Summer Reading: Where did the time go?

The Truth about Hippos and The Truth about Bears and The Truth about Dolphins by Maxwell Eaton III

   

All three of these books are filled with facts about the respective animals and while the facts are interesting and true, it would be difficult to classify them as nonfiction. The author uses a self-referential metafictional style to tell the story that keeps even the most bored student interested. These would be great books to use as a model for a report on animals. Ask the students to read and them copy the style to make their own metafictional report.

Words and Your Heart by Kate Jane Neal

The first thing that you notice when encountering this book is the red cover and the red, black and white drawings throughout. The second thing is that the author is speaking directly to the reader and trying to get their attention. While the message of this book could be perceived as somewhat didactic, the illustrations keep the tone light, fanciful and not so much of an I-told-you-so book as a suggestion book. This book needs to be read more than once for the message to sink in. To label it simply as an anti-bullying book does not do it justice. Check it out.

Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds, Pictures by Matt Davies

And now we have it, a story of two birds, one ignores the other to play online with Tweety Friends. How do they resolve their issues when tweeting gets in the way of their friendship?  Modern day book on manners in the age of electronic toys.

Not so Different: What you Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability by Shane Vurcaw with photographs by Matt Carr

Shane Burcaw has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which is a long name for a disease that causes his muscles to be very weak. He has had this disease since birth and it causes him to be in a wheelchair. In spite of this, Shane has a very positive outlook on life and has written this book to help others, particularly children, understand a little about his disability. One of the things I like about this book is that it is told in the first person. This is Shane’s story and there is no reason why he cannot tell it. While Shane never says it, it is clear that he does not see himself as disabled, rather he is differently abled. He gives frank answers to questions that he receives frequently in his life and he speaks from his heart.

Hooked by Tommy Greenwald, Illustrations by David McPhail

How can a father become close to his child? This could be an alternative name for this book. Joe loves to fish and his dad (perhaps a single father) emphatically does not like fishing. Until one day when Joe really needs his dad to go with him on an ice-fishing trip. Joe and his dad form a special bond that day; they talk and laugh and share memories while making new memories. And, finally, Joe’s dad is hooked on fishing. And that is how a father becomes close to his child.

The Bat Can Bat: A Book of True Homonyms by Gene Barretta

As Barretta explains in the beginning of this delightful book, a homonym represents a pair of words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same and have different meanings, like bat and bat. They are not to be confused with homophones which are spelled differently, but sound the same, like sea and see; or with homographs, which are spelled the same, but pronounced differently: like tear and tear. Barretta has set the book up to tell a story about animals playing various sports and uses at least one homonym on every two page spread. Sometimes, he cleverly works two homonym pairs into a single sentence like this one: “So, the FLY has to DUCK and the DUCK has to FLY.” Well, I’d say this was well done!

Vincent Comes Home by Jessixa Bagley and Aron Bagley

Vincent is a cat who lives on a cargo ship. He enjoys his life, eating fish, chasing seagulls and watching the stars in the night sky. But, he is unhappy because he does not get to go home. Finally, when docking in home port, he follows one of the sailors to see if he can find out what this place called home is and he finds that “Home is where the people who love you are.” With this realization, Vincent is unhappy because he feels he must not have a home. Just then, the captain finds him wandering the streets of the city, picks him up and says, “Let’s go home!” Vincent’s home is with the captain and the sailors, on the ship. A great way to introduce the idea of alternative homes and the importance of people in our concept of what a home is.

Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates  by April Jones Prince, Pictures by Steven Salerno

Following the trajectory of Goldylocks and the Three Bears, Jones introduces three dastardly pirates and then follows Goldenlocks around their ship, tasting gruel, and mending stools and hammocks. The use of sea-faring language gives an added dimension to the story, which is also enhanced by the liberal use of alliteration. Goldenlocks proves to be so handy that they invite her to join them on their ship. Fracture Fairy Tales could not have done better.