June 2015 – Page 4 – Unleashing Readers

The Alphabet of Bugs: An ABC Book by Valerie Gates

July 27, 2015June 3, 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!

The Alphabet of Bugs: An ABC Book
Author: Valerie Gates
Photographer: Ann Cutting
Published June 2nd, 2015 by Sky Pony Press

Goodreads Summary: Do you know what a Chrysina resplendens or a Papilionidae butterfly looks like? Travel through the alphabet with The Alphabet of Bugs to learn about the many beautiful and unusually named bugs found in nature—and brush up on those ABCs as well! Valerie Gates’s charming alliterative style paired with Ann Cutting’s stunning photographs of all types of bugs is sure to delight curious children and adults alike.

With silly alliterative sentences and vivid photographs, The Alphabet of Bugs will capture the attention of young kids and teach them about the many beautiful and unusually named bugs found in nature as they learn their ABCs. Ultimately, the book will encourage young kids to go outside and explore nature as they try to find the bugs pictured in the book.

Children who already know their basic bugs will broaden their horizons, and parents who are tired of simple butterflies and beetles will find this book worth rereading. Spectacular photographs of insects of all kinds will inspire children to learn more about the different creatures found in the natural world. And while children learn about bugs, they are also learning the alphabet through silly sentences.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: ABC books can get repetitive, so it is so nice to find one that is different and unique. The Alphabet of Bugs not only introduces the reader to 26 different insects, the bugs are accompanied by close-up, detailed photos and alphabetic sentences with intense vocabulary. I could see this book being used as a daily read aloud with each day having a different letter which would lead into a study of the insect and the vocabulary introduced.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I loved the photography of this book. Admittedly, I don’t like bugs very much, but I know many kids who do! I feel fortunate to have this book because I suspect my son will love it when he is a bit older. Each photograph is juxtaposed with a bright background color that reflects the letter. This would be a great mentor text to teach alliteration. Readers at any level would find it to be interesting. I would challenge younger students to create their own alphabet book about a topic of interest.

Discussion Questions: What other bugs can you think of that start with this letter?; After doing some research, what else have you learned about this bug?; How does the use of photography and alliteration enhance this text?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Love: Nonfiction books about insects; Alphabet books

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Sara at Skyhorse Publishing for providing copies for review!**

Top Ten Tuesday: Books We’d Love to See as Movies or TV Shows

August 4, 2016June 2, 2015 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Tyrell, A Long Way Gone, All the Bright Places, Absolutely True Diary, Aristotle and Dante

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Books We’d Love to See as Movies or TV Shows

Ricki

1. Tyrell by Coe Booth

My students would faint if this book became a movie.

2. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

I loved teaching this book and found it to be very inspirational. I think it would be well-received by audiences.

3. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I will be surprised if Hollywood doesn’t pick up this book. It would be a really big hit.

4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

If this became a movie, I would be a very, very happy girl.

5. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I am not sure how this would translate to film, but with a good, creative director, I think it could be marvelous.

Kellee

1. The Living by Matt de la Pena

Whoa! Would this movie be intense! It would definitely be a summer blockbuster!

2. Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz

The first book, Stormbreaker, has already been made into a movie, but I think the series would make a fascinating TV show following a young spy as he tries to save the world (reluctantly) from Scorpia.

3. The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

Fans of Harry Potter are going to love this book, and it would make an epic movie just like Rowling’s series.

4. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Endangered would make such a wonderful movie! Being able to journey with Sophie as she tries to save herself and Otto would be so suspenseful!

5. Princess in Black by Shannon Hale

I love the Princess in Hale’s books, and I think she would make such a wonderful protagonist in a princess adventure story.

Which books would you love to see brought to the big/small screen?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/1/15

July 27, 2015June 1, 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 That Remind Us of Summer

Friday: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Doing it Over…and Over…and Over Again” by Pete Hautman, Author of Eden West

Don’t forget to enter into the giveaway! It is open until 6/7, and we have THREE copies to give away!

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Falling into Place by Amy Zhang was a tough book to read. The main character is a young girl who seems to have everything, but underneath her years of being a mean girl has caused so much pain and she has decided to end her life. Hard to feel sorry for her because she really does some terrible things, but at the same time, you do because she is also stuck and regretting and depressed. It was emotionally draining.

Ricki: Many of the readers of this blog devour books. We read 50, 100, (and some of us) 200 books a year. Out of all of these books, a few stand out and stick to our bones. If you haven’t read it already, I high recommend X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. It kept me awake late at night, and I was floored by the captivating writing. This is a very special book and well worth the hype it has received. I would love to use it in the classroom because there is so much to talk about! I also read the first of five chapters of Teaching Toward Freedom by William Ayers. I found a copy of the chapter online, and now I need to hunt down a full copy of the book! Henry and I read the very creatively crafted picture book, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. The complexity of this book makes it very worthy of its 2011 Caldecott honor.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am almost done (should finish tonight!) with Call me by my Name by John Ed Bradley. First, please please please do not judge this book by its cover. I don’t read summaries, and this book’s cover just doesn’t fit the text. With that said, the book is really good! I am sucked into Tater and Rodney’s story in prejudice-filled Louisiana in the late 1960s. I am also still listening to #2 of The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Still truly enjoying that as well!

Ricki: I fell a bit behind on my #mustreadin2015 list. I also received a few great books in the mail this week. I am being pulled in two directions…#mustreads or new books? I am going to start with Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan and see if I get pulled in the direction of a newer book.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Love To See As A Movie or TV Show

Thursday: Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: Cast Off by Eve Yohalem

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, Giveaway, Book Trailer, and Review!: The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Melissa Hurst, Author of The Edge of Forever

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!

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