Snowflakes on our Tongues

 It seems appropriate to highlight this book, considering the weather we've had in the Mid-Atlantic!

It's time for a wonderful, wholesome picture book!  The animals on this farm love to catch snowflakes on their tongues when the farmer isn't looking!  The delightful illustrations in this book accentuate the playfulness of the text.  The rhyming text makes this a most excellent book to read aloud - either to the child sitting on your lap or to a large group of children. When I've read the story out loud to a group, the children always end up helping me out with the refrain!  (I've read it three times this month!)

The kids absolutely love it! 

Picture Books

This was harder to put together than I thought it would be. These are the covers of my favorite picture books.  All of them are beautiful stories with amazing images that pull the reader into the book.

 

A young girl harvests sweetgrass to make baskets with her grandmother.

 

 

How do you wear a sari? What happens if you put it on your own way?

 

 

Amira doesn't want to miss school for the Eid ceremony because it's picture day.

 

 

 Find out what it takes to harvest the salmon that you eat.

 

 

A mother sings a love song to her baby.

 

 

 

A little girl discovers how wonderful her family is when she talks about their wonderful eyes.

 

 

Help Mel!

 

Noah makes a seal out of sand on the beach.

All images are from worldcat.org

Picture Books on my Mind...

I've been reading through the 201-2018 Nominees for the Maryland Black Eyed Susan Awards. 2 of the 3 books below are from the picture book list - Ada's Violin and Mother Bruce.  Both of them are wonderful books!  I would have a hard time choosing between the 2 books - Mother Bruce is a fun book.  With its bright, bold pictures it would make a great read aloud for a group of children.

Ada's Violin is a poignant tale about the recycled orchestra of Paraguay.  Children who live on the edge of the trash dump have no real future - they will most likely grow up to be trash pickers, like their parents.  Until that magic day when a musician moves into town, sees the potential in the kids, and sets about making real musical instruments from the trash in the dump.  This true story will leave you in awe.

The third book is Amanda Panda quits kindergarten.  Now, it has been years since I myself have taught kindergarten, but this book struck a note with me!  My Dad used to run away from first grade when he was in school.  He'd leave at recess time and walk the two blocks to his older sister's office (she worked in the court house for one of the judges).  She wasn't able to leave until the courts closed for lunch, so Dad would hang out with her for a couple of hours before she could walk him back to school.  Just reading the book made me think of my runaway father!    Alas for Amanda, she can't run to the court house but she does quit her class.  If I were still teaching kindergarten, this book would definitely be in my first week line up - if I didn't read it at the orientation before school starts!

If you're a parent or grandparent of a child getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall, I'd recommend reading this book!  It's a very sweet look at the realities of starting school.


If you're interested in finding out more about the Maryland Black Eyed Susan Awards, follow this link:  http://maslmd.org/about-bes/

For the complete list of nominees for the 2017-2018 school year, follow this link:  http://www.bcpl.info/find-materials/black-eyed-susan-award-2017-2018

Book Review The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

Have you ever heard of Waterhouse Hawkins?  150 years ago, he was "the man".  Waterhouse Hawkins was an artist who specialized in animals.  Not only did he draw and paint them, but he was a master sculptor, and his work was highly sought after.



During the 1850's, the first giant bones of what came to be known as dinosaurs were being reconstructed into models.  Waterhouse Hawkins had been hired by Richard Owen to construct the first ever models of these fantastic creatures.  Working together, the two scientists used existing animals to determine what the dinosaurs looked like, how the bones fit together, and what the overlying muscles and skin looked like.  Waterhouse then constructed models - scale models at first, and finally life size models - of their dinosaurs.  This was the first time, ever, that people had seen these gigantic creatures!

With gorgeous illustrations by Brian Selznick, the author Barbara  Kerley bring to life the story of the first dinosaur models, and how they came to be known by the general public.   They follow the tale of Waterhouse Hawkins from his triumph in London to the horrifying situation in New York City and on to his stops at the Smithsonian Institution and Princeton University.

The tale is true - Selznick and Kerley painstakingly researched this story using primary sources ranging from Hawkins' own journal to the Illustrated London News, the London Quarterly Review, and the New York Times.  Enjoy this fascinating tale of the man who was the first to bring dinosaurs to life! 

Note - this is a picture book, illustrated by one of the best illustrators currently working - Brian Selznick.  This is a Caldecott Honor Book - honored for the quality of its illustrations.  While the book is intended for elementary school age children, it is worth venturing out to the children's section of your library or book store to read.  Fascinating story!