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Showing posts from April, 2011

Nonfiction Monday: Everything Sharks

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For those who work in libraries it is an unstated fact that shark books are some of the most popular books in the library.  Maybe it's the big teeth, maybe it's the size, maybe it's the power of these animals, however you look at it, there is no such thing as too many shark books.  Today, I'm highlighting a new shark book that kids are bound to love. National Geographic Kids Everything Sharks: All the shark facts, photos, and fun that you can sink your teeth into b y Ruth A. Musgrave National Geographic, 2011 Grades 2 and up Reviewed from personal copy. Did you know that sharks can here pray 820 feet away (over 2 football fields) away? Or that sharks can smell blood one-half mile away? or that sharks like the color yellow because it is easy to see under water?  These and other fascinating facts about sharks can be found in this book.  Maintaining their high standards, National Geographic has produced another book that begs to be shared.  Whether the re...

Mix N' Match Monday: Oil Spills

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It's been nearly a year since the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster.  Unfortunately, for the people, plants, and animals that live along that coast, the disaster is far from over.  At best it will take years, even decades, for the ecosystem to even begin to recover.  Despite the best efforts of thousands of people, the ecosystems involved will never truly be the same.  It is hard to help students understand a disaster of this magnitude.  But here are a couple of books that do a decent job of helping students understand what happened. Roscoe and the Pelican Rescue by Lynn Rowe Reed Holiday House, 2011 Grades K-5 Reviewed from personal copy Tony is thrilled to be visiting his cousin Addison for the summer.  He especially wants to visit the beach.  But his cousin and her family live in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Oil Spill has forced the closure of the beach.  Tony and Addison are horrified when, Roscoe, Addison's dog, finds an oil-covered pelican on ...

Nonfiction Monday: 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet

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April has arrived with blue skies and green grass.  Okay, so I'm daydreaming a little bit.  It snowed during Spring Break, and when it wasn't snowing it was cloudy or raining.  The grass is turning green though.  To highlight the seasonal changes that take place this time of year, I will be highlighting fiction and nonfiction books that relate to this planet we call home. 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne Scholastic, 2008 Grades 3 and up Reviewed from personal copy. This planet we call Earth has many dangers, everything from wild animals to natural disasters to common everyday things that used wrong can be dangerous.  In this book, the author picks 100 things that are especially dangerous to humans.  Claybourne starts with natural disasters which seems fitting considering how often such disasters occur, just this last week there were earthquakes, wildfires, and tornadoes wreaking havoc around the world.  I appreciate t...