Let's Do Nothing

Tony Fucile's Let's Do Nothing is fantastic. This picture book tells the story of two friends that think they have done everything there is to do. They have played every board game, read every comic, played every sport ever invented, etc. Then it hits them that they can now just do nothing, but this turns out to be more difficult than they could ever imagine. Finally, Eureka, they discover that there is NO WAY to do nothing so they decide to do SOMETHING!

A fun read aloud for those of us that think there is nothing to do.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

The Dunderheads

I have been a big fan of Paul Fleischman for years. I love his out-of-the-box thinking and his radical change approach to many of his books. Well his newest book, The Dunderheads, may not be so much of a radical change style book, but it is a different style for him.

This quick read is about a class of students with some unusual talents. Together the students combine their talents to outwit their mean teacher, Miss Breakbone.

A fun read aloud with neat illustrations by David Roberts. For those of you that have elementary-aged children, the artwork will resemble that of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, although the latter does not compare to The Dunderheads.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Bird Poems

Although I am not a bird person, I really enjoyed Micheal Rosen's collection of bird haiku. The book includes soothing haiku poetry, short informational details and soft watercolor paintings of the various birds. Some birds included in this text are cardinals, owls, kingfisher, hummingbird, etc.

Bottom line, I loved it.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Higher! Higher!

I loved Leslie Patricelli's Higher! Higher! Throughout the book she uses the phrase Higher! Higher! along with some fantastic, simplistic, child-like acrylic paintings to tell this story. It's the classic demand of push me higher on the swing Daddy mixed with a young child's imagination that takes this story to new heights.

A fun read for the young child, but a text-to-self connection for many of us.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems from Beyond the Solar System

If you are looking for a out of this world book of poetry, then here it is...Jack Prelutsky's The Swamps of Sleethe. From nonsense words to crazy adventures, young space fans will enjoy this collection of wacky poems. Here are a few titles for you: "The Cold of Drifig Prime," "The Globulings of Wolvar Sprod," "The Monopods of Odgofod," etc. Not only do some titles play on words (when unscrambled), but Prelutsky also includes a pronunciation guide as well.

A fun book of poetry.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Our Children Can Soar

Michelle Cook created this wonderful story that celebrates history and how it has impacted today. Our Children can Soar can best be summed up by the subtitle on the front cover...A celebration of Rosa , Barak, and the pioneers of change.

The simple but powerful text is supported by outstanding illustrators such as Bryan Collier, E.B. Lewis, James Ransome, Leo & Diane Dillon, and more.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

A Book

Mordicai Gerstein's A Book is a creative and unique picture book. A young girl wakes up from her sleep when the reader opens the book. Throughout the story she searches for "her" story. Her parents each have a story and her brother has a story, but she doesn't know her own story. Via text-to-text (intertextual) connections, she visits various characters from other stories...all trying to help her find her story.

From the concept of the book, to the illustrations, to the mix of speech bubbles and traditional narrative, Gerstein has put together a fun read.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems

Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems is a fun collection poetry. Since we all make lists and most of us do this daily the book promotes a natural connection. Georgia Heard has collected a variety of list poems that readers will enjoy. Titles include: In My Desk, Lost & Finds, Things to Do If You Are A Pencil, Test Day, and many more. Poets include: Lee Bennet Hopkins, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Eileen Spinelli, Jane Yolen, and more.

After reading this collection, I would bet many young writers will want to create their own list poems.

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn