#Road2Reading Challenge: Polly Diamond and the Magic Spell (Book 1)

Polly Diamond and the Magic Spell
by Alice Kuipers; Illustrated by Diana Toledano
Chronicle Books (May 1, 2018)
Fiction * Fantasy & Magic
Audience: Ages 6 to 9
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
Polly loves words. And she loves writing stories. So when a magic book appears on her doorstep that can make everything she writes happen in real life, Polly is certain all of her dreams are about to come true. But she soon learns that what you write and what you mean are not always the same thing! Funny and touching, this new chapter book series will entertain readers and inspire budding writers.

Quick thoughts on the book:

It is always fun to discover a new book that introduces young readers to a new series. The newest character that will entertain students is Polly Diamond. Polly loves books, and writing, and spelling. She has a younger sister Anna and a new baby on the way. And since amazing things happen in threes, Polly gets a surprise on the third day. With a drumroll and trumpet, a package arrives for Polly. In the package, is a "writing and spelling for Polly Diamond". 

It doesn't take long for Polly to learn that her new Writing and Spelling book is more than it appears to be. It is truly a magical book that can make what you write actually happen. I was curious how this would play out. When writers include magic in a book, there needs to be rules. But wait don't rules ruin all the fun? Well, actually no. What really ruins a book is if magic just fixes things or saves the day without the main character doing anything. This can be a particular challenge in a shorter book especially one written for beginning readers. 

Kuipers does a nice job of allowing Polly to have some fun with magic (painting her room like an ocean filled with fish, or turning her sister into a banana) but also understanding that not everything you ask for is what you really want. Young readers that are moving from early readers to beginning chapter books will enjoy this new series. 

Look for Polly Diamond and the Magic Spell at your local indie bookstore or your community bookstore. 

All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.

Do you work with readers who are starting their journey on the road to reading?  Join Michele Knott from Mrs. Knott's Book Nook and myself every Thursday as we explore books and ideas to help readers have a successful start to independent picture book and chapter book reading. If you blog or have a Goodreads page, please link up with us!

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Astronauts-Aquanauts: How Space Science and Sea Interact

Astronauts-Aquanauts: How Space Science and Sea Interact
by Jennifer Swanson; Forward by Fabien Cousteau and Kathryn D. Sullivan
National Geographic for Kids (January 9, 2018)
Nonfiction * Science & Nature * Discoveries
Audience: Ages 9 to 12
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
Journey from the deepest trenches in the oceans to the farthest humans have ventured into space and learn what it takes to explore the extremes. You might just be surprised by how similar the domains of ASTRONAUTS and AQUANAUTS really are.

Space and the ocean. If you don't think they go together, think again! Both deep-sea and space explorers have to worry about pressure, temperature, climate, and most importantly, how to survive in a remote and hostile environment. Join us on an amazing journey as we go up in space with astronauts and dive deep down in the ocean with aquanauts to explore the far-off places of our planet and the solar system.

With a strong tie into STEM topics--such as making connections, making comparisons, and recognizing patterns across content areas--readers will discover the amazing science and incredible innovations that allow humans (and sometimes only machines) to survive in these harsh environments.

Quick thoughts about the book:
Have you ever thought about how astronauts are similar to aquanauts? We have all heard about astronauts but I honestly have never thought about those who explore the sea as being aquanauts. When I looked up the word, I discovered that it has been in use since the 1880's. Hmmm...I guess I haven't been reading the right books all these years. However, isn't this part of why you love reading nonfiction so that you can learn new things? I know it is certainly one of my reasons for reading so many fabulous books.

I love learning new things and Jennifer Swanson's newest book provides readers with a looks at the similarities and differences of exploring space and sea. The book looks extensively at the environments of space and the deep sea and how both astronauts and aquanauts have to have extensive training, special suits, and understand how these unique environments will affect their bodies. Readers learn how buoyancy and gravity along with pressure are significant factors in exploring space and the deep sea. I appreciated the clear explanations and examples used to explain these concepts. I also realized that I had developed misconceptions of what a "lack of gravity" in space really meant. 

Swanson also includes activities that you can try at home to learn more about some of the concepts discussed in the book. At the end of the book, readers get to "meet" real astronauts and aquanauts through several mini-bios. 

