Bluestem Award Nominees for 2013: Part Five

Captain Nobody, by Dean Pitchford

Nobody pays any attention to ten-year-old Newt. Growing up in the shadow of his football-star brother, Chris, Newt has a hard time even getting noticed by his family. When Chris is knocked out at a football game and sinks into a coma , Newt becomes lost in the whirlwind of concern for his brother. For Halloween, Newt dresses up in some of Chris’s old clothes and Captain Nobody is born. He becomes a defender of the little guy. Who will he be able to help? Will Chris ever wake up?

 

The Thing About Georgie, by Lisa Graff

The thing about poodles is that Georgie Bishop hates to walk them. (they’re one of the dog breeds he’s tall enough to handle) The thing about Jeanie the Meanie is that she would rather write on her shoe than help Georgie with their Abraham Lincoln project. The thing about Georgie’s mom is that she’s having a baby–a baby who will probably be taller than Georgie very soon. The thing about Georgie…well, what is the thing about Georgie?

Bluestem Award Nominees for 2013: Part Four

The Story of Snow, by Mark Cassino

How much do you really know about snow? Go into the clouds and see how the crystals form. Notice the different shapes of the crystals. How was the photographer able to photograph the amazing snow crystals? Want to look closely at the crystals that will fall next winter? Try making the handheld observation stage.

 

Redwoods, by Jason Chin

Imagine you’re riding on a subway train and you find a book about Redwood trees. As you turn each page, you are transported to where the redwoods grow. With climbing gear you find there, you climb up a huge tree to discover who lives in the tree.  What you see is amazing! Oh! You notice the time and see you’re at your stop. You must dart off the train. You leave the book for someone else to discover the wonders of the redwoods.

Bluestem Award Nominees for 2013: Part Three

Being the new kid isn’t always easy. Check these out:

Touch Blue, by Cynthia Lord

Tess lives on an island off the coast of Maine. Her mother teaches at the island school. The state of Maine will close the school if there aren’t more students. Tess and her family do not want to move off the island. So families on the island decide to take in foster children to add to the number of kids attending the school. Tess and her family take on Aaron, a 13-year-old trumpet player, who has been transferred from home to home. Find out how Tess and the island residents help the new children feel a part of the community.

How Tia Lola Came to Stay, by Julia Alvarez

Miguel is 10 years old and has just moved to Vermont with his mom and sister. His dad stayed in New York now that his parents are no longer together. Miguel and his younger sister, Juanita, just want to fit in at their school. Miguel’s mom needs help and sends for her aunt who lives in the Dominican Republic. Tia Lola is flamboyant and creates a whirlwind in their home. Miguel and Juanita try to teach her to speak English, sometimes with hilarious results. Tia Lola tries to fit in, too, spreading her liveliness and love to everyone.

Maurice Sendak passes away

Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of children’s book classics like Where the Wild Things Are, In The Night Kitchen and recently Bumble-ardy, died earlier today at the age of 83.  During his amazing career he won countless awards including the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are.  He is remembered not only for his work but also for his honest and sometimes blunt attitude on what being a children’s author meant to him.

“Please don’t go. We’ll eat you up. We love you so.” from Where the Wild Things Are

Bluestem Award 2013 Nominees: Part Two

Honus and Me, by Dan Gutman

Joey loves baseball, but is not a very good player yet. When he helps his neighbor clean out her attic, he finds a baseball card of Honus Wagner from 1909. He soon learns the card is worth a lot of money. It becomes even more valuable to him when it allows Honus and Joey to travel back and forth in time together. Joey learns about life in 1909 and Honus is amazed at how things are different in our modern-day. Joey enjoys every second he gets to spend with Honus. How can Honus help him become a better baseball player?

 

Ruth and the Green Book, by Calvin Ramsey

It’s the 1950s. Ruth and her parents are taking a car trip from their home in Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandma. The family is unfamiliar with some of the segregation laws they encounter in the south.  Many hotels and gas stations won’t serve them because they’re African-American. It makes the trip difficult. A helpful attendant at a gas station shows them The Green Book. It’s a guide that lists places that will welcome them. It helps make their trip safer and more enjoyable.

