Quote of the Month

When love and skill work together, expect a miracle. John Ruskin




Saturday, June 8, 2013

Twitterville Talk #103

With the host of tweets this week about who is reading what, fall previews, conferences being attended, book trailers and summer reading lists, there is no shortage of outstanding books to read.  People are excited to have the summer to relax but also to become better at what they love doing.  You can feel it coming through the tweets.  Enjoy what I've gathered, relax and take time for reading.  Look for the giveaways.

Let's start this week's post off with a wonderful, informative interview of Jerry Pinkney.




The books trailers have been circling Mr. Schu's computer and this week they landed in full force.










This is the first of eighteen Magic Tree House Fact Tracker book trailers. Wowser!









I think it would be amazingly cozy to have a place like this to read. Childhood Dream Come True: Seriously, The Most Incredible Treehouse Ever

 New York Public Library + Brooklyn Public Library + Queens Library have created this outdoor reading area.  I could spend a quiet sunny day there easily.  How about you?

 Reading Rockets has created Summer Reading 2013.  It's in PDF format for ease of printing.
To the first person who can tell me the name of one of the poetry books listed in the 6-9 Year Old list I will send a paperback copy of the National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis.  DM your answer to me on Twitter or in the comments below. (This title has been won.)

The New York Public Library have compiled their Summer Reading 2013 list also.

The Seattle Public Library gives us Book Domino Chain World Record!




I couldn't agree more, ALA, It's Time to Step Up for School Libraries|Editorial

 Wouldn't it be great to see one of these in every community, Thinking Outside the Book: Partnering to offer a Picture Book Walk

 You must view this series of videos interviewing Tom Angleberger.  Here is one.  Follow this link to find the others in the series.



The good books just keep coming---Candlewick Fall Kids|Preview Peek

 Booklist Online Top 10 Books For Youth--Biographies  There are some interesting choices on this list.

Father's Day is just around the corner.  My own father played a huge part in my love of reading. Listen and watch what these authors have to say about their fathers.



It's about time!  ALA: New Education Bill Calls for Effective School Libraries

 Don't forget to check out the Chronicle Books 25 Reasons to Celebrate calendar.  There's all kinds of awesome under each date.

This was a wonderful interview.  Video of the Week:  Al Roker Sits Down with Mo Willems

 WOW! The Spring 2013 Parents' Choice Book Awards were announced yesterday.

Judy Blume Talks About Bringing 'Tiger Eyes' To The Big Screen


Thanks to John Schumacher, teacher librarian, 2011 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, 2014 Newbery Committee member, one half of the #SharpSchu book club on Twitter and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. for all these tweets.




Author Judy Blume's book, Tiger Eyes, has been made into a movie directed by her son.  This is an interesting article about the process--A Mother's Book Is Her Son's Movie


Many thanks to author, Deborah Kops (The Great Molasses Flood) for this tweet.





Take a look and possibly print this out to place in your classroom or library.  It was posted on Joyce Valenza's blog at School Library Journal this past week.  I believe I have posted it previously but it's well worth a second viewing. A very handy CC poster


Sending thanks to Donna Macdonald, teacher librarian, tech integrationist and blogger for this tweet.




Here's another interesting infographic, How Does The Act Of Writing Affect Your Brain?

 Thanks to educator and blogger at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... , Larry Ferlazzo for this tweet.








The auction for signed copies of books for Catherine's Dream began on Monday, June 3, 2013.  Place a bid.  I did.

Thanks to author, Bobbie Pyron (The Dogs of Winter), for hosting this auction and this tweet.







Here's a post about a wonderful One Book, One School project.  It's very inspirational.

Thanks to educator, co-host of #titletalk on Twitter, a co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club,one half of the #SharpSchu book club on Twitter, and blogger at sharpread,  Colby Sharp for this tweet.




Now here's a piece of interesting news---Jeff Kinney to Open a Bookstore?

 Thanks to Teresa Rolfe Kravtin, blogger at A Rep Reading and SE Publisher Rep for this tweet.




Have you ever been to the Celebri-Dots website?  There's a new dot up on the page by author Kate DiCamillo.

