OFF THE SHELF -- An Egg is Quiet

An Egg is Quiet

by Dianna Hutts Aston , Sylvia Long (Illustrator) 

Chronicle Books Llc, 2006

 The teacher had procured an egg and space heater so the kindergartners could watch the egg hatch a baby chick.  I suggested this book to her to help the children understand what was happening inside the egg.  Beautifully illustrated by Sylvia Long, a variety of eggs are described from birds to salmon. Children learn that eggs come in all colors and sizes. An X-ray perspective shows what is happening in the stages inside the eggs of several animals.  It's sister book, A Seed is Sleepy, likewise shows the many type of seeds and how they grow into plants and trees. 

level:  K - 5th

OFF THE SHELF: Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

by  Catherine Thimmesh

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006 Sibert Medal

This weekend, I accompanied a cub scout camp out at NASA.  The boys had so many questions about space, space flight, and the various missions.  I found myself recommending this book to them and their parents over and over again.  The book chronicles the Apollo 11 mission to the moon by showing all the work that went into building the rocket, capsule and limb; into the planning and training for the mission.  The book has authentic photographs and quotes from players at all stages.  The power of teamwork in achieving a goal is just important a theme of this book as learning about space flight.  A great book for kids and adults alike to learn more about what is involved in traveling to the moon. 

Level:  3rd and up

You wouldn't want to be a ..... (Series)

 

You wouldn't want to be a ......(series)

various authors, Created by David Salariya

Children's Press

Summary: A fun look at a variety of jobs, lifes, and situations that humans have found themselves in throughout history:  16th Century whaling ships and germs, Egpytian mummies and American pioneers.  There's a book for just about everything, even Apollo 13 astronauts.  The books provide fascinating facts in an entertaining format.  There is a glossary of terms in the back.

Lesson:  One of my reading challenges asked the students to explore their world. To create a book display for this, I used several books that explored places, cultures and science.  I placed these books throughout the sections.  They were popular and often checked out.  The "Viking" book quickly became a classic, even after the challenge.

Level:  3rd - 6th

Shark vs. Train

Shark vs. Train 

by Chris Barton , Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator) 

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010

Summary:  Shark and train match up against one another to see who would win in a variety of scenarios, from swimming to hot balloon riding, video games to hide-n-seek.  Hilarious side comments are made in the voice balloons in the pictures. 

Lesson:  I read this book to expose my lower grades (and teachers) to the 2x2 list (recommended reads for PreK-2nd).  If I had found the book sooner, I would have used it for the "live vs not live" units in kindergarten and 1st.  After I read this book, the three copies never touched a bookshelf for the rest of the school year.  And the students loved the signed poster by author Chris Barton I put on the wall.

Level: Kinder-3rd  (although even my 5th graders loved this book)

If I Ran the Rain Forest

If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests 

by Bonnie Worth , Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator) 

 Random House, 2003

Summary:  Two kids join the Cat-in-the-Hat in a journey through the rain forest, where they learn about the features, plants and animals of a tropical rain forest. 

Lesson:  I sent this book to a teacher who was doing a unit on the rain forest.  The students enjoyed having the "lesson" narrated by a familiar and fun character. 

Level:  1st-4th