Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness



Bowman, D. J. (2016). Step right up: How Doc and Jim Key taught the world about
kindness. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc.
Overview: A fantastic story about a former slave who overcame prejudice. His use of kindness toward animals is a great lesson to share with others. Doc takes in a horse that is not doing well who he nurses back to health. She has a foal that is not developed completely. Doc cares for Jim and raises him to be a strong horse. He also learned that Jim was smart and able to learn skills. Doc taught him to spell and count. Jim Key is an amazing horse.

Level: Middle Grades
Written on reading level - Lexile 910
Genre - Biography
Resources:

Teaching Guide from Publisher

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Grandpa's Hal-La-Loo-Ya Hambone!


Hayes, J. (2016). Grandpa’s hal-la-loo-ya hambone!. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos
Press.
Overview: Interesting and unique story about a hambone that was used over and over again to flavor the beans for Sunday dinner. A tall tale that exaggerates the story of flavoring beans. Grandpa sure likes the flavor and so does the other people in town. Mom shares the hambone with others. Grandpa would get an invite to the dinner the neighbors would make with the hambone. One day Grandpa went to clean up before he went to dinner at a neighbors. His teeth fell into a well. The hambone was used like a worm on a fishing line to catch the teeth. The teeth loved the hambone flavor so much they bit down right on it. Unfortunately when the teeth were pried off the bone the bone fell in the well. From that day forward people fetched their water to boil beans with from the well because of the hambone flavor. Great story to study tall tales.
Level: Middle Grades
Written on reading level - Lexile 790
Genre - Tall Tale - Everybody Book
Resources:


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Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics


Engle, M. (2017). Bravo! Poems about amazing Hispanics. New York: Godwin Books.
Overview: A wonderful collection of poems about influential Hispanics in history. The book opens the opportunity for a reader to want to learn more about the person in the poem. A great mix of men, and women from a variety of Hispanic countries. The book starts in 1713 and goes through 1984. Plus in the back of the book is additional men and women. Engle gives additional notes about the people she wrote poems about. A great book to add to the library collection for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Level: Middle Grades
Written on reading level - Lexile 1150
Genre - Biography
Resources:


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How to Avoid Extinction


Acampora, P. (2016). How to avoid extinction. New York: Scholastic Press.
Overview: Leo is a simple boy who is responsible to keep up with where his gram has disappeared. His grandfather past away almost a year before. His mother works and is super busy trying to provide for his small family. His Gram usually turns up at the doughnut place near their house when she goes missing. One day he finds her and she is looking at a map of Utah. She wants to drive there to see the allosaurus. His cousin Abbey loves dinosaurs and encourages Gram to go on the adventure. Gram tells Leo that she is going and he is welcome to come. So Leo decides to go on the trip to watch out for his grandmother. They stop in Chicago and see dinosaurs. They meet Honey who loves dinosaurs as much as Abbey. They detour to Iowa to take her home. While there Gram takes off on her own and leaves them behind. Leo and Abbey have to set out to find her. They must contact Leo’s mom for help. How will their adventure end?
Level: Middle Grades
Written on reading level - Lexile 610
Genre - Realistic Fiction
Resources:
Publishers Page with excerpt
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Sunday, August 5, 2018

Chef Roy Choi and The Street Food Remix


Martin, J. B. & Lee, J. L. (2017). Chef Roy Choi and the street food remix. Bellevue,
Washington: Readers to Eaters.

 Overview: Meet Chef Roy Choi a Korean chef who grew up in Los Angeles. He
worked in restaurants but became overworked and tired. He wanted to give
back to the community by serving fast food that was healthy and tasty. He started
a food truck called Kogi. He mixed all the different cultures together in his food.
Korean and Latino together to make his Kogi tacos. He is bringing goodness to all
the neighborhoods in Los Angeles that might not have the opportunities to
explore fresh ingredients.

I really like the Korean culture that is shared throughout the story. Also in the index
of the book the author and illustrator share about how they created the book. Man
One is a street artist who was sponsored my Kogi in 2009 for a solo exhibition.
The book also includes links to resources for the reader to check out if they want
to learn more.
Level: Middle Grades
Written on reading level - Lexile 710
Genre - Biography
Resources:


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