Pete the Cat

Litwin, E. (2012).  Pete the cat and his four groovy buttons.  New York:
        HarperCollins Children's Books.

Pete the Cat is back!!!  In this creative and colorful story, Pete loses his groovy buttons off his favorite shirt one by one.  But, it's all good for Pete.  He knows that we don't need to cry, he knows that things come and things go, and he just keeps singing his song!  In the true Litwin and Dean spirit, we have another guitar-strumming, sing-along book that is repetitive, catchy, and teaches a little lesson too! 

Here is the book trailer created by HarperCollins Children's Books.




If you liked this one, you will love his others too!!
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes
Pete the Cat Saves Christmas (coming in September 2012)

All these books have great book trailers and catchy tunes!   There is even a stuffed Pete the Cat available at Amazon.com.

There is downloadable music available at HarperCollins for all these books.  On this website, there is more information about the author and illustrator, plus activity guides for each book.

Zero the Hero

Holub, J. (2012).  Zero the hero.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company.

Zero was not just any number...he was nothing, nada, zip, ziltch!  Whether he was added or subtracted, he didn't mean diddly-squat.  Once he finds out the power of the zero rule in multiplication, he was excited, but the others ran for lives fearing extinction.  That is when zero decided to disappear.  He was greatly missed while he was away, no rounding to the tens or hundreds, a missing even number, etc.  Meanwhile the Romans invaded (Roman numerals) and it took ZERO THE HERO to save the day.

Such a cute story with plays on words throughout!  Here is a book trailer made by Macmillan retrieved from http://us.macmillan.com/zerothehero/JoanHolub on May 11, 2012. 

If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy E-mergency written and illustrated by the illustrator of Zero the Hero, Tom Lichtenheld.


For some math activities, check out these math games.  You will find activities about math that were mentioned in the book; such as Roman Numerals, Rounding, and other math operations.

Here is a really fun activity from Scholastic.  It is an article talking about having a Zero Hero coming to visit your school on the 50th and 100th day of school.  However, he is a mystery, and no one has ever seen him.  He leaves footprints in the classroom and clues, etc.  It seems really fun!!

Other fun math picture books:
Once Upon a Dime: A Math Adventure
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions
Just a Second
Sir Cumference series
The Math Start series

One Cool Friend

Buzzeo, T. (2012). One cool friend. New York:  Dial Books for Young Readers.

This is a very cool book about a boy named Elliot who goes to visit an aquarium with his father.  While he is there, he asks for a penguin.  His father, who thinks Elliot wants a stuffed animal penguin, agrees.  This is when the fun starts.  I will tell you only that Elliot does not mean a stuffed animal, and Elliot does bring home his penguin.  That is all I will say...except that after you read the book once, you will open it right back up to the beginning and read it again!  It is a New York Times Best Seller and teachers can download a curriculum guide and a reader's theater script here.




Make a video of your own at Animoto.
-first penguin picture retrieved from www.animoto.com 
-book cover retrieved from www.goodreads.com 
-rest of pictures retrieved from www.Pics4Learning.com 

Click on the link above to go to the National Geographic kids web page on Emperor Penguins.

Toni Buzzeo, the author, has a pretty nice website.  She is the author of the Mrs. Skorupski books.  You may have heard of Our Librarian won't Tell Us Anything.



I've Lost My Hippopotamus

Prelutsky, J. (2012).  I've lost my hippopotamus. New York:  Greenwillow Books.

This is a collection of Jack Prelutsky's poems - 100 more poems, to be exact!  Some are about real animals and some are totally pretend animals...some even put two animals together.  Some poems are looong, and some are short and sweet.  Think about the title, which is a poem in the book, how do you lose a gigantic hippopotamus?!?! 



Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

-book cover retrieved from www.goodreads.com

-pictures retrieved from www.pics4learning.com

Make sure to visit Scholastic's Poetry Idea Engine!! 

It has Haiku, Limerick, Cinquain, and Free Verse.
It is loads of fun!

 

Click on the link above to go to Jack Prelutsky's website!

Other poetry books by Jack Prelutsky:

It's Raining Pigs and Noodles

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem

The New Kid on the Block

Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face:  and other Poems

Other children's poetry book authors:
Shel Silverstein
Kalli Dakos

Bruce Lansky
J. Patrick Lewis
Kenn Nesbitt
Judith Viorst

Chopsticks

Rosenthal, A. (2012).  Chopsticks.  New York:  Disney-Hyperion Books.

This is the sweetest book about two best friends - chopsticks.  They are always together...inseparable!  Until one day, one of them broke at the tip, kind of like a broken ankle.  Now, they have to learn to be apart.  The story is very witty.  When the break occurred, the chopstick was "whisked" away...by a whisk, of course (p. 11).  I literally giggled my way through this book.  I will definitely have to search out Spoon, the companion book. 

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.
-book cover retrieved from www.goodreads.com
-picture of page from book retrieved from Junior Library Guild
-all other pictures retrieved from Microsoft Online Clipart

The author, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, has a website which includes activities to use with this book.


Other books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal are:
Spoon
This Plus That: Life's Little Equations
Plant a Kiss
Little Pea
Duck! Rabbit!
Little Hoot
Little Oink

Smile

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is an endearing story about the trials and tribulations of having braces...among other things!  I don't usually prefer graphic novels when I pick a book to read.  This one surprised me!  I felt like I really got to know Raina, who is the main character in the book.  Watch this fantastic book trailer made by the folks at Scholastic/Graphix with music by Harry and the Potters. 




Now that you know a little about Raina's story, I think you should go get the book - you will love it!  

Also, Scholastic has a You Be the Author section on their website page for Smile that will allow you to create your own page for a graphic novel.  It's really fun!

Escape Under the Forever Sky

2012-2013 TX Bluebonnet Nominee

Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem is fascinating.  It takes place in Ethiopia, where Lucy's mom is the U.S. Ambassador.  Lucy wants to really explore the land and see the animals that she has read so much about.  She wants to experience Ethiopia, but her over-protective mother won't let her leave the compound.  One day, Lucy and her friend sneak out...just for a short time...just to have a little fun...   This is when Lucy gets kidnapped and now she will have to rely on what she has learned to try to save herself! 

Here is the book trailer created by Chronicle Books.

World Book Night

It is finally here...the day that many of us "book givers"

 have been waiting for! 

The first annual World Book Night in the US!

There were many pick-up places located across town

for us to get our box of books.

My pick-up place was The Woodlands Barnes and Noble.

It truly took a village to make this all happen.

Yesterday I picked up my box of books.

Here it is with one book pulled out.

It is the true book, but this edition's cover is a special World Book Night cover.

It also has a really nice letter inside the front cover

 so that future readers of the book

will know where this edition came from.

In the back, it has all the companies listed that made this possible.

And don't forget, this all started last year in the UK. 

Thanks to everyone who has made this possible!

   

I am taking my set of books to a small charter high school

that will hand them to their teens. 

These teens have faced struggles in their lives just as Liesel does in

The Book Thief.

We must all find something that helps us get through these rocky roads in life.

Liesel finds books, during a time when books are banned and burned,

the Holocaust.

Come... read this book... from Death's point-of-view.

It is not all happy and fun,

but Liesel finds that books feed her soul.