Breathe review

"Mom, I can't sleep!"

"Why not?"

"I don't know...I'm nervous and I can't stop thinking, thinking, thinking..."

"Do you want me to teach you how to breathe?"

"Breathe? But I already know how to breathe!"

This familiar scene of a child having difficulty falling asleep leads to fantastic and imaginative techniques to foster calm and mindfulness. From a boat on your belly to yoga poses these beautifully illustrated and gently described tools are sure to help restless people of any age. Further notes about the techniques are included in the back. This book could be read in a sitting or picked up and put down as needed when you want to try a new tool. The mixed media illustrations perfectly capture abstract concepts to help children with visualizations. A great resource for parents and educators!

Breathe by Ines Castel-Branco: buy it or check it out today!

The Turtle Ship review

This early tale of biomimicry is based on historical fact. The Gobukson (or turtle ships) were known for their powerful design that included ironclad covering long before any western ships did. The story follows a young boy who observes a turtle in nature and then takes him to the emperor to illustrate his idea. This is a great book for budding inventors and could easily be paired with a maker's activity on boat building. The illustrations are intricate collages that lend the book a sense of warmth and solidity; you can almost feel the textures beneath your fingers. This really helps showcase the various design elements of the ship. 

The Turtle Ship by Helena Ku Rhee illus. by Colleen Kong-Savage: buy it or check it out today!

On Our Street Review

This wise book starts off reassuring readers that when you go out into the world, you may have questions about what you see, and that is okay. People live in many different ways. It goes on to give an example of a kid walking to school and seeing a man sleeping on the street. The child asks "Why would he sleep outside?" The book answers with matter of fact, developmentally-appropriate language and continues to other questions from what is poverty to what is a fundamental human right to how can I help. This book is an excellent resource for parents or educators looking for language and advice on how to broach this topic with children. You could even just sit down with a child and read the whole book together. I love that the book comes from a place of curiosity and compassion. It doesn't talk down to the reader or make them feel bad for asking perfectly natural questions. Illustrated with a mixture of watercolor and photographs, this approachable book is a must-read.

Source: school library

On Our Street by Dr. Jillian Roberts and Jamie Casap, illus. by Jane Heinrichs: buy it or check it out today!

Fly With Me review

Fly With Me is a masterpiece of transdisciplinary study. The book examines birds from every possible angle: biological, historical, conservation, art, and stories. Poetry is peppered throughout complementing the other information. It's a National Geographic book, so you can trust that the photography throughout is stunning. Perfect for bird enthusiasts and curious minds. 

Source: School library

    

Fly With Me by Jane Yolen, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Temple: buy it or check it out today!

The Grand Mosque of Paris

Book talk: During the Nazi invasion of France, thousands of Jewish people found sanctuary in the Grand Mosque of Paris. This book describes how Muslims in Paris helped their Jewish brothers and sisters during World War II. They saved lives in a myriad of ways ranging from writing false papers identifying Jews as Muslims, to secreting Jewish people and resistance fighters through hidden tunnels and out of Paris in emptied wine barrels.

Rave: There are so many fascinating vignettes of courage and defiance in this book. The actions described were secretive by nature and never officially documented, but the authors have hunted down the scraps of information they could find to present these stories. Full-page oil paintings throughout illustrate the story. There's a glossary, bibliography, index and further information in the back.

Ever book its readers: This would be a great classroom share for grades 3rd - 5th.

Topics and Trends: World War II, religion, Islam, Judaism, the Holocaust, the Resistance

Extras:

This travel video has some beautiful shots of the Grand Mosque of Paris for those interested.





Source: school library

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A story of how Muslims rescued Jews during the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle and Deborah Durland DeSaix

Giant Squid

Book talk: The giant squid is a tantalizing mystery. We have more close-ups photographs of Mars. We know more about dinosaur behavior. Much of what we do know about giant squids comes from pieces we have found and dissected--pieces often found in sperm whales. Despite how rarely giant squids are sighted by humans, sperm whales have been found with as many as 7,000 indigestible giant squid beaks in their stomachs. Get a glimpse into the life of these mysterious and beautiful creatures with Giant Squid by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann.

Rave: This book is beautiful and a bit terrifying, much like the creatures it describes. What little we know is described in a poetic language that creates a rich atmosphere. The pictures are gorgeous, showing parts of the squid to emphasize its size and the sense that it's lurking just out of sight. This would make a great read-aloud for budding science enthusiasts.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to students 1st-3rd with an interest in marine life who don't frighten easily.

Topics and Trends: nonfiction, giant squids, marine biology, narrative nonfiction, picture books

Extras:

The AP has raw footage of one of these creatures making a rare appearance at the surface of the ocean. There's no voice-over, just the gentle bubbling of the diver's oxygen tank, which lends it a rather hypnotizing air.

Source: school library

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann

Go! A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design

Book talk:  They say not to judge a book by its cover, but admit it: you've picked up a book just because its cover looked cool.  We all have.  People put a lot of work into making a book's cover tempt readers to pick it up.  Those people are called graphic designers.  Have you ever wondered how those people decide what to put on a cover?  Would you like to learn some of their tricks to capture people's attention?  Then this is the book for you!

Rocks my socks:  This book takes the basic concepts of graphic design and breaks them down into easy to understand and clearly illustrated chunks.  Kidd plays with design in a really fun way from the typography to the copyright info to the unique binding (although from a library processing perspective the binding was a tad annoying.)  The book is so playful throughout that it's fun to read or flip through.  Kidd's expertise and the clear way he has of explaining concepts make it incredibly informative as well.

Rocks in my socks:  I wish more of the example book covers were for titles that were aimed at the same age range the book is.  I'm always looking for ways to sneak book recommendations into everything though.

Every book its reader:  The publisher lists the book as being for ages 10 and up but I used a lot of the information in the book during a unit with my 3rd graders and they were able to understand it.  It would be a great introduction to the topic for adults too.  I certainly enjoyed it and learned a lot!

Extras:

Chip Kidd has his own site with a blog and gallery of his own work.

There is also a tumblr just for the book with lots of great examples of projects submitted by design students

Kidd is teaching a class on book cover design at skillshare (there is a small fee to access it)

The book even has its very own book trailer:




Source: school library

Go! A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd: buy it or check it out today!

Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan Review

Book talk: Today Superman is best known for battling Lex Luthor, General Zod, and other super villains.  But before Superman came to stand for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" he was known as the "Champion of the Oppressed"and he regularly battled dictators, terrorists, and spies.   In the summer of 1946 the Man of Steel even took on the Ku Klux Klan.  Attacking the infamous organization was a dangerous affair for the creators of the show, and it that required careful planning.  Intelligence was gathered from actual spies who had infiltrated the organization so that the details would be accurate.  This is the true story of two outcast kids who grew up to create an iconic American hero, an activist and spy who wasn't afraid to fight for what he believed in, an infamous organization that used hate-filled rhetoric to feed its greed, and an alien separated from his own people who uses his powers to defend the powerless.

Rocks my socks:  This book was a quick and easy read yet  it contained a trove of interesting information and skillfully balanced multiple threads.  In the spirit of full disclosure I've always been a Batman girl myself, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Superman's early role as champion of the oppressed before he turned into the purveyor of the American Way that I'm accustomed to thinking of him as.  I enjoyed reading about the real-life people associated with the character as well, including his creators.  I found the part detailing how the influence of their Jewish faith can be seen in Superman particularly fascinating.  Another narrative thread followed Stetson Kennedy who was friends with Woody Guthrie and infiltrated the KKK.  As an educator I found the section detailing how the radio program revolutionized educational programming compelling.  Bowers doesn't shy away from talking about the history of the KKK either and he makes a good point about how avoiding the subject can add mystery to it and make it more attractive.  By detailing how the organization used this incredibly harmful rhetoric to fill their coffers he helps readers recognize how other organizations use these same techniques and teaches them to be skeptical of anyone promoting hate for profit.

Rocks in my socks: There were so many interesting threads and I wished there was more time spent on each of them.  Still, I suppose I shouldn't complain that a book left me wanting to read more.

Every book its reader: This has a little something for everyone and is so informative and quick to read that there's little excuse not to read it.  Naturally it has some appeal for superhero comic fans, but a love or even knowledge of superhero comics isn't necessary to enjoy the book.  I've never read a superman comic and I loved it.  Stetson Kennedy was a folklorist as well as a spy and his connections to Woody Guthrie should be enough to sell those with an interest in folklore and grassroots activism.  The creators represent a classic outsider storyline that is easy for most people to relate to, and anyone interested in American history would certainly enjoy this well-researched book.  It does deal with some intense issues and doesn't pull any punches so I wouldn't give it to young children, but it is something that I think is important for students to learn about.  It depends on the maturity of the child naturally but I wouldn't hesitate giving it to middle schoolers.

Extras:

You can listen to the radio series at the heart of this book on YouTube.

You can also listen to the song Woody Guthrie wrote about Stetson Kennedy.

You can easily find interviews with the author online.

Source: School Library

Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan by Rick Bowers

Buy it or check it out today!