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zebra in Tanzania by wwarby www.flickr.com

*picture book, contemporary realistic fiction for preschoolers through third graders
*two adolescent boys as main characters
*Rating: Books like First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch are why I love to blog about children’s books. This book is beautifully done with a wonderful message and sharing an interesting place and event in our world.

Short, short summary:

In rural Kenya, Abaani, a Maasai boy, takes his family’s cattle to graze when he sees a new boy with a vegetable stand along the road. He learns this new boy’s name is Haki, and he is a Kikuyu boy. Abaani remembers all the things his elders have said about the way the Kikuyu ruin the land, and he tells Haki this. The boys, of course, quarrel. Then some women come along who want to trade their handmade baskets for vegetables. When one of the women is involved in her transaction, her toddler wanders into a field where some warthogs are feeding. Abaani sees this, and he knows the danger the toddler is in. He quickly figures out a plan that involves the help of Haki. Will the boys save the toddler? Will they learn to let go of their differences and get to know each other as people? Make sure to check out First Come the Zebra to learn more about this area of Kenya and how people can learn to get along with each other in spite of a history of conflict.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. The author’s note in the back of the book tells readers more about this area of Kenya and the tribes involved in the story. Lynne Barasch also lets readers know about the game the boys play–mancala. Make sure to share this information with your students or your children as well as the map of Kenya and Tanzania in the back of the book. If possible, try to find a mancala game for children to play. They have versions for sale at game stores in the United States and/or online. You can also assign students a topic to research and find out more about, depending on their age. Topics could range from: Kenya, Tanzania, Maasai, Kikuyu, The Great Migration, and animals such as zebras and warthogs.

2. The boys in this book do not get along at first because of their families. Once they get to know each other, they start to think differently. Ask your children or students if they can explain why this happens in the book. Also, ask them if they have ever had trouble getting along with someone but then worked out their differences. Use this book as a starting point for discussions on learning to know people as individuals, conflict resolution, and even prejudices.

3. First Come the Zebra doesn’t start with the two boys and their problem like most picture books do. Instead, it starts with The Great Migration. Talk about the first few pages of the book and the last page, and how they serve as a frame for the story. Discuss why the book is titled First Come the Zebra. Share other animals that come to graze during The Great Migration. Students can draw pictures of their favorite animals, and you can create a wall mural of this event in your classroom.

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Florida Swamp photo by Peter Long www.flickr.com

*Middle-grade to tween (there’s some language in here–FYI ) contemporary fiction novel
*Middle-grade students Nick and Marta as main characters
*Rating: A good eco-mystery for kids with a quirky cast of characters, similar to Hoot and Flush by Carl Hiaasen.

Short, short summary:

Scat has a main plot and a pretty important sub-plot that is timely and will appeal to many kids. First the main plot: Bunny Starch, a feared biology teacher, goes missing after a field trip to Black Vine Swamp. Many people are pointing their finger at Duane Scrod, also known as Smoke. But Nick and Marta, two kids in Mrs. Starch’s class, aren’t sure what’s going on in Black Vine Swamp because there seems to be a lot. Nick took some video the day of the field trip, and he and Marta aren’t sure what they see moving among the vegetation–is it the rare, endangered Florida Panther, a man, or even Smoke? Nick and Marta’s curiosity gets the better of them, and they get mixed up in the Black Vine Swamp events after a visit to Mrs. Starch’s house to try to find out what is actually going on. The sub-plot of Scat by Carl Hiaasen is about Nick and his father. Nick’s father is in the National Guard and had to serve in the War in Iraq. He is injured, and Nick has to deal with his father’s injuries and the fear that comes with having a parent in the war.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. One of the most obvious activities to do with this book and the other Carl Hiaasen books in this series is to talk about the “green” issues that the author brings up. Scat is a great book to go along with a science unit on habitats or to read around Earth Day. Without giving away too much of the plot on this post, you can discuss with students endangered species such as the Florida panther, saving swamp land and why it’s important to food chains/webs, and animals and plants in Florida/warm climate habitats. Children and students can write down facts they learn about these topics while reading Scat, or they can use the Internet or other resources to learn more.

2. Nick’s father in the war may be an issue that some of the children in your class or your family are also dealing with at this point in their lives. If not a parent in the war, then they may know someone else in the war or who has been injured or killed. Before reading this book with these children, you may want to discuss the issues that will be surfacing to make sure children are okay with reading about this topic. Books like Scat by Carl Hiaasen can open up discussions about topics that are bothering children, but some children may still not want to openly discuss upsetting issues in class. You can always give students the option of writing in their reading response journals instead or providing two or three writing or discussion prompts with one being a “safe” topic.

3. Carl Hiaasen tells this story from several different viewpoints. There are many important characters in this book that he develops. As children meet a new character in the text, ask them to write the character’s name in their reading response journals and then some details about him. This will help students keep track of the characters and use their names during discussions and writing assignments. At the end of the novel, ask students to pick their favorite and least favorite characters from this list

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photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com

Before I write about this super cute book, Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, I want to announce the winners of Clara Gillow Clark’s Hattie books from the contest I held on Tuesday and Wednesday. And the winners are. . .

*1st place: Tami R.
*2nd place: Shelby S.
*3rd place: Bailey

Thank you to everyone who left such thoughtful comments. If you didn’t win, you can purchase the Hattie books right from Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts! They are a great way to teach children about this time in United States history. Now on to Felicity. . .

*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders, contemporary, fantasy (sort-of:)
*Young girl as the main character
*Rating: Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo has great rhyme and a good message about why we really need to wash our hands–even at the zoo.

Short, short summary: Do you know why we call that cold-sniffling-body-aching-high-temperature-illness the flu? Well, if you don’t, then you need to read this book and meet Felicity Floo. One day, Felicity decides to go to the zoo. Right before, she sees all the animals, including a blue-footed booby and rare jabiru, she wipes her nose without a tissue! Her hand becomes sticky with a green, gloppy goo, which she gets all over the animals when she pets them and hugs them. Then she leaves the zoo, and the animals are all sick with flu symptoms. E. S. Redmond does a wonderful job with her humorous rhyming text and cute illustrations. This is her first book.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is an excellent book to talk with your child or your students about why it is so important that they wash their hands after they sneeze or why they should use a tissue. Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo gets this point across without preaching. You can also talk about flu symptoms and how to take care of yourself during flu season–using hand sanitizer, staying home when you are sick, getting plenty of rest, and so on.

2. Make a list of all the animals that E. S. Redmond mentions and illustrates. Divide the animals up among your students (or if you home school allow your child to pick one or two animals). Depending on the age of your students, you can have them draw a picture of the animal and write a sentence if they are young. If they are in elementary school, they can do a mini-report, such as find five facts about the animal and make a poster to hang on the classroom wall.

3. As children are listening to you read the book, ask them to give you a thumbs-up anytime they hear a pair of rhyming words. After you read the book twice, see if they can tell you some of the rhyming pairs. Put these pairs on chart paper. Then students can brainstorm other words that rhyme with these, and you can discuss what makes words rhyme.

Come back to this blog on Tuesday, January 26 and Wednesday, January 27 as I am having another book contest giveaway. This time, it is a young adult fantasy called Watersmeet!

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photo by >>>WonderMike<<< www.flickr.com

Today, in East Central Illinois, I am surrounded by snow and wind and chilly temperatures. So what’s a better Timeless Thursday book to remember today than The Mitten by Jan Brett? I remember when I was studying to be an elementary education teacher in the early 1990s, and everybody raved about Jan Brett–especially The Mitten. In one of my classes, we had to do a cross-curriculum unit on a book where we created activities in various subjects such as math, social studies, science, and reading. I did Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, but one of my classmates did Jan Brett’s The Mitten. And I was smitten.

One of the best things about this book is the art and the border around each page that Jan Brett has become famous for. Not only are her illustrations wonderful and something I could never imagine doing in a million years, the borders are clever and help readers predict which animals might enjoy the boy’s mitten next. For example, the text on one page is discussing how Nicki lost his mitten. The border is showing us mole tracks on one page and a mole on the next. Then the next page’s text is about the mole finding the mitten and resting inside.

This Timeless Thursday Jan Brett classic, which is 21 years old in 2010, can be used in the classroom in so many ways. Many art teachers use her border idea for art projects in elementary art lessons. Teachers use The Mitten to work on predicting or sequencing skills and read tales from other lands (this story comes from a Ukrainian tradition). Parents can share this wonderful book at bedtime, use it to develop an interest in knitting, and even to talk about responsibility with their children. I mean, how many of us have lost a mitten? I have! I should probably have mine tied to my winter coat as we speak.

The Mitten by Jan Brett is a great winter book to share with children at home or at school!

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photo by Southern Foodways Alliance www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Strega Nona as the main character
*Rating: Another clever Strega Nona book by Tomie dePaola, perfect for plant lesson plans

Short, short summary: Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona are planting seeds with Strega Nona’s direction in the latest installment by Tomie dePaola. This book is perfect for plant lesson plans because Strega Nona starts at the beginning of the planting process–working with the soil and watches her plants grow until harvest time.

While Big Anthony and Bambolona are preparing to plant the seeds, Bambolona scolds Big Anthony and says that he can’t do anything right or perfect like she and Strega Nona. Big Anthony decides to show them by planting his own secret garden. Wait until you see all the crops in that garden and how Big Anthony solves his problem! Tomie dePaola has another hit, and you have a fun resource for plant lesson plans during science class.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Tomie dePaola puts some Italian vocabulary in this book when Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona are talking to each other and the names of the crops in the garden. So besides plant lesson plans, you can also teach your students or your children a little Italian. Words like la luna, mio caro, and libro di giardino are included in the text. For older students, you can discuss how some of the English words are very similar to the Italian words. Students love to learn about and show off another language.

2. Tomie dePaola uses full-page illustrations to tell some of this story instead of including text on every page. During a plant lesson plan, ask students to draw a picture of a plant cycle in Tomie dePaola’s style and without using any words.

3. After Strega Nona has harvested the vegetables, Tomie dePaola writes about how she incorporated the fresh foods into her meals. Another book about using fresh foods from gardens is Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie by Robin Gourley. This book focuses on the childhood of the famous chef, Edna Lewis, and the way her childhood on her grandma’s farm affected her entire life and her cooking style. You can compare and contrast these two books with a Venn diagram or discuss with students eating fresh fruits and vegetables during a nutrition unit.

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photo by jimbowen0306 www.flickr.com

*Picture book for kindergarten students through third graders
*Groundhog teacher as main character
*Rating: A perfect picture book to celebrate Groundhog’s Day or to supplement a weather unit in science!

Short, short summary: Rabbit (and a few other animals) write to Professor W. Groundhog about his weather forecast on Feb. 2. Professor Groundhog said spring was coming, and Rabbit was all ready. But he found snow. Rabbit suggested recruiting some more groundhogs to help Professor predict the seasons across North America on Groundhog’s Day. The professor puts an ad in the newspaper for some groundhog students at his Groundhog Weather School. Groundhogs from all over the country attend his school (and even one skunk). They learn that Groundhog + Shadow = Winter or Groundhog – Shadow = Spring. They also learn geHOGraphy, Famous Furry Hognosticators, nature’s weather predictors (like cows!), and the reason for the seasons. Once the groundhogs graduate, they set their alarms for February 2 (Groundhog’s Day), and they are off to hibernate. A few of the groundhogs have some troubles when it’s time to see their shadows, but the majority see them, so there’s six more weeks of winter. Rabbit is so happy, and he can’t wait to go sledding. He gets all bundled up and. . . well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Celebrate Groundhog’s Day with this book! Not only is it super cute, and kids will love the humor and Groundhog Weather School; but also it is full of facts about all sorts of things to do with this holiday. Read this book on Groundhog’s Day, and students can either draw a picture and write a fact they learned; or they can write a paragraph about it in their reading response journals; or they can create a pretend lesson for the Groundhog Weather School.

2. Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub can also be used with a weather unit and not just on February 2. In the middle of this book, there are several pages of facts about shadows, the four seasons, famous weathermen, and weather and nature. Kristin Sorra’s illustrations make learning these facts interesting and fun!

