Kellee – Page 228 – Unleashing Readers

Look! by Jeff Mack

May 14, 2015 by Kellee

Look!
Author and Illustrator: Jeff Mack
Published April 7th, 2015 by Philomel Books

Goodreads Summary: This hilarious tale of a friendship that develops over a love of books is the perfect picture book for fans of It’s a Book and Officer Buckle and Gloria!

Everyone needs a little attention from time to time. Just ask our gorilla who will stop at nothing to be noticed by the boy with his eyes glued to the TV set. But for the gorilla, it’s going to take more than a quiet nudge to steal away the boy’s attention. When his usual antics fail to catch the boy’s eye—LOOK OUT! The gorilla has some other tricks up his sleeve.

Using only two words—LOOK and OUT—Jeff Mack relates an adorably hilarious story about an attention-loving gorilla, a television-loving boy, and a friendship that develops over books. Simple in construct yet richly creative, this interactive and colorful tale will leave children laughing and loving books for years to come.

Ricki’s Review: Ah! It only uses two words! This creative story about a friendship between a gorilla and a boy captured my heart. It teaches kids the importance of avoiding the TV and picking up a book instead. I am an unapologetic book pusher, so I always appreciate books that promote reading. Readers are forced to use their imaginations to follow the storyline, and the illustrations and characters’ personalities will make them giggle. This playful tale is sure to capture readers’ hearts.

Kellee’s Review: I love how this book teaches a lesson about the importance of getting away from electronics without seeming preaching. The gorilla is entertaining, and it’d be fun to predict what he is going to do next to try to get the boy’s attention. I also think the book will make kids get mad at the boy then will need help realizing that they may be doing the same thing on a daily basis. The use of only two words is also going to be a big conversation starter as well. Look! would also be a good first book to introduce the idea of theme. What is this book trying to teach the reader? And like Ricki, I am big fan of books that promote reading, and this one is a great addition to those out there!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: We are suckers for books that feature only a few words. One great, fun way to improve speaking skills is to give students only the words of the book to start (the book should remain hidden). Students pair up or work in small groups to speak the words in expressive way to tell a story. They perform a skit for the class, and then the class discusses the various ways that words can be interpreted. Then, the teacher reads the book for the first time to the students. Ricki used to do this in her class each year to introduce speaking skills. She stole the idea from her methods class with Wendy Glenn. 🙂

Discussion Questions: How do the illustrations help you understand the book? What do the characters teach you?; Why might the author have chosen to feature only two words in the book? Did you think it was effective?; What is the theme of Look!?

We Flagged:

Image from www.jeffmack.com.

Read This If You Loved: Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka, Moo by David LaRochelle, Ball by Mary Sullivan, It’s a Book by Lane Smith, Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann, Smick by Doreen Cronin, Miss Books Loves Books! by Barbara Bottner

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Penguin Young Readers for providing a copy for review!**

Who Was? Adventure

May 13, 2015 by Kellee

Penguin Young Readers has launched an app based around their Who Was/Is… series, and it is everything I wanted it to be and more! The app includes two options: Adventure and Arcade. In the Adventure, you go from famous person to famous person learning about their life then being challenged to choose the correct face when given a fact. The Arcade feature is the same idea just without the trail and achievements. I can see this app being a hit at home and at school!

WHO WAS? ADVENTURE is based on Grosset & Dunlap’s wildly popular Who Was…? series, which features cultural icons from throughout history and today,crossing race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and field of achievement. With over 20 million Who Was…? books in print, 125 different titles, and 46 new releases in the Who Was…? line and its spin-offs, What Was…? and Where Is…?, planned for 2015, it is the leading biography series for young readers in the market today.

The app is the perfect challenge for children—even their parents!—to test their knowledge of some of history’s most fascinating figures. With gameplay based on classic arcade favorites,players must answer questions about everyone from Albert Einstein to Frida Kahlo to Stan Lee as their pictures fall from above. With time limits, obstructions, power-ups, and more, the game can be played in Adventure mode, with nearly 10 hours of continuous game play, or in Arcade mode, where kids can invite friends and classmates to compete against each other for endless trivia fun.Priced at only $1.99, this 100% child-safe, COPPA compliant app features:

4,500+ questions taken from the books to put your knowledge to the test—more than some of your favorite classic trivia games.
85 levels of Adventure mode; complete the tasks and collect rewards as you play. Endless play in Arcade mode; try to beat your family and friends’ high scores!
Power-ups to improve your score and help you beat levels.
Learn before you play: timelines and facts from the books at the start of each level.
Beautiful, fun design, music, and sound effects.
Premium game with no ads, in-app purchases, or external links.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/11/15

