Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday -

Creature Features 
by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
HMH Books for Young Readers (October 7, 2014)
Audience: Grades 3 to 6
Nonfiction * Animals * Animal Morphology
Indiebound | WorldCat
Publisher Page

Description from GoodReads:
Dear axolotl: Why do you have feathers growing out of your head?Axolotl: They aren't feathers—they're gills! They let me breathe underwater.

Let's face it. Even as babies, we humans pay close attention to faces. Observing another person's features and expressions tells us whether they are happy, angry, excited, or sad. And when we look at an animal, it's hard not to imagine that its face is communicating human feelings. This isn't true, of course. Squinty eyes, an upturned mouth, or another odd expression is probably there because, in some way, it helps that animal survive.     

Packed with many cool facts and visuals on where certain animals live and what they eat, this book captures twenty-five humorous—and very true—explanations of why animals look the way they do in order to exist in this world

My thoughts on the book:
Steve Jenkins is one of those authors that I have on autobuy. In his latest book, Creature Features, he pairs up with his wife, Robin Page for a creative and informative look at animals and what their features enable them to do.  

Each animal is presented through a question about a special feature unique to that particular animal. This is followed up by a response.

One of my favorites is the Egyptian Vulture. ""Questions: Dear Egyptian Vulture: Why no feathers on your face? Answer: Are you sure you really want to know? Really? Okay, I'll tell you. I stick my face into the bodies of the dead animals I eat, and feathers would get pretty messy." (p. 2)

Not only is there a precise answer but it is usually laced with a bit of humor.

This book would work great as a read aloud or for a shared read with other students or for an independent reading choice for a student who wants to learn new facts about animals. This is a great addition to any classroom or school library.  

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

FORBIDDEN - YA Debut Giveaway

On November 4th, HarperCollins unveils Forbidden, a seductive YA debut from award-winning middle grade author Kimberley Griffiths Little. Forbidden transports readers back in time to the deadly deserts and sweltering heat of Ancient Mesopotamia for a tale of danger, duty, and forbidden love. Jayden is on the brink of womanhood and betrothed to her tribe’s prince, cold-hearted Horeb. But when tragedy strikes, Jayden meets Kadesh, a mysterious visitor from the south who makes Jayden doubt everything she knows. Torn between loyalty to her tribe and the chance to escape her fate, Jayden must make a choice that will change her life forever. Kimberley is also offering a HUGE preorder giveaway from October 6th to November 4th (release day!) to celebrate. See below for full details on how to enter. TO ENTER:

• You must preorder Forbidden through an online retailer or your local bookstore, then email a photo of your receipt to forbiddengiveaway@gmail.com.
• Fill out the rafflecopter below
• US/Canada Only
• Ends at midnight EST on November 3, 2014
• Optional entries: share the trailer on your own site or social media, follow Kimberley on twitter, and tweet about the giveaway (can be repeated daily for extra entries!)
• Winners will be announced and contacted November 4th (release day!)
• If the winner does not respond with their mailing address within one week, a new winner will be chosen.

PRIZES:

(1) GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

1. NEWLY RELEASED Kindle Fire HD6 Tablet with 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, Front and Rear Cameras, 8 GB -- choose your color! (Black, Magenta, White, Citron, or Cobalt)

2. GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson

3. CHAOS OF STARS by Kiersten White

4. Satin Belly Dance Skirt

5. Belly Dance 150-Coin Hip Scarf

6. Red Silk Veil (not pictured)

7. Red Middle Eastern Earrings

8. Belly dance DVD: Sensual Belly Dance with Blanca, a professional dancer (technique, choreography, and performances)

9. "Will YOU risk it all?" button (not pictured)

10. Set of 10 Book Club Cards

11. Jeweled bookmark (not pictured)

(1) SECOND PLACE WINNER:

1. GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson

2. Red Middle Eastern Earrings

3. Red Silk Veil (not pictured)

4. Belly dance DVD: Sensual Belly Dance with Blanca, a professional dancer (technique, choreography, and performances)

5. "Will YOU risk it all?" button (not pictured)

6. Set of 10 Book Club Cards

7. Jeweled bookmark (not pictured)

(13) RUNNERS-UP WINNERS:

1. Red Middle Eastern Earrings

2. "Will YOU risk it all?" button (not pictured)

3. Set of 10 Book Club Cards

4. Jeweled bookmark (not pictured)

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preorder: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

About Forbidden: In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart.

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying.

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

Follow Kimberley:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

About Kimberley: Award-winning author Kimberley Griffiths Little was born in San Francisco, but now lives in New Mexico on the banks of the Rio Grande with her husband and their three sons. Her middle-grade novels, When the Butterflies Came, The Last Snake Runner, The Healing Spell, and Circle of Secrets, have been praised as “fast-paced and dramatic,” with “beautifully realized settings.” Kimberley adores anything old and musty with a secret story to tell. She’s stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland; sailed the Seine in Paris; ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan; shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria. You can visit her online at www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com.

Share your thoughts on the trailer in the comments!

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 10/27/14

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.

Since most of my reading this week and next will be books I can not share, I will leave you with a couple of fun titles and videos to enjoy.  Also, my post yesterday, APPLES, PUMPKINS AND READ ALOUDS has a list of books that I have been reading around the topic of apples, pumpkins, and leaves.