3. Professor W.Groundhog puts an ad in the paper and tells the animals that if they meet six criteria then they should attend Groundhog Weather School to prepare for Groundhog’s Day. The six criteria are the animals have to be: a mammal, a rodent, a herbivore, furry, live in a burrow, and hibernate in the winter. Several different animals such as a pig, skunk, and monkey see the ad and are disappointed because they do not fit all six criteria. One fun activity to do with students, especially if you are studying different animals in science, is to see which animals fit most of the characteristics and if any animals fit all six like groundhogs do.

Happy Groundhog’s Day!

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by GraceFamily www.flickr.com

Teaching habitats or teaching Christmas can easily be done with this remarkably clever and cute picture book: Who Would Like a Christmas Tree?

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Animals on a Christmas Tree Farm as main characters
*Rating: Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? is one of those children’s Christmas books that can actually be used any time of the year, especially during a science unit on teaching habitats or food chains/webs. Cute! Cute! Cute!

Short, short summary: Who would like a Christmas tree in January? What a great question to start off this book that goes through each month of the year, explaining the animals who like to live on a Christmas tree farm until a family comes and cuts down a tree in December. For example, black-capped chickadees like Christmas trees in January because they find their food there and roost in the thick branches. Who would like a Christmas tree in July? Well, the wildflowers do because they like to grow in the same soil as the Christmas trees and some of them like the shade the trees provide. Who would like a Christmas tree in November? Wild turkeys–of course, and I’m sure they’re hoping not to be Thanksgiving dinner. The author includes some notes from an actual Christmas tree farmer at the end of the book for more educational opportunities. At Christmas time, this is a great book for “teaching Christmas” without teaching anything about the holiday that might get some parents upset. Teaching habitats or food webs is a great idea with this book also! Each page provides details and facts about the animal/plant/human and why they like the Christmas tree.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Make a calendar with the book. The picture for each month would be an illustration of the Christmas tree or Christmas tree farm with the animal/plant/human that would like it for that month. Children can illustrate the calendar, using Anne Hunter’s illustrations as an example. You can laminate these pictures and then put them together with a calendar for each month that you printed from your computer’s word processing program. This is a great activity for preschoolers, kindergartners, and first graders who are doing calendar math, learning the order and spelling of the months, and figuring out which months are in which seasons.

2. As mentioned earlier, teaching habitats is super-easy with Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? Once you’ve read this book, your students or children have learned a great deal about a forest/Christmas tree farm. You can then read a book like The Great Kapok Tree, and you can compare and contrast the two books. With The Great Kapok Tree, students are learning about a rainforest habitat, and they are learning the animals, plants, and humans that rely on the tree and make up the habitat around it, just like they are with the Christmas tree book.

3. Since this book has a pattern with repeatable text, children can read along with the book. By looking at the cover, they can also try to predict what animals might like a Christmas tree in a certain month, or they can also predict why. This is a fun read-aloud, and children won’t even realize how much they are learning about an environment!

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photo by Swami Stream www.flickr.com

*Picture book, contemporary urban fable, for preschoolers through first graders
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: How to Heal a Broken Wing’s beautiful illustrations tell this heartwarming story along with a few simple words.

Short, short summary: A little boy finds a bird with a broken wing in the middle of the city. He convinces his mom to let him take the bird home and fix its wing. With his parents’ help and a lot of time and patience, the bird heals. The family takes the bird back to the spot where they found it and let it fly away. Here’s what Bob Graham (author and illustrator) has to say about his book How to Heal a Broken Wing: “I wanted to show that there is still hope in a coming generation of children who have curiosity and empathy with the world around them, and that care and attention can sometimes fix broken wings.”

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Books like How to Heal a Broken Wing where illustrations tell a large part of the story are perfect for use in the classroom or with home school students. Your children or your students can provide the text for the illustrations that Bob Graham did not. You can work on dialogue and punctuating dialogue as a shared writing activity. What are the parents and the little boy saying to each other about the bird’s broken wing? Children can also write about what the boy or even the bird might be thinking in their reading response journals.

2. How to Heal a Broken Wing is considered an urban fable. So a good discussion to have with children about this book is, “What should you do if you find a wild animal hurt? Who should you call or tell?” It’s always a good idea to call your local humane society even if they can’t help because they will have numbers for who to call. Children should NOT touch these animals, and adults should always wear gloves. Use Bob Graham’s book to start a safety discussion.

3. What else can time and patience do? Although you will be reading this book to younger children, you can still talk to them about how this book has a message that time and patience can do remarkable things in our world–look at the Grand Canyon. Make a list with your students. If they are having trouble getting started, you could help them think about things that grow–such as time and patience to get a seed to grow into a seedling OR time and patience to teach a dog to sit and so on.

Have you read this book?

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Kids nonfiction books are changing, and they are changing for the better. They are more interesting, kid-friendly, and factual. They range from serious subjects such as the Hitler Youth to subjects more suitable for the bathroom! (Kids love bathroom humor.) Because of this, we should use children’s nonfiction books on a regular basis to supplement our science and social studies curriculum. And we should do this at all levels. Many of these new nonfiction books are considered nonfiction picture books–for elementary students. But we can use them with middle school and high school students, too. Any book that teaches kids and teens and supplements your curriculum can be useful for you in the classroom.

This past weekend, I went to the SCBWI-IL Prairie Writers’ Day conference in Chicago. One of the speakers, Stacy Cantor, an editor from Walker Books for Young Readers, shared an extensive list of great nonfiction books for kids. She picked these books because of the unique subject matter or slant and because of the author’s voice, in spite of the fact the author was writing nonfiction. I am going to share with you a few of the titles:

*See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman, illustrations by Elwood H. Smith

*Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrations by Kadir Nelson

*The Period Book: Updated Edition (for girls about the menstrual cycle) by Karen and Jennifer Gravelle, illustrated by Debbie Palen

*Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

*Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Larry Day

*Poop Happened! A History of the World From the Bottom Up (coming Spring 2010) by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Robert Layton

Share your favorite nonfiction book to use with your students or your children.

Happy reading, happy teaching, and happy parenting!

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photo by George Donnelly www.flickr.com

While doing research for another article I was writing and thinking about yesterday’s Tuesday Tales book, Fussy Freya, I found this really interesting website: Fast Food Facts. There are a lot of websites out there that will compare fast food meals for you. They will put the menu items in order from highest amount of fat, calories, or carbs to the lowest amount. If you study these long enough, it’s pretty easy to figure out which menu items are not so healthy at any fast food restaurant.

Okay, but back to this site: Fast Food Facts is a great site to use in a classroom with upper elementary, middle school, and high school students because it shows the entire nutrition label for a fast food menu item. For example, if you look up Burger King’s small round hash browns, you will see a Nutrition Facts label with serving size information and so on, just like you see on a package of cookies or chips.

Since I think it is important to teach children and teens how to read these labels and make smart food choices at the grocery store and when eating out, this site is perfect for teaching these lessons. Explore it yourself for awhile, and then allow your students to do the same. After you have all had a chance to figure out how it works, ask your students to plan a healthy breakfast and dinner from a fast food restaurant of their choice using the site and the nutrition labels. You can also ask them to make a list of trends they notice. For example, a low carb chicken choice at most restaurants is chicken fingers, six piece of less.

If you are looking for books to discuss with your children, teens, or class about eating healthy and balanced meals, you could try these:

Happy reading and happy eating!

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photo by H Dickins www.flickr.com

I picked up this book at the library immediately because most parents I know, including myself and my husband, deal with a fussy eater. My stepson is not terrible, but there’s still some days when he will throw me for a loop over something he won’t eat. That’s kind of what happens to Freya’s parents in this book. I think this book is an hysterical way to get kids to go back to eating foods they decided they didn’t like anymore, but some parents might find it a bit extreme in dealing with fussy eaters. Read on . . .

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: Fussy Freya is a great book for talking to kids about eating and not being a picky eater. The illustrations are super cute and fun!

Short, short summary: Katharine Quarmby tells Freya’s tale of being a fussy eater in rhyme with some repeatable text. Fussy Freya is great for a read aloud in a classroom, at a library story time, or before bedtime. Freya used to eat all her food; but one day, she decides that she is not going to eat her mum’s dhal and rice, even though her baby brother and the cat eat every spicy bite. She says some not-so-nice things to her mum and does not eat anything her mum puts in front of her. She throws fits–throwing fish on the floor, which the cat loves, of course. But soon, her mum and dad have had enough, and so Mum calls Grandma. Grandma tells Mum that she acted the same way when she was three years old, and Grandma says, “Send her to me!” When Freya goes to Grandma’s house, she’s sure she will get anything she wants–candy and sweets, especially. But she is not prepared for the lesson that Grandpa and Grandma teach Freya about the delicious food she could be getting at her parents’ house. Cute idea and the illustrations in Fussy Freya are the type that children can look at again and again and find new stuff while teaching a small lesson to fussy eaters.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Ask children to draw a collage of their favorite foods. (You could also have them cut pictures out of magazines.) Once children have their collages made, ask them to write a short poem (with a rhyming 2nd and 4th line like in Fussy Freya) about one of their favorite foods (or all of them). If you have young students, you could write one poem together as a class that they could copy, or they could write a poem at home with their families. Display the collages and the poems around the room.

2. This is a great book for starting a discussion with students about manners since Freya displays so many bad manners throughout the book. You can easily use Fussy Freya as part of character education. Have fun with it! Maybe students can even role play examples of good and bad manners.

3. This is also a great book to use for teaching about the Food Pyramid and healthy eating. The United States Department of Agriculture has many resources for teachers to talk with students of all ages about nutrition and healthy eating. Click the link and check them out!

Before I was in first grade, I was Fussy Margo. My mom made me all sorts of separate meals, so I didn’t have to eat what my parents were eating. Then in first grade, my teacher had a food challenge. We got a star on a chart for each new food we tried. I loved this contest and came in 2nd place. Since then, I haven’t been quite as fussy. So, it’s an idea if you have some fussy eaters around you.

Any more ideas? Let us know!

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I am excited to host author and illustrator Rebekah Raye on Read These Books and Use Them today with her new book Bear-ly There, published by Tilbury House. Along with this great publishing company, I’ve got a lot to share with you today, so let’s get started!

CONTEST! CONTEST! FABULOUS CONTEST!!!!! **First of all, Tilbury House is offering some fabulous prizes for ten winners. You can win by commenting on my blog and on any of the other blogs on the tour. You can also win by participating on Twitter! Here’s more information about the contest:

From Tilbury House: We will draw 9 lucky winners from all of those who comment on these participating blog posts, from October 16-30, to win one of the following prizes:

Winners #1 & 2 = A set of four art notecards (two sets available)
Winner #3 = A signed wildlife art print
Winners #4, 5, 6 = An original sketch from Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals (See www.rebekahraye.com for samples of her gorgeous artwork!)
Winners #7, 8, 9 = A copy of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals, signed by Rebekah.

And, anyone who participates in the Twitter Book Party or posts anything on Twitter about the tour, using the hashtag #BearlyThere from October 15-30, will be entered to win a complete set of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, and Thanks to the Animals, all signed by Rebekah! Winners for all 10 prizes will be announced on Oct. 31. US/Canada addresses only.

Bear-ly There, a beautifully-illustrated picture book, is the story of Charlie and a bear who wanted a snack in Charlie’s family’s storage shed. Charlie figures out how to get rid of the bear and get him back to eating blueberries in the forest like he should. The books shows children in a kind and gentle way that wildlife belongs in the wild where everyone, including the animal, is safe. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview, Rebekah Raye, the author, about her book Bear-ly There.

Margo: Hi Rebekah, thanks for stopping by on your tour. I’m sure many people who read your book wonder this: where did you get the idea for Bear-ly There?

