Book Review: A Squiggly Story

A SQUIGGLY STORY by Andrew Larsen is a picture book about the art of writing.

A young boy wants to write a story, but he doesn’t know how to write words. When his older sister suggests that he just needs to start with a single letter, the boy’s story begins to take shape. Although his classmates have lots of ideas, the boy soon discovers that it’s his story so he can write whatever he imagines.

Librarians and classroom teachers will find this adorable picture book to be a wonderful way to introduce young children to the creative writing process.

To learn more about the author, go to http://andrewlarsen.ca/.

Published by Kids Can Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Collection: Wildscreen Arkive

WILDSCREEN ARKIVE

Contents: This collection contains information about thousands of species from around the world. Users can conduct a search or explore by species, places and topic. In addition to factual information, photos and video are provided for each animal. Users can also explore by conservation status.

Classroom Connections: An educate section contains lots of learning materials organized by grade level. The fun section of the website contains endless activities for kids. Of particular interest is a section on habitats that teachers can use to connect species with the places where they live.

Featured Digital Objects:
Species - http://www.arkive.org/species/
Team WILD game - http://www.arkive.org/education/team-wild
Marine plastics - http://www.arkive.org/c/marine-plastics/

To visit the collection, http://www.arkive.org/

Digital Collections: Walt Whitman Archive

WALT WHITMAN ARCHIVE

Contents: This digital project is intended to bring the works of poet and writer Walt Whitman to the public. It includes the six editions of his major work Leaves of Grass along with other writings, notebooks, letters, articles, and other items.

Classroom Connections: English teachers will find this resource to be useful in exploring the life and works of Walt Whitman. Involve youth in exploring a particular area of the website such as pictures, sounds, editions, or marginalia.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Picture and Sound - https://goo.gl/WSqKkI
Marginalia - https://goo.gl/ROgV91

To visit the collection, go to http://www.whitmanarchive.org/

Book Review: The Graces

THE GRACES by Laure Eve is the first book in a new paranormal series exploring the lives of teen witches.

The Grace siblings Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer are popular. River is the new teen in town and seeks to befriend the Graces. However, her quest for friendship soon becomes an obsession. Multiple twists set the book for a sequel.

Librarians will find that fans of paranormal young adult titles such as Twilight will be drawn into this new series. The somewhat predictable plot and characters aren’t likely to deter fans of this genre.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.laureeve.co.uk/.

Published by Abrams on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: NBC Learn: Science of Innovation

NBC LEARN is a website contains educational resources for teachers and learners.

The free resources section contains videos and activities on topics related to language arts, humanities, social sciences, stem, innovation, and others.

Topics of particular interest include 20 videos related to the changing planet and a six part series on nanotechnology.

Librarians will find this to be a valuable resource to use with both teachers and students. Consider building a learning center around one of the themes such as the Science of Innovation. This section contains 17 videos exploring the process of innovations with accompanying lessons. Build in books and makerspace activities.

To explore the resources, go tohttp://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/resources.

Digital Collection: Animal Diversity Web

ANIMAL DIVERSITY WEB
University of Michigan

Contents: This animal database including distribution, classification, conservation biology and natural history for thousands of species.

Classroom Connections: This easy-to-use website is perfect for grades 3-12. An app is available for those with handheld devices. Involve students in making comparisons, building life cycle charts, and creating food chain diagrams.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Special Collections - http://animaldiversity.org/collections/

To visit the collection, go to http://animaldiversity.org/.

To explore the teaching materials, go to http://animaldiversity.org/teach/

Book Review: Maxi's Secret

MAXI’S SECRETS by Lynn Plourde tells the story of a boy and his dog dealing with school, bullies, and life.

As a bribe for moving to a new town, Timminy receives a dog that he discovers is deaf. In his new school where his father is the assistant principal, Timminy worries about becoming the target of bullies. However Maxi and blind neighbor help him deal with life in middle school. Each chapter contains an interesting secret that applies to the story as well as life.

