Picture Books

World Wide Knit in Public Day – June 9, 2018

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Tired of Knitting Alone?

Be Bold.  Be Brave.  Go Public!

Join your fellow knitters for one day of knitting in public.  Saturday, June 9, 2018 is World Wide Knit in Public Day.

The needle arts have long been a popular and one of the most popular of needle arts is knitting.   If you don’t knit you can read about knitting.  There are a surprising number of children’s books that feature the needle arts and knitting in particular.  McLure has many of these titles ready for you to check them out.  Check out the following titles at McLure Education Library.

Cover Image of Tiny and Hercules

Tiny & Hercules

Five short stories about the lives of two unusual friends: Tiny, an elephant with a fear of ice skating and a newfound love of knitting, and Hercules, a mouse with a heart of gold and a desire to learn to paint.

Cover Image of Extra Yarn

With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.

A classical take on knitting – and its consequences.   The 1974 Caldecot winning children’s book Duffy and the Devil makes for a rollicking read.

Cover Image of Duffy and the Devil

The spinning and knitting the devil agrees to do for her win Duffy the Squire’s name and a carefree life until it comes time for her to guess the devil‘s name.  Then there is the Devil to pay.

For a historical perspective on knitting take a look at this book.

Cover Image of Knit Your Bit

When his father leaves to fight in World War I, Mikey joins the Central Park Knitting Bee to help knit clothing for soldiers overseas.

For those interested in knitting something for themselves, McLure has a book help get you started.

Cover Image of Kids Knitting

Provides step-by-step instructions covering the basic stitches, knitting tools, and finger-knitting, with directions for twelve easy projects.

Knitting in public is not for everyone or every time.  When you want to knit alone, this is the book for you.

Cover Image of Leave Me Alone!

Grandmother wants so badly to be left alone to finish the knitting for her grandchildren that she leaves her tiny home and her big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting.

But if you are tired of knitting alone?  Then.  Be Bold.  Be Brave.   Go public.

Get those needles and that yarn and take your knitting out of the closet, your room, or your house.  Knit while you eat that Big Mac.  Knit while you sip your Starbucks.  Knit at your local bookstore while you listen to a recorded book.  Or best of all, read aloud to kids while they knit.

Retired?

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Who knew you could retire a color?  Aren’t the colors a constant?  Unchanging?  The color spectrum a scientific fact?

On the morning of March 31, 2017 Crayola will retire a color from it’s classic 24 count box of crayons.  Exactly which color is going to be retired has been a well kept secret, and the world anxiously awaits this announcement.

This exciting event in the life of the coloring box can be a learning opportunity for the classroom.  Here is a list of crayon read-alouds that can be used in the classroom.

Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

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Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt              Cover Image

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

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Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg      Cover Image

Not in the House Newton by Judith Heide Gilliland

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Stand Straight Ella Kate!

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“Most tall tales are made up.

But my tale is true.
I was a giant—a real life giant”

Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise are an outstanding duo in their creation of picture books in the non-fiction genre for children. Stand Straight Ella Kate is a large format picture book based on the true life story of Ella Ewing, who suffered from gigantism. This lovely book is narrated by Ella herself and is featured by delightful illustrations which invoke curiosity among school age children. Some would even get a kick out of Ella being taller than the tallest basketball players in the NBA! Young readers will be introduced to Ella’s struggles with her height difference, but they will also discover, with Ella herself, self-confidence in her ability able to achieve goals that she never thought she could achieve.

The book starts off from the very beginning of Ella Ewing’s life. She was born in 1872 to a farmer and his wife. She was like any other baby at first, tiny and helpless against the world. Until she started growing, by thirteen she was nearly six feet tall, towering over her peers and adults alike. During a Fourth of July celebration, she was ridiculed and teased  as she stood before a crowd to recite the Gettysburg Address. Despite the cruel treatment, Ella never let such words break her spirit, and eventually she decided to use her own differences to her own advantage. She agreed to show off her exaggerated height of eight feet and four inches to a museum, and she found herself traveling with circuses across America—gaining fame and fortune. When she finally returned home, after years of touring, she was able to pay off her parent’s debt to the bank and built her own home, complete with over-sized windows and doors. In her spare time, Ella enjoyed telling friends and family all about the sights and experiences that she encountered on the road. If she had stayed locked away because of her difference, she would have never had the confidence to become a successful and financially stable woman.

Stand Straight Ella Kate would be a great to read out loud to kindergarten through third grade classrooms. This book emphasizes not only on the acceptance of the differences in others, but also the acceptance and confidence in oneself. Here are a few handpicked Pinterest activity ideas and discussion topics for a future classroom! Please leave comments for other ideas you think would go great with this book!

