trivia

Literary Quote Trivia

Hello All!

Every friday I will post a quote from a children’s book (fiction and non-fiction; comtemporary and classic) and you will have until the following friday to figure it out. Hope you enjoy!

“When the tide of night rises again,

Bat will wake and plunge

into the blackness, shouting.

Bat loves the night.”

Can you guess which book this line comes from? Till next week….

Poetry

National Poetry Month: “The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders” by Jack Prelutsky

I am a Jack Prelutsky fan. His poems are humorous and well written. The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders does not disappoint. Here is a poem from this collection that I enjoyed.

The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders

The frogs wore red suspenders

and the pigs wore purple vests,

as they sang to all the chickens

and the ducks upon their nests.

They croaked and oinked a serenade,

the ducks and chickens sighed,

then laid enormous spangled eggs,

and quaked and clucked with pride.

Happy National Poetry Month !

Picture Books

Review Of: “Building Our Home” by Jonathan Bean

  In Building Our House by Jonathan Bean the reader is told a story of how  the author’s family leaves the city and moves to the country to build a home from scratch.We are guided through this journey through the eyes of Jonathan Bean’s older sister. The family dynamic in this story is awesome. From the beginning both the mother and father contribute to the construction of their home. The father carries the tools, “The right tools for the right job”,  and the  mother carries the plans, ” A good plan for a good house”.  In several  pages there is team work between the  wife and the husband; when rocks are collected  the wife is carrying it  and the husband is placing another in a wheel barrel. The Illustrations are big and conveys the various tranformations  that occur pretty well. Specially, the tree that is barren in the beginning when we see the family driving away from the city, to the leaves being green and then copper; the rising of the house from foundation to wooden frames and the wife and kitten having babies.  The only caveat I have with this picture book  is with the narration. The work felt like a report rather than a story. The language was too choppy and did not flow like a continuous tale. Thus, making the story feel like a marathon of events, instead of  an engaging  personal account of a memorable experience.

Poetry

National Poetry Month

Hello Everyone!

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate I will share a poem that I have used in bookmarks for the library everytime the seasons change. It is from Seasons by Charlotte Zolotow and Illustrated by Erik Blegvad. Zolotow starts with Winter and ends with Fall. The poems are simple, and poignant. The book of poems are a great tool to introduce children to the concept of seasons and poetry. Blegvad’s illustrations brings to life the emotions and thoughts written in each poem. Enjoy!

The Little Seed

The little seed

that blew here

and tucked into our grass

is not the seed anymore

it’s become

OUR SYCAMORE