Carnivores Book Trailer & Giveaway

Carnivores

Author:  Aaron Reynolds

Illustrator:  Dan Santat

ISBN 978-0-8118-6690-3

Audience: Ages 5 to 8

Publication Date: September 2013

Description from Chronicle Books:
The lion is king of the jungle!
The great white shark is sovereign of the seas!
The timber wolf is emperor of the forests!
But . . . it’s lonely at the top of the food chain. It’s difficult to fit in when plant eaters can be so cruel—just because you ate a relative of theirs that one time! What’s a carnivore to do? Aaron Reynolds’s roaringly funny text is perfectly paired with Dan Santat’s mouthwatering illustrations, creating a toothsome book that’s sure to stand out from the herd.

Aaron Reynolds has written many delicious books for kids including the Caldecott Honor Book Creepy Carrots. Though Aaron spent six years as a vegetarian, he is now a committed carnivore. He lives in Chicago.

Dan Santat is the illustrator of many acclaimed books and the creator of Disney’s animated hit The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird, and one cat.

Check out this great book trailer by Dan Santat:
 

Here is a peek at some pages:

It is tough being a vegetarian when your natural inclination is to be a carnivore.

Click here to download the Activity Kit.

Thanks to Chronicle, enter to win a special Carnivores Prize Pack including the book.  This giveaway is open to those with US or Canadian mailing addresses.  You must be 13 or older to enter.

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On a temporary hiatus...Be back soon!

Dear Readers:

There are days, weeks, months and seasons that require one to take a break.  This is one of those times.  For the next two weeks, I have multiple deadlines that require my full attention.  Unfortunately, it won't leave me much time to read for fun or to spend time on my blog.  In order to keep my sanity, I am stepping back from posting regularly to my blog for the next 10 to 14 days.  With that said, there will be a few pre-scheduled interviews and giveaways that will show up.

Thank you for understanding and I look forward to being back into a regular posting routine soon.
                                 ~ Aly

Common Core IRL: Volcanoes! - An Island Grows

Last Wednesday, we revealed our Common Core IRL: Volcanoes segment.  On Friday, Mary Ann Scheuer of Great Kid Books did an extender featuring volcanoes and poetry with Volcano Wakes Up!

We have one more post that looks at a picture book with a volcano focus for preschool and kindergarteners.

An Island Grows

by Lola M. Schaefer; Illustrated by Cathie Felstead

Greenwillow Books (August 1, 2006)

Read Aloud: Prek to First Grade
Independent Reading: First Grade
Source: Purchased

Description of the book from GoodReads:
This is the story of the birth of an island, from the first red-hot glow of magma at the bottom of the ocean, to the flowing lava that hardens and builds up higher and higher until, finally, it breaks through the water′s surface.

And then, life comes to the island. First come the small plants and animals, and later, people. This is a tale as old-and as new-as the ground we walk on.

My thoughts on this book:
An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer may be a simple look at how an island is created from a volcanic eruption but it is quite effectively executed.  Schaefer uses minimal text in verse to explain the process from the start of the eruption to the creation of the island.  She further continues the story to show children how seeds root and begin to grow, life begins to arrive, and eventually settlers come to work the land.  The end notes provide teachers with further information on how a volcanic island grows and provides a few additional resources to investigate.

It is not easy to take the process of how a volcanic island develops and make it understandable to very young children; however, Schaefer finds just the right words to be successful with her story.  Additionally, the illustrations by Cathie Felstead maintain the simplicity of the book while providing just the right visual images to help children follow the process.

This would make a nice addition to a collection of books on volcanoes and provide a nice balance to books that may be more text driven.  Additionally, as part of the common core standards, you can have children compare the text and illustrations of this book with the text and photographs in other early readers about volcanoes.

Since this is a slightly older book (2006), you may need to order this book from your local bookstore, or request it from your city library. 

Common Core connections:
Here are some of the kindergarten Common Core State Standards for reading informational text that can apply to this book:

Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

Check out these other posts from the Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries.

• KidLit Frenzy: Volcanoes for beginning readers
• The Nonfiction Detectives: The Krakatau Eruption for middle grade readers
• Great Kid Books: Multimedia resources for elementary students
• The Nonfiction Detectives: The Day the World Exploded - for upper elementary readers

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction picture book reviews below.

Sea Monster And the Bossy Fish Blog Tour - Giveaway & Interview with Kate Messner

When I was asked to participate in the Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish: Making Fishy Friends Blog Tour, I was thrilled.  I adore both Sea Monster's First Day and Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish.  And Kate Messner is an amazing author who writes picture books and early chapter books and middle grade novels and is one of my favorite authors.   Today, I am excited to welcome author, Kate Messner to Kid Lit Frenzy.  Thanks Kate for stopping by and chatting.

