If You Were The Moon

analogical thinking, Flexible Thinking, Imagination, Nature, Picture Books, , , ,

“If You Were The Moon”

 What would you do if you were the moon? In Laura Purdie Salas’ creative and lyrical nonfiction book, If You Were The Moon, readers discover the roles the moon plays.

“Be a bright alarm clock to wake the night.”

Sidebars explain facts about the moon.

This story promotes creative components of flexible thinking, analogy, and nature.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this book because young readers can easily relate to the moon analogies while learning science facts about the moon.

TITLE: If You Were The Moon

AUTHOR: Laura Purdie Salas

ILLUSTRATOR: Jamie Kim

PUBLISHER: Millbrook Press, 2017

AGE GROUP: 4-7

TOPIC(S): functions of the moon

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: flexible thinking, analogy, nature

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Author Laura Purdie Salas wrote about the functions of the moon and how that might look to us. Find out some facts about the sun. Imagine you are the sun. What jobs would you do?

2) 

Using your creativity, think up two or more additional analogies that could be added to this book about the moon. For example, the author, Laura Purdie Salas, wrote the moon spins like a twilight ballerina. What else could the moon spin like?

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author Laura Purdie Salas, visit:

http://laurasalas.com/how-laura-became-a-writer/

To learn more about illustrator Jamie Kim, visit:

https://www.jaimekim.com/about

A Dazzling Display of Dogs

Picture Books

“A Dazzling Display of Dogs”

A collection of thirty-four visual poems, A Dazzling Display of Dogs, celebrates all things canine.

“Bubbles”

This lyrical picture book features a variety of poetic forms such as haiku and cinquain with delightful illustrations of different dog breeds.

This story promotes creative components of humor and perspective.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this book because I love dogs and poetry of course, and how the book introduces different ways to write poems and how to display those poems. Vibrant and fun illustrations fill each page, creating individual stories.

TITLE: A Dazzling Display of Dogs

CONCRETE POEMS by: Betsy Franco

ILLUSTRATOR: Michael Wertz

PUBLISHER: Tricycle Press, 2011

AGE GROUP: 4-6

TOPIC(S): dog behavior, dog breeds, poetry

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: humor, perspective

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Make a list of dog breeds. Pick three – four breeds to combine together to create a new breed. Sketch how your new dog will look. Name your dog.

2)  

Use “Saltwater Mutt” written by Betsy Franco as inspiration to write a concrete poem about your new dog breed.

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about poet Betsy Franco, visit:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/betsy-franco

To learn more about illustrator Michael Wertz, visit:

https://www.wertzateria.com/kids/

Mathematickles!

Flexible Thinking, Imagination, Nature, Originality, Perspective, Picture Books, Poetry, , , , , ,

“Mathematickles”

Mathematickles! offers a playful introduction to math concepts through a creative lens. Follow a girl and her cat through the seasons using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, graphs and tables.

This story promotes creative components of imagination, flexible thinking, original, and perspective. FYI: This is not a how to book.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: First, I like this book because of the unusual title. It piqued my curiosity about what I would discover between the pages of this book. Also, inventing new words is a favorite pastime of mine. Second, the fun interplay between the concrete nouns, which describe each season and the introduction of basic math concepts allows young readers to think creatively.

TITLE: Mathematickles

POEMS by: Betsy Franco

ILLUSTRATOR: Steven Salerno

PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003

AGE GROUP: 4-7

TOPIC(S): basic math concepts, seasons, creative thinking

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: imagination, flexible thinking, original, perspective

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Pick a holiday that you like to celebrate. Use three of the math concepts from the book to describe your holiday. Have someone guess your holiday. For example, pumpkin – seeds + sugar = pumpkin pie; dishes of food x laughter = family gathering; Thanksgiving

2) Create sensory chart for each season. For each season, list as many as you can think up for each sense. Choose items from the list to use with basic math concepts.

Autumn Winter Spring Summer
Tastes
Sounds
Sights
Touches
Smells

 

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about poet Betsy Franco, visit:

http://www.betsyfranco.com/index.htm

To learn more about illustrator Steven Salerno, visit:

https://www.stevensalerno.com/bio/