Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - When Lunch Fights Back

August 27, 2014 Alyson Beecher

Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.

When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses
by Rebecca L. Johnson
Millbrook Press (September 1, 2014)
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
Nonfiction * Animal Defenses * Animals
IndieBound | WorldCat | Author's Website

Description from GoodReads:
Meet living things with some of the strangest defenses known to science: termites that blow themselves up to save the colony; fish that produce copious amounts of gooey, slippery slime; lizards that run on water, and more.

My thoughts on the book:

From primitive eels that ooze slime to frogs with hidden weapons in their rear toes to lizards that squirt a stream of blood at predators, Rebecca L. Johnson's newest book, When Lunch Fights Back, engages readers from the very first page to the very last one. Through the course of the book, readers learn about several different creatures and one unique plant/insect partnership and how they are each uniquely equipped for survival.

Similar to Johnson's Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead, readers learn the story followed by the science behind the story. The first story is about a hagfish (primitive eel) and how it releases "snot-like goo" when a shark tries to attack it. On the next page, there is a picture of the hagfish being held by a biologist's hands that are covered in slime. Though I am still grossed out by the first chapter, I couldn't stop reading. The "I don't want to stop reading" experience is definitely what I want students to have when reading nonfiction.

When Lunch Fights Back may only have 48 pages, but it is filled with great information and the extra resources at the end provide students with a way of learning more about the stories contained in the book. This is a definite must have in a classroom nonfiction library.

And since I am still grossed out by the Hagfish, here's a video of one:

Here is the other story that has me saying "Eww" - Horned Lizard shooting blood:

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Building a Nonfiction Classroom Library Part IV - Creepy Crawlies

August 26, 2014 Alyson Beecher

In Part IV of my series on Building a Nonfiction Classroom Library, I am going to explore the two-thirds of the world of Arthropods, insects and arachnids. The third section, crustaceans, will be added to the ocean/marine life post when I get to it. If you have missed any of the earlier posts, I have included the links below.

Part I - Introduction | Part II - Biographies | Part III - Animals/Mammals

When I was student teaching, in the day before the internet, I was assigned to teach a unit on insects to third graders. It was early fall in New Hampshire and there were still plenty of bugs to be found on the playground at that time of year. Yes, it would have been great if it was winter and all of the insects were hibernating somewhere. However, I was not that fortunate. Students, though, were so excited about this unit that they would bring me presents after recess. I could have done without these gifts, but even after 25 years in education, I see students still get excited about creepy crawly things.

Bugs and Spiders play a prominent role in children's fiction. There are dozens and dozens of picture books, which feature all kinds insects. Eric Carle's books have been front and center in many a lesson in preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

And let's not forget the most famous spider of all -Charlotte in Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.

However, as nonfiction books for children continue to grow and expand, there are dozens of books about spiders, and all sorts of insects. There are numerous encyclopedia style fact books about bugs and spiders. And since insects and spiders are critical to most ecosystems, there is a significant number of books, which include how an assortment of creepy crawlies play a prominent role in a healthy environment.

As I have mentioned in the previous posts, this list is just to pique your interest in exploring some of the quality trade books that have come out in the last 5 to 8 years, and to have a variety of books to consider adding to your classroom. You may have, also, noticed that some of my favorite authors from previous posts show up here as well.

Here are some of wonderful nonfiction for kids on insects and spiders, including a few collections of poetry.

Stop back tomorrow for #NFPB2014 Challenge and more nonfiction new releases.

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - August 25, 2014

August 25, 2014 Alyson Beecher

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

This past week was the first week for students, which meant that things were busy. In addition, I was working on several blog posts in a series I am doing about Building a Nonfiction Classroom Library. I was amazed that between all of that I was able to get any reading in. As you can see from the titles below, I was a bit all over the place. Some recent releases and some older releases and some upcoming releases. I hope that you find something new to you that you will want to check out.

Here is what jumped out of the stack from this week:

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa by Jeanette Winter (HMH Books for Young Readers 2008) - There are a number of stories about Wangari's Trees but I think this may actually be my favorite.

The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom (Harry N. Abrams, May 6, 2014) - A fun early reader that beginning readers are simply going to enjoy.

Beetles by Valerie Bodden (Creative Education, January 2013) - I love when I am introduced to new to me books and series. Great photographers and engaging text. Students will love this book and the whole series.

Pig and Small by Alex Latimer (Peachtree Publishers, August 1, 2014) - More to come on this one, but let's say it is one of those books that will make you smile and chuckle.

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc (Enchanted Lion Books, May 6, 2014) - If I starred books, I would give this book a star. Sparse text, beautiful illustrations, and a touching story of friendship.

The Woman Who Won Things by Allan Ahlberg; Illustrated by Katharine McEwan (Candlewick 2002) - This one is an older title that came as a recommendation from a friend's daughter. If you have students starting to read chapter books, they will enjoy this series of silly stories.

The Memory of an Elephant: An Unforgettable Journey by Sophie Strady; Illustrated by Jean-Francois Martin (Chronicle Books, September 9, 2014) - Fiction meets nonfiction in this very artistically created story about an elephant and what he remembers of his history.

By Day, By Night by Amy Gibson; Illustrated by Meilo So (Boyds Mills Press, October 1, 2014) - I really enjoyed this one and the look at how universal some things are. Pair this book with Barbara Kerley's One World, One Day.

This Orq. (He Cave Boy) by David Elliott; Illustrated by Lori Nichols (Boyds Mills Press, September 1, 2014) - This one gave me a chuckle. Somethings really do not change. Children wanting a pet seems to be one of those things. Of course, wanting a Woolly Mammoth may be a totally different thing or is it?

Maple and Willow Together by Lori Nichols (Nancy Paulsen Books, November 4, 2014) - Maple is back and this time with her sister, Willow. A lovely story of sharing and resolving differences.

What's Eating You? Parasites -- The Inside Story by Nicola Davies; Illustrated by Neal Layton (Candlewick 2007) - I learned more than I wanted to about parasites from reading this one. Definitely an "ewww" book, but one that kids will want to read.

So, what are you reading?

Building a Nonfiction Classroom Library Part III - Animals

August 23, 2014 Alyson Beecher

Animals. This is definitely a popular category with children. And you would think this category might be fairly simple. There are tons of animal books. However, it is deceptively complex. Animals actually include vertebrates, molluscs, arthropods, annelids, sponges, and jellyfish. Even if I just tried to focus on vertebrates, this section would be huge.

So, here is where biologists with their efficient classification systems likely roll their eyes at teachers in preschool and primary grades who separate and rearrange these classifications to suit their own sensibilities. It certainly makes sense to me to group all of the ocean and marine life into one category even if technically they fall into all six from above.

Remember how in Part II, I spoke about tubs of books? Well, mammals will likely end up divided into several tubs. When I taught preschool my classifications looked more like this - pets (cats, dogs, rabbits, birds) and animals on a farm (cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens) and animals in the jungle (monkeys, tigers, lions, elephants, zebras) and forest (wolves, deer, bears, moose). Either you are laughing or crying by now, depending on whether you are a teacher or a scientist. However, my teacher buddies know exactly what I am talking about. And to the be respectful of my scientist friends, yes, we should include opportunities to discuss those various classifications with students and why they exist.

In thinking about this category, and in light of this project, I have elected to refer to animals as mammals for the purpose of this post. Additionally, as with the biographies section, I am focusing on some individual books, and some authors that are quite prolific. You will also see many of these authors again when I do future posts on creepy crawlies or reptiles and birds or marine life.

Finally, the purpose of this post is not to refer you just to a pre-packaged series of books but to identify a number of quality trade titles that can be used as a starter for building your classroom library. Have fun exploring these titles and other books written by the authors listed below.

You will find the links to the previous posts here: Part I: Introduction | Part II: Biographies

Jean Craighead George

Side Note: National Geographic Kids has a plethora of books on animals and I could list 100 just from them. Additionally, the Scientist in the Field Series (HMH Books for Young Readers) has additional titles not listed above.

What I Read This Summer

August 22, 2014 Carolyn Gruss

Last week, my summer vacation came to an end when I had to return to school. While I read many various different books throughout the summer, there were a couple that stood out to me as favorites. Here are my top 5 choices:

I loved the interesting world Livia Blackburne created in Midnight Thief. I found all the politics that Kyra (the main character) has to deal with as she navigates the strange relationships between the city council, an assassin's group, and the Demon Riders to be intriguing and fascinating.

As an avid tumblr user and participant in fandom communities, this book is hilariously accurate and paints a positive picture of how investing in a book series or a TV show can help a person stay grounded through emotional strife. Fangirl strikes a perfect balance between being emotionally thematic and yet enjoyable to read and funny.

The vivid setting, along with the commentary on the psychological and social aftereffects of the Great War, make all of the Maisie Dobbs novels fantastic. Pardonable Lies, though, stood out as it dealt with familial strife and how one finds closure in a very poignant way.

I've always loved time travel stories (cough Doctor Who cough), but I also enjoyed the secret society and shifting allegiances. I thought that the way in which familial issues were dealt with and portrayed in Ruby Red was done well, too.

The historical setting was lovely, and the the drama, romance, and suspense were all very well executed in The Morning Gift. I loved how Ruth dealt with the awkward and sometime dangerous situations she was in, and how the book painted an interesting picture of what life was like for different people in pre-WWII Europe.

So, what have you been reading this summer? ~ Carolyn

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