Watermark Books & Cafe

Teacher Feature

September 9, 2003

In this issue:

Lane Smith is coming.High school for over-achievers.

Four new picture books.

Two-Can so you can.

Lewis and Clark for older readers.

The movie was good--this is better.

Greetings,

We're buzzing around here in anticipation of our upcoming Lane Smith event.

On Tuesday, September 23, at the WSU Hughes Metroplex auditorium, Lane will

give a presentation and book signing from 10:00-11:30 a.m. His presentation

will be geared to second and third-graders, but anyone who loves Lane's

books is invited to attend. This is a free event open to the public. Event

tickets and books are available now at Watermark. A purchase is not

required to obtain tickets; however, in purchasing books from Watermark, you

are supporting our continued efforts in the community. No restrictions are

placed on the number of books purchased from Watermark that Lane will sign;

however, if numbers are extremely large, he may have to place some limits as

11:30 draws near. He will be happy to sign one (but only one) book brought

from home, school, or library. Lane will sign pre-sold books before the

event; in the interest of time, we would be glad to have him sign your books

and then we can deliver them to your school. Please call or e-mail me if you

would like tickets or if you would like to pre-order a copy of Lane's new

book The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country! or any of his other

popular titles.

I think the Lane Smith event would be valuable for anyone who is interested

in illustration. I would discuss his illustration style with you if I could

talk the talk. I don't think "weird" is sufficient, so I'll send you to

these websites and you can see for yourselves:

http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-warp-author.asp#lane

http://www.kidsreads.com/features/2002-smith.asp

http://www.baloneyhenryp.com/

http://www.bookpage.com/0209bp/meet_lane_smith.html

This is a big deal, and we want you all to share it with us.

__

On to books. Beth recently read School of Dreams and has recommended it

to anyone who wants to see what is possible to achieve in an American public

high school. I am just starting to read it, so I'll let you know what I

think. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes has written this

account of his year spent at Whitney High, a top-ranked high school in

Cerritos, California, where the doors remain open seven days a week to

accommodate students who struggle with the tremendous pressures to achieve.

Here is what hooked me to read this book: These kids, by consensus, don't

date--it gets in their way. I have to read about these kids. (high school

and adults)

__

Four new picture books at the helm:

Karma Wilson is becoming one of my favorite new authors for very young

children. She scored with Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More and now

she has a new counting book, A Frog in the Bog. Told in rhyming text with

playful watercolor illustrations by Joan Rankin, this story will delight

little ones and will have them chiming in as you count ticks and fleas and

flies and slugs and snails. (ages 3-7)

__

Audrey Wood and son Bruce Wood have collaborated on a new alphabet book

entitled Alphabet Mystery, a follow-up to their Alphabet Adventure.

Little x has disappeared and all the other little letters must find him in

this delightful tale that combines lower case identification, phonics games

and a clever story. Bruce Wood’s art is definite eye candy. (ages 3-6)

__

Henry Climbs a Mountain is D.B. Johnson’s third picture book based on the

experiences of Henry David Thoreau. In this story, Henry has to spend the

night in jail because he won’t pay taxes to a state that lets farmer own

slaves. However, being locked up doesn’t keep Henry from roaming free.

With a handful of crayons from his pocket, Henry embarks on an incredible

journey. Like the other two Henry books, the very simple text imparts a

powerful message. For a peek at the book check out:

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=588708

(ages 4-8)

__

The only children's book ever written and illustrated by internationally-acclaimed American artist Romare Bearden, Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy, was

just recently discovered and released with an introduction by Dr. Henry

Louis Gates Jr. who, as a young professor, often spent afternoons with

Bearden. On one such afternoon, Bearden shared some of the panels he had

created for the book that he never published. Li'l Dan is the story of a

young slave, a drummer, who follows a company of Union soldiers when the

slaves are freed and he has nowhere else to go. Li'l Dan becomes a hero

when the company is attacked by Confederate soldiers and he is the only one

who can save his friends. A reading by Maya Angelou on CD accompanies this

warm story of heroism and friendship. (all ages)

__

I've discovered Two-Can Publishing, a new (to me) publisher that has several

affordable series with excellent ideas for the classroom. The Come and

Discover MY WORLD series is for primary grades and covers Ancient Egypt,

Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, the Vikings, the Middle Ages, and the Plains

Indians. Each book covers all basics aspects of each of these societies and

includes recipes and directions for many projects.

The Make it Work! series is geared to intermediate grades but you could

adapt the ideas to younger and older students. These books give a hands-on

approach to history, covering Stone Age People, Ancient Egypt, the Roman

Empire, Arctic Peoples and Native Americans. The projects in these books

look like great fun. Can I come help?

Finally, Two-Can's Interfact series is an interactive approach to science

or history with each book including a multimedia disk with up to 15 hours of

activities, games, and on-screen adventures. Subjects in this series

include the Solar System, Volcanoes, Rain Forests, Aztecs, Egyptians,

Ancient Greece, and Vikings. (ages 7-12)

__

Just when you thought there couldn't be another book about Lewis and Clark,

there comes a new one for older readers from Stephen E. Ambrose, This Vast

Land. This is a fictional diary of 19-year-old George Shannon, who

actually was the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corp of Discovery.

This is a spirited account with vivid characters and page-turning accounts

of the trials and triumphs of this amazing expedition. (ages 13 up)

__

Have you seen the movie The Whale Rider, which won the Audience Award at

the 2003 Sundance Festival? The first American publication of the book that

inspired the movie is here; and we all know the book is better. The Whale

Rider by Witi Ihimaera is the stirring story of 8-year-old Kahu, a Maori

girl whose tribe claims descent from the legendary "whale rider." Kahu is

in line to inherit the title of chief of her tribe, a role traditionally

given to a male heir. Even though there is no male heir, Kahu's

great-grandfather refuses to consider her for the title. After all, she's

just girl. What great-grandfather doesn't know is that Kahu has inherited

the ability to communicate with whales. When she reveals her secret gift,

will great-grandfather give her the respect she deserves, allowing her to

lead her tribe into a new future? (ages 12 up)

__

I just came from the receiving "dock" and saw so many new books I want to

share. Can't though. I'll have to wait until next time. And then there will be more and more...

Carolyn

Teacher Feature Archives
Peruse back issues of teacher feature since its inception in April 2003.

