Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn 

Written by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Jon Klassen 

Grades Pre k and up

Summary: A young girl and a seemingly ordinary box of yarn become the catalyst for a remarkable transformation of a bleak and sleepy small town in this year’s picture book winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Geisel Honor Award winner Jon Klassen, Extra Yarn knits a warm tale of imagination and inspiration. Annabelle stumbles upon a box in the middle of her dreary little town, a box filled with yarn of many colors. She does the next logical thing—knits a sweater for herself—but finds that there’s some yarn left. So, she knits one for her dog, only to discover that there’s still more yarn. As she continues her day, various townspeople stare and scoff at her colorful clothes. Annabelle’s response? Why knit sweaters for them, too, of course! But when a vain and villainous Duke offers Annabelle immense wealth for her amazing never-ending box of yarn, events become more astounding. Barnett’s storytelling is both straightforward and lyrical, enveloping readers in the magic and figurative warmth of the tale. Klassen complements the text with mixed media illustrations that display his mastery of texture, muted colors, light and shadow, and depth through detail.

Genre: Picture Books/ Children's fiction

Motivational Activities:: 

• Challenge your students to identify  illustrations in the book that metaphorically represent the story’s themes. It might be helpful to start them with identifying the themes, brainstorming ways those themes can be represented through objects or symbols in the world, and then seeing which of those representations Klassen includes in his illustrations. Alternatively, your students might need to go from the concrete to abstract by examining objects first and then thinking about what they might represent metaphorically, such as seeing a picture of the sun and connecting it to the concepts of nature, growth, light, hope, or happiness. For this approach, pass out objects to small groups and have them brainstorm what such objects might be able to represent. 

• Share a variety of other picture books that effectively use light, darkness, shadow, and a rare splash of color to help readers make inferences about the meaning of the printed text. Some good books to use include the Olivia series, by Ian Falconer, and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg. As your students read more picture books throughout the year, suggest that they keep an eye out for more illustrations that effectively use light and dark to enhance the meaning of the text.

Discussion Questions: What if Annabelle’s family was impoverished, or someone close to her was sick and needed help paying for medical treatment?

 What if Annabelle could use the Duke’s money to pay for college?

 In other words, when does staying true to your art or craft make sense?

 When does it not? How do such decisions position artists in the eyes of others, especially their peers? And how much does one’s artistic integrity really matter?

Personal Comments: I love everything about this book. Everything. 

Annabelle lives in a cold, colorless town where everything is covered with snow and soot. One day, she comes upon a box of colorful yarn, and knits herself a sweater. When she's finished, she knits one for her dog. When she's finished with that, she still has extra yarn. In fact, Annabelle's colorful yarn seems to be never-ending, and she knits and knits and knits until her town and all the people in it are adorned with Annabelle's colorful creations. Then one day, a rich and powerful archduke offers Annabelle one million, two million... ten million dollars for her box of yarn. When she declines his offer, he takes matters into his own hands and hires robbers to get the box for him. But once he's got it, things don't go quite as he'd hoped. What will he do? How will Annabelle fare without her box? You have to go get the book for yourself to discover the sweet ending. 

Absolutely charming tale, fabulous illustrations by Jon Klassen... this book has the makings and the feel of a modern classic. The f&g will suffice in our house for now, but this is one we will absolutely be purchasing in hardcover for our collection.

Online Resources 

Mac Barnett’s website 
http://www.macbarnett.com 

Jon Klassen’s website 
http://www.burstofbeaden.com 

Artists Helping Children: Yarn Crafts for Kids 
http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/yarnartscraftsideaskids.html 

PBS Kids & Parents Activities with Yarn 
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/yarndoll.html 
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/yarncards.html 
http://www.pbs.org/parents/fun-and-games/activities-and-crafts/diy-yarn-bowls 

Team Building Activities with Yarn 
http://www.ehow.com/info_12114063_team-building-yarn-activity.html 

Yarn Craft Activities for Elementary School Children 
http://www.ehow.com/way_5279521_yarn-crafts-activities-elementary-children.html 

TLC - Yarn Craft Activities for Families 
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/yarn-crafts.htm 

Folklore Commons - American Folklore Society 
http://www.afsnet.org 

Their Skeletons Speak

Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World

Written by Sally M. Walker and Douglas W. Owsley

Carolrhoda Books, 2012

SUMMARY:

The amazing thing about Kennewick Man’s story is that the more people who participate, the better it gets. When artists, scientists, dentists, teachers, doctors, and even you discover his story and remember him, Kennewick Man’s legacy grows.” After exploring history in last year’s Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917, Sally Walker returns to forensic anthropology and the discoveries that interdisciplinary teams working over time can achieve. Writing the book with Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institute, and a key scientist researching Kennewick Man, Walker presents middle grade readers with an extraordinary window into our Paleoamerican past. The narrative is chronological, from Kennewick Man’s discovery in 1996, to his legal entanglement and literal storage, to the latest discoveries as the book went to print. Within that chronology, however, Walker enters and re-enters past and present, using research on other Paleoamericans to help her readers understand Kennewick Man’s story, and clarifying the ways in which advanced science has allowed research that couldn’t have been conducted when he was originally located, demonstrating to all that we must “allow room for future revisions,” as is the nature of scientific discovery. She pays tribute to our some of our (perhaps) earliest North American ancestors, and reminds us that “[w]hen their skeletons speak, it is fitting that we, the modern caretakers, should listen. Their stories are the human connections that makes them part of the present and us part of the past. It is the human connection that will carry all of us into the future.”

GENRE: Nonfiction

Motivational Activities:  In an interdisciplinary language arts-science research project, have students read one of the books. Next, have them explore some of the latest research that did not have a chance to get incorporated into the texts (see Further Explorations). Locate several scientists working locally in your area. They might have an affiliation with a research organization, hospital, university, a state agency, or a manufacturing company. Have teams of students working with teams of researchers over the course of a trimester, semester, or year, documenting their research. To do so, students will have to conduct background research to get “up to speed.” At the end of the designated period of time, have each team of students write a digital magazine or create a video or podcast to share with the community. If it’s possible to pair your teams of students and scientists with teams of undergraduates studying in the same field, you will have an even richer research partnership. For a less ambitious (and time-consuming!) venture, invite a panel of local scientists to come and talk about their work, and have students work in teams to write share the research with the broader community in some capacity, such as a story on the school webpage or a podcast recording.  

Discussion Questions: How do Lee Berger and Doug Owsley serve as mentor scientists? 

How do Marc Aronson and Sally Walker capture the practices and concepts at work and the core facts of the discipline that the scientists draw upon?

What can they do to make a difference in your community?

 What local research can you take part in, even if it is unconnected to forensic anthropology?

Personal Comments: Sally Walker's books are always well done, and this is no exception. I've read a number of books that talk about Kennewick Man/the Ancient One, and I always get derailed by the controversy between scientists and Native American tribes. Fortunately, this book doesn't do that. Yes, it mentions the events and the feelings on both sides, and it does it in a very tasteful way. But mostly it just focuses on what we have learned from studying Kennewick Man. The thing that makes this book most interesting and unique is the connections that are drawn between Kennewick Man and the remains of other Paleoamericans. Sally Walker makes you really think about these remains as the people and individuals that they were. Her research and explanations are always well done, and you can tell how much work she has put in to telling the story. One thing I found fascinating was all of the source notes, which indicate that she frequently interviewed, spoke to, and emailed key scientists and participants to get her data, explanations, and quotations. Another fabulous thing about the book is the prevalence of quality photos which help with scientific explanation, make the stories more real, and make things easier to understand. It is a quality piece of work.

Online Resources 

Marc Aronson

www.marcaronson.com

Sally Walker

http://www.sallymwalker.com/

Lee Berger

http://profleeberger.com/

Malapa Research Page: http://profleeberger.com/Malapamainpage.html

Next Generation Science Standards

http://www.nextgenscience.org/

Scimania, Marc & Lee’s Webpage

http://www.scimania.org/index.html

Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site

http://www.cradleofhumankind.co.za/index.html

National Geographic, July 12, 2012: Surprise Human Ancestor Find-Key Fossils Hidden in Lab Rock

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120712-human-ancestor-fossils-sediba-science-berger-live/

Science Daily, July 12, 2012: “Early Human Ancestor, Australopithecus Sediba, Fossils Discovered in Rock”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120712162744.htm

Beneath a Meth Moon

Beneath a Meth Moon: An Elegy

Written by Jacqueline Woodson

Grades 7 an up 

SUMMARY: A stunning new novel from threetime Newbery Honor–winning 

author Jacqueline Woodson.

Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past. 

When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she’s able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.

Incorporating Laurel’s bittersweet memories of life before and during the hurricane, this is a stunning novel by one of our finest writers. Jacqueline Woodson’s haunting—but ultimately hopeful—story is beautifully told and one readers will not 
want to miss.

GENRE: Young Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Motivational Activities:  

• Jacqueline Woodson Author Study. Gather together, with the help of your school or public librarian, all of Jacqueline Woodson’s novels and picture books (see her website below for a complete listing). Have students in pairs reading one of her novels, to try and cover as many as possible within the class. Have each pair read at least two picture books as well. Collectively, as a class, try to answer the following questions about her work. What subjects does she explore? What role do families play in her books? What relationships exist between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren? What kinds of loss do the protagonists of each book experience? What joys? What kinds of friendships are formed? What voice(s) does Woodson take on as a writer? How are multiple perspectives embraced within each book’s format? How has her work changed over time?