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/69172544255134092/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/69172544255134072/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/69172544255134059/

 

2015 Book Award Results

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By Leslie Grant, Graduate Assistant, McLure Education Library

This morning the American Library Association announced the award winners for children’s and young adult books. These include the Caldecott Medal for picture books, the Newbery Medal for children’s literature, and the Printz Award for young adult literature, as well as many others. The results are as follows:

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Caldecott

Winner: The Adventure of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

Honor Books: Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Mary GrandPré

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illus. by Melissa Sweet

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illus. by Jillian Tamaki

Newbery

Winner: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Honor Books: El Deafo by Cece Bell

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Printz

Winner: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Honor Books: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illus. by Jillian Tamaki

 

For more information and a complete list of winners, see ALA’s website.

Picture Book Series

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By Leslie Grant, Graduate Assistant, McLure Education Library

We have several picture book series at McLure in the curriculum materials library downstairs. These books are great because they enable kids to read new books while still feeling comfortable with familiar characters. Also, if they like a book, you have a ready list of recommendations for further reading. A few popular series at the library include:

Olivia by Ian Falconer
“Whether at home getting ready for the day, enjoying the beach, or at bedtime, Olivia is a feisty pig who has too much energy for her own good.”

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Olivia
Dream big : [starring Olivia]
Olivia … and the missing toy
Olivia and the fairy princesses
Olivia counts
Olivia forms a band
Olivia goes to Venice
Olivia helps with Christmas
Olivia saves the circus
Olivia’s opposites

Pigeon by Mo Willems
“The bus driver turns over the duty of watching the bus to you, with one instruction, don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.”

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Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus
Don’t let the pigeon stay up late!
The duckling gets a cookie!?
The Pigeon finds a hot dog!
The pigeon has feelings, too!
The pigeon wants a puppy!

 

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
“A young girl who loves fancy things helps her family to be fancy…”

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Fancy Nancy
Fancy Nancy and the boy from Paris
Fancy Nancy and the posh puppy
Fancy Nancy, poison ivy expert
Fancy Nancy sees stars
Fancy Nancy’s favorite fancy words

 

David by David Shannon
“A young boy is depicted doing a variety of naughty things for which he is repeatedly admonished, but finally he gets a hug.”

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No, David!
David gets in trouble
David goes to school
It’s Christmas, David!

 

 

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
”Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat with an overactive imagination who would rather be El Skippito, his Zorro-like alter ego.”

hplSkippyjon Jones
Skippyjon Jones 1-2-3
Skippyjon Jones and the big bones
Skippyjon Jones and the treasure hunt
Skippyjon Jones Cirque de Olé
Skippyjon Jones. Class action
Skippyjon Jones : color crazy
Skippyjon Jones in mummy trouble
Skippyjon Jones in the dog house
Skippyjon Jones– lost in spice
Skippyjon Jones shape up
Skippyjon Jones up & down

 

What are your favorite picture book series?

 

Reading Aloud: Picture Books

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By Leslie Grant, Graduate Assistant, McLure Education Library

Reading is one of the first things we learn in school and for good reason. Education in almost any subject relies on the ability to read. Strong readers are much more likely to succeeding in future academic endeavors, whether it be a standardized test or a college diploma. This might seem obvious, but for further proof, look at articles like “Reading Can Make You Smarter!” by Anne Cunningham and Keith Stanovich.

So how do we create good readers?

In his book, The Read-Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease advocates (as you might have guessed from the title) for more time spent on read alouds. Reading out loud to children is one of the best ways to improve their reading and listening skills, as well as foster a love of books. Throughout the book, which I would highly recommend reading, Trelease discusses the importance of reading and reading aloud. Additionally, he shares tips and techniques for reading to kids of all ages. The last section includes his “treasury” of books well suited to reading aloud, including a brief description and age range.

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Here are a few suggestions of picture books good for reading aloud:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.; Illus. by Eric Carle (PZ8.3.M418 Br 1983bx)

Corduroy by Don Freeman (PZ7.F8747 Co 1990x)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (PZ7.S47 Wh)

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London; Illus. by Frank Remkiewicz (PZ7.L8432 Fro 1995x)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff; Illus. by Felicia Bond (PZ7.N964 If 1989x)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst; Illus. by Ray Cruz (PZ7.V816 Al 1984)

Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall (PZ7.A413 Mi)

If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss (PZ8.G276 If)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett; Illus. by Ron Barrett (PZ7.B2752 C)

These are just a few of my personal favorites, all of which are available here in the Education School Library downstairs. And don’t forget to browse through the oversized books, which are great for sharing with classes!