My little friends and I want to wish everyone a Happy World Read Aloud Day!!
Book Review: Basketball Belles
Illustrator: Matt Collins
Publisher: Holiday House (February 2011)
Audience: Ages 7 to 11
Source: F & G from ALA MidWinter
Non-fiction * Women's History * Sports
Description from GoodReads:
This dynamic picture book about the birth of women's basketball will keep young readers riveted. Raised on a cattle ranch, Agnes Morley was sent to Stanford University to learn to be a lady. Yet in no time she exchanged her breeches and spurs for bloomers and a basketball; and in April 1896 she made history. In a heart—pounding game against the University of California at Berkeley, Agnes led her team to victory in the first-ever intercollegiate women's basketball game, earning national attention and putting women's basketball on the map.
Let me start off by saying, I am not a sports fan - especially not a basketball fan - but this book won me over. Well, I'm still not a basketball fan but I am happy to be a cheerleader for Basketball Belles: How Two Teams And One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops On The Map. While at ALA Midwinter, I managed to come away with a stack of F & G's (Folded & Gathered - think Advanced Reader's Copy but for picture books) from various publishers. As I read them, I made stacks - the "well it is okay" stack, the "I definitely can use this" stack, and the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack. There were only about 2 or 3 in the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack and Basketball Belles was one of them.
With Matt Collins amazing illustrations, I was immediately whisked back into the late 1890's. Macy's story of Agnes Morley who was sent to Stanford in an attempt to make her "more of a lady" captured for me what it must have been like for a woman in that time period. Having spent four years in the Amherst/Northampton area and surrounded by the rich history of women's colleges (Smith, Mt. Holyoke) it was exciting for me to read about this other piece of women's history. By focusing on the April 4, 1896 historic game between Stanford and Berkley, Macy is able to delve deeply into what that experience must have been like for not only the players but for the spectators as well.
Admittedly, despite Macy's well written text and powerful words, I had to read this story through several times because for the first one or two read throughs I was so caught up in Collin's illustrations. Initially, I was just trying to imagine what it would be like to wear the kinds of clothes they had to wear in those days. The long sleeve tunics and bloomers not to mention the shoes. His attention to details fully enhances the text and captures the reader.
Skip the italicized part if you don't want to be spoiled (well we all know how the game ends...it was played after all in 1896), but this ending text very much sums up the book beautifully:
"Victory is ours! We laugh and hug one another, beside
ourselves with joy. We even give a cheer for the other team,
and they for us. What a sight we all are! Our hair is messy.
Our bloomers are torn. Our faces are streaked with sweat.
This might not be what my mother had in mind when she sent
me to Stanford to become a lady. But I think that a lady can be
tough and strong as well as refind and polite. She can even
play basketball." - Sue Macy, Basketball Belles
As I mentioned earlier, this is a "Wow! Oh, Wow!" book for me. I bought a copy for me, for a friend, for the school library, and keep shouting about it to anyone who will listen. I hope that this book earns the recognition that it deserves.
World Read Aloud Day - Still Time To Join In
If you haven't heard, this Wednesday March 9, 2011 is WORLD READ ALOUD DAY (WRAD). Litworld is taking action to support global literacy. Anyone and everyone can join in on the fun and support literacy at the same time. Check out Litworld's webpage for ideas, ways to donate, or just to learn more about the movement.
If you are on Twitter, follow them @litworldsays #litworld
It has been very exciting seeing authors offer to skype with schools and read aloud a story. Schools in different states are connecting to do joint Read Aloud activities to celebrate.
Some great people to follow who have been promoting World Read Aloud Day:
@mrschureads - teacher/librarian in Illinois
@shannonmiller - teacher/librarian in Iowa
So it is not too late...sign-up, and join in on all the fun.
Hot Off The Press! New Picture Books (3)
This is a feature that I do weekly called Hot Off The Press! post based on my visits to Vroman's Bookstore and checking out their wall of new picture books. This week I included a couple of recent releases that I saw at the Charlotte S. Huck Literature Festival as well. Here are the 5 new releases that stood out from the pile this week:
Cloudette
Author/Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8 years
This was a charming read and one of my favorites for today. The story is about a small cloud - aka Cloudette. She is not able to do all the things the other bigger clouds can do nor does she necessarily want to do them. She wants to find her place in the world. After trying to make her mark with no luck, she pursues a new direction thanks to the wind. Then she finds something to really go after which earns her the attention of the bigger clouds. Lovely illustrations work to enhance and bring alive the text.
The book trailer for this book is really cute. Check it out here.
Dog In Boots
Author: Greg Gormley
Ilustrator: Roberta Angaramo
Publisher: Holiday House (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8 years
Dog reads about Puss In Boots and immediately wants a pair of fancy boots for himself. The man at the shoe store gives him a pair but boots aren't very practical when you dig. He then goes back for rain boots which work for digging but are horrible for swimming. The book progresses this way until our small friend learns that maybe his paws are just perfect. Until Dog then reads about, nah...I won't spoil it for you. I found this to be a fun read and liked the tie in with classical stories.
