Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Teacher Dance.

My selection is "Dinothesaurus: prehistoric poems and paintings" by Douglas Florian.

There are the familiar names Brachiosaurus Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Triceratops, but they share pages with less known dinos Micropachycephalosaurus (say that one fast three times) and Minmi. Rounding out the text, there is a list of Dinosaur Museums and fossil Sites, a Selected Bibliography and information on further reading.

Florian delivers fun facts through his trade mark wordplay and colorful illustrations. The poems are energetic, entertaining and kid-friendly.

Nonfiction Monday

For other Nonfiction Monday posts click HERE.

My selection is "Big George: how a shy boy became PresidentWashington" by Anne Rockwell with illustrations by Matt Phelan.@ http://janetsquires.blogspot.com.

Look at this cover. This isn't the familiar Washington portrait by Stuart. This vision of Washington conveys a far more dynamic sense of our first president. There's an obvious question here. How did the shy boy referenced in the subtitle become this forceful figure as an adult?

Rockwell provides the answer by showing a Washington who was more complex than the popular anecdotes about cherry trees and honesty convey. As a shy boy, Washington was far more comfortable with wild animals and the dangers of the woods than with his peers. Conversations were something to be avoided. He had a temper that he had to learn to control. His greatest fear was failure. He was a man beset with doubt who reluctantly accepted the duty of leading the army. Rockwell gives young readers an honest, accessible biography by portraying a man with familiar strengths and weaknesses.

Writers Wednesday

If you are thinking about publishing an Ebook, you might want to check out this post on the Author Publish Facebook Page:

Publishing Guide: What to Consider Before Self-Publishing an Ebook by Emily Harstone. 

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Elizabeth Steinglass.

My selection is "An illustrated treasury of read-aloud poems for young people" edited by Glorya Hale.

Hale has collected more than one hundred works by poets ranging from Maya Angelou to William Blake including William Wordsworth, Emily Bronte, John Keats, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare and Edger Allen Poe and anonymous. The verses range from light-hearted to thought-provoking and offer opportunities for readers of all ages to sample some of poetry's best-loved works and discover new favorites among less familiar works.

Nonfiction Monday

For other Nonfiction Monday posts click HERE.

For Nonfiction Monday: Max Explores Chicago by Reji Laberje with illustrations by Liza Fenech.

 

This is one of several titles created by Laberje for young readers and published as board books.

 

Max, the dog, leads young readers on an exploration of Chicago to Wrigley Field, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Field Museum, and Navy Pier among the many sights and includes a ride on the El and a lunch of Chicago pizza.

 

Additional books in the series are Max Explores New York, and Max Explores San Francisco.

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by These Four Corners.

My selection is " Hope Through Heartsongs" written and illustrated by Mattie J.T. Stepanek.

Mattie became a New York Times bestselling author at the age of 11 with the publication of his poetry collection titled "Heartsongs." He began writing poetry as a way to cope with the death of his brother and followed his first book with four others: ''Journey Through Heartsongs,'' ''Hope Through Heartsongs,'' ''Celebrate Through Heartsongs'' and ''Loving Through Heartsongs.''

Free-verse poems explore life, death, love, loss, and faith with both innocence and wisdom.

Mattie died in 2004 at the age of 13 from complications of muscular dystrophy, but his words of hope and joy continue to inspire readers of all ages.

One of his most often quoted remarks is  "remember to play after every storm."

Poetry Friday

My selection is "It's snowing! It's snowing!: winter poems" by Jack Prelutsky with pictures by Yossi Abolafia.

Prelutsky offers young readers poems that celebrate the season. Active and sometimes downright silly rhymes look at winter from a child's perspective.