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The Book That Dripped Blood (Interactive), Dahl, Michae

The Book That Dripped Blood (Interactive)
Reading Level: Grades 1-3 • Interest Level: Grades 3-8

Author: Dahl, Michael

Illustrator: Kendall, Bradford

ISBN: 9781434206152 / 1-4342-0615-7

Publisher: Stone Arch Books, Copyright: 2008

Guided Reading Level: K, Lexile Level: 550L, Page Count: 40
Interactive Book Price: $23.95
http://www.stonearchbooks.com/

Author Bio

Michael Dahl

Michael Dahl

 is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults. He has written The Everything Kid's Joke Book and Gotcha Covered!  His Finnegan Zwake mystery series published by Simon & Schuster won rave reviews and two of its titles were shortlisted for the Edgar and the Anthony Mystery Awards. His nonfiction has won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times. Dahl has spoken at numerous schools, libraries, and conferences across the country on graphic novels and books for boys, and has been a featured speaker at ALA, AASL, NYAEC, TLA, NOLA, EncycloMedia and IRA.

FREE PARKING

http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=37834&sid=278159

     Did you know that the Central Library has a Cellar? OK…it’s really a basement, but I like the clever play on words, when you consider that library volunteers and others organize and “SELL” new and used books there. I visited the Book Cellar, located at 600 Soledad San Antonio, TX 78205. The Phone is: (210) 227-9519. The hours of operation are Monday through Wednesday from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm, Thursdays from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm and Friday through Sunday from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

     According to Linda and Evelyn, Cellar staff, you can find books that have been taken out of circulation from the branches of the San Antonio Public Libraries, books that have been donated from private estates and even that for whatever reason other book sellers and bookstores, decided to donate volumes and volumes of books to The Book Cellar. I also spoke with Rowena and Margret. Rowena asked me if I was there to take her on a date and Margret, took her glasses off, looked me in the eyes and asked me who I was. Charlie was there too; he was busy in the back.
          Book Cellar Fun Facts
• Prison librarians from area prisons come to the Book Cellar to purchase books for  their clientele.
• The Book Cellar is a great place for Teachers, and those that aspire to teach to gather literature resources.
• One Hour Free Parking at the Central Library location.
• Book Cellar web site: http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=37834&sid=278159

     The prices you ask? Let me tell you…the prices! I bought four books for one-dollar and fifty cents that ended up having a potential value of six-hundred and two-dollars and twelve-cents. This doesn’t include the value that the joy of reading or the sharing the written word brings to me, difficult for me to put a price on something like that.

     Below is a summary of the books that I selected, what was paid and an approximant value of the books purchased or savings.
     “The Land of Nod and Other Poems for Children” by Robert Louis Stevenson, a hard cover book for seventy-five cents. On line I found a “paperback” copy of the same book that listed for five-hundred-ninety-four dollars and sixty-nine cents. Wow…I have a book worth five-hundred-ninety-three dollars and ninety-four cents.
     The second book I selected is entitled, “Zalta’s Diary, a Child’s Life in Sarajevo”, by Zalta Filipovic and paid twenty-five cents for it. The book is about an eleven-year old girl that lives through the war in for two years in Sarajevo Bosnia and is eventually allowed to leave the country with her family. Amazon sells the exact copy for one-cent, a penny…ok..I know, but the revised edition list for 15.99, plus shipping plus 3 to 9 days of waiting for the book to arrive, Cha-Ch’ing, cost of the book is going up. The revised edition has a different front cover…with a photo of Zalta, with lots of barbed wire and demolished building. A new photograph, increase of price, plus, plus: I’ll spend the extra .24 cents.
     The third book selected is entitled, “Created by God, About Human Sexuality for Older Boys and Girls”, by Doris Brown Glass with James H. Ritchie. Created by God takes on the spiritual approach to addressing exactly what the title says it’s about; “About Human Sexuality for Older Boys and Girls”…Not sure how I’d use this book in a public school classroom. It would be a great resource to use for answering some of the hard to answer questions children ask. Anyway, I paid fifty-cents. The online book store named after a river in the brazilin jungle has it listed, new, for 6.95 cents. My savings on this book was a whopping, six-dollars and forty-five cents.
     And book number four is entitled “Bali, Life and Legends, An activity book with seventeen worksheets, filled with facts and information on the Balinese-Indonesian way of life. I got it for twenty-five cents. I did not find this book listed on any of the webs book stores, but it did have a price tag listing it for, 1.98, half of the second originals sellers’ price. So…I can safely say that I saved about one-dollar and seventy-three cents.
     All in all I had a great time talking to the staff and browsing through the book selections at the Book Cellar. Now if I can only find a book teaching me how to make time stand still I could stay for more than an hour.

Chapter 1


Chapter 1 addresses the value of reading and what teachers need to do to keep students interested in reading. Believing that as a teacher not only can you teach students to read but also to learn to love reading. A teacher should examine their belief system, values and attitudes toward children and education to ensure that the “weeding of the educational garden”, does not take place. Educators that are mature and experienced enough to that know students do not have the same intellectual ability, interest levels or learn the same way Teachers should offer students varieties or broad choices of literature as opposed to reading out of the text book and having students complete worksheets encourages learners to take chances and explore literature; essentially empowering the students to make their own choices.


The teacher must acknowledge that all students are capable of learning by the positive and supportive interaction with them. Those students that are not as strong at reading as others in the class can placed in reading groups with stronger readers so the lower reading level students may learn through peer interaction. Additionally, students should learn that reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and visually representing are all part of the literary experience. Readers may eventually understand that all media is based upon written material, for example, movie scripts, plays and songs. Teachers that integrate language arts in to their curriculum teach topics that are more relevant and meaningful.


Chapter one also stresses the importance of developing a collection of books and creating a reading environment that helps pull students toward or generates such a desire to read that the student begins to look forward to reading events. Exploring the cultures of their students, expanding their intellectual diversity by learning to investigate and understand people different then themselves. Helping students to become lifelong learners; learning for the sake of learning, helping students understand that being able to read and comprehend literature for academic and recreational purposes will affect all aspects of their lives.

           http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/archives

The Fab Four of Inclusive Picture Books

In order for books to better reflect the changing face of the classroom, they must include a diverse range of characters. While books have come a long way in their depiction of multicultural characters, positive portrayals of those with disabilities are still often overlooked. Inclusive children’s books are not stories about disability; nor are the tools to teach others about specific impairments. Rather, they are books with interesting and engaging plot lines and illustrations, which happen to include a character that has a disability.

The four previously posted book reviews; “Seal Surfer”, “Brian’s Bird”, “Are We There Yet”? and “Big Brother Dustin” are some of the many books available regarding Inclusive Children’s Literature.

Seal Surfer
Written by Michael Foreman
Illustrated by Michael Foreman
http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/1623/Seal-Surfer-by-Michael-Foreman.html

A boy and a seal pup strike up an extraordinary friendship that spans decades and sees them both through various stages and relationships in their lives. Fun activities like surfing and fishing are explored and present an active an independent depiction of a boy with a physical disability.

Are we there Yet?
Written by Verna Wilkins
Illustrated by George McLeod & Lynne Willey
http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/bookcb.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=187051629X
Max and Amy are really excited when they learn that their dad has planned a surprise trip to a theme park but it seems that they’ll never arrive. The father in this story is an active and much adored man who has a physical disability.

Brian's Bird

Written by Patricia A. Davis
Illustrated by Layne Johnson, http://www.laynejohnson.com/brian's_bird.htm

Brian is so excited when his parents buy him a pet bird. Everyone is amazed when he teaches it how to talk. When his pesky big brother leaves the door open though, the bird flies out. While Brian’s visual impairment plays a big part in the action of the story, it certainly isn’t the focus of this charming book.

Big Brother Dustin
Written by Alden R. Carter,
Photos by Dan Young & Carol Carter
http://www.best-childrens-books.com/big-brother-dustin.html

Dustin can’t wait to be a big brother! He attends big brother classes to get ready and when his baby sister arrives on the scene, there’s so much he can do to help out. Dustin’s Down syndrome is clearly not something that affects the mutual love that he and his baby sister share.

Downhill Fun: A Counting Book About Winter
Author: Michael Dahl     •     Illustrator: Ouren, Todd

 
Title Summary

Introduces the numbers from one to twelve as skiers, sledders,
and snowboarders whiz down a snowy slope. Readers are
invited to find hidden numbers on an illustrated activity page.
Page Count: 24 • Lexile Level: AD 800L • ISBN: 9781404805798
Reading Level: Grades PreK-2 • Interest Level: Grades PreK-2

http://www.stonearchbooks.com/aspx/pDetail.aspx?EntityGUID=b860acdf-da70-4956-a74f-c08e1d8a71e2

Cold, Colder, Coldest:
Animals That Adapt to Cold Weather

Written By: Michael Dahl • Illustrations by: Jensen, Brian
Page Count: 24 • ATOS Level: 2.6 • ISBN: 9781404810143

Title Summary      

Describes some animals that srvives extremely

cold temperatures and the different ways that

these animals stay warm. Some of the animals

shown include the tundra bumblebee, the Alaskan

blackfish, polar bear and  the emperor penguins.

Reading Level: Grades K-2 • Interest Level: Grades K-2

https://www.stonearchbooks.com/aspx/pDetail.aspx?EntityGUID=74a1866e-0e62-44ab-96ab-8ab0e536a439

Horse Crazy, A book by Jessie Haas

If you like horses or would just like to learn more about horses, try this web site by Jessie Haas.

Jessie’s latest work “HORSE CRAZY, 1001 fun Facts, Craft projects, Games, Activities and Knowhow for Horse Loving Kids” will be available in the Fall of 2009.

A great interactive book children 8 years and older.

Find out more by visiting her web site at: http://jessiehaas.com/index.htm

Climbing Lizzard

To climb or not to climb, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler to brave inclement weather to get that last climb in before day’s end, Or to hold out, waiting for the climate to change…again, challenging, opposing such a storm of nature? To die to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heart ache and the thousand natural shocks, into the hearts of the lizard waiting to scurry up the rock face or to belay for your fellow lizard, to grunt and sweat under the a weary life waiting while the wind pushes you to your destiny…without grabbing on to and landing where you may …