Nonfiction Monday: Moon Bear

Guiberson, Brenda Z., and illustrated by Ed Young. Moon Bear. New York: Holt, 2010.

This is a beautifully illustrated informational picture book about the rare moon bear or asiatic bear.  The story follows one moon bear through a year of activities beginning and ending with waking up in the Springtime from hibernation.  Each page starts with a question and then a poem like answer.  For example:
"Who blinks in the sunlight that peaks through the Himalayas?
Sleepy moon bear,
waking up
from a long winter snooze."
We see what these bears eat, drink, and do while they are awake. The end of the story shows a mama and baby moon bear awaking in the Spring.  We also learn that these bears have a blaze on their chest that looks like a crescent moon.  The endpapers of the book have black bear shapes on a blue background, that draw the reader into the story of this mysterious bear.  The reader learns that these bears live in Southeast Asia and that there are more of them in captivity than in the wild.  The book information page states that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Animals Asia Foundation to help the moon bears and other animals of Asia. Check out their informational website to learn how you can help.
At the back of the book there is an author's note about moon bears, photos of real moon bears and information about how you can help these bears.
This book is recommended for children ages 4-8 and has received a star review from School Library Journal.  Be sure to check out this video about the book.
The author, Brenda Z. Guiberson has authored many books for children including the recent title, Life in the Boreal Forest.  The illustrator, Ed Young, has illustrated numerous children's books.  He is a Caldecott medalist, Caldecott Honor recipient (twice), and has been nominated twice for the Hans Christian Anderson Award.
Extension Activities:  The author's website includes an activities guide with discussion questions and activities. Children could do research about this bear and find ways that they can help.  There are numerous websites available with information about these fascinating bears.
Here are some related books:
  


























Be sure to check out the other Nonfiction Monday posts, this week hosted at Moms Inspire Learning.

Nonfiction Monday: Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

McCarthy, Meghan. Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010.

Gum!  Who doesn't love gum?  This is a great picture book about the invention of bubble gum in a most unexpected way.  The end papers of this book feature a bubblegum pink background with illustrations of gum balls in various colors.  This sets the tone for the storyline.  We see the story of Walter Diemer, who is an accountant at a gum and candy factory in Philadelphia.  The illustrations get more colorful as Walter gets closer to finding the correct recipe for gum that makes bubbles.  Walter gets asked to watch over a gum experiment and this leads to Walter experimenting with the gum recipe until he gets it just right.  His discovery saves the company from closing and he eventually becomes the vice president of the company.  I enjoyed the illustrations of this book, especially the bubble like eyes of the people displayed on the pages.  We also get a look at the history of gum in the world.  Did you know that even the Ancient Greeks had a form of gum?  Do you know why the famous bubblegum has its pink color?  Read this interesting book to find out!
The back of the book contains some additional information about Walter Diemer, even more fun facts about gum and a list of resources used to write the book.
Megan McCarthy's book about gum has received a star review from School Library Journal.  This book is recommended for children grades 1-4, but I think younger children would enjoy the picture book style of writing.  McCarthy has written several other books that you may be familiar with including: City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male and Seabiscuit: Wonder Horse.
Extension Activities:  This book would make a fun addition to a study of inventions and inventors.  It could also be used as a start to a fun day or program about bubble gum and candy.  You could even make your own bubble gum if you have the time or you can buy a bubble gum making kit.  You can even sing a song about bubble gum!  There are many science experiments you could perform about gum (which gum makes the biggest bubbles?  Does gum weigh more after being chewed?  etc.).  Here are some other books about the wonderful world of gum:














Be sure to check out the rest of the Nonfiction Monday posts, this week hosted by Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian!

A Bounty of Books with Babies

In my library bag this week were several titles featuring one of my favorite topics, Babies, Cute and Cuddly Babies!





The first title was this adorable board book, American Babies.  Each page shows a close up image of a baby or young child.  The children featured represent a wide range of cultures.  This would be a great book to share with babies and young toddlers as they love to look at pictures of other babies and young children.  This book was put together by The Global Fund for Children and part of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to help their cause.  Check out their website for more details.






The second title about babies was Baby Shower.  This is the story of Zoe who really wants a pet.  She dreams about it raining animals the night before her Aunt Ellen's baby shower.  The cute storyline ends with Zoe getting a baby puppy and Aunt Ellen having twin babies.  I loved the baby pink end papers of this book.  This would be a great book to read aloud and to share with children who are expecting a baby brother or sister.








The last title about babies was Brand New Baby Blues.  This is a humorous look at getting a new baby brother.  This young girl has the blues because she has just received a brand new baby brother.  She is not happy about sharing her parent's attention.  By the end of the story, she realizes that she is still important to her parents and that her brother is actually pretty cute.  Authored by Newbery Honor author, Kathi Applet I expect to find this good read on some award lists this year.

