had no issues researching because Hillary is so fact-checked. I think the idea of how much research LeUyen did for this book is fascinating and is also evident in the book. I am also a huge fan of Pham’s illustrations (she does Princess in Black also), and it was so much fun to see Hillary being represented so brightly. I loved learning about Hillary’s journey to the current presidential race. Right now so much is focused on negativity, it is nice to see why she is such an inspirational woman.

Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass
Author: Dean Robbins
Illustrator: Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
Published January 5th, 2016 by Orchard Books

Goodreads Summary: Some people had rights, while others had none.
Why shouldn’t they have them, too?

Two friends, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, get together for tea and conversation. They recount their similar stories fighting to win rights for women and African Americans. The premise of this particular exchange between the two is based on a statue in their hometown of Rochester, New York, which shows the two friends having tea.

My Thoughts: I loved learning about this friendship! I am a great admirer of both Anthony and Douglass; however, I did not know anything about the relationship they had. I love that they were both visionaries within two a civil rights movement though they also realized how their goals were connected, so they fought the prejudice together. Although I really would have loved this story to be longer to learn more about how they worked together, learning about their histories and imagining their tea party was a perfect way to introduce the friendship. I am also a huge fan of Qualls’s artwork, and I loved how this book incorporated his work with the written words of both reformers.

Freedom in Congo Square
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Published January 5th, 2016 by little bee books

Goodreads Summary: This poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human’s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans’ Congo Square was truly freedom’s heart.

Mondays, there were hogs to slop,
mules to train, and logs to chop.
Slavery was no ways fair.
Six more days to Congo Square.

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves’ duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book will have a forward from Freddi Williams Evans (freddievans.com), a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.

My Thoughts: I found this book to be touching and beautiful and sad. Books about slavery always make me so ashamed of our past, so they are hard to read yet so important. I think Weatherford’s story really captures the brutal conditions of slavery in the South but also the freedom that was felt on the one free day in Louisiana. Also, I personally like rhyming couplets, so I thought it had a great sing-songy quality. And let’s not forget the illustrations. They are pieces of art. They could each be framed and put in a museum.

The Great Monkey Rescue: Saving the Golden Lion Tamarins
Author: Sandra Markle
Published October 1st, 2015 by Lerner Publishing Group

Goodreads Summary: Golden lion tamarins are found only in Brazilian forests. These small, remarkable monkeys once had plenty of space to roam and claim family territories. But years of deforestation caused their numbers to shrink. They were in serious danger of becoming extinct.

To help, scientists studied the animals in zoo settings. But they faced several mysteries. Why weren’t golden lion tamarins reproducing in zoos? If scientists reintroduced zoo-raised tamarins to the wild, would those monkeys survive? And how could scientists give tamarins enough forest area for the population to grow? Find out how scientists and concerned citizens worked together to give golden lion tamarins a hopeful future.

My Thoughts: It is always sad to learn about an endangered animal I didn’t know about before, this story was inspiring because it showed how a team working together could, and hopefully will continue, reverse the loss of a species. This book is so hopeful in that if we all work together to help save species that are struggling to survive. I really want to read more of Markle’s work now because she really is quite brilliant about turning information into narrative nonfiction.

All Recommended For:

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (NF)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (F)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Seven? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Eight: 2015 Nonfiction Titles? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Nine: 2015 Nonfiction Titles? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Ten: 2015 Fiction Titles? You can view it HERE.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 5/2/16

May 2, 2016May 2, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Tuesday: Bookworm Delights

Wednesday: Animal Planet’s Ocean Animals and Polar Animals

Thursday: Blog Tour, Authors Interview, Character Q&A, Giveaway, and Review!: Curiousity House: The Screaming Statue by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester
Giveaway open until Wednesday!

Friday: Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe by Tricia Sprinstubb

Sunday: Author Guest Post! “Reading the Middle Grade Mind” by Sally Barlow-Perez, Author of The Unintended Runaways

Last Week’s Journeys

This week I had a much more successful reading week. It felt great to have a good reading week!

First, finished the two Camp Rolling Hills books:

I’ll be reviewing these books next week, but I recommend them both for middle school. I love how the campers seem like real middle schoolers.

