"Migrant Mother" text set*

 Three books about the famous photograph taken during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl and about the photographer,  Dorothea Lange-

A historical fiction picture about the "Migrant Mother" and her family. Ruby, middle daughter, tells their story. 

Ruby's Hope by Monica Kulling illustrated by Sarah Dvojack

*highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library

Migrant Mother by Don Nardo

Informative yet easy to read. Mr. Nardo presents Dorothea Lange and how her photography impacted the United States and also the story of the migrant mother. Full of photographs (very apropos). Consider-one photograph shows Florence Thompson nursing her child.

-Borrowed from the library.

Dorothea's Eyes by Barb Rosenstock illustrated by Gerard DuBois-Ms. Rosenstock offers a comprehensive overall of Dorothea Lange's life -from her childhood to her success as a photographer. Throughout the book, Ms. Rosenstock incorporates repeated phrases and themes. The timeline was informative. I liked how Ms. Lange's famous photographs are included at the end. 

 *Highly recommend. -Borrowed from the library.

Anne of Green Gables mania

 Reading aloud The Story Girl, watching The Road to Avonlea, and ordering The Golden Road (sequel to The Story Girl), I decided to read a few books about the author and the beloved P.E.I.

1. The Anne of Green Gables Christmas Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson (I thought it was a collection of stories about Anne at Christmas. It is not!)-a collection of a decorations, crafts, ideas and recipes featured/mentioned in Anne of Green Gables. Quite a few sewing projects. I just glanced through this one.

2. The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables by Catherine Reid    This book showcases the breath-taking scenery of Prince Edward Island via photographs. The text relates more about L.M. Montgomery's life and how much she loved the island. I am currently reading this one. 

3. Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter & Me by Lorilee Craker -A Memoir  I just finished this interesting book. Mrs. Craker relates her own adoption and discovery of her biological parents and then the adoption of her own daughter, Phoebe from Korea. She incorporates excerpts and scenes from the Anne books as she processes heartache, disappointment and confusion. Impressive how she integrates so many facets-her adoption, her daughter's adoption, Anne, travels to P.E.I. and research of L.M. Montgomery. Mrs.Craker seems to be a Christian. She mentions God and His faithful presence in all of her life stages. 

-I borrowed all three of these books from the library.

Fine Feathered Friends by Jane Yolen photographs by Jason Stemple

A mother and son team created this book! 

My sixth grader read these poems each day for a week. He regularly composes poems and loves to photograph birds. My goal was to inspire him to try new poetry formats. His favorite poem was "Wood Peck" because of the apropos rhythm. He was not overly impressed with some of the photographs, but others he admired. Each photograph spanned two pages and included a picture caption with information about the featured bird.

-Borrowed from the library.

Gold by Moonlight by Amy Carmichael

 Lessons for Walking through Pain

Many months ago I bought this book and started reading it slowly, one entry per day. A couple of my friends are enduring intense, relentless pain that defies treatment. By reading this book, I was able to pray for them in ways unknown to me months earlier. To be honest, the old-fashion word choice,  superannuated references to literature, and sentence structure challenged me at times.  When I doubted I was understanding its message, God would provide an image in nature or a random thought that was anchored in the reading. I am most thankful for the insight it provided on how to pray for those who are in pain.

Ms. Carmichael takes photographs (very grainy compared to our modern photography!) of nature and connects them to truths about God and His Word as a person experiencing pain.

-I own this book.

Pony by R.J.Palacio

 Ms. Palacio is a fabulous writer. Many years ago I read and loved her book Wonder .  When authors write well across genres, they are good writers. This book contains intriguing characters, insightful peeks into the West in the 1860's and captivating action. The story is well-crafted. 

Twelve-year-old Silas Bird's life is forever altered when men charge into the Bird family home and take his father away. All of his life his father has protected him, but now Silas ventures out into the open wilderness to find his father. Mittenwool, his best friend who is a ghost, accompanies him. Together they encounter a host of characters and adventures.

Warnings: Silas can see and commuincate with ghosts.  Some of the descriptions of the ghosts are graphic as they portray how they die (blood dripping down from a bullet wound etc.). Spiritualism (ghosts) is a theme of the book. Silas's mother is dead from the start of the book. During the book Silas's father dies. At the end of the book the reader finds out that Jack Beautyman is a homosexual. At first I thought I was reading into it, but Ms. Palacio confirms it in the "author's note".

-Borrowed from the library.

A Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects by John Updike photographs by David Updike

Pulitzer Prize Winner John Updike writes poems about ordinary objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  His son, John, took the photographs to accompany each poem.
Great way to introduce children to this famous author.
-Borrowed from the library.

Snow Crystals by W. A. Bentley and W. J. Humphreys*

I love the picture book Snowflake Bentley.  
After reading it aloud to my sons (for the umpteenth time!!), I shared this book with them.  It contains about two hundred plates of photos he took of snowflakes and frost.  The photographs are beautiful and remind one of God's careful design in even the tiniest of objects!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin illustrated by Mary Azarian*

*Award winner-Caldecott Winner
When she retired, the principal who hired me, gave me several of her personal picture books.  This book is one she graciously bestowed to me and is a favorite.
Ms. Martin relays a simple yet informative story of the tenacious Wilson Bentley who desired to capture the beauty of the snowflake in photographs. 
Side bars offer additional facts about him and his life.  The side bars relate to the main story text on the page.
*Highly recommend.
-I own this book.