Rebekah: It was really based on a true story. Last summer, I had made an appointment with Tilbury House Publishing to come in and discuss some new concepts and ideas I had about another book. I had a couple of ideas that I really liked. The very night before my meeting, we had an incredible first-time black bear visit in the moonlight just at dawn in our backyard–that was both exciting and frightening. I went into my meeting with Jennifer Bunting, Audrey Maynard, and Karen Fiske. I felt very comfortable talking to them about my new ideas but was still bubbling over with excitement about the bear visit that it seemed to be prominent in our conversation. They were quiet as they listened to all of my story summaries. Then after a pause, they thought we should do the story of the bear visit.

Margo: Well, thank goodness for that bear visit then, or we wouldn’t have this delightful story now! Your illustrations are absolutely beautiful. How do you make your illustrations look so real? Do you use models? Photos? Your imagination?

Rebekah: I seem to be most inspired by events, sightings, and actual experiences that I can express in a painting, sculpture, or story. I have learned so much about the animals I paint. I am fascinated by what they look like and how they act. It is important to me to give the animal dignity and respect and love the animal as it is. So, I want my paintings to be a close likeness. For Bear-ly There, my husband, a photographer, was able to photograph the bear that visited us on several different occasions, and I had lots of reference from his photographs. I also had such a memory of the night he came to visit us. My two geese were always modeling for me; the rest of the critters were from past sightings.

Margo: Your paintings are definitely a close likeness, and I love that your two geese model for you! Please briefly explain your writing process for us.

Rebekah: My dearest older friend, Eggie Razi, once told me, “Just do the pictures first, and then imagine telling your story to your children and grandson, and the words will come.” She was right. I love to think of the images first, the characters. Then I take a tape recorder and speak about what’s happening, and it seems to help me write like I was verbally telling the story. I then sketch out sort of a story board. I can then start to see the story change, build. And thank goodness for editors.

Margo: What an interesting writing process. I wonder if a lot of author/illustrators work that way. I think I found a new question to ask. What are two or three lesson plan ideas that teachers can use with Bear-ly There?

Rebekah: I would recommend doing research about the different foods bears like to eat. It is fascinating to note they eat the very things that are bad for our gardens and trees like cut worms and tent caterpillars. I have always loved to combine art and science, so I would have the children draw the bear eating the particular plants and insects–making a poster of the different plants in a detailed drawing, of course with the bear. Maybe ink markers and pastel pencils. I also recommend everyone to visit www.tilburyhouse.com because they specify classroom activities related to the books under TEACHERS TAKE NOTE.

Margo: Rebekah, thanks for letting us know about the Tilbury House site and their resources for teachers. We wish you much luck with your book, your tour, and your future projects!

Don’t forget to leave a comment below to be entered into Tilbury House’s awesome contest. To enter more than once, go to these other blog tour stops for Rebekah and make a comment!

More blog stops for Rebekah:

Oct. 21 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – http://insatiablereaders.blogspot.com/
Oct. 22 – On My Bookshelf – http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/
Oct. 23 – Nature Moms – http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/
Oct. 24 – Tilbury House on Facebook – http://tinyurl.com/c2cnav
Oct. 25 – Ready Set Read – http://readysetreadreviews.blogspot.com/
Oct. 26 – Mozi Esmé – http://moziesme.blogspot.com/
Oct. 27 – Anastasia Suen’s Picture Book of the Day – http://6traits.wordpress.com/
Oct. 28 – Byron T. Bear Foundation – http://www.byronbear.com
Oct. 29 – Amy Lundebrek’s blog – http://www.amylundebrek.com/blog
Oct. 30 – Get Bear Smart Society – http://www.bearsmart.com/news-room/blog-posts

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Today I’m participating in a mass blogging! WOW! Women On Writing has gathered a group of blogging buddies to write about family relationships. Why family relationships? We’re celebrating the release of Therese Walsh’s debut novel today. The Last Will of Moira Leahy, (Random House, October 13, 2009) is about a mysterious journey that helps a woman learn more about herself and her twin, whom she lost when they were teenagers. Visit “The Muffin” to read what Therese has to say about family relationships and view the list of all my blogging buddies. And make sure you visit Therese’s website to find out more about the author.

I chose WOW!’s “Family Relationships Mass Blogging Day” to write about one of my favorite picture book authors/illustrators, Patricia Polacco. She has written and illustrated many picture books, including some of my favorites: My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother; Thank You, Mr. Falker; and Pink and Say.

The reason I chose her for today is many of her picture books are based on true accounts of her childhood, and she does not try to mask these events behind some fictional characters. She includes herself and her family members, and the stories are touching, often bringing tears. The book I chose especially for today is Thunder Cake. If you have a child scared of storms, this is the perfect book for you. It will help you and your child share special moments as Patricia and her grandmother did when she was a child.

Short, short summary: Thunder Cake is the story of how Patricia Polacco learned to conquer her fear of storms when she was a young girl. Her grandmother senses a storm is coming, and so she convinces Patricia to go outside and gather the ingredients they need to bake thunder cake. This includes eggs, tomatoes, and milk. While the cake is baking, Grandmother recaps what young Patricia did OUTSIDE as the storm was approaching, and she convinces her granddaughter that only a brave girl could do those things. Patricia agrees. This is one of the perfect family relationship books as it shows the heartwarming love between a grandma and her granddaughter, and it can help you as a parent (or even a teacher) with a child who has a fear of storms.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Make a thunder cake with your students or you child. (If you are doing this with a classroom, you can also turn any cooking lesson into a math lesson–studying fractions, doubling recipes, and so on.)

2. Ask students or your child to write (or make a list together) all the reasons why rain is a positive thing–why do we need rain? Why is this important? If children can see why rain is necessary and helpful, it might give them more positive feelings toward storms. When your child starts to become afraid during storms, draw pictures of the ways rain helps, create poems, or even make up a play or story with older children. This will distract them from the storm and promote positive feelings.

3. Make noise with your child or students as a storm is approaching. Can you make your own thunder? Often children just don’t like loud noises they can not control, and this is why thunder scares them. Get out some pots, pans, and wooden spoons. Have a storm concert. Chant favorite poems and play music to drown out the outside sounds.

Another super easy thing to do is just talk with your child about Patricia’s bravery and see what they think. Thanks for checking out my post today as part of WOW!’s mass blogging day!