I also finished my audiobook of The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Oh. My. Goodness. What a phenomenal book! Everyone says how great it is, and everyone is not lying. It reminded me of a Ruta Sepetys novel because you can tell the author did her research but also made sure to focus on her brilliant story. The audiobook is well done also; I can still hear Ada’s voice. It was heartbreaking yet uplifting. And what a fascinating point of view to tell a WWII story from!

And I dove into my library pile of nonfiction picture books that I have been recommended (All their photos are below because I’ll be reviewing them all this week!).

Ricki

Invisible Fault Lines by Kristen-Paige Madonia kept me guessing! From the very first page, I wondered what happened to the narrator’s father. About halfway through, I realized that it didn’t matter what happened to him because this was a story about character. I enjoyed this one very much and am looking forward to sharing more on Thursday!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Two of my favorite early reading series have new books, and they finally arrived from the library, so I am so excited to read them, and they are first on my TBR for the week.

masterminds

I also started a new audiobook: Masterminds by Gordon Korman. This book is on my #mustreadin2016 list because many of you loved it, and so far I am really enjoying it. I can tell something big is about to happen!

Ricki

I think I might get started on The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner. I was excited to receive it on NetGalley and look forward to it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Childhood Characters We’d Love to Revisit as Adults

Wednesday: From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Eleven: Nonfiction Picture Books

Thursday: Invisible Fault Lines by Kristen-Page Madonia

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, Giveaway, and Review!: Cici Reno #MiddleSchoolMatchmaker by Kristina Springer

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Beth Vrabel, Author of Camp Dork

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

and

Author Guest Post!: “Reading the Middle Grade Mind” by Sally Barlow-Perez, Author of The Unintended Runaways

May 1, 2016 by Kellee

“Reading the Middle Grade Mind”

Have you ever tried to steer one of your favorite kids toward one of your favorite books? You’re in eager enthusiasm mode. “Hey, you are going to LOVE this book!”

Then the kid rears back, looks like you asked him to drink a glass of hot chalk, gives you that look, and says, “Uh, thanks, but I don’t think so.”

Just like adults, kids pick books for their own reasons. And timing is everything. One week a reader might feel like something light that reflects familiar problems like, The Mother Daughter Book Club series; the next week he or she might relish the challenges of Wonder or maybe a visit to a whole to universe in The Lightning Thief or something as wacky as one of the Wimpy Kid books. It all depends on mood, just like it does with you and me. Or stress level. Or time availability. I’ve seen a 9-year old read and enjoy a Babysitter Club book – standard 3^rd grade level reading—during a school week, and Wonderstruck— 5^thgrade level reading–on her vacation. Makes sense. You and I don’t read Dostoevsky when we barely have time for lunch. Middle grade readers thrive on a huge variety of choice. Which is lucky, since as authors, we are just as eclectic as our young readers!

That said, I am sure there are those of us who try to shake loose a few practical thoughts before we set pen to paper to write our deathless prose. No doubt, in addition to prayer, you’ve tried to psyche out just where that sweet spot in middle grade literature is. Sure, there are trends and the Goodreads lists and I’m sure there are some left-brain writers out there who can successfully write to the formula. But since I’ve always favored on-the-spot research, I thought I’d go directly to the source: my sixth grade consultants: Sarah, Haley, Carolyn, Mia and Emily. “What have you been reading lately?” I asked them. These are just a few samples of the many titles they sent me:

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone.
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin
School of Charm by Lisa Ann Scott
Black Beauty by Anna Sewall
Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Sure, it’s a girls list; not much blood and guts there but look at the variety. From dystopia to Victoriana to the serious issues of an adolescent with a disability to pure escapism. Irving Stone, no less! Remarkable that reading tastes could vary so widely among such friends from the same school in the same grade with such similar backgrounds. My point being, that predicting subject matter that will appeal to every middle grader is a losing proposition.

Picture this—and if you’ve taken your children or your students to the library, you’ve seen it many times. A middle grader sitting on the floor between the stacks taking out book after book off the shelf, looking at it very briefly, and then returning it to that empty slot among the other books. Those poor, forlorn, rejected books. Someone put his or her heart and soul into writing that book! What was wrong with it! Well, it just didn’t suit, that’s all. For reasons we, as onlookers (or the unfortunate author of said rejected volume) will never know. My conclusion: short of writing a tome on the love life of ants, I might as well forget trying to guess what will suit the middle grade reader and suit myself instead.