The Sea Monster books are wonderful and funny and have great lessons. What inspired you to write about a Sea Monster of all things and did you have someone in mind when you created the character?

Aw, thanks! The inspiration for Ernest the Sea Monster actually came from the legendary lake monster where I live: Champ of Lake Champlain. I’m not making this up…really. We have a Loch-Ness-Monster-esque lake monster that people have reported seeing since the 1600s. I always thought the people who reported those sightings were a bit over-imaginative until my family saw a big, unidentified something swimming through the waters near our house about eight years ago. What was it? I’m still not sure, but whatever it was, it got my writer’s brain churning, and the first sea monster book was the result!

Now that you are a full-time writer, what is the hardest thing or the thing you miss the most about the start of the school year?

The smell of new pencils. Confession: I have a bit of an office supply addiction, so I still pick up a few school supplies for myself when I do my kids’ fall shopping. I love teaching, and I’d miss it like crazy if teaching weren’t still very much a part of my job. These days, instead of showing up in the same classroom each morning, though, I’m visiting schools around the country to give presentations and writing workshops for kids, and I love it.

If you can spend the day with your favorite book character (not a character that you wrote) who would it be and what would you do?

Albus Dumbledore. I’d ask him to teach me everything he knows and share his lemon drops.

What is one book that you read over and over again as a child? What book did you never return to the library because you loved it so much and couldn’t let it go? 

Oh, gosh…there wasn’t just one! I was a voracious reader as a kid and remain one today. My favorites growing up were Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and Judy Blume’s TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING.

What was the book that turned you into a reader? 

Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a reader. My parents joke that they had to stop having dinner parties because I’d follow their guests around lugging a huge pile of books and looking pathetic until someone put down his or her drink and read to me.

What new projects are you working on?

I’m super-excited about my next picture book with Chronicle, which comes out in the spring. It’s called TREE OF LIFE, and it’s about Costa Rica’s almendro tree – a rainforest giant that provides food and shelter of various sorts to more than a thousand different kinds of organisms. In addition to exploring biodiversity, this book plays with numbers, too, as the animals multiply from page to page. I’m also putting the finishing touches on the third title in my Marty McGuire chapter book series with Scholastic (MARTY MCGUIRE HAS TOO MANY PETS!) and working on a new middle grade novel called ALL THE ANSWERS – my first book that involves magic! That one comes out in 2015.

What is the name of your favorite Indie bookstore and where is it located? 

Oh dear…I’m not sure I can choose just one because there are SO many amazing indies out there. But a few of my beloved local favorites are Flying Pig Books, Phoenix Books, and Bear Pond Books in Vermont and the fabulous Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, which handles signed book sales for my Skype classroom visits. All of these stores have incredible, book-loving people behind the counters and are truly special places for readers.

What are you reading? 

My TBR pile (and currently reading pile) is always an eclectic mix of kids’ books and research, mixed in with the occasional grown-up book. Here’s what’s on the table by the couch right now…

Anything that you wished I had asked you about? Or anything else that you care to share with the readers of Kid Lit Frenzy? 

Just a big thank you! The readers of SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY are the reason that our lovable Ernest is back. I so appreciate everyone who loved this book and shared it, and I hope you’ll enjoy SEA MONSTER AND THE BOSSY FISH just as much!

Teachers, Librarians, and Parents - Chronicle has provided a "Friend Fish" Pledge.  

click on image to download PDF

To check out all of the post for the Sea Monster Blog tour, check out Chronicle Book's Interview with Kate Messner, here.

Thanks to Chronicle Books for providing a copy of Sea Monster and the Bossy Day by Kate Messner to one lucky reader.  Please enter the rafflecopter form below.  Participants need to be 13 years or older and have a US or Canadian mailing address.

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It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 8/19/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

When I am stressed or frustrated, I find sitting down with a pile of picture books to be therapeutic.  I will wander over to Vroman's Bookstore, and settle in with a pile of new picture books.  Quickly, I find my mood lifting.  Granted, I usually can't leave the store without purchasing a few books, but I suspect that it isn't any more expensive than if I had gone to a counselor.  And at least, I can share the books over and over again with others.

Here is what stood out from the pile this week....

If You Were A Panda Bear by Florence Minor; Illustrated by Wendell Minor (Katherine Tegen Books, June25, 2013) - A look at characteristics related to specific types of bears.  Bear lovers will enjoy this one.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson; Illustrated by Tara Calahan king  (Chronicle Books, September 1, 2000) - I saw this on several posts recently and wanted to read it.  Such a great book for talking to kids about friends and enemies.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (Greenwillow Books, August 27, 2013) - An interactive book that looks at the growing cycle of a tree through the seasons.

Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller (Schwartz & Wade, August 6, 2013) - I wasn't sure what to expect with this book.  A story about a little girl who becomes attached to a butternut squash. Could be odd, but turns out to be a really cute story. 

Me, Hungry! by Jeremy Tankard (Candlewick, April 22, 2008) - Another book that I saw recently on another blog post, and new I had to find it.  This one is a lot of fun. 

Stick! by Andy Pritchett (Candlewick Press, August 6, 2013) - This simple story, with very few words would make a fun read aloud for toddlers and preschoolers. 

The Three Musicians: A Children's Book Inspired by Pablo Picasso by Veronique Massenot; Illustrated by Vanessa Hié (Prestel Publishing, June 27, 2013) - I had my doubts about this one when I saw the cover and style of the book. Yes, I judged a book by it's cover. *sigh* But when I read it, I really liked it.  Based on Picasso's painting The Three Musicians, the book lends itself to art discussions as well as potentially great conversations about how our perceptions of life can impact our behaviors.

Here are two that I picked up and started but haven't quite finished yet...

The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books, August 6, 2013)

Bluffton: My Summers With Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan (Candlewick Press, July 23, 2013)

So, what are you reading?

#DollBones Twitter Chat - Archived Chat

Thank you to Holly Black for joining in for a fun twitter chat about her great Middle Grade novel, Doll Bones.  I enjoyed co-moderating with Sasha Reinhardt, who also graciously captured the chat and archived it using Storify.  If you missed the chat, you can check it out below.
 

The Adventures of Bella and Harry Giveaway

The Bella & Harry series was developed to inspire young readers to embrace the world and encourage its exploration. Done through the comedic and informative adventures of sibling Chihuahuas Bella and Harry, while traveling through various countries, the series aspires to stimulate children’s imaginations and foster a thirst for understanding the world in which they live.

Edinburgh and Rome are the seventh and eighth books in the series. Paris, Venice, London, Cairo, Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul and Jerusalem are also available.

About Bella & Harry: Let’s Visit Rome
Bon giorno! Join Bella & Harry as they travel to Rome with their family and see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain and other sites. Along the way local cusine (spaghetti and meatballs) and basic Italian words are introduced.

About Bella & Harry: Let’s Visit Edinburgh
Good day! Join Bella and Harry as they travel to Edinburgh with their family and see Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Botanic Garden and enjoy a trip to Loch Ness to search for Nessie! Along the way local cuisine (such as Dundee cake) and basic Scottish phrases are introduced.

Check out this book trailer:



Stop by the Official Website for the Adventures of Bella and Harry: www.bellaandharry.com

You can also "like" the Adventures of Bella and Harry on Facebook

Thanks to The Adventures of Bella & Harry, two lucky readers will get a chance to win copies of both books shown above.  This giveaway is for those with US mailing addresses and you must be 13 years or older to enter.  Fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter.


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Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries - Volcanoes

Periodically, Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday will take a back seat for another kind of nonfiction book post.  In May, Great Kid Books, 100 Scope Notes, & The Nonfiction Detectives and I introduced readers to a new feature we called Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries.  Each segment will explore nonfiction texts around a particular topic. 

Today's topic is volcanoes!  Don't forget to check out the other posts as part of this series. 

     * Louise Capizzo, children’s librarian & Cathy Potter, school librarian: The Nonfiction Detectives
     * Mary Ann Scheuer, school librarian: Great Kid Books

Check out the following Early Readers Volcanoes for 1st to 3rd grade:

Danger! Volcanoes (SeeMore Readers Level 2) - Seymour Simon
Publisher: StarWalk Kids Media (February 1, 2011 - original publication date: March 1, 2001)
ISBN: 978-0439467827
Read Aloud Level: 1st-3rd grade
Independent Reading Level: 2nd to 4th grade
Source: Purchased; Personal Copy

My thoughts on this book:
For those familiar with Seymour Simon's Smithsonian Collins Series of books, you will recognize the style of text and photographs in this Level 2 reader.  Simon is strong at pairing up information with amazing photographs.  Key vocabulary is highlighted but still require children to look up the definitions or for teachers to create a list of vocabulary with definitions for students to reference.

This is a no frills reader.  You won't find fancy info-graphics or other features.  There is a link for readers to download "trading cards" about various volcanoes. Simon's website has a significant number of resources to check out and additional teacher guides. Thanks to the photographs and straight-forward text, this Level 2 reader can be used with a wide range of students at a variety of grade levels. 

