Kid Lit Blog Hop and Twitter Linkup

Welcome back to another great Kid Lit Blog Hop and chance to meetup with other Kid Lit bloggers, authors, and parents!

Join in for the 58th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. Please share a post and hop around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

This week, we are excited to be including a Twitter Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms.

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Spark and Pook

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

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Kid Lit Blog Hop & Linky Party Rules *Please Read*

1. LINKY PARTY: Add the link to your Twitter profile page in the Twitter Linky Party list below. Be sure to visit at least the two links directly before yours, say hello and retweet a post and follow folks as per your interests. If you do not have a Twitter profile, you are welcome to link up a different social media profile (Pinterest, Facebook, etc.).

2. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*

* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

TWITTER LINKY PARTY

(***Please do not link a blog post here - see below for the Kid Lit Blog Hop***)

KID LIT BLOG HOP

It's Monday! What are you Reading? 4/13/15

It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.

Last Week's Posts

• Stories of Chinese Inventions. This collection of books by two different authors feature fictional stories about the possible stories behind ancient Chinese inventions. 

Picture Books

A Fine Dessert: four centuries, four families, one delicious dessert (2015) by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. This charming new picture books takes a look at history through the lens of a single dessert, blackberry fool, as created and eaten across a 300-year span, from 1710 to 2010. While the text is deceptively simple, the illustrations and end notes by the author and illustrator make this book a starting point for discussing more complex topics like history, slavery, and gender roles.

Jacob's New Dress (2014) by Sarah and Ian Hoffman and illustrated by Chris Case. After being mocked by a classmate for dressing up like a princess during choice time at school, Jacob asks his mom to help him make his own dress. This book does a great job of gently introducing readers to the idea of gender nonconforming children (or "pink boys" in the authors' note).

Middle Fiction

Hat Full of Sky (2004) by Terry Pratchett. I finished rereading the second Tiffany Aching book this week. (The Wee Free Men, reviewed last week, is the first book in the Tiffany Aching sub-series of Discworld books.) Hat Full of Sky picks up the story two years later as Tiffany prepares to leave her home on the Chalk and apprentice herself to another witch. This story adds significantly to the mythology and understanding of witches and their role in this world, as well as continues the levity provided by the Wee Free Men. Another great read!

Thanks for the Discworld and Terry Pratchett-related recommendations. Please do keep them coming!

Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 10 books, 2 dedicated posts

Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 80 books, 23 dedicated posts (Stories of Chinese Inventions)

Happy Reading!

Stories of Chinese Inventions

The list of inventions that are credited to the ancient Chinese is long and note-worthy. Several great series of picture books dramatize these moments of invention and are great books for inspiring your young inventors and artists.

Books on Chinese Inventions by Ying Chang Compestine

Chinese-American author Ying Chang Compestine has written a series of books about Chinese inventions. Each book features the Kang family: Mama, Papa, and three boys, Ting, Pan, and Kùai. Kids will love seeing how the antics of the three boys fits with these inventions.

The Story of Chopsticks (2001) imagines the circumstances surrounding the invention of chopsticks. The three Kang brothers, Ting, Pan, and Kùai, are all hungry, growing boys. Kùai, the youngest, is frustrated by having to wait for food to cool down until it was safe to eat with your fingers. A few twigs later, he invents the first chopsticks! But when the boys bring their new invention to a wedding feast, they find themselves at odds with the elders.

The Story of Noodles (2002)  Though it seems unlikely that noodles were invented because, "'We wanted a food that is easier to clean up after food fights,'" kids will enjoy this story of how an accident with dumplings leads to the possible invention of noodles, which had originated in China by the first century. The Author's Note explains some of the history and customs of noodles and includes a recipe for Long-Life Noodles.

The Story of Kites (2003) In this story, the poor Kang brothers are tired of constantly having to scare the birds away from their rice crop. First, they decide to try making their own wings, with predictably disastrous consequences, but eventually their designs lead them to the first kites. Kite-flying has been documented in China more than twenty-four hundred years ago. The book ends with an Author's Note and directions on how to make and fly your own kites.

The Story of Paper (2003) The Kang boys are not doing well in school and are blaming the bugs and insects that distract them as they are practicing their writing in the dirt. After much experimentation, they hit upon paper. The Author's Note includes a detailed description of the oldest paper and its introduction to the Chinese emperor, as well as directions for making homemade "garden" paper.

Books on Chinese Inventions by Virginia Walton Pilegard

The Warlord's Puzzle (2000). An artist brings a beautiful blue tile before the Warlord, but it drops, breaking into seven pieces. When no one can put the tile back together, the Warlord agrees to hold a contest. This accident becomes the invention of the tangrams, so named for their connection to the Tang dynasty.

The Warlord's Beads (2001). The peasant and his young son now live in the warlord's palace, but the father has been tasked with counting the warlord's vast treasure. Worried that they keep losing count spurs his son, Chuan, to invent the first abacus. The Author's Note describes the first documented use of the abacus in 14th century China and includes directions for making your own abacus.

The Warlord's Fish (2002). The artist and his young apprentice, Chuan, are kidnapped by a group of traders and taken out across the wilds and into the vast desert (along the Silk Route and through the Takla Makan, though the names are not used). When a sandstorm blocks the sun and clouds block the stars, Chuan convinces the artist to use his south-pointing fish to help them find their way to the oasis. The Author's Note explains that the Chinese invented a south-pointing compass made of a magnetic spoon by the third century BC(E) and includes directions for making your own floating compass.

The Warlord's Puppeteers (2003). Chuan tries to help a group of traveling puppeteers, after a bandit raid seizes their puppets. This book focuses on introducing children to the concepts of proportion and includes directions for making your own sock puppets.

The Warlord's Kites (2004). Chuan and his friend Jing Jing are concerned about the approach of an enemy army and conceive of the idea of using flutes attached to kites to frighten them off. In this story, Jing Jing takes a starring role as the inventor and quick-thinker. Directions are include for handmade kites.

The Warlord's Messengers: a mathematical adventure (2005). Young Chuan and Jing Jing are concerned when an invitation arrives for the warlord, but he will not receive the message in time. The friends brainstorm a faster way to travel and invent a wind-driven carriage. These "sailing carriages" were mentioned in Chinese literature 1500 years ago. The book ends with directions for creating a wind sock (another Chinese invention).

The Warlord's Alarm (2006). This story seems to take place immediately following The Warlord's Messengers. Chuan and Jing Jing are accompanying the warlord on his trip to visit the emperor, but in order for the warlord to arrive exactly when the gates of the city open, they need to figure out a way to keep track of time during the night, when a sundial is useless. The invent a water clock, and the Author's Note describes some of the complicated water clocks used by the Chinese. There are also directions to make your own dripping water clock.

The Emperor's Army: a mathematical adventure (2010). A bit of a departure from the rest of the series, this book tells the story of a father and son in court of Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang who are forced into hiding by the emperors proclamation against books and scholars. This leads them to discover the building of the emperor's famed terracotta warriors, and the Author's Note includes information about their eventual re-discovery.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 4/06/15

It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.

Last Week's Posts

• Ellis Island for Kids - historical fiction and memoirs. Part two in a three-part series about US immigration focuses on the role of Ellis Island, as told through memoirs, family stories, and historical fiction.

• New Books from Kids Can Press. The first of April brought a new crop of wonderful diversity-focused books from Kids Can Press. This post review four of my new favorites.

Picture Books

Spent Spring Break in the mountains, relaxing and avoiding thinking school-related thoughts. So the picture book piles stayed home!

Middle Fiction

The Wee Free Men (2006) by Terry Pratchett. The recent passing of Terry Pratchett made me immediately nostalgic for this series. The Wee Free Men is the first book in the Tiffany Aching sub-series of Discworld books, and, I am embarrassed to report, the only sub-series of Discworld books that I have read. (Those in the know, which books should be on my must read list?)

Nine-year old Tiffany Aching is perfectly positioned when unusual events start occurring around her; after all, she has read the dictionary straight through and always carries a piece of string. Only when Miss Tick confirms that Tiffany might, in fact, be a witch, does her adventure really start to take off (metaphorically speaking - no broomstick for Tiffany yet). This delightful book was a riot to re-read and a series that I highly recommend.

Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 10 books, 2 dedicated posts

Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 63 books, 22 dedicated posts (New Books from Kids Can Press)

Happy Reading!

Ellis Island for Kids - historical fiction and memoirs

The history of the United States is a history of immigration and immigrants, stretching back tens of thousands of years. But one of the most well-known periods of immigration to the United States happened during the late 1800s and early 1900s and involved Ellis Island in the New York City harbor.