At the same time—trying with some difficulty to recall my past life as a lit. major—I tryed to find the commonalities in the lists of books my sixth graders sent me. It wasn’t in the eras, the settings or the subject matter. They varied from Hogwarts, to Ghana, to the rural South, to a dystopian future, to small town USA, to ancient Rome. Lots of variety there and choice in those areas can be a matter of cover art, flap blurb or momentary whim. But in the protagonist (Lit. 101 !) I do think young people make a conscious choice to read a book featuring one of two different kinds of protagonists:

A character with whom they can completely identify; someone who shares their sensibilities, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their secret feelings; someone who permits them to sigh in relief, saying, “I am not alone; Someone else feels or behaves that way too.”
Or
A character with whom they can partially identify, but who is perceived as an individual to emulate; someone with qualities to admire, or aspire to, even if those qualities are as basic as patience, or self-assurance, or courage rather than the ability to fly or fight dragons.

It might be simplistic to say that the former is featured in reading that requires a little less concentration than the latter. I’m sure there are examples either way. But the best authors show us well rounded characters who evolve and change in both cases. What a privilege it is to read the work of the many wonderful authors of middle grade fiction who make their characters come alive for us. I see my young friends absorbing Palacio’s Auggie, Hodgson Burnett’s Sara Crewe, Pullman’s Lyra, Selznick’s Ben and Rose; Riordan’s Percy, and Lowry’s Jonas and I think, “These characters are becoming part of who my young friends are.” How could they not?

I too feel as though I too have been influenced by the thousands of fictional characters that have filled me up over the years. A good number have come from middle grade books. Many from young adult books. One memorable one was the picture book that inspired my own middle grade novel, The Unintended Runaways, with its lively painting of a gypsy wagon and the carefree little girl who lived in it.

The tale that formed around that picture was the story I wanted to tell. I fought it. I’d been in marketing and public relations and I knew historical fiction was emphatically NOT in vogue. Would anyone read it? Newsletters and conferences told me I would never sell it. “Write it anyway,” I told myself. I already had visions of the beautiful blue wagon and the big shire horse trotting down the lovely rural roads of mid-19^th century England. market.

“Don’t be an idiot,” I argued back. “You’re a journalist. You wrote a history book. Get out there and write something that’ll sell. How about an academy for shapeshifters? A middle school mafia? An underground society ruled by 12-year olds? You can do it! Get with the program!”

“Yeah,” said my better self. “And it will suck, big time and you will hate every minute of it. This is 40,000 words we’re talking about.”

So I did it my way. I wrote my historical novel about 19^th century young people. Unfashionable as my setting might be, I knew today’s middle graders would identify with the larger themes of justice, freedom, and family. And I hoped they would fall in love with my characters just as I did.

Thus The Unintended Runaways came into being. My sixth grade consultants – who were very generous early readers!—say they like it. (They kind of have to say that.) But the proof will be in the sales figures. Because as a general rule……

There’s just no reading the middle grade mind.

____________________________________________

Links:

Website: www.theunintendedrunaways.com

____________________________________________

Summary: For a girl who loved adventure, twelve-year old Lia Leonides had the perfect life. Every summer, she and her grandfather traveled the rural roads of England in their gypsy wagon, stopping at fairs and selling horse brasses along the way. It was exactly the life Lia wanted, until the day a mysterious letter arrived. Lia’s grandfather warned her not to get her hopes up, but lifelong dreams are hard to ignore. Lia’s father was alive and looking for her. But when her grandfather suddenly passes away, Lia is sent to work as a servant in an orphanage and is left with a choice that she never wanted to make: let the world decide her future for her, or run away and decide it for herself? Lia, with the help of her beloved pets and some unexpected friends, must take her gypsy wagon south on a harrowing journey before her father disappears forever. A persistent sheriff and the constant threat of misfortune won’t make the trip easy, but Lia and her friends don’t plan to let anything stop them from forging their own destinies.

____________________________________________

About the Author: Sally Barlow-Perez openly admits that books have taken over a good chunk of her life. She gobbles down two or three library books a week, ranging in genre from young adult, to middle grade, to fantasy, to mystery. She tries to balance her book obsession with writing, hiking, and hanging out with the young people who inspire her. But no matter how hard she tries, she always comes back to books. As a fiction writer, Sally’s focus is curiosity. “Curiosity is a great excuse for writing, as well as for reading,” she says. “Even when I finish a book, I still wonder what the characters are doing!” Sally makes her life in Palo Alto, California. She has two grown sons, whom she believes to be her greatest contribution to mankind. The Unintended Runaways is her first middle-grade novel. More information is available at www.theunintendedrunaways.com.

