Miss Marple's Musings - A young adult and middle grade author celebrating the natural and cultu

Time 2021-11-15 20:09:09

Web Name: Miss Marple's Musings - A young adult and middle grade author celebrating the natural and cultu

WebSite: http://www.joannamarple.com

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description:A young adult and middle grade author celebrating the natural and cultural diversity in our world.
Miss Marples Musings A young adult and middle grade author celebrating the natural and cultural diversity in our world. Skip to content HomeAbout this BlogJoannas JourneyMy BooksResources for WritersReview GuidelinesSchool Visits Older posts circle under berry Perfect Picture Book Friday Posted on October 29, 2021 by Joanna

Title:circle under berry

Author Illustrator:Carter Higgins

Publisher:Chronicle Kids, 2021

Ages:2-5

Format/Genre:concept picture book

Themes: colors, shapes, prepositions, patterns, animals, connection

Opening:

circle under berry

Synopsis:

Part Sandra Boynton, part Each Peach Pear Plum; part Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, —a treat for the brain and the tongue. (publisher)

With an elegant and simple approach, this thought-provoking concept book shows young readers that everything in the world can be seen from infinite perspectives.

Each page compares colors, shapes, and objects in relation to each other. Some pages are very simple, a yellow octagon, but then than yellow octagon might become an upside down octopus, and that green rectangle, a fleeing green grasshopper.

Why Ilike this book:

I have read this book several times and each time I seem to glean something else from it. It is deceptively complex, multilayered and yet brilliant in its simplicity. This books focus on color, shapes, animals, objects, and relative words like over, under, and next to, helping young readers learn more than one concept at once by showing how they relate to each other, e.g., a triangle that is over a square is also under a circle. A circle that is pink also might be a flower. Visual learners will especially connect with this.

The imaginative and rhythmic language of this book is super playful, and makes it a great read aloud though I suspect any librarian/teacher/parent reading it will be bombarded with questions throughout.

This is a debut for Carter as an illustrator as well as being the author, and I love her bold colorful collages. I highly recommend this for toddlers.

Resources/Activities:

With a variety of concepts, clear read-aloud qualities, and the many different ways this book engages different styles of learning, this book is ideal for librarians, educators, and anyone creating reading events in their communities. Kids will certainly be inspired to make their own art after reading this.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics,hereon Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in Book recommendation, children's books, concept picture book, Perfect Picture Book Friday | Tagged Carter Higgins, concept picture book | 1 Comment Survivor Tree Perfect Picture Book Friday Posted on October 15, 2021 by Joanna

Title: Survivor Tree

Author: Marcie Colleen

 Illustrator: Aaron Becker

Publisher:Little Brown, 2021

Ages: 5-11+

Format/Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: 9/11, hope, trees, survival, New York, threat, national history,

Opening:

A TREE STOOD STEEL STRAIGHT AND PROUD at the foot of the towers that filled the sky.

It grew mostly unnoticed, silently marking the seasons.

Synopsis:

In lower Manhattan, a small pear tree grew among the tall buildings. It was there for almost thirty years, marking the seasons. Then one September day, there were explosions and buildings fell to rubble, burying and burning the tree. The tree was rescued and taken far away to be tended and nurtured by a botanist in the Bronx. Its survival was unsure. For ten years, the tree grew in its safe place eventually sprouting new buds and blossoms until it was time to return home. It was returned to the location of such devastation; its scars offering a symbol of healing as part of the 9/11 memorial.

Why I like this book:

A sparsely written, beautifully lyrical and powerful retelling of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. Marcie chooses to tell this story from the POV of the resilient little pear tree plucked from the rubble. The story is narrated through the seasons; the choice of words, POV and seasonal rhythms masterfully present this history in a stunningly receptive way for the intended audience. The focus is not on the events or terrorism of that day, but on hope and resilience, and yet Aarons moving artwork doesnt allow the readers to gloss over the horror either.

There is a visible line of demarcation on the bark of this tree indicating the day the towers came down. In the authors note in the back, Marcie notes that Gallery Pear trees have a short life span, usually not more than twenty years. This tree has lived twenty years since 9/11. Man, I love trees! And I love this picture book.

This is such a multilayered book. The pictures tell an additional story of a brother and sister growing up around the tree. After the tree has been replanted, you discover that the sister is missing, and the brother now has a family that visits the tree. 

For any adults reading this, it is a haunting and breathtaking account of these events, which will bring many of us to tears. For children, it is a powerful window into this history of devastation and hope.

This has a specific and eternal message. “Even in the darkest times, color will always return to the world.”

Resources/Activities:

This would be a great read aloud to all elementary kids right on up to middle school readers. Young audiences will respond to the depth and powerful hope of the story and sense the connection to a historic event that is not part of their lived experience, and yet shaped the world in which they live.

The back matter on the life of this tree, an authors note, and an illustrators note all add depth and context.

The book could also be used in a comparison unit if read alongside:
This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin.  Branches of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree by Ann Magee, illustrated by Nicole Wong

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics,hereon Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in Book recommendation, children's books, Children's literature, Historical Fiction, Perfect Picture Book Friday | Tagged : 9/11, Aaron becker, hope, Marcie Colleen, national history, New York, survival, threat, trees | 10 Comments What Are Your Words? Perfect Picture Book Friday Posted on September 17, 2021 by Joanna

Title: What Are Your Words? A Book about Pronouns

Author: Katherine Locke

 Illustrator: Anne Passchier

Publisher: Little Brown, 2021

Ages: 5-8

Format/Genre: concept book

Themes: personal pronouns, adjectives, respect, words, gender fluidity, lgbtqia+,

Opening:

My Uncle Lior is coming to visit today! I cant wait to show them around my neighborhood. And I cant wait for all my neighbors to meet them.

Synopsis:

Follow Ari through their neighborhood as they try to find their words. .

Whenever Aris Uncle Lior comes to visit, they ask Ari one question: What are your words? Some days Ari uses she/her. Other days Ari uses he/him. But on the day of the neighborhoods big summer bash, Ari doesnt knowwhatwords to use. On the way to the party, Ari and Lior meet lots of neighbors and learn the words each of them use to describe themselves, including pronouns like she/her, he/him, they/them, ey/em, and ze/zir. As Ari tries on different pronouns, they discover that its okay to not know your words right awaysometimes you have to wait for your words to find you.

Why I like this book:

This is a sweet, accessible introduction to gender-inclusive pronouns, filled with bright, graphic illustrations. It is a simple and poignant story about finding yourself, which includes gender identity and many other descriptions. I love the fluidity, and that Young Ari is given the space to decide how they want to identify on any given day, and the inclusion of other words, like loyal, mechanic, artistic, and generous to show that we all have many traits and layers of ourselves, and pronouns are just another way to communicate a part of ourselves with others.

The illustrations are very inclusive and cover a variety of people including those with/without disabilities, different skin tones, clothes, and gender expression.

Resources/Activities:

The book gives links to more sources: mypronouns.org GLSEN.org

Use the last page and end pages to start a group or individual discussion.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics,hereon Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in Book recommendation, children's books, Children's literature, Diverse Children's Books, LGBTQIA, Perfect Picture Book Friday | Tagged A Book about Pronouns, adjectives, gender fluidity, LGBTQIA+, personal pronouns, picture books, respect, What Are Your Words?, words | 11 Comments Older posts Joanna Marple In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.Easy Sign UpMy Facebook Authors Page SCBWI Member

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