All Stations! Distress!

All Stations! Distress!, written by Don Brown, is a book describing the events happening before, during, and after of the Titanic sinking. Brown does a great job of giving as much factual detail as possible and makes the book very interesting. I used this book as a supplement to a story we have in our basil textbook which has a story about the Titanic sinking. I used it for a compare and contrast lesson. This is a good book to have in the classroom.

Brown, Don (2008). All Stations! Distress!. New York: Roaming Book Press.

Frogs

Frogs by Nic Bishop is an expository book about - frogs. It is full of facts and information about frogs. The author provides excellent research and colorful pictures to give a clear picture of how the life of a frog is. The photo graphs are amazing, clear and bright. The book contains a glossary of terms and an index. It is a great book for expository learning. The book gives information on many different frogs, so it's excellent for a compare and contrast lesson and fact and opinion. I definitely would have this book in my classroom library.

Bishop, Nic (2008). Frogs. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Savvy

I really enjoyed this book. I wish I could get the "savvy" too on my 13th birthday. The Beaumont family live isolated from others because they are special powers and they feel they need to live away from people so they are not discovered. On their 13th birthday they receive a special power that makes them unique. When Mibs' father is in an accident she wants to use her special powers to help him. She stows away in a bible bus and encounters some trouble on the way. In the end she realizes that all she really ever needed was her family. I enjoyed this heart warming book. Law does an excellent job of showing the differences in each family member.

Law, Ingrid (2008). Savvy. New York: Dial Books.

Beezus and Ramona

Ramona is one of a kind and Beezus just doesn't know what to do with her sometimes. Beezus hates that Ramona gets all the attention. Anyone who has a little sister can relate to these books. Beezus has mixed emotions about her sister throughout the book. There relationship is tested time and time again. Beezus Quimby feels her 4 year old sister is a pain, embarrassing and most of all, annoying. Beezus hates having to pay for her sisters misdoings, like writing her name in the library book that Beezus checked out. Now she has to pay for it. Even though Ramona was an annoying little sister, Beezus sometimes feels guilty of how she treats her. But she wishes that her sister understood how to behave better. This book shows how sisters fight and get on each others nerves, but in the end they do really love each other. a cute movie was made this year from this book. I expect more to come.

Clearly, Beverly (1990). Beezus and Ramona. New York: Harper Collins.

Just a Minute: A Trickster and Counting Book

Winner of a Pura Belpre Award, Just a Minute: A Trickster and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales , is a counting book and a story in one. Senor Calavera ( Skeleton Man) has come to take Grandma Beetle "with him", but Grandma is not ready to go and stalls him by telling him she has things she needs to take care of before she leaves with him. She has tasks from one to ten, in Spanish - una a diez. Each time Senor Calavera wants to take her she says, "Just a minute." This goes on and on until the end when there is a party. The children are not aware of why the skeleton is there, but they enjoy seeing the skeleton take part in the celebration. The skeleton decides to not take Grandma just now and enjoys the celebration. The art work is amazing, rich in bright colors. The illustrator captures the Mexican culture in the art work, especially in the characters. I love that its a counting book and a vibrant story at the same time.

Morales, Yuyi (2003). Just a Minute: A Trickster and Counting Book. New York: Chronical Books.

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold has won a Coretta Scott King Award. In this book a little girl named Cassie has a head full of dreams as she travels in her mind all over the city. She goes to places that literally she can only "dream of going." The art work, drawn in quilt style, is so detailed and captures the dreams of Cassie's adventures. The illustrations are eye catching and original. The book has a special message about dreaming and also equality. The title is special to the story because it's where Cassie goes to dream, on the roof of the building that she lives in. Cassie spends her time there dreaming. The author does an excellent job of showing the reader Cassie's imagination and takes you on the trip with her through the city. The book is a work of art in itself.

Ringgold, Faith (1991). Tar Beach. New York: Dragonfly Books.

The Uglified Ducky

The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin is a Bluebonnet nominee and in my opinion well deserved. It is a book mainly for the lower grades. A moose named Maynard is separated from her mama and is taken in by a mama duck.. Despite the major differences between the moose and the ducks, the moose tries its best to fit in. The mama duck accepts him as he is. The animals enjoy listening to stories Maynard tells them in his moose speech. This book is great to introduce the topic of being different. It is also a good book to use with "The Ugly Ducking" in a compare and contrast lesson. The illustrations are funny and colorful. A CD is included in the story.

Claflin, Willy (2008). The Uglified Ducky. New York: August House.