Kids Inventing! A Handbook for Young Inventors

                   Kids Inventing! A Handbook for Young Inventors   By Susan Casey
                                                 Published in 2005  134 Pages


Highly, highly recommended!

Typically invention books for children tend to emphasize the inspirational at the expense of the practical. This book is a notable exception in its detailed, step by step approach rendered in intelligible terms for upper elementary students.

Students are guided through the creative process. The author covers brainstorming, how to make a model, and how to come up with a catchy name for your invention. Through each step of the process, the book provides examples of young inventors, their inventions, and how they managed the hurdles of turning their ideas into reality.

However, creating a new invention is just a step in the process. The author also walks the readers through the ins and outs of applying for patents and trademarks, finding a company to manufacture your invention, selling and marketing your invention. Each of these steps is illustrated with examples of young inventors' experiences in these matters.

The appendix offers suggestions for further reading, a list of useful websites, and a roundup of invention competitions, programs and camps in the US.

Since this book was published in 2005, I would suggest a conducting a search for additional information to augment the appendix.

The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery From History

                             The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery From History  
         By Jane Yolen & Heidi Elisabat Yolen Stemple    Published in 2001   32 Pages


Out of print, but by all means secure a copy. They can typically be found at reasonable prices used.

This book is one of a series of four. The others treat the topics of the Salem Witch Trials, the lost colony of Roanoke, and the Mary Celeste. This particular book stands head and shoulders above the rest in the series, yet all share the same format.

These books are designed to encourage and exercise the critical thinking skills of kids. Our narrator is a young girl who likes to investigate historical mysteries. The book is formatted like an investigation. There is the text with illustrations, and then there are the girl's research notes superimposed over parts of the pages. Additionally, there are mock post it notes that detail the definitions that the girl had to "look up". Then reader is invited to put together the text and notes in order to form a theory about what really happened.

I think what separates this book from the others in the series is the amount of contradictory information that the reader must consider. I feel that this book demands a higher level of thinking than the others in
the series.

The mystery that this book treats is from India in 1920. A missionary took in two children at his orphanage. Allegedly they were raised by wolves. The missionary published an account, put one of the girls on display, and collected donations for the orphanage. The narrator's research notes inform the reader of conflicting accounts, background information, scientific knowledge, and quotes from the missionary's journal. With all of this information, the readers are amply equipped to form and support their own conclusions.

Four theories are considered at the end of the book, and readers are encouraged to form alternate interpretations. Each of the four theories is presented with a series of questions that the reader must answer from the evidence in order to support or critique that particular conclusion. This format also illustrates how one would go about supporting an alternative explanation.

In terms of using this book, one possibility is to make index cards that each contain a bit of information or evidence to consider. Then you can use four pieces of chart paper to represent each of the theories and have the students paste the cards under the theory that they think the evidence supports. Then you can have the students discuss what possibilities they believe and how the available evidence supports it.  

Ironically, there is a more recent (and far inferior) picture book on the topic of the wolf girls. It is titled "When I Met the Wolf Girls". This book is a actually a step backwards because its author did not do any critical thinking at all in scrutinizing the accounts of this case, and she took the missionary's claims at face value. It would be a good exercise to have students use what they have learned form the Yolen work to evaluate this later book.

Delivering Justice: W. W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights

By Jim Haskins
Illustrated by Benny Andrews

From the publisher (courtesy of www.titlewave.com):
A respected biographer teams up with an acclaimed artist to tell the story of the mail carrier who orchestrated the Great Savannah Boycott and was instrumental in bringing equality to his community. "Grow up and be somebody," Westley Wallace Law's grandmother encouraged him as a young boy living in poverty in segregated Savannah, Georgia. Determined to make a difference in his community, W.W. Law assisted blacks in registering to vote, joined the NAACP and trained protestors in the use of nonviolent civil disobedience, and, in 1961, led the Great Savannah Boycott. In that famous protest, blacks refused to shop in downtown Savannah. When city leaders finally agreed to declare all of its citizens equal, Savannah became the first city in the south to end racial discrimination. A lifelong mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, W.W. Law saw fostering communication between blacks and whites as a fundamental part of his job. As this affecting, strikingly illustrated biography makes clear, this "unsung hero" delivered far more than the mail to the citizens of the city he loved.

John's Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon

By Doreen Rappaport
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
2004
44 pages

This beautifully illustrated biography is a must-have for school libraries. Infused with lyrics from Beatles songs, and Bryan Collier's collage style art, Doreen Rappaport tells the story of John Lennon's life from childhood, to Beatle, to peace activist, and his eventual untimely death.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

By Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

2010

40 pages

From the publisher (courtesy of www.titlewave.com):

It was February 1, 1960. They didn't need menus. Their order was simple. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side. This picture book is a celebration of the 50thanniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement. Andrea Davis Pinkney uses poetic, powerful prose to tell the story of these four young men, who followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words of peaceful protest and dared to sit at the "whites only" Woolworth's lunch counter. Brian Pinkney embraces a new artistic style, creating expressive paintings filled with emotion that mirror the hope, strength, and determination that fueled the dreams of not only these four young men, but also countless others.

I Have a Dream

By Martin Luther King, Jr.

Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

2012

32 pages

What better way to introduce students to Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech than by having them listen to the enclosed CD recording while looking at Kadir Nelson's stunning art work? A great alternative "read-aloud" - MLK and Kadir Nelson do all of the work for you! (Expect a meaningful conversation to follow).