•  Exploring Hurricane Katrina. Put students in literature circles, with each group reading one of the following novels that address Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath: Beneath the Meth Moon, The Ninth Ward, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, and A Storm Called Katrina. Explore the resources available via the online digital portal, “Teaching the Levees.” Have students compare and contrast the experiences of the different protagonists and the real life experiences of Katrina victims and survivors. How “true” is the fiction? What lessons do the characters learn about survival and loss? Do those same lessons ring true for actual survivors of the storm? How are residents of Mississippi and Louisiana faring now? All the stories are set in actual places: New Orleans or Pass Christian, Mississippi. How are citizens of those places coping now? Who moved to other cities and states, and what are their lives like? For a further extension, students might want to also explore The New York Times archive on Hurricane Sandy, to compare experiences more recently in New York and New Jersey and the “Katrina” lessons learned by local, state, and federal officials.

• Crystal Meth. After reading Beneath a Meth Moon, have your students explore resources on crystal meth. How has is spread so rapidly throughout the United States and all over the world? What are some of the triggers? Is it really as easy to get hooked as the book portrays? What happens to teenagers, like Laurel, who become addicted? Does crystal meth have any boundaries? Are there any “typical” addicts who share common experiences? What can be done to prevent the further spread of its impact?

Discussion Questions: 

Why did Laurel have to move to a new town?

What is the name of the storm that damaged her city?

What happened to her grandmother?

PERSONAL COMMENTS: 

I saw the review for "Beneath a Meth Moon" in the Sunday LA Times, bought the book on a Monday and finished the book on a Tuesday the same week. What a rush from the words of the gifted author, Jacqueline Woodson.

The book is presented in short chapters, giving the feeling of the jumpiness meth induces in its users. The main character, Laurel, calls meth "the moon," because it takes her over the moon beyond her troubles. After losing loved ones in a flood, she thinks she can go on, for she has a baby brother and a good father. But the moving around, the new high school, the influence of first love, these things lead her to experiment with meth. The experiment becomes the only thing that matters in her life, how to get meth, how to find meth, where to get enough money to buy meth. Meth, meth, meth, meth (always called "moon" by Laurel.)

Woodson, I felt, did an extraordinary job of making Laurel both believable and sympathetic. While most people have no patience with addicts or their problems, Woodson reveals the body's reaction to the first experience and the mental relief Laurel feels to have something new to drown her unhappiness. Laurel at that point does not know or care that the other side of addiction is ugly and destructive.

A book I would recommend to all parents and all teens, including early teens. It's a warning without being a sermon.

Online Resources

Jacqueline Woodson’s Official Webpage

http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

E.B. Lewis Official Webpage

http://www.eblewis.com/illustration/eblewis.html

School Library Journal Interview, October 2012

http://www.slj.com/2012/10/featured/interview-jacqueline-woodson-talks-about-her-picture-book-each-kindness/

Liar and Spy

LIAR & SPY 
BY REBECCA STEAD

SUMMARY: After downsizing and moving to an apartment with his family, Georges (yes with an "s") and his dad are in the basement throwing out garbage when they see a sign posted on a door.  "Spy Club Meeting -- TODAY!".  Much to Georges' chagrin, his dad writes "What time?" on the sign, setting off a series of events that will occupy Georges' days for the next while.

Georges himself, is a big of an awkward kid.  He puts up with the daily microbullying that his mom says is not a part of the big picture.  The big picture of life is kind of like the Seurat print they have in their living room.  If you look at it close up, it's just a bunch of dots, but back away to see the big picture and everything comes into focus.  Thinking about the big picture doesn't make school any easier, however.  The sarcastic clapping at his volleyball moves, the renaming him Gorgeous, the fact that his friend Jason came back from camp completely different -- these things all pepper Georges days.  Add onto this the fact that his nurse mom is always at the hospital, and his dad works plenty as well, and you get a sense of what Georges is going through.

So when somebody answers on the Spy Club sign that there is a meeting at 1:30 and Georges' dad encourages him to go, nobody is more surprised than Georges to find a kid waiting in the basement room.  He first meets Candy, then Safer and their family from the 6th floor.  Safer says that he's a spy and that he's got his eye on one of the building's tenants.  He's creepy -- always wears black and is constantly hauling big suitcases in and out of the building.  Safer teaches Georges some of the art of being a spy, and before he knows it, he is in over his head.

Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade

Motivational Activities: 

Exploring Taste

• Lay out lemons or lemonade, candy, pretzels and unsweetened cocoa bars. Ask the children what they think each food will taste like before giving it to them. Let each child take a sample of each of the four flavors and explore them using taste. What does the candy taste like? Encourage them to use descriptive words when exploring taste. Ask them why they are frowning or sucking in their cheeks when they taste a lemon. Be sure the children don't have any food allergies before starting this project.