Volcanoes! (National Geographic Kids Readers Level 2) - Elizabeth Carney; Photographs by: various
Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (July 8, 2008)
ISBN: 978-1426302851
Read Aloud Level: 1st to 3rd grade
Independent Reading Level: High 1st grade to High 3rd grade
Source: Purchased; Personal Copy

My thoughts on this book:
Volcanoes! National Geographic Readers Level 2 combines readable text with joke-like questions and answers (Q: What did the volcano eat for lunch? A: Ashed Potatoes), key vocabulary, and hot facts.  There is nothing boring about a National Geographic Reader, and if anything, I find that these books are really a bit more than your standard early reader.

As an educator, I appreciate the obvious effort that National Geographic invests in their early reader series.  Not every child is drawn to informational text; however, with a reader like Volcanoes! there is certainly something for every student.  For an initial read through, children can simply read the text.  With additional readings, students can check out the jokes, or the hot facts scattered throughout the pages.  There are also vibrant illustrations, interesting graphics, and a few fun pages such as "Postcards from the Ring". 

Despite the amount of information packed into 32 pages, there was obvious intention to the design of the book. Volcanoes! can be an informational read aloud, or an independent read for children in 2nd and 3rd grade.  However, teachers of older readers who may struggle with informational text or those who work with English Language Learners who benefit from visuals and definitions to key vocabulary will also find these books to be a valuable resource.

Common Core Standards Associated with Texts listed above:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

First:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.8 Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9 Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Second:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.8 Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.9 Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

First Grade:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.10 With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.

Second Grade:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Key Idea and Details

First Grade:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9 Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Second Grade:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.3 Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
   
For my regular Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday readers, you call still link up your nonfiction review and let us know in the comment section what you think of Common Core IRL.  

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 8/12/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

This was a very slow reading week due to it being an extremely busy week getting ready for students to arrive in a couple of days.  I hope to pick up my reading once things settle in with the new school year.  Despite it being a slow week, here are some fun titles to check out.

Knit Your Bit: A World War I Story by Deborah Hopkinson; Illustrated by Steven Guarnaccia (Putnam Juvenile, February 21, 2013)- A historical fiction story about the adults and children who knitted to help support the soldiers away at war during WWI. 

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox; Illustrated by Leslie Staub (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2006) - Mem Fox celebrates diversity with its similarities and differences in this picture book.

The Case of the Missing Donut by Alison McGhee; Illustrated by Isabel Roxas (Dial, July 25, 2013) - Simply a fun read aloud for younger students.

Volcano! by Ellen J. Prager (National Geographic Kids, 2001) - An interesting mix of cartoon mixed in with actual photographs.  Lots of good information about volcanoes for 2nd to 4th graders.

Rufus Goes to School by Kim T. Griswell; Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev (Sterling Children's Books, August 6, 2013) - This was probably one of my favorite books and I can't wait to share it with kindergarteners this week.

"Every day, Rufus Leroy Williams III turned the pages of his favorite book. He looked at every picture. He made up stories to go with them. But he could not read the words. Rufus knew just what to do. He would go to school and learn to read." - Griswell (Rufus Goes to School)

So, what are you reading?

August 10 for 10 Picture Book Post: My Top Ten Favorite Wordless Picture Books that Require a Second or Third Read

Today is August 10th and  Mandy Robek from Enjoy and Embrace Learning and Cathy Mere from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community are hosting the August's Picture Book 10 for 10 event.

I am celebrating this year by sharing my top ten wordless picture books that require a second and maybe even a third read.  Each of these books are beautifully illustrated and complex in a unique way that invite readers in to have a closer look.  What I love about wordless picture books is that you can often use them with any grade level.  Wordless picture books can inspire a reader's imagination or encourage a child to write in a way he has never written before or allow a child to find her own storytelling voice.  

Here are the 10 I can't live without and think need to be in everyone's libraries.  I have listed the books in no particular order. Enjoy!

The Umbrella by Ingrid Schubert; Dieter Schubert (Lemniscaat, 2011)

The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett (Simon & Schuster, 2013)

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole (Scholastic, 2012)

The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers (Roaring Brook, 2012)

Zoom by Istvan Banyai (Puffin, 1998)

The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay (Chronicle Books, 2011)

Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2007)

The Chicken Thief by Béatrice Rodriguez (Gecko Press, 2009)

Shadow by Suzy Lee (Chronicle Books, 2010)

The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2011)

Virtual Blog Tour & Interview with Elisa Kleven

Today author & illustrator, Elisa Kleven stops by as part of her Virtual Blog Tour for Glasswings.