Thanks to Terry Shay, 5-12 Vocal and Computer teacher, College Adjunct and FableVision Learning Ambassador for this tweet.



The Young Adult Library Services Association has released their Best Fiction for Young Adults nominations' list.
To the first person who can name the Rick Yancey title on the list I will send a copy of Chickenhare a graphic novel by Chris Grine (paperback).  DM me your answer on Twitter or in the comments below. (This title has been won.)

Thanks to CBC Book for this tweet.







The current shortlists for both the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal are now available.  The judges are going to have some hard decisions; outstanding titles on both lists.
To the first person who can tell me one of the two books listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal which Xena loves (because I own them) I will send a copy of the beautiful Jane Ray Cinderella A Three-Dimensional Fairy-Tale Theater.  Please leave your answer in the comments below or send me a DM on Twitter. (This title has been won.)

Thanks to Carnegie Greenaway for this tweet.




There are oodles and oodles of resources courtesy of Reading Rockets. Literacy in the Sciences


Thanks to Reading Rockets for this post and this tweet.



Many tweets announced the 2013 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature.




This is a collection of some of my favorite tweets and quotes of the week.















Posted by Xena's Mom at 8:13 AM 0 comments
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Friday, June 7, 2013

For The Children

One of the most fascinating aspects of becoming a teacher librarian is the history of libraries, librarians and librarianship required classes.  To not only trace how information was stored and shared but to learn who had access at any given point in time, makes you grateful for the services available today.  It also makes you proud to be a part of a greater whole which has added and continues to add much to the local and global community.

Given the opportunities today for children in public (and school) libraries, it's hard to comprehend a time when they were not allowed in libraries.  There were no reading materials for them nor a special area set aside for their enjoyment.  Miss Moore Thought Otherwise:  How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children) written by Jan Pinborough with illustrations by Debby Atwell highlights the life of this woman who was determined to live her life on her own terms.

Once in a big house in Limerick, Maine, there lived a little girl named Annie Carroll Moore.  She had large gray eyes, seven older brothers, and ideas of her own.

 In the 1870s when Annie was born and growing up, it was expected women, like children, should, more or less, be seen and not heard.  Madcap rides in carriages and on toboggans were more to Annie's liking than stitchery.  Despite children not being allowed in libraries, she developed a love of reading.

Instead of choosing a normal path for unmarried women at nineteen, Annie decided to study law like her father.  Due to a family tragedy her plans were set aside for some years.  Exciting news changed her plans again; libraries were hiring women as librarians!

 Annie become a librarian at the Pratt Free Library after graduating from the Pratt Institute library school located in Brooklyn, New York.  Annie's library brought her recognition because of a special room designated for children.  Soon Dr. Bostwick requested her to oversee all the children's areas in every single one of the branches of the New York Public Library.

She developed a pledge for children; their signature in a book in exchange for library privileges.  Silence signs were removed.  New appealing titles replaced outdated dusty tomes.  Annie Carroll Moore worked tirelessly to ensure parents, teachers and librarians knew about and had access to the best children's literature available.

In the spring of 1911 with the dedication of the new New York Public Library the work of Annie was apparent in the creation of the Central Children's Room; the architecture, decor and materials welcomed children of all ages and backgrounds. Over the years despite what was going on in the outside world, in this room, programs and people provided a haven for the children.  Children never knew when Miss Moore might bring out Nicholas Knickerbocker, a wooden doll, to entertain and speak with them.  Even at the age of seventy after retirement, traveling across the United States, she continued to encourage others to provide outstanding services for children in their public libraries.


Debut children's book author Jan Pinborough has created an informative and lively look at the life of Anne Carroll Moore, a champion for children in the world of libraries.  Pinborough's thorough research not only focuses on Miss Moore's lifetime accomplishments but gives readers insight into her resolute personality; reading in the attic on rainy afternoons, going to her father's law office to learn, traveling to New York City alone to study, having special furniture made for the Central Children's Room, and extending her ideas about a place for children in libraries to other countries.  With the repetition of the phrase Annie thought otherwise readers develop admiration for this woman; we feel like cheering for her successes.