Thank you Sally for this insightful guest post!

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Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

April 29, 2016 by Kellee

Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe
Author: Tricia Springstubb
Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler
Published April 12th, 2016 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Not everything turns out to be as it first appears when Cody and her best friend, Spencer, navigate a neighborhood mystery and the start of a new school year.

Cody’s best friend, Spencer, and his parents are moving in with his grandmother right around the corner, and Cody can’t wait. For one thing, Cody needs Spencer to help solve the mystery of the never-seen Mr. Meen, who lives on the other side of the porch with a skull-and-crossbones sign in the window and an extermination truck out front. How’s Cody to know that a yellow jacket would sting her, making her scream “Ow! Ow!” just as they start spying? Or that the ominous window sign would change overnight to “Welcome home,” only deepening the mystery? In this second adventure, Spencer’s new-school jitters, an unexpected bonding with a teacher over Mozart, and turf-claiming kids next door with a reason for acting out are all part of Cody’s experiences as summer shifts into a new year at school.

My Review: I loved this one as much as the first one. (P.S. You don’t have to read the first one to enjoy this one, but they are both so good you should read both.) What I love most about the books is that Cody and Spencer and their families and the secondary characters are just so flawed and familiar and real. What I love second most about the book is how Tricia Springstubb writes. It is lyrical yet to the point. Beautiful yet not fluffy. See my example below. What I love third most about the book is the humor. Cody is one funny young lady!

Cody’s story this time revolves around two things: Spencer moving nearby and things not going as expected and the mystery behind the Meens, the bullying girls who live next to Spencer. Springstubb navigates both of these topics (bullying and friendship) with ease along with other minor topics like family and identity which makes Cody’s story perfect for all young readers because they will either relate or be able to use the story to help them in the future.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Cody’s story represents so many different types of people: different races, different families, different situations, different popularity, different talents, etc., so her stories are perfect for reading aloud to a class/child.

It could also be used as a mentor text for language during a writing workshop’s narrative unit.

Discussion Questions: What does Cody mean by the baton of love?; Is it ever okay to fight?; Why does Payton’s behavior affect Wyatt so much?; How did Cody expect Spencer being at her school to be? How did it end up?

Flagged Passages: “He [Spencer] was getting ready to practice his violin. Mom and Cody sat down to listen. The song he played was called ‘Go Tell Aunt Rhody.’ The music was complicated. Was it sad? Was it happy? Could it be both at the same time? Cody decided it was perfect night-before-school music. All the while he played, her hand un-itched.” (p. 32)

Read This If You Loved: Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, The Trouble with Ants by Claudia Mills, Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner, Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg, Lola series by Christine Pakkala, The Top-Secret Diary of Cecile Valentine by Julie Sternberg

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Candlewick for providing a copy for review!!**

Animal Planet’s Animal Bites: Ocean Animals and Polar Animals

October 15, 2016April 27, 2016 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Polar Animals

Ocean Animals

Animal Planet
Published March 1st, 2016 by Animal Planet

Polar Animals Summary: With more than 200 gorgeous animal photos of penguins, polar bears, sea lions, walruses, reindeer and others, Animal Planet Polar Animals is a fun, habitat-by-habitat guide that provides kids in the first years of schooling with the perfect bite-sized view of their favorite animals living in both polar climates. Arranged thematically with focus on animal behavior and family relationships, young readers will explore sections about animal bodies, baby animals, food, play time, conservation, and more. Special book features designed for this age group include Quick Bites sidebars with cool animal facts, simple infographics, and illustrated maps of the coldest places on Earth.

Ocean Animals Summary: With more than 200 gorgeous animal photos of sharks, whales, clown fish, jelly fish, dolphins, and others, Animal Planet Ocean Animals is a fun, habitat-by-habitat guide that provides kids in the first years of schooling with the perfect bite-sized view of their favorite ocean-dwelling animals. Arranged thematically with focus on animal behavior and family relationships, young readers will explore sections about animal bodies, baby animals, food, play time, conservation and more. Special book features designed for this age group include Quick Bites sidebars with cool animal facts, simple infographics, and illustrated maps of Earth’s watery environments.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Animal Planet’s R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond.) project which partners with leading animal organization to make the world a better place for domestic and wild animals.

Kellee’s Review: Like National Geographic nonfiction books for kids, Animal Planet’s books have some of the most stunning photographs of animals that I’ve ever seen. They take the reader to the animals’ home and shows the reader the ins and outs of the animal and how and where they live.

Ricki’s Review: My toddler adores these books. My husband was watching him when I started this post, and he said, “Henry have those! Henry have those!” They are intended for an older audience, but that doesn’t stop him. The pictures are gorgeous and there is so much to learn. Each page is brimming with facts! These are great books for readers of all ages.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The Animal Bites series uses colorful tabs and other text features to organize the information throughout the book. The tabs are: Where They Live, How They Live, Vista (awesome photos that show the places animals live), Big Data, Animal Gallery, Living/working, Conservation, and specific animal tabs. They also have Just Like Mes thrown throughout the book showing how the animals are similar to humans. The way the book is set up is perfect to discussing biology and zoology. While you use these books in science, you can do comparisons/contrasts and text features in language arts, and find the animals’ habitats in geography. These are perfect books for cross-curricular lessons and inquiry projects.

Activities Created by Time Inc.:

Ocean and Polar Animals Activity Sheets PDF

Discussion Questions: What other Animal Bites books would you like to see?; What are some examples of ways that some animals are like us?; Which animal that you learned about is the best at camouflaging? Fastest? Best predator? etc.; What text features does the author use to help you understand the text?; How did the author structure the text?; What are the differences/similarities of some of the animals within the books?

We Flagged:

Ocean and Polar Animals Posters PDF

Animal Planet has also created FUN FACT cards for each of their Animal Bites books that can be accessed fore free HERE.

Read This If You Loved: National Geographic nonfiction texts, Seymour Simon animal texts, Extreme Ocean Records by Seymour Simon

Recommended For:

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 4/25/16

April 25, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

CONGRATULATIONS
BRENDA
FOR WINNING A COPY OF THE MECHANICAL MIND OF JOHN COGGIN!

Last Week’s Posts

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Want to Make a Difference

Wednesday: Earth Day Reads: Gaia Warriors by Nicola Davis & 31 Ways to Change the World by 4,386 Children, We Are What We Do ©, and YOU!

Thursday: Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum

Friday: Future Problem Solvers: Kellee’s FPS Journey (so-far)

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Possible Impossibilities: Magic and the Middle-Grade Reader” by I.J. Brindle, author of Balthazar Fabuloso in the Lair of the Humbugs

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

This week was not a very successful reading week. I read every day but not for as long as I wanted to, so I just didn’t finish anything. I did go to see Steve Martin and Martin Short though! If you have a chance, don’t miss it!

Ricki

I’ve finished most of the coursework for my classes, so my pleasure reading is much more open now! Phew! Once I get the Spring grading done, I will feel even more accomplished!

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel was a creepy book. I loved every minute of it and highly recommend it!

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. What a fabulous book. I am so glad that it is so well-loved by other readers. I listened to the audio, and it smacked me in the face. I’ll be adopting this book for curriculum.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

I’m currently reading:

Camp Rolling Hills by Stacy Davidowitz which is a drama-filled summer camp story.

I’m also listening to The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley which I wish I could listen to always.

My plan this week is to finish Camp Rolling Hills and hopefully its sequel also. Happy reading this week!

Ricki

I’ve been savoring Invisible Fault Lines by Kristen-Paige Madonia. I look forward to reviewing it next week. It’s excellent.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Bookworm Delights

Wednesday: Animal Planet’s Ocean Animals and Polar Animals

Thursday: Blog Tour, Authors Interview, Character Q&A, and Review!: Curiousity House: The Screaming Statue by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester

Friday: Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe by Tricia Sprinstubb

Sunday: Author Guest Post! “Reading the Middle Grade Mind” by Sally Barlow-Perez, Author of The Unintended Runaways

So, what are you reading?

and

What is Future Problem Solvers?

June 7, 2016April 22, 2016 by Kellee

Future Problem Solving was introduced to me six years ago when a mom asked if I would be willing to advise a team so her sons could participate. At the time I did not know anything about the program, but I felt like I should give it a go since I wanted to work with gifted students more, so I jumped in with both feet and started learning about the program. I now co-advise the club with my co-worker who joined me when I was pregnant, Vanessa Gray, with four sixth graders, seven seventh graders, two eighth graders, nine ninth graders, two tenth graders, and an eleventh grader. These students have been with me and the program from one year to all six of the years that I’ve had the club.

