New Book! YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM, Revised and Updated

The skeletal system is made up of about two hundred and six bones.  But what exactly is a bone? And how do bones help your body function?  Explore the skeletal system in my new book.

Your Skeletal System is an updated and reillustrated version of my earlier book, The Skeletal System, that was published in the Lerner Earlybird series. (It was also available in Spanish as El Sistema Oseo.)  The new version is part of a series How Does Your Body Work? in the Lerner Searchlight series.  It is also available digitally as a Lerner Interactive Book.  Your Skeletal System is available from the Junior Library Guild.

Your Skeletal System is perfect as the inspiration for art and science projects, especially in October in preparation for Halloween.  Here are some active skeletons, created by students several years ago at  Myers School in Salem, Oregon.  I love the way they appear to dance, leap, wave, and look alive.

Update July 12, 2016: For an excellent study guide for all systems of the body, with lots of links, go to this site at ACLS Online.

Illustrator Ethan Long's "Hand Birds"

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Ethan Long, the talented illustrator of Ann Paul’s Iguana books (Tortuga in Trouble, Count on Culebra, Fiesta Fiasco, Manana Iguana) and many others.  It was fun to compare notes about today’s children’s book world and hear about his many projects.  Ethan lives in Florida but was spending several weeks in Los Angeles, working and promoting his new books.  When I visited his website I discovered the report of his visit to Pages Books in Manhatten Beach and the simple but brilliant art project he did there with the kids, turning outlines of their hands into lively birds.  The thumb became the bird’s head and the splayed out fingers the wings and tail. 

Project: Paper Plate Animals

Paper plates may have been invented for eating, but they make great beginnings for art projects of all kinds.  In my school visits I have seen many creative use of paper plates to make animals.  Here are a few examples:

• You can use just one plate to make a head or body.  
• You can use a combination of large and small plates to make a whole animal.  
• You can add features by either drawing or painting on the plates, or by decorating them with cut-out pieces of paper or other materials such as yarn or cotton balls.  

          Let your imagination be your guide!

Can You Roar Like a Lion? Noisytime for Zoo Animals Activity

What kind of noises do animals make?  A lion roars.  A cheetah snarls.  An elephant rumbles.  A sea lion barks.  Each animal “talks” in its very own way.

Learn about animal sounds in Noisytime for Zoo Animals.  I love to read this book when I visit preschool and kindergarten classes.  I ask the children to help me make the animal sounds.  Their favorite is imitating the way a monkey chatters.

Noisytime for Zoo Animals is one of six books in a series about how zoo animals eat, sleep, play, bathe, have babies, and make noise. This easy-to-read book is written for children in preschool to first grade with just one sentence and a photo on each page spread.  Other books in this series are: Mother and Baby Zoo Animals, Mealtime for Zoo Animals, Playtime for Zoo Animals, Sleepytime for Zoo Animals and Splashtime for Zoo Animals. They are all out of print, but you can look for them in your library, online as a used book, or as an ebook on Amazon.

All books in the Zoo Animal series are now available at StarWalk KidsMedia your digital library solution..

Cooking Up Reading: Mealtime for Zoo Animals

What do zoo animals eat? They eat some of the same foods you do. They eat other things too. Young orangutans love to munch on raw broccoli. Here is a broccoli salad you can eat.

Broccoli Salad

You will need:
Large bowl
Small bowl
Large spoon
6 cups broccoli florets
8 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 small jar of bacon bits

Directions:
In the large bowl, toss together broccoli, green onions, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon bits.
In the small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Toss with vegetables to coat. Cover and chill. Eat with you fingers, just like an orangutan!

Mealtime for Zoo Animals is one of six books in a series about how zoo animals eat, sleep, play, bathe, have babies, and make noise.  These easy to read books are written for children in preschool to first grade with just one sentence and a photo on each page spread.

Other books in this series are: Mother and Baby Zoo Animals, Noisytime for Zoo Animals, Playtime for Zoo Animals, Sleepytime for Zoo Animals and Splashtime for Zoo Animals They are all out of print, but you can look for them in your library and they will soon be available online as e-books.

From Kirkus Reviews
It's chow time in the Zoo Animals series, and every one of the animals has a different dinner menu. Since mealtime is one of the biggest draws for young zoo visitors, these full-color photographs of the creatures eating will be a hit. While a rhinoceros clips the lawn like ``a giant living lawn mower,'' an elephant scoops up different fruits (peels included) to make a fruit salad in its mouth. A sentence or two accompanies every photograph, while the simple index helps emerging readers locate pictures of their favorite animals. It makes for a perfect visual outing on those days when the zoo is closed. (Picture book. 4-7)