Category: Reading Activities

Educational Activities: Away with Words by Lori Mortensen

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Author: Lori Mortensen
Illustrator: Kristy Caldwell
Peachtree Publishing Company
1 March 2019
36 pages

From the publisher: “Isabella Bird was like a wild vine stuck in a too-​small pot. She needed more room. She had to get out. She had to explore.

That was easier said than done in Victorian England. But somehow Isabella persisted, and with each journey, she breathed in new ways to see and describe everything around her.”

This picture book biography about the first female member of the Royal Geographic Society takes readers around the world with a daring nineteenth-​century female explorer and author.

Need some reviews of Away with Words?

Kirkus

GoodReads

Youth Services Book Review

 

Want more? Here’s the official book trailer.

 

And here’s an interview with author Lori Mortensen at Storysnug.

Educational Activities inspired by Lori Mortensen’s Away with Words: The Daring Story of Isabella Bird:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “What does it mean to be daring? What type of people are daring?”
    • “Look at the lady riding a horse on the front cover. Why do you think she’s got a book in her hands?”
    • “The back cover has these words ‘Henceforth, I must live my own life.’ What do you think Isabella meant when she said that?”
  • After Reading–Isabella felt healthier and happier when she traveled. What type of activities make you feel healthier and happier?
  • After Reading–Which of Isabella’s adventures sound most exciting? Having dinner with two apes in Malaysia? Climbing for three days to reach a monastery built high atop snowcapped peaks? Riding a steamboat down the Mississippi River? Something else?
  • Writing–The next time you explore a new place, do as Isabella did–write down your thoughts and observations on a piece of paper. Use vivid language that paints a picture in the reader’s mind, like how she wrote “strutting wild turkeys,” “narrow rims of metal,” and “the yellow sun sank cloudless behind the waves of rolling prairie.” Consider sharing your work with friends or adults.
  • Travel Craft–With an adult’s help, print up photos of your last adventure/​vacation and make a scrapbook out of loose sheets of paper. Glue down your favorite pictures, then decorate the pages with crayons, markers, and glitter, as you see fit. Use a three-​hole punch to make holes down the left side of the pages after they’ve dried, then tie them together with pieces of yarn, string, or ribbon.
  • Further Reading–Check out the following five picture books about traveling and exploring. To learn more about any of these, click on the book covers!

Educational Activities: This Little Scientist: A Discovery Primer

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This Little Scientist: A Discovery Primer
Author: Joan Holub
Illustrator: Daniel Roode
Little Simon
25 September 2018
26 pages

My kids LOVE Holub’s Goddess Girls series, so when this board board arrived at OPB, I read it right away. It’s the type of book I might’ve enjoyed as a kid since I loved learning about other people (esp. underappreciated ones, which scientists so often are). In rhyming verse, it showcases ten memorable scientists through age-​appropriate facts and some striking illustrations.

Need some reviews of This Little Scientist?

Kirkus

GoodReads

Educational Activities inspired by Joan Holub’s This Little Scientist:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “What do you think of when you think of science?”
    • “Look at the two people on the front cover. What type of science do you think they each do?”
    • “The subtitle has the word ‘discovery’ in it. What role does discovery play in science?”
  • After Reading–Which of the ten scientists in this book impressed you most? Why? What type of science does that impressive person do?
  • After Reading–The list of 17 bonus scientists at the back of the book has a place for an 18th scientist–you! What type of scientist do you think you’d like to be? What thing(s) or ideas(s) are you interested in studying?
  • Science Experiments–With an adult’s help, try out some of the following experiments: 
  • Science Craft–With an adult’s help, try out some of the following science-​themed crafts: 
  • Further Reading–Check out the following five picture book titles that explore the world of science. To learn more about any of these, click on the book covers!

Educational Activities: Porcupine’s Pie by Laura Renauld

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Porcupine’s Pie
Author: Laura Renauld
Illustrator: Jennie Poh
Beaming Books
9 October 2018
32 pages

Three things to note about Porcupine’s Pie:

  1. This book won the 2017 Beaming Books picture book writing contest.
  2. Laura Renauld has been participating in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo/​Storystorm event since 2011. (Read the OPB interview with Tara Lazar here!)
  3. Porcupines are awesome.

Want to know a bit about the story itself? Porcupine can’t wait to share Fall Feast with her woodland friends, so when everyone she greets is unable to bake their specialty due to a missing ingredient, Porcupine generously offers staples from her pantry. When Porcupine discovers that she, too, is missing a key ingredient, the friends all work together to create a new Fall Feast tradition.

Need some reviews of Porcupine’s Pie?

The Classy Chics

Connected2Christ

Bridget and the Books

Foreword Reviews

Heck of a Bunch

And enjoy an interview with author Laura Renauld on this book at the Beaming Books blog.

Educational Activities inspired by Laura Renauld’s Porcupine’s Pie:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “What do you already know about porcupines?”
    • “What characters do you think will appear in this story?”
    • “What type of pie do you think Porcupine is making?”
  • After Reading–Each of Porcupine’s animal friends has made special Fall Feast food in the past. Which of those sounds most delicious to you–Squirrel’s Famous Nut Bread, Bear’s Famous Honey Cake, or Doe’s Famous Apple Tart?
  • After Reading–If Porcupine met one more animal on her journey (besides Squirrel, Bear, and Doe), what animal would that be? What would that animal’s special Fall Feast dish be?
  • Science–While a porcupine and a hedgehog seem like the same animal, they’re actually quite different. Find out more about some of those differences here: 
  • Cooking–With an adult’s help, make your own Friendship Pie! (The recipe is at the back of the book.) Or try these other yummy-​sounding pie recipes: 
  • Craft–With an adult’s help, try out some of the following porcupine crafts: 
  • Further Reading–Despite having a prickly body, porcupine are actually little bundles of love. Read some of the following picture books about porcupines and answer the following: (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!) 
    • Which of these porcupines has the prickliest personality?
    • Which of these porcupines likely has the best stuffed animal friend?
    • Which porcupine would you invite to your birthday party?

