Watermark Books & Cafe

Teacher Feature

November 4, 2003

In this issue:

Three up-coming events

A book for turkey day

One for teens

Non-fiction gems

Greetings,

For those of you who just experienced Halloween and parent-teacher

conferences in the same week, you have my sympathy...no, empathy. I've been

there. Shouldn't ever happen.

__

If you're in need of some non-school-related entertainment, come to

Watermark this Thursday, November 6, from 5-8 p.m. to meet Bud Norman who

will be signing his new book "The Things That Are Caesar's," a political

satire set in Kansas during a fictional gubernatorial race. Bud is a

reporter for "The Wichita Eagle" so he has had many years of experience from

which to draw material. This is Bud's first book. Come help us celebrate

it.

__

This Saturday we are hosting an in-store book fair to benefit the Southeast

High School Instrumental Music Booster Club. If you are affiliated with

Southeast or would just like to support this organization, come shopping on

Saturday. When shoppers mention Southeast, 20% of all regularly-priced

bookstore and cafe sales will be donated to the booster club. Does your

school need a fund raiser? We can organize an in-store book fair for you

too. Just call or e-mail me for details.

__

Also on Saturday, November 8, there is a book signing by Alafair Burke,

author of "Judgment Calls." This is Alafair's first book and we are

especially excited about it because, you see, Alafair used to wrap gifts at

Watermark. Come meet Alafair between 12:00 and 2:00.

__

So we did Halloween, now turkey day is looming. My daughter always has a

fit because Thanksgiving at my house is NOT out of a Norman Rockwell

painting...unless Norman's subjects eat out. "The Perfect Thanksgiving" by

Eileen Spinelli takes a look at what makes Thanksgiving memorable. Abigail

Archer's family is perfect and knows how to do Thanksgiving right. (Martha

Stewart would be proud.) Thanksgiving at the narrator's house, however, is

a little less polished and a little more chaotic. The smoke alarm goes off,

mom drops the Jello on the floor, and Dad spills gravy on his tie. But both

families have the perfect Thanksgiving, because they are together. JoAnn

Adinolfi's illustrations add punch to this spirited, funny look at turkey

day. (I'm thinking maybe my daughter consulted on this story.) (ages 4-7)

__

The other day I overheard a customer recommend a book she had just read.

She loved it and said, "...and there's not one cuss word in the entire

book." My ears perked up. Here's a book I could safely recommend to high

school librarians without having to rate it. The book is "Peace Like River"

by Leif Enger written in 2001 and now out in paperback. One critic says

"Peace like a River" serves as a reminder of why we read fiction to begin

with." I sold it to a high school boy the other day who was reading it for

school, so I know it must be on some reading lists. You might want to add

it to yours. It's the story of 11-year-old Reuben Land who, along with his

father and sister, make a cross-country search for his older brother who has

been charged with murder. It's a story of how family, love and faith can

withstand even the most catastrophic events. (adult)

__

Yesterday I talked to a group of 4th graders from College Hill Elementary

school who came to Watermark to see and talk about non-fiction books. In

preparing for their arrival, I browsed the history and science sections and

found some gems to share with you.

__

Kay Winters has written "Voices of Ancient Egypt" which is a history told in

free verse from the perspective of workers who might have lived in that time

period, i.e. the scribe, the pyramid builder, the birdnetter, the weaver.

This book is rich in language and beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser.

Informative historical notes on 13 types of laborers are included. (ages

6-9)

Kay Winters visited our store two weeks ago when she was in Wichita as a

keynote speaker at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English. She was

delightful. I hope some of you were able to hear her speak. You can learn

more about Kay and her books at

http://www.kaywinters.com/

__

"BrainJuice: Science, Fresh Squeezed! by Carol Diggory Shields and

illustrated by Richard Thompson is a collection of 41 hilarious poems

designed to reduce the science stress afflicting some students. Not only

are the poems informative and entertaining, but many serve as memory joggers

to anyone who has trouble remembering facts such as the geologic time

periods, the classification of living things, or the stages of matter. If

anyone had presented science to me in this manner when I was in school, I

might actually know how the light comes on when I flip the switch, rather

than just having the blind faith that it will. (ages 8 and up)

__

I'm sure you all have some students who seem to be disaster junkies. The

kind who like to read or hear about "cool" awful things that have happened

in the world. I found two disaster books that might be of interest.

"Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters that Changed History" by Bryn Barnard

explores disasters that have played significant roles in shaping our lives.

Disasters include a tsunami that may have shaped western civilization; a

snowstorm that led to New York City's subway system; and an earthquake that

decided the fate of Japan's future. This book reminds us of the power and

force of planet Earth. We humans are not in charge. (ages 8-12)

"America's Great Disasters" by Martin W. Sandler focuses on not only

nature's destruction in our country over the last two hundred years but also

on Americans' responses to those disasters. Sandler's use of photographs,

engravings, and newspaper clippings add interest. Disasters covered include

the Johnstown flood, the Galveston hurricane, and the flu epidemic of

1918-19. (ages 8-12)

__

A timely book for this Thanksgiving season is "Mayflower 1620: A New Look at

a Pilgrim Voyage", published by National Geographic in cooperation with

Plimoth Plantation, a living-history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts,

which, in addition to two museums, exhibits Mayflower II, a reproduction of

the original Mayflower. In 2001, the museum sailed the Mayflower II from

Plymouth to Boston Harbor, accompanied by a National Geographic photography

team. These photos are used in this new account of the sailing of the

original Mayflower--who was actually aboard, what brought them to their new

home, what they found when they arrived. Carefully researched and richly

presented, this is a fascinating look at a story that we think we know...but

do we?

(ages 8-12) To learn more about the Mayflower II, visit

http://www.plimoth.org/visit/what/mayflower2.asp

__

Another book about Orville and Wilbur. Sorry. But this one looks good and

has a new twist. "Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore"

by Dan Gutman is the story of the Wright Brothers told through diaries of a

boy in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, who forged a friendship with the

Wrights and recorded events in his journal. This is also the story of

learning to be a writer. Johnny Moore wrote in his journal at the

insistence of his mother, and he struggles with creativity, bad grammar and

poor spelling. But he improves as he begins to record the exciting events

he is witnessing in the company of the "dingbatters" from Ohio. (ages

10-14)

__

I just love the non-fiction section of our store. I can't tell you the

number of times I exclaim "I didn't know that!"

__

I'm thinking of actually fixing Thanksgiving dinner this year and it's been

awhile. So I think I'll go hit the cookbook section. Have a good week.