In the Belly of an Ox by Rebecca Bond*

The Unexpected Photographic Adventures of Richard and Cherry Kearton
As young boys, Richard and Cherry loved exploring the hills of Yorkshire and observing nature.  As adults they worked in London and missed the countryside.  So before work, early in the morning,  they would venture to the country and take photographs of birds and nests.  To ensure that they could take photos without disturbing the subject, they created some creative, unique disguises and hides.
As a result, they published the first ever nature book entirely illustrated with photographs, British Birds' Nests.
Fascinating read!
Ms. Bond utilized wonderful word choice and included actual photographs from the brothers.  She also shares what the brothers individually pursued after this accomplishment.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Jellies by Twig C. George

"The Life of Jellyfish"
This short nonfiction book explores different jellyfish.  Abundant photographs of these unusual creatures.
Strategy: check for understanding
Borrowed from the library.

The Art of Gardening by R. William Thomas photographs by Rob Cardillo*

"Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer"
**Highly, highly recommend.
My mom suggested visiting this garden and property so I, of course,  had to find a book about it.
After viewing the stunning photographs, I want to leave right now and visit!
This book shares the history of the property and its gradual transformation to what it is today.
My boys have been glancing at the book randomly and also have expressed a desire to visit it.  The book mentions that the gardens are very family friendly and kids are encouraged to explore and walk on the lawns!
I foresee a field trip quickly approaching!!
Borrowed from the library.




Aren't these chairs cool?!!  Chairs made out of rocks!

The Pioneer Woman Cooks- Dinnertime by Ree Drummond*

I love PW's food and cookbooks!
How can she keep on creating so many delicious recipes?!
Does this list make you want to go to the kitchen and whip up something scrumptious?!
*Chicken Taco Salad
*Quinoa Caprese
*Ready to Go Freezer Meatballs
*Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
*Black Bean Burgers
*Chow Mein
*Cajun Chicken Pasta
. . . and that is only a handful half way through the book!!
There are some recipes in this book that were already featured in her previous cookbooks.
Well organized-Prep tips and Stocking Up sections are found in the beginning.  If the recipe can be made ahead, she shares what to do and also offers variations and what to serve alongside of it.
*Highly recommend.
I own this book.

Little Humans by Brandon Stanton*

Photographer Brandon Stanton snaps photos of children throughout New York City.  His simple text celebrates children and the diversity of humankind.  Each page features a  photograph of a child or a group of children (sometimes with an adult).
I would use this book when teaching children's church/Sunday School and talking about how God has created us all uniquely and for specific purposes.  It also reinforces the fact that God loves children and that He does not view them as less than adults (the author does not profess these ideas-just how I would utilize this book).
*Highly recommend.

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre*

A perfect book to read in the spring!
In rhyming text, Ms. Sayre takes the reader from the start of a rain storm to its end.
Amazing photographs dominate each page.
My favorite feature of the book is the photographs-amazing shots/perspectives.  The photos are poetry.
At the end of the book, she has included "a splash of science" where she explains the science behind the water cycle, rain, rain drops.  She also shares recommended books about water science.
*Highly recommend.

Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts-1 Cookie, 2 Chairs, 3 Pears Numbers Everywhere *

Ms. Brocket takes colorful, eye-catching photographs.  My favorite photos were: the five toes on a huge statue and the fork/knife pairings.
Especially like this counting book because it includes numbers beyond twenty.
On some pages, the layout of objects lends itself to adding and discussing what two numbers added together make the sum.  Equal groupings also encourage counting by twos or threes.
*Highly recommend.
A must book for toddlers, preschoolers and Kindergartners!

Super Sniffers Dog Detectives on the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent*

This book is a must read!!  Just by reading the picture captions and a few stories to my second grader and preschooler, we learned a lot and were amazed!
With many photographs and very organized text, the author shares how dogs help humans-from sniffing out bombs to drugs to invasive weeds to cancer, dogs are a vital piece in helping mankind.

Text features: table of contents, headings, bold print, off-set text box (a story about a specific dog which supports the main idea of that specific page), picture captions, close ups, further reading/websites, index
*Highly recommend.

Looking Closely Across the Desert by Frank Serafini*

Another great book from his series "Looking Closely"
Readers will enjoy the riddle format and amazing photographs.
Two paragraphs with information about each desert object shares great facts but does not overwhelm the reader.
Love the two page spread of the desert at the very end.
*Highly recommend series.

Looking Closely Around The Pond by Frank Serafini*

In riddle format, the author/photographer has the reader trying to guess an animal, plant, or nonliving object found at the pond.  One side of the page is the riddle with a close up photograph an obscure part of the featured object on the opposite page.  The proceeding page has the answer and a full page photograph of the answer.  A couple of paragraphs share information about the animal/plant/nonliving object.
A great book to use with habitat studies.
*Highly recommend.
More in series, "Looking Closely"
The Shore
The Desert
Rain Forest
The Forest
The Garden

Elephants A Book for Children by Steve Bloom*

Wow!!  This book is absolutely stunning!  Any children researching elephants or who loves animals/elephants will love this book.
The photography begs one to pour over it and be amazed at this magnificent creatures.  A diversity of shots-different angles/perspectives.
Different size font and various paragraph lengths make this book a multi-aged book.
Text features: table of contents, font size, headings, subheadings, bold, picture captions, close ups, photographs
Strategies/skills: compare/contrast -Asian vs. African elephants (text structure), author's purpose, main idea/details

Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban*

A talented photographer provides many photos so younger children can grasp the concept of shadows and reflections.  No words/text.
Highly recommend all of her books-there are many!