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 »
Book Room
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 »
A STRANGE PLACE TO CALL HOME
A STRANGE PLACE TO CALL HOME: The World’s Most Dangerous Habitats & the Animals That Call Them Home by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Ed Young (Chronicle Books, 2012) Mystery, poetry, bold daring art, and scientific information about strange and weird creatures – what a wonderful mix of science and art! Try this one – what creature is this? Thousands of these tiny living things are hatched in… Read more »
Librarian’s Corner: Awesome Science Picks
Books about science don’t have to read like dusty encyclopedias. These books reveal intriguing facts about our universe with lyrical language and beautiful art. For the youngest readers: All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon and Katherine Tillotson (Atheneum, 2011) Science, poetry, and art swirl together in this gorgeous picture book. All… Read more »
Librarian’s Corner: Outrageous Numbers
No dry worksheets here – these books about math will have readers thinking about numbers in an entirely new way. For the youngest readers: 1 + 1 = 5 and Other Unlikely Additions written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Brenda Sexton (Sterling, 2010) 1 + 1 = 5 when 1 set of twins +… 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 »