Librarians will find this title popular with both middle grade students who enjoy humor as well as dog lovers. With a diverse cast of fascinating characters and age-appropriate humor, this title will be a popular selection. However it’s important to note that like many dog books, it’s a tear-jerker.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.lynnplourde.com/.

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing on August 23, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: National Science Digital Library

NATIONAL SCIENCE DIGITAL LIBRARY contains resources related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematic education. Users can search by digital collection, provider, or topic.

Librarians will find a wealth of science resources geared to the STEM curriculum. Mine the collections in this digital library for K-12 resources from government agencies, universities, museums, libraries, nature centers, and nonprofits.

To visit the collection, go to https://nsdl.oercommons.org/.

Book Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill is an engaging coming-of-age fantasy for middle grade readers.

Xan the witch rescues a baby and accidentally fills her with magic. As the child approaches thirteen, her magic emerges. At the same time, a series of events will change the forest and nearly village forever.

Librarians will find this fairy tale popular with fantasy fans. From a monster and dragon to a volcano and magic, this book has a wide range of appealing characters and settings. The many fairy tales elements make this an excellent book for discussing this type of strong telling.

To learn more about the author, go to https://kellybarnhill.wordpress.com/.

Published by Algonquin on August 9, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Collection: War of 1812

WAR OF 1812Indiana University

Contents: This collection includes thousands of documents exploring the War of 1812 including materials from before the war, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, and after the war. For easy access, use the timeline, maps, or browse the collection.

Classroom Connections: Use this collection along with classroom resources such as the Thinkport Project at http://warof1812.thinkport.org and the Interactive Battlefield Map at http://1812battles.org. Ask youth to select key digital items that reflect the time period or provide insights into a particular place or event.

Featured Digital Objects:
Declaration of War - https://goo.gl/vfk34f
Battle of Niagara Painting - https://goo.gl/qTEUEC
Battle of New Orleans News - https://goo.gl/AmzRJv

To visit the collection, go to http://collections.libraries.indiana.edu/warof1812/

Book Review: Antsy Ansel

ANTSY ANSEL: ANSEL ADAMS, A LIFE IN NATURE by Cindy Jenson-Elliott is a picture book biography exploring the childhood of this famous nature photographer.

Young Ansel Adams was always on the move. He felt most comfortable out in nature and eventually connected his passion of nature with photography.

The attractive illustrations will appeal to young readers.

Librarians will find that children connect with the story about Ansel’s youth. Use the many online galleries of his photographs to bring his work alive for youth.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.cindyjensonelliott.com/.
To learn more about the illustrator, go to http://www.christyhale.com/.

Published by Henry Holt and Co., an imprint of Macmillan on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Collection: Civil War in the American South

CIVIL WAR IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHDigital Library of Georgia

Contents: This multi-agency collection of over 10,000 documents explores the history and culture of the American South. The resource is organized into collections focusing on specific areas such as letters, diaries, broadsides, and photographs.

Classroom Connections: Involve youth in focusing on a particular collection and connecting it with key Civil War events. For instance, create a timeline showing the dates of the letters of a soldier and connect them with key dates during the war. Or, locate a broadside or map and discuss its connection to a battle.

Featured Digital Objects:
Confederate Broadsides - https://goo.gl/IM9rdH
Battle map - https://goo.gl/LlldhN

To visit the collection, go to http://american-south.org/

Website Review: Oceana

The OCEANA website focuses on marine life and conservation.

The Marine Life section contains a database of sea creatures. This Ocean Animal Encyclopedia is filled with fascinating facts and resource organized by types of creatures.

The Publications section includes short and longer scientific reports, brochures, facts sheets, and infographics about the world’s oceans.

The Expeditions area provides an overview of conservation campaigns focusing on unique marine ecosystems around the world.

Librarians will find this website is filled with fascinating information, but readers need to keep in mind that the focus is on conservation. The high-quality infographics would be excellent for students analysis and evaluation. The reports would be useful for informational reading activities.

To visit the website, go to http://oceana.org.