Through my initial trainings, I learned that the program was more than just a competition for students that I would be advising. It is a program that focuses on making our future leaders. It helps build a global mindset in kids 8-years-old and up and promotes creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, research, writing, futuristic thinking, global mindset, and collaboration–all things, I might add, that are high on the list from Forbes of skills employers look for in their employees.

What Is It?

Future Problem Solvers focuses around the six-step creative problem solving process.

First, students read a Future Scene which is a scenario that takes place in the future and revolves around a topic the students knew and researched about before the competition.

Step 1. In groups of four, the team has to pull out 16 potential problems they see that could happen in the Future Scene.

Step 2. They then have to decide which of the problems is the most impactful to the scene and also deals with the charge given to them at the end of the scenario that directs them to focus on a certain aspect of the scene usually based on the topic.

Step 3. As a team, they then have to determine 16 solutions to the underlying problem they identified in step 2.

Step 4. Criteria is laid out to help determine which solution is the best.

Step 5. The solutions are ranked based on the criteria they created.

Step 6. They write an extensive action plan about the highest ranking solution explaining in detail how the solution would work, who would do the jobs, what obstacles they may encounter, how much it would cost, etc.

This finishes the Global Issues Problem Solving portion which is the primary competition, but while the booklets are being scored, the students then prepare and put on a skit of their action plan for their fellow competitors.

This year, at the regional competition, I brought a junior division team, four middle division teams, and one senior division team. At regionals we placed, sixth in the junior division, second in the middle division, third in the middle division, and second in the senior division, and three of my teams (the junior and two middles) qualified to attend the Florida Future Problem Solving State competition. Only 97 out of 259 teams in Florida qualify for the State Competition.

The FLFPSP State Competition is always a whirlwind. The first night is the opening ceremonies, the second day is the regular competition and skits, the third day has hands-on problem solving and a social, then the final morning is the awards ceremony. We always try to go into the competition being optimistic but not overall hopeful because there are some kids who have been doing FPS since they were in early elementary school versus my students who started in sixth grade. However, we got more than we could ever hope for.

First, it was announced that one of my middle school teams with their alternates had placed second in skits. My students excel at skits; I was so proud of them! I now was so happy that they had won ribbons, and I just was going to enjoy the rest of the award ceremony. Then, they awarded the alternate teams, and one of our seventh graders who did a multi-school booklet since he wasn’t needed as an alternate won first place! How exciting!

But then, they got to the main Global Issues Problem Solving. These were the awards that could qualify students for the International Competition. They started with individuals who do the entire six steps independently (less step 1s and step 3s required). One of my seniors, a junior who has been with me since the beginning, had competed as an individual since her team had not qualified, but I could bring her to states. And she placed THIRD! She wasn’t there to accept the award, so I went up for her and was shaking! I was so excited for her, and I called her immediately afterward (crying, of course!).

Then, we arrived at the middle division. When they give out the big team awards, they call all six of the placed teams up at once then state the places once everyone is up there. And they called BOTH of our middle division teams. These teams were made up of my eight ninth graders. One team had been together only two years while the other has been with me since they were in sixth grade (so four years). I could not believe it! And then they said sixth. Not us. Then fifth. Not us. Fourth–us! My two year team placed fourth at states! Then third. Not us. Then second. NOT US! They won FIRST! In the state! I could not have been more proud of these students.

Not we have the opportunity to go to the Future Problem Solving International Competition in June at Michigan State University. I am so excited to take these brilliant students to this prestigious competition.

The International Competitors represent the top one percent of students from teams from around the world. The International Conference features four days of stimulating competitive problem solving, cooperative educational seminars, and social activities. Each year approximately 2,200 students and coaches attend the FPS International Conference from around the globe. The topic for Global Issues Problem Solving at the FPS 2016 International Conference is Energy of the Future. Future Problem Solving Program International charters Affiliate Programs throughout Australia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States.

To learn more about Future Problem Solving visit http://flfpsp.org/ or http://fpspi.org/

To learn more about my Hunter’s Creek Future Problem Solvers and help us get to Internationals, please visit our Facebook page!