SNOWFLAKES FALL By Patricia MacLachlan, Illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Random House, 2013) In memory of the children who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT, December 2012 “After the Flowers are gone, snowflakes fall… no two the same,” during the first snow of winter. Then a storm comes where “wailing winds may blow,” and “frantic icy… Read more »
New & Noteworthy
Volcano Rising
VOLCANO RISING by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Susan Swan (Charlesbridge, 2013). Most people think volcanoes lay dormant or destroy villages with their fiery eruptions, but in this engaging story, Rusch shows readers another powerful side to volcanoes. In a simple layer of text, she reveals how volcanoes create majestic mountains and form new land masses… Read more »
Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design
Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd (Workman Publishing, 2013) According to Chip Kidd, graphic design is “Purposeful planning that uses any combination of forms, pictures, words, and meanings to achieve one’s goal.” In other words, design is problem solving. It’s art, yes. But it’s also math (think size and balance, patterns and… Read more »
For kids and teachers who love math – “The Boy Who Loved Math”
The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Roaring Brook Press, 2013) As a young boy, he hated school and rules, couldn’t sit still, and turned everything in the world around him into a math game. Known as the Magician from Budapest by the age… Read more »
Stephanie Greene: Author Interview Part 2
Today is Part 2 of the ReaderKidZ interview (Find Part 1 HERE) with our own Stephanie Greene on the release of her latest in the Sophie Hartley series: Sophie Hartley and the Facts of Life. Greene manages to keep each of the books in all of her series fresh, funny and full of heart. In this story, Sophie’s… Read more »
Our Own Stephanie Greene: Author in Residence
ReaderKidZ’s own Stephanie Greene agreed to be interviewed for the release of Sophie Hartley and the Facts of Life, out from Clarion on November 19th. Greene’s trademark is her deft touch with humor and heart for middle grade readers. This story centers around 4th grade concerns about ‘The Movie” (regarding puberty) that the girls are shown… Read more »
The 14 Fibs of Gregory K.
The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. by Greg Pincus (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2013) Like many of us who were stronger in language arts, Gregory K. loves writing poetry. However, he was born into a family of mathematical heavyweights. He struggles to keep up with his family’s math-centric view of the world, his father’s ambitious… Read more »
