Shelf talker (written teaser): What vegetable rhymes with “oh boy”?

BOOKTALK

Keep the front cover of the book hidden. Show the back cover of the book. Ask the audience: “What do you think this book is about?” (Listen/discuss audience suggestions.)

“Hmm…good ideas! Let’s taste a few words and see if you’re right.”

“Repeat after me. Rah, rah, radishes!” (Audience: Rah, rah, radishes.)

“Red and white.” (Audience: Red and white!)

“Carrots are calling.” (Audience: Carrots are calling.)

“Take a bite!” (Audience: Take a bite!)

“This book is about . . .” (Turn over and show cover) “Vegetables! It’s also about exploring a farmer’s market and tasting rhythm and rhyme.”

It was recently featured as a book of the week at the wonderful CCBC, Cooperature Children’s Book Center. Hurray!

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

BUMBLEBEE MATH 

(A mathematical look at The Bumblebee Queen by April Pulley Sayre) 

BEING A MATH DETECTIVE

(Building number literacy and sensitivity) 

After a first read of the book, as a story, look through it again, as a math detective.

Math can help you notice things and connect facts that you see. 

So let’s be math detectives

What to we notice about numbers in the book?

For younger students:

Let’s look through and write down what we see.

(Write down an honor various responses from kids counting.)

(On the cover, we see:

examples that may be suggested by students:)

three flowers on the left (columbine)

six legs on a bumblebee

two wings on a  bumblebee

Three petals on each flower. Three trillium. They are named “tri” for three.

(On the first full spread we see)

Six-sided snowflakes

Four-toed bird feet. 

One chamber where she lives

You could count the number of pieces of grass

You could count the number of trees.

Do you notice there are lots of things to count on each page?

There are many  numbers to notice on each page. 

Let’s try to narrow down what we count. 

Let’s stay as close as possible to the bee and her life.

What numbers that we hear or see are important to her life? 

Let’s read. 

For older students

1) Read the book and write down any numbers mentioned in the text.  If you find them in a sentence, write down the entire sentence.

One way to look for numbers would be to scan the pages quickly for number shapes.

Try that. Does this technique find all the numbers? Why or why not? 

(No. Some numbers may be spelled out in letters. So you will need to read, not just scan. 

Some numbers may not be spelled out. You may need to look for clues to those numbers in the illustrations.)

Answers: examples numbers students may have noted

250 bumblebee species

In 5 days, the eggs hatch. 

The larvae spin cocoons 10-14 days after hatching

In ten days, the cocoons ripen. (Bees emerge.>) 

A bumblebee colony can contain 30-400 bees

Three kinds of bees: queens, workers, drones

USING NUMBERS YOU HAVE GATHERED

CARDINAL NUMBERS/ ORDINAL NUMBERS

How many places did the bumblebee look before she found a place to build her colony?

2

By number, which place did she choose?

The 3rd place she looked. 

Pause to investigate ordinal/cardinal numbers

Cardinal number….denoting quantity  one, two, three, four five.

Ordinal number . . .denoting order 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.

GENERATIONS

Take the figures you have gathered about the bumblebee’s life. Create a timeline, of the days of a bumblebee’s development. 

Hush, Little Puppy

English/Language Arts Standards

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.

K.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.

K.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.

K.1.5 Distinguish letters from words.

K.1.6 Recognize and name all capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

K.1.10 Say rhyming words in response to an oral prompt.

K.1.22 Listen to stories read aloud and use the vocabulary in those stories in oral language.

K.2.1 Locate the title and the name of the author of a book.

K.2.2 Use pictures and context to aid comprehension and to draw conclusions or make predictions about story content.

K.2.3 Generate and respond to questions (who, what, where).

Grade 1

1.1.1 Match oral words to printed words.

1.1.2 Identify letters, words, and sentences.

1.1.3 Recognize that sentences start with capital letters and end with punctuation, such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

1.1.7 Create and state a series of rhyming words.

1.2.1 Identify the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents of a reading selection.

Grade 2

2.3.4 Identify the use of rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration (using words with repeating consonant sounds) in poetry or fiction.