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The subject of getting our kids to eat healthy, especially in the United States, has been on parents’ and educators’ minds for several decades. There are several teachers’ books that talk about nutrition and give lesson plan ideas. But what about books that talk directly to kids? These two above can be used with elementary students to discuss eating healthy foods and why it is important.

When I taught fourth grade in Otterville, MO, the National Dairy Council gave us two lab rats each year to do a short experiment on. We fed one rat nutritious food, and we fed the other rat junk food. We weighed them and observed their behaviors. The only difference between the two rats was the type of food they were getting. The results (in a very short time because we didn’t want the junk food rat to suffer) were amazing. The junk food rat was awake and wired during the day (rats are nocturnal). He did not gain weight or grow like the healthy food rat. It turns out that if all you eat is junk food, at a young age, you will not grow properly. The obesity problem comes because we are eating healthy food and junk food! Once we started giving the junk food rat healthy food too, the rat started gaining weight and catching up with the first rat.

A “Wacky Wednesday” idea I had while teaching this rat unit was having a healthy snack challenge. In fourth grade, we had a snack time every day. Kids would bring chips, candy, and cookies. With the healthy snack challenge, I decided to give them a sticker on a chart for each day they brought a healthy snack. For students who could not afford a snack, I worked out something with their parents ahead of time to provide a healthy snack for them. Before we started the healthy snack challenge, we had a healthy snack day where each student was assigned to bring a type of easy healthy snack so that students could see some examples of healthy snacks.

Since it is Wacky Wednesday and I’m talking about teaching kids about healthy eating, I also want to enter Samsung Appliances Blogging Sweepstakes to win a New Samsung French Door Refrigerator pictured here:

Isn’t it cool?????

Here’s the question I need to answer: (This is for you parents out there who are reading my blog!)
“With Our Busy Schedules, What Are Your 3 Valid Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash?”

1. Whenever I am having any type of meat, such as turkey burgers or grilled chicken sandwiches, I always make the patties and marinate the meat in the morning BEFORE I get to work or at lunchtime. Then when it is time for dinner, I just have to throw the meat on the grill.

2. Side dishes can take just as long as the regular meal. I always plan my side dishes in advance and make sure they are easy on a busy night. For example, if we are having baked potatoes and grapes as side dishes, I clean the grapes when I bring them home from the grocery store and put them in a bowl, so I don’t have to wash them that night before dinner. I also buy the baked potatoes in the plastic wrap that you can fix in the microwave. This takes 10 minutes instead of an hour or more. Although it is not cheaper, lettuce already washed and in the bag is WAY easier for salads.

3. Crock pot meals are the best for quick and easy dinners, but my husband doesn’t like me to leave the crock pot on when no one is home. So, I cook crock pot meals on the weekends, and then I divide them into containers where I can easily warm up the meal in a few minutes during the week.

If you want to enter this sweepstakes and put out your tips, please see this post for more information.

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by Clearly Ambiquous www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Two young boys as main characters
*Rating: I am in love with Let’s Do Nothing! I laughed out loud at this picture book. Tony Fucile’s illustrations are hilarious, and the story is so cute!

Short, short summary: Frankie and Sal do not know what else to do with themselves. They have “played every sport ever invented, painted more pictures than Van Gogh, and baked enough cookies to feed a small country.” So, they decide to do nothing. But did you know that doing nothing is much harder than it seems? When Frankie tries to be as still as can be and imagine the things that Sal says to imagine, he just can’t do nothing. Even through Sal’s frustration, he still realizes that they have proved a very important point that the whole world should realize!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Ask students what they would pretend to be if they had to sit still and do nothing. In the book, the boys pretend to be statues, trees, and buildings. You can do this as a shared writing activity for younger students, where you make a list on chart paper and each child comes up with an idea to illustrate. For older primary children who are reading Let’s Do Nothing!, you can ask them to write about this prompt in their reading response journals.

2. Is it impossible to do nothing? That’s what the boys say in the book. Ask children this question and brainstorm answers. You can even work this into a health lesson. What parts of the body are still working and moving when you are doing nothing? How about when you are sleeping? Why do these particular body systems continue to work even when you are doing nothing?

3. Ask children to tell you what they like to do when they are bored. Have they ever run into the same problem as Frankie and Sal in the book? How would they solve this problem? Help children to make a personal connection to the text. When students or your children make personal connections with Tony Fucile’s text, then they are improving their reading comprehension, which is a very important skill.

Have you read Let’s Do Nothing! with your class or your children? What did you think?

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I am so happy to be a part of Tilbury House’s Elephant Tour! We have elephant facts, elephant book giveaways, photos, website links, and more. SO, here we go. . .

Carol Buckley and Tarra when Tarra lived at the tire shop

BOOK GIVEAWAYS!!!! BOOK GIVEAWAYS!!!!

*Two books will be given away from the comments on my blog on this post. I will draw two names from the comments. The first name I will draw gets to choose which book he or she wants either Travels with Tarra or Just for Elephants, both by Carol Buckley. The second name will get the second book. I will draw names on Friday, September 4 at 5:00 p.m. CST.

*But wait, there’s another chance to win a book! Tilbury House is also giving out prizes. They are drawing winners from all the comments on all the blogs that participate in the blog tour. Here are their prizes (they are able to ship in the U.S. and Canada):

1. Copy of Just for Elephants signed by Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley
2. Copy of Travels With Tarra signed by Carol and stamped by Tarra the Elephant
3. Package of Tilbury House animal books— The Goat Lady, Thanks to the Animals, and an advance copy of Bear-ly There

So, leave a comment below for a chance to win one of five prizes! Now onto the books. . .

Travels With Tarra is a book about Tarra the famous elephant, whom Carol Buckley purchased from a man who owned a tire shop when she was in college. Tarra has starred in movies, performed in circuses, and provided elephant rides. She loves dogs! This is a touching book with real photographs of Tarra, Carol, and their adventures. It also talks about how Carol started an Elephant Sanctuary for Tarra and other female elephants. A beautiful book for children and adults!

