A cake has been stolen and luckily for all concerned, Detective Duck is on the case! He arrives at the scene knowing the thief is one of the twelve contest bakers. But which one is the culprit? And how will he solve the crime? Deductive reasoning, of course!
As kids read along and use their knowledge of the clues, clever puns and plays on words make this a entertaining and engaging way to use critical thinking skills.
Sylvan Dell has prepared an extensive DEDUCTIVE DETECTIVE Teaching Activity Guide which includes all sorts of valuable classroom and home activities such as Animal Classification Charts (including colorful sorting cards), two probability games, and a Deductive Reasoning Listening Activity, to name just a few. It’s really and truly one of the most meaningful book-to-curriculum resource guides I’ve ever seen. Sylvan Dell provides not only this, but interviews with the author and illustrator, as well as a book trailer, an e-book preview, and so much more! Check out their site and explore the Deductive Detective page!
In December of 1891, James Naismith was a young teacher trying to find a game that his rowdy class of energetic boys – who’d already forced two teachers to quit – would find challenging and exciting. Indoor football? Too rough. Soccer? Lacrosse? Not indoors! Nothing he tried worked, until… Naismith remembered a game – “Duck on a Rock” – he played as a boy. With a few adjustments and two old peach baskets, Naismith was ready!
That first game, many fouls were called and players were forced to sit on the sideline. But at the whistle signaling the end of the first basketball game ever, none of the students wanted to leave. They loved this new game and couldn’t wait to play again the next day. Basketball quickly spread and, by 1936, it had become such a popular game that it became an Olympic sport.
A book that contains “desperate teacher” and “rowdy class” all in the same title is sure to be a hit with kids. And while there are probably a fair share of adults (including my husband) who knew the story of Naismith, I’m willing to bet most kids have never heard of him. In fact, after reading this book, I wouldn’t be surprised to find groups of children out on the playground at recess trying to come up with their own newly invented sport!
Lamar Washington is the “maddest, baddest, most spectacular bowler ever.” All he wants is to spend his days playing the best (and only, due to his asthma) sport there is – bowling! What could be better than a day at Striker’s, kicking back with his best friend, Sergio, and figuring out how to get the most beautiful girl in the bowling alley, Makeda Phillips, to look his way?
But it’s not all strikes and spares for Lamar. Since his mother passed away, Lamar often feels as if his Dad has forgotten about him, choosing instead to pour all his time and energy into Lamar’s older brother, Xavier, “the basketball savior.” If that weren’t enough, it isn’t long before Lamar, in an effort to earn a few bucks and buy the expensive “Pro-Thunder” ball used by his all-time favorite professional bowler, Bubba Sanders, finds himself messed up hustling games with bad boy, Billy Jenks. A series of bad decisions later and Lamar is in the middle of a heap of trouble, not only with dad, but with Sergio, Makeda, and his local town’s Accountability Board. Will Lamar be able to redeem himself and find his way back to family, friends, and the sport he loves best?
Laugh-out-loud humor, juxtaposed beside poignant and the often-times difficult situations makes this upper grade novel a story with heart.
I’ll be the first to admit that my favorite sport is reading, but that doesn’t get me outside and off the couch very much. Use some of these suggested books to help children exercise their minds while discovering some less familiar sports that may inspire them to try something different.
Yoga is a great way for little ones to learn to relax, remain calm, and focus while releasing pent up energy. Seven safe and easy poses are introduced as children mimic a parade of animals. Alternating spreads, illustrated with warmly colored block prints, show children clearly demonstrating the steps required for each pose, followed by another double page spread of the child doing the pose with an appropriate animal. Simple verse encourages the reader to flutter like a butterfly, hiss like a snake, and engage in other actions.
When Stink gets an unsatisfactory in physical education on his report card, he looks for a sport in which he can excel. Protesting that his small size means he’d probably get hurt playing football or other sports, he explores options like pogo badminton and unicycle hockey before trying thumb wrestling. You’d be surprised how many moves there are in the sport! Eventually Stink decides he’s not very good at thumb wrestling and decides to try karate, which turns out to be a good decision. With a lot of humor and wordplay, readers discover that there is something out there for everyon
Combining sports and mystery, this series takes readers inside major sports venues for a behind the scenes look at the action and drama. In this installment, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson go to the summer Olympics. But instead of reporting on the events, Susan Carol will be a fifteen-year-old competitor swimming in a pool in London. Can she get ready in time? Readers follow her preparation as she moves from competent swimmer to world-class athlete and discover how she deals with the potential fame and fortune. But is the pressure to win leading to rigging the results? In a story peppered with real people, like Michael Phelps and the Queen of England, that’s the mystery Susan Carol and Stevie must solve.
