Many of us have friends and family who are in the military, and most people probably know at least one person with a friend or family member in the military. While every day is likely Armed Forces Day for those with loved ones serving overseas, today is the official day when we all band together to show our support of, and respect for, the members of the U.S. Armed Forces. So to all those brave men and women who make the choice to wear the uniform and potentially risk their lives in order to protect ours: thank you.

You can find some great Armed Forces–themed reads below.

Military Branches Pack
Available in SeeSaw May

100 Days and 99 Nights
by Alan Madison
Available in Arrow May

An Inside Look at the U.S. Navy SEALs
by Joe Funk
Available in Storia eBooks

Military Machines Pack
Available in SeeSaw June

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
by Mark Owen
Available in BookBeat

Dogs on Duty: Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Available in Club Shop

“Our ship was under attack, but my sailors fought bravely. After a fierce battle, our ship sank, and we had to abandon it. I was the only survivor to reach the shore of a deserted island; everyone else was lost.…”

Check back daily to find out how to purchase your very own copy of Beware the Mysterious Island by the students of P.S. 279—and find out how this brave soul survives the hidden island without his shipmates!

Author Bio: Allister Edwards is an administrative coordinator for Scholastic Book Clubs.

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

We think you can do both—enjoy the world and improve it too! Taking Care of Our Earth (Grades PreK­–K) and the other Knowledge Quest! Read-Aloud Collections on ecology for grades K–3 inspire kids to enjoy the outdoors during spring and summer, learn about our natural environment, and care for the earth.

We’ve got a plan to help you easily incorporate Common Core skills as you motivate young children to take care of the earth and learn how it takes care of us.

Read Aloud Every Day:
- Research has shown that children’s ability to understand content through listening outpaces their comprehension through reading from infancy to middle school age. By reading aloud to children daily—without burdening them with decoding words on a page—you’re able to help them learn more about interesting topics and increase their in-depth knowledge.

We love Maureen Wright’s Earth Day, Birthday! as a great introduction to the ideas of recycling and reusing.

Start with Questions:
- What do children already know? What do they want to know? To help introduce the read-alouds and frame the learning goals, our team of experts has created “Quest Questions” for each collection.

The Quest Questions for Taking Care of Our Earth are:
- How does the earth take care of us?
- Why should people take care of the earth?
- How can I take care of the earth?
- Where does trash go?
- What is recycling?

Build Vocabulary:
Reinforce the vocabulary from the Taking Care of Our Earth read-alouds in your discussions and related activities. The selected vocabulary words target essential concepts from each book and the collection as a whole.

Enjoy the Activities:
The activities that come with each guidebook not only extend the learning of the collection’s content, they are built to meet Common Core State Standards. Most importantly, they’re fun and easy for both parents and teachers to use.

We’re not claiming to have all the answers for taking care of our earth, but we hope this collection will encourage adults and children alike to enjoy our world and improve it!

For additional activities and ideas about reducing, reusing, and recycling, check out:

Recycle Creatively with This Sunny Scavenger Hunt
Winning Ideas for Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling in the Classroom
Helpful Resources for Taking Care of Our Earth

Taking Care of Our Earth (Grades PreK–K) is available in Firefly April and June.

Buy Now [Teachers | Parents]

Author copy: Blog author Sue Rosenthal is a freelance writer and website producer. She works closely with an amazing team of editors and educational experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and the Knowledge Quest! program.

(Make it to the end for a surprise!)

You can find the first two books in the Abandon trilogy, Abandon and Underworld, in BookBeat right now!

Scholastic Children’s Thesaurus: I know I have mentioned this before, but having access to a digital thesaurus makes me ecstatic! After the students plan what they are going to write about, we look at words that can help make their word choice more precise for their intended audience. Instead of just using the word climb, they can use the word ascend, mount, or scale. Instead of using win, students can use triumph or prevail. They can use the highlighting feature to highlight the words they have chosen and perhaps highlight sentences they want to bring their attention to. To make looking up words easy too, an index is included at the end of the book. Besides that, the zoom feature makes it easier for kids to read the book, which is made more possible with eBooks.

Besides that, I always start by modeling quality literature. I focus a great deal on leads because they set the tone for the book. Looking at The 39 Clues #1: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan, the book starts off with: “Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will. Her lawyer brought out the alternate version, which had been her most guarded secret for seven years. Whether or not she would actually be crazy enough to use it, William McIntyre had never been certain.” This lead creates a negative tone of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. Besides this novel, I also recommend the beginnings from A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin because of the unique narration and Paint the Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan because of the way she crafted her word choice. Antarctica by Walter Dean Myers also is excellent for eliciting mind movies from a nonfiction perspective. Using Storia is good for previewing a variety of books because students do not need to bring a massive stack of books back to their seats. They can highlight words the authors used to set the tone. If a word invigorates them, they can look it up in the dictionary and perhaps use the sticky note feature for a quick reference to keep a list of words they particularly like at the top of the page.