Just for Elephants is a book about Shirley the elephant who was a circus performer and then lived in a zoo. In this book, Shirley goes to the Elephant Sanctuary that Carol started for Tarra. The book shows how an elephant gets used to the sanctuary and other elephants in her new home. And Shirley sees an old elephant friend from her circus performing days. It’s quite touching!

Twitter Prize: From now through Sept. 9, anyone who tweets about the tour using the hashtag #trunktour will be entered to win a copy of Travels With Tarra or Just for Elephants. US/Canada only, two winners will be announced on Sept. 10th. **Follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Margo_L_Dill

So, what do you do with these books?

In the back of the books, many resources for teachers are included. Here are three:

1. The Elephant Sanctuary website has downloadable curriculum materials and links at http://www.elephants.com

2. The Elephant Information Repository is an extensive directory of elephant websites, organizations, events, etc. http://elephant.elehost.com

3. The website of the world-leading expert on African elephant family structures, life cycle, and behavior http://www.elephanttrust.org/cynthia-moss.htm

Here’s some interesting facts about Tarra the elephant–care to comment on any of these?
*She is 8′2″ tall and weighs 8,700 pounds!

*Each day she eats: 130 lbs of hay and/or vegetation, 1 pound of hand-mixed whole grains (oats, barley, and wheat), 2 pounds of soaked wheat bran, 10-20 pounds of fruits & vegetables, and drinks approximately 30 gallons of water.

The blog tour continues with. . .

Friday, Sept. 4: Maw Books http://blog.mawbooks.com/
Saturday, Sept. 5: Shelf Elf http://shelfelf.wordpress.com/
Sunday, Sept. 6: Bees Knees http://beeskneesbooks.blogspot.com/
Monday, Sept. 7: Through The Looking Glass http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, Sept. 8: Bri Meets Books www.brimeetsbooks.com

And finally. . .Tilbury House Promotion to Support The Elephant Sanctuary (8/1-12/31)

Tilbury House will hold their first-ever “Trunk Sale” promotion from August 1 through December 31. For every 100 elephant books that they sell, the independent publisher has pledged to sponsor a much-needed item from the Sanctuary’s wish list. These gifts will include 100 lbs of peanut butter (a favorite treat), a day’s worth of meals for one elephant (including more than 10 lbs of fruits & veggies and 100 lbs of hay!), and an elephant-sized piece of land (to support the Sanctuary’s recent
expansion).

So, buy these books if you don’t win them or buy a bunch and give them to your favorite school or as a Christmas gift!

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Reviewed by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, [email protected]

Photo by Mike Baird www.flickr.com

*Picture book, mostly realistic (contemporary)
*First-grade girl as main character
*Rating: Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly is sure to touch the hearts of everyone who reads it!

Short, short summary: Velma Gratch wants to be remembered like her older sisters, Frieda and Fiona, but she just can’t seem to figure out how. She tries being the slowest runner so her P.E. teacher will see her. She tries being the loudest singer, so her music teacher can hear her. But she just winds up in the principal’s office. During science, Mr. Plexipuss, Velma’s teacher, is teaching Velma’s class about butterflies. Velma loves this especially since Frieda and Fiona did not study butterflies! When she goes on a field trip to the conservatory, Velma is in for a surprise when she meets her favorite type of butterfly, a monarch. One butterfly hitches a ride, and he does not want to get off!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. If you study life cycles of butterflies, then Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly is a great book to read during this unit. Alan Madison includes many science terms in his text, and Kevin Hawkes has illustrations of different types of caterpillars on the inside front cover and different types of butterflies on the inside back cover. Very cool! You can do an art/science project with this book also. Assign students a type of butterfly to research, draw, and color or paint. Students should find out facts about their butterflies and try to draw and color them as close to real life as possible. Students can present their butterflies to the class, and/or you can hang them on a butterfly bulletin board.

2. Velma Gratch has a problem in this book that several students in your class might have. She doesn’t feel special in her family. She thinks her sisters are better than her, and some of the adults in the book aren’t helping her out with these feelings either! One activity you can do with your students is ask them to draw the members of their family on one side of a sheet of paper. Write one sentence about each family member and tell why they are special. On the other side of the paper, ask students to draw a self-portrait. Then students should write at least THREE reasons why they are special and different from other members of their family. If they have no siblings, students can still do this activity using their parents, pets, and even cousins if they wish.

3. This story is mostly realistic. But part of the story makes it unbelievable which makes the whole story a fantasy then. This isn’t the kind of fantasy with knights, dragons, or wizards, but it also isn’t realistic fiction due to this one event in the book. Ask students what parts of the book could happen and are realistic. Then discuss which part of the book makes this story unbelievable or unable to happen in real life.

If you have read Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly, then leave us a comment and let us know how you felt or an activity you did with the book! Thanks!

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photo by Paul Mannix www.flickr.com

*Middle-grade contemporary novel
*Fourth-grade boy as main character
*Rating: Two hysterical authors, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, write a truly funny novel that boys (and girls, too) will love!

Short, short summary: The first book in the Hank Zipzer series, Niagara Falls or Does It? introduces us to underachiever Hank Zipzer. Hank is starting school–fourth grade–and he just so happens to get Ms. Adolf instead of the cool teacher. She wants the class to write a 5-paragraph essay, and Hank can’t think of anything worse to do. In the meantime, he and his friends form a magic act and practice for their first gig at the bowling alley. When his parents find out he has to write the essay, it cuts into his rehearsal time, and so Hank decides to build a living essay–a model of Niagara Falls like no one has ever seen before. He has a lot to say about the Falls and his family’s trip there, but he just can’t seem to get it from his head to the paper. He is super excited about his project until the flood gates open–literally. Join Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver for a great start to a funny series, Hank Zipzer: The Mostly True Confessions of the World’s Best Underachiever.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This book is a great read aloud, especially if you are teaching writing 5-paragraph essays. Some of your students may be feeling the same way as Hank, and you can open up discussions on difficulties they are having writing these essays. Many children feel the same way as Hank Zipzer–the information is in their heads, but how do they get it down on paper? Students can even journal about this topic and share their feelings about writing, math, science, and so on.

