Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He's The Favorite Review & Giveaway

Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He's the Favorite
by Stacy McAnulty; Illustrated by Edward Hemingway
Two Lions (February 7, 2017)
Audience: Ages 4 to 7 years old
Fiction * Pets * Friendship
Worldcat | Amazon

About the book: 
Mr. Fuzzbuster knew he was Lily’s favorite. They did everything together. Naps. Story time. Walks. And more naps. But now four more animals lived in the house.…

To prove he’s still Lily’s favorite, Mr. Fuzzbuster will have to ask her, but will her answer surprise him? This is a sweet story for any parent dealing with sibling rivalry. Kirkus gave it a positive review:  "This tale of who's the preferred pet will charm animal lovers of all stripes."

Thoughts about this book:
Our first grade Writing Workshop classes have recently started their Opinion Writing Units. The first thing students begin to write about is a favorite ____________ (fill in the blank). I have learned a lot about Shopkins recently, and about favorite toys, shells, and of course, pets as I read their writing. Children have interesting criteria for what qualifies as a favorite. Sometimes it just means that it sparkles or is the shiniest. However, just as fast as something becomes a favorite, it can also be replaced with a new favorite. 

Stacy McAnulty addresses the perennial question "Whose your favorite?" in her new book, Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He's the Favorite. Mr. Fuzzbuster knows he is the favorite of Lily (his human owner) and he as the drawing to prove it. However, the other pets in the house would happily disagree. Lily is a smart kid and knows just how to answer the question but there is a twist at the end, which just may keep Mr. Fuzzbuster up all night. 

I look forward to sharing Mr. Fuzzbuster with 1st and 2nd grade teachers next week at our Writing Professional Development. For everyone else, enter to win a copy of the book below or pick up a copy at a local bookstore or library.

About the author: STACY MCANULTY is certain she's her mom's favorite. Her younger brother disagrees. She's the author of Beautiful, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach; and 101 Reasons Why I'm Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. Originally from upstate New York, she now lives in Kernersville, North Carolina, with her three children, two dogs, and one husband. She doesn't have a favorite. You can find her online at www.stacymcanulty.com.

About the illustrator: EDWARD HEMINGWAY is certain he's Stacy McAnulty's favorite illustrator, although the illustrators of Stacy's other books may disagree. Edward himself is the author and illustrator of the children's books Bump in the Night, Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship, Bad Apple's Perfect Day, and Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus. Originally from Bozeman, Montana, he now lives in Brooklyn where he teaches creative writing at the master's level at SVA in Manhattan. If he has any favorite students, he'll never tell. Learn more about him online at www.edwardhemingway.com.

Did you know Mr. Fuzzbuster loves writing notes? He wants to send cards to young readers across the country.  Maybe he will be your favorite.

More information can be found at http://www.stacymcanulty.com/fuzzbuster-email

Enter to win a copy of Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He's the Favorite: Participants must be 13 years old or older and have a U.S. mailing address. 

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Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: New Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, one of my favorite things is to round-up as many new quality nonfiction books for children at the beginning of a month and share them with readers of this blog.  Some months, I miss the release of books and add them to the next month's post.  Since I have not seen every book listed, I cannot always confirm if they are truly a nonfiction book or more of an informational fiction text or a bit of historical fiction.  

Previous Nonfiction Release Post: January

January 2017

Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved An Ecosystem by Patricia Newmann (Millbrook Press)

Germs Fact or Fiction, Friends or Foe by Lesa Cline-Ransome: Illustrated by James E. Ransome (Henry Holt and Co)

Hatching Chicks in Room 6 by Caroline Arnold (Charlesbridge)

Whose Poop is That? by Darrin Lunde (Charlesbridge)

Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal (Little Bee Books)

February 1, 2017

Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio; Illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb

February 7, 2017

Bicycles by Patricia Lakin (Aladdin)

Skateboards by Patricia Lakin (Aladdin) 

Malala: Activist For Girls' Education by Raphaeele Frier, Auraelia Fronty (Charlesbridge)

February 21, 2017

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (Roaring Brook Press)

February 28, 2017

Caroline's Comet: A True Story by Emily Arnold McNulty (Holiday House)

Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression by Carole Boston Weatherford; Illustrated by Sarah Green (Albert Whitman)

Hello Spring! by Shelly Rotner (Holiday House)

My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis by Paul Meisel (Holiday House)

Trudy's Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm by Sue Macy; Illustrated by Matt Collins (Holiday House)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews: 

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 2/6/17

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.  Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and  Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last week was a busy week and I didn't get to do a ton of reading for fun. I spent a lot of time in professional reading:

Guided Reading: Responsive Reading Across the Grades, 2nd Edition by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell (Heinemann Publishers, 2016)

It is a big book and I have been going through it as part of my coaching duties. I love the updates from the original edition. 

Here are a couple of picture book titles that jumped out of the pile I read this weekend....

Grandmother Fish: A Child's First Look at Evolution by Jonathan Tweet; Illustrated by Karen Lewis (Feiwel & Friends, 2016) - A fascinating explanation of evolution for children. The endnotes provide more information. 

Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep by April Pulley Sayre; Illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Henry Holt & Co, 2016) - I missed this when it came out last fall and excited to finally get my hands on it. This would work well as a read aloud for young children. Endnotes provide additional facts about squirrels. 

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell (Feiwel & Friends, January 3, 2017) - This nearly wordless picture book has a powerful message about friendship and not leaving someone alone, especially when they have been kind to you. I didn't expect to get a bit choked up as I read this one. 

A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016) - Sparkly unicorn books are not my typical reading but this was a fun read. Definitely a unique spin on unicorns and a good message on friendships. 

Check out last week's #Road2Reading Challenge: A Look At Some New Chapter Books

In case you missed it, here is last week's post for the #NFPB2017 Challenge: Text Set for Loving Vs Virginia. 

Don't miss it...

There is still time to join in with the annual #NF10for10 happening this coming Friday. For more details, click here. Thanks Mandy and Cathy for hosting this.  

So, what are you reading? 

#Road2Reading Challenge - Upcoming Releases! Mark Your Calendar

All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.

Each week, Michele Knott and I post about new early readers and chapter books.  As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I started doing new release posts. Once a month, I will post about new releases as I find out about them. Though most of the books listed below are chapter books, I will continue to find out about new early readers. Also, since many of these books have yet to be released, I can only share titles and not thoughts on these books. Look for future mini-reviews as I read through new releases. Also, I have included links to previous posts mentioning new releases just below. Also, don't forget to check out Mrs. Knott's Book Nook for more releases. 

January Part I | January Part II

Mark your calendar for some new releases in the next couple of months...

January 2017

The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe; Illustrated by Daniel Duncan (Aladdin Books)

February 2017

Labra-cadabra-dor's Revenge by Walker Styles; Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse (Little Simon)

Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel by Charise Mericle Harper; Illustrated by Ashley Spires (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Mission Unpluckable! (The Bad Guys #2) by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Press) 

Mutant Rat Attack! The Spy Next Door by Jay Cooper (Scholastic Press)

Starry Skies and Fireflies by Jenny Meyerhoff; Illustrated by Eva Chatelain (Aladdin Books)

March 2017

The Cave of Aaaaah! Doom! (Ella and Owen #1) by Jaden Kent; Illustrated by Iryna Bodnaruk (Little Bee Books)

Dark Shadows: Yes, Another Misadventure by Doreen Cronin; Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin (Atheneum Books)

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz; Illustrated by Brian Floca (Candlewick Press)

April 2017

Daisy Dreamer and the Totally True Imaginary Friend by Holly Anna; Illustrated by Genevieve Santos (Little Simon)

Piper Morgan Makes a Splash by Stephanie Faris; Illustrated by Lucy Fleming (Aladdin Books)

Remy Sneakers vs. the Robo-Rats by Kevin Sherry (Scholastic Press)

May 2017

Crash! The Kid From Planet Z by Nancy Krulik; Illustrated by Louis Thomas (Grossett & Dunlap)

Goldie Rules the School by Stacy McNaulty (Random House Books for Young Readers)

Good For Nothing Button! (Elephant and Piggie Like Reading) by Charise Mericle Harper; Mo Willems (Disney-Hyperion)

Octo-Man and the Headless Monster (The Escapades of Clint McCool #1) by Jane Kelley; Illustrated by Jessika Von Innerebner (Grosset & Dunlap)

Don't forget to link up a review if you have one....

Nonfiction Picture book Challenge: Text Set for Loving Vs. Virginia

Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case
by Patricia Hruby Powell; Artwork by Shadra Strickland
Chronicle Books (January 31, 2017)
Fiction * Historical * United States* Litigation
Audience: 12 years and up
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races, and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it, and won. 

With the release of the movie LOVING and several children's books, I wondered what a text set would look like as part of a classroom discussion or unit. What resources both nonfiction and fiction were out there that could be used?

Two years ago at ALA Midwinter '15, I read the biographical picture book, The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko and illustrated by Sean Qualls (Arthur A. Levine). 

This was the first time I heard about the case of Mildred and Richard Loving. I wondered why I had never heard of this case, but more startling was that this case occurred within my lifetime. 

Then came the movie, which sadly I still haven't seen yet. The movie trailer is below...

An on-line search, produced several resources. The ACLU has links to articles, a podcast, and a few other items to pursue and incorporate into a series of lessons or discussions with students.

Time Life has a series of photographs and a thought-provoking article to read, which turned the Lovings into civil rights heroes. 

The Bill of Rights Institute provides educators with a lesson plan and additional resources. 

Most recently, Patricia Hruby Powell created a book using a series of poems told from Richard and Mildred's alternating perspectives. The book also contains some biographical information at the end. 

Additionally there are illustrated pages and photographs throughout the book.

As we enter, African American History Month and as our nation addresses recent racial and cultural concerns, the Lovings may be just the right civil right activists to feature this month. 

Look for a copy of A Case for Loving, and Loving Vs. Virginia at your local indie bookstores. 

Artwork by Sarah S. Bannen, 2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...