ARMANDO'S ISLAND: A Picture Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway

From the publisher:

Armando's home is the rainforest—he knows its sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. He even knows its moods. From the bottom of the forest floor to the top of the emergent layer, the trees are also home to a multitude of creatures. When outsiders begin laying claim to and destroying the surrounding landscape, the displaced animals find refuge with Armando in the only remaining pocket of untouched forest, his "island." As people come in and animals are forced out, this poignant tale shows the cumulative and disastrous effects of Amazonian deforestation. (The Creative Company: 2023)

                                                                        ***

It is always a pleasure to review one of Marsha Diane Arnold's beautifully written picture books. For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you may remember Badger's Perfect Garden, Mine. Yours., Lights Out, or Galapagos Girl. (if you're new to my blog, check those titles out!). 

Marsha's love for animals, nature, and conserving the environment is present in her newly released book, ARMANDO'S ISLAND. This time, as the book blurb indicated, it's a story about a young boy growing up surrounded by the animals of the Amazon rainforest.  

REVIEW

The book sets the stage with this word picture:

Beneath a canopy of trees, flowing like green ocean, 

in an ancient forest

lived Armando.

and this illustration: 

Marsha describes Armando's life in sensory language:

Walking barefoot, leaves crunching beneath him, 

playing among riverbanks, mud squishing between toes

skipping across fallen logs, grasshoppers jumping, 

climbing liana vines, lizards scrambling beside him

he felt connected to his leafy refuge.

Armando grows, as does his love for the rainforest.

Men and women come to Armando asking him to sell his land. They promise him great wealth in return. Repeatedly, Armando refuses.

"I am rich already," said Armando,

gazing at the emerald green surrounding him.

Each conversation is followed by a scene showing the machinery destroying the rainforest and the animals and birds fleeing to Armando's land.

In the morning, to the east, a great hammering and

sharp drilling 

wailed through the air.

Dolphins stopped swimming.

Otters stopped sliding.

Capybaras stopped bathing.

Hummingbirds left their dance beneath the waterfall

as they fled, to the west, to Armando's. 

The expressions on the animals' faces reflect their emotions as they face their homes destruction.

 

In the end, 

Now, Armando's home stands crowded and apart,

an island of emerald green, shimmering in the sunlight.

Sometimes the people to the north, south, east, and west

glance at Armando's island, fragile in the mist.

Armando hopes that some morning with the first song of the toucan,

a long-ago memory will come to them...

Anne Yvonne's lush illustrations compliment Marsha's lyrical language and immerse readers into the interconnections of the rainforest's ecosystem. I loved how she even showed the feelings of the animals who are displaced.

Several pages show Armando on one side of the text along with the machinery destroying the forest on the other. 

 

To read the backstory behind Armando's Island (and how long it took to get this book out into the world!), please see Beth Anderson's blog post.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

I picture Armando's Island used in Pre-K through third-grade classrooms. The back matter includes three pages of information and illustrations of animals in the Amazon rainforest. An activity guide will be available on the publisher's website on September 1--just in time for back to school!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: What was your inspiration for this book? It is so rich with detail—did you go to the Amazon yourself or is this from research?

MARSHA: I wish I could say I traveled to the Amazon, but the book came from research and from my great love of nature and rainforests. 

As I note in my Activity Guide, "There is a difference in knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by knowing information. We may never travel to the Amazon rainforest, so we will not know it by acquaintance. But we can immerse ourselves as much as possible with videos, audios, books, and activities and we may know and appreciate it a little in this way."

I started researching Armando’s Island thirty years ago! At that time, I was involved with a number of conservation organizations, some working to protect the rainforests. Later, I visited Costa Rica and fell in love with the rainforests there. My husband and I built a casita in the rainforest years after that first visit. Macaws, monkeys, and toucans were our neighbors. 

CAROL: How did you get Armando’s name? Is he from a particular tribe?

MARSHA: I have no remembrance of where the name Armando came from. The rhythm of phrases is always important to me and I do think this has a lovely rhythm - Armando’s Island. I suspect I researched names common in Latin America. Armando is a multicultural name. In Latin America, it is associated with strength, courage, and a fierce loyalty to friends. The Armando in my book is certainly all of those.

The name is not from a particular tribe. I wrote the story as a fable, an ode to the rainforest and its animals and those who stand with them. Anne Yvonne did scrupulous research. She deliberately made Armando’s face paint and headdress non-specific, but he is identifiable as an indigenous Brazilian tribesman.

I love that a man named Armando, the only person I know with that name, invited me to join the 2008 Artists in the Back Country group of seven artists, chosen to spend a week in the High Sierras, painting, photographing, and writing. Another natural island. Serendipity?

CAROL: Do you consider this free verse poetry?  (seems so to me!)

MARSHA: I have always thought of it simply as lyrical writing, but free verse poetry sounds very nice to me. Thank you!

CAROL: Were you involved in the choice of the artist? Anne Yvonne is perfect for this book.  What medium does she use?

MARSHA: In a roundabout way you might say I was involved. At the end of Armando’s Island’s thirty-year journey, there were two publishers who offered a contract. I knew that The Creative Company published beautiful books and in 2020 they had found the perfect illustrator, Susan Reagan, for my book on light pollution, Lights Out. I trusted them to find another perfect illustrator. They did not let me down. I was thrilled and humbled that someone of Anne Yvonne Gilbert’s caliber would be illustrating my book. She used colored pencils over-layered with sepia drawing ink. So beautiful.

CAROL: Whose idea was it to frame some of the text between an illustration of the machinery and the animals? That is brilliant juxtaposition. 

CAROL: The layouts were Anne Yvonne's ideas, approved by the art director, Rita Marshall. It is indeed a brilliant juxtaposition.

Thank you, Carol, for having me on your blog and for your insightful questions.

GIVEAWAY

To enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment along with your email address if you are new to my blog. U.S. addresses only. If you prefer, you can shoot me an email instead. If you are a home school educator, teacher, or librarian please let me know. You'll get two chances. The giveaway ends August 15. 

TWO JAPANESE INTERNMENT GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEWS

 In my search for graphic novels to help me understand the genre, I came across these two books in my local library. Although totally different from each other, they both share the common element of Japanese internment camps during WWII.

DISPLACEMENT by kiku hughes

The first page of this YA time travel novel provides a backstory to equip the reader for the coming story. Written in first person, the character Kiku, explains that it is 2016 and she's been trapped in the past for over a year.

She's in San Francisco with her mother who is searching for the house where her mother grew up in. They didn't find the house.

Instead, Kiku found displacement.

She is taken back to the 1940s to the Japanese internment camp to which her grandmother, Earnestina and her parents, were taken. The story interweaves Earnestina's story with fictional elements of Kiku's time travel.

Through expressive images and dialogue, the author shows Kiku's loneliness, confusion, helplessness, and gratitude when she makes a few friends. She overhears Earnestina speaking Japanese in the rooms next to hers, but can't understand the language. Her roommate, Aiko, doesn't encourage her to learn Japanese. Kiku thinks,

But seeing how she and other Nisei (second generation) shied away from the Issei's (first generation) outdated traditions made me understand a little more just why there was almost no connection to Japan left by the time I was born. (p. 96)

Life is physically and emotionally difficult in the camp and Kiku vacillates between waiting to return home and making the best of the situation. When a neighbor gives her a small carving with her name on it, she recognizes a similar item that her mother had that belonged to Earnestina. I felt an intense connection to my grandmother in that moment. We were linked through this community, and I held the proof in my hand." (p. 128)

She moves to the Topaz relocation center in Utah and hears that a friend's father was taken to an army camp. They fear that they might not hear from him because they took his books and maps which made the government suspicious. Being from the future meant very little when my education on the past was so limited. (p. 154)

The illustrations are drawn with clean lines and the character's emotions are clearly portrayed. A palette of aqua and brown provide a calming effect for the turbulent story that unfolds.

I thought that the author depicted the conflicts of this time and place extremely well. Although the time travel aspects and resolution to the story were also well constructed,  I didn't like that the protagonist fell in love with another girl. As a conservative Christian, that aspect of the book detracted from the book's overall appeal. After googling kiku hughes, I realized that the protagonist reflects the author's orientation. 

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY  by Kevin C. Pyle

Although this is also a graphic novel about the Japanese internment camps (with a surprisingly similar palette to Displacement), it is handled in a totally different manner. As you might assume from the cover, this is two stories in one book. The brown illustrations show the life of Mr. Himitsu as a young man in the Tanforan Assembly Center and then later in the internment camp in Manzanar, California in 1942. The blue illustrations depict six months in the life of Kyle, a young teen who recently moved into a Chicago suburb in 1978. Both stories progress through the book. Sometimes several pages are given to the Japanese internment camp, and sometimes several pages show Kyle choosing to go deeper and deeper into vandalism and shoplifting. 

At first, I didn't like that there was no dialogue in Mr. Himitsu's story, only illustrations. But the second time through I was able to "read" the illustrations better and saw how Kevin Pyle showed parallels between the two stories--thirty-five years apart. 

• Each boy was in his own type of prison. 
• Each boy faced teasing and ridicule.
• Each boy faced unwelcome relocation.
• Each boy experienced trauma that left them feeling powerless.

But, there are a lot of differences too.

In Mr. Himitsu's story, a mentor provides an opportunity for him to vent his anger--on a piece of wood. He carves and carves and by the time he leaves the camp, his suitcase is full of wooden birds. 

In Kyle's story, he has moved into a brand new neighborhood. He starts hanging out with some other boys they are a negative influence on each other. Kyle ends up destroying property and shoplifting--just for the thrill it gives him. The ending perfectly brings the two stories together.

Here are some pages that show you how the author juxtaposed the two stories.

I asked Kevin what his connection was to this story. Here is his answer:

"The most obvious is that I was caught for shoplifting when I was 11 or 12 and I worked for the storeowner as restitution. It really made me see the consequences of my actions. As an adult I did illustrations for the national law journal and once did one on alternatives to sentencing for youth and it made me think back on the experience. I realized I never knew if it was my father’s idea or the storeowner’s that I work off my debt and that sent my imagination rolling.

My other connection is that I had a painting teacher in college who was interned as a child. I wrote him while I was working on the book and he gave some good leads on research. He also read it before it was published and his comments were very inspiring and reassuring as to the accuracy. While the book was not intended as a straight history, I of course wanted to make sure it rang true."

Both authors drew from personal life events when writing and illustrating their graphic novels. As I plot Nightmare in Nuremberg, I'm aware that I'm doing the very same thing.

If you are interested, here is my review of Gaijin, another graphic novel about the Japanese internment camps. And my review of Red Berries, White Clouds, and Blue Sky. 

****

Congratulations to Sarah Johnson who won Southpaw Sully from last week's blog.

Don't forget to check out Greg Pattridge's MMGM blog with lots of other middle-grade book reviews!

 

SOUTHPAW SALLY: A Guest Blogger Review and Giveaway

REVIEW by Mara Scudder

As an avid reader who has no interest in baseball (and sports in general), I fell far from Steve Carman's upper middle-grade audience range. But Southpaw Sully’s characters are irresistible in any genre, and Sully and the rest of the cast pulled me in from the very first page. The author didn’t use Sully’s missing hand as an excuse for sympathy, instead developing him as a well-rounded and relatable character, despite his unusual circumstances. 

Sully was born into a family dedicated to baseball -- his father coached their town’s underdog team, and he and his twin brother, Brendan, practiced every chance they got. He and Brendan made up their minds that once they got old enough, they were going to break the losing streak that their team couldn’t seem to break. But Sully ends up having to do it alone.

After a car crash, lost Sully lost his brother and his right hand. All he cares about now is living up to the promise he and Brendan had made to end the streak. At fourteen, Sully is pitching for his team with a passion. Once he thought he could never play baseball again. Now it's all he cares about.

Although the characters are vibrant, relatable, and unique, the plot happens to be the weakest point of the work. Each chapter involves Sully facing another unforeseen and improbable obstacle (from a stolen dog to an untimely heart attack) that almost keeps him from competing in the championship. Each time, deus ex machina swoops in to make sure Sully and his friends make it to the next game.

But aside from that, I enjoyed the story immensely. The characters were especially enjoyable, from their unique personalities to the unexpected twist the author added to each character arc. The overweight bully becomes the protagonist’s loyal sidekick, and even the archenemy ends up learning to respect those he disagrees with. Each character brought something new and exciting to a unique story. 

On top of the vibrant characters, the stakes were high. We wanted Sully to win not just because he had a passion for baseball, but also because he saw his brother everywhere -- and he knew that Brendan would have loved to watch Sully take their losing team to victory. I cheered him on not because the game mattered, but because of what it represented to him and his family. Those stakes created unusual tension for a slice-of-life sports story and ensured that Southpaw Sully will stand out from other books on the shelf for years to come. 

AUTOGRAPHED GIVEAWAY!

Please leave me a comment if you want to win this book for yourself or a young reader in your life. If you share this post on social media let me know and I'll enter your name twice. You can also email me to enter. U.S. addresses only. The giveaway ends on August 2.

For other great middle-grade books, check out Greg Pattridge's Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday books!

TOO MUCH! A PICTURE BOOK REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND MORE!

I always enjoy sharing my writing friend's new books and am happy to tell you about Jolene Gutiérrez's sensitive picture book, TOO MUCH! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams Books). The book which is beautifully illustrated by Angel Chang, is coming out on August 1 and can be preordered here. Remember! Preorders are one way you help authors get the word out about their books. If you don't want to purchase it yourself, then ask your library to add it to their collection. 

REVIEW

The book is written in simple poetry but tackles a difficult topic: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Jolene is intimately acquainted with this condition so she is uniquely qualified to write about a child who suffers from SPD.

As the little girl gets ready for school, the reader sees in a very close POV how light, sounds, textures, and even crunchy cereals bother her.

At school, she must navigate playground friends who want to hug her--which creates sensory overload.

Our little friend is so upset that all she can do is hide.

Fortunately, she knows to ask for something that will calm her down.

I take deep breaths

you hold my hand

I'm thankful

that you understand.

                                ****

                              When feelings go 

                     on overload,

                     I pause and breathe,

                     and all is...

BACK MATTER

Jolene included four terrific pages of information about SPD, sensory systems, and even how to create a sensory diet. 

I recommend this book to parents, librarians, and teachers who suspect a child has a sensory disorder.  The little girl's needs are so sweetly and simply showed that I think every preK-1st grade teacher needs this in her classroom. It will help other students develop empathy for a child experiencing these issues and would be useful when targeting social-emotional learning. Here is a link to the caregiver's/teacher's guide on Jolene's website.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Carol: Why did you choose poetry to write this story?  

Jolene: I did NOT want to write in rhyme because rhyme and rhythm are a challenge for me, but this story demanded it. The piece “Too loud! Too bright! Too itchy! Too tight!” came to me first, so I wrote those words down and eventually built a story around them. 

 

Carol: I understand that you and your children have experienced sensory processing issues. Is this a genetic disorder?

 

Jolene: Yes, my daughter, my son, and I all have sensory processing disorder, and this is absolutely the book that I needed as I was trying to raise my children (and probably the book my parents needed as they were trying to raise me). Many of my sensitivities are based around sound, light, and textures (of food and of clothing). My daughter is my oldest child, so she is the person I got to learn to parent on. Her sensitivities looked different from mine—she didn’t like touch or certain types of movement. I was slow to realize that we were both struggling with sensory input and regulation but in different ways. With the help of a play therapist who recommended testing and occupational therapy, we both learned about sensory needs. Since many types of neurodiversity seem to be inherited and sensory processing disorder is one of those differences, I would say that yes, in my non-expert opinion, sensory sensitivities can be genetic.

 

Carol: Can you talk a bit about how your experiences informed this book? Was it difficult to write about something this personal? 

 

Jolene: Those experiences ARE this book—I brainstormed things that I struggled with or that my kids struggled with and wrote scenes around them. The only difficulty in writing about this is the guilt I feel for not recognizing what was going on with my daughter sooner. This is the book I needed so I wouldn’t feel like a bad parent who was doing something wrong AND the book my kids needed so they wouldn’t feel different. Had I known what was going on earlier, I could have anticipated my kids’ needs and advocated for them. I hope this book will be a helpful tool for the families and kids who need it and a way to encourage compassion and understanding for those who haven’t experienced sensory overwhelm.

 

Carol: How did your experiences as a teacher and librarian at a school for kids who are diverse learners shape this book?

