Bright Sky Press Book Reviews

Recently, Bright Sky Press kindly sent three books for my perusal. I was impressed by the overall physical quality of the books. They were sturdy and well constructed. They were large enough to present well for read alouds to groups, and filled with colorful illustrations from various illustrators. Below are my impressions after reading them. I admire writers and illustrators and respect the months of heart and soul that they pour into the stories that they generously share. My Goodreads ratings are only a reflection of how I personally feel the books would match my students as readers.


River Royals: Master the Mississippi by Sarah Wynne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




Elizabeth Jane Bookman is a day dreamer with big dreams to shine in school. Unfortunately, paying attention in the classroom is not her best talent. Fortunately, she does possess a talent for a vivid imagination. As her teacher, Miss Fletcher, launches into a lesson about the mighty Mississippi River and the ten states it flows through, Elizabeth Jane slides down in her seat to to draw mermaids. When Miss Fletcher mentions the word crowns, Elizabeth Jane's ears perk up and she is suddenly imagining herself floating down the Mississippi River with her little brother, Henry in tow discovering the marvels each state has to offer them.

The Word Burglar by Chris Cander

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Word Burglar would be a wonderful book to share with older students as part of a language lesson. I don't feel that younger students would be able to navigate the vocabulary enough to enjoy the storyline. Still, I might incorporate it into one of my library lessons on the importance of books and reading.

Some important points I understood from this story were:

Children are able to recognize that letters and words have meaning and once they crack the reading code, they will be in possession of this power.

Not being able to read can make a child feel small and insignificant. We can't let this happen.

Danielle and the Strawberry Fairies by Rini Ziegler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Danielle wakes her mother one morning with the question "Why are strawberries red?" Her mother decides to take Danielle and her little dog, Oscar to visit Mr. McDerwood's Strawberry Farm where a fantastical encounter with fairy princess, Merriberry awaits her. With a dash of golden fairy dust, Danielle and Oscar shrink down to fairy size and begin their quest to discover how strawberries become red.

What I liked about this book was the large and colorful illustrations, in particular, the page filled with lovely wild flowers. I also liked the humorous page when Danielle went to lift up her basket and found it a bit heavy and filled with little Oscar. The illustrations give strength to the story.

Have a lovely reading life.

Picture Book Month: Seasons of Learning #IMWAYR

 

                      
Picture Book Month Day 11 theme: Seasons

Find out more about Picture Book Month here

Download the daily themed Picture Book Month Calendar. 

 Become a Picture Book Ambassador or Blogger 

My Picture Book Month pick for a book about seasons is The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provenson. Here is an audio version to enjoy from Watch Know Learn (a website for free educational videos). I like to use the big book version of the book so students can see all the farm animals.

This is a book about farm animals, and what happens during one year on a farm. In January, the cows stay in the barnyard, and the chickens don't lay many eggs. By March, you can tell spring is coming: the barn is filled with baby animals. Month by month, the animals at Maple Hill Farm sense the changing seasons and respond to the changes. (Simon and Schuster)

Getting Ready for Winter

I love this Sesame Street video of a child describing how Fall evolves into Winter and how plants and animals know it's time to begin to prepare and settle in for the season. 

What I have been reading: 

I have been reading picture books galore but each book shown here was one I wrote a blog post about for Picture Book Month. I have included resources to use for all books.

I am trying to finish  Veroinica Roth's Allegiant as quickly as I can. I introduced a student to the series this past Monday and she has blown through the first two books already. 

I have to give her my copy on Monday! I love an inspired reader. My big problem now is what next? She is rabid reader so I went out today and bought her a copy of Seraphina. That ought to keep her busy for one or two days. Here is the Seraphina book trailer

Rocket Writes a Story resources

Click here for The Hallelujah Flight resources

Knufflebunny Resources

How I Learn Geography Resources

The Hinky Pink Resources

One is a Feast for a Mouse

Read Alouds in the Library:

Life Oak Media's  Educator's Guide: 

Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis 

Illustrated by Samuel Byrd

Our teachers are focusing heavily on poetry in preparation for the Texas STAAR test so I am always seeking unique ways to integrate poetry into the topics I am covering in my library. Dancing with the Indians is a wonderful choice for accomplishing this. The rhyming story has a beat, a rhythm, a cadence to its telling that matches the flow of words. The images are beautifully striking. 

Medearis offers a clear explanation of the author's purpose in writing her story. It is based on her ancestor's experience and stories that have been passed down through her family. Her great-grandfather was a run-a-way slave that was welcomed into the Seminole tribe. Every year, he would bring his wife and children back twice a year to take part in purification and religious rituals. My students really liked this image when the warriors leap out in front of the young girl giving her a scare. They liked the colorful ribbon dance and felt it was similar to their own Folkloric dancing. 

I enjoying sharing history with my students. Teachers have a hard time squeezing in Social Studies into daily lessons so I usually have one or two historically related interactive displays set up in my library. During November's American Indian Heritage Month I set up a photographic museum of images with an emphasis on Texas tribes.

A university colleague of mine, Ernest Graywolf Salazar, has performed a spiritual drum circles over the past several years. He also made this wonderful replica of a village for our students. There are several items that students may touch and handle including animal hides, antlers, a ceremonial leather shirt with sea shells that jingle while dancing. The land our school is built on was Karankawa tribal land. 

Here are some wonderful educational resources on Texas Indian tribes. 

• Texas Parks and Wildlife: Learn About Texas Indians
• The Indian Years A coloring book adapted from The Indian Years (Living with the Texas Past Series, No. 1), published by the Office of the State Archeologist, Texas Historical Commission. 

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe
by Lutricia Clifton
Publisher: Holiday House

Ages: 8 to 12

Themes: Family & Relationships, Divorce and Single Parent Families, Siblings, Acceptance and Belonging, Inter-generational friendships, kid entrepreneurs.

Holiday House description: Twelve-year-old Frankie Joe Huckaby can’t find anything good to say about Clearview, Illinois, where he must spend the next ten months living with a father he knows only through birthday cards, a stepmother he didn’t know existed, and four half brothers intent on making him the “freak” of the town. His mother is in jail, so he has no choice . . . or does he?


When life in Clearview becomes unbearable, Frankie Joe hatches a plan to ride his old Rover Sport bicycle 1,400 miles through the middle of the Corn Belt back to the Lone Star Trailer Park in Laredo, Texas. For that he needs money, and so he opens Frankie Joe’s Freaky Fast Delivery Service. But Frankie Joe hasn’t counted on quirky clients, unpredictable winter weather, and his equally unpredictable new family.

His deliveries win new friends for Frankie Joe, a place in the rural Illinois community, and a sense of achievement. But his planned escape is destroyed by a heartbreaking betrayal, and Frankie Joe needs all his incredible resilience and the loving support of his new family to survive the devastating loss.


My take:

I was pleasantly surprised by Freaky Fast Frankie Joe. I suppose because I had put off reading it for a long time because I simple did not like the book cover. It did not appeal to me. Boy, am I glad I decided to read it. I really enjoyed it and made connections to my own life immediately. I have always been blessed with good friendships with older people and learned early on that they are a wealth of good advice and guidance. Frankie's older friends at the Lone Star Trailer Park are unique characters themselves and have influenced Frankie Joe in the way a parent would. He has difficulty adjusting to his new life with his new family and handles his rocky transition with good grace while planning to escape back to Texas. Frankie Joe starts up a delivery service and quickly impresses many residents of Clearview with his enterprising, respectful, and hardworking behavior. Always loyal to his mom, he clings to the hope that she  is doing everything she can to get the two of them back together.

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe will appeal to kids who have a bit of entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit. It would be a good choice for a book club with its social, emotional, and moral issues for discussion.

Download the Freaky Fast Frankie Joe Educator's Guide

Check out my Bluebonnet Book Club wiki: Freaky Fast Frankie Joe page. It includes games and activities that will enrich the reading experience.

AWARDS and HONORS for Freaky Fast Frankie Joe
IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List
Nebraska Golden Sower Award, Intermediate Nominee

Scholastic Book Fair Fun, Games, and Tips

Running a book fair can be a scary thing unless you become a seasoned pro like me. I learned a long time ago what to worry about and which worries to let go. You can go with the Scholastic theme or use one of your own. My recent fair took place during Texas Public Schools Week so the focus was on Texas! Easy to decorate and lots of fun.

Make all your decisions weeks in advance to ensure a smooth book fair. Get flyers and special announcement dates set and flyers printed out before your book fair begins. Publicize your fair via local news 

I am glad my Scholastic Book Fair is over. It was a busy week but lots of fun. Sales were down so I was bummed out about that but many factors could have come into play for our school. My school is housed on a university campus with very limited parking so parents now have to pay to park when visiting our school. We have seen fewer parents this year. This is not a good thing.

Get great volunteers!
This is a tough one for me because of the paid parking issue but the wonderful folks at Coastal Community and Teachers Credit Union still volunteered in full force! I could not run my book fair without these very fine folks. They help me set up my fair and run my Book Fair Game Day.

Your best friends:
Your Scholastic sales rep and Restock folks are your best friends. They will listen to your crazy ideas and requests and steer you in the right direction. The wonderful restock representatives are super patient and will do everything they can to locate titles and order them for you. They can tell you the hot sellers and what schools across the country are requesting. They have mad skills for looking up obscure titles and rumored-to-be-had items.

One TIP I got from my clever mom was to use pill bottles or snap lid containers for holding coins when not in use. This helped keep my petty cash organized and easy to fill the register eh morning by dumping the coins in.

On the last day of book fair, I always hold a special Game Day. Here is the Estimation Station. This helps to keep kids occupied while waiting for their turn at a game. I used a bear shaped graham cracker jar filled with one inch colorful cubes. I posted a sign "Make a BEARY good guess" and had slips of paper for kids to fill out with name, grade and their estimation. The winner won a one dollar prize at the book fair.





This is Feed the Alien Cowboy game. Each student attempted to toss four squishy alien balls complete with tentacles into the mouth of the alien. I used a re-purposed acrylic tube with a white L bend pipe attached on top and covered with a foam core shaped alien head. We used this for a recent Benjamin Franklinstein game thus the alien. We just renamed him the Alien Cowboy. Get three in and win a free bookmark or eraser!

"Rope the calf" ring toss game using food coloring in two liter soda bottles and swim dive rings as ring tossers. Kids love to play this game. The colored water bottles also look great year round on my library shelf..









Be sure to get great shots of your families with Clifford! I let our 5th grade students dress up as Clifford. They do a great job and gives them a memory for a lifetime.