A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
Author: Matt de la Pena
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Dial Book For Young Readers (January 20, 2011)
Audience: Ages 7 and up
Take a strong writer and pair him up with a phenomenal illustrator and you have a winner of a book. Regular readers of the blog will know of my great love for the artwork of Kadir Nelson. In Joe Louis, Nelson does not disappoint fans of of his work in books such as We Are The Ship or Coretta Scott. De La Pena provides the reader with some information about Louis' early life but the significant focus for this story is on the Joe Louis/Max Schlmeling fight at Yankee Stadium. A fight that was much greater than the two individuals in the ring but something that represented so much more to the Americans in the Stadium or at home listening on the radio.
Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems
Author: Kristina O'Connell George
Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Clarion (February 22, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 9 years
I am slowly growing to understand poetry and novels in verse. For years, I thought I disliked anything in those categories but thanks to some special books I am slowly overcoming my hesitation to read poetry or books in verse. Emma Dilemma is as much about the older to younger sister relationship as it is about poetry. The story unfolds through a series of poems that are divided into chapters. There is a sad part, but I do love the way the book wraps up.
Inkblot
Author/Creator: Margaret Peot
Publisher: Boyd Mill Press (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 10 and up
When I saw this book, I had one idea about what to expect, and then when I opened it the book, it was something completely different. I'm not sure where to put it. Likely not the picture book section but more likely the art section of the store. This is more of a how-to/activity book for those who want to learn how to create prints with an inkblot style. The pictures are lovely and I can see a teacher using this with older elementary students or high school students even. I would probably recommend this to be shared between an adult and a child. However, the inkblots and the artwork is creative and worth taking a look at.
Author/Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8 years
This was a charming read and one of my favorites for today. The story is about a small cloud - aka Cloudette. She is not able to do all the things the other bigger clouds can do nor does she necessarily want to do them. She wants to find her place in the world. After trying to make her mark with no luck, she pursues a new direction thanks to the wind. Then she finds something to really go after which earns her the attention of the bigger clouds. Lovely illustrations work to enhance and bring alive the text.
The book trailer for this book is really cute. Check it out here.
Author: Greg Gormley
Ilustrator: Roberta Angaramo
Publisher: Holiday House (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8 years
Dog reads about Puss In Boots and immediately wants a pair of fancy boots for himself. The man at the shoe store gives him a pair but boots aren't very practical when you dig. He then goes back for rain boots which work for digging but are horrible for swimming. The book progresses this way until our small friend learns that maybe his paws are just perfect. Until Dog then reads about, nah...I won't spoil it for you. I found this to be a fun read and liked the tie in with classical stories.
Author: Matt de la Pena
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Dial Book For Young Readers (January 20, 2011)
Audience: Ages 7 and up
Take a strong writer and pair him up with a phenomenal illustrator and you have a winner of a book. Regular readers of the blog will know of my great love for the artwork of Kadir Nelson. In Joe Louis, Nelson does not disappoint fans of of his work in books such as We Are The Ship or Coretta Scott. De La Pena provides the reader with some information about Louis' early life but the significant focus for this story is on the Joe Louis/Max Schlmeling fight at Yankee Stadium. A fight that was much greater than the two individuals in the ring but something that represented so much more to the Americans in the Stadium or at home listening on the radio.
Author: Kristina O'Connell George
Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Clarion (February 22, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 9 years
I am slowly growing to understand poetry and novels in verse. For years, I thought I disliked anything in those categories but thanks to some special books I am slowly overcoming my hesitation to read poetry or books in verse. Emma Dilemma is as much about the older to younger sister relationship as it is about poetry. The story unfolds through a series of poems that are divided into chapters. There is a sad part, but I do love the way the book wraps up.
Author/Creator: Margaret Peot
Publisher: Boyd Mill Press (March 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 10 and up
When I saw this book, I had one idea about what to expect, and then when I opened it the book, it was something completely different. I'm not sure where to put it. Likely not the picture book section but more likely the art section of the store. This is more of a how-to/activity book for those who want to learn how to create prints with an inkblot style. The pictures are lovely and I can see a teacher using this with older elementary students or high school students even. I would probably recommend this to be shared between an adult and a child. However, the inkblots and the artwork is creative and worth taking a look at.
Learning To Use Animoto & Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss
This past week my school celebrated Read Across America and Dr. Seuss' 107th Birthday with a huge cake donated to us by Von's (in Eagle Rock on Figueroa & Colorado). Thanks Lorraine Martinez for coming to read and for your store's generosity. We also had quite a few guest readers who spent time reading in various classrooms. Thanks to all of our wonderful reader guests.
And I decided to use Read Across America as my reason to finally learn to use Animoto. What better way to tell the story of our read-in honoring Dr. Seuss. So here goes...enjoy!
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| Lorraine Martinez, Vons & Mavonwe Bandert, Library Coordinator |
And I decided to use Read Across America as my reason to finally learn to use Animoto. What better way to tell the story of our read-in honoring Dr. Seuss. So here goes...enjoy!