We all need exercise and many children get theirs through sports. Sport is generally defined as a physical activity engaged in for pleasure that requires skill or prowess or a particular activity that has rules and customs, often with an element of competiveness. Sports include swimming, yoga, and power walking, activities that are not necessarily competitive, as well as highly competitive sports like football, karate, and gymnastics and there are great books about every one of them. As we head into the baseball season, check out some of these great books about the sport.
Who knew that the Great American Pastime is also the most popular sport in Japan? The Japanese started playing baseball in 1872 and professional leagues began in the 1920s. This picture book compares and contrasts the game between the two cultures in a marvelous double-play. Colorful mirror image illustrations show how a boy and his dad head out to the game, get to the ballpark, enjoy some snacks and buy souvenirs while cheering for their team. A glossary and author’s note add to the information about the game along with a list of fun words to learn.
Youngsters will already know Pete the Cat from picture books like I Love My White Shoes but in this beginning reader book Pete is ready for baseball season. His team, the Rocks, is about to play the Rolls and practice is going very well. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t go as well. When Pete finally gets a turn at bat he makes a lot of mistakes and strikes out. Instead of being mad or sad, Pete knows he had fun and he tried his best. His groovy attitude will inspire his fans.
An award-winning player teams up with an award-winning sports columnist to create a series of books about baseball. As with other titles in the series, this third installment features a player for the Dulaney Orioles who struggles with a problem. Robbie is the coach’s son, haunted by errors he made in past games when his lack of pitching control lost the all-star game. He’s ready to call it quits unless he can re-gain his self-confidence. The story is filled with baseball action and middle grade drama.
“We knit all afternoon, and the next day too.
By the third day, the pressure was on…
Nick was still clicking away, though the edges of his muffler were
all zigzaggy because he kept adding stitches or dropping them.
I’d finished one sock yesterday ….”
Mikey’s Dad is fighting in the war overseas. During World War I, while fathers were “over there, in battle” many Americans on the Home Front, including school children, were learning to knit. Why knitting and why because of a war? Americans were knitting hats, socks, mufflers and sweaters for troops who were freezing in the trenches in Europe.
Mikey’s sister, Ellie, was knitting a hat to send to their Dad. Mikey wants to do something, but NOT KNIT. “Knitting is for girls.” Mikey states.
“No, it’s not,” Ellie argues and shows her brother the newspaper’s front page. “Look at these fireman. And even President Wilson keeps sheep on the White House lawn for wool.”
Mikey and his friends reluctantly take on a knitting challenge when the girls in the classroom DARE them to learn to knit. And then the big three-day knit-in at New York City’s Central Park is announced. What else could the boys do but join the big contest and do their part? Maybe they would out-knit the “Purl Girls!”
The historical events are real. The story of Mikey – his family and friends – provides an engaging story as Mikey learns how every bit does count when people work together towards a common goal.
Deborah Hopkinson’s Author’s Note explains that during WWI, in July of 1918, the Navy League Comforts Committee sponsored a three day “Knit-In” at New York City’s Central Park. This Knit-In becomes the climax of this picture book story in which Mikey and his friends are teased into competing against Ellie and her friends, The Purl Girls. The boys do get out-knitted (and a little out-witted) by the girls, but the main character, Mikey, does knit one perfect sock. At first he is disappointed in his efforts and thinks this one sock is of no value until he meets a soldier who has returned from the war – a soldier with only one leg.
This simple story stirs up many important thoughts for us all to think and talk about as today’s soldiers – fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters – are returning from our country’s ten-year conflict in the Middle East. KNIT YOUR BIT is an engaging, important story to share with family or students.
An excerpt from a School Library Journal early review (April 2013) –
The history and tradition of the Navajo rodeo are made lively and accessible in this “day-in-the-life” account. Short narrative poems accompany each spread, recounting the anticipation, determination, danger, and excitement of the day…
Warm and inviting, the book gives a real sense of what it’s like to be a part of the Navajo rodeo. A top-notch introduction to a unique event.
-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library
For a chance to win a free signed copy of COWBOY UP! Ride the Navajo Rodeo email Nancy through her website HERE or send an email to wflood at hotmail dot com with the words “Rodeo Giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will be announced on Friday, March 22, 2013.
*** CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS: Doris Kemp, Lisa Cremer, Lorrie Mawhinney – Macey and Zane, Portia Pennington, Shannon Wiersbitsky and Shawn Stout. Your books will be on their way shortly!