Discussion Questions: 

Who is George?

Who is the other spy he met?

Who sat up the meeting?

What was the main purpose of the story?

Did the title match the main idea of the story?

Personal Comments: I was already a fan of Rebecca Stead after her beautiful book, When You Reach Me. So when I saw Liar & Spy was coming out, I knew it would be something special.

My assumption was not wrong.

This little book reminded me of playing pretend, of dealing with bullies, of forging new friendships and dealing with change. With a quiet, leading voice, Rebecca takes her main character Georges (the S is silent) and leads the reader through a story filled with such small ups and downs that the ride seems like it's going nowhere until the destination hits you and realization dawns. I don't know how else to describe this journey.

Filled with surprises, revelations, and most of all, lessons about the importance of community and fellowship with other people - which includes the openness of mind to accept them, this is a middle-grade novel that, I suspect, will be knocking on the door of another award.

If you have middle-graders or contact to middle-graders, please recommend this book. It has such a story to tell and lessons to teach - but manages to be understanding and not preachy about those lessons. Most of all - it's fun. I mean, what kid doesn't imagine being in a spy club of sorts?

Online Resources 

Rebecca Stead’s website 
http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com 

International Spy Museum 
http://www.spymuseum.org 

Central Intelligence Agency Spy Games for Kids 
https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/index.html 

Spy-themed Science Activities 
http://www.howtosmile.org/user/lists/list/3055 

Lesson Plans and Activities for Teaching about the Sense of Taste 
http://www.ehow.com/list_7595623_activities-sense-taste.html 
http://www.squidoo.com/teaching-sense-of-taste-to-kids-learning-about-the-five-senses 
http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/society/TasteandFlavour/ForTeachers.pdf 

Neuroscience for Kids: Taste 
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tasty.html 
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/taste.htm 

KidsHealth: Dealing with Bullies 
http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/school_stuff/bullies.html 
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/poll_bullying.html#cat145 

Bullying – Women’s and Children’s Health Network 
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=286&id=1695 

Charlotte's Web

by E.B. White, Garth Williams (Illustrator), Rosemary Wells (Illustrations)

Summary: Charlotte’s Web opens the door to a magical world, which a young girl named Fern finds herself a part of. Fern spends her free time with Wilbur the pig whom she loves and the other barn animals who play a large part in the life of Wilbur. Charlotte A. Cavatica, the large grey spider, befriends Wilbur and helps him deal with the shocking news that his life will end as bacon on someone’s plate. Charlotte goes as far as coming up with an interesting plan that only this spider could carry out with the help of Templeton the rat (who never does anything unless there is something in it for himself) to help Wilbur escape death.

An evaluation by genre: Children s fantasy fiction

Motivational Activities: 1. I will explain to students that, instead of reading the novel, today we will be watching a video that shows the words on the bottom of the screen.
2. I will show a video that illustrates the novel and displays the words on the screen as well. We will read and watch pp. 66-104.
3. After watching the video, I will ask if any of the students knew some of the events that would happen in today’s portion of the reading. Why did they think this? What happened yesterday to show us what would happen today?
4. I will explain to children that this is called prediction: when we guess what will happen next based on what has already happened. I will ask the children if they have any ideas what might happen tomorrow. Why do they think so?
5. Students will be instructed to prepare at least five questions about what might happen in the rest of the book.
6. After they have finished, students will pair up with a classmate and answer each other’s questions creatively 

Discussion Questions: What type of spider is Charlotte? 

What type of web does she weave? 

What is interesting about a spider’s body?

 What do spiders eat? 

Personal Comments: One of the best books written for children that I've read so far this year.

It has full of lessons that anyone including adults can learn from or at least be reminded of. It has many interesting characters that anyone can relate to. It's about life - the young pig Wilbur learning his life important lessons from the caring spider Charlotte. It's about friendship - Fern taking care of runt Wilbur, Charlotte weaving for Wilbur, rat doing favors for Wilbur and Charlotte, etc. Most importantly, it's about the passing of time - Charlotte dying at the end of story but leaving to Wilbur her sack of eggs containing her 514 children. 

It is simply written with illustrations and funny situations. However, if you reflect on each chapter, you would recall actual situations in your life similar to the events in the book. The passing of time message towards the end of the book is particularly heartwarming and will remind you one more time of your immortality and we are all just passing through. It is also not predictable; neither I had heard anything about it nor seen a movie based on the book prior before yesterday. Now, I am glad I picked it up yesterday morning and started reading.

Reference:

• Neumeyer, Peter F.; Williams, Garth; White, E. B. (1994). The annotated Charlotte's web. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060243872.
• White, E. B. (2007). Some pig!: a Charlotte's web picture book. Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060781610.