 

The Day-Glo Brothers, by Chris Barton

How did we get the shocking greens, blazing oranges and screaming yellows that make up the day-glo colors? Joe Switzer wanted to become a doctor. His brother, Bob, wanted to make his fortune in show business. Read what happened when Bob had an accident and how the two brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. It wasn’t their original plan, but they were able to create an entirely new kind of color.

Bluestem Award Nominees for 2013

After a fun second year, the Bluestem Award is back for 2013. Geared for readers in grades 3-5, this year’s list of nominees includes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Watch for future posts describing the nominated books over the coming weeks.

Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech

Jack does not want to write poetry. He believes that poetry is just for girls. At the beginning of the school year, he is cranky about it and won’t try to write anything. His teacher, Miss Stretchberry, gradually manages to help Jack start writing poetry and actually liking it. He writes to his favorite poet, asking him if he will visit his school. Find out how the poet’s “Love that Boy” poem inspires Jack to write about his beloved dog, Sky.

 

War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo

As World War I begins, Albert’s talented horse, Joey, is sold to the English cavalry and shipped to France. There is where Joey’s war adventures begin. He finds himself first with the English army and then with the German army. Along the way, Joey is befriended and cared for by a young French girl and her grandfather. Somehow Joey survives the many battles and tasks he is given and is rescued by the English. Will he ever see Albert again?

Non-Fiction Friday !

Spotlight on some our new non-fiction every Friday!

No Shelter Here: Making the World a Kinder Place for Dogs  by Ron Laidlaw

Filled with information , the author focuses on “dog champions”,  individuals and groups who dedicate their lives  to helping dogs. Everyone can make a difference!

Baby Mammoth Mummy: Frozen in Time by Christopher Sloan

Meet Lubya, the most perfectly preserved baby mammoth ever found! Discovered in Siberia 31,000 years after her birth, we can take a peek into prehistoric Siberia and discover how these giant mammals lived and died.

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery From Your Own Backyard  by Loree Griffin Burns

You can be a scientist in your own backyard! Help contribute your own data to Audubon Bird Count and Frogwatch USA as well as the summer projecti finding ladybugs, photographing them, and submitting information to the Lost Ladybug Project.

Poem in Your Pocket Day – NPM 2012

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. To encourage reading poetry every where people are asked to keep poems in their pockets today.  Here at the library we have a Poetree loaded with some of our favorite pocket-size poems.  Visit us today and also let us know what is your favorite mini-sized poem.

“Keep A Poem In Your Pocket”
By Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket
And a picture in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.

The little poem will sing to you
The little picture bring to you
A dozen dreams to dance to you
At night when you’re in bed.

So – -
Keep a picture in your pocket
And a poem in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.

“A Poem Lovely As A Tree”

  Celebrate Earth Day with “Poetrees”, by Douglas Florian, and have plenty of fun.  Each of the 18 poems celebrates the wonder of trees, from the Giant Sequoia (the world’s tallest trees) to the Bristlecone Pine, one of the oldest trees on earth (alive for fifty cen-trees).  Each page opens vertically, with collage art on paper bags.  Find fascinating notes on each tree in the “Glossatree” at the back.

This book is ripe with poetrees,

They’re grown to educate and please.

You’ll see a cedar.

Oak tree too.

Birch and banyan,

Pine and yew.

Palm and gum

And willow tree,

Plus more you’ll love tree-mendously!

Video Poetry

To celebrate National Poetry Month, check out The Poetry Foundation’s wonderful Children’s Poetry website , where you can enjoy some great video poetry. 

Here are a few perfect poems to celebrate springtime:

“Hope” by Emily Dickinson (read by Claire Danes and signed by a 9 year old girl). 

“April Rain Song” by Langston Hughes (read by the poet)

“Daffodils” by William Wordsworth (read by Dave Matthews)