As typical in books published by National Geographic, the book is filled with fabulous photographs, lots of definitions, extra facts and additional resources. For teachers looking for a book which uses a comparison/contrast text structure to share with students, this one is a good example to include in your classroom library. 

Look for Astronauts-Aquanauts: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact at your local indie bookstore or community library. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...

The Underneath by Kathy Appelt - 10th Anniversary Celebration & Giveaway

The Underneath
by Kathy Appelt; Illustrations by David Small
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Original Publication Date: May 2008,
10th Anniversary Edition, May 2018)
Fiction * Survival * Animals
Audience: Ages 10 to 14
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.

Kittens, however, are notoriously curious creatures. And one kitten's one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in its meaning. For everyone who loves Sounder, Shiloh, and The Yearling, for everyone who loves the haunting beauty of writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Flannery O'Connor, and Carson McCullers, Kathi Appelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love — and its opposite, hate — the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises.

Thoughts about this book: 
I vividly remember when I first read this book. Some books I remember reading but do not recall a lot about them. Other books, I remember the emotional feeling that the book produced in me as I read it, even when I can't remember anything about the book. Other books stay with you. They haunt you and leave strong emotions and vivid images of the book. The Underneath was the latter. Even nine years later, it still haunts me and I can still recall so much of the book.

When I first picked this book up, it was months after it had been recognized as a National Book Award Finalist and a Newbery Honor. I was getting back into extensively reading children's literature. I read it for a book club. Honestly, I had a very strong and somewhat negative reaction to the book. Initially, the book made me uncomfortable. It made me think. I questioned whether it was appropriate for children. 

Over the years, I have kept reading books and talking with teachers and librarians all over the country and my thoughts about books for children evolved. I read other books by Kathi Appelt and found that I grew to appreciate and understand her writing style. And despite how much I enjoyed her other books, The Underneath continued to be the book that stayed with me. It makes me think like no other book ever had. As a result, my feelings about this book did an about face.

As I revisited The Underneath for this 10th Anniversary post, I realize how much I have grown as a reader and as a teacher because of the books that I have read. Over the years, I have learned that children can often handle really challenging topics and heavy emotions. And I have learned that you shouldn't underestimate children's ability to grapple complex concepts. For all of this, I am thankful to Kathi Appelt and her beautiful book, The Underneath, and how it changed me as a reader. 

If you haven't yet read, The Underneath, I hope you will pick up a copy of the book and give it a read.

For the 10th anniversary, check out the new book trailer created by Kathi's son and daughter-in-law at BoTra Productions: 

Look for a copy of The Underneath at your local indie bookstore or public library!

About the author: Kathi Appelt is the New York Times best-selling author of more than forty books for children and young adults. Her first novel, The Underneath, was a National Book Award Finalist and a Newbery Honor Book. It also received the PEN USA Award. Her other novels include The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, a National Book Award finalist, and Maybe a Fox, one of the Bank Street Books Best Children’s Books of the Year. In addition to writing, Ms. Appelt is on the faculty in the Masters of Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in College Station, Texas. To learn more, and to find curriculum materials and activity pages, visit her website at kathiappelt.com.

GIVEAWAY!
Fifteen lucky winners will receive an autographed paperback copy of The Underneath. In addition, one Grand Prize winner will win a classroom set of 20 copies of the book PLUS a 30-40 minute Skype visit for her/his school, classroom, or library with award-winning author Kathi Appelt. Enter here!

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Teacher Appreciation Week!

First, I want to thank all of my teacher and librarian friends for all you do for children each and every day! I am thankful for all of the ways that you have challenged me to grow over the years. I hope that those that live near you have been able to share a special gift of appreciation or a hug to celebrate how wonderful you are.

Next, due to the end of the year craziness, I am taking the week off from blogging! The Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge will be back next week! Until then, check out My 5 Fave Expository Nonfiction Post on Melissa Stewart's Celebrate Science Blog. 

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Interview with Carlyn Beccia

They Lost Their Heads: What Happened to Washington's Teeth,
Einstein's Brain, and Other Famous Body Parts
by Carlyn Beccia
Bloomsbury (April 3, 2018)
Nonfiction * Biography * Historical
Audience: Ages 10-14+
Indiebound | WorldCat

Thank you Carlyn for stopping by Kid Lit Frenzy and answering a few questions about your new book, THEY LOST THEIR HEADS. 

