Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Non-fiction reading, poetry and a poem

I'm posting at Alyson Beecher's blog, Kid-Lit Frenzy for Non-Fiction Picture Book Wednesday. It's great that she's hosting people who want to share more non-fiction!  Tweet at #nfpb2014.   


books teach us
page by page they show
how to live a life
              Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved

Firefly July A Year of Very Short Poems – selected by Paul B. Janeczko
and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

           This is a beautiful book of poems that will fill the year with pleasurable descriptions from poets past and poets present. You’ll find  a “Water-Lily” from Ralph Fletcher, “My petals enfold stamens of gold. . .” and “Sandpipers” by April Halprin Wayland, “. . . hemming the ocean.” There is the feeling of fall by Liz Rosenberg, “. . . fall came tumbling in. . .” and finally “A welcome mat of moonlight . . .” by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser.  Don’t miss the rest of these, and thirty-two more! Plus, Melissa Sweet’s illustrations can be as mesmerizing as the poems’ words.  It’s a beautiful new anthology to add to your collections.


Plant A Pocket of Prairie - written by Phyllis Root, illus. by Betsy Bowen
             I enjoyed this book, and since I live on the edge of the prairie, in Denver, and have taken classes about the prairie habitat, and studied it with students, I wish it had been available years ago. Much of the back matter is about Minnesota prairie, but most applies to my area too. The basic story of the habitat’s flora and fauna is explained simply, with examples and gorgeous watercolor illustrations add to the information. Two things are emphasized, that there are still prairie habitats growing, just not as vast as they used to be years ago, so one can search those out to observe prairie places. And the other emphasis is to plant a prairie in your backyard, plants that will welcome the fauna. The book is worth adding to a library if you plan to study habitats, and especially the prairie.

What Do You Do With An Idea? - written by Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom

                I don’t know if one can consider this non-fiction, but it should be! A little boy has an idea, worries over it, rejects it, but the idea won’t let go. Finally, accepting, amazing things happen. The story is supportive of everyone who has an idea, but is shy of sharing it, wary of being made fun of. It will create terrific support for creativity, opening up to new ideas.




SPECIAL NOTE: For anyone who finds that they cannot hear someone's SoundCloud, it's because you've updated Safari to 7.0.3, & it is rejecting the sound.  Those below 7 can hear just fine. 
r. Here's SoundCloud's solution: http://help.soundcloud.com/customer/portal/articles/1464535-why-can-t-i-hear-tracks-using-safari-  Other browsers seem to work fine.


13 comments:

  1. Firefly July is fun and I loved the Idea book. I've skimmed it a few times but want to read it slowly one more time before I review it. So many wonderful comments about it! I will have it check out the Prairie book since I'm in Illinois! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Can't wait to share the idea book with teachers at school, Michele. I think they'll love it!

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  2. I read Firefly July this week, too. I didn't think to put it on my nonfiction post. Good idea. I love the title "Plant a Pocket of Prairie." I want to read it!

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    1. The 'prairie' book is very good, pretty & informative!

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  3. I need to get those first two! Off to find them right now. Thanks, Linda!

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    1. You're welcome, Laura. Hope you enjoy them!

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  4. I just read the idea book at B & N, thought it was incredible. I need to find the firefly book. Teachers are always looking for short poems for shared reading.

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    1. I thought the idea book was wonderful, have already passed it on to some teachers! The Firefly book will be perfect for your shared reading, Elsie-so many wonderful poems!

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  5. I've heard such great things about Firefly July, now I need to get my own copy!

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    1. Yep! Hate to repeat, but the poem selection and the illustrations are simply wonderful!

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  6. I would like to make a cup of tea and read all of these books! They look so lovely. I am always interested in titles that talk about planting flowers and plants in a specific habitat. So this book about the prairie looks great to me.

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    1. It is a book for you, it seems, Carrie. I enjoyed it a lot, and the others, too.

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  7. I'll have to look for What Do You Do With An Idea? I enjoy books like those! And Firefly July is displayed prominently in our Poetry Month books display! -Earl!

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