Shark Tank and Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! and Lionfish

sayre_turtleturtlenew.a19o4nuuen78kkwskggk8o0g0.5u96ah3skeoa0wo4sgogws00o.thWhen the new edition of my book, Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! was created, there was a lionfish on the top left corner of the cover. My reaction: WHAAAA?  I’ve been snorkeling the reefs in the Caribbean for about 20 years and I knew that was not a native fish. After a little research, though, I found out more about the lionfish invasion of the reefs. And I found out this fish is indeed widespread now. I thought having this fish on the cover would be a great teaching point. Kudos to the illustrator, Annie Patterson, for putting it there in the first place.

It’s a great jumping off point for students researching this issue. I just watched the tv entrepreneur show, Shark Tank, where Dave Johnson and Gary Groomes of Traditional Fisheries talked about the lionfish invasion of Atlantic reefs. Teachers, I think you might be able to develop some terrific research/conservation projects related to this issue. Perfect for common core and research. There are many logistical aspects to accomplishing what these folks are trying to do. Eat the fish that is eating the reefs! They made a great case on the show for this solution.

Let’s Go Nuts: Seeds We Eat Memory Jogger

Let's Go Nuts! Seeds We EatHave you accidentally (or on purpose) memorized parts of Let’s Go Nuts! Seeds We Eat? (Beach Lane, August, 2013)

Below are two photos with seeds arranged in the format of parts of the seed chant.

Try out your memory. “Read” these photos by identifying the seeds and saying the seed chant out loud to help you figure out the seeds that you find hard to recognize! You can click on the photo for a much larger version to examine.

 

Say the chant, identify the seeds.
Say the chant, identify the seeds.

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Let’s Go Nuts! Seeds We Eat Related Books

Let's Go Nuts! Seeds We Eat

For my book, Let’s Go Nuts: Seeds We Eat, release date August 27, 2013, Beach Lane Books

 

Books for Younger Readers

Aston, Dianna Hutts., and Sylvia Long. A Seed Is Sleepy. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2007. Print.

DePaola, Tomie. The Popcorn Book. New York: Holiday House, 1978. Print.

Dodge, Abigail Johnson. Around the World Cookbook. New York: Dk, 2008. Print.

Heller, Ruth. The Reason for a Flower. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1983.

Jordan, Helene J., and Loretta Krupinski. How a Seed Grows. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Print.

Krauss, Ruth, and Crockett Johnson. The Carrot Seed;. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1945. Print.

Macken, JoAnn Early, and Pamela Paparone. Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move. New York: Holiday House, 2008.

Schaefer, Lola M., and Lindsay Barrett George. Pick, Pull, Snap!: Where Once a Flower Bloomed. New York: Greenwillow, 2003. Print.

 

Books Used For Reference (Highly Recommended for Older Readers)

Ashworth, Suzanne, Kent Whealy, and Arllys Adelmann. Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 2002.

Capon, Brian. Botany for Gardeners: An Introduction and Guide. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 1990. E-book.

Dragonwagon, Crescent. BEAN BY BEAN: More Than 175 Recipes for Fresh Beans, Dried Beans, Cool Beans, Hot Beans, Savory Beans, Even Sweet Beans!: Workman Pub, 2012. Print.

McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.