Author: Roberta

Posted on

Cybils Awards to Be Announced February 14

cybilsAre you excited about this Sunday, February 14? Can you hear the sound of drum rolls?

February 14 is a huge day because, in addition to being Valentine’s Day, the 2009 Cybils Award winners are going to be announced.

The Cybils are annual book awards given by children’s and young adult book bloggers. The Cybils have only two criteria: literary merit and kid appeal.

The judges are 100+ bloggers who write about children’s and teen’s books every day. As some of you already know, I have been acting as a Round II judge in the category of nonfiction picture book (Is there any other genre? 🙂 ).

Here is a list of the nonfiction picture book finalists that were announced on January 1st. Check the Cybils website for more information on each book. (If you are looking for books to share with your children, the other genre finalists are fantastic as well.)

Which of these finalists do you think will be the 2009 winner? Do you have a favorite?

2009 Non-fiction Picture Book Finalists:

Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story Of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way To Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History!

by Shana Corey

Scholastic


The Day-Glo Brothers

by Chris Barton
 and illustrated by Tony Persiani
Charlesbridge


Life-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia

Created by Teruyuki Komiya with photographs by Toyofumi Fukuda

Seven Footer Press


14 Cows for America

by Carmen Agra Deedy

Peachtree


Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

by Brian Floca

Atheneum



Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

by Steve Jenkins

Houghton Mifflin


Faith (Global Fund for Children Books)

by Maya Ajmera, Magde Nakassis, and Cynthia Pon for the Global Fund for Children

Charlesbridge


Posted on

Little Black Ant on Park Street

As some of you may already know, I studied ants in graduate school and I still find them fascinating. Therefore, I was thrilled when I received a copy of Little Black Ant on Park Street by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Kathleen Rietz, the newest installment in the Smithsonian’s Backyard series published by Soundprint. Our family already had several titles from the series that we had enjoyed and we were looking forward to seeing one on ants. Little-black-ant

We were not disappointed. As you would expect with a book labeled with the venerable Smithsonian name, it is a quality nonfiction picture book. As with the other books in this series, it also has a fictional flavor. What do I mean by fictional flavor? The author has created a main character, the little black ant, who experiences rising levels of conflict and finally resolution. Overlaying this rich story is amazingly accurate and up-to-date information about the biology of ants.

The name “little black ant” may sound generic, but it is an actual common name of a species of ant. The choice of this species is interesting because they aren’t the usual fare. The ants are tiny, occasionally considered to be pests, and they don’t have the typical ant lifestyle. For example, the colonies of little black ants have multiple queens, rather than a single queen as many ant colonies do. Tiny might mean they are less noticeable to children in real life, but on the other hand, you have to root for these feisty little ants when a big carpenter ant comes to steal their food.

Janet Halfmann is an experienced writer of children’s books and this is her ninth book with Soundprints. She has done a superb job translating technical jargon into age-appropriate language without losing meaning. I can’t emphasize enough what a wonderful job she did of this difficult task.

The illustrator, Kathleen Rietz, created big, vibrant scenes to tell the story at another level. The large illustrations are perfectly scaled for holding the book up and reading to a group. Everyone will be able to see the action. In the back is a list of “Points of interest” in the book that identify the elements in the illustrations, such as the type of flower shown.

We read the softcover version, but the book comes in a wide variety of options. Both the hardcover and the softcover are available, with or without read-along CD’s. The book also comes in a “microbook” format, with or without a plush toy ant. We have several of the microbooks. They are 5 7/8 inches by 4 3/4 inches, a size which definitely attracts youngsters.

Little Black Ant on Park Street is a marvelous little book, sure to inspire children to learn more about ants and the world around them. With so many options, I’m sure you can find a version that fits your needs.

For related activities, try making marshmallow ants and guarding an ant nest at my Growing With Science blog. Here’s more about the biology of the little black ant.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Soundprint (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607270021
ISBN-13: 978-1607270027

This book was supplied by the publisher.

nonfictionmonday

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 Wild About Nature.

Posted on

On Writing and Living

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.
– Benjamin Franklin (from his Autobiography)

I have following Sandra Foyt’s On Living By Learning blog, for awhile now, because she has a keen knack of accomplishing both the “doing” and the “writing.” When she wrote a post titled 2010 Writing Resolution: Get Published, it caught my attention. It was time to take things to a new level.

In How To Write The SAHM Blogger Resume, Sandra explains how having a blog has given her experience in writing and computer skills that she can put on her resume. She also included some links and tips if you need to brush up your own resume.

Get Published: Start Writing and Establish a Writer’s Platform has an extensive interview with writing teacher Christina Katz about establishing a writer’s platform. What does that mean? Basically, you need to establish an area of professional expertise that gives you both credentials and visibility. At the end of the post Sandra gives us the challenge to write, create a writing schedule, and identify and remove distractions. Let’s do it!

I am really excited about her most recent post, Get Published: 7 Reasons to Diversify Your Writing. I like her ideas to practice more and write faster. Even if you don’t have a deadline, give yourself one. I am a member of a critique group. Having regular meetings where I need to write something good enough for others to read is a great way to create deadlines.

I can’t wait to see how Sandra’s project turns out.
What about you? Do you have writing goals this year?

Ben Franklin must have followed his own advice, because his words are still in print more than 200 years later.

Posted on

Into the Deep with William Beebe

The first thing you notice about the reviews of Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe by David Sheldon is that they are all about William Beebe. David Sheldon has done such a great job of presenting his subject that details of the book are in the background. William Beebe is the star from page one.

into-the-deep

And what an exciting star he is. A naturalist, explorer and prolific writer, William Beebe accomplished a great deal in his lifetime. Although called Into the Deep in reference to Beebe’s record breaking descent into the ocean in the pioneering Bathysphere, the story actually covers Beebe’s entire life. Beebe explored nature around his home and made collections as a child. He even had an owl for a pet. Later he traveled around the world, first on collecting expeditions and later to study animals in their natural habitat. After his retirement, he founded a research station in Trinidad. He was a man of many hats, being a naturalist, pioneer in the field of ecology, explorer of ocean depths, and an ardent conservationist. To paraphrase David Sheldon, William Beebe did what many of us only dream about (after all, who gets to have an owl as a pet?)

As for the book, you have to admire people who are more than capable as authors and illustrators, too. David Sheldon has done a lovely job capturing both the exotic animals Beebe encounters and the look of wonder and joy on Beebe’s face. At the end is a “Diving Deeper into the Story” section with more details of Beebe’s life and quotes from his books. A glossary and list of resources are also included, making this book a very useful reference as well as an interesting biography.

I didn’t know much about William Beebe before reading Into the Deep. Now I can’t wait to find Beebe’s books listed in the “Resources” and read more about his adventures.

If you are interested in some ocean-inspired activities, try my Growing With Science blog.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; New edition (July 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580893414
ISBN-13: 978-1580893411

nonfictionmonday

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 Playing by the Book.