Acrylic paintings by Debby Atwell with their distinctive folk art quality pair perfectly with the narrative giving readers a window into another time and place.  Her bright full-color palette and spirited illustrations begin on the matching jacket and cover.  On the front we see Annie Carroll Moore tall and proud in front of the New York Public Library, children on either side of her and on the back Annie standing beside one of the library lions, hat in hand, another hand on the lion with the lion's eye looking at her.

Her choice in picture size and placement is a reflection of the text it enhances.  The opening and closing pages illuminate the text with framing showcasing flowers, birds and trees native to the season opposite a full page picture.  Atwell elects to use two pages, single pages, pages crossing the gutter creating a column for the text, and oval insets, all complimenting the ebb and flow of the writing.  One of my favorite illustrations shows Miss Moore in her car, suitcases stacked on top, the roadway filled with the text winding through cities and towns in our country.


Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children written by Jan Pinborough with paintings by Debby Atwell is a pleasing picture book biography, making Anne Carroll Moore's dreams, goals and achievements accessible to those for whom she dedicated all---children, libraries and access to the very best literature.  At the conclusion of the book are two pages titled More About Miss Moore which also notes others in the field working for children.  It is followed by a page of sources.

Please follow the links to the author, illustrator and book websites embedded in each of the names above.  This title has received a nomination for the Amelia Bloomer Project.

Yesterday I was invited to a fifth grade classroom to do extra booktalks to fire the students up for summer reading.  To my surprise I was presented with a copy of this book signed by all the students and their teacher, Mrs. Carol Madison.  I would love to post it here for you to see but many of the students gave their first and last names.  There is no greater treasure than books and the love of reading especially when you can pass it on and share it with others.
Posted by Xena's Mom at 10:20 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Where Are They?

I am a dyed-in-the-wool neatnik.  It's possibly the consequence of having a Dad who had all his tools organized by type and size, even engraving his initials on every single one.  My lifetime love, being a school librarian, could weigh heavily in favor of this particular personality trait.  The influence, over decades, of good ole' Melvil Dewey and alphabetical order is hard to shake.

Despite this, there are times when the most used, the most loved, item will turn up missing.  For whatever reason, my mind has one of its Swiss cheese moments. It's good to discover I share this, the forgetfulness not the neatness, in common with a particularly charming little green duck.  Have You See My New Blue Socks? (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) written by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier takes readers on a comic lost-and-found stroll.


I have lost my new blue socks.

 Looking in a box proves futile.  Duck knows, at least he thinks he knows, he put them close.  It's a complete mystery where they could be.

He decides to ask his pal Fox if he has seen his new blue socks.  Fox, knowing Duck well, asks if he has looked in his box.  He also suggests he question Ox about those missing socks.

This is becoming quite the puzzle because Ox has no clue except for inside Duck's box, asking Fox or....wait maybe down by the rocks.  There are plenty there but none are blue.  And blue is exactly how Duck is trying not to feel.

Knowing how the peacocks like to preen and parade Duck thinks they might have passed his lost attire. The three offer a question, sympathy and a solution.  The youngest of the three (and a careful reader) spots the tiniest of clues. Hip! Hip! Hooray!  Duck knew he put them close.


Rhyming couplets and repetition of phrases masterfully conceived by Eve Bunting provide an irresistible beat.  It invites active participation in the reading and the narrative journey. Each turn of page offers new possibilities, building toward a mirthful resolution.


From the matching jacket and cover readers clearly feel the frustration of  Duck having lost his new blue socks.  We also get a sense Duck might not be the best housekeeper either.  The title page featuring a single peacock feather hints at the ending.  A two page illustration, a landscape showing a forlorn duck leaning out the window of his home, follows for the verso and dedication page.

Sergio Ruzzier's adept composition of pen and ink and watercolor pictures done in a palette of delicate blues, greens, yellows, rusts (terra cotta), purple and creams elevates and extends the text.  Fine lines convey personality traits and mood on each of the characters.  Ruzzier's extra touches, those added details, add joy to the story; Duck's unkempt household (items scattered on the floor, hanging from the open window frame and upon the sill), Duck's friend Fox reading a book (Aesop's Fables?) with a plate of grapes from the arbor next to him, Mr. Ox sitting on a bench painting a fruit tree but not quite getting the colors right, the shape of the peacocks bodies, their head and tail feathers and the shoes Duck wears.  Each reading offers new discoveries.


Author Eve Bunting and illustrator Sergio Ruzzier have penned and pictured a precious tale in Have You See My New Blue Socks?  While the story reaching out to readers, the illustrations will pull them in, surrounding them with affection and warmth.  This is one of those books that is best shared, preferably out loud.  It would be fun to extend this with reader's theater or creative drama.

The link embedded in Eve Bunting's name will take you to a series of video interviews at Reading Rockets.  Sergio Ruzzier's official website can be accessed by following the link attached to his name.  Links to several interviews about Ruzzier's illustrative process can be found in a previous review linked here.
Posted by Xena's Mom at 8:18 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Create By Curation---Themeefy

For more than a year I have been wanting to try a curation tool I saw mentioned by Larry Ferlazzo on his blog, Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...  Previously I have posted about other similar tools, Scoop.it!, Storify, Pearltrees, Mentormob and Learnist.  With the flood of information from ever-increasing venues, it continues to be important to instruct our students in honing their curation skills.  The American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st Century Learners draws attention to this need in several sections of Standard 1: Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. 

 Themeefy is a web 2.0 application that allows you to curate the social web and personal experiences, customize and publish learning.  This service is free.  The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy cover use by persons under the age of 13.  An informative section of the Privacy Policy, Children's Personal Information, states that districts using Themeefy need to make sure parental/guardian approval has been obtained.  The developers of this web 2.0 application intend for it to be utilized in an educational setting.

In the upper right-hand corner of the home page buttons provide you with the ability to create classrooms for implementing  the service (Classrooms Beta), Browse other developed magazines, drag a bookmarklet to your browser toolbar to easily place items in a Themeefy mag (Tools), Sign Up and Login.  In the center of the home page you can immediately begin to create a Themeefy magazine by choosing the general Create option or the Teach start-a-class choice.  For educators the Teach screen looks like the image below.  For purposes of this post, trying the application, I choose the Create option.






























With a few clicks on the keyboard I had a theme name typed in and selected the Create Theme button. At this point I have not signed up yet.  The next screen, the workbench, provides a short text box type tour of many of the icons by clicking the forward and backward arrows. This is very helpful for a new user.

As soon as you arrive at the workbench the left side of the screen is filled with hits from a Google search of the theme name.  Beneath each item is the source link which gives you a chance to check for accuracy, relevance and authenticity.  You can type in new keywords in the search box to look for images in Flickr (moving from left to right with the icons), search for and add a URL link, upload files from your computer, upload images from the web or upload a file using a URL link, you can search for tweets on Twitter, create notes and search for videos on YouTube.  Each item can be previewed by clicking on the eye icon (taking you right to the website by opening up a window within the workbench) or added to your magazine by clicking on the plus sign. (1)

Your work in progress, magazine, appears on the right.  The title of your Themeefy can be altered with the click of a mouse.  By clicking on the pencil icon to the left of your title box, you are taken to the upload options.  (2)

After you click the plus sign for an item on the left, a copy shifts to the right with icons on the right for uploading, previewing and deleting.  Each time an item is added to your magazine the default image for Themeefy is shown.  When you upload an image, it replaces it.  You can also mouse over any text which originated with the item, change or add to it.

At any time during the adding of items to your magazine you can click the preview button above your column on the right. The first page is your title.  You can move forward and backward by using the arrows.  As noted the icon on the left opens up the upload choices.







The next page is your table of contents.  By clicking and dragging you can rearrange their order.  If you click on the title of the item it will take you to it immediately (except for some reason this would not work for the listed tweet pages). Videos can be viewed within a page.





The page for each item in your magazine has three icons on the left.  The top is for opening the three upload selections (1).  The middle icon takes you directly to the media listed (2).  If you want to head back to the table of contents, click the bottom icon (3)

For me getting images of maps in Bing worked better than Google maps.  They would open very well on the left in preview mode.  But they would not shift over to the right side correctly.

In order to share your work you need to sign up.  To register you need to provide your first and last name, email address and a password plus agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.  A new window opens to your profile page when this is completed.


Click on the bottom icon on the left side of your created magazine.  This will publish your work. You can share via a URL, on Facebook or Twitter, add a password so only certain people can view your work or unpublish the magazine.  Here is the link to my created magazine, Caldecott Medal 75 Years.  

 If you get stuck during this process the FAQ section will help.  I did send an email with a question and I received a reply within minutes.  I inquired about having an HTML embed code for blogs and websites.  It is coming very soon.


The huge advantage of Themeefy is the educator piece, especially for students under the age of 13.  To be able to have a free account, adding students from classes, monitoring their work in a secure environment, is great.  The ability for students to collaborate on magazines is an excellent feature.

It really couldn't easier to use.  I was able to navigate between each of the ways to add items with absolutely no problems.  If you make a mistake there is always a window of opportunity to make corrections.

Themeefy is a must add to your virtual toolbox.

Posted by Xena's Mom at 8:29 AM 2 comments
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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Golden Glowing, Flying Flashes In The Dark

When you least expect it, there they are.  In the middle of a neighborhood game of hide and seek, during a late night stroll or when you are coming in off the lake after a fishing adventure, the cooling summer air in all directions will be filled with the tiniest lights flashing off and on. Those beetles with bodies that glow have taken flight.

Whether standing still among them or moving about to hold one for a moment; no matter how many times you've seen them, the wonder never ends.  Summon your memories of summers' past.  Author Dianne Ochiltree and illustrator Betsy Snyder have combined their talents to capture the magic of a single evening in It's A Firefly Night (Blue Apple Books).


When the moon is high
and the stars are bright,
Daddy tells me,
"It's a firefly night!"

 Yes, she can see them all around her house, filling her yard with lightning gleams.  Joyfully jumping off the porch, now placing them in her jar, she still notices the warm air and gentle grass on her bare feet.

The container, a pulsing lamp, is a gathering spot, a layover, for the nighttime creatures.  She counts their numbers up to five, running to show her Daddy her temporary treasure.  Later, she places the jar on the ground, carefully holding one bug in her hand before she sends it flying away.

As each takes wing, she again counts their numbers, backward from ten, watching as they pass over familiar landmarks.  Marveling at their movement and light, she wonders.  Hand in hand as she and her Daddy walk back home, she asks the one question such an enchanted encounter inspires.


With eleven four-line verses, the second and fourth line rhyming, Dianne Ochiltree wraps readers in the warmth of this summer adventure.  Lilting words form a sensory luster all their own; shimmer, glimmer, sparkle, and shine. Metaphor and alliteration add to the melodious mood.


A double page illustration of the little girl and her little dog, enjoying their firefly fun stretches across the matching jacket and cover; the front and back jacket having a special addition, a raised glitter detail on eight spots.  Opening and closing endpapers continue the nightscape with the starry sky, lightning bugs, a grassy hill, evergreens and bushes.  The rich color palette seen on the jacket and cover is continued throughout the title in a series of lush, luminous two page visuals.

A cheerful variety of textures is used on all the items in each of the pictures; the marbleized moon, the scalloped roof, the lacy overlay on the girl's nightgown, her Daddy's checkered shirt and slippers, and the patterned fireflies' bodies and wings. In an email message received from Snyder she indicates I typically create my art by hand-painting textures, scanning them in, and collaging them on the computer using Photoshop. I use a mix of materials—acrylics, watercolor, pastels, gouache, etc.
The intricate details delight; the fireflies on the dog's nose and tail, the little red bird who follows their walk, the owl, skunk and fox in the opening view of the neighborhood, the caterpillar chewing a leaf, the smiles on the firefly faces or the spiderweb on her swing set. Betsy Snyder further elevates the elated feeling of the story by altering views; the first three illustrations zoom in closer and closer to the girl and her dog as they gather in the fireflies, in another readers look down on the girl as she gazes upward and in one the focus shifts to her outstretched hand, a lightning bug on a fingertip.

It is nearly impossible to pick out a favorite illustration but the close-up of the flowers and grasses with the caterpillar and ladybugs among them, surrounding the jar filled with five fireflies, showing only the girl's hands, seems to represent the the special moments of the entire evening.  Of course, the final two pages showing her and her Daddy walking along a path toward their house, the pup scampering ahead, the night alight with stars and fireflies, is a gem too.

It's A Firefly Night written by Dianne Ochiltree with art by Betsy Snyder is a light-hearted, absolutely charming, poetic portrait of a daughter and her father enjoying one of summer's precious pleasures.

After the story nine facts about fireflies are found in glowing orbs set in a night sky among the lightning bugs and stars.  Follow the links embedded in the author and illustrator names to their official websites.  This link is to the publisher website where several two-page spreads are available for viewing.
Posted by Xena's Mom at 7:58 AM 0 comments
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Monday, June 3, 2013

To Their Last Breath

Everyone fortunate to have a dog choose them knows about their keen sense of smell.  When they catch a whiff of something, it's not just a scent but an entire story.  If Xena sticks her nose in the air, looks around and does not seem to want to continue, we turn around.  The nose knows.

Another of their innate abilities is their sense of love, loyalty, to the leader of the pack--you.  If I become fearful, Xena is alert.  This was never more apparent than when we were attacked by a German Shepherd loose in a park; her change into wolf mode was uncanny. It is because of characteristics unique only to them, canines were used extensively during World War I along the Front; many as messenger dogs.  Debut author, Sam Angus, recreates a year during the war through the story of a fourteen-year-old boy in Soldier Dog (Feiwel and Friends).


Twelve hours had passed.  He'd last seen her at eight that morning.  Faint with exhaustion and hunger, Stanley sank down.  How on earth could he find a creature lighter and quieter than the wind?

 Stanley did not find the purebred, prize female greyhound, Rocket.  She returns home the next morning. His father, Da, prone to violent rages since the death of his wife and the enlistment of his older son, Tom, in the Great War, vows to not allow half-breed pups on the premises.  Six weeks after their birth, when the one most attached to Stanley, Soldier, is not taken by the tinkers, Da states he will drown him.  Awakened by Rocket's howling the next morning, to Stanley's dismay and rage, Soldier is missing.

Unable to bear a life that has become intolerable, Stanley leaves to look for Tom in France.  From Lancashire to Liverpool, he travels to enlist.  Lying about his age, he survives basic training, moving through Signal School, a division of the Royal Engineers.  When a new section of the Signals Service is formed, Messenger Dog Service, Stanley signs up, becoming a Keeper, Keeper Ryder.

Unlike the other men who are given three dogs to train, Stanley receives only one, Bones, a Great Dane.  He's told only men with three dogs go to the front, only men with dogs who bond with their master working perfectly without question.  Week after week Stanley prepares Bones, gunfire, heavy guns, bombs, and homing runs, until Colonel Richardson has no choice but to send them to France.

When communication lines (wires) are broken by gunfire and shelling, when men, runners, and pigeons can no longer be used the messenger dogs are sent.  Warfare in the trenches along the Western Front is brutal but a dog trained to come back through the worst of it, out of loyalty, will do so.  Key people in his home life, Da, Tom, and his teacher, Lana Bird, who Tom loves, merge with the soldiers who are Stanley's new family. Letters from those he cares about most play as important a role as the messages sent from one company to another on the field by the dogs.

The month of April 1918 will change everything Stanley believes to be true; unbelievable horror, suffering, pain, loss and heroism will pass in and out of his world.  Key battles, lost or won, will depend on the messenger dog who loves Stanley and who Stanley loves.  Readers will be unable to turn the pages fast enough to discover the fate of all involved.


In a word, this story, written by Sam Angus, is intense.  Meticulous research, providing details, is woven into dialogue and descriptions of place and time in England and France.  A sensory writing style binds the reader intimately to the events and action within the narrative; it's as if we one and the same with Stanley.  Broken into three parts; before enlistment, during service and after the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, chapter headings, sometimes only hours apart, contribute to the profound impact.  Here are several passages taken from an Advanced Reader's Edition (my only copy available).

