Poetry ALIVE!

THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY: POEMS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH CONNECTIONS TO CCSS (AND TEKS FOR TEXAS), K-5 by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. Pomelo, 2012.

Do you want to include more poetry in the classroom but do not know where to begin and what to include? Here is the resource for you. Vardell and Wong have assembled a poem for each Friday of the school year for each grade K through fifth. Included with the poem are suggestions for pre and post reading activities and connections to other poems kids might like if they liked one of the Friday suggestions. Resources online and in print are also part of this must-have professional text. <483>

Narrative Nonfiction

IF YOU SPENT A DAY WITH THOREAU AT WALDEN POND by Robert Burleigh with illustrations by Wendell Minor. Holt, November 2012.

Thoreau at Walden
Surely the best adventure
A young boy could have.

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SEAHORSES by Jennifer Keats Curtis with illustrations by Chad Wallace. Holt, September 2012.

The life of seahorses
From small fry to fully grown
Living in the sea.

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LENORE FINDS A FRIEND: A TRUE STORY FROM BEDLAM FARM by Jon Katz/ Holt, September 2012.

Poor Lenore the dog
All she wants is a good friend.
Brutus, the ram, friend?

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FROM THE GOOD MOUNTAIN: HOW GUTENBERG CHANGED THE WORLD by James Rumford. Roaring Brook Press, September 2012.

Paper, ink, and press
Bring books to many to read
And cherish and own.

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Junie B, first grader

JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER: TURKEYS WE HAVE LOVED AND EATEN (AND OTHER THANKFUL STUFF) by Barbara Park with illustrations by Denise Brunkus. Random House 2012.

When Mr. Scary announces a new contest, Junie Band the rest of her first grade class, are excited. Each class in the school is to make a list of thins they are thankful for to prepare for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the first graders learn that the reward is a pumpkin pie. Ewww! Who wants slimy pumpkin pie. But the class does want to win and so they begin to make their list: money, toilet paper, exploding biscuits, and Nipsy Doodles among other things. Funny, short chapters make this a perfect choice for kids who want to read "big kid" books. <478>

Witches!

WITCHES by Rosalyn Schanzer. National Geographic, 2011.

Schanzer relates the story of the mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. From the religious zealots to the jealous neighbors, and the testimony of those involved, Schanzer brings readers directly to the time and place, into the courtroom and into history. An exploration of possible explanations for this hysterical behavior is provided readers without pointing to any one answer, letting kids know that sometimes the events of history remain shrouded in mystery. This is a perfect narrative nonfiction accompaniment to THE CRUCIBLE. <477>

Wheels of Change

WHEELS OF CHANGE by Sue macy. National Geographic, 2011.

Macy explores not only the evolution of the bicycle but also how their evolution paralleled the increase in freedom for women. Archival photographs, newspaper clippings, and more primary resources make this not only an informational but an entertaining examination of how the bicycle changed the landscape. With the demand of narrative nonfiction, teachers and librarians should be familiar with this and other works by veteran author Sue Macy. <476>

Fitz

FITZ by Mick Cochrane. Knopf, November 2011.

Fitz (short for Fitzgerald, one of his mother's favorite authors) has a gun and a plan. Fitz plans to kidnap his father, a man who has never been a part of Fitz' life. He will take his father at gun point. Unfortunately, Fitz has not thought much farther than that one act, so once he gets his father and they head to the city zoo, Fitz' mind is in a whirl trying to think about what to do next. In the span of just one day, how much can Fitz change his life and his father's? Cochrane explores the inner workings of a young man who needs to know WHY his father elected to remain apart from the family. <475>

Animals and their Adventures

OLYMPIG by Victoria Jamieson. Dial 2012.

Olympig athlete
Competes but wins no event
But at least he tries.

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THE DUCKLING GETS A COOKIE by Mo Willems. Hyperion 2012.

Duckling gets cookie
Pigeon is upset of course
How can he get one?

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THOSE DARN SQUIRRELS FLY SOUTH by Adam Rubin with illustrations by Daniel Salmier. Clarion 2012.

Those darn squirrels flew south
Old Man Fookwire misses them
So he heads south, too.

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