My Journey to the Stars

Title: My Journey to the Stars

Author: Scott Kelly

Illustrator: Andre Ceolin

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers 

Copyright Date: October 17, 2017

ISBN: 978-1524763770

Age Ranges: 6-7 years

Lexile Measure: 680

Although this book has not yet been published, I wanted to include it for a few reasons. First, it is a great example of what we discussed earlier, adapting adult books for younger readers. This is being released simultaneously with the adult title, Endurance: A year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly.

The title has been given great reviews by Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, and Booklist. 

• "Kelly’s story is an inspiration for adventure, fodder for space fascination, and a call to work hard and follow one’s dreams." —Booklist
• "Though in most respects typical of astronaut profiles for younger readers, this one features unusually personal notes...and also vivid writing. Kelly describes re-entry as 'like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel - but you're on fire!'" - Kirkus
• "Kelly's account firmly underscores the rewards of dedication to one's dreams."

Kelly struggled in school and often got into mischief with his twin brother. One day, he read a book about test pilots and astronauts which inspired him. My Journey to the Stars tells the story of an ordinary boy who worked very hard to achieve his dreams. He and his brother both went on to become astronauts. When Scott spent a year on the International Space Station, his brother, Mark, served as the control on Earth, to compare what changes occurred to Scott, in space.

Related Titles:

To the Stars: The First American Woman to Walk in Space by Carmella Van Vleet

Living in Space by Kathryn Clay

Mission to Space by John Herrington

Astronaut in Training by Kathryn Clay

Star Stuff by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Touchthinklearn

Touchthinklearn

Title: A B C

Series Name: Touchthinklearn

ISBN: 9781452145037

Author/Illustrator: Xavier Deneux

Publisher: Chronicle Books Lic

Publication Date: 09/06/2016

Audience: Ages 5 - 6

Awards: n/a

Our library's Technical Services Manager will no longer catalog board books as nonfiction, even if they are assigned a Dewey Decimal Number. This must be somewhat of a professional debate also. Baker & Taylor, where we purchase the majority of our books, assigns these books a DDN, yet they are assigned a BISAC Subject of Fiction.

The books in the Touchthinklearn series that are assigned Dewey Decimal Numbers are exceptional concept books for toddlers. The cutouts and raised shapes as well as the bright colors and uncluttered pages make them interesting and enticing to toddlers. The titles that are assigned DDNs are: 

• ABC
• Shapes
• Numbers
• Opposites
• Colors

Deneux has also written many other concept books in this series which are not assigned DDNs. They include:

• Vehicles
• Farm
• Homes
• Baby Animals
• Little Critters
• Wild Animals
• Fly

Opposites  received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly:

PW Reviews 2013 August #1

Deneaux brings a pared-down aesthetic and a subtle tactile dimension to this stylish exploration of opposites. Glued-on cardboard pieces on the left-hand pages dovetail neatly with recessed shapes on the right. “High” is represented by a cat atop a ladder, while “Low” uses the ladder’s skinny rectangular shape to show a mole peering up from the bottom of a hole. A “Heavy” (and cute) gray elephant echoes the shape of the “Light” cloud opposite. Fun for fingers, eyes, and minds. Available simultaneously: Colors. Ages 3–up. (Aug.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2013 PWxyz LLC

Colors and Opposites received this review from Kirkus:

Kirkus Reviews 2014 January #1
A bold, graphic and tactile introduction to colors. On the thicker-than-normal board pages, part of the page is cut away to create a shaped indentation. Glued to the facing page is part or all of the positive space that was cut from the other side. On the first spread, a red, raised apple is fixed to the left-hand page. The right side features the inside of the apple, which is evoked by the apple-shaped indentation with two seeds floating in the center. This inventive format works its way through the other hues, one of the most clever being a blue submarine paired with a submarine-shaped, white whale indentation. The minimal text simply labels one color per page. The last double-page spread features a collection of balloons that mesh with an artist's palette on the facing page as the text asks, "So many colors! Which one is your favorite?" Using strong shades and solid and white backgrounds, Deneux's style is clean, clear and graphically appealing. The companion title, Opposites (978-1-4521-1725-6), uses the same format, but the technique of matching negative and positive space is even more apropos here. Prime examples are the "empty" and "full" fishbowl and the "heavy" elephant paired with a "light" elephant-shaped cloud. Compromising the usefulness of both titles is the legal warning on the back of both books that states that it is not for children under 3. This is a shame, as the mix of graphic simplicity and innovative tactile format would have made both of these delightful additions to the board-book canon; as it is, they represent choke hazards to babies and toddlers, who would most benefit from them. (Board book. 3-4) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. 

I admit that these titles come with a choking warning for children under 3, their intended audience. I have these titles in my collection. They have a very sturdy construction which several staff managers put to the test before we decided to add them. We were satisfied that they would stand up to repeated circulation. They have not disappointed us.

             

               

      

Science Comics Series

     Science Comics Series:

Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers

Title: Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers

Author: MK Reed

Illustrator: Joe Flood

Publisher: First Second, an imprint of Roaring  Brook Press

Copyright Date: 3/29/2016

ISBN: 9781626721449 

Age Ranges: 9 - 13 years

Lexile Measure: 840

Awards: Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee for Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12) (2017)

Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers is the first in a series of nonfiction graphic novels. Using full-color illustrations of  groups of dinosaurs, this volume captures the reader's interest immediately by making a simple statement: "For 165 million years, dinosaurs walked the earth. And flew. And swam." 

     

A brief history describes how the study of paleontology began.  The text encompasses how the scientists and their discoveries were viewed by society and introduces the dinosaurs in chronological order. The author points out how the discoveries and work of Mary Anning was used by her male contemporaries as their own, not giving her the credit she deserved

. Throughout, the author includes how new discoveries and further study have changed over time, and in fact, is still evolving.

This volume ends with author notes, a glossary, a timeline, and sources for further reading.

I think this book should be in every library that serves elementary students. Although the same information can be found in many other books, the colorful and engaging illustrations along with carefully chosen text makes this book a great fit for someone who struggles with reading but has a desire to learn more about dinosaurs, on his or her own.

 

This series covers many topics that are popular with this age group and would be a good stepping stone after The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library

and before the What Were, Who Were? series.

Related books you might have in your collection:

Curious About Fossils (Smithsonian) 978-0448490199, 2016

DK Eyewitness: Fossils, 2017

Praises for this title include:

Included in School Library Journal's "Best of 2016" list.

"Like having a Time Life Science Library in comic books. Which is awesome!" —Popular Science

"The artwork and text are attractive and interesting, and readers will learn how dinosaur bones became fossils and how their remains were eventually discovered. Great entry-level texts that will spark readers’ interest in these topics." —School Library Journal

Other titles in this series include: Coral Reefs, Volcanoes, Bats, Flying Machines, Plagues, Dogs, Robots and Drones, Sharks, Rockets, and Trees.

A fun extension activity would be to make dinosaur fossils with the children. 

http://anewdawnn.com/diy-dinosaur-fossils/