Digital Collection: Ad*Access

AD*ACCESS
Duke University Libraries

Contents: With over 7,000 U.S. and Canadian advertisements, this digital collection covered five product areas including beauty and hygiene, radio, television, transportation, and World War II propaganda from 1911 through 1955. Users can explore by company, product, date, publication, subject, medium, headline, or audience.

Classroom Connections: Involve youth in exploring how advertising has changed over time. Ask students to compare historical advertising in their area of interest to today’s ads.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Air Travel ads - https://goo.gl/3E0Pln
Television set ads - https://goo.gl/PXY3nX
War Bonds ads - https://goo.gl/pJsBPF

To visit the collection, go tohttp://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/

Book Review: The Storybook Knight

THE STORYBOOK KNIGHT by Helen and Thomas Docherty tells the story of a young knight who would rather read than fight.

Leo would rather spend his days with a good book than fighting like the other knights. When Leo is sent on a quest, he encounters a scary griffin, hungry troll, and messy dragon. Rather than fight, he uses the power of books and reading to save the day.

Librarians will find this picture book to be a fun addition to the library’s picture book collection. Use the book to jumpstart a reading campaign focusing on the power of books.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.helendocherty.com/.

Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: Ed and the Curious Crew

ED AND THE CURIOUS CREW is an educational app exploring life at a children’s hospital.

Designed for ages 9-11, children choose from five areas: fun and learning, film and television, nutrition and allergies, fundraising and helping, and sustainability and environment. In each section, users can learn, watch, play, and explore. The easy-to-use activities engage children in age-appropriate learning experiences related to hospital and health-related topics.

Librarians will find this adorable app to be a great way to explore health-related topics. Pair it with books about illness and hospital visits.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/ed-curious-crew-at-…/id1014855340.

Book Review: Grandmother Fish

GRANDMOTHER FISH: A CHILD’S FIRST BOOK OF EVOLUTION by Jonathan Tweet explores the concept of evolution using easy to understand examples.

The picture book introduces each branch on the tree of life with familiar examples and engages readers through active questioning. The consistent format, colorful illustrations, and predictable approach contribute to the book’s appeal.

The end notes include an evolutionary tree of life, science notes for parents, and ideas for explaining natural selection to children.

Librarians will find this well-written book to be a useful addition to the primary grade science curriculum. Involve students in exploring a branch of the evolutionary tree of life and create a mural in the library.

To learn more about the book and author, go to http://www.grandmotherfish.com/.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan on September 6, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Technology Review: How Stuff Works

HOWSTUFFWORKS is both a website and app that shares information about how the world works.

Website users can either search the database of articles or go directly to topics of interest such as animals, culture, entertainment, or health. The short articles generally include a photograph along with content. Suggested readings are also provided. Unfortunately, the advertising may be distracting for students.

The app includes articles, videos, podcasts, quizzes and other elements found at the website in an easy-to-use format. With less advertising, students are less likely to get lost in unrelated content.

Librarians will find this resource to be a popular quick reference. The resource provides short overviews of topics that can be woven into the curriculum. Pair the website with books on related topics.

To visit the website, go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/.
To download the app, go tohttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/howstuffworks/id401986544

Book Review: Also an Octopus

ALSO AN OCTOPUS by Maggie Tokuda-Hall is an engaging picture book exploring how stories are created.

This inspirational picture book tells the story of how stories are built. The author begins with a blank page, adds characters, and builds the plot using a silly situation sure to capture the imagination of young readers.

Librarians will find this book to be a useful way to introduce the elements of stories to young writers. Work with primary teachers to weave this book into the language arts curriculum.

Learn more about the author at http://www.prettyokmaggie.com/.

Published by Candlewick Press on October 4, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Collection: Digital Thoreau

Digital Thoreau

Contents: This amazing website contains tools to help readers explore the works of Henry David Thoreau. The fluid text edition allows readers to examine and compare across seven manuscripts versions.

Classroom Connections: Teacher can create groups for students to exchange ideas and share documents.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Walden Fluid Text - http://digitalthoreau.org/walden/fluid/text/01.html
Resistance to Civil Government - http://commons.digitalthoreau.org/civil/

To visit the collection, go to http://digitalthoreau.org/.