Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by Sally's Bookshelf.

My selection is  "Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop" by Mark Weakland.

 

Young scientists K-3 or the merely curious will find some fun facts in Weakland's exploration of bubbles.

Colorful photographs provide readers with close-up looks at bubbles both natural such as mud bubbles and manufactured as in bubble gum.  Text describes what bubbles are, how they are created, and how they can be used (spittlebugs cover themselves with bubbles for protection). 

"Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop" is part of the Science Starts series and includes a glossary and bibliography.

 

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Simicolon.

For Poetry Friday -- "A fire in my hands: poems by Gary Soto"  

 

This revised and expanded edition was published in 2006 by Harcourt and contains poems from the earlier edition and many new works.

Soto begins the book with an introduction in which he discusses his early experiences with poetry, his evolution as a working  poet and the poets and poetry that influenced him.  He concludes the book with a conversational interview of questions and answers in which he responds to inquiries about his work and poetry in general.  His discussion of how he writes, the inspiration for his work, his writing style and so on offer thoughtful insights into his life and art.

Narrative and lyrical poems, drawn from the everyday experiences of Soto's life, will resonate with middle grade, high school and adult readers and inspire writers.  Each poem is accompanied by a short anecdote from Soto's life that connects to the verse.

One of my favorite poems in this collection is "That Girl" with its hesitant yet eager glimpse into a young man's first tentative interest in a girl.

The public library was saying things

In so many books

And I, a Catholic boy

In a green sweater,

Was reading the same page

A hundred times.

A girl was in my way,

And she was at the other end

Of the oak table,

Her hands like doves

On the encyclopedia, E-G.

 

 

Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by Wrapped In Foil.

For Nonfiction Monday --  "Even an Octopus Needs a Home" by Irene Kelly.

 

 

Every animal needs a home, though some are temporary, like a chimpanzee's leafy nest high in a tree, and others, like a coral reef, may last hundreds of years.  Text and attractive illustrations invite young readers to explore some of the more unusual dwellings -- the intricate construction of a Weaver bird's nest, a spider surviving in a bubble, mounds, tunnels, dens, hives and caves, homes in trees, lakes, and oceans. 

She goes on to explain that dwellings may be used for many purposes: temporary places to sleep, safety from predators and the environment, or as places  to raise families.

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Check It Out.

For Poetry Friday -- "Barefoot: poems for naked feet" written by Stefi Weisburd with illustrations by Lori McElrath-Eslick.  

 

Summer and bare feet just naturally go together and Weisburd has taken this opportunity to explore the joys  and perils of being free of shoes.  The verses move from the obvious pleasures of a stroll on a beach or romp in the grass to imagining the feel of elephant feet or the sticky hold of a fly on a ceiling.

McElrath-Eslick's watercolors both enrich and explain the verbal imagery.

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Today's Little Ditty.

For Poetry Friday -- "Edward Lear" edited by Edward Mendelson and illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith.

 

Mendelson offers readers a thoughtful introduction to Edward Lear and his poetry.  Humorous limericks and more serious longer works provide a balanced experience in this anthology which is part of the Poetry for Young People series.

Huliska-Beith's energetic and colorful artwork reflects the spirit of Lear's verses.

Mendelson's notes provide context and his definitions for unfamiliar vocabulary enable readers to successfully access the various works.

Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday is hosted today by The Poem Farm.

Poetry Friday -- "The Moon" by Robert Louis Stevenson with pictures by Tracey Campbell Pearson.

Pearson's watercolor paintings provide readers with a contemporary feel for this 1885 classic verse when she interprets the poem as a visual story a father and son's late night adventure where they discover that the ordinary daytime world is infused with mystery as they follow the moonlight across land and water.

 

THE NEXT BIG THING GLOBAL BLOG CAMPAIGN

 

I'm happy to announce that today I'm hosting THE NEXT BIG THING blog campaign.

 

This is my opportunity to be part of an international campaign that began in Australia.  Authors and illustrators of books for kids and young adults talk about their recently published books and/or those that are soon to be released.  Each author who has been nominated turns around and nominates other authors.  We all respond to the same questions about our work.  Think of it as a global game of "Tag."

 

My next big thing is the true story of Monty, a remarkable rescue dog with an international following on Facebook.  From Nicole who rescues him, Julie who nurses and loves him, Dr. Balfour who treats him, Ginnie who adopts him, to his fans around the globe -- Monty's loving spirit captures hearts with his I-can-do-it grin and a wagging tail.

 

 

What is the working title of your next book?

 

Monty: A True Survivor's Story

 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

 

I was a part of Monty's social networking campaign and I knew the moment I heard his story that it was one that must be told.

 

What genre does your book fall under?

 

Nonfiction

 

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in the movie rendition?

 

Monty should play himself at least part of the time.  He has charisma, good looks, and that famous Monty smile.  As for the human cast.  I polled a few of Monty's friends and here are the results-- Nicole: Melissa McCarthy, Mel: Eliza Dushku, Dr. Balfour: Gerard Butler or Paul Rudd, Ginnie: Kristen Davis.  Julie suggested a contest to fill her character's role with an unknown.  Perhaps there should be a role for Sandra Bullock who has adopted two special needs dogs -- Poppy, who lost a hind leg do to an accident and Ruby, born with only her two back legs.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
 

I worked about 6 months on the first draft.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

 

Abused, shot and left for dead in the desert, Monty is taken in by dedicated animal rescuers who launch an eighteen month long campaign via social networking that saves his life and makes him a world-wide celebrity with thousands of fans.

 

 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

In content and style, MONTY fits between "Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance” Walker and Co.  2011 and  "Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again" Scholastic 2009 (feature film 2011).

 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

 

I've long had an interest in dog rescue and welfare issues.  I've fostered numerous dogs in addition to the rescue dogs that are part of my family.  I've walked picket lines to raise awareness about puppy mills, bailed dogs out of shelters, bottle-fed orphaned puppies, cared for the sick and injured, assisted at births, and shed tears over abandoned or abused dogs that didn't survive in spite of heroic efforts by veterinarians.

 

 What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

 

Even though Monty eventually lost a leg, he was adopted into a loving forever home. That could have been the happy-ever-after ending to his story, but Monty had more to share.  He went on to inspire others who are struggling to recover from devastating injuries and he leads the way in the annual Wag 'N Walk put on by Animal Rescue Volunteers Simi Valley, CA to raise money to aid other abused and abandoned animals.

 

 The Next Big Thing: Laurisa White Reyes is known by her writing friends as "the one with five kids." The most common question she's asked is "how do you find time to write?" to which she replies, "I don't. So I have to make time." After earning her B.A. in creative writing too many years ago than she cares to remember, she spent more than a decade writing for magazines and newspapers, and even worked two years as an editor for a small press. She gave up all that six years ago to live her dream of writing novels. Her first book, The Rock of Ivanore, published in 2012 with Tanglewood Press, began as bedtime stories for her son. The sequel, The Last Enchanter, comes out this October. Laurisa lives in Southern California with her family, 5 fish, 4 birds, 2 turtles, 2 bearded dragons, 1 dog, and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

 

See Laurisa's blog July 11at http://laurisareyes.blogspot.com/
Her next book is The Last Enchanter