Kids love books about animals or with animals in them. Today I am sharing three books that are animal themed. They include one board book and two picture books (both released today). We will start with the board book. It is Peekaboo Zoo by Rod Campbell. It is recommended for ages baby to 2.
Summer is over. The beaches are less crowded. Do you visit the shoreline off season? The beaches change so much in each season. Today I get to share with you an interesting nonfiction picture book that teaches us about the one sea on Earth that does not have a shoreline! The book is Sea Without a Shore by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Katherine Roy.
Did you know that National Dog Day was this week? In honor of that I get to share with you a fun book about a beagle and his adventures to the river with his human. The book is Webster the Beagle and His Adventures on the River by Frank Payne and illustrated by Romney Vasquez. There is a giveaway at the end of the post, and I am sharing a round-up of crafts of some of animals he sees at the river.
I have spent much of my life visiting a house on Cape Cod that is on a salt marsh. I never really looked into what a salt marsh is or its value as an ecosystem, but lately have been thinking about it. Today I am delving into a salt marsh, and we will start with what it is and why they are important.
A salt marsh is a wetlands ecosystem that is flooded and drained by the ocean's tides. They are formed where rivers or creeks meet the ocean. They are composed of deep mud and peat. Peat is a spongy, root-filled material composed of decomposing plant material. They can be low on oxygen which allows certain bacteria to grow, and this bacteria can give off the smell of rotten eggs often associated with salt marshes. I found this interesting since I have early memories of coming to visit my grandparents at night and the awful smell of the marsh always made me hate arriving. Then in the morning the smell was usually gone.
To learn more about the wildlife check out this video as well. And to learn about the high marsh you can check out this video.
I found a few books about salt marshes at the library if you would like to go that route.
2) Marvels in the Muck: Life in the Salt Marshes by Doug Wechsler shares about the life found in northern salt marshes (New Jersey is mentioned). Some of the wildlife shared I do not see (or know about at least) at Cape Cod.
3) A Day in the Salt Marsh by Kevin Kurtz takes the reader hour by hour naming various wildlife found in a marsh. It has some activities and more information at the end including why salt marshes are important and information about spartina and its adaptations.
4) Salt Marsh by Paul Fleisher shares about a salt marsh in Chesapeake Bay.
Teach your kids more about salt marshes with these lessons, activities and crafts.
I have shared several origami kits as well as origami paper packs and projects with you over the years. Today I am sharing a wonderful origami kit for kids. I think this is my favorite one ever!! It is Kawaii Origami for Kids by Naoko Ishibashi. Kawaii is a huge Japanese culture of cuteness. I am sure you have seen the word previously. These origami projects are just so cute!! So it makes sense that it is called the Kawaii Origami for Kids.
Every Tuesday new books get released. Today I am sharing three new picture books released today. These books timely for current events and Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as one about inclusion with information about lifeboats too. The first book is Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher and illustrated by Alex Peris. It was translated into English by Ilan Stavans; translated into Hebrew by Eliezer Nowodworski and Frieda Press-Danieli; and into Arabic by Randa Sayegh. It is being released into paperback today and is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
I love books that share about people you may not have heard of. Today I get to share a nonfiction picture book about a woman who explored colors and paints of under water to share what a scientist saw on his underwater exploration. The woman is Else Bostelmann. The book is Else B. in the Sea The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep by Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrated by Melodie Stacey.
Spring has sprung! That means weddings, baby showers and more! Today I get to share with you three fun new board books that each will teach as well as inspire and one is perfect for the good night story! So if you have a baby shower coming up or know someone who is having a baby or has young children and wants great books to read them, check these books out!! The first one is Hey Now, Little Man by Dori Elys and illustrated by Chris Park.
How are you spending your summer? Do you go boating? Today I am sharing a new picture book that introduces ship language and slang. Plus I am sharing a boat/ship craft round-up. The book is Bark Ship Bonnie by Stephanie Staib and illustrated by Fiona Lee. It is recommended for ages 5 to 7. And don't worry if you are not knowledgeable about ship language--there is a glossary!!
