Synergy: Celia Thaxter

CELIA THAXTER (1835-1894) is an American author, artist, and naturalist known for her love of gardens and the islands off the coast of New England.

Read the recently published nonfiction picture book for children, then extend the experience with the websites:

CELIA PLANTED A GARDEN written by Phyllis Root and Gary D. Schmidt and illustrated by Melissa Sweet shares the life of American author, artist, and naturalist Celia Thaxter who wrote and painted about her passion for island life off the coast of New England. The book’s illustrator skillfully weaves in quotes from Thaxter’s writings and features her passion for flowers and nature, while the authors explore the key events of Celia’s life and conclusion with a useful note, timeline, and bibliography. 

ARC courtesy of Candlewick.

ABOUT CELIA THAXTER is a series of web pages from Shoals Marine Laboratory that explore the life, writing, and gardens of Celia Thaxter on Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire.

To visit the pages, go to https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org/about-celia-thaxter.

CELIA THAXTER’S GARDEN INSTALLATION AT SHOALS MARINE LAB is a short YouTube video that shares the process of re-creating the naturalist’s gardens on Thaxter’s beloved island.

To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/y_3L6DmThps.

Many of Celia Thaxter’s works are available at Internet Archive including An Island Garden.

To read An Island Garden, go to https://archive.org/details/islandgarden00thax.

Synergy: The Tin Woodman

The Tin Woodman is a character created by L. Frank Baum as part of the fictional Land of Oz. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy befriends the tin man and together they experience adventures. The character shows up in other Baum books as well as the novel by Gregory Maguire titled Wicked.

Read the recently published graphic novel, then extend the experience with two digital books:

TIN MAN by Justin Madson is a graphic novel featuring the Tin Man made famous in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. In this story, the tin woodsman is still seeking a heart, but teen Solar and her brother  Fenn are the ones who befriend this man made of metal. They help each other heal and find out where they belong. The limited text, attractive illustrations, and compelling story will engage even reluctant readers in this unusual friendship. ARC courtesy of Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Teachers and librarians may use this title to encourage children to revisit the classic works of L. Frank Baum or the newer novels of Gregory Maguire.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ is available digitally at Internet Archive.

To download, go to https://archive.org/details/wonderfulwizardo00baumiala.

THE TIN WOODMAN OF OZ is available as an audiobook at Librivox.

To download, go to https://librivox.org/the-tin-woodman-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum/

Synergy: Dinosaurs

DINOSAURS are reptiles that lived primarily during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Over 1,000 species of these enormous creatures have been identified. Dinosaur fossils have been found around the globe.

Read the recently published nonfiction reference atlases, then learn more at the website:

DINOSAUR ATLAS: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME TO THE PREHISTORIC WORLD written by Tom Jackson and illustrated by Maggie Li uses simple color illustrations and engaging short text blocks to explore dozens of well-known and lesser known dinosaurs. The atlas begins with background information and concludes with what happened after dinosaurs reigned. Excellent for reading or browsing. 

ARC courtesy of Quarto Publishing Group. 

DINOSAUR ATLAS from National Geographic Kids takes young paleontologists on an adventure through time to explore the Mesozoic world of dinosaurs. Large text, a variety of illustrations, and open-space on each page will attract rather than overwhelm young readers. After an introduction, the readers explore three time periods and dozens of spotlight locations around the globe. The atlas concludes with what happened after extinction, a dictionary, glossary and additional information. Of particular note is the newly interpreted dinosaur information and stunning, full-color illustrations including artwork, photographs, and maps. 

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

DINOSAURS from the American Museum of Natural History web page features articles, exhibits, collections, and educational materials related to dinosaurs. Of particular interest is the PaleontOlogy section designed for children.

To visit AMNH, go to https://www.amnh.org/dinosaurs.

Synergy: Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mockingbird is an omnivore often found in open areas and forest edges of North America. Known for its mimicry and intelligence, the bird is able to recognize individual people and imitate a variety of animal sounds. They can be found in both urban and rural habitats.

Read the recently published nonfiction book, then learn more at the website:

DUET: OUR JOURNEY IN SONG WITH THE NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD by Phillip Hoose takes an interdisciplinary approach to telling the story of the relationship between humans and mockingbirds through history. Written for young adults, Hoose uses the Northern Mockingbird to demonstrate the resilience of both birds and humans. Concluding with an emphasis on climate change and other environmental challenges, readers are invited to explore ways to help mockingbirds and other songbirds. ARC courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint go Macmillan.

The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD from All About Birds provides an overview to the life, location, and sounds of the Northern Mockingbird. Visit the page at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird/overview.

The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD from Audubon shares background information about the bird along with information about its climate vulnerability. Visit the page at https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-mockingbird.

Timely Take-aways for Life-Long Learning: Birds and Birders

Several new and upcoming books explore the world of birds and birders. From naturalists and scientists to backyard birders, these books explore the wide range of ways people connect with birds.

Best Little Book of Birds: The Oregon Coast

Sarah Swanson, 2022, Timber Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group

Themes: Nature, Birds

Organized into 25 short chapters, readers learn about bird families found on the Oregon Coast. The first book in a new series of pocket-sized birding guides, this book provides quality photographs, useful icons, and short text blocks with key bird information.

Take-aways: Introduce students to birding through this appealing new field guide series. 

Audubon at Sea

Edited by Christoph Irmscher & Richard J. King, 2022, University of Chicago Press

Themes: Nature, Birds

Weaving together Audubon’s writings and artwork, the editors explore this famous artist and naturalist’s connect with the sea and waterbirds.

Take-aways: Explore this book for examples of the challenges educators and students face in addressing the legacy of naturalists such as Audubon who killed for his art.

Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay

Merilyn Simonds, 2022, ECW Press, an imprint of Baker & Taylor Publisher Services

Themes: Biography, Naturalist, Birds

While living in an isolated cabin in Ontario, Canada, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence worked as a nurse then devoted her life to studying birds. The author connects the life story of this pioneer of ornithology with her own passion for songbirds.

Take-aways: Use Lawrence and Simonds as examples of how naturalists yesterday and today contribute to our understanding of birds through their observations and citizen science.

Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration

Rebecca Heisman, 2023, Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins

Themes: Nature, Birds

From bird banding to DNA markers, explore the little-known story of the scientists who pieced together the puzzle of bird migration. Crossing generations and disciplines, this fascinating discovery was made possible through the synergy of collaboration to address a complex problem.

Take-aways: Use this story as an example of the power of collaboration to tackle scientific challenges. Also, use it to share how scientific discoveries build on one another.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb