Monday, January 28, 2013

Nonfiction Monday




Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by Laurasalas Writing the World for Kids .

For Nonfiction Monday --  "Tillie the terrible Swede : how one woman, a sewing needle, and a bicycle changedhistory" by Sue Stauffacher with illustrations by Sarah McMenemy.


Bicycles have come a long way since the high-wheelers of the 1890s and so has the sport of cycling. Stauffacher shares the story of Swedish immigrant Tillie Anderson, one intrepid cyclist who was far ahead of her time.  Tillie began her life in America as a seamstress, but soon became enamored of cycling.  Tillie ignored societal conventions that dictated that females limit themselves to a gentle, ladylike circle or figure eight.  She longed for speed and made up her mind to attempt the new sport of bicycle racing.  She devised an exercise program to strengthen her muscles and develop her endurance.  Skirts were not convenient for a lady determined to race so she designed and sewed her own cycling costumes.  During her short career, Tillie established numerous cycling records and demonstrated that a woman could be a lady and active thus setting a new standard for women of her day.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Poetry Friday



Poetry Friday is hosted today by Tabatha Yeatts: The Opposite of Indifference

My selection is -- "Lives : poems about famous Americans" selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Leslie Staub.


 
Well-known anthologist, Hopkins,  has collected fourteen poems, 12 of which were commissioned for this volume in which the lives of famous Americans are remembered.  Poets from J. Patrick Lewis to Jane Yolen, each a familiar name to poetry lovers, a variey of poetic forms to capture the essentials of such notables as Abraham Lincoln or Langston Hughes, Sacagawea and Eleanor Roosevelt. Subjects range from the sports with Babe Ruth to the space exploration of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren. Staub enriches the historic sensibility with antique style portraits of her subjects to share each double-page spread. 
This book is a valuable resource both as an introduction to many of these illustrious Americans or better yet as a model that elevates the traditional notion of a biography report to a new level with a poem and art project.

Friday, January 18, 2013


Poetry Friday is hosted today by VioletNesdoly/Poems.

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.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Nonfiction Monday


 
 
Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by 100 ScopeNotes.

My selection is "Collecting data in animal investigations" by Diana Noonan.


I'm always looking for new ways to make math interesting and this book fits the bill.  "Collecting Data in Animal Investigations" is part of the Capstone Real World Math series.  This volume offers readers an opportunity to follow a fictional fourth grade class as they gather data on animals at a local park and then present the information in a variety of forms that include diagrams and graphs.

Noonan's fictional research poses questions and includes problem solving activities, a glossary, and the answers to the problems.  Colorful animal photographs brighten the pages.

The Gingerbread Cowboy Book Trailer