Thank you, Earth – Earth Day 2018, PPBF

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Joanna

Time to celebrate Earth Day, Sunday April 22nd 2018, which I try and do every day. What a privilege and responsibility to be stewards of this planet so rich in beauty and resources.

©M C Guckin

Title: Thank You, Earth – A Love Letter to Our Planet

Author & Illustrator: April Pulley Sayre

Publisher: Greewnwillow Books, 2018

Ages: 3-7

Themes: nature, the earth, thankfulness, wonders, colors, shapes, concepts, conservation, environmentalism

Opening:

Dear Earth,

Thank you for water and those that float,

for slippery seaweed

and stone.

Synopsis:

Water, air, light.
Patterns, curves, shapes, colors.
Things that crawl, fly, float, run, bloom, ripen. 
Think of everything Earth gives us.
What are you most thankful for?

Why I like this book:

A stunning and thoughtful introduction to nature and its concepts with a message of environmentalism and conservation. Precision closeups and gorgeous panoramic vistas capture the beauty of the Earth as the lyrical, rhythmic text gives gratitude.

This would be a great intro for a conservation unit, a class photography project or to celebrate Earth Day. The carefully crafted verse in super simple easy to understand language, with rhymes and repeated sounds, make this a great read aloud.

Activities/resources:

The end notes give readers more ideas on how to help the environment and detailed notes about the photographs.

Earth Day Network

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

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Girl Running, BOBBI GIBB and the BOSTON MARATHON – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Joanna

The 122nd running of the Boston Marathon is on Monday, April 16, 2018, so I wanted to feature this tribute to BOBBI GIBB, on the pre-marathon weekend of festivities.

Title: Running Girl, BOBBI GIBB and the BOSTON MARATHON

Author:Annette Bay Pimentel

Illustrator: Micha Archer

 Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018

Ages: 5-8

Themes: gender stereotyping, Boston marathon, female runners, women’s history, sports, women’s history month

Genre: biography

Opening:

Bobbi Gibb must wear a skirt to school because she is a girl.
She is not allowed to run on the school’s track team.
Because those are the rules–and rules are rules.

But after school…

Synopsis:

Because Bobbi Gibb is a girl, she’s not allowed to run on her school’s track team. But after school, no one can stop her–and she’s free to run endless miles to her heart’s content. She is told no yet again when she tries to enter the Boston Marathon in 1966, because the officials claim that it’s a man’s race and that women are just not capable of running such a long distance. So what does Bobbi do? She bravely sets out to prove the naysayers wrong and show the world just what a girl can do.

Why I like this book:

It’s an inspirational story of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. The story traces her training in inappropriate footwear and alone, but always with joy.

I love the timeline of the marathon with the elevation levels at the bottom of the pages, and the illustrations burst with her runners high, which as a marathoner, I totally get.

Perfect girl power book of perseverance to add to #Womenshistorymonth, a unit on the Olympics/marathons, or any unit trying to redress gender stereotyping.

Activities/resources:

The afterward fills in some of the timeline and and gives further information about women marathoners and their official access to races. Bobbi’s official recognition doesn’t come until 1992!A selected bibliography provides four suggestions: two websites and two books.

Marathon Facts for Kids

Maybe talk to your children about participating in local fun runs?

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

 

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Hurricane Child – Middle Grade Book Recommendation

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Joanna

Title: Hurricane Child

Author: Kheryn Callender

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2018

Ages: 10-13

Themes: black, lgbtqia+, Caribbean, internalized homophobia, depression, micro-agressions, racism, disappearing parent, self-esteem, cultural identity, spirits, coming-of-age

Genre: Contemporary

Opening:

My ma’s voice is rough and low. When she speaks to strangers on the telephone, they call her “Sir.” I guess it must be surprising to some people, the way her voice sounds, because she’s so beautiful—just about the prettiest woman you’ve ever seen. I love the way her rough voice vibrates on the air like the beat of a drum. She sings around the house. Under her breath, since people say her voice is so ugly all the time.

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She’s hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and — worst of all — her mother left home one day and never came back. With no friends and days filled with heartache, Caroline is determined to find her mother. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, seems to see the things Caroline sees, too. Joined by their common gift, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline look for her mother, starting with a mysterious lady dressed in black. Soon, they discover the healing power of a close friendship between girls. (GR)

Why I like this book:

Vivid, lyrical haunting prose will transport you to the fears and flavors of the Caribbean from page one. Amidst the sensory details of the setting, Callender weaves so many layers and manages to give a minutiae of cultural details with so many universal childhood feelings, making this a story that will touch a wide audience. Some reviewers have categorized the novel as magical realism, my sense is that the belief in spirits is just part of the island culture’s world view. 

There are many threads in the story, which would require a certain reading skill, but are completely within reach of a strong 5th grade reader. This is a story of family, loss, bullying, first love, etc.,  and all the pain and joy those things inevitably bring to any child. 

Kalinda’s internalized homophobia, rooted in the Catholicism practiced on the islands, felt incredibly authentic and moving. The first (queer) love is not the main plot line, but is a very important age-appropriate secondary thread, which I loved. How cool to read an #ownvoices middle-grade book about a black girl falling for another girl and the journey towards acknowledging this to herself and her love interest. 

Callender has written Hurricane Child in first person POV and there’s a lot of internal dialogue for a middle grade novel, with correspondingly a little less action, but this is in perfect harmony with our protagonist, Caroline and her journey not only to find the mother who has abandoned her, but also to reconnect with the parts of herself she is in danger of abandoning, Caroline is brave, strong, and independent, and her new friend, Kalinda’s  patience and understanding are exactly what Caroline needs facing deeply flawed, yet loving parenting. The author hits the middle grade sweet spot perfectly.

This is Callender’s debut and they are an author whose career I shall be following. 

“This is what hurts the most. Silencing myself when I’ve fought so hard to be heard.”

Posted in Children's literature, Diverse Children's Books, diversity, LGBTQIA, middle grade | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments