October 2009 - Wrapped in Foil

October 30, 2009

Books for Halloween: A Trick or a Treat?

Did you see the promotion about Books for Treats in the comic strip Luann yesterday? First there were books in breakfast cereal. Now giving out books instead of candy at Halloween?

Giving out gently used books for Halloween instead of candy does seem like an interesting idea. My son is allergic to dairy products and other foods. Halloween has never had the thrill for him that kids that can eat chocolate, etc. He always appreciated the homes that gave out small toys instead of candy.

I am concerned that kids that can eat candy are not going to be as positive about receiving “an old book” as the website suggests. If I try giving out books this year, I’ll probably offer candy too. I know, part of the idea is to reduce the amount of candy kids consume, but the positive aspects of promoting reading is more important to me. Let the kids get used to the idea slowly.

Another issue is the age range of the children who trick-or-treat. The website does have information about how to organize books by reading level, but how do you present an age-appropriate book quickly? I am afraid I’ll be giving board books to teenagers by the end of the night. I wish the Luann cartoon had run last week so I had more time to prepare.

One the positive side, this could be a great opportunity for publishers in the future to produce “bite-sized” books just for distribution at Halloween. Now wouldn’t that be spooky?

October 29, 2009

Writing Books for NaNoWriMo

Are you going to participate in National Novel Writing Month? Now is a good time to pick up some new writing books or dust off some old favorites to have on hand.

Over the years I have found a few writing books that I find I go back to again and again, like old friends. I’d like to share them here. Although I recommend some that are for writing for or by children, all of these books contain information helpful for the craft of writing in general.

Any of Natalie Goldberg’s books for writers are wise and wonderful. Her highly personal style is particularly good for people interested in creating a memoir. She’s also an excellent resource if you have writer’s block and/or need encouragement or inspiration. Two examples are: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within and Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer’s Craft.

Stephen King’s On Writing is a real bargain. Even if you don’t enjoy his genre or condone his lifestyle, the meat of his advice about writing is definitely worth much more than you’ll pay for his book.

You might wonder why I have included The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson, since it is about how the English language came about. I think that if you understand the language and how it works, you can use it more effectively. Plus Bryson is a compelling writer himself and it is worth studying his style.

Anastasia Suen is a prolific author who also teaches online courses on writing for children. Her book, Picture Writing, is based on a lot of experience and knowledge. Writers of all levels and genres can benefit from her insights. (Now, if she would just write a book on how she manages her time and her organizational system, because she manages to accomplish a superhuman amount!)

Instead of teaching adults how to write for children, Ralph Fletcher writes books to help children and young adult’s learn the craft. Two examples of his many titles are How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You and Poetry Matters. I like his books because his passion shows through. They are good because they are quick to read and to the point.

Finally, I found The Novel by James A. Michener a fascinating glimpse of his writing world. Although from another time, and overlaid with a thin layer of fiction, it still speaks to a number of issues a writer faces.

Hope you find something useful in this list. I would love to hear what books you turn to when writing.

And now, check out this cool widget from Amazon. Isn’t it fun?

October 26, 2009October 26, 2009

Nonfiction Monday: Fall Into Leaves

Nonfiction Monday Participants: Go ahead and “leave” your links in the comments today.

I admit it, I love fall. The colors, shapes and textures of the different tree leaves motivate me to do art projects. Here are two books to use as jumping off points for fall leaf art activities.

Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors (Smart About Art) is a fun place to find ideas for a leaf collage art project. Jane O’Connor has summed up Henri Matisse’s life and art in a short, sweet and kid-friendly manner. She explains Henri Matisse started doing paper collage when an illness left him too weak to stand up. He had assistants who painted the paper for him. He cut the shapes and then his assistants arranged the cutouts according to his instructions. When he was happy with the arrangement, the pieces were glued down. Take a look at La Gerbe by Henri Matisse, a copy of which is included in the book. Couldn’t that be a gorgeous swirl of fall leaves?

Activity: Gather leaves with interesting shapes and/or show pictures of leaves. As a shortcut, provide colorful construction paper, although it might be fun to have the children paint their own paper (envision Eric Carle). Then it is time to do some “Drawing With Scissors.” Cut out leaf shapes. If appropriate, you can tie in the concept of symmetry. Arrange the leaf shapes on a larger piece of paper and glue down, or decorate a wall or window. Or they can use their leaves for the activity below.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert is inspiring because the author is such a wonderful artist herself. In this book, we see leaf shapes with added plant materials that form a funny leaf man. When the wind comes up, who knows where the leaf man is going to go.

Activity: Use actual leaves or the leaf shapes cut out in the above activity to create a self-portrait or maybe even a leaf animal. Gather some acorns, nuts or seeds to add as features. If you use real leaves, it will probably work better to dry them first in a plant press.

We’ve got a great turnout for the Nonfiction Monday roundup this week. Let’s see what everyone is reading and recommending.

Amanda at A Patchwork of Books found it is wise to Never Smile at a Monkey.

At In Need of Chocolate, Sarah discovered What Makes A Magnet? is another fine title in the Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out Science series.

Let’s welcome back Abby at Abby (the) Librarian, who reviewed several nonfiction books.

Where did our Halloween traditions and stories come from? Great Kid Books looks at two interesting books for children ages 6 – 10.

At Lori Calabrese Writes! Lori reviews S.D. Nelson’s “Quiet Hero: The Ira Hayes Story.”

Shirley at SimplyScience has reviewed The WEE Book of PEE in memory of her father.

Amy says My Light by Molly Bang shines at Hope is the Word.

The Wild About Nature blog has a review of Shrinking Days, Frosty Nights. As an added bonus, they also have an interview with the author, Laura Purdie Salas.

Jill is in today with James L. Swanson’s Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. Check it out at The Well-Read Child.

Let’s welcome Doret at The Happy Nappy Bookseller, who reviewed a biography, The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint- George.

Picture Book of the Day is reading Mighty MotoXers , and giving some suggestions for X-Game lessons.

Robin reviewed Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again at Thebooknosher.

Tricia checked in today with a review of Don Brown’s historical book Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775, The Day the American Revolution Began at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Bookends has found two cool books and an audio story to tie into the PBS National Parks series.

Over at the The Stenhouse Blog, Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli review books that take kids to the Moon and beyond!

Freaky at 3T News and Reviews has a post about the Fantasy Chronicles from Lerner on mythical creatures, just in time for Halloween.

Dawn reviewed Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You Can Build Yourself, by Carmella Van Vleet, at Moms Inspire Learning.

Today Charlotte has How to Be a Genius: Your Brain and How to Train It at Charlotte’s Library.

Jenny writes about the verse biography I and I: Boy Marley at Biblio File. The book has been nominated for a Cybils award.

Wendie Old listed a few of her (many) favorite Nonfiction Halloween books at Wendie’s Wanderings.

Katie says that today’s the anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal! That’s what her post focuses on at Katie’s Literature Lounge.

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day.

If you are looking for scientific activities with tree leaves, try my Growing With Science blog.

October 19, 2009October 19, 2009

Vital Water

Crisp, clear and concise are the words to sum up Buffy Silverman’s book Saving Water: The Water Cycle. Nothing is wasteful or sloppy. The clean photographs, the neatly drawn illustrations and the confident, professional tone remind one of a fresh, cool glass of water. It isn’t fancy, but does its job well and fills an important role.

With recent emphasis on issues such as global warming and energy, the importance of saving water has dropped somewhat from public awareness. It remains, however, an issue critical to the future. Here in Arizona, we are triply aware of the vital nature of water as a resource because we have so little rain. Saving Water shows how much we need fresh water, some of the unique properties of water, and also ways to conserve it.

Silverman’s book will be popular with both educators and children doing science projects because it is full of hands-on experiments. For example, the “Changing Density” experiment on page 12 distills to the essentials how water changes density with temperature. In the corner on a yellow sticky-note graphic is a short list of the materials you will need to perform the experiment. In four simple steps she lays out the instructions. Silverman gets high marks in my book because she doesn’t give the expected results with the experiment. Instead, she gives the essential questions to ask, which leads children to further questions. I will be using the activities in this book next time I teach about water.

On the back of the book, Silverman acknowledges that she always learns something new when she writes about science, and how writing this book motivated her to get a rain barrel for her home. Hopefully children reading this book will be similarly inspired.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Heinemann Library (August 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1432910922
ISBN-13: 978-1432910921
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches

Saving Water: The Water Cycle (Do It Yourself) by Buffy Silverman

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at Lori Calabrese Writes!.

Next week Nonfiction Monday will be here.