	September 9, 2003 In this issue: Lane Smith is coming.High school for over-achievers. Four new picture books. Two-Can so you can. Lewis and Clark for older readers. The movie was good--this is better. Greetings, We're buzzing around here in anticipation of our upcoming Lane Smith event. On Tuesday, September 23, at the WSU Hughes Metroplex auditorium, Lane will give a presentation and book signing from 10:00-11:30 a.m. His presentation will be geared to second and third-graders, but anyone who loves Lane's books is invited to attend. This is a free event open to the public. Event tickets and books are available now at Watermark. A purchase is not required to obtain tickets; however, in purchasing books from Watermark, you are supporting our continued efforts in the community. No restrictions are placed on the number of books purchased from Watermark that Lane will sign; however, if numbers are extremely large, he may have to place some limits as 11:30 draws near. He will be happy to sign one (but only one) book brought from home, school, or library. Lane will sign pre-sold books before the event; in the interest of time, we would be glad to have him sign your books and then we can deliver them to your school. Please call or e-mail me if you would like tickets or if you would like to pre-order a copy of Lane's new book The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country! or any of his other popular titles. I think the Lane Smith event would be valuable for anyone who is interested in illustration. I would discuss his illustration style with you if I could talk the talk. I don't think "weird" is sufficient, so I'll send you to these websites and you can see for yourselves: http://www.kidsreads.com/series/series-warp-author.asp#lane http://www.kidsreads.com/features/2002-smith.asp http://www.baloneyhenryp.com/ http://www.bookpage.com/0209bp/meet_lane_smith.html This is a big deal, and we want you all to share it with us. __ On to books. Beth recently read School of Dreams and has recommended it to anyone who wants to see what is possible to achieve in an American public high school. I am just starting to read it, so I'll let you know what I think. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes has written this account of his year spent at Whitney High, a top-ranked high school in Cerritos, California, where the doors remain open seven days a week to accommodate students who struggle with the tremendous pressures to achieve. Here is what hooked me to read this book: These kids, by consensus, don't date--it gets in their way. I have to read about these kids. (high school and adults) __ Four new picture books at the helm: Karma Wilson is becoming one of my favorite new authors for very young children. She scored with Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More and now she has a new counting book, A Frog in the Bog. Told in rhyming text with playful watercolor illustrations by Joan Rankin, this story will delight little ones and will have them chiming in as you count ticks and fleas and flies and slugs and snails. (ages 3-7) __ Audrey Wood and son Bruce Wood have collaborated on a new alphabet book entitled Alphabet Mystery, a follow-up to their Alphabet Adventure. Little x has disappeared and all the other little letters must find him in this delightful tale that combines lower case identification, phonics games and a clever story. Bruce Wood’s art is definite eye candy. (ages 3-6) __ Henry Climbs a Mountain is D.B. Johnson’s third picture book based on the experiences of Henry David Thoreau. In this story, Henry has to spend the night in jail because he won’t pay taxes to a state that lets farmer own slaves. However, being locked up doesn’t keep Henry from roaming free. With a handful of crayons from his pocket, Henry embarks on an incredible journey. Like the other two Henry books, the very simple text imparts a powerful message. For a peek at the book check out: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=588708 (ages 4-8) __ The only children's book ever written and illustrated by internationally-acclaimed American artist Romare Bearden, Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy, was just recently discovered and released with an introduction by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. who, as a young professor, often spent afternoons with Bearden. On one such afternoon, Bearden shared some of the panels he had created for the book that he never published. Li'l Dan is the story of a young slave, a drummer, who follows a company of Union soldiers when the slaves are freed and he has nowhere else to go. Li'l Dan becomes a hero when the company is attacked by Confederate soldiers and he is the only one who can save his friends. A reading by Maya Angelou on CD accompanies this warm story of heroism and friendship. (all ages) __ I've discovered Two-Can Publishing, a new (to me) publisher that has several affordable series with excellent ideas for the classroom. The Come and Discover MY WORLD series is for primary grades and covers Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, the Vikings, the Middle Ages, and the Plains Indians. Each book covers all basics aspects of each of these societies and includes recipes and directions for many projects. The Make it Work! series is geared to intermediate grades but you could adapt the ideas to younger and older students. These books give a hands-on approach to history, covering Stone Age People, Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, Arctic Peoples and Native Americans. The projects in these books look like great fun. Can I come help? Finally, Two-Can's Interfact series is an interactive approach to science or history with each book including a multimedia disk with up to 15 hours of activities, games, and on-screen adventures. Subjects in this series include the Solar System, Volcanoes, Rain Forests, Aztecs, Egyptians, Ancient Greece, and Vikings. (ages 7-12) __ Just when you thought there couldn't be another book about Lewis and Clark, there comes a new one for older readers from Stephen E. Ambrose, This Vast Land. This is a fictional diary of 19-year-old George Shannon, who actually was the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corp of Discovery. This is a spirited account with vivid characters and page-turning accounts of the trials and triumphs of this amazing expedition. (ages 13 up) __ Have you seen the movie The Whale Rider, which won the Audience Award at the 2003 Sundance Festival? The first American publication of the book that inspired the movie is here; and we all know the book is better. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera is the stirring story of 8-year-old Kahu, a Maori girl whose tribe claims descent from the legendary "whale rider." Kahu is in line to inherit the title of chief of her tribe, a role traditionally given to a male heir. Even though there is no male heir, Kahu's great-grandfather refuses to consider her for the title. After all, she's just girl. What great-grandfather doesn't know is that Kahu has inherited the ability to communicate with whales. When she reveals her secret gift, will great-grandfather give her the respect she deserves, allowing her to lead her tribe into a new future? (ages 12 up) __ I just came from the receiving "dock" and saw so many new books I want to share. Can't though. I'll have to wait until next time. And then there will be more and more... Carolyn
	Teacher Feature Archives Peruse back issues of teacher feature since its inception in April 2003.