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

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.

One focus was graphing. Students researched a topic and then graphed what they learned. Sometimes it was the part of an animal’s body. Sometimes it was a fact related to the animal. Some students did this work after reading Ant, Ant, Ant: an Insect Chant.

Another strategy used by literacy coach Lee Motley at Red Bank Elementary is to have young students, right after reading, talk/write/draw about what they remember from a book. This solidifies what they have learned. It carries it from past memory into future understanding.

Still other students and one brilliant teacher took facts from The Bumblebee Queen and leapt into their own creative ABCs of bees. Beautiful! Reorganizing what you have learned solidifies it, as well.

My thanks to the teachers and librarians at the Lexington Elementary Schools.

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. Back matter provides information about the trout life cycle as well as conservation efforts that kids can do themselves. It’s a natural choice for Earth Day.

Kate Endle has done a great job of illustrating this book with a bright, rich collage of paper and fabric. It reminds me of beautiful quilt art. I think Kirkus Reviews best understood the art. They said, “The illustrations, done in mixed-media collage, are a testament to the fact that wondrous new things can be created out of the pieces of other things, and thus, they reinforce the theme of interconnectedness…”

This book would be a great tie-in to Trout, Trout, Trout, a Fish Chant. See below for instructions on entering the contest related to this book.

See standards here.

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. Steve Jenkins has created gorgeous art for this book. The text is young, lyrical, with a push, pull, and refrain that kids will love. It works for surprisingly advanced audiences. Older kids seem to like the gritty facts of a vulture’s life.

Personal note:  I have had plenty of interactions with turkey vultures. When I was in high school I worked at Pete Conroy’s raptor rehabilitation center at Furman University in Greenville, SC. We took care of a young, rather clueless turkey vulture. I learned then just how shy and retiring these birds are in comparison with hawks and owls. I also learned how to gather roadkill. Yes, whenever I saw a dead opossum, I would pull my little blue King Cab to the side of the road and go pick up the carcass. This involved grabbing its long pinkish tail and swinging the thing into the back of the cab. This was dinner for the turkey vulture. When you are taking care of animals, you do whatever is necessary. Actually, it’s not a messy job, at all, thanks to that sturdy opossum tail. Jeff and I have also seen turkey vultures migrating through Panama. I will try to post some photos of those turkey vulture kettles another day. We saw them swirling by the hundreds and thousands. Now when I see turkey vultures I think of the words of the book. I think of the lovely illustrations by Steve Jenkins. Wait until you see the vulture faces! Why, they are positively attractive! It is amazing what art and some cut paper can do.

Curriculum Standards can be found here.

This nonfiction book weaves together stars, sunsets, comets, meteors, dust, dinosaurs, daily activities and even, in a small way, Martin Luther King. Read this book and think big about very small things. Learn how bits of all of us and all that we do help create the colors of the sunset.

Find standards here.

A native bee, the bumblebee. takes a starring role in this nonfiction picture book about the bumblebee’s life cycle and natural history. Learn how a queen bumblebee digs out of the ground and starts her year all alone yet builds a colony by summer’s end.

Patricia is a highly skilled scientific illustrator. This book has been a big hit for elementary read alouds. Young children enjoy learning about small creatures such as the fuzzy bumblebees. Educators particularly like the tidbits of information in the small sidebars on each page.

Standards are here.  

This follow-up to the wildly popular TROUT, TROUT, TROUT: THE FISH CHANT celebrates American insects and insect diversity in general through a wild chant of their common names. Backmatter includes fun facts about each kind of insect featured. Trip Park’s illustrations are zanier than ever as he tackles the insect world.  

For English/Language Arts and Science standards met by this book, check the standards page.

A photo-illustrated, older elementary/middle science book, published by Houghton Mifflin as part of their “Scientists in the Field” series.  Available in paperback as well.

A wildly popular gift for fishermen young and old, this fish chant is a celebration of North American freshwater fish. Rhyme, rhythm, repetition, voice, and wacky illustrations bring this book to life. The backmatter is full of facts about each fish. If you’re studying rivers, streams, lakes, fish, or just how to have fun with words, this book is a great resource, not to mention plain ol’ fun.For standards, see standards page.

Snail Worksheets

Indiana math standards fulfilled by this book

This brief paperback book is for young readers, reading on their own. It is level 3, ages 7 and 8. It is often featured as part of Scholastic Book Club offerings.

A photo-illustrated introduction to climate and landscape for grades 1-4.   

These books have been a huge hit with teachers. No other books on continents offer simple, read-aloud text for the youngest children along with additional, smaller-text facts to spark the curiosity of older readers.

 
For older students, see April’s continent series “The Seven Continents” for grades 5-8.

Army ants, tropical forests, and symbiosis play into this suspenseful insect picture book. Enjoy the Panamanian parade! This book is based on our real experiences in ant swarms in Panama.

This book is being released with expanded, updated text and new illustrations in 2009.

Explore life cycles, amphibians, desert creatures, rain, and the skill of listening by experiencing the suspense and lyrical language of this award-winning nonfiction book about a spadefoot toad in the Sonoran Desert.

Standards can be found here.