Kid Lit Frenzy: What prompted your interest in history and particularly the middle ages? (Ren Faire? Raucous Royals? I Feel Better? - I see a pattern)

Carlyn Beccia: Yes, there is definitely a pattern there. I obviously have a dark sense of humor so it is probably natural to be drawn to the most ‘nasty, brutish, and short’ time period in history. Studying the pre-modern era really can give you a new appreciation for a hot bath and a bed without fleas.  

KLF: Can you share with readers a little bit about your research process for THEY LOST THEIR HEADS, and what is your favorite chapter in the book? 

CB: Ah yes, my research process is nasty, brutish and definitely NOT short. I started with a lot of secondary sources for this one to first get a strong sense of who this person was before they croaked. Then I moved on to primary sources – many of the body parts are still in museums and collections. And I always am a big snoop when it comes to letters. For example, I got a really good sense of the turmoil in van Gogh’s life leading up to the ear incident by reading his brother, Theo’s letters.

Favorite chapter - You know that is like choosing between children….or at least, your children’s body parts.

No, seriously, my favorite parts of the book are actually the sidebars. I am a big trivia buff so I really enjoyed uncovering all these interesting factoids about what happened to peoples’ bits.

But my favorite story – l'inconnue de la Seine. I still get freaked out by her image! She looks like she is just about to open her eyes.

I'nconnue de la Seine death mask

For readers who are not familiar with this image….In Paris in the late 1800’s, an unknown girl was fished from the River Seine and taken to the Paris morgue. The pathologist there was so taken with her beauty that he made a death mask of her face. He apparently did just a great job that her death mask was reproduced over and over until it would have been hard to find any European home without it hanging in the drawing room. She became known as l'inconnue de la Seine – the unknown woman from the Seine.

Flash forward to the late 1950s when Austrian doctor Peter Safar was trying to develop the first CPR standards. He needed a doll so others could practice and learn his techniques for saving lives. So, he enlisted the help of toy maker, Asmund Laerdal. Laerdal used the death mask of l'inconnue de la Seine for his model which we know today as Resusci Annie.

Her nameless face became the face of the most popular CPR doll today - Resusci
Annie.

So everyone who has ever taken CPR has kissed this unknown girl. I think it is a story that really shows how life and death come full circle. The face of death is now the face of the doll used to save lives. I love creepy parallels!

KLF: This is the kind of book that is easy to book talk. Kids love these kind of fascinating facts. I was wondering what are a few of your favorite questions from children?
 
CB: Thanks! Whenever I do school visits, I always insist that I sit down to lunch with the kids
because I think you get far more intimate questions in a smaller group. One question that I have been asked a few times is if my own children inspire some of the themes in my books. I always feel the kids who ask these questions are the empaths of the world. They are not asking questions about personal rewards (every author gets the how much money you make question) but instead are trying to see the author through the lens of their relationships with others. These kids are the old souls of our world because they are understanding their relationships with others will change their path in life.

And to answer that question, I get far too many ideas from my 8 and 10-year old and I vet every chapter off of them before sending to my editor. They really should get paid.

KLF: Can you share about any future projects you are working on?

CB: I get frustrated talking about future projects because It takes me a few years to finish a book because of the research and amount of illustrations. This one took five! I really wish I could work faster.

My next book release is one that I have worked on for the past few years and I am finally finishing up. It is a book about the science behind monsters (title pending). It essentially uses monster lore as a platform for scientific exploration. For example, if a vampire was to try to drain your blood….where should he/she bite? And if you became a zombie, what body parts have the highest caloric content? Should you maybe skip the brains? Or my favorite, if Godzilla did attack, how could one survive the nuclear fallout? This book combines folklore, physics, chemistry, biology and a lot of cutting edge science…..all in many, many infographics. I hated science as a kid so I am determined to make some of the concepts I once found so boring irresistible to readers. I promise
genetics is far more interesting when explored from the werewolf’s perspective….

About the author: 
Carlyn Beccia children's book have won numerous awards including the Golden Kite Honor recipient for picture book illustration, the International Reading Association's Children's and Young Adult Book Award and the Cybil Award for Non-fiction picture book. Beccia teaches digital painting throughout the United States and is author of the best selling, Digital Painting for the Complete Beginner. She paints with 'digital oil brushes' to create a unique and deeply textured art. She enjoys giving live demonstrations of how art is created on the computer and encourages kids to experiment with the digital medium.

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...