The first post in this series is about nonfiction resources for teaching about US immigration. This post provides a quick overview of some of my favorite historical fiction books and memoirs for teaching elementary students about Ellis Island and this period of US immigration. The next post in this series will cover modern immigration stories. (Even more posts: Picture Books by René Colato Laínez, New Immigration Books, part 1: Syrian and Central American immigrants, and part 2: picture books and anthologies.)

Historical Fiction and Memoir about Ellis Island: Picture Books

Klara's New World (1992) by Jeanette Winter. Klara and her family decide to leave their life of poverty in Sweden and immigrate to America. Much of the story focuses on the difficulties of the journey, from the boat across the Atlantic to the steamboats to Chicago and eventually on to Minnesota. Her family passes through Castle Garden, the official immigration depot of the mid-1800s.

Journey to Ellis Island: how my father came to America (1998) by Carol Bierman and Laurie McGaw. This story is based on the author's father's experiences coming to America from Russia in 1922. Chapters about their voyage and experiences at Ellis Island are interspersed with historic photographs and details illustrations. The final chapters bring the family's history up to today, including a trip the author took back to Ellis Island with her father on the 75th anniversary of his entrance into the United States. I have used this book as a read aloud before, but it is quite long and wordy, so you will need to commit a significant amount of time to it.

The Matchbox Diary (2013) by Paul Fleischmann and illustrated by the unparalled Bagram Ibatoulline. This wonderful narrative weaves together the modern interaction between the grandfather and his young granddaughter with the stories that he tells her about his immigration to the United States from Italy via Ellis Island. The illustrations are incredible, and the story contains a lot of wonderful historical detail. It might make any reader want to start his/her own "matchbox diary."

When Jessie Came across the Sea (2003) by Amy Hest. 13 year-old Jessie is an orphan but is chosen by the rabbi to take his ticket to America. She lives with a cousin and sews lace to earn a living, eventually earning enough to bring her grandmother to America with her. Though she travels through Ellis Island, it takes only a page in the book. Much of the story focuses on her life in America and her letters back to her grandmother.

At Ellis Island: a history in many voices (2007) by Louise Peacock and illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop. This book mixes real quotations and photographs from immigrants with the fictionalized letters from a young girl, Sera, who arrives at Ellis Island. The story accounts for her time at Ellis Island only.

A Peddler's Dream (1992) by Janice Shefelman and illustrated by Tom Shefelman. This picture book tells the story of a young man from Lebanon who moves to the US and becomes a peddler then a clerk and finally opens his own store and has his own family.

Peppe the Lamplighter (1993) by Elisa Bartone and illustrated by Ted Lewin. Peppe, his father, and his many sisters live in Little Italy in New York City. When his father gets too sick to work, Peppe sets out to find his own job, much to his father's disappointment. The artwork in this book is incredible and gives you a great slice of life from this time period.

All the Way to America: the story of a big Italian family and a little shovel (2011) by Dan Yaccarino. This charming picture book is based on the story of the author's great-grandfather who immigrated to the United States from Sorrento, Italy. The subsequent generations are introduced as the little silver shovel is passed down through the family and serves different purposes.

Historical Fiction and Memoir about Ellis Island: chapter books

Letters from Rifka (1992) by Karen Hesse. This 150-page chapter book is based on the experiences of the author's grandmother and her family who had to flee Russia in 1919 due to anti-Jewish sentiments. Rifka and her family face many difficulties in their journey, and Rifka ends up in Belgium alone, recovering from ringworm, as her family goes ahead to America. Later detained at Ellis Island, Rifka tries to prove that she will not be a burden to the country. A dramatic, exciting, and engaging immigration story that also highlights many of the difficulties and hardships faced by immigrants at this time.

Doll Hospital: Tatiana comes to America, an Ellis Island story by Joan Holub. In this short, 99 page chapter book, sisters Rose and Lila go to stay at their Far Nana's house and find that she has a doll hospital there. She tells them the story of one doll, Tatiana, who immigrated with her owner, Anya, from Russia to the United States. The book alternates between grandmother's retelling of the story and the girls' own thoughts and actions. Eventually the girls realize that their own story intertwines with that of Tatiana and her owners through the years.