Carolyn

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

	November 4, 2003 In this issue: Three up-coming events A book for turkey day One for teens Non-fiction gems Greetings, For those of you who just experienced Halloween and parent-teacher conferences in the same week, you have my sympathy...no, empathy. I've been there. Shouldn't ever happen. __ If you're in need of some non-school-related entertainment, come to Watermark this Thursday, November 6, from 5-8 p.m. to meet Bud Norman who will be signing his new book "The Things That Are Caesar's," a political satire set in Kansas during a fictional gubernatorial race. Bud is a reporter for "The Wichita Eagle" so he has had many years of experience from which to draw material. This is Bud's first book. Come help us celebrate it. __ This Saturday we are hosting an in-store book fair to benefit the Southeast High School Instrumental Music Booster Club. If you are affiliated with Southeast or would just like to support this organization, come shopping on Saturday. When shoppers mention Southeast, 20% of all regularly-priced bookstore and cafe sales will be donated to the booster club. Does your school need a fund raiser? We can organize an in-store book fair for you too. Just call or e-mail me for details. __ Also on Saturday, November 8, there is a book signing by Alafair Burke, author of "Judgment Calls." This is Alafair's first book and we are especially excited about it because, you see, Alafair used to wrap gifts at Watermark. Come meet Alafair between 12:00 and 2:00. __ So we did Halloween, now turkey day is looming. My daughter always has a fit because Thanksgiving at my house is NOT out of a Norman Rockwell painting...unless Norman's subjects eat out. "The Perfect Thanksgiving" by Eileen Spinelli takes a look at what makes Thanksgiving memorable. Abigail Archer's family is perfect and knows how to do Thanksgiving right. (Martha Stewart would be proud.) Thanksgiving at the narrator's house, however, is a little less polished and a little more chaotic. The smoke alarm goes off, mom drops the Jello on the floor, and Dad spills gravy on his tie. But both families have the perfect Thanksgiving, because they are together. JoAnn Adinolfi's illustrations add punch to this spirited, funny look at turkey day. (I'm thinking maybe my daughter consulted on this story.) (ages 4-7) __ The other day I overheard a customer recommend a book she had just read. She loved it and said, "...and there's not one cuss word in the entire book." My ears perked up. Here's a book I could safely recommend to high school librarians without having to rate it. The book is "Peace Like River" by Leif Enger written in 2001 and now out in paperback. One critic says "Peace like a River" serves as a reminder of why we read fiction to begin with." I sold it to a high school boy the other day who was reading it for school, so I know it must be on some reading lists. You might want to add it to yours. It's the story of 11-year-old Reuben Land who, along with his father and sister, make a cross-country search for his older brother who has been charged with murder. It's a story of how family, love and faith can withstand even the most catastrophic events. (adult) __ Yesterday I talked to a group of 4th graders from College Hill Elementary school who came to Watermark to see and talk about non-fiction books. In preparing for their arrival, I browsed the history and science sections and found some gems to share with you. __ Kay Winters has written "Voices of Ancient Egypt" which is a history told in free verse from the perspective of workers who might have lived in that time period, i.e. the scribe, the pyramid builder, the birdnetter, the weaver. This book is rich in language and beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser. Informative historical notes on 13 types of laborers are included. (ages 6-9) Kay Winters visited our store two weeks ago when she was in Wichita as a keynote speaker at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English. She was delightful. I hope some of you were able to hear her speak. You can learn more about Kay and her books at http://www.kaywinters.com/ __ "BrainJuice: Science, Fresh Squeezed! by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Richard Thompson is a collection of 41 hilarious poems designed to reduce the science stress afflicting some students. Not only are the poems informative and entertaining, but many serve as memory joggers to anyone who has trouble remembering facts such as the geologic time periods, the classification of living things, or the stages of matter. If anyone had presented science to me in this manner when I was in school, I might actually know how the light comes on when I flip the switch, rather than just having the blind faith that it will. (ages 8 and up) __ I'm sure you all have some students who seem to be disaster junkies. The kind who like to read or hear about "cool" awful things that have happened in the world. I found two disaster books that might be of interest. "Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters that Changed History" by Bryn Barnard explores disasters that have played significant roles in shaping our lives. Disasters include a tsunami that may have shaped western civilization; a snowstorm that led to New York City's subway system; and an earthquake that decided the fate of Japan's future. This book reminds us of the power and force of planet Earth. We humans are not in charge. (ages 8-12) "America's Great Disasters" by Martin W. Sandler focuses on not only nature's destruction in our country over the last two hundred years but also on Americans' responses to those disasters. Sandler's use of photographs, engravings, and newspaper clippings add interest. Disasters covered include the Johnstown flood, the Galveston hurricane, and the flu epidemic of 1918-19. (ages 8-12) __ A timely book for this Thanksgiving season is "Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage", published by National Geographic in cooperation with Plimoth Plantation, a living-history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which, in addition to two museums, exhibits Mayflower II, a reproduction of the original Mayflower. In 2001, the museum sailed the Mayflower II from Plymouth to Boston Harbor, accompanied by a National Geographic photography team. These photos are used in this new account of the sailing of the original Mayflower--who was actually aboard, what brought them to their new home, what they found when they arrived. Carefully researched and richly presented, this is a fascinating look at a story that we think we know...but do we? (ages 8-12) To learn more about the Mayflower II, visit http://www.plimoth.org/visit/what/mayflower2.asp __ Another book about Orville and Wilbur. Sorry. But this one looks good and has a new twist. "Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore" by Dan Gutman is the story of the Wright Brothers told through diaries of a boy in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, who forged a friendship with the Wrights and recorded events in his journal. This is also the story of learning to be a writer. Johnny Moore wrote in his journal at the insistence of his mother, and he struggles with creativity, bad grammar and poor spelling. But he improves as he begins to record the exciting events he is witnessing in the company of the "dingbatters" from Ohio. (ages 10-14) __ I just love the non-fiction section of our store. I can't tell you the number of times I exclaim "I didn't know that!" __ I'm thinking of actually fixing Thanksgiving dinner this year and it's been awhile. So I think I'll go hit the cookbook section. Have a good week. Carolyn
	Teacher Feature Archives Peruse back issues of teacher feature since its inception in April 2003.