Mon, January 9th, 2012
In the Bag! by Monica Kulling
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Cindy: Paper or plastic? We are all familiar with that question, but I wasn’t familiar with the female inventor who gave us the machine to make a paper grocery bag. In The Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up (Tundra 2011) is a delightful picture book biography of a little known inspiring woman. The book opens [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Biographies, Dare to dream, Girl Power, Gr. 3-5, Nonfiction, Science, Series Stars, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 8
| Trackback
| 2 Comments »
Mon, December 5th, 2011
Magic Trash by J. H. Shapiro
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Lynn: Polka-dot houses, broken dolls hanging from telephone poles, old shoes in trees – for 25 years Tyree Guyton has created controversial art in a special place. Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art (Charlesbridge 2011) is an exuberant celebration of Guyton’s Heidelberg Project in East Side Detroit. Tyree’s mother worked hard [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Art teachers take notice, Biographies, Curriculum Connections, Dare to dream, Gr. 2-4, Gr. 4-7, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 8
| Trackback
| 3 Comments »
Fri, October 28th, 2011
The Great Race by Kevin O’Malley
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Lynn: I’ve always cheered for the underdog (as can be seen by my life-long support of the Chicago Cubs) and I think a lot of kids share my tendency to root for the little guy. The tortoise and the hare is a favorite tale for both me and the focus group and The Great Race [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Curriculum Connections, Dare to dream, Fables and Folklore, Humor, Picture Books, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 8
| Trackback
| 1 Comment »
Mon, October 3rd, 2011
The Boy Who Bit Picasso by Antony Penrose
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Cindy: Lynn found this delightful autobiography of a man who befriended Picasso as a child. The Boy Who Bit Picasso (Abrams 2011) obviously illuminated the great painter’s life, but in a unique way for a youth biography: looking at a famous figure from the perspective of someone who sat on his lap, visited his studio [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Art teachers take notice, Biographies, Dare to dream, Gr. 2-4, Nonfiction, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 8
| Trackback
| No Comments »
Mon, September 19th, 2011
Music was IT by Susan Goldman Rubin
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Lynn: “It was as if I didn’t exist without music,” Leonard Bernstein. It is Berenstein’s intense purpose that is the focal point of Rubin’s outstanding new biography, Music Was IT!: Young Leonard Bernstein (Charlesbridge 2011). Teens with a similar driving passion in their lives will discover a strong connection to the incredibly gifted young man [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Biographies, Dare to dream, Gr. 5-8, Gr. 7-10, Music, Nonfiction
| Trackback
| No Comments »
Mon, July 11th, 2011
Strange Creatures by Lita Judge
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Lynn: My family are zoo and museum-addicts. I freely admit it and will further admit that we have sometimes eschewed a famous site or two for the pleasure of going to yet another zoo or crazy museum. So I was instantly drawn to Strange Creatures: The Story of Walter Rothschild and His Museum (Disney/Hyperion 2011). [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Animals, Biographies, Curriculum Connections, Dare to dream, Gr. 2-4, Nature, Nonfiction, PreS-Gr. 2, Science, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 7
| Trackback
| 1 Comment »
Thu, September 2nd, 2010
Brontorina by James Howe
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Lynn: Remember a few weeks ago when Cindy demanded more estrogen in the picture books we blog? I have JUST the book that should please her and keep our focus group happy too. Brontorina (Candlewick 2010) is about a ballet dancer AND a dinosaur. In fact it is about a dinosaur who wants to be [...]
Permalink
| Posted in Dare to dream, Performing Arts, Picture Books, PreS-Gr. 2, Twins' Thumbs Up - Age 6
| Trackback
| No Comments »