Thursday, December 7, 2017

Something's Fishy

Guess my excitement when I saw Kevin McCloskey wrote Something's Fishy.  I noticed this book has a "stamp" on the front labeling it as a Giggle and Learn book which I just learned is a series.  I'm super excited to know more books are coming.  The introduction to this book begins with a fish for each letter of the alphabet.  What a fun way to introduce a variety of fish.  This story has a fun twist.  A little girl and a little boy are teaching their pets; a dog, a cat, and a bird about fish.  

I'm always looking to see if I learn something new when I select books for my classroom and this book didn't fail me.  Did you know goldfish are orange from the sun.  If they didn't have sun exposure they'd be black.  This book also grabbed my interest because the last third of the book focuses on goldfish.  a common fish most readers are a little familiar with.  


Again the format for this beginning graphic novel supports early readers with a frame on each page.  I'm not a fan of reading levels beyond helping me learn about a student and plan instruction but this book has some really helpful information for parents and teachers.  There's a page describing what a level 1 level 2 and level 3 book looks like.  Here is where I found a Level 1 is structured for a frame per page while a level 2 could have 1 - 4 panels per page.  I enjoyed learning bout the progression within Toon Books.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

We Dig Worms!

I kept rereading WE DIG WORMS! by Kevin McCloskey because it's a delightful blend of genres and format.  It's an informational piece about worms with a narrative twist when a young boy and girl enter the storyline with questions they find answers.  Then at one point, I'm convinced it is fantasy because a bird is talking to a worm.  The format appears to be a beginning graphic novel.  Instead of multiple frames on a page, each page could be a frame for a comic.  All this thinking just about the genre and format was quite fascinating to me.

I love that informational books have become more playful.  I burst out laughing on page two.  See if you do too, "There are many different worms.  Tree Worms.  Sea Worms.  River Worms.  (turn the page)  Gummy Worms."  Another favorite part of this book was the two page spread mapping the outside and inside of a worm.  Did you know worm eggs become cocoons?  Another feature of this book I found very enjoyable was the realistic simple questions one might ask about worms.  "Why do you come out after the rain?"

Interesting fact about this book found in the author blurb; the illustrations were painted on recycled grocery bags.