Archive for January 30, 2013

A Picture Book of Harry Houdini

Written by David A. Adler and Michael S. Adler

Illustrated by Matt Collins

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Harry Houdini is a subject sure to enthrall young readers. The book opens to a dramatic moment. Houdini is lowered into a tank of water. “If I fail to appear my assistants will do everything possible to save my life.” The opening captures the essence of his career: he was the most celebrated escape artist of his time. » Read more

The Woman Who Lived With Wolves and Other Stories from the Tipi

Written and Illustrated by Paul Goble

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Paul Goble presents the philosophy and life-wisdom of a culture through simply stated stories that even a fourth grader would enjoy.And in the reading of the stories some of the thoughts rub off on the reader.

We love animals. A quote from Brave Buffalo, Lakota, shows the Native American belief that there can be communication between species, but “we must do the greater part in securing an understanding.” The birds and animals speak in their tongue, we have to work to understand, as the ancient people did. » Read more

Bugs

Written by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris

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Vivid and detailed close ups of bugs are part of the fascination for this creative look at the life of bugs. This is a great way to observe without having to gather the actual bugs and a good way to desensitize the squeamish. Many of the photos are at least one hundred times as large as the real creature, so the reader comes face to face – literally – with bug after bug. Several collections of many, many bugs within a group highlight the contrasts within the group. The authors first explore classification of invertebrates, the relative populations of those classifications, and the physical attributes of invertebrates. » Read more

Addie Slaughter: The Girl Who Met Geronimo

Written by Susan L. Krueger

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If you’ve ever wanted to know what it was really like to live in the Old West, read this book about Addie Slaughter. She was born in the early 1880’s in Texas and lived in many places in the western part of the country before settling around Tombstone, Arizona. The family moved from Texas to Arizona to Oregon and back to Arizona. Written in first person, the text uses a lot of sensory detail to convey the story. For example, Addie describes the cold and wet snow while riding in a wagon. She talks about the smell of the buffalo robe they used to keep out that cold. She also describes the rubble created by the adobe bricks in an earthquake. » Read more

Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators

By Jennifer Keats Curtis

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The animal pictures in this book will win hearts, but the message is the important thing here. Most people try to help animals when they are hurt, but many cause more harm than good. If you find yourself in the company of an animal in need, call in the experts. Wildlife rehabilitators know how to best help hurt or abandoned animals and they can teach others the right way to do it, too. This photo-essay shows animal rehabilitators doing a variety of jobs: feeding orphan babies, helping animals that are trapped or tangled, even performing surgery. They train others to have the skills and knowledge to do the right things to help animals in need. The emphasis is on returning animals to the wild whenever possible, but animals living in zoos or education centers are mentioned. » Read more

Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities

Written by Mike Jung

Illustrated by Mike Maihack

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Welcome to Copperplate City, a world where superheroes are in every city and an alert system sends out city-wide texts when their local hero, Captain Stupendous, is on the job.Vincent Wu and his friends have organized the only serious Captain Stupendous fan club in town.  They have, like, an archive of material on him and all the other fan clubs are lame.  So they know something is wrong when Captain Stupendous is tricked by the latest super villain, Professor Mayhem and his indestructible robot. » Read more

The Earth Made New: Plains Indians Stories of Creation

Written and Illustrated by Paul Goble

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Paul Goble can wear his books as a mark of honor: so authentic is the writing and so brightly shining his love for the people whose stories he is retelling. Like the coot in this story, he digs deep in his search for the true traditions. His research takes him from the oldest recorded versions to the Indian storytellers of today. Goble attempts to recreate written stories as an oral storyteller would have told them. Therein lies the strength of the tale. » Read more

Hidden in the Midden

Written by Martha S. Campbell

Illustrated by Chad Wallace

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When I was in high school, a friend gave me a sticker that said, “Neat people never make the exciting kinds of discoveries I do.”She knew me well. In the book, Hidden in the Midden, author Martha S. Campbell helps readers get to know the real live pack rats of the animal world, too. » Read more

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Written by Fay Robinson

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A visually stimulating guide to Chinese New Year that explains the history and the symbols of the holiday. The dragon parade is an important part of the celebration and many towns and cities have parades, but New York, Chicago and San Francisco are highlighted because their parades are quite large. Dragons symbolize good luck. The Chinese New Year is tied to the lunar calendar, celebrating the end of one planting season and the beginning of another. » Read more

Tides

Written by Carolyn Ford

Illustrated by Marnie Webster

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Tides, by Carolyn Ford, is a simple, straightforward book about tides—what they are, what causes them, and what happens when all
that water rises and falls each day around the world. With seven pages of main text, the actual information provided is spare. However, Tides would be a good way to introduce readers in the fourth grade or younger to some of the basic concepts having to do with this powerful, important natural phenomenon. Using it as a read-aloud book would allow for discussion of questions about some of the concepts presented. » Read more

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