Okay, I have heard of Josephine Baker. Kind of. I have heard a lot of buzz about this book and was able to snag it from a local library. The writing was cool, poetic, great illustrations but....
Honestly...I can't imagine my students ever checking it out. I guess if they have to do a biography report and they come across it but I can't imagine a student ever coming in and asking "hey, do you have any books about Josephine Baker?". Maybe a teacher will pick it up and use it as a mentor text. I just don't know why I would purchase it for my library. It was well written but I don't see the kid appeal.
Honestly this wasn't what I was expecting. I think from the cover I was anticipating more of a graphical novel and more humorous. It did have funny parts and I liked the plot well enough. Lug is from one clan and gets banished when he can't catch a jungle llama. Once banished he meets the rival clan and finds out they aren't as bad as he thought. He also meets a wooly mammoth. Lug ends up uniting the clans against the threat of sabre toothed tigers and the coming ice age.
Like I said, not what I was expecting...it was okay though.
Oh, I liked this one. Part Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde and a lot of Edgar and Allan Poe. References to Poe's works, Annabelle Lee, and some good creep factor. Loved it....
Not appropriate for my 1st - 5th graders but I am glad I read it.
Jake's father is missing and presumed dead, his mom is trying to run the diner but owes $10,000 to the local loan sharks, and Jake is doing everything he can to help. This book relies heavily on the quahogging on the Naragansett Bay. Jake works with his grandfather and also a stranger with questionable methods. There is good action, adventure, and relationships.
The one thing I felt was missing was more of the connection with the title. I understood the reference but feel like most kids would miss why it it called Swim That Rock. Good overall though :)
I
really liked this one. Rose Howard is a girl with high functioning
autism who is obsessed with homophones, prime numbers, and rules.
Sometimes these things cause tension at home and at school.
Fortunately, she has her dog Rain (Reign) and her uncle who both
understand her. When a hurricane hits her town and Rain is lost Rose
struggles to find her dog only to discover that Rain was never really
hers. Can she find the courage to do the right thing?
There
was a lot to love here. The relationship of Rose and Rain and Rose and
her uncle. Rose's blossoming friendships and her own self awareness.
She was quirky but I know I have students who could relate. This was a
winner for me.
I got away from doing my frogs and ribbets....This book gets a ribbet :)
This was a cute book that had yoga positions for every letter of the alphabet. Each pose had a short poem to along with it and an illustration of the pose. I thought it was a clever book.
Brendan is misunderstood and alone. He likes to draw but doesn't like anything else about school. The kids at school think he is weird and tease him, his foster mother doesn't understand him. In an effort to get away and find a place to belong, Brendan goes into the nearby woods. There he finds an old tree and he builds a treehouse. He often imagines that he hears The Green Man, a legendary man who guards the forest. When he meets an old man in the forest he believes he has found The Green Man who will be a protector and friend. Brendan also meets a girl at summer school named Shea who also becomes his friend. But Brendan has witnessed some things he shouldn't which leads to trouble for all 3 of them. Can Brendan find a place to belong even if his mysterious friend isn't who Brendan though he was?
This is not what I was expecting from Hahn. I have been a fan of a lot of her books and this really had a different feel. I still liked it though. It will be interesting to see how much action this sees in the library...it doesn't have a ton of action but I can see some students enjoying it.