Jolene: My students are often neurodiverse learners. Some of my students may have diagnoses that include dyslexia, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder. Amongst students with some type of neurodiversity, co-occurrence of differences is common.  I see a lot of sensory sensitivities in my students. When I’m teaching, I’m sure to name some of mine, too: “I get really overwhelmed and distracted by sound, so it helps me if you don’t have side conversations when I’m trying to teach.” As I wrote TOO MUCH!, I thought of what would help my students.

 

Carol: What was your book journey?

Jolene: This manuscript originally started as a board book manuscript. There were three editors interested in it and two of the editors wanted some revisions, so I ended up with three versions: the original version, a version with problem/solution format (one stanza introduced a problem and the next stanza introduced a solution), and a version where the caregiver has more dialog. Each of the editors was so thoughtful and kind but Meredith Mundy at Abrams Appleseed is the editor who connected most strongly with this manuscript, and I’m so honored and happy to work with her! Ironically, this manuscript is coming out first as a picture book and eventually will be released as a board book. I also have two other picture books (both co-authored) coming out with Meredith at Abrams Appleseed in the next two years. Mamiachi and Me, a picture book co-authored with my son Dakota about an all-female mariachi group; the other hasn’t been announced yet. 

 

Carol: The illustrations are fantastic. Did you have any input into them?

Jen: I love them, too! Angel Chang is amazing! Meredith gave me some choices and also asked if I had a specific art style in mind. Since I try not to imagine illustrations when I’m writing and because sensory overwhelm seems like such a tough subject to illustrate, I didn’t have many ideas. But as we explored some of the illustrators Meredith and art director Heather Kelly suggested, we all gravitated to Angel’s art. She did the most brilliant job of illustrating something that we were all worrying about: “How do you illustrate sensory overwhelm?” Through the use of color, lines, and little shapes that Angel called “emotional friends,” we can see when Birdy, the little girl Angel created, is overwhelmed.

Meredith and Heather allowed me to look over the art at various stages and asked for feedback, so they worked very collaboratively with me and with Angel to ensure that the final product reflected both of us. One of the main scenes where I offered feedback is the playground scene. Initially, Birdy was on the top of the play structure peeking out at her playground friends below. My feedback was based on my own experiences. If Birdy was overwhelmed, she would be shutting down and trying to shut the world out, so she would probably be hugging herself, hiding her face, etc. Angel used that feedback to create a Birdy authentic to my experiences.

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment or email me by July 26 to enter. Sorry, U.S. addresses only. If you are an educator or librarian, you get two chances. Please leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. 

Congratulations to Linda Trott Dickman who won Find Me In the Time Before from last week's blog.

FIND ME IN THE TIME BEFORE: Review by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta and a Giveaway

While traveling through time, teen scientist Charley Morton has met Leonardo da Vinci, explored the Renaissance, and even been tried for witchcraft. Now, on her most daring adventure yet, she sets her eyes on journeying back in time to 17^thcentury to meet her “shero”, Émilie du Châtelet. After receiving a distress call from a fellow time traveler, Carolina, Charley is determined to make her way back to medieval Paris in order to rescue her friend and meet her STEM idol. In order to make the journey, she recruits Billy, her best friend and partner in time travel, and Beth, a fashion-obsessed classmate. Will Charley be able to save Carolina without endangering herself in the process?

REVIEW

            Find Me In the Time Before by Robin Stevens Payes, owes a lot of its appeal to its unique writing style. Among other YA novels, the book is set apart by Charley’s narrative voice in her use of slang and cultural references. Whether she’s explaining how Émilie du Châtelet’s commentary of Newton’s Principia revolutionized physics or who she plans to go to homecoming with, Charley effortlessly incorporates mentions of popular memes, uses texting abbreviations, and remains clear and relatable. As a scientist and historian, Charley’s voice is a blend of subtle references to both modern and ancient works. The book references Shakespeare’s plays, Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, and The Thinker by Rodin, making Charley’s adventures just as engaging as they are educational. Much like Percy Jackson in The Lightning Thief, a sarcastic and whip-smart narrator sets this book apart as a teen novel.

            Despite the net historical accuracy of the novel, there are quite a few moments that stretch disbelief in Find Me In the Time Before. For example, Charley’s time travel is enabled by an AI assistant that her best friend and computer enthusiast Billy manages to program in just a few weeks. Similarly, despite being stranded in time, Charley is able to receive text messages from her friends, often at key moments in the plot. These moments are easily glossed over, but still take away from the overall authenticity of the book. However, the novel remains mostly accurate, with the dialogue of historical characters, such as Voltaire, made up of famous quotes that fit seamlessly into the conversation.

RECOMMENDATION

            In conclusion, Find Me In the Time Before is an engaging book for teens, featuring an absorbing protagonist and incorporating many historically important characters and topics. Charley’s witty comments and endless curiosity help drive the book forward, while the varied characters she meets while journeying through time, including Émilie du Châtelet and Voltaire, will inspire teens to tackle history with a new zeal. Additionally, the book is the latest in the Edge of Yesterday quartet, each of which features Charley’s latest adventure through time. With a passion for learning and a witty remark at the ready, Charley’s adventures make for perfect reading material for reluctant teen readers.

GIVEAWAY

I think this would be a fabulous book for upper middle-grade and teens who love adventures, history, and STEM. Leave me a comment by July 19 and I'll enter your name. If you share this post on social media please let me know and I'll enter your name twice. U.S. addresses only. If you prefer to email your entry, send it to me here.

Make sure you check out Greg Pattridge's Always in the Middle blog for other book recommendations.

THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY: A Review and Giveaway Through Talking Story

 As promised last week, I'm back again with another marvelous poetry book by Charles Ghigna. But this time, it's not just one poem It is one hundred and one! THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY (Schiffer Books: 2023) is divided into seven sections. There is one section for each season, plus "Home," "Animals," and "Poetry." In this blog, Charles talks about the process of how he decided which poems to include in the anthology-- as well as his favorite sweet treats.

REVIEW

Charles uses nature themes and a vivid imagination to write poetry that brings smiles to readers of all ages. The way he incorporates sensory imagery makes readers take notice of word choice and world details. 

Take this poem for example:

            White Butterflies

I like to watch the falling snow.

It puts on such a lovely show.

It looks like little veils of lace,

White butterflies upon my face. (p. 37)

I found three types of figurative language in this word picture--how many do you find? Highlight the following phrase for the answer. personification, simile, metaphor).

Or, how about this sing-song poem with its unique way of rhyming? This one reminds me of how Charles listened to music as a child--you can almost hear the music behind his words.

The title itself makes me laugh and the illustrations of trees dancing in the wind compliment the poem perfectly. Look closely at the cloud and goose and you'll see collage elements that illustrator Sara Brezzi incorporated.

"Morning Rain" reminds me of one of my childhood favorites, Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. (Does anyone else remember the "Land of Counterpane"? I was pleased to find out that Charles and I both read this book as children!)

           Morning Rain

Like a shadow

Passing by,

Storm clouds

Fill the morning sky,

From my window

I see wonder,

A lightning strike,

A clap of thunder.

I sit beside

The window pane

And watch the world

Fill up with rain.  (p.21)

Many of Charles' poems are playful,

            Thunder Bugs

On stormy nights

I often wonder,

Do lightning bugs

Make the thunder? (p.59)

Some are thought-provoking:

                 

      Orion's Way

 

Each evening

he enters

the black forest

of night

and spreads

his star crumbs

across the sky

to find his way

back home.  (p. 29)

And, 

In honor of the Talking Story issue on wordplay, I had to share this one:

       Wild Romance

I love EWE

I'm not LION

I really GOPHER you.

I never GNU this would happen.

You are so DEER to me.

It's more than I can BEAR.

Let us SEAL our love with a kiss.

I will always BEE yours.

I will never have any EGRETS.

You are my one and only GULL.

OWL always love you. (p. 101)

CURRICULUM RESOURCE and GIVEAWAY

Parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians--don't miss the opportunity to add this book to your collection! It's a wonderful read-aloud as well as an opportunity to teach figurative language.

Leave one comment here for one chance to win this book. Leave another through Talking Story for a second chance. On the far right column, you'll see an email address to enter four giveaways. Click on the link and let me know which book you are most interested in winning. (I try to honor requests-but I can't guarantee what Random.org picks!). U.S. addresses only. The giveaway ends on July 15th.

Congratulations to Gail Cartee who won A Poem is a Firefly from last week's blog.