July 27, 2015May 11, 2015 by Kellee

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

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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

Tuesday: Ten Books We Will Probably Never Read

Friday: Author Interview and Review!: I’ll Hold You Forever: An Adoption Story by Dawn Marie Hooks

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week was a bit slower for me. I’ve been finding myself more tired at the end of the day, so reading has been minimal. I did finish a high fantasy YA novel called A Creature of Moonlight by debut author Rebecca Hahn. She did a wonderful job world building and has a way with beautiful imagery.

Ricki: This week, I read the nonfiction book, Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow. I learned all about Typhoid Mary and the typhoid fever epidemic in the early 1900s. I also read a middle grade book, Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen by Eva Yohalem. This high-seas adventure is set in 1663 Amsterdam. I’ll be reviewing these both in the next two weeks!

Henry and I had a lovely trip to the bookstore. (This is becoming a tradition.) We really enjoyed (and bought) What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada. I’d heard of this book but had never read it. As many of you have written in previous blog posts, this book is a must-read. We also bought a few car board books because Henry is obsessed with cars. I really liked That’s Not My Train by Fiona Watt. It has a lot of textures that make the story fun. My son also loved Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton. I didn’t find it to be extraordinarily creative, but he enjoys reminding me about the “CAR!” on each page.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson, and I am LOVING it. That narrator is phenomenal which makes the funny, adventure-filled prose even better. I plan on starting If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy tonight.

Ricki: I started X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. It is great so far, and I am looking forward to finishing it. I also hope to read Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Authors We’d Love to Meet

Wednesday: Who Was! Adventure App

Friday: Follow the #ButterflyTrail Blog Tour and Review: Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay

Sunday: Author Guest Post and Book Giveaway! “Be Brave!” by Charlie Alder, Author of Daredevil Duck

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 Interview and Review!: I’ll Hold You Forever: An Adoption Story by Dawn Marie Hooks

May 8, 2015 by Kellee

I’ll Hold You Forever: An Adoption Story
Author and Illustrator: Dawn Marie Hooks
Published January 2nd, 2015 by Paper Moon Publications

Goodreads Summary: A young girl walks through the countryside when she begins to wonder: Is Mommy really her real mom? Mommy turns the question into a story of the child’s adoption. Soon the child is reassured that her mom is real and will hold her forever. A touching story about the beauty of adoption and the warmth of a mother’s love is told through charming watercolor illustrations and clear, simple text that even the youngest child can understand. Notes from the author include suggestions on how to talk to children about adoption.

Kellee’s Review: I think this book has two very important purposes. First, I think it would be a wonderful book to read with a child who was adopted. It does a very good job of honoring all parts of adoption. The “Notes from the Author” section gives some great suggestions for talking to children about adoption which is a wonderful jumping off point after reading the book. Second, I think this book could be used to discuss adoption with students who are not adopted. It is so important to talk to kids about all kinds of different types of families. This book beautifully captures the power of love between a mother and her child and would be a great text for classrooms.

Author Interview: We are so happy to have Dawn Marie Hooks here to answer some of our questions about I’ll Hold You Forever:

Unleashing Readers: What was your main purpose in writing I’ll Hold You Forever?

Dawn Marie Hooks: My main purpose in writing I’ll Hold You Forever is to communicate the love surrounding adoption. I hope adoptive families will use this book to talk to their children about their adoption stories and all readers will be touched and inspired by the beauty of adoption.

UR: What inspired you to write I’ll Hold You Forever?

DMH: This story comes from my heart, the heart of a mom. It was inspired by the adoptions of my two beautiful daughters. Actually, I drew and painted some of the illustrations using our personal photographs. We adopted our girls through a private adoption agency in Redmond, WA called Antioch Adoptions. Both children were adopted at different times and through different circumstances. Every step was full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We were extremely blessed to finally become parents to two precious girls who “fit perfectly in our family.”

UR: What other picture books do you recommend that discuss adoption?

DMH: My favorite picture books about adoption are God Found Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren and How I Was Adopted by Joanna Cole. For the very young, there is a cute board book called Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis. There are many more but these are the ones that I’ve read over and over.

I also recommend that families who adopt create their own photo books to tell the children their unique story.

UR: What do you hope readers of I’ll Hold You Forever will take away?