Educational Activities: Duck on a Disco Ball by Jeff Mack

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Duck on a Disco Ball (A Duck in the Fridge Book)
Author: Jeff Mack
Illustrator: Jeff Mack
Two Lions
1 November 2018
40 pages

 

The latest picture book in the Duck in the Fridge series has silliness that builds with each page of this high-​energy, pun-​filled story.

Need some reviews of Duck on a Disco Ball?

Youth Services Book Review

Five Dollar Shake

Kirkus

Beagles and Books

 

And why not enjoy the book trailer, too?

Educational Activities inspired by Jeff Mack’s Duck on a Disco Ball:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “What do you like most about ducks?”
    • “Why role do you imagine that a disco ball plays in the story?”
    • “What do you notice about the back cover?”
  • After Reading–Did the giant party really happen or was it just as dream? What do YOU think?
  • After Reading–This book is full of puns (like calling Mom + Dad + Duck “party animals”) and jokes (like “What do you get when you cross an elephant with a fish? Swimming trunks!”). What are some of your favorite jokes? Need some more? 
  • Drawing–What do you think your parents do after you go to bed? Read books? Watch TV? Have a party with a bunch of animals? Using crayons or colored pencils, draw your answer on a sheet of paper.
  • Craft–With an adult’s help, try out some of the following duck crafts. 
  • Further Reading–Ducks are pretty awesome. But let’s face it–ducks don’t get as many starring roles in picture books as they might deserve. In the following titles, though, they do. So read some of the following and enjoy the quacktastic fun. Which of these ducks is your favorite? Which duck seems most likely to throw the best party?
    (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)

Educational Activities: What Can You Do with a Toolbox? by Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri

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What Can You Do with a Toolbox?
Author: Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri
Illustrator: Maple Lam
Paula Wiseman Books
28 August 2018
32 pages

 

 

From HGTV stars, cousins, and best friends John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino comes this new picture book that introduces young readers to the tools in every toolbox, and shows how to use them, too.

Need some reviews of What Can You Do with a Toolbox?

Kirkus

Publisher’s Weekly

 

And here’s a brief interview with the authors about the book.

Parade

Educational Activities inspired by John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino’s What Can You Do with a Toolbox?:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “Which people in your life have their own toolbox? What do they use it for?”
    • “What do YOU expect to find in a toolbox? What do you NOT expect to find in a toolbox?”
    • “What do you notice about the front cover of this book? About the back cover?”
  • After Reading–Which of the tools mentioned in this book looks like the most fun to use? Why/​why not?
  • Crafts–(As the book says, always enlist the help of an adult when using tools!) Consider using tools to make your own cool project. Some ideas: 
  • Drawing–In this story, one of the things that they use tools to build is a playground. If you were in charge of the playground design, what would it look like? What type of playground equipment and toys would it have? What wouldn’t it have? Use colored pencils or crayons and paper to draw that perfect playground.
  • Invention–The tools mentioned in this book–hammer, screwdriver, and wrench–are quite commonly found in a toolbox. Create your own new tool. What’s it called? What does it do? What does it look like? Use colored pencils or crayons and paper to draw your new tool.
  • Further Reading–This book is all about tools as well as how to use them! Read one or more of the following picture books which are also about tools. Which book do you most enjoy? Which book makes tools look the most cool? In which book would you most like to be a character? Why?
    (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)

 

Educational Activities: Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex

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Are You Scared, Darth Vader?
Author: Adam Rex
Illustrator: Adam Rex
Disney Lucasfilm Press
3 July 2018
48 pages

 

 

The latest picture book from  New York Times bestselling author/​illustrator Adam Rex reveals how everyone’s favorite Star Wars “villain”–Darth Vader–is challenged by a narrator who keeps trying to scare him.

Need some reviews of Are You Scared, Darth Vader?

Kirkus

Laughing Place

Wacky Mommy

SparklyPrettyBriiiight

Shelf Awareness

Fatherly

Youth Services Book Review

Educational Activities inspired by Adam Rex’s Are You Scared, Darth Vader?:

  • Before Reading–Ask students:
    • “What do you already know about Darth Vader?”
    • “Do you believe Darth Vader when he says on the cover that ‘I fear nothing’”?
    • “What do you notice about the front cover of this book? About the back cover?”
  • After Reading–How surprised were you with what scares Darth Vader? Why/​why not?
  • After Reading–If Adam Rex were to write an Are You Scared? book about YOU, what might be the one thing at the end that you’re scared of?
  • Drawing–If Darth Vader wanted a new uniform and helmet that made him a little less scary-​looking, what would that look like? Using colored pencils or crayons and paper, draw him a new uniform and helmet.
  • Crafts–With a parent’s help, make your own Star Wars-​themed craft. 
  • Further Reading–Darth Vader has appeared in other picture books before. Consider reading one or more of the following. In which one do you like Darth Vader the most? Do any of the Darth Vaders in these other books seem scared? Does Darth Vader seem like a good parent? A good friend?
    (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)