Students can also use books on Storia to preview ways authors introduce characters, create mind movies using words, use figurative language in general, and progress their plot. Using books like Henry’s Freedom Box is something I highly recommend because of the length—students often write books about the same length, sometimes longer, and I can explain plot progression in one mini-lesson.

Now for the book publishing project itself. After students spend two weeks planning an original story, working on it, and sometimes typing it as well, they receive a blank book I purchase through a company called Bare Books. I review the books with the class, making sure their grammar is appropriate. Before I distribute the blank books for them to create their final products, I discuss how authors present their books to the reader—their illustrations, how the first letter in a chapter can be decorative, and how certain excerpts are sometimes in italics or fancy script. Of course there are graphic novels as well, like Goosebumps^®: 3 Ghoulish Graphix Tales: Creepy Creatures, for students who may want to create a visual masterpiece themselves. Having the eBook in front of them may inspire them—plus they won’t have to be concerned about the book staying open!

I also like to show how many different authors approach one topic. Since my Storia library boasts a plethora of Titanic-related books, I can model the difference between how the authors approached the same premise while staying true to their style.

The book publishing adventure concludes with a delectable breakfast, often the morning of our annual awards ceremony, which takes place at the end of the day. In 2008, reporter Linnea Brown from our local newspaper, Hernando Today, came to our classroom to speak with my students about their products. This is an ideal project for the end of the year because students can express themselves in creative ways and have a choice of topic/format/genre/illustrations/other text features. If you choose to do a book publishing project with your class, enhancing your lessons with Storia or not, you may contact me through my website, www.jasztalville.com. 

Author Bio: Victoria Jasztal is in her ninth year of teaching fourth grade in rural Brooksville, Florida. She has been working for Scholastic since August 2009, when she became the Grades 3–5 Teacher Advisor, contributing to the Classroom Solutions blog. She has also been a member of Scholastic’s National Advisory Board since August 2010.

Happy May reading!

HONEYBEE

Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman and Jacky Davis
Reviewed by Lyndsey, First-Grade Teacher, Wake Forest, North Carolina

I loved reading this story! It was the perfect book to read to my first graders and talk about the feeling of fear and being brave. Lulu is so excited for her first trip to the beach. Her family and her dog, Bingo, venture onto the sand ready for a day of fun and sun. However, when Lulu and Bingo reach the edge of the ocean the loud sound of the crashing waves and the huge surf make them fearful of going in. So they go off and find other fun beach activities to do! After some time Lulu loses her favorite pail in the ocean and must save it. This is where she becomes Ladybug Girl, and with all the bravery she can muster she goes into the ocean. She realizes it’s not so bad and that is where she spends the rest of her day!

What a great story to read to your child before going to the beach for the first time. They can be introduced to things they may encounter and you can have a conversation with them before you get there about trying new things and being brave. It is also a great way to introduce Ladybug Girl—maybe deep down inside we are all some type of superhero!

This book is good for:

• Reading before going to the beach for the first time
• Writing a story about yourself and creating your own “superhero”
• Discussing feelings of fear and bravery

My Daddy and Me by Tina Macnaughton
Reviewed by Linda, Second-Grade Teacher, Oakdale, California

This is a delightful rhyming book with bears as the characters. The cub shares how s/he feels when spending time with his/her father. Each page includes a double-page illustration as well as one line of text. With each line, there is a picture of an applicable activity that human dads do with their own children. The love that is shared between a father and a child is clearly illustrated, in both the text and the art, in this adorable story.

Ideas for use in the classroom:

• Before reading the book to the class, brainstorm a list of things the students like to do with their fathers.
• Identify the rhyming words in the story.
• Brainstorm a list of things that make our fathers special.
• Discuss ways we can show our fathers that we love them.
• Create a classroom bulletin board that includes the lists generated from the brainstorming mentioned above. Then pin up photos of each of the students’ fathers, as well as your own.
• Make a Father’s Day card, or write a letter to Dad.
• Even though this is a picture book that is written for very early readers, it would be great to use with older kids around Father’s Day. Older children could rewrite the book and include photos of their fathers and them doing the things mentioned in the book.
• Invite the fathers in for a Donuts with Dads classroom activity.

FIREFLY

My Dad! by Steve Smallman, Illustrated by Sean Julian
Reviewed by Cathy, Georgia Mom

If you’re looking for a really cute book to celebrate the unique bond between a father and child, My Dad! is the perfect book for you! Not only are the illustrations absolutely adorable, but the book is so great. It’s a rhyming book, which was great for my three-year-old. We loved the pictures and he laughed numerous times at what was being said about dads.

The book explores all the different things that dads do with their kids. They jump in puddles, support them when riding bikes, cheer ’em up when they’re crying or sad, and always love them. It’s really sweet, and there are some really funny parts of the book.

