It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA -3/4/13


It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Here are some of my favorite books from this past week:


Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nick Bromley; Illustrated by Nicola O'Byrne (Nosy Crow, February 2013) - A fun tale of a crocodile on the loose in a book.


Nora's Chicks by Patricia MacLachlan; Illustrated by Kathryn Brown (Candlewick Press, 2013) - A beautiful tale of immigration, adjustment, and friendship.  The illustrations in this are lovely.


Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino (Random House, February 2013) - A good reminder that sometimes learning is best down actively and in the world around us.


Princeless Volume 1: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley; Illustrated by M. Goodwin (Action Lab, 2012) - Check out my review on Princeless tomorrow.


Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen; Illustrated by Rebecca Guay (Charlesbridge Publisher, February 2013) - Jane Yolen is such a diverse writer.  Just in time for Women's History Month, Bad Girls is a collection of short pieces on 24 notorious women. 

I am still working on:


So, what are you reading?

Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Books on Baseball


Last week, I was hanging out at Vroman's and noticed that they had a display for children's books featuring baseball.  Either I like baseball and I am more attune to the number of books featuring America's favorite past time, or there are simply more children's books on baseball than any other sport.  Regardless, I decided I needed to share some of the new releases and some old favorites that you might want to check out.  If you are looking to increase your collection of baseball related titles, there is something here for everyone. 

Baseball Books released in 2013...


Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares (Candlewick, February 2013)


Pete the Cat: Play Ball! by James Dean (HarperCollins, February 2013)


Who's On First? by Bud Abbott, Lou Costello; Illustrated by John Martz (Quirk Books, February 2013)


Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon (Simon & Schuster, February 2013)


Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball by David A. Kelly; Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez (Millbrook Press, April 1, 2013)


Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio by Robert Skead; Illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Lerner/Carolrhoda Books, April 1, 2013)


Perfect Game by Fred Bowen (Peachtree Publishers, March 2013)

Some favorites from previous years...


We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun, 2008)


There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by Matt Tavares (Candlewick, 2012)


Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick; Illustrated by Steve Salerno (Clarion Books, 2012)


Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy by Bill Wise (Lee & Low, 2012)


She Love Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick; Illustrated by Don Tate (Collins, 2012)


Poem Runs: Baseball Poems by Douglas Florian (Harcourt Children's Books, 2012)


Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey; Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon (Scholastic, 2003)


ABC's of Baseball by Peter Golenbock; Illustrated by Dan Andreasen (Dial, 2012)


King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke (Simon & Schuster, 2012)


Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Hoop Genius

Author:  John Coy
Illustrator: Joe Morse
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books/Lerner (March 1, 2013)
Source: Netgalley - Digital Review Copy
Audience: Grades 1 to 4
Basketball * History * Sports

Description from GoodReads:
Taking over a rowdy gym class right before winter vacation is not something James Naismith wants to do at all. The last two teachers of this class quit in frustration. The students--a bunch of energetic young men--are bored with all the regular games and activities. Naismith needs something new, exciting, and fast to keep the class happy...or someone's going to get hurt. His only resources are a gymnasium, a couple peach baskets, some soccer balls, and his imagination. Saving this class is going to take a genius. Discover the true story of how Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts.

My thoughts on the book:
I will admit that basketball is probably my least favorite sport.  Really, you have a bunch of players who run down a court and toss a ball into a hoop and then turn around and repeat in the opposite direction.  Yes, I have completely over simplified the game. *sigh

However, the 1890's is an interesting time period and well, the history of how basketball began is far more exciting to me.   Plus the cover of Coy's book Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball is eye-catching.  If you are looking for a picture book history of the sport of basketball, then you may be disappointed.  Coy's focus is truly on James Naismith and how his need to discover a game to keep a rowdy group of young men busy resulted in the game of basketball.  The book briefly touches upon how the game spread including when women began playing and when basketball became an official Olympic sport in 1936.  (For fans of the TV series Murdoch Mysteries which is set in 1890's Toronto, there is an episode where women are playing basketball and using a wooden basket for the hoop. I loved that little detail.)

