Consider the Octopus was such a wonderful surprise to read. Having finished the book the clues to what adds up to make it fun are shown on the cover. A casual glance at Consider the Octopus has a teen girl and boy on the cover, while a mid-size ship is cruising through an area of the ocean that’s covered with plastic. The book has elements of all of those things, but its result is far more entertaining and fun, than you’re prepared for.
The cover of this book is annoying, and that is the point. My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! Is an illustrated book that channels the impatience, imagination, panicked exaggeration, and manic mood swings that kids can have like few books before it. When you read it you’ll remember when you were a kid and your parents would not stop talking. The family was out for a walk, they’d see somehow they know and talk for what seemed like hours. My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! is from the viewpoint of a possibly impatient child as that exact thing happens.
Upper elementary school readers and older want to be respected, and-to an extent, challenged when they read for fun. There comes a point when elementary and middle school readers become aware of the fact that the books that they read are a direct reflection of who they are. They’ve got the staples that most of them are reading in fourth and fifth, with a few brave souls venturing out to discover something unique. That funnel opens up much more in middle school. Crocs is our first encounter with a book in the Sharks Inc. book series by New York Times-Bestselling author Randy Wayne White. It checks off so many columns in what ages nine through 15 are looking for in a great fiction book that it resembles a dog’s shopping list at the meat market.
It’s great to be teaching in elementary schools. I get to see what they’re learning and hopefully add to that in a manner that makes some kids get it, or further their knowledge. I also get to see what they’re reading and in every ELA classroom, there’s at least one Bad Kitty book. Author and illustrator Nick Bruel’s latest installment is Bad Kitty Gets a Phone and he was kind enough to answer 14 questions from some of my ELA students.
Rodrigo – Why is Bad Kitty the only bad cat in the book?
Find out the answer to this and other kitty-inspring qustions after the jumpThere is a lot for some people to like about Oddbird. It’s a charming story about fitting in and being yourself that utilizes concentrated areas of colors to drive home its point. This is an illustrated book that will really connect with some readers, all the while giving more readers the feeling that they’ve seen this story before. And they have, but every book speaks to readers in a different manner, doesn’t it? Oddbird’s grace is that it’s a very simple story that will have a direct line to pre-k through early second-grade students who want a happy, bird-centric look at being different.
The concept of everyday objects coming to life is timeless. Sometimes the execution of the said project isn’t as great as it could be, or as entertaining as you want it to be. Small Soldiers, the 1998 film that sounded great on paper, but whose end result was very disappointing, is an example of this.* Beach Toys vs. School Supplies is the illustrated book version of somewhere in this camp. The idea of beach toys and school supplies having a conflict is fun to think about. After all, it’s the inanimate premise of Toy Story, isn’t it? But is Beach Toys vs. School Supplies an illustrated book that will capture and hold the attention of early elementary audiences?
Rhinos In Nebraska is an absurd title for a book. Nebraska is known for its picturesque plains and farmland. A book claiming to have Rhinos In Nebraska is as fanciful as flying cars or low-calorie food that tastes as good as the full-calorie version, isn’t it? However, back up the calendar a hundred million years to the end of the Mesozoic period, reframe the title and the fiction that you thought it was, is now plausible. This is the story of the Ashfall Fossil Beds, a place that’s now on my bucket list. Beyond that, Rhinos In Nebraska is a book that will leave elementary and middle school readers hanging on every well-written word.
I was at a big box retail store and saw about ten copies of The One and Only Sparkella on the shelf. For comparison, the other picture books on the shelf had one to three copies of them. The book is written by Channing Tatum, whose name is in font almost as large as the title and listed above it. I’m torn on my opinion about this for a couple of reasons that boil down to book advances, celebrity status, and the overall impression that the book leaves on children. At the end of the book (or day), is The One and Only Sparkella something that kids will want to read, or will they enjoy it?
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