The vast and bleak parade ground was surrounded by barracks, offices, and the entrance gates.  Fear kept drawing Stanley's eyes, like the needle of a compass, toward the gates.  Da might stomp through them at any minute, shouting for all to hear, "Fourteen! The daft twerp's only fourteen!"  Da would see the ill-fitting uniform, see the pants which billowed around his son's buttocks, see the puttee---the bandage-type stocking---that was in danger of unwinding at his right ankle, already unraveling at his knee.  Da would mock him and haul him home.

 "The shelling's cut the lines, sir...There's no point, sir, they're blown to bits as soon as they're laid."
"Oh, God," breathed Hunter to the linesman, aghast and haggard.  "No signals and we can't lay new lines till nightfall.  We've only the runners and they haven't a chance---the Hun's taken the tunnel under the canal---they'd have to swim across."
Hunter raced back down to the Signal Station.  There were more shouts from below, unintelligible.  Fidget was shouting to Stanley that the front line had pulled back again, that it wasn't holding.  A man came up the stairs, white-faced, eyes full of fear, a fresh runner, with Hunter behind.  Hunter looked toward the canal and the sickle of flame that grew hourly closer.
Stanley looked at the face of the runner.  And he looked down at Bones, willing and ready.  Would he be wanted now? his round eyes seemed to ask.  Stanley saw, with a rush of love, the large square skull and wing-like ears, and he felt a lump rising in his throat.  Bones must go, a man should not be sent---the dog was faster, lower, had the better chance.
"No, sir.  Don't send a man. S-send my dog, sir."
Soldier Dog the debut work of author Sam Angus vividly brings to life the place of messenger dogs in service during World War I.  It is a story of incredible courage, both human and canine; heartbreaking and heartwarming, captivating and compelling, memorable to the final sentence.  For middle grade and up, this book has my highest recommendation. A historical note, author's note, photograph gallery and bibliography are found at the book's end.

Follow the link embedded in Sam Angus's name above to her official website.  The link embedded in the title contains more information about the book, the research, reviews and the first chapter.  Bobbie Pyron, author of The Ring, A Dog's Way Home and The Dogs of Winter, interviews Sam Angus here.
Posted by Xena's Mom at 9:05 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, June 1, 2013

Twitterville Talk #102

It's been great watching the Twitter feed fill up with all the titles of books people have started to read for Donalyn Miller's Book A Day Challenge.  Exciting news about upcoming fall titles has many of us adding to our wish lists and book orders.  Speculation has started about possible titles for the 2014 Newbery and Caldecott awards.  People are making plans for summer professional development.  The American Library Association convention in Chicago this month has been a topic of conversation.  Enjoy what I've gathered, relax and take time for reading.  Look for the giveaways.

It's completely fun to read the chats between authors and illustrators on Twitter but this video conversation between author Ellen Potter and illustrator David Heatley about their book is wonderful.

 

Thanks to Alyson Beecher, educator and blogger at Kid Lit Frenzy, for this tweet.






Here are a couple of wonderful book trailers thanks to Mr. Schu's uncanny ability to find the best of the best.






This video with author/illustrator Annette LaBlanc Cate from the Candlewick series is so true.


Author and illustrator Annette LeBlanc Cate discusses the power of the picture book from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Judy Freedman talks about the joys of picture books---they give us pleasure and they give us hope.



Judy shows how you can have fun with picture books from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Loads of fun links from Random House (drawing Squish and Pod), (Toys In Space character badges and party hat), (Junie B's Summer Survival Guide) and (finish Lunch Lady's story).

There was lots of happiness on Twitter when the news was released about the June selection for NPR's Backseat Book Club.  Follow this link for the update.

Don't miss out on the MacMillan Fall Kids: Preview Peek.

 There are many great titles on a new list released this week.   Please look over The Pennsylvania Center for the Book 2013---A Baker's Dozen: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy.

 This is another great video about the collaboration between authors.  This features Sandra Jordan and Jan Greenberg.




Reading Rockets has put together Top 10 Resources on Summer Reading.

