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Nonfiction Monday: The Most Extreme Bugs

Travis Jonker, June 30, 2008 | *Best New Books*, Reviews



Animal Planet: The Most Extreme Bugs By Catherine Nichols Jossey-Bass ISBN: 9780787986636 $15.95 Grades 3-6 In Stores *Recommended* It’s summertime here in Michigan and the bugs are out in full force. Ants, spiders, and mosquitoes invade my house day and night. Your common, run of the mill insects. Oh, if only a Spiny Devil Katydid […]

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Don’t Stop Believin’: NYT Bestsellers

Travis Jonker, June 30, 2008 | News



I keep an eye on both the New York Times Bestseller list and the American Bookseller Association list to see which kids books are popular, but I dream of a different list entirely. The dream list I speak of would be a national list of the most checked out children’s books from public and school […]

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Sunday Link Du Jour: Tale of Despereaux Movie Trailer

Travis Jonker, June 29, 2008 | Reviews



I may have recently made a bit of a subtle jab at the outbreak of children’s lit-related television and movie adaptations of the past few months, but I’m better now. Better enough to bring you the most recent trailer for The Tale of Despereaux: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ks5gmYhPlQ] The CGI looks pretty good, but will the film live […]

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Book Review: Night of the Veggie Monster

Travis Jonker, June 27, 2008 | *Best New Books*, Reviews



Night of the Veggie Monster By George McClements Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 9781599900612 $14.95 Grades K-2 In Stores *Recommended* I can relate to kids who don’t like their vegetables. I’ve been slow in coming around myself. As a kid, I was known to pull the old switcharoo and hide the veggies in the nearest napkin. “Night […]

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Unfortunate Covers (#3)

Travis Jonker, June 27, 2008 | Unfortunate Covers



This one was difficult to include in the ongoing Unfortunate Covers series (click here for #1 and #2), but unfortunate it seems to be – at least in the eyes of some of the students I work with. “Bridge to Terabithia” is an outstanding story, a Newbery winner, and it made me cry like “Beaches” […]

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Work On Your Accent With Dr. Seuss

Travis Jonker, June 26, 2008 | Articles



Have you been looking for a way to work on your Jamaican patois? Not sure why you’re on a site devoted to children’s lit, but you are in luck nonetheless. In a strange bit of disparate worlds colliding, I came across the following instructional video for teaching the Jamaican accent through Dr. Seuss’s ABC: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN3ZadHV8E8]

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Audio Clip: Nancy Drew on NPR

Travis Jonker, June 24, 2008 | Articles



Librarians and NPR go together like cardigans and nippy reading rooms. I guess I haven’t checked the fine print on my degree lately, but there actually may be a contractual obligation for bookish types to support National Public Radio. Part of my love for the station stems from the fact that they occasionally like to […]

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Nonfiction Monday: One Million Things – A Visual Encyclopedia

Travis Jonker, June 23, 2008 | *Best New Books*, Reviews



One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia By DK Publishing ISBN: 9780756638436 $24.99 Grades 3 and Up In Stores *Best New Books* Check out the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Picture Book of the Day. When you’re a kid, the bigger the better. Machines, buildings, ice cream cones, it’s all better with an increase in dimensions. The […]

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Take the ‘Edge’ Off

Travis Jonker, June 21, 2008 | News



Yes indeed, the June edition of The Edge of the Forest is up. The online children’s lit journal is a veritable classy buffet of kid’s book knowledge. There are also a couple 100 Scope Notes reviews in the Graphic Novel and Picture Book sections if you’re interested. Click the image below to take a closer […]

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Summer Scope Notes

Travis Jonker, June 18, 2008 | News



100 Scope Notes will be on break until this weekend due to summertime travels. See you back here soon!

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