2. Niagara Falls is an obvious topic of study while reading this book. Students can make a list of all the facts that Hank Zipzer quotes in the book about the Falls. You can also challenge each of your students or your children (if you homeschool) to find one more fact about the Falls that Hank has not stated. Ask students to write it on an index card. You can make a Niagara Falls fact bulletin board. If you want to be really brave, you can try a class project and build the Falls like Hank does. Just hope that your tubing and pipes hold up!

3. At the end of the novel, one of Hank’s teachers helps him out a little by talking to his parents. During the talk, his dad basically says he is lazy and doesn’t try hard enough. Ask your students to describe Hank and his character in a paragraph. Then ask them to write another paragraph and support either his dad’s point of view or his teacher’s. Tell them to use specific events in the book to support their opinions.

For more information on the Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, please see the Hank Zipzer website.

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Reviewed by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, [email protected]

photo by Sarah Kennon www.flickr.com

*Picture book for prekindergartners through third graders, fantasy
*Two creatures–the Once-ler and the Lorax–as main characters
*Rating: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is a wonderful book to teach students about the effects of pollution and industrialization.

Short, short summary: A young boy visits the Once-ler and hears the story of the Lorax and the Truffula trees straight from the creature who destroyed their home. The Once-ler cut down Truffula trees to manufacture his thneeds, which he sold for $3.98. He got a little greedy and built a factory to produce more and more thneeds. During this time, all sorts of lovely Dr. Seuss creatures left the area due to pollution and lack of food. The Lorax warned the Once-ler over and over again about what he was doing to the environment, but he wouldn’t listen. Finally, the last Truffula tree was cut down. What did the Once-ler and the Lorax do then?

So, what do I do with this book?

1. For a fun activity about creating ads for thneeds, see my Bright Hub article: “Creating Ads for Thneeds from The Lorax.”

2. For a 6 + 1 Traits of Writing activity, see my Bright Hub article: “Lesson Plan: Teaching Word Choice with The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.”

3. For an elementary art lesson, see my Bright Hub article: “Using Recyclable Materials for an Elementary Art Lesson.”

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Today, I welcome Danette Haworth, author of Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning. Read on for more information about this heartwarming, hysterical look at a girl who is trying to figure out what a best friend and puberty is all about.

****Anyone who leaves a comment on today’s post for Danette or about Violet Raines will be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win this book. The drawing will take place on Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m. CST, so leave your comments before then!

*Middle-grade novel, set in 1970s Florida
*11-year-old girl as main character
*Rating: Danette Haworth has written a laugh-out-loud funny, coming-of-age novel with a character that will remind some of us of an older Ramona or Clementine.

Short, short summary: Violet Raines likes her life just the way it is–she likes hanging out in old tree trunks with her buddy Eddie and going to a fish fry every week at her best friend, Lottie’s house. She even likes to play Barbies with Lottie’s little sister. She’s a true tomboy at heart with a little girl thrown in. But Violet’s happy life gets uprooted when new-comer, Melissa Gold, moves into town and wants to be Lottie’s best friend, too. Violet and Melissa are pretty much opposites since Melissa cares about boys, soap operas, make-up, and bras. Then Lottie starts to care about those things, too. Things get even worse for Violet when Lottie’s house gets struck by lightning, and Melissa’s house is big enough to take Lottie and her siblings in for awhile. And to top it all off, Melissa keeps saying that Eddie is Violet’s boyfriend. What will Violet do to get her life back the way it was, or will she ever be able to?

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR: DANETTE HAWORTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Margo: Hi Danette! Welcome to “Read These Books and Use Them.” Thank you for taking time to talk with us today. What made you want to write Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning?

Danette: I sat down to write a book, and the idea that wouldn’t let go of me was a story I heard over the years from my mom: Growing up as the youngest of three, my mom always felt shortchanged and overworked. That’s why she loved the family next door. Every Sunday, they invited her over for a fish fry, and it was a lot of fun. But one of the best parts for my mom was that her older brother and sister were NEVER invited! She loved that!

So when I first conceived the idea, I thought it would be an adult book with sibling rivalry and other family issues. I’m glad it turned out the way it did, though. Violet Raines was so much fun to work on.

Margo: And so much fun to read. I hope someday there might be a Violet Raines sequel. That being said–What projects are you working on now?

Danette: I’m in revisions with my second book, The Hotel of Blueberry Goodness, which comes out with Walker Books in 2010. Blueberry Goodness is set in Central Florida and much of it takes place on the grounds of a long forgotten, antebellum hotel, where twelve-year-old Allie Jo Jackson lives. This particular summer, she meets an eclectic group of friends, including a teenage runaway.

After that, my editor and I will work revisions on Me and Jack, featuring a twelve-year-old boy who moves to an unfriendly town in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania.

I’ve also got a few short stories making the rounds; I hope they find new homes!

Margo: Those projects all sound AWESOME, and after reading Violet Raines, I can’t wait to see what you have in store. What are two or three activities that teachers and/or parents could do with their children or students while reading Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning?

Danette: One big tie-in is lightning. When I researched lightning for Violet Raines, I discovered all kinds of mind-blowing facts! Did you know that lightning is, on the average, only an inch wide? Or that one strike has the explosive power of a one kiloton bomb? Striking at 54,000 Fahrenheit, lightning is six times hotter than the sun. Whew!

Oh, and that myth about lightning never striking the same place twice? The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are hit by lightning more than a hundred times a year, and I even found reports of people being struck by lightning more than once in their lifetimes.

Another exciting topic to explore from the book is alligators. They’re exciting, as long as you don’t get too close to one! I learned that alligators have eighty teeth; and that when an alligator loses a tooth, there’s always another tooth under it, like a stack of cups. As long as the socket remains healthy, that alligator will always have all of his teeth. I recently learned that male alligators close their mouths with 3000 pounds of pressure—WOW! The girls are strong, too, clamping their jaws shut with 1500 pounds of pressure.

I hope the biggest thing students get out of Violet Raines is the sense of outdoors and friendship I felt while writing it. I had fun, and I hope they do too!

Margo: Danette, thank you so much for visiting my blog today. Readers, if you haven’t checked out Violet Raines yet, make sure you do and soon. For a chance to win a free copy, remember to leave a comment below.

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