Tuesday, March 28, 2017

#SOL17 - 29/31 - Water, Water Everywhere

 

SOL17 #29/31 - 
      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Twenty-Nine of Thirty-One of the Slice of Life Challenge in March.  Thank you, Stacey, Beth, Deb, Betsy, Lanny, Kathleen, Lisa, and Melanie.  

                                Two Days To Go!


              And, Thanks to Alyson Beecher's Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge at Kidlit Frenzy.  

      Some say that our planet "earth" might better have been named "water". Seventy-one percent of the earth is covered with water. 97 1/2  percent of that is salt water.  In the 2 1/2  percent fresh water, only 0.3 % of that is in liquid form. 


      I shared books that touched on the need for water here on March 19th, and today share two books that speak of the curiosity of people around water:  both touching on eco-systems.  

     
          Through passion, people learn to persist. They have questions about so much because it’s fascinating. They find ways around obstacles. If this doesn’t work, then this!  This story shows that was the path of Eugenie Clark, the woman scientist who broke barriers in science and in knowledge about sharks because she was so in love with this subject and the question of its stereotypes.  From an early age when she raced to the New York aquarium and shared her knowledge to the time she founded the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory, she explored sharks. The book is arranged as Genie grew up with small pictures of notes showing her discoveries, like “Sharks are complex.”  There is an author’s note with more information, and a “more about sharks” page. The illustrations are predominantly watery as you can imagine and mysterious in that murky world. The ocean is shown as you might imagine, dark and deep with shadowy shark shapes and other plants and creatures and there is always Genie “swimming with the sharks!” 


          I'm happy to find this at my library because it just came out a couple of weeks ago. This book swishes water again as Kate Messner has chosen to show a pond from above and below. A young boy and his mother glide around the pond in a canoe as they look. The words and illustrations show what is over and under the pond. In brief words, quite a bit of information is shared, from whirligig beetles that skate on the surface to the patient heron that waits for his bite of a quicksilver minnow. Twenty animals are included, and additional information about them and the ecosystem that is a pond is in the backmatter.  As readers glide through their time on the pond, the pages darken, and night with its stars and the quiet movements of some nocturnal animals find the canoe gliding home.


      There are more wonderful books that connect and teach us about water and its inhabitants, from microscopic to enormous. I hope you find one of these or another in order to learn what most interests you.

20 comments:

  1. These are great selections, Linda. I know that Olivia Van Ledtje, the 4th spokesperson for #StuVoice that I had as a student moderator for #NYEDChat is a great fan of "Swimming With Sharks". If you have time to check out my slice, you will see that I mentioned you.

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    1. Love that you have the connection, Carol. Thanks!

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  2. Thanks for sharing these, Linda. I'll have to check them out. I'm especially interested in "Swimming with Sharks"! It sounds like it might be a good fit for some mindset work.

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    1. She had quite a few hurdles to overcome, Molly. It's a great read. Thanks!

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  3. The world of sharks is always fascinating. I don't think I could possibly have too many shark books for young readers. Messner's book sounds simple at first glance but so much more is really there, like a pond of water. Thank you for the peek inside these new books.

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    1. You're welcome. Yes, like Kate Messner's others,Over and Under The pond is rich with information, in the words and illustrations. And shark books are fascinating. I knew there were numerous ones, but this book included others I'd never heard of.

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  4. As always, you have such interesting and relevant books to share. I am so glad that there are books that make this information accessible and interesting for young readers.

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    1. Thank you. There are too many to read, but gathering a large basket full for a class is wonderful to do.

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  5. Love the over and under concept, so I'm glad Kate took on a new environment.

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    1. I imagine you live near some different ponds, and the lake of course. It's a beautiful book!

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  6. Thanks for sharing these books! I am always looking for great informational pieces to support all learners. I'll be sure to check them out.

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    1. You're welcome. They're both terrific in their unique ways, great for a variety of mentoring.

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  7. Particularly poignant to share "Water, water everywhere" books with the latest executive order against climate change...maybe our youngest will be the voice of sanity, especially if we get them reading and thinking about this.

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    1. I know, there is so much to worry about for our future. Great point, Maureen. Rachel Carson lived a long time ago, and probably is wondering if we'll ever learn.

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  8. Kate Messner's book sounds lovely Linda.

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    1. It is, similar in format to her others, and good for students who'd like to learn about a pond. Thanks, Tara.

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  9. These are great suggestions and I can't wait to dive into Kate's book. Thank you

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  10. Swimming With Sharks is new to me and sounds wonderful. I love Kate's other "Over and Under" books, and can't wait to see this one. Thank you giving us a peek, Linda!

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    1. You're welcome, Catherine.Yes, all of Kate's books are wonderful, will make good n-f additions to classrooms.

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