Spring is popping up all around me and that means summer is around the corner. Today I get to share with you a fun book that is perfect for those summer beach trips and more! It is Famous Seaweed Soup by Antoinette Truglio Martin and illustrated by Penny Weber. And there is a giveaway including the grand prize of an entire classroom set of this fun book!!
My life has gotten a bit crazy. My reading time is definitely cut down, but I found time to read today's book and loved it. We can start with the adorable picture on the cover. This book is a new middle grades novel written completely in verse. It is Odder by Katherine Applegate. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Today I am going to share a new middle school/young adult novel that takes a look at a different life than I am used to. It has been sitting on my shelf for awhile. When my life changed in April, I got behind reading my middle grades and young adult (as well as adult) books. This book is perfect for an Earth Day theme as well as just an adventure lover or explorer. It is Northwind by Gary Paulsen. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Spring is here. That means summer is almost here and that means the beach! With Earth Day last week, we need to talk about the ocean. Today I am sharing a beautiful, oversized picture book about a trip to the sea that even goes into the Earth Day topics! The book is At the Sea by Emma Giuliani. It has a reading age of 8 to 12.
Do you know an animal and/or plant lover? Are you a teacher? Today I get to share with you a new book that is absolutely beautiful!! This is a must have when teaching about animals and plants and especially ones that migrate or perhaps just teaching about migrating. It is The Atlas of Migrating Plants and Animals by Megan Lee and illustrated by Matt Sewell. It is recommended for ages 5 to 10.
Today we get to share eleven fun coloring books that aren't just for coloring. They have fun facts about each of the pictures featured in the coloring page. The topics of these books range from animals to vehicles and space. There is literally something for every interest!! The books are We Can Color! Fun & Facts Coloring Books created by Daniel Gershkovitz. They each have 70 pages and are for all ages! Plus there is a giveaway at the end!
Every summer we spend at least one week at Cape Cod. My parents live there and my family has a house that we rent out but we get a week at the house every year. We always try to have at least one beach day and sometimes walk on the beach in the evening. My favorite thing about walking the beach is picking up shells and rocks. I love finding the pieces of quahog shells which is what wampum is made from. We have a rock and shell collection. Some are found, some gifts and some bought. I took a combination of our collection from this year and past years and made some crafts. I started with one I was inspired by the Coastal Seashell Wreath over at Amy Latta Creations. I saw her creation last week on Facebook and fell in love with it. I headed over to Michaels and found the grapevine wreath and a wooden plaque for about $6 total. I also picked up some wooden framed shapes for my other project. They were 99 cents each. So I took our collection and created these fun pieces of beach art.
Yesterday we talked about a book full of fun facts about the ocean. Today let's focus on one of the creatures in the ocean waters--sea turtles. I am going to share a book recommended for ages 4 to 8 as well as some fun facts from the book and a turtle craft round-up! The book is from National Geographic Kids and is Go Wild! Sea Turtles by Jill Esbaum.
The Fourth of July always seems like the start of beach season to me. I tend to spend it at Cape Cod where the crowds come for the beach. Today to kick off beach season I am sharing a National Geographic Kids book full of fun facts about the ocean. It is Weird but True! Ocean.
Last year I introduced you to Sharks Inc. with the middle grade novel Fins. This summer the Sharks Inc. threesome is back and are still tagging sharks and solving mysteries. Dr. Ford has brought the team to the Bahamas where Captain Hannah will oversee their work. While there they explore Katt Island with a local girl whose mother owns the hotel they are staying in and find all sorts of mysteries and trouble. The second book is Stingers by Randy Wayne White.
It is hard to believe it is June. Summer is basically here. For many this school year was a mess. I know many parents are worried about how much their kids learned with all the remote learning the past two years. Every summer kids lose some of what they have learned. This summer it will be more important to keep our kids reading and learning. I am going to be sharing books that will give you extra resources to keep the kids learning all summer long in fun ways starting today. Today I am sharing part of Dover Publication's My First Science Book Series and at the end there will be a giveaway!!