It’d be a great book for a new dad for his first Father’s Day, or for any dad on Father’s Day for that matter. Definitely give this one a read and I promise you’ll love it as much as we did.

SEESAW

The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer
Reviewed by Kimberley, New Jersey Mom

The Boy Who Cried Ninja is a delightful book about being truthful. Much like the old fable about the boy who cried wolf, this book is about a young boy who tells tall tales and gets his parents very upset with his lying. But this book has a twist ending you will never see coming that will have your children in stitches, laughing out loud as they read.

The book is a quick and easy read with a great moral that even small children will be able to understand. Telling the truth is ALWAYS better than telling lies. I really enjoyed reading this book with my two little ones, and really loved hearing them laughing along at the story as I read it to them. I’m sure you and your children will enjoy this story as much as our family did! This book will make a wonderful addition to your child’s library!

Huck Runs Amuck! by Sean Taylor, Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Reviewed by Paul, New York Dad

Cate and I read Huck Runs Amuck! and it was a big hit. Overall, it was a fun story with imaginative scenarios that kept Cate’s (and my) attention from beginning to end. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments as we made our way through the book, and more than once Cate slapped a hand down on the page as I was turning it so she could look at the scene a few seconds longer.

The story built up drama and then mixed it with repetitive rhymes that eased the tension enough so that it didn’t become stressful for Cate (she tends to get very involved in stories). We paused at the climax of each scene to speculate on what would happen next, and the resolution was usually met with a laugh. I could tell long before we got to the end that we had a winner, and Cate took the book when we were done and went through it beginning to end trying to repeat the story as best she could.

A great story with fun art. I’d recommend it to anyone.

Scooter in the Outside by Anne Bowen, Illustrated by Abby Carter
Reviewed by Elaina, Third-Grade Teacher, Chicago, Illinois

Scooter the dog loves going for walks. He loves barking at other dogs, he loves running, and he loves sniff-sniff-sniffing. What Scooter doesn’t love is stopping at the corner and heading back home. One morning, however, the front door is accidentally left open and the pup decides to take himself for a walk. He enjoys his romp until he makes the choice not to stop at the corner. Suddenly, he finds himself on the “other side,” and his good time turns noisy and frightening! Fire trucks are whizzing by, dump trucks are rumbling, and Scooter is scared! How will he make it home to safety?

This story helps show that the people who love us make choices that are in our best interests, although we might not always agree with them. It is also a great springboard for discussions about making responsible decisions, even when there isn’t someone around to see you.

This story would be great for lessons concerning:

• Responsibility
• Safety
• Character traits
  

LUCKY

Clementine and the Spring Trip by Sara Pennypacker, Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Reviewed by Christina, Mississippi Mom

Clementine and the Spring Trip is a clever and funny book. A third grader named Clementine is the star of six books, this one being number six. Clementine is a peppy girl who is excited for her spring trip to Plimoth Plantation, but there are other things in need of her attention as well. As a surprise for her pregnant mother, Clementine is helping her father with a secret mission from the Pentagon. Okay, fine, the Pentagon is really a 5-sided table for their soon-to-be five-membered family, but it’s a big deal! So is the new girl at school, whose name is really-and-truly Olive! Clementine is not sure if she wants another girl to have a food name like hers. Even worse, Olive has a secret language that Clementine can’t get the hang of.

Okay, fine, plus the spring trip is with the fourth graders who have a lot of rules for Clementine and her classmates. But the worst thing of all is that Clementine has to travel to Plimoth Plantation on BUS SEVEN (aka “The Cloud,” because of the bus’s horrible stink!).

And then, there is all that waiting: waiting for her apple seedling to grow into a tree, waiting for her teacher’s wife to have her overdue baby, waiting to see if Watercress (her brother) will ever realize that he is NOT a comedian, and waiting for April’s National Draw-a-Bird Day to arrive!

Clementine is a lively and likable character who is believable. Her big ideas and her misadventures are very funny. Loyal Clementine fans will be eager to get their noses in this new book! They will also appreciate Clementine’s decision to be herself. Clementine and the Spring Trip is a book that the whole family will love. My brothers and I did!

Ivy + Bean Make the Rules by Annie Barrows, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Reviewed by Phyllis, Arizona Mom

Best friends Ivy and Bean find themselves excluded from one summer camp (Girl Power 4-Ever) because they are too young and another (Puppet Fun) because they are too old. But they yearn to show their own “Girl Power 4-Ever” despite their youth. So these seven-year-old girls set out to create their own version of an alternative camp experience in Monkey Park. They use a copy of the activity sheet from Girl Power 4-Ever and their own imaginations to create a week-long adventure.

First, they choose the name: Camp Flaming Arrow. They decide that a camp needs rules, so their first is “You can only have as much fun as you are willing to get hurt.” Their tent and knot-tying attract the attention of two other children in the park, Franny and Harlