A Hero's Guide to Warriors

A Hero's Guide to Warriors
     written by Deborah Murrell

REVIEW

Now you can learn facts about 4 of the major types of warriors through history. Learn about the Greek Warriors, Gladiators, Samurai, and Knights. This is a brand new book just published in September and was a great seller at the Fall BookFair!

Greek Warriors. Learn about Hoplites, training, weapons and armor, war machines used, the War with Persia, Defeating the Spartans, Alexander the Great, battle tactics, and the decline of Greece.

Gladiators. Gladiators defined, Gladiator school, Gladiators of the Empire, Provacatores, Equites, and Velites, the Colosseum, Gladiator Events, Win or Lose, and the end of the Gladiators.

Samurai. When Samurai lived, becoming a Samurai, the Pen and the Sword, weapons used, armor, ninjas, early clans, the Rise of the Samurai, three great men, the last Shoguns, and the dcline of the Samurai.

Knights. Knights defines, when they lived, training, weapons used, armor, horses, battle tactics, battlefields, heraldry, castles under attack, off the battlefield, tournaments, and the decline of Knights.

If you don't like the heavy reading of regular history textbooks we use, then try this book!  If you are interested in weapons, fighting, and war, this is the "history text" for you, right here in our Media Center.

The book has a full table of contents and index, not just for the book, but complete contents for each chapter so you can easily find the information you are most interested in. We'll be using this book to show examples of how using contents and indexes, and glossaries really help you get the most out of content reading, especially when researching for reports! There is also a glossary for the terms used throughout the book.

The information is organized into tidbit paragraphs with stylized text and graphic boxing to offset and separate clusters of information, which makes the information so much easier to locate and read without pages of text you find in a regular textbook.

So if you are interested in warriors throughout history, watch the trailer below, and then find the book in our nonfiction section and check it out soon.

ISBN: 978-1-59566-802-8

A Hero's Guide to Warriors-Trailer from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
     written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
REVIEW

This spiritual interpretation of the  story of Harriet Tubman is in three narrative voices, the narrator (events), Harriet (her prayers and faith), and God (sending strength to continue on). 

The story is told in lyrical text, stylized for each of the voices as they contribute on each page to the overall story.

Included in the author's note at the end of the book are details of the historical events and Harriet Tubman's life that also must be shared to fully appreciate this artistic biography.

Who said E-Everybody (also known as picture books) are only for the very young? Everyone at Bay Farm knows that my favorite section of the library is the Everybody section and this book is a beautiful example of why.

One reading is not enough, multiple readings with discussion is essential. If you don't believe me....take a peak at a book trailer I created  with Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" as a musical accompaniment.

But that's not the whole story....you have to read it to really know the beauty of this book with the haunting oil paintings of my newest favorite artist Kadir Nelson. He views his work in "Moses" as his most emotional work to date. Each page is a two-page illustration with close-ups for dramatic and emotional effect. The illustrations are dark and moody addressing the topic of running away, the journey at night and the desperation of the task. Kadir was concerned about darkness in a picture book, so he worked hard not to sugarcoat the experience but to also be mindful of the range of age of the reader. He won the Caldecott honor and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator award for this book for this book.


Moses from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

ISBN: 078685175-9

Henry's Freedom Box

Henry's Freedom Box
     written by Ellen Levine

REVIEW

This is a true story in American history; the story of Henry "Box" Brown, one of the underground Railway's most famous runaway slaves. This picture book biography tells the story of how Henry Brown became a free man, no one's slave and celebrated his "birthday" March 30, 1849, the day he became free. Although it's an E-Everybody book, it is a story for all ages.

Henry lost his mother and family as a child. He later watched his own family sold away from him forever. He finally decided to escape to freedom, created an ingenios plan and with help and support was successful in his 350 mile escape.

Kadir Nelson created the illustrations using an old lithograph from the 1850s as his inspiration. He used crosshatched pencil lines with layers of applied watercolor and oil paint to achieve the look and feel of a lithograph in his illustrations.  He used cutaways to show the onboard ship travel while contained in a box.

Kadir won the Caldecott Honor for his work in 2008. His illustrations are easily recognizable for their emotion, strength and dignity of spirit. Watch the trailer...then read the book!

Think what courage it must have taken to escape to freedom!


ISBN: 978-0-439-77733-9


Henry"s Freedom Box from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

Wolves

Wolves
     written by Emily Gravett

REVIEW

Wolves  is one of my favorite "newer" picture books for all ages, but especially for tweens and teens who will appreciate the twisted nature of the story, the dry humor, and the artistic perspectives applied to telling a story well.

This was the first book written by the author in 2005. The subtle play on libraries, research, and reading make this book a great read-aloud when moving into research projects as a humorous "into" activity before discussing research techniques.

The book won several awards including the 2004 McMillan Prize, and the Nestle's Bronze Medal. The artwork is multimedia mix, charcoal pencil, and textured pictures with generous sprinkles of wit added throughout.

When Shel Silverstein's  "Runny Babbit" hit our shelves a few years back, we couldn't keep it in the library. Upper grades just ate up that book! This is going to be one of those tales, that truly has to be read! Now that I have a document reader, when reading this book out loud, in order to share all the nuances I think the technology will make this book an even better experience when "performed" live.

Take a look at the trailer for the book and see if you don't agree that you have to get your hands on this little picture book for maximum enjoyment!

ISBN: 9781416914914


Wolves from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
     written by A. Wolf and told to Jon Scieszka
     illustrated by Lane Smith

REVIEW

One of the most hilarious and twisted fairy tales ever told...and definitely not for the younger set.

But you have to read it for yourself...watching the trailer below is not enough...spend some time with this book's text, and absorb the wonderful illustrations by Lane Smith!

This fractured fairy tale has been cited in over 100 resources, reference, reviews, and books since it's publishing date of 1989. the illustrations are highly stylized, realistic, quirky with dark tones to match the mood of the story. The text is quick, smart, and witty, and challenging for older readers in responding to literature. It presents the ultimate in Spin Control, a worthy discussion as well as presenting the story from multiple perspectives and presenting a new slant on the famous tale we all know.

If you had been on the jury when A. Wolf presented his case, how would you have deliberated and decided on guilt and innocence?  Are we biased as a society because we have all heard the original telling of the events since we were small? It would be fun to discuss! Do you think that he could really have been framed?

Remember, picture books are all coded in our library as E...for Everybody...because they are...and this one is especially for you!

ISBN: 978-0140544510


The True Story of the Three Little Pigs from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

WebTools 4 Learning

WebTools 4 Learning

I recently shared a presentation for my class on WebTools. It was a definite challenge to limit myself to the number of WebTools reviewed, including examples of possible use in libraries, while staying within a 5-10 minute limit!

Below you will find the Vimeo hosting the presentation. I plan to include additional detail on some of the tools within this blog and within a new blog I plan to start in the Spring called WebTools 4 Learning which will also have Just in Time videos of "how to's for students, parents, and teachers.

The WebTools I review include:
1. Surveying Interests: Flisti and MyeCoach Survey tools
2. Connecting and Responding:Voicethread and Wallwisher
3. Processing, Organizing, and Mapping Information: Wordle, Webspiration, Spiceynodes
4. Presentation Tools: Animoto, Prezi, GlogsterEdu


WebTools for Learning from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2011

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2011
     written by Nat Geo
This year's Nat Geo Kids Almanac 2011 is full of over 5,000 fun and fabulous facts about the world and who's in it!

Geography, science, history, adventure, it's all here for you to discover through your reading.

You can literally spend hours browsing through the book, but don't take my word for it! Come along with me by watching the vimeo video below and you'll get a special sneak peak of the book!

Happy Reading!


National Geographic Kids Almanac 2011 Book Talk from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.




ISBN: 978-1426306303

Nat Geo Kids Almanac 2011

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2011
       by National Geographic

REVIEW.

Each annual release of the Nat Geo Kids Almanac is eagerly awaited and automatically placed on our "hot table" at our Fall BookFair each fall. This popular series is filled with interesting trivia, stats, topics, and articles that guarantee to interest even the most reluctant reader!

A good read of this book can happen in a variety of ways, but very seldom do I observe kids reading cover to cover page by page, although you can bet that the entire book eventually gets consumed!


Start at the Table of Contents with topic areas including Your World, Amazing Animals, Going Green, Super Science, Geography Rocks, History Happens, Culture Connection, Awesome Adventure, Wonders of Nature, and Future World, and you see what I mean....everyone out for their favorite topic! You can also use the index to find your favorite item or photo, or what most often happens, just start flipping through the pages! The format is easily readable, with each topic edged in its designated color,  heading on the right side pages, and subtopic heading on the top left pages. (A Teacher Librarian's delight to teach reference book skills with exciting content kids can't wait to read....they'll go through your lessons patiently just to get to the content!)

The photos leap off the pages thanks to the famous photographers at National Geographic who never fail to please and excite readers with amazing work that draws the reader into the content. And each page has a careful and deliberate customized layout to encourage the reader by deliberately and carefully parsing trivia facts and little known information that often drives my readers into heavier readings once their interest is tweaked.

Once the reader has gotten his/her fill of the "hottest" pages, within this source are articles like "Write a letter that gets results", "You can make a difference," "The Constitution and the Bill of Rights," ""How to write a perfect essay," "How a bill becomes Law," and so many other topics that teachers have to cover, but can become so dry and boring to our students. Presented within this exciting book, with the kind of attention that pop culture magazines use to captivate, we might be able to squeeze in some of the standards work that is so essential to academic success without our students even knowing it!

This weekend I'm respectfully tearing apart two of my copies to put them together to use with my document reader as 5 minute content starters with my students throughout the year to help encourage deeper readings of topics that students are learning in their classrooms.
I'm excited!

A multi-content "textbook" for $13.99 that kids will actually want to take home to read!

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2011 Book Talk from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.

ISBN: 978-1-4263-0630-3

Mystery Anyone?

It's a Mystery Voicethread project

Here's our Voicethread of Mysteries we recommend to tweens and teens. The biggest challenge we had was limiting the number of great mystery books to include in the presentation! It was a collaborative project and we enjoyed working together!

The Composer is Dead

REVIEW

"The Composer is Dead" by Lemony Snicket, is a picture book for all ages but I think especially appreciated by older readers. The book includes a CD with the San Francisco symphony playing the accompanying music and narration of the story. This is a murder mystery with all the suspects within the orchestra itself. As we try to determine who the murderer is, we learn all about the sections of the orchestra, instruments of the symphony, and listen to some terrific music.

Mr. Snicket actually performed his murder "symphony" live at the San Francisco Symphony. I wish I could have attended; there were great reviews of the live performance, but the book and CD are terrific so you almost feel like you are in the presence of the masterful storyteller himself! Since its debut in San Francisco, it has been performed by the Toronto Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philarmonic, and others.

I created the slide show trailer you see below in iMovie, using scanned pictures from portions of the book and edited audio clips in Garage Band from the full length CD. You really have to experience the book with the accompanying CD to fully enjoy the creative genius of Lemony Snicket!

Additional books by Lemony Snicket to enjoy:
The Series of Unfortunate Events (F Sni)
The Beatrice Letters (F Sni)
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (F Sni)


Where can I find it in our library?
E Sni

Did you know that Lemony Snicket has his own website?
On the web: http://www.lemonysnicket.com




Snicket, Lemony, Carson Ellis, and Nathaniel Stookey. The Composer Is Dead. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.
ISBN: 978-0-06-123627-3