DMH: I love when moms they get tears in their eyes and that “ahhhh” feeling. I love when children ask lots of questions.

I hope the readers will feel the love surrounding adoption and I hope they learn a little more about the adoption process. At the end of the book, I included a few notes for adults about how to talk to children about adoption. Of course, since it’s a picture book, it’s brief. So, on my website (www.dawnmariehooks.com), I posted an information sheet about adoption as well as a discussion & activity guide on the topic of FAMILY for I’ll Hold You Forever. (I’m a former teacher, so I love writing those helpful little tools to go along with children’s books.)

Discussion Questions: The above-mentioned discussion and activity guide as well as more information about adoption can be found at http://dawnmariehooks.com/books/ill-hold-you-forever-an-adoption-story-2/

We Flagged:

“Mommy, are you really my real mom?

I’m your mom, and I am real.”

Read This If You Loved: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale by Grace Lin, A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Melanie at Paper Moon Publications for providing copies for review!**

Photos Framed: A Fresh Look at the World’s Most Memorable Photographs by Ruth Thomson

May 6, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book 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!

Photos Framed: A Fresh Look at the World’s Most Memorable Photographs
Author: Ruth Thomson
Photographers: Various
Published August 5th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Portrait. Nature. Art. Documentary. A look at some of the world’s most iconic photographs invites viewers to focus on the medium’s place in art and history.

Photographs can be beautiful or harrowing, honest or manipulative, dramatic or comforting. Photos Framed explores twenty-seven of the most important and vivid photos taken over the medium’s history, from a formal portrait of Louis Daguerre taken in 1844 to a candid shot of a Cuban girl and her doll in 2011. Readers are invited to use their powers of observation to zoom in on photographic elements, blow up details of the subject matter, think about the big picture, and pan out on the photographer. Photos Framed will open viewers’ eyes to the art of photography and its power to tell a story.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book is phenomenal. It takes art and history and combines them into an epic look at the history of photography and the world. I am definitely going to use this book in my classroom next year. Each photograph includes information about the photo, information about the photographer, three photo thoughts questions, a “blow up” section that looks at a certain part of the photograph, a “zoom in” which looks at elements of the photograph, and a quote from the photographer. This information is fascinating, but it is just an introduction to the time period of the photo, what makes the photo a true piece of art and who the photographer is. I would love to see students delve deeper into each of these photos using this book as an amazing jumping off point. The book also gives a nice lesson at the beginning about the different types of photographs. I can definitely see myself using that in my journalism class when we look at photography.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Kellee’s review is spot-on. This book forces readers to zoom in on elements of photography and then zoom out on each photograph to provide context and history. I spent a long time on each page and appreciated the way the author took in the beauty and complexity of each photograph. Teachers often do a lot of close reading in the classroom. I’d love to use this text used as a parallel for close reading. The teacher and students would spend time zooming in and zooming out on the photograph. Then, we could look at a class text and do the same with the words on the page. It teaches students how important it is to look carefully at the minutia of the world but also consider the bigger picture. This book inspired me to want to pair up with the school’s photography teacher to analyze the text in an interdisciplinary way. Perhaps, photography students would be inspired by the book and students could select a photograph for a creative writing assignment.

Discussion Questions: Each photograph has discussion questions that help the reader analyze the photograph.

We Flagged:

The photograph: …Ebbets’s breathtaking photograph celebrates these tough men, taking their lunch break on a crossbeam on the unfinished sixty-ninth floor of the RCA Building, part of Rockefeller Center…

The photographer: Ebbets was a fearless photographer who even risked taking aerial shots lying on the tail of a plane…

Photo thoughts: Where do you think the photographer was positioned to take this shot?…” (p. 38-39)

Read This If You Loved: Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, Books about Photography

Recommended For:

and

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/4/15

July 27, 2015May 4, 2015 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

PATRICIA

for winning a copy of Margarita Engle’s Sky Painter!!!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Parents in Books

Friday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post: Go, Pea, Go by Joe Moshier and Chris Sonnenburg

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week was a much slower reading week than last. I did finish another 2 graphic novels. They were very different, but both very good. First, I read Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier which is a different holocaust story than most and told in a very gentle way. It would be interesting to have this same story but told from the adult’s point of view. I think the illustrations and story would be much tougher. I also read Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack which is the second book in the Cleopatra in Space series, and it ends with a HORRIBLE cliffhanger. I need book three now! Additionally, I did finish the novel I was reading Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither. I wanted to love this book, but I ended up just liking it. Worth a read because the plot and concept are so interesting, but I just had trouble connecting with the characters.