Hi Elisa – Thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions. (Thank YOU!!!) I am excited to be a part of your virtual blog tour for Glasswings. It is a beautiful story both in text and illustrations. (thanks again!)

In looking at your website, you have a significant number of books that you have written and illustrated, but also quite a few books that you have illustrated for other writers. Can you share a little about the process you go through when writing and illustrating a book? 

If I'm illustrating my own story, I first need to generate a text of course. I have a pretty circuitous way of writing stories. Beginning with the seed of an idea, which is often based on a visual image or a memory, I start to write down thoughts about the image, which, if I'm lucky, cohere and build and grow together become a story. Often I think of multiple scenarios and possible endings for the same story. Sometimes I get stuck and have to put the text away in my drawer for awhile, where it can rest and "gestate" for awhile. If I'm illustrating another author's text, the process is much more straightforward. I read the story many times to get a feel for the characters, mood and setting, and then I begin sketching pictures which illustrate and, I hope, illuminate salient images from the story.

Do you have particular authors or illustrators that you credit as influencing your work or motivating you to become an author/illustrator? 

So many. The great picture book collage masters , Leo Lionni, Ezra Jack Keats, and Eric Carle have all influenced me. I remember seeing THE SNOWY DAY when I was young and thinking that the way I cut out and recycled scraps of this and that --used wrapping paper, pictures from catalogs, lace and ribbons, etc. to create my handmade dollhouse worlds was (granted, a much less sophisticated) version of Keats' use of collage. The comparison was validating: here was a grownup artist, making beautiful art with the same kinds of materials I loved to play around with.

What prompted you to write a book about glasswing butterflies? Have you always been interested in butterflies?

I have always loved butterflies. They are like otherworldly fairies, and yet so vital to maintaining healthy plants and flowers.  I love this combination of down-to-earth industriousness and exquisite, ethereal beauty, and tried to highlight it in my story.

What was the funniest thing a child has ever asked you in a letter/email/school visit?

"Do you talk to your toys still? " (No, but I talk through my somewhat toy-like book characters.) And, this may not be that funny but I found it moving: "I love the way you draw fairies, crocodiles, dogs, Paper dolls and elephants. Your stories are juicy and descriptive , they give me feelings."

If you could claim credit for another children’s book (as the writer or illustrator) which book would it be? 

THE HUNDRED DRESSES, by Eleanor Estes, TUCK EVERLASTING, by Natalie Babbitt, CHARLOTTE'S WEB, by E.B. White, MR. RABBIT AND THE LOVELY PRESENT, by Charlotte Zolotow and Sendak, and hundreds of others!

Can you share about any new projects that you are working on? 

I'm working on a few different stories right now…one stars a chimp, another a bear, another a baked good, and another my Grandma Eva Art , who was an artist from Ukraine.

Where do you like the write/draw? Do you have any special routines when you are creating? (e.g., listening to music, a special beverage, etc) 

I like to write while sitting on my bed (which is near a big window with a view trees, houses, and San Francisco Bay), or at the computer in our home library. And I like to make art in my studio, which is in my back yard. I can't listen to music when I'm thinking of a story, but I love to listen while I'm making illustrations. In the morning my special beverage is strong coffee, and in the late afternoon, a dainty, ladylike glass of wine (but not till late afternoon, mind you! ☺)

Since it is summer, do you have any favorite road trip or beach books that you can recommend? 

I've been reading EAST OF EDEN and loving it. And I've just started THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE, a fascinating story based on a true story about the Warsaw Zoo during World War Two.

Can you share a picture of your TBR pile?

This is just one of many of such piles.

Don't forget to look for a copy of Glasswings by Elisa Kleven a local indie bookstore or public library.  Click here to purchase a copy on IndieBooks.org

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - August 2013 Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I try to give a heads up on new releases for the month.  Here are several releases coming out this month.

August 1, 2012

Ancient Animals: Terror Bird by Sarah L. Thomson (Charlesbridge Publishing)

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young; Illustrated by Nicole Wong (Charlesbridge Publishing)

Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Desserts by Cindy Neuschwander (Charlesbridge Publishing)

Volcano Rising by Elizabeth Rusch (Charlesbridge Publishing)

August 6, 2013

My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King, Jr.; Illustrated by A.G. Ford (Amistad)

August 27, 2013

Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books)

Let's Go Nuts: Seeds We Eat by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books)

Looks like some great books coming out this month.  I am looking forward to reading and reviewing several of these books.  And don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews.