Thursday, July 31, 2008

Non-Fiction Treats










Buller The Unofficial Official Handbook For Boys
J 031.02 Buller
This book is full of games, facts, activities and things to make. Find out if rats get sweaty, how many words you can write with one pencil, how many meteoroids rain down on earth each day, and if frogs have ears… Find out how to make a worm farm, cool scarecrow, and how to catch a “Hail Mary” pass in football. This book is like potato chips, you can’t stop at one page!











Gill Alaska J979.8 Gill
Alyeska is the Aleut word for the beautiful state called Alaska; it means “the Great Land.” I am bundled up when the thermometer reaches 40, but Alaska can get winter temps of 60 degrees below zero. Find out cool (brrr) facts about the aurora borealis, mushers, the “stinky diaper” flower, and more! Enjoy the poetry and beautiful photographs. Special treats are the Cheechako tips like: Don’t eat yellow snow; Don’t let go of the sled and Stay upwind from whales...















Jackson The Mysterious Universe:
Supernovae, Dark Energy and Black Holes
J 523.84465 Jackson
This book follows scientist Alex Filippenko and his team as they search for supernovae, which are stars that die with a gigantic explosion. He also looks for black holes and studies the effects of dark energy. This book also addresses the ever expanding universe. Dr. Filippenko shows readers science in interesting ways---he sifts grains of sand to demonstrate the vast number of stars which exist and he even dresses up as a black hole. Interesting for those who like to learn more about space. Fine pictures!












Urbigkit
The Shepherd’s Trail
J 636.300976 Urbigkit
Each herd or band of sheep is cared for by one or two sheepherders, employed by the ranch owner. They use herding dogs to sort and move sheep. I didn’t know that sheep are early risers. Professional sheep shearers take only about 3 minutes to shear a sheep. Especially cool is the information on how sheepherders know if any of their sheep are missing.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

More Garbage In Children's Books

I found some more trashy favorites....






















Bailey, Linda How Come The Best Clues Are Always In The Garbage?
J Mys Bailey
When a thief steals money from her mom's Garbage Busters project, Stephanie, a sixth grader, identifies herself as "Stevie Diamond, Detective" and sets off to find the culprit.
















Burns, Loree Griffin Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam And
The Science Of Ocean Motion
J 551.462 Burns

This is the story of scientists who track ocean going trash in order to discover how to better protect the environment. Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer is one such scientist. He is considered to be a leading expert on flotsam and jetsam, floating trash that falls or is thrown from ships at sea. Some of his experiments involve tracking sneakers and rubber ducks. For grades 5-8,
this is a well written book, fine for recreational reading or report writing. Photos, charts, and diagrams are an added enrichment. Check out the picture of the litter strewn beach on Kure Atoll, which is a remote, uninhabited Pacific island. Eye-opening!











Erickson, John R. The Garbage Monster From Outer Space
J Fic Erickson
Hank the Cowdog is determined to find out who's behind the series

of garbage barrel raids for which he is being held responsible.











Maass, Robert Garbage
E Maass
An introduction to the problems of waste management

and the various ways we dispose of garbage. Includes tips on recycling.














Odanaka, Barbara Smash! Mash! Crash!
There Goes The Trash!
E Odanaka
Presents a rhyming imitation of all the sights and sounds of

the neighborhood on trash day.














Paulsen, Gary Dunc’s Dump
J Fic Paulsen
Camouflaged as piles of rotting trash, Dunc Culpepper

and his best friend for life Amos Binder are sneaking
around the town dump. Dunc wants to find out who is
polluting the garbage at the dump with hazardous
and toxic waste. Amos just wants to impress Melissa.
Can either of them succeed?













Friday, July 18, 2008

Delightful Garbage In Children's Books













Armstrong, Jennifer Once Upon A Banana
E Armstrong
Rhyming street signs tell the story of the chaos that
happens when a juggler’s monkey runs away, snatches
a banana and tosses the peel.








Fine, Edith Hope Armando And The Blue Tarp School
E Fine
Armando and his father are trash-pickers in Tijuana, Mexico, but
when SeƱor David brings his "school"--a blue tarp set down near
the garbage dump--to their neighborhood, Armando's father decides
that he must attend classes and learn. Based on a true story of
David Lynch from New York, who went to Mexico in 1980 to teach
the children living in the colonia of the city dump. This is a wonderful
story of the “magical” interaction between a teacher and the students.
The theme of valuing education runs throughout the story. Heart-warming!











McMullan, Kate I Stink!
E McMullan
Who goes around town eating smelly sneakers,
moldy meatballs, fish heads and more! No wonder
he proudly boasts: “I STINK!” The loud, sassy,
burping garbage truck has kid appeal. A real…trashy….treat!









Zimmerman, Andrea G. Trashy Town
E Zimmerma
Take the route with Mr. Gilly, trash collector, as he
cleans up the whole town.

























Thursday, July 10, 2008

Nonsense Poems For Children








Carroll, Lewis Jabberwocky
J 821.8 Carroll
The author's famous poem is given a modern visual

twist as the Jabberwocky becomes a fourteen-fingered,
slam-dunking beast on the basketball court.















Hort, Lenny Tie Your Socks And Clap Your Feet
J 811.54 Hort
A collection of nonsensical poems about dogs that purr,eating soup

with a knife, a baby girl with a mustache, and other silly situations.


Kennedy, X. J. Ghastlies, Goops, & Pincushions
J 811.54 Kennedy
A collection of nonsense poems describing a variety of unlikely

characters and situations.


Lear, Edward The Pelican Chorus And Other Nonsense
E Lear
The fantasy and nonsense of three of Edward Lear’s most famous

poem tales.


Lear, Edward Quangle Wangle’s Hat
J 821 Lear
The Quangle Wangle thought he was isolated at the top of

a tree but his hat attracted a wide range of visitors.









Yolen, Jane How Beastly: A Menagerie Of Nonsense Poems
J 811.54 Yolen
Funny rhymes and pictures show us some beasts that never were!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Wartime Poetry In Children's Books












Greenfield, Eloise When Horses Ride By: Children In The Times of War
J 811.54 Greenfie
Examines children’s perspectives on war and how it impacts their lives.









Hopkins, Lee Bennett America At War: A Book Of Poems
J 811.0080358 America
Poems dealing with warfare and the emotions stemming from it.
Covers Revolutionary War to IraqWar. Poets include Jane Yolen,
Sara Teasdale, Walt Whitman, Sir Walter Scott and others.
Check out the poems…”Care Package” by Janet Settimo;
“Vocabulary Lesson” by Ann Wagner; and “Front Porch Knitting”
by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater.









Lewis, J. Patrick The Brother’s War
J 811.54 Lewis
Drawn from books, articles, the speeches of Lincoln,
and the letters of Grant and Lee, a historical documentation
of the Civil War uses poetry to bring to life the brutal conflict
that tore America apart.










Meltzer, Milton Hour Of Freedom
J 811.008 Hour
A collection of poems by such authors as Stephen
Vincent Benet, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes,
and Edna St. Vincent Millay addresses major events
in American history, including the Westward Movement,
slavery, industrialization, and war.