Here is what jumped out of the pile...

The Cat, The Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf and Grandma by Diane Fox; Illustrated by Christyan Fox (Scholastic, August 26, 2014)

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett; Illustrated by Jon Klassen (Candlewick, October 14, 2014)

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween by Mélanie Watts (Kids Can Press, August 2013)

So, what are you reading?

Apples, Pumpkins & Read Alouds

When I first began teaching, October was the month where I focused on apples, pumpkins and leaves. Despite being in Southern California and the temperatures sometimes being in the 80's in October, I was still a New Englander at heart. I wanted students to experience some of the things that made me think of fall. 

Several weeks ago, one of the teachers I work with and I spoke about working together on a special lesson. Her students were studying apples. Here was an opportunity for me to look for some new and revisit some old books about apples to find the perfect one to read aloud for her class. My twitter friends (Carrie Gelson, Paul Hankins, Mary Ann Scheuer, Cathy Potter, and a few others) were great at recommending a number of titles. After looking at so many books, I fell in love with Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray (Disney-Hyperion, 2011).

I loved the phrases and vocabulary in this book.  It would be perfect for what I wanted to do. Of course, it was no surprise that students loved the book.  With a little effort on my part, I found a book that worked perfectly as a read aloud and could be an instructional opportunity. However, students thought of it just as a book that we were having fun reading. 

After reading the book, we had fun making a special snack. Since apple pie can be a bit time consuming to make and requires a lot of equipment (like an oven) that we don't have at school, I thought about another option - Apple Nachos. Yum! Thank you Alethea for introducing me to Apple Nachos. Here is the original recipe from Allyson Kramer, and check out this great post where Alethea created more variations.

I love that the recipe is really simple and we could talk about some great action words like slice, arrange, drizzle, and sprinkle. 

It appears that Apple Nachos are so good that students couldn't help licking their plates. 

After enjoying our apple snack, we gathered around to generate some words and phrases to describe how they tasted. Students would be able to use these words and phrases later for journaling.

At the end of the day, I received a special text message from the teacher. Students had told her "we don't want to go home, school is fun, and I don't get to do things like this at home". Now, that is what I want to hear after a lesson. 

As I searched for books to read with students, friends on twitter recommended books. And I was also reminded of old favorites. Here are some newer and older apple, pumpkin, and leaf books that jumped out at me from the pile....

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell (Aladdin, 1998)

Apple by Nikki McClure (Abrams, 2012)

Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love by Julie Paschkis (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2012)

Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall; Illustrated by Shari Halpern (Blue Sky Press, 1996)

The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara; Illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Schwartz & Wade, 2013)

How to Make An Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman (Dragonfly Books, 1994)

The Apple Doll by Elise Kleven (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

How Do Apples Grow? by Barbara Maestro; Illustrated by Giulio Maestro (HarperCollins, 1992)

Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Kids, 2009)

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2005)

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1991)

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson (Tricycle Press, 1999)

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara; Illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Schwartz & Wade, 2007)

Why Do Leaves Change Colors? by Barbara Maestro; Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski (HarperCollins, 1994)

Leaves by David Ezra Stein (Putnam Juvenile, 2007)

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Kids Books, 2009)

From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer; Illustrated by James Graham Hale (HarperCollins, 2004)

What are some of your favorite fall books?

Birthday Books!

My birthday was last week, and since my friends and family know me quite well, I received lots of books. Here are some of my favorites of those, in no particular order, as well some I'm planning to order (yay for gift cards to local independent bookstores!):

Ruin and Rising

The conclusion of the Grisha Series, Ruin and Rising was a superb read. It was hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful series, but the fact that it was so well-executed certainly eased the pain. No spoilers, but Leigh Bardugo may have just written the most satisfying (if not the most perfect) ending I've ever read.

Night Circus

After hearing raving reviews of Night Circus, I was thrilled to receive a copy for my birthday and thoroughly entranced when I read it. Every single component, from the fantastical nature of the circus itself to the secrets of those involved in it, created a completely magical and enchanting story.

The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

I already have a very, very beat-up copy of The Hobbit, but it was lovely to receive a beautifully illustrated copy. I've read the Hobbit so many times, and I so look forward to experiencing such a beloved story in a new way (although I think I'll wait until after the last Hobbit movie has been released to reread the Hobbit...).

Fairest - audiobook

Fairest is one of my favorite fantasy books. Since most of the plot revolves around singing (the fictitious country the book is set in, Kyrria, is obsessed with singing), I've always felt that simply reading the text doesn't quite fully encapsulate the story. To my utter delight, a close friend of mine informed me that the audiobook for Fairest has every song actually set to music and sung aloud. Yep, everything that's supposed to be sung is actually sung. I'm eagerly anticipating being able to listen to the audiobook.

So We Read On

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time (and F Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors). I'm excited to read So We Read On, which explores the different components of the Great Gatsby and the varying influences on the classic novel. My grandpa actually recommended it to me, which makes me very excited – my grandfather has excellent taste in books.  

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to all the books I've received, it feels like my birthday hasn't ended at all.