Grade 3

3.3.1 Recognize different common genres (types) of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Grade 4

4.2.2 Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes.

Understanding Standards

In the case of English/Language Arts, the National Standards consist of 12 standards. Each state takes those twelve standards and develops their own objectives to indicate how they intend for those standards to be taught. And then each school district takes their state’s standards and sometimes defines them even slightly more or determines in which order those standards and objectives will be taught. 

Therefore, the first number is the grade level, the second number is the national standard and the third number is the state objective. For example: 5.1.3 stands for 5th Grade, National Standard #1, and the state’s 3rd objective.

These are keyed to national standards and Indiana’s standards. As you can see from the explanation above, it should be simple to plug in your state’s standards, as needed.  

Here is a website where the National Standards are listed.

http://www.education-world.com/standards/national/index.shtml

Dig Wait Listen

English/Language Arts Standards

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.

K.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.

K.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.

K.1.5 Distinguish letters from words.

K.1.6 Recognize and name all capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

K.1.22 Listen to stories read aloud and use the vocabulary in those stories in oral language.

K.2.1 Locate the title and the name of the author of a book.

K.2.2 Use pictures and context to aid comprehension and to draw conclusions or make predictions about story content.

K.2.3 Generate and respond to questions (who, what, where).

K.2.5 Identify the order (first, last) of information.

Grade 1

1.1.1 Match oral words to printed words.

1.1.2 Identify letters, words, and sentences.

1.1.3 Recognize that sentences start with capital letters and end with punctuation, such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

1.2.1 Identify the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents of a reading selection.

1.2.2 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order.

1.2.3 Respond to who, what, when, where, why, and how questions and recognize the main idea of what is read.

1.2.7 Relate prior knowledge to what is read.

Grade 2

2.2.2 State the purpose for reading.

2.2.3 Use knowledge of the author’s purpose(s) to comprehend informational text.

2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions (when, who, where, why, what if, how) to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts.

2.2.5 Restate facts and details or summarize the main idea in the text to clarify and organize ideas.

2.2.11 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order (alphabetical order or time).

Grade 3

3.2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text.

Example: When reading informational materials about science topics or social science subjects, compare what is read to background knowledge about the subject.

3.2.3 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text.

Example: After generating a question about information in a text, skim and scan the remaining text to find the answer to the question.

3.2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read.

3.2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository (informational) text.

3.2.9 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order (alphabetical, time, categorical).

3.3.1 Recognize different common genres (types) of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

3.3.5 Onomatopoeia: Recognize that certain words and rhythmic patterns can be used in a selection to imitate sounds.

Grade 4

4.2.1 Use the organization of informational text to strengthen comprehension.

Science Standards:

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world.

K.2.2 Draw pictures and write words to describe objects and experiences.

K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

K.4.2 Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and in the things they do.

Grade 1

1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them.

1.1.2 Investigate and make observations to seek answers to questions about the world, such as “In what ways do animals move?”

1.1.3 Recognize that and demonstrate how people can learn much about plants and animals by observing them closely over a period of time. Recognize also that care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them.

1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

1.6.2 Observe that and describe how certain things change in some ways and stay the same in others, such as in their color, size, and Lose Weight Exercise.

Grade 2

2.1.3 Describe, both in writing and verbally, objects as accurately as possible and compare observations with those of other people.

2.1.4 Make new observations when there is disagreement among initial observations.

2.2.5 Draw pictures and write brief descriptions that correctly portray key features of an object.

2.3.1 Investigate by observing and then describe that some events in nature have a repeating pattern, such as seasons, day and night, and migrations.

2.4.1 Observe and identify different external features of plants and animals and describe how these features help them live in different environments.

2.4.4 Recognize and explain that living things are found almost everywhere in the world and that there are somewhat different kinds in different places.

Grade 3

3.1.2 Participate in different types of guided scientific investigations, such as observing objects and events and collecting specimens for analysis.

3.2.3 Keep a notebook that describes observations and is understandable weeks or months later.

3.2.6 Make sketches and write descriptions to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.

3.2.7 Ask “How do you know?” in appropriate situations and attempt reasonable answers when others ask the same question.

3.4.3 Observe that and describe how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents

3.5.5 Explain that one way to make sense of something is to think of how it relates to something more familiar.

3.6.5 Observe that and describe how some changes are very slow and some are very fast and that some of these changes may be hard to see and/or record.

Grade 4

4.2.5 Write descriptions of investigations, using observations and other evidence as support for explanations.

 Understanding Standards

Standards are created nationally. For example. in the case of English/Language Arts, the National Standards consist of 12 standards. Each state takes those twelve standards and develops their own objectives to indicate how they intend for those standards to be taught. Then, each school district takes their state’s standards and sometimes defines them even slightly more or determines in which order those standards and objectives will be taught. 

Therefore, the first number is the grade level, the second number is the national standard and the third number is the state objective. For example: 5.1.3 stands for 5th Grade, National Standard #1, and the state’s 3rd objective.

These are keyed to national standards and Indiana’s standards. As you can see from the explanation above, it should be simple to plug in your state’s standards, as needed.  

The Bumblebee Queen

English/Language Arts Standards

K.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.

K.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.

K.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.

K.1.5 Distinguish letters from words.

K.1.6 Recognize and name all capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

K.1.22 Listen to stories read aloud and use the vocabulary in those stories in oral language.

K.2.1 Locate the title and the name of the author of a book.

K.2.2 Use pictures and context to aid comprehension and to draw conclusions or make predictions about story content.

K.2.3 Generate and respond to questions (who, what, where).

Grade 1

1.1.1 Match oral words to printed words.

1.1.2 Identify letters, words, and sentences.

1.1.3 Recognize that sentences start with capital letters and end with punctuation, such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

1.2.1 Identify the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents of a reading selection.

1.2.3 Respond to who, what, when, where, why, and how questions and recognize the main idea of what is read.

1.2.7 Relate prior knowledge to what is read.

Grade 2

2.2.2 State the purpose for reading.

2.2.3 Use knowledge of the author’s purpose(s) to comprehend informational text.

2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions (when, who, where, why, what if, how) to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts.

2.2.5 Restate facts and details or summarize the main idea in the text to clarify and organize ideas.

Grade 3

3.2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text.

Example: When reading informational materials about science topics or social science subjects, compare what is read to background knowledge about the subject.

3.2.3 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text.

Example: After generating a question about information in a text, skim and scan the remaining text to find the answer to the question.

3.2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read.

3.2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository (informational) text.

3.3.1 Recognize different common genres (types) of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

Grade 4

4.2.2 Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes.

4.2.3 Draw conclusions or make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences, important words, foreshadowing clues (clues that indicate what might happen next), and direct quotations.

4.2.4 Evaluate new information and hypotheses (statements of theories or assumptions) by testing them against known information and ideas.

4.2.9 Recognize main ideas and supporting details presented in expository (informational texts).

4.2.5 Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles.

Grade 5

5.1.1 Read aloud grade-level-appropriate narrative text (stories) and expository text (information)

fluently and accurately and with appropriate timing, changes in voice, and expression.

Science Standards:

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world.

K.2.2 Draw pictures and write words to describe objects and experiences.

K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

K.4.2 Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and in the things they do.

K.6.1 Describe an object by saying how it is similar to or different from another object.

Grade 1

1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them.

1.1.2 Investigate and make observations to seek answers to questions about the world, such as “In what ways do animals move?”

1.1.3 Recognize that and demonstrate how people can learn much about plants and animals by observing them closely over a period of time. Recognize also that care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them.

1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

1.3.4 Investigate by observing and then describe how things move in many different ways, such as straight, zigzag, round-and-round, and back-and-forth.

1.4.2 Observe and describe that there can be differences, such as size or markings, among the individuals within one kind of plant or animal group.

1.4.3 Observe and explain that animals eat plants or other animals for food.

1.5.3 Observe and describe similar patterns, such as shapes, designs, and events that may show up in nature, such as honeycombs, sunflowers, or shells. See similar patterns in the things people make, such as quilts, baskets, or pottery.

1.6.1 Observe and describe that models, such as toys, are like the real things in some ways but different in others.

1.6.2 Observe that and describe how certain things change in some ways and stay the same in others, such as in their color, size, and Lose Weight Exercise.

Grade 2

2.4.3 Observe and explain that plants and animals both need to take in water, animals need to take in food, and plants need light.

2.4.4 Recognize and explain that living things are found almost everywhere in the world and that there are somewhat different kinds in different places.

2.5.6 Explain that sometimes a person can find out a lot (but not everything) about a group of things, such as insects, plants, or rocks, by studying just a few of them.

Grade 3

3.1.2 Participate in different types of guided scientific investigations, such as observing objects and events and collecting specimens for analysis.

3.2.3 Keep a notebook that describes observations and is understandable weeks or months later.

3.2.6 Make sketches and write descriptions to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.

3.2.7 Ask “How do you know?” in appropriate situations and attempt reasonable answers when others ask the same question.

3.4.3 Observe that and describe how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents

3.4.6 Explain that people need water, food, air, waste removal, and a particular range of temperatures, just as other animals do.

3.5.5 Explain that one way to make sense of something is to think of how it relates to something more familiar.

3.6.5 Observe that and describe how some changes are very slow and some are very fast and that some of these changes may be hard to see and/or record.

Grade 4

4.2.4 Use numerical data to describe and compare objects and events.

4.2.5 Write descriptions of investigations, using observations and other evidence as support for explanations.

4.4.3 Observe and describe that organisms interact with one another in various ways, such as providing food, pollination, and seed dispersal.

Understanding Standards

Standards are created nationally. For example. in the case of English/Language Arts, the National Standards consist of 12 standards. Each state takes those twelve standards and develops their own objectives to indicate how they intend for those standards to be taught. Then, each school district takes their state’s standards and sometimes defines them even slightly more or determines in which order those standards and objectives will be taught. 

Therefore, the first number is the grade level, the second number is the national standard and the third number is the state objective. For example: 5.1.3 stands for 5th Grade, National Standard #1, and the state’s 3rd objective.

These are keyed to national standards and Indiana’s standards. As you can see from the explanation above, it should be simple to plug in your state’s standards, as needed.

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.

Hush Little Puppy is a fictional bedtime picture book illustrated by Susan Winter.

Standards are 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.  

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.

A tasty frog croaks. Delicious warthogs tromp by. Crocodile doesn’t move. She hasn’t eaten in weeks. But she only lies and listens. Crocodile has a secret hidden in the sand.

A young nonfiction picture book illustrated by Gay W. Holland. This story follows a young hummingbird as it tests out various food sources, sometimes with humorous results. Includes the sapsucker connection.

Special Author Note: Can you see what’s wrong with the bird in my book, The Hungry Hummingbird? We can. We just wish we’d caught the mistake before the book went to press. I intended the book to be about a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird in August of its first year. But the illustrations show how it would look as a grown up. In August of their first year, juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, male or female, have pale throats. Later on, the male hummingbirds develop their red throat feathers. In fact, young Ruby throated Hummingbirds look a lot like adult female Ruby-throated hummingbirds. To find out more about identifying hummingbirds in all stages of life, check a field guide to birds.  In the meantime, look closely at those hummingbirds, even if they’re a blur. You can enjoy the hummingbird’s story, now that you know the facts.

Caribou, lobsters, warblers, arctic terns, and many other animals have two homes and migrate in between. Join migration creatures on their journey and rejoice when they reach their destination with the soothing refrain “home at last.” This bedtime book, which has many layers of meaning, is also a great classroom book for the study of fluency, voice, and refrain.

A school library edition photo picture book.