Toad Weather

Toad Weather
by Sandra Markle; illus. by Thomas Gonzalez
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree, 2015

OK, I'll admit it... I chose this book by the cover. I mean, how can anyone resist those boots? Or a toad?

theme: animals, nature
In the gloomy gray
of a March day
 the spring rain keeps falling.

Ally wants to go outside but it's wet out there. Umbrella and boot weather. But Mama has seen something important, so off they go, splish-splashing their way down the city sidewalks. There are reflections in the puddles, colors swirling on the water, and the sound of raindrops drumming on their slickers. And a surprise: a sign that says TOAD DETOUR.

What I like about this book:
Lots of sounds. Lots of rain. And TOADS! Everywhere! Hopping, plopping, trying to make their way to their pond. Which means crossing the road. Will people help them? 

Beyond the book:

What kind of toads (or frogs) live around you? I always find American Toads in my garden, hiding in the shade. Sometimes in the lawn. Take a field guide with you and see who's living in your neighborhood.

How far do toads travel in a single hop? Not far. If you have some toads hanging around your yard, you can measure how far they hop by placing stones or sticks on the ground. Then get a ruler to measure. Compare toad jumps to the jumps of frogs or grasshoppers or crickets - or even you. But to make it fair, compare jump distance to body size.

Is a toad a frog? And how can you tell? (some hints here)

Go on a night walk. Around here, spring peepers can get pretty noisy late in the day. Once the sun falls the night can be positively noisy with frog and toad songs. Here are some of the calls you might hear of you go for a night walk or leave your windows open at night.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.

Like a River ~ Civil War fiction

Like A River
by Kathy Cannon Wiechman
336 pages; ages 9 &up
Calkins Creek, 2015

Fifteen-year-old Leander Jordan's life is full of chores, with a bit of fishing when he can manage, and spending time with a girl he's sweet on. But when he decides to up and join the Union Army, his life changes. He lies about his age, but the guys in the unit can tell he's on the young side. They call him "mama's boy" and tease him about his youthful stature and looks. And when he's wounded in his first battle it isn't even a Rebel bullet what gets him.

Paul Settles heads to war for different reasons, crossing paths with Leander in the army hospital Leander. Paul writes letters home for wounded soldiers who can't write. Paul brings them water. But like Leander, Paul has a secret. And when Leander discovers it, Paul knows it's time to light out for a new unit.

And then there's Given McGlade, who meets up with Paul at the infamous Andersonville prison. These three characters have so much life in them that you forget they aren't real people. That's OK, though, because their experiences were real - to hundreds of people in the 1860s. The starvation and deprivations of Andersonville were real. The sutlers - peddlers that sold food and supplies - to the imprisoned troops were real. The southern mansions-turned-hospitals were real. Attempted escapes and forced marches were real.

Finally, when the POWs were released, many boarded the Sultana to ride the Mississippi north, to home. Wiechman includes that real maritime disaster as well. It's amazing that people made it home from that war. But they did and they had stories to tell - some with endearing endings, like this book.

You can find out more about author Kathy C. Wiechman at her website, and read Kirby Larson's interview with her here.

 Today is Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and we're hanging out with other MMGM bloggers over at Shannon Messenger's blog. Hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by publisher.

Spectacular Spots ~ blog tour

Spectacular Spots
by Susan Stockdale
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree Publisher, 2015

theme: nonfiction, animals

opening: 
Spots on creatures all around,
way up high and on the ground.

In simple and engaging rhyming text, Susan Stockdale explores where - in the animal world - we can find spots.

What I like: the action words. There are gliding snails, swimming turtles, crawling crabs and charging cheetahs. This is a fun book to read just for the language. I also love the illustrations... my favorites are the sea slugs and the spotted owls that you see on the cover.

I also like the back matter. There are two pages filled with additional information about the animals she includes, plus a "Find the Spot" challenge.

Beyond the book: Check out these blog-tour stops. At the Peachtree blog, Susan talks about her illustration process. And over at the Uncommon Corps Susan talks more about the research she does for her illustrations, and gives more examples of her process.

See Spot. Go on a Spot hike. Look for animals (birds, insects, pets) with spots and dots.

See Spot run. Write a list of action words to describe how animals with spots move.

See Spot count. Do you have any spots (freckles)? How many? Do you have a pet with spots? Try to count them.

See Spot paint. Draw or paint a portrait of your favorite spotted animal. OR make a mask out of a paper grocery bag. OR paint your face with spots.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.