Carnivores Book Trailer & Giveaway

Carnivores
Author:  Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator:  Dan Santat
ISBN 978-0-8118-6690-3
Audience: Ages 5 to 8
Publication Date: September 2013

Description from Chronicle Books:
The lion is king of the jungle!
The great white shark is sovereign of the seas!
The timber wolf is emperor of the forests!
But . . . it’s lonely at the top of the food chain. It’s difficult to fit in when plant eaters can be so cruel—just because you ate a relative of theirs that one time! What’s a carnivore to do? Aaron Reynolds’s roaringly funny text is perfectly paired with Dan Santat’s mouthwatering illustrations, creating a toothsome book that’s sure to stand out from the herd.

Aaron Reynolds has written many delicious books for kids including the Caldecott Honor Book Creepy Carrots. Though Aaron spent six years as a vegetarian, he is now a committed carnivore. He lives in Chicago.

Dan Santat is the illustrator of many acclaimed books and the creator of Disney’s animated hit The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird, and one cat.

Check out this great book trailer by Dan Santat:
 

Here is a peek at some pages:


It is tough being a vegetarian when your natural inclination is to be a carnivore.



Click here to download the Activity Kit.

Thanks to Chronicle, enter to win a special Carnivores Prize Pack including the book.  This giveaway is open to those with US or Canadian mailing addresses.  You must be 13 or older to enter.

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On a temporary hiatus...Be back soon!


Dear Readers:

There are days, weeks, months and seasons that require one to take a break.  This is one of those times.  For the next two weeks, I have multiple deadlines that require my full attention.  Unfortunately, it won't leave me much time to read for fun or to spend time on my blog.  In order to keep my sanity, I am stepping back from posting regularly to my blog for the next 10 to 14 days.  With that said, there will be a few pre-scheduled interviews and giveaways that will show up.

Thank you for understanding and I look forward to being back into a regular posting routine soon.
                                 ~ Aly

Common Core IRL: Volcanoes! - An Island Grows

Last Wednesday, we revealed our Common Core IRL: Volcanoes segment.  On Friday, Mary Ann Scheuer of Great Kid Books did an extender featuring volcanoes and poetry with Volcano Wakes Up!

We have one more post that looks at a picture book with a volcano focus for preschool and kindergarteners.

by Lola M. Schaefer; Illustrated by Cathie Felstead
Greenwillow Books (August 1, 2006)

Read Aloud: Prek to First Grade
Independent Reading: First Grade
Source: Purchased

Description of the book from GoodReads:
This is the story of the birth of an island, from the first red-hot glow of magma at the bottom of the ocean, to the flowing lava that hardens and builds up higher and higher until, finally, it breaks through the water′s surface.

And then, life comes to the island. First come the small plants and animals, and later, people. This is a tale as old-and as new-as the ground we walk on.

My thoughts on this book:
An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer may be a simple look at how an island is created from a volcanic eruption but it is quite effectively executed.  Schaefer uses minimal text in verse to explain the process from the start of the eruption to the creation of the island.  She further continues the story to show children how seeds root and begin to grow, life begins to arrive, and eventually settlers come to work the land.  The end notes provide teachers with further information on how a volcanic island grows and provides a few additional resources to investigate.

It is not easy to take the process of how a volcanic island develops and make it understandable to very young children; however, Schaefer finds just the right words to be successful with her story.  Additionally, the illustrations by Cathie Felstead maintain the simplicity of the book while providing just the right visual images to help children follow the process.

This would make a nice addition to a collection of books on volcanoes and provide a nice balance to books that may be more text driven.  Additionally, as part of the common core standards, you can have children compare the text and illustrations of this book with the text and photographs in other early readers about volcanoes.

Since this is a slightly older book (2006), you may need to order this book from your local bookstore, or request it from your city library. 

Common Core connections:
Here are some of the kindergarten Common Core State Standards for reading informational text that can apply to this book:

Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

Check out these other posts from the Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries.



Don't forget to link up your nonfiction picture book reviews below.


Sea Monster And the Bossy Fish Blog Tour - Giveaway & Interview with Kate Messner


When I was asked to participate in the Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish: Making Fishy Friends Blog Tour, I was thrilled.  I adore both Sea Monster's First Day and Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish.  And Kate Messner is an amazing author who writes picture books and early chapter books and middle grade novels and is one of my favorite authors.   Today, I am excited to welcome author, Kate Messner to Kid Lit Frenzy.  Thanks Kate for stopping by and chatting.


The Sea Monster books are wonderful and funny and have great lessons. What inspired you to write about a Sea Monster of all things and did you have someone in mind when you created the character?

Aw, thanks! The inspiration for Ernest the Sea Monster actually came from the legendary lake monster where I live: Champ of Lake Champlain. I’m not making this up…really. We have a Loch-Ness-Monster-esque lake monster that people have reported seeing since the 1600s. I always thought the people who reported those sightings were a bit over-imaginative until my family saw a big, unidentified something swimming through the waters near our house about eight years ago. What was it? I’m still not sure, but whatever it was, it got my writer’s brain churning, and the first sea monster book was the result!


Now that you are a full-time writer, what is the hardest thing or the thing you miss the most about the start of the school year?

The smell of new pencils. Confession: I have a bit of an office supply addiction, so I still pick up a few school supplies for myself when I do my kids’ fall shopping. I love teaching, and I’d miss it like crazy if teaching weren’t still very much a part of my job. These days, instead of showing up in the same classroom each morning, though, I’m visiting schools around the country to give presentations and writing workshops for kids, and I love it.

If you can spend the day with your favorite book character (not a character that you wrote) who would it be and what would you do?

Albus Dumbledore. I’d ask him to teach me everything he knows and share his lemon drops.

What is one book that you read over and over again as a child? What book did you never return to the library because you loved it so much and couldn’t let it go? 

Oh, gosh…there wasn’t just one! I was a voracious reader as a kid and remain one today. My favorites growing up were Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and Judy Blume’s TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING.

What was the book that turned you into a reader? 

Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a reader. My parents joke that they had to stop having dinner parties because I’d follow their guests around lugging a huge pile of books and looking pathetic until someone put down his or her drink and read to me.

What new projects are you working on?

I’m super-excited about my next picture book with Chronicle, which comes out in the spring. It’s called TREE OF LIFE, and it’s about Costa Rica’s almendro tree – a rainforest giant that provides food and shelter of various sorts to more than a thousand different kinds of organisms. In addition to exploring biodiversity, this book plays with numbers, too, as the animals multiply from page to page. I’m also putting the finishing touches on the third title in my Marty McGuire chapter book series with Scholastic (MARTY MCGUIRE HAS TOO MANY PETS!) and working on a new middle grade novel called ALL THE ANSWERS – my first book that involves magic! That one comes out in 2015.

What is the name of your favorite Indie bookstore and where is it located? 

Oh dear…I’m not sure I can choose just one because there are SO many amazing indies out there. But a few of my beloved local favorites are Flying Pig Books, Phoenix Books, and Bear Pond Books in Vermont and the fabulous Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, which handles signed book sales for my Skype classroom visits. All of these stores have incredible, book-loving people behind the counters and are truly special places for readers.

What are you reading? 

My TBR pile (and currently reading pile) is always an eclectic mix of kids’ books and research, mixed in with the occasional grown-up book. Here’s what’s on the table by the couch right now…



Anything that you wished I had asked you about? Or anything else that you care to share with the readers of Kid Lit Frenzy? 

Just a big thank you! The readers of SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY are the reason that our lovable Ernest is back. I so appreciate everyone who loved this book and shared it, and I hope you’ll enjoy SEA MONSTER AND THE BOSSY FISH just as much!

Teachers, Librarians, and Parents - Chronicle has provided a "Friend Fish" Pledge.  

click on image to download PDF

To check out all of the post for the Sea Monster Blog tour, check out Chronicle Book's Interview with Kate Messner, here.

Thanks to Chronicle Books for providing a copy of Sea Monster and the Bossy Day by Kate Messner to one lucky reader.  Please enter the rafflecopter form below.  Participants need to be 13 years or older and have a US or Canadian mailing address.
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It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 8/19/13

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

When I am stressed or frustrated, I find sitting down with a pile of picture books to be therapeutic.  I will wander over to Vroman's Bookstore, and settle in with a pile of new picture books.  Quickly, I find my mood lifting.  Granted, I usually can't leave the store without purchasing a few books, but I suspect that it isn't any more expensive than if I had gone to a counselor.  And at least, I can share the books over and over again with others.

Here is what stood out from the pile this week....


If You Were A Panda Bear by Florence Minor; Illustrated by Wendell Minor (Katherine Tegen Books, June25, 2013) - A look at characteristics related to specific types of bears.  Bear lovers will enjoy this one.


Enemy Pie by Derek Munson; Illustrated by Tara Calahan king  (Chronicle Books, September 1, 2000) - I saw this on several posts recently and wanted to read it.  Such a great book for talking to kids about friends and enemies.


Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (Greenwillow Books, August 27, 2013) - An interactive book that looks at the growing cycle of a tree through the seasons.


Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller (Schwartz & Wade, August 6, 2013) - I wasn't sure what to expect with this book.  A story about a little girl who becomes attached to a butternut squash. Could be odd, but turns out to be a really cute story. 


Me, Hungry! by Jeremy Tankard (Candlewick, April 22, 2008) - Another book that I saw recently on another blog post, and new I had to find it.  This one is a lot of fun. 


Stick! by Andy Pritchett (Candlewick Press, August 6, 2013) - This simple story, with very few words would make a fun read aloud for toddlers and preschoolers. 


The Three Musicians: A Children's Book Inspired by Pablo Picasso by Veronique Massenot; Illustrated by Vanessa Hié (Prestel Publishing, June 27, 2013) - I had my doubts about this one when I saw the cover and style of the book. Yes, I judged a book by it's cover. *sigh* But when I read it, I really liked it.  Based on Picasso's painting The Three Musicians, the book lends itself to art discussions as well as potentially great conversations about how our perceptions of life can impact our behaviors.

Here are two that I picked up and started but haven't quite finished yet...


The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books, August 6, 2013)


Bluffton: My Summers With Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan (Candlewick Press, July 23, 2013)

So, what are you reading?