Modern Ellis Island: picture books

Abuela (1991) by Arthur Dorros. This fanciful picture book is told in the imaginative voice of the young narrator, Rosalba. Out on the town with her grandmother or Abuela, the girl imagines all the places they could see if they could fly. One stop includes a flight over the Statue of Liberty and references to her grandmother's own immigration to the United States from a Spanish-speaking country. The book also weaves in many Spanish phrases and expressions.

A Picnic in October (1999) by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. In this modern-day story, a young boy and his family take a trip to the Statue of Liberty to celebrate her birthday. The boy doesn't understand the importance or the symbolism until later when he witnesses a family of new immigrants viewing the statue.

The last post in this series will explore great resources about modern immigration and immigrant stories. (Even more posts: Picture Books by René Colato Laínez, New Immigration Books, part 1: Syrian and Central American immigrants, and part 2: picture books and anthologies.)

New Books from Kids Can Press

Kids Can Press is the largest Canadian-owned children’s publisher in the world and publishes a diverse catalog of books, many of which focus on international or worldwide stories. They have many interesting new titles coming out today, and this post provides quick introduction of some of them.

 

My Family Tree and Me (April 1, 2015) by Dušan Petričić (ARC provided via Net Galley).

This is a great concept book on genealogy and the family tree. The book reads from both sides, with one side, front-to-middle, telling the story of the boy's father's family, while the other side, back-to-middle, telling the story of the boy's mother's family. There is also a clever conceit of each pair of parents having a picture hanging up of the previous generation. The text itself is completely generic (with the exception of the fact that the boy has aunts and uncles on both sides) and could be used with kids to put together their own versions. I also appreciate how this book celebrates multiracial and diverse families.

Me, Too! (April 1, 2015) by Annika Dunklee and illustrated by Lori Joy Smith (ARC provided via Net Galley).

This friendship tale addresses a classic problem: two great friends and the uncomfortable arrival of a third. The unique appeal of this book is in its embrace of diverse characters: Lillemor is from Sweden and speaks English and Swedish, while Annie speaks English and Oinky Boinky (her own invented language). Both enjoy learning about each other's backgrounds and differences. But when new girl Lilianne arrives from France, Annie immediately goes on high alert. Will her friendship with Lillemor survive?

Look Where We Live! A first book of community building (April 1, 2015) by Scot Ritchie (ARC provided via Net Galley).

This charming little book highlights the different people, buildings, and structures that make a community. The overall story is about a community fundraiser for the library. Geared towards younger students, perhaps K or first grade, each two-page spread provides about two paragraphs about different locations around the community, as well as an additional paragraph with another fact or aside. This book is very simple, but it would be a great book for introducing kids to the different roles that people play within a community or for starting a longer conversation about communities.

School Days Around the World (April 1, 2015) by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Alice Feagan (ARC provided via Net Galley).

Margriet Ruurs continues her around the world series with School Days Around the World . (Read my review of Families Around the World here.) The book profiles 14 different children from 13 different countries across 6 continents. Each two-page spread describes a different school from the point-of-view of the student, often focusing on an interesting activity as well as overall subjects.

This book gives kids a brief peek into schools and countries different from their own and provides a great foundation for comparing and contrasting. My main issue with the book is how abbreviated the descriptions are and how little actual information is presented about each school. This would be a great book to raise a lot of questions about schools around the world, but it is not necessarily the book to answer them.

Kid Lit Blog Hop #57 plus Facebook Linky

Welcome to the 57th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

Happy Easter week and Spring Break for many of you! I am off traveling this week, so I look forward to catching up on all your wonderful posts a bit later in the week.

This week, we are excited to be including a Facebook Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms.

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Pragmatic Mom

Music, Teaching and Parenting

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

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Kid Lit Blog Hop & Linky Party Rules *Please Read*

1. LINKY PARTY: Add the link to your Facebook fan page in the Facebook Linky Party list below. Be sure to visit at least the two links directly before yours as well as your hosts' Facebook fan pages. Be sure to like pages that interest you and show your colleagues some love by liking or sharing one of their posts.

2. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*

* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

3. KID LIT BLOG HOP: Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop/Linky Party? If you've joined us before, you are welcome to join us again! Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.

Happy Hopping!

FACEBOOK LINKY PARTY

(Please do not link a blog post here - see below for the Kid Lit Blog Hop)

KID LIT BLOG HOP