 Late Thursday night (when his ultra skills are in high gear) Mr. Schu posted a link to this outstanding video with Eric Rohmann talking about his writing and reading.




The versatile Candace Fleming chats about her work.




  Thanks to John Schumacher, teacher librarian, 2011 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, member of the 2014 Newbery Award committee and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. for all these tweets.





This is an amazing resource---Styling Librarians Children Books with Multiple Points of View
To the first person who can name the first book Debbie lists in this post I will send them a copy of ABC ZooBorns! by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland.  DM your answer on Twitter or in the comments below. (This title has been won.)

 On her Whatever Wednesday post, Celebrate Literacy, Debbie shares four wonderful videos.

 Many thanks to Debbie Alvarez, teacher librarian working in Hong Kong and blogger at The Styling Librarian for these posts and tweets.






In case you missed #titletalk hosted by Donalyn Miller, educator and author of The Book Whisperer: Awakening The Inner Reader In Every Child and Colby Sharp, educator, co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club and blogger at sharpread, last Sunday, it is archived here.  It was about building Book Buzz within your reading community.


Thanks for this tweet goes to Donalyn Miller.









Hilarity abounds in this video about what to wear to the American Library Association dinner and awards ceremony.  It is after all the 75th Caldecott Anniversary!




Thanks to Carter Higgins, writer, graphic designer, book editor and blogger at Design of the Picture Book for this tweet.





Hey there! Have you signed up yet for nErDcampBC?  Guaranteed no mosquitoes and leaky tents.
Follow this link for all the information.

Thanks to educator and blogger at Chemistry with Sharp and Messer , Alaina Sharp for this tweet.






Please be sure to read this blog post from a mother about the inclusion of her son into the school because of the lunch ladies---The Lunch Ladies Serve Justice!

 Thanks to author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka for this tweet.






Wow! Check out this---Hot Trailer: 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'  This makes me want to read the entire series all over again.

 Thanks to Children's Bookshelf of Publishers Weekly for this tweet.





The Association for Library Service to Children has compiled a series of lists for Summer Reading K-8.  They are in printable PDF format.
To the first person who can tell me the title in the 3-5 grade list associated with Dan Santat, I will send them a copy of Ladybug Girl and Bingo by David Soman and Jacky Davis.  Put your answer in the comments below or send me a DM on Twitter. (This title has been won.)

Thanks to Donna Macdonald, teacher librarian, tech integrationist and blogger for this tweet.


How many of us can say we do this every year?  5 Year Old Read 875 Books

 Thanks for this tweet and post goes to Travis Jonker, teacher librarian, member of the 2014 Caldecott Committee and blogger at 100 Scope Notes.








The Global Read Aloud picks for 2013 were announced this week!  There are some great titles.

Thanks to Georgett N, educator and blogger at Tales from Grade 2 for this tweet.
To the first person who can tell me the first title on this list I will send them a copy of Splat Says Thank You! written and illustrated by Rob Scotton.
Put your answer in the comments below or send me a DM on Twitter. (This title has been won.)






Chronicle Kids has some amazing surprises available to celebrate The Chronicle Kids 25th Anniversary Grand Prize Giveaway!


Thanks for this opportunity and tweet goes to Chronicle Kids.





There's another chance to donate to relief for the folks in Oklahoma---The Lucky 13s:  Kidlit Authors for Oklahoma Disaster Relief

 Thanks to author Laura Golden (Every Day After) for this tweet.




This idea from a school district in Michigan seems like a terrific opportunity for connecting readers--Online Inquiry Book Clubs

 Thanks to author Barbara O'Connor for this tweet.










Did you miss seeing any of these?  19 Wonderful Vintage School Library Posters


Thanks to author Patrick Carman for this tweet.






Author Bobbie Pyron has started a fund raiser for making a dream come true for a very special little girl who lost her life at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Please visit the site.  Everything starts on Monday.  Many authors are contributing.

Thank you Bobbie Pyron.




NPR Books has generated a nice list---Field Trip! 10 Books That Will Send Kids Exploring

 Thanks to Lorna Wheaton, book lover and blogger at Not For Lunch for this tweet.


These are a few of my favorite tweets and quotes from the week.






















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