2013 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrators honors

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

By Mordicai Gerstein
2003
40 pages

A beautifully illustrated story of Phillipe Petit, the man who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers, this is an excellent (and suspenseful) read-aloud, and a perfect introduction to a discussion on the September 11th terrorist attacks.

2004 Caldecott Medal winner

Nelson Mandela

By Kadir Nelson
2013
40 pages

Gorgeous, life-like illustrations (just look at that cover!) support the text in this mesmerizing biography of Nelson Mandela.

Publisher's description (courtesy of www.titlewave.com):

One day when Nelson Mandela was nine years old, his father died and he was sent from his village to a school far away from home, to another part of South Africa. In Johannesburg, the country's capital, Mandela saw fellow Africans who were poor and powerless. He decided then that he would work to protect them. When the government began to keep people apart based on the color of their skin, Mandela spoke out against the law and vowed to fight hard in order to make his country a place that belonged to all South Africans.

Kadir Nelson tells the story of Mandela, a global icon, in poignant verse and glorious illustrations. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country by believing in equality for people of all colors. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.

How To Speak Dog

How To Speak Dog  By Sarah Whitehead    Published in 2008   96 Pages

There are several books available on this topic. This one is simply the best I have seen!

The information on dog body language is the very detailed and nuanced, yet it is
extraordinarily accessible as well. Likewise, the book integrates this information in
its sections on dog care and training.

Though I have enjoyed the company of  many dogs before reading this book, I was able to
find much that I didn't know. This information was immediately applicable and it enhanced
my understanding of my dog. All this in a book written for kids!

Highest recommendation for all dog lovers in our schools.

Don't Forget to Write

Don't Forget to Write            826             Published in 2011           288 pages


Simply Superlative! This is a collection of 50 wildly inventive creative writing lessons for elementary school children. The lessons were created by educators, authors, and 826 staff, and all of them were field tested in 826 workshops.  There is a wide variety of genres and styles treated in this volume.

The appendix features a cross indexed list that details the specific common core standards that are addressed in each lesson. This cross referencing covers K-7th grade. Additionally, there are a couple of self assessment rubrics in the appendix.

Never Smile at a Monkey

By
Steve Jenkins












This is a fun nonfiction read-aloud that presents information on what not to do around 18 different dangerous animals and what they might do if they feel threatened or trapped. The book also includes an index in the back with more information about each animal discussed in the book. A very engaging book that kids always love.

How Groundhog's Garden Grew

By Lynne Cherry
2003

A great picture book about groundhog growing a garden and the help he gets from his animal friends. This books provides engaging and accurate information on how a garden grows from seed to harvesting and eating. A great read-aloud for grades k-5.

Actual Size

By Steve Jenkins
2004

If you've never seen one of Steve Jenkins books, definitely check them out. They are all wonderful.
I particularly love this one, and I have read it to students from preschool up to 8th grade--seriously, it engages everyone!
Each page introduces an animal or two, or perhaps just part of an animal (giant squid eyeball, for example) in actual size. There is very little text, just a sentence or so plus the height, weight, length, etc.of the featured animal.
At the back of the book , you can see full-body pictures of each animal and read a little more about each one.
This is a perfect read-aloud for any age group!

The Drop in My Drink

By Meredith Hooper
Illustrated by Chris Coady
1998

This is an older book as far as science resources go, but it is a gem! It tells the story of the water cycle as a riveting narrative--comets, dinosaurs, giant pythons, caves--the whole nine yards. The story begins and ends with a boy holding a glass of water and considering where each drop has been. Really lovely for an upper-grade read-aloud.

Sun Up, Sun Down

The Story of Day and Night
By Jacqui Bailey and Matthew Lilly
2004
31 pages

This book has a comic-book style that appeals to many children. It is full of information about the sun from dawn to dusk, including how light rays travel, how shadows are formed, and how the moon lights up the night sky. There are some fun projects suggested at the end.

A Seed is Sleepy

by Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrated by Sylvia Long
2007

This book is gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written; it is full of all kinds of seed and plant facts, but in a poetic style.

Wish You Were Here

 by Kathleen Krull, 1997


(Title Peek Summary Annotation) 

During the wildest summer of her life so far, Emily and her grandmother visit each and every one of the 50 states. They fly to see the highest place in North America--4 miles up Mount McKinley in Alaska--and drive through the desert to the lowest (and hottest), in Death Valley. Emily describes the breathtaking sights, scrumptious food, funny stories, and fascinating history that make each state unique. She describes many customs brought here from other countries and the contributions of American Indians. In Emily's entries and in tables at the back of the book, there are plenty of incredible facts, important dates in history, and stories of famous people. Packed with information and amusement, this is a delightful introduction to the U.S.A.

Pumpkin Circle

By George Levenson, 1999

This book follows the life cycle of a pumpkin from seed to sprout to plant to flower to fruit and back to seed. A few simple lines of rhyming or near-rhyming verse comment on each stage of development; striking color photographs illustrate the text. The many close-ups show every detail of the plants, while wider shots take in the whole garden or even a mountain of pumpkins. Crisp and beautifully composed, the photos are awash in gleaming shades of green as well as glowing gold and orange tones. The last page provides instructions for growing pumpkins. A visually striking book that teachers may want to read aloud. --Carolyn Phelan

Redwoods

By Jason Chin, 2009

Summary Annotation –
An ordinary train ride becomes and extraordinary trip to the great ancient forests A subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels - all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy. Crammed with interesting and accurate information about these great natural wonders, Jason Chin's first book is innovative nonfiction set within a strong and beautiful picture storybook.