With Trent, I actually read 3 new books with him this week! First, we read Thumper’s Furry Friends, a Disney book about Thumper from Bambi. Trent loves touch and feel books and books with holes in the cover that make it easy to open, so this was a win-win for him. We also read Sophie’s Busy Day, a DK book about Sophie la girafe which was also touch and feel. Finally, I read The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, which is, I think, a favorite of so many people! Jim had read this to Trent before, but this was my first time. I’d forgotten how wonderful this story was! Though I really do wish I had a good Grover voice….. Next to these three books, it is usually the same thing every night (though he has discovered his bookshelf instead of just picking up books off the floor, so I hope this gives us some variety in the future).

diptic-1721101673 — The nightly choices and the chosen. Trent’s #bookstack

Ricki: It’s finals week! Huzzah! One more week and then I am in book freedom! I did get a chance to read Lisa Pliscou’s Young Jane Austen: Becoming a Writer. This was a fabulous little book that taught me a lot about Jane’s early life. I also enjoyed Photos Framed: A Fresh Look at the World’s Most Memorable Photographs by Ruth Thomson. This book explores the photographic elements and subject matter memorable photographs from 1844 through 2011. I found it to be very interesting. Henry and I reread the same ten books that he is in love with. I tried to sneak in a few new ones, and he flipped out each time. Ha. Maybe next week?

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Last night I started A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn. I am still at the very beginning, so we’ll see. It has gotten mixed reviews, but is compared to Bitterblue (big shoes!). In the car, I am listening to The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson and narrated by Katherine Kellgren who is doing a WONDERFUL job–I love all of her voices! With Trent we have two more Sophie books to read that his aunt got him, and I hope to read Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck by Lisa Wheeler if he is feeling up to some variety.

Ricki: I would like to read X by Kekla Magoon and Ilyasa Shabazz this week! I have to read and review six manuscripts for a class, and then I am a free bird. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Books We Will Probably Never Read

So, what are you reading?

and

Blog Tour with Review, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: Go Pea Go! by Joe Moshier and Chris Sonnenburg

October 12, 2015May 1, 2015 by Kellee

Go, Pea, Go!
Authors and Illustrators: Joe Moshier and Chris Sonnenburg
Published April 28th, 2015 by Running Press Kids

Goodreads Summary: Pea Junior has to go, go, go, go! The end feels so far away, but with his family and friends cheering him on, Pea knows he can make it and go number one!

My Review: This is a perfect book to use during potty training! The fun illustrations, which remind me of Wreck-It-Ralph, make the whole activity seem like a game instead of a chore. The book comes with a chart and stickers which make the whole training even more fun! Anyone with small children, enter below to win your own copy of Go, Pea, Go! and a prize pack that includes a pea plush, pea beach ball, pea tote bag, pea hair clips, stickers, and a copy of the book. THREE people will win a pack including a pea beach ball, pea postcards, stickers, and a copy of the book. FIVE runners up will receive a copy of the book and stickers.

A Message From The Authors: Everyone loves to cheer and root someone on!

It is in our nature as humans to cheer for someone to win a race, to hit a homerun, to score a goal, to ace a test, or even to be brave and make a new friend. As parents, we cheer on our children from day one from their cute little coo’s to their first roll-over and then to their first steps and on and on and on it goes. It feels good for everyone involved. Cheering is a positive feeling, and happiness, like a smile, is contagious.

Our new book, Go, Pea, Go! is all about cheering and rooting on Pea Junior as he races towards the giant Pea Bowl, ignoring all the fun distractions along the way. Children who read the book get to interact and yell out the phrase “GO, PEA, GO! “at the end of every page to show their support. Just like in real life, there is a point in the book where Pea Junior starts to loose his focus and doubt himself. It’s during these times of struggle and difficulty that cheering from loved ones and friends has an even stronger impact.

As with Pea Junior running the race, there will be obstacles, there will be distractions but there will also be victories and there will always be someone who loves you to cheer you on!

Make sure to visit the other stops on the blog tour:

4/22 A Girl and a Boy

4/23 Stacking Books

4/24 Geo Librarian

4/25 Art, Books, Coffee

4/27 Coffee for the Brain

4/28 Mrs. Brown Loves Bookworms

4/29 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

4/30 Booktalking #kidlit

5/1 Unleashing Readers

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