INSIDE YOUR INSIDES: A Guide to the Microbes That Call You Home
Posted 9/17/16
Author Claire Eamer takes young readers on a fascinating look at the world of microbes. Filled with delightful illustrations by Marie-Eve Tremblay, "Did You Know?" sidebars packed with interesting tidbits, and the sometimes dirty but always fascinating world of these microscopic critters.
The author includes a Glossary of terms and an Index. Also, scattered throughout the text are sidebars of "cell" jokes. One of the jokes is: "Not sure you'll like your microbes? Don't worry - they'll grow on you!" More jokes like this, a humorous, easy-to-read style, lots of references to "poop" (which is teeming with microbes), and awesome illustrations make this a very kid-friendly book.
BTW, it's adult-friendly, too. I enjoyed reading it! I hope you do, too!
WRITING WITH ROSIE
Posted 8/20/16:
Two-time Newbery Honor winner, Patricia Reilly Giff, has
written a simple and entertaining guide on the how to write fiction. She breaks
the topic down into easy-to-understand steps, providing examples for each one.
The book is written for kids, kids who want to write but
might not know how to put their ideas and thoughts into story form. Giff breaks
down the process in these steps (these are chapter headings):
* First, You Take a Person
* Put Him In a Place
* Give Him a Problem
* Make Him Move - (action)
* Make Him Talk - (add dialogue)
* Juggling - (how to keep the action, dialogue and
description all going at the same time)
* Make Him Worry about the Problem
* And the Problem Gets Worse and Worse - (keep adding
obstacles)
And in the End...you solve the problem
And Now... Begin on Page One (rewriting)
After each step, Giff shows kids how she did it in chapters
titled Can You See How I Did It? Then, she encourages kids to do the same, by
adding chapters titled Your Turn.
She finishes off the book with a couple of chapters about
what do after you've finished your first book. She recommends that you do a lot
more reading and then start writing another book!
Obviously, this book is written for kids. But, it wouldn't
hurt adult writers to take a look at the book. Maybe they'll find some
inspiration just by reading through the chapters.
BTW, the title comes from Giff's attempts to write while
living with Rosie, her 70-pound golden retriever.
THE SCRAPS BOOK
Posted 3/16/14:
Do you like to write? Do you love children’s books? Do you love the artwork in children’s books? Do you ever wonder how some of it is created?
I just read a book that I love, Love, LOVE! Can you tell I'm excited about it? Well-known children’s book illustrator and children’s author, Lois Ehlert, has added another book to her wonderful collection. This one, called THE SCRAP BOOK, is like a mini biography written and put together like a scrapbook (hence the name).
It’s
filled with very colorful pages and minimal text that
explains how she came up with some of the ideas for her book. For
instance, when a squirrel slipped inside her house, it gave her an idea
for a book. She called it NUTS TO YOU. The inspiration for FEATHERS FOR
LUNCH came when her sister's cat escaped out the door. You just never
know when an idea might sneak up on you.
She
also talks about her art, sharing ideas and techniques she uses to
create the artwork for her books. If you're an artist, but not a writer,
you might still be find some inspiration for crafts and techniques just
by flipping through the pages of this book.
Whether
you write children’s books, or illustrate them, or
do both like she does, you should read Lois' book. I think you'll find
the subject matter interesting, fascinating and inspiring.
THRICE TOLD TALES
Posted 1/5/14:
Everyone’s heard the nursery rhyme, The Three Blind Mice.
It’s a short and simple rhyming verse about three blind mice who get their
tails chopped off by a farmer’s wife. But, did you ever wonder what might have
happened to the mice to cause them to be blind in the first place, or what
might have happened to them after that bloody incident?
For instance, to explain the concept of “story”, Lewis writes simply: “Three
blind mice ran after the farmer’s wife. She cut off their tales with a carving
knife.” At the bottom of the page, in a section called “Snip of the Tale,”
she adds: “On the most basic level, a sequence of events.” Of course,
many of the terms and concepts in the book require much longer explanations than this, but
regardless, all are very entertaining. She even writes her own “fairy tale” and
“parable” to illustrate each of those concepts.
To explain the term “leitmotif” she writes: “Matilda
Bethoon chop/chop/chops/ slender parsnips. She wields her Ginsu knife with
precision, a steal at $19.95. It’s razor sharp, but neither it nor other
kitchen toys – bamboo steamer, Teflon spoons – can assuage her agitation. She
clenches a bunch of carrots and whacks of their green tops. Chop. Chopchop.
Chopchopchop. An orange chip slaps the floor. Matilda stoops to pick it up.
Yikes! Three mice charge her, trailing their dirty wigglers. ‘Hiyah’ //”/
She explains in the Snip of the Tale: “Something that reoccurs in a work (an
image, object, action, word, phrase, etc.) that tends to unify the work and
establish a theme.” NOTE: She has named the farmer’s wife Matilda Bethoon
and the mice are named Pee Wee, Oscar and Mary.
Lewis also includes an Appendix at the end with each term explained
in greater detail.
This is one of the most entertaining, imaginative, and yet
very informative books about writing that I have ever read. I loved it! The
writing is lively, and the chapters are short, so I was able to finish it at
one sitting. However, I intend to keep a copy of it handy in my office to refer
to when I have a question about a particular literary term.
If you're a writer, run to your nearest library and pick up a copy of this
wonderful book. After you read it, you will probably want your own copy, like I
do.
THE GIRL WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS
Posted 12/13/13:
On Christmas Eve, when Santa checks his list of who’s
“naughty” and who’s “nice,” he discovers that all the children in the world
have been “naughty,” so none of them will get toys this year. Instead of toys,
he loads his sleigh with lumps of coal.
It is a cold, windy, stormy, dreary night and the people
around the world have shuttered their windows and doors and sealed up their
chimneys with boulders and boards to keep out the cold. Santa, of course, can’t
get down the chimneys.
But, there is one chimney open, so Santa lands on the roof
and slides down the chimney where he lands in Molly’s fireplace. Molly greets
him with a plate full of cookies. Santa rechecks his list and discovers Molly is
the only child who has been good the past year. Somehow he had missed her name
the first time around.
When Santa asks her what she wants for Christmas, she asks
Santa to forgive all the naughty boys and girls and give them presents, as
usual.
You can read the rest of the review on the CCBR website by clicking on this link.
I AM MALALA
Posted 11/9/13:
I recently finished reading this book. I had heard about Malala, but I wanted to read more about her. I'm glad I did. This is truly an inspiring story, one I think everyone should read.
You’ve probably heard of Malala. She’s a Muslim girl who was born in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Being born into a Muslim family generally means that a female life is not highly valued. But, Malala’s father does not think like other Muslims. Her father is a teacher, and he has always instilled in her a belief that everyone is entitled to an education, including girls.
When the Taliban took control of her valley, Malala was furious. The Taliban insisted that any school that taught girls should be shut down. Since her father ran the school she attended, she continued going to school and became very vocal, speaking out against the Taliban, even when her life was threatened.
On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the head, at point-blank range, by a member of the Taliban. She was fifteen years old at the time. Three bullets were fired at her, but only one hit her. The other two struck two of her friends. They were not seriously wounded, but Malala nearly lost her life. The would caused her blindness in her left eye, and the left side of her face is not quite fully functional. But, she is alive and she is still speaking out against the Taliban and anyone who says girls should not be educated.
Since the accident, she has left Pakistan and has traveled around the world, sharing her story, making a stop at the United Nations in New York. In part, she said:
"So here I stand... one girl among many. I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights: Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity. Their right to equality of opportunity. Their right to be educated."
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, the youngest person ever to have that honor. She did not receive the prize, but she has gone on to inspire others. She started the Malala Fund, a non-profit agency. Its mission is to provide education to every girl around the world. “Education empowers girls to raise their voices, to unlock their potential, and to demand change. The Malala Fund’s solutions are grounded in inspired innovation: they are girl-centric approaches to education that support the Fund’s goal of creating a world where every girl reaches her true potential.”
Malala believes, “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education First.”
THE GREATEST KING: A CHRISTIAN ADVENTURE
The Greatest King: A Christian Adventure, written and illustrated by Jerry Yu Ching and Mike Onghai, is a cartoon-styled picture book telling the story of a prince who was “proud, arrogant and mean.” He wanted everyone to worship him and he wanted everyone who didn’t to be punished. He got so obnoxious his father, the king, banished him from the kingdom. He told his son not to come back until he had found “the Greatest King.”
You can read the rest of the review on the Christian Children's Book Review website.
TIME CRASHER’S: VIKING ATTACK
You can read the rest of the review on the Christian Children's Book Review website.
ROSITA VALDEZ AND THE GIANT SEA TURTLE
Rosita Valdez has always had a vivid imagination. Her mind
has a tendency to wander to far-off places when she’s supposed to be doing
other things like listening to her parents or working on her homework. Rosita
has also been raised to tell the truth. So, when she starts telling her family
and friends about riding a giant sea turtle in the cove, no one believes her.You can read the rest of the review by going to the Christian Children's Book Review website.
HOW DO WE GET TO HEAVEN?
Children ask lots of questions about everything imaginable. Sometimes, as parents, we rack our brains about how to explain grown-up concepts to children. Author Cindy Pertzborn makes it easy to talk to children about Heaven and how we can get there. Her book, How Do We Get to Heaven? was written in response to her own five-year-old’s question, “Mom, how do we get to Heaven?”
You can read the rest of the review by going to the Christian Children's Book Review website.
No comments:
Post a Comment