The end of the book includes an author's note, a selected bibliography, and the "original" two-pages of rules created by Naismith.  Joe Morse created the illustrations with an old-time feel.  Each picture appear to be sepia-washed which mutes the bold blues, greens, and burgundy colors.  Fans of the sport of basketball who might want a book that features key players or the great highlights of game may not find this the book for them.  However, if you are interested in history and how basketball began, then this is definitely a book to add to your collection. 

Check out this video about James Naismith Founding Rules of Basketball:




Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 2/25/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

After a few weeks of a reading slump, I finally found myself getting back into a great reading routine.

Here is what I have been reading:

Picture Books that stood out of the stack:


I'm Not Reading! by Jonathan Allen (Boxer Books, February 2013) - This one made me chuckle several times as I read it.  I think it might make a good read aloud.  I am going to test it out this week.


Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid (Harper Collins, January 2013) - I like Paul Schmid's books.  In this one, a porcupine and a balloon come to an understanding.

Early Readers:

Pete the Cat: Pete's Big Lunch by James Dean (HarperCollins, February 2013) - Pete the Cat in an early reader is just as fun as Pete the Cat in a picture book. 


Everything Goes: Henry on Wheels by Brian Biggs, Simon Abbott (HarperCollins, February 2013) - I just love the big books for Everything Goes and the early readers.

Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Novels & More:


Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer by Jane O'Connor; Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (Harper Collins, January 2013) -Fancy Nancy has moved to an early chapter book format that works for 2nd and 3rd graders. 


The Bird King and Other Sketches: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan (Scholastic, February 2013) - Getting an inside peek at the work of Shaun Tan - so fun.


Astronaut Academy: Re-entry by Dave Roman (First Second, May 2013) - Astronaut Academy is back.  Look for this in May. 


Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle (Simon & Schuster, February 2013) - Federle's debut story is about an 8th grader who decides to pursue his dream of trying out for a Broadway musical.  A full review to come.

Reading with my ears:


Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (Random House, 2012) - I started listening to this and it will take me a little longer to finish it but I love the audiobook of this story so far.

What I am reading this week:

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog that Croaked by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Walden Pond Press, May 2013) -Krosoczka debuts his first full length Middle Grade novel.  It will be out in stores in May 2013. 


Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool (Random House, January 2013)

Check back on Wednesday for all of the nonfiction picture books I have been reading.  And stop by on Thursday for a Baseball edition of What I am Reading?

So, what are you reading?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Frog Song

Author: Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrator:  Gennady Spirin
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. (February 5, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy
Audience: Ages 4 to 8
Nonfiction * Frogs * Habitats/Behavior

Description from GoodReads:
Since the time of the dinosaurs, frogs have added their birrups and bellows to the music of the earth. Frogs are astonishing in their variety and crucial to ecosystems. Onomatopoeic text and stunning illustrations introduce young readers to these fascinating and important creatures, from Chile to Nepal to Australia.

My thoughts on the book
The team of Guiberson and Spirin have partnered to create a beautiful book about various frog species.  
"Frogs have a song for trees, bogs, burrows, and logs.  When frogs have enough moisture to keep gooey eggs, squirmy tadpoles, and hoppity adults from drying out, they can sign almost anywhere. CROAK! RIBBIT! BZZZT! PLONK! BRACK! THRUM-RUM!"

Guiberson goes on to talk about 11 different frogs in various countries.  Sometimes the focus is on child-bearing behaviors and other times about how they co-exist in a delicate balance with other creatures.  Regardless of the particular focus on the page, each frog species has a unique song which has meaning and purpose.  Frog Song, in a way, is Guiberson's ballad to the health and survival of frog in a world where the existence of humans has in many places thrown off the delicate balance of the ecosystem.  

Spirin's paintings are stunning and give the impression of almost being so real that if you are still enough you may just see a frog jump off the page.  The end of the book contains additional information on each of the 11 frog species, additional resources, and an author's note about the survival of frogs.  Definitely a book to add to any classroom or school library collection. 

Check out the Macmillan Publisher's page for a preview of the pages. 


Don't forget to connect up your Nonfiction Book Reviews.