Some Recent Good Reads...

I know, I must be living under a rock, but I just finished The Hunger Games.  And of course I have Catching Fire on hold at the library.  I had to read the whole thing in one evening, I could not put it down. I am looking forward to the other books as well.
Here is the trailer for Hunger Games, for those of you who may not have read it yet:



Another good read I recently finished was Star in the Forest.  It was a quick read and dog lovers everywhere are sure to appreciate this title.  This is also the first children's book I have read that includes the topics of deportation and immigration. Check out the author's website for a teacher's guide and an immigration discussion guide.

Author Highlight: Ashley Bryan

I thought a nice feature to add to the blog would be an author's highlight series.  I will begin by showcasing the works of Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator.




His most recent book is, All things bright and beautiful.   Most of his books are written with African American history in mind.  My favorites are the ones that are based on old, traditional hymns.  I love his style of cut paper illustrations.  His picture books feel like works of stunning art.





He has won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration, at least 6 Coretta Scott King Honors, the Arbuthnot Prize, is a Fulbright Scholar, and has won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award.
If you have not experienced the artwork of this talented man, be sure to check out his many other award winning titles.





























Check out this video of the Ashley Bryan:

Boston Inspired Reads

My husband and I are planning a week long trip to Boston at the end of the summer.  During my research for the trip, I discovered several children's books that are set in the great city of Boston.






First, we have the classic Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  The image shown here is the audio version.  Winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal, this is the story of a mallard family trying to find the perfect home in the Boston Public Garden.  We are planning on visiting the duck statues there (shown below). Homeschool Share has a great BINGO game available along with several other fun and educational activities. There is a fun art project available from Scholastic. There are lots of activity ideas available from Live Oak Media. Wondersome StoryTime provides a great plan for a wonderful storytime or circle time lesson plan.  And for all you preschool teachers, Hubbard's Cupboard has a great duck/egg unit that incorporates this great book.

Another book I discovered, was The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, which has also been made into a movie. This is the story of a swan who was born without a voice and learns to play a trumpet to create a voice.  After reading this story we will be sure to check out the Swan Boat Rides when we are in the Boston area. The Internet is full of great teaching or storytime activities that go along with this book. ABC Teach has lots of printables that go along with this book. Multinomah Library provides a discussion guide to use with elementary students. Ethemes provides a list of links for additional activity suggestions.

The third Boston related children's book is Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, which was also made into a movie.  This book is the 1944 Newbery Medal winner and is about the events in Boston leading up to the Revolution. On this Teacher Cyberguide, they provide all sorts of activity suggestions that go along with this award winning title. EdHelper also has a great literature unit available. Teacher Vision has a reader's theater script that would be a great addition to any program or unit on this book.

Nonfiction Monday: The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound

Wolf, Sallie, and Micah Bornstein. The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: A Birder's Journal. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2010.

This nonfiction book combines interesting bird facts, journaling, and poetry in a fascinating manner.  This title is aimed for children grades 4-8, but I think it could be shared with younger children as well.  The book information page tells us that the illustrations were created using watercolor, pen and ink on the author's original journal pages and on handmade paper, which were then scanned and finished using Photoshop.  The binding of the book is similar to a bound journal which is a very nice touch.  There is a table of contents to help the reader organize the information included in the book.  Much of the font used throughout the book is handwritten notes from the author.

At the beginning of the book, there is a note from the author telling the reader how she became a bird lover and avid bird-watcher.  The poem like journal entries contain facts about birds and observations the author has made.  Throughout the book are hand drawn labeled illustrations of birds mixed with watercolor pictures.  The entries begin in the Spring time and continue through all the seasons.  There are various bird lists contained on the pages.  One of the poems is about a robin making a laughing sound and another is displayed inside the shape of bird eggs (whole and hatched).
The end of the book includes a note from the author describing how she began keeping a journal when she was a young girl.  This may inspire some young readers to start keeping a journal of their own.  There is also a list of resources at the back of the book.  These include the following websites: All About Birds, Bird Watching in the USA and Around the World, and eNature: America's Wildlife Resource.
This book has received a star review from School Library Journal. You can read another review and an interview with the author at the Wild About Nature blog.  Sallie Wolf has her own blog called Learning as I Go.  The book even has its own Facebook page!
Extension Activities:  This book would be a great addition to a study of birds or journaling.  The publisher, Charlesbridge, has available on their website a free discussion guide, activity suggestions and some bird identification cards for printing.

Be sure to read the other Nonfiction Monday posts, this week hosted at Shelf Employed.