This book was inspired by our observations of howler monkeys in Panama.  To hear howler monkeys I recorded in Panama, click on the calls below. You can also hear toucans grinding their bills, parrots flying, hummingbirds clicking. Howler call edited Howler call begins edited Howler

Back by popular demand! This book is back in print and better than ever, with expanded main text, more endmatter about various species of sea turtles, and new illustrations. It was named as one of the best children’s books of the year by the Bank Street College.  It was recently featured as a book of the week at the wonderful CCBC, Cooperature Children’s Book Center. Hurray! It was also reviewed on the terrific resource site, Planet Esme

I’ll be at ALA in Chicago.   10:30 am. on Sunday morning is Nonfiction Book Blast: Booktalks for Reluctant Readers. Expand your nonfiction repertoire as 18 authors booktalk their latest work. You’ll leave with postcards with all the booktalks you can use in your library. I’ll be presenting a brief booktalk on bird storytimes, featuring Honk, Honk, Goose and Vulture View.

My signings: Sunday  Henry Holt 2-3 pm

Sunday Charlesbridge 4-5 pm   Stop by and say hello!

Can’t come? Check out the booktalks wiki for booktalk texts.

Understanding. Decoding. Absorbing. Whatever you want to call it, kids develop skills to dig into nonfiction text. They learn to pay attention to details and themes.
(more…)

See how the teachers at Sandhills Elementary honor writing and analyze books. (more…)

I.N.K.

Montly, I participate in I.N.K., Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. This is a group blog of many leading nonfiction authors and illustrators. The posts are quite stimulating. Lots of big topics are discussed and it is a great way to get to know what is behind quality nonfiction.

I bookmark the blog and read it daily. If you want to keep up on nonfiction, you may want to do the same. Take a look:

http://inkrethink.blogspot.com

How can a leaf become a fish? Join two young children and two adults to find out, as they observe life in and around a stream. Energetic collage art and simple, lyrical text depict the ways plants and animals are connected in the food web. (more…)

Vulture View, a Theodor Geisel Honor Book, American Library Association. I am so excited about this book! It explores the life of vultures, surely some of the most underappreciated cleaners in the world. It also teaches kids about warm air rising and cooling air sinking. (more…)

Nutritious nonfiction. Sometimes I have to be tricked into reading what’s good for me. I accidentally read this book and I am so glad. I just read Cesar, Si, Se Puede! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz (Marshall Cavendish, 2004). Wow. It is a luminous, inspiring book. Bernier-Grand gently lays out the life of migrant worker advocate Cesar Chavez through easy-to-read poems. Her work is so loving and understated that you don’t feel you are reading poetry; you are just being pulled piece-by-piece into the daily, yearly events that shape a person strong enough to do heroic things. Teachers would surely love reading one spread at a time and then having brief discussions of what the pieces brought forth. This book is not in-your-face nonfiction. It’s nonfiction and heroism made personal. All the material could be used for kids at young ages…1st grade through 6th. But older kids, and sort-of adults like me love this, too! David Diaz’s art is sunny, joyful, delicious. It seems to grow and glow on the pages. Every school needs several copies of this book. I think it could change lives.