Dianne:Animal instincts can be fascinating, and I love the way your book, THEY JUST KNOW, makes this concept accessible to young readers. I see great opportunities for extended discussions about what animals know by instinct, and what they must learn over time.
I’m curious about the inspiration for the book. I imagine it might have begun with a young child and a conversation similar to the one in the book.
Robin: It absolutely did!
My then two-year-old daughter and my ninetyish-year-old grandmother saw a butterfly float by a rose bush. They immediately began to play butterfly, flapping their ‘wings’, and my grandmother suggested I should be the mother butterfly. “Actually,” I said, “butterflies never meet their mothers.”
You should have seen their faces!
My grandmother was annoyed (pretty sure) and my daughter was shocked and interested. Her eyes went big as spots on a butterfly wing. So I started saying silly things like, “Do you think butterflies drink nectar from baby bottles? Do they wear pajamas? Do they read bedtime books?” Even at her age she knew the answers—no! I made her laugh and had an opportunity to teach her something at the same time. I remember thinking right away that I should try to make that interaction into a picture book.
Dianne: I love knowing – and kids will too – that the inspiration for THEY JUST KNOW was a conversation between your young daughter and your grandma. It confirms conventional story-telling wisdom — the best stories are about “what you know first.” I can’t wait to hear more! And I’m sure our readers are right there, too.
Discover more about Robin’s book – THEY JUST KNOW: Animal Instincts – in THIS post from yesterday. And be sure to check back tomorrow to learn more about Robin’s picture book debut.
Most kids are enchanted by animals. They love learning about their behaviors, discovering where they live and grow, and finding the similarities and differences between them. Two books, published by Arbordale Publishing this past year, make a welcome addition to any primary grade classroom
How do young animals know what to do and how to do it? It’s all about instincts and learned behaviors. THEY JUST KNOW by Robin Yardi, illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, is the perfect book to initiate a conversation with young readers on this topic. From Kirkus Reviews:
Drawing a line between human and animal behaviors, this debut from Yardi teaches children about instinctual behaviors. Alternating double-page spreads first show… animals “learning” how to do something and then the reality: spring peeper tadpoles don’t get lessons in leaping at school, and no one has to teach them their iconic song. A turn of the page reveals: “Mother peepers lay a lot of lovely eggs and hop away. Little tadpoles just know what to do, all on their own.”
This charming book, fancifully illustrated with humorous anthropomorphized scenes juxtaposed beside realistic scenes of animals in their natural habitats, will act as a springboard to start the conversation.
Want to learn more? Check back later this week for a 2-part interview with author, Robin Yardi.
A wonderful place to begin a primary grade classroom’s study of the similarities and differences between two specific animal classifications is the book AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES:A Compare and Contrast Book by Katharine Hall. Stunning photographs make it easy for children to gain knowledge about these two, often confused, animal classifications. Information is broken down into manageable chunks and a helpful educational section called “For Creative Minds” can be found at the back of the book. (It can also be accessed HERE.)
Are you joining people all over the world to “Read for the Record” on October 22, 2015? This year is Jumpstart’s 10th anniversary and they’ve chosen none other than ReaderKidZ’ friend and fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts grad, Kelly Bennett’s book, NOT NORMAN: A Goldfish Story. (Candlewick, 2008)
Here’s what Jumpstart has to say about this special global campaign:
Each year, Jumpstart selects one children’s book as the catalyst for Read for the Record. This year’s campaign book, Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones, is a humorous tale about a child who finds a new friend in an unexpected place. With vivid illustrations and expressive language, the story is sure to engage children and adults of all ages. Help us break the world reading record (again!) for the most people reading the same book on the same day.
If you’d like to participate, pick up a copy of NOT NORMAN at your favorite bookstore or library. If you’d like access to a free digital copy of the book, Jumpstart has partnered with issuu to bring Not Norman to your computer, smartphone, or tablet for FREE! Check the LINK for more info.
I am. You are. He is. She is. What do you get when you mix one donkey with poor grammar and a yam who insists on proper speech? I YAM A DONKEY, (Clarion Books, 2015) by Cece Bell, that’s what.
This picture book is the most hilarious conversation/grammar lesson you’ve ever seen. Kids will Hee Haw at Donkey’s antics and poor Yam’s attempts at making himself understood. This is word play at its finest!
Enjoy some silly grammar fun, courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, with these cool downloadable stickers of Yam and Donkey. (Print your stickers on Avery 5165 full page labels.)
A young girl comes across a small, toddler-like robot in the middle of the woods and a unique friendship is born. Throw in a large, menacing-looking “Locate and Recover” robot, and the new friends are going to have to put their “heads” together in order to escape danger and come out on top.
This story is richly layered with gorgeous, often wordless, color panels. Of course, the minimal text makes LITTLE ROBOT an excellent choice for reluctant readers, but I am especially drawn to the opportunities the story offers for oral language development. Not only can students tell the story in their words, but even the youngest readers can expand their attention to notice ways in which the art – color, value, changing panel sizes, etc. – mirrors the pacing and reflects the emotional temperature of the story.
Interested in reading more about using students’ visual vocabulary as a learning tool? Check out this article, “The Case for Graphic Novels in Education” by librarian Jesse Karp in American Libraries.
Who says princesses don’t wear black? Or that boys won’t read such books? Shannon and Dean Hale, that’s who. This first book in a new series for young readers is perfect for boys and girls. In fact, Shannon Hale and some of her author colleagues have more than a few things to say on the topic in this SLJ article titled “When Boys Can’t Like ‘Girl’ Books.'”
During a school visit earlier this year, Shannon shared the first few chapters of the book along with slides of the illustrations. After the program, a young boy hung around. He wanted a copy of the PRINCESS IN BLACK, but felt uncomfortable asking about it in front of his peers. Read No Boys Allowed: School visits as a woman writer and then get ready to share the book with any child, boy or girl, who wants to read it.
From the flap copy:
Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when…Brring! Bring! The monster alarm!
Stopping monsters is no job for prim and perfect Princess Magnolia. But luckily,Princes Magnolia has a secret: she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for the Princess in Black!
Sunny’s parents are sending her to the Sunshine State to spend the summer with her grandfather and she doesn’t know why. He lives in a 55+ community where there are no kids, no pets, and by all accounts, no fun. Sunny had hopes of trips to Disney World and a summer full of amusement park fun. Instead, all she gets are boring visits to the post office and grocery store.
Fortunately, Sunny runs into Buzz, the son of the Pine Palms groundskeeper. He’s about her age and introduces her to comic book super-heroes, golf ball eating crocodiles, and a few money-making jobs helping the elderly residents. From the outside, things are mostly looking up.
But under the surface, Sunny is still struggling. Why did her parents stay home and send her to spend the summer with her grandfather? A series of flashbacks builds the tension and provides insight – her older brother has been getting into all sorts of trouble and, though nobody talks about it, the family secret is taking its toll.
This important book tackles a very real and difficult situation in a gentle, but honest way. An authors’ note at the end of the book states, “Like Sunny, we had a close relative who had serious issues with substance abuse. As children, we were bystanders to this behavior and yet it affected our whole world… We wrote this book so that young readers who are facing these same problems today don’t feel ashamed… It’s okay to feel sad and confused and to need some help. And it’s definitely okay to talk about it.”
Share this book with those young readers who might be dealing with similar situations. There’s courage and hope in knowing you’re not alone.
Earlier this week, ReaderKidZ introduced Ursula Vernon’s hybrid graphic novel, Harriet the Invincible to our readers. Today, Ursula’s here to talk about more about this new series and her life as a writer/illustrator.
RKZ:I’m a fan of your Dragonbreath series and now have a new love – Harriet! Her dry sense of humor; the fact that she is “brave and intelligent” and excels in “traditional hamster princess skills, like checkers and fractions”; and the way she and her “qwerky” side-kick, Mumfrey tackle each new adventure with gusto. How does it feel to have a new series and new characters to follow? You’ve written elsewhere that working on these comic hybrids can be a lot of work. And yet… you’ve launched what is sure to be another very successful series. How do you do it? And in what way do you think the Harriet books might bring something slightly different to your readers?
UV: *laugh* I certainly hope they’re successful! I’m thrilled to have a new character to work with, particularly in a fantasy world. I loved working on Dragonbreath, but I was sometimes frustrated at things I couldn’t do while keeping it anchored in the real world. But Harriet’s world is strange and fantastical and riddled with fairy tales, so if I want to put a giant beanstalk in it or a pack of mermaids or something, I can. I’m looking forward to it!
As for how I do it…well, part of it is a fairly strict schedule—I write a thousand words a day, I draw two illustrations a day, day in and day out. And part of it is that my editor and my art director and I have done so many of these books now that we’re good at it and a lot of the bumps in the process have gotten smoothed out.
RKZ:At the end of the first book in the series, Harriet and her new friend, Wilbur (a…shall we say?… less than competent prince), are off to slay an ogre. What can readers look forward to in the second book?
UV: The second book is called “Of Mice and Magic” and in it, Harriet encounters twelve mouse princesses under a curse that makes them dance all night. But the Mouse King is a rather peculiar individual, and the curse may not be the worst thing going on, so it’s up to Harriet to save the day!
RKZ:In addition to being an author and illustrator, you have a degree in anthropology; you’re an avid birdwatcher, a gardener, an amateur thrower of pots, and the daughter of an artist. Quite the eclectic background! You are obviously one busy person! How do you fit it all in? Any advice you can give to kids who, like you, find themselves drawn in multiple directions?
UV: I am very lucky to be able to do so many things that I love! One of the downsides, though, is that I start to feel guilty when I neglect any one thing. When I’m on book tour, the garden gets very weedy, and when I am trying to hammer out illustrations for one of the books, I don’t do a lot of art for myself—and if I go off after a rare bird, I’m playing catch-up for days. So there’s a lot of juggling. But again, a pretty solid schedule helps.
RKZ: Speaking of your many talents, what’s growing in the garden right now? And what about that saltwater reef tank? Any other special talents readers might be interested in?
UV: Alas! The reef tank I had to break down awhile ago—we got an infestation of a weird little thing called a digitate hydroid, which is like a jellyfish with one strand that locks onto a rock. They can pack a nasty wallop! And as I travel more, it got harder to stay on top of.
I have gone to less fragile hobbies, which aren’t in danger if I’m out of town for a week or two. Gardening is great for that! The garden is full of fall flowers right now, and lots of bees. My latest obsession is photographing moths at the porch light and sending the photos off to be identified. I’ve catalogued over 500 species in the garden, which is pretty cool. And there’s still lots of video games to play, so I’m rarely bored!
Harriet Hamsterbone is a brave, intelligent princess who excels in “traditional hamster princess skills, like checkers and fractions” but who is not very good at other princess tasks like “trailing around the palace looking ethereal and sighing a lot.” She loves her quail “steed,” Mumphrey. Together, they ride all over the countryside, pretending to slay monsters.
Unfortunately for Harriet and her parents – the king and queen – a dark cloud looms over the kingdom. On the occasion of Harriet’s christening at twelve days old, the wicked fairy, Ratshade, cast a spell. The curse? Harriet will prick her finger on a hamster wheel on her 12th birthday and fall into a death-like sleep.
Though three fairy god-mice are called in to change young Harriet’s fate, the best they can do is slightly alter the consequences. As far as the king and queen are concerned, this is not the best news. Harriet thinks differently. She’s invincible and plans to take full advantage! “Until I’m twelve, nothing can touch me!”
Eventually, the fateful day finally arrives. Ratshade appears to make sure all goes according to plan. But Harriet has other ideas and… Hyaaaaaah! She grabs the wicked fairy, whips her around, and charges the hamster wheel. Ratshade pricks herself and falls into a deep sleep, along with all the others in the palace. Harriet and Mumphrey are left to break the spell and save the kingdom.
A wonderful reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon is a new hybrid graphic novel, with belly laughs and serious fun. Young readers will not want to miss this first book of the series by the author of the very popular Dragonbreath!
Check back in with ReaderKidZ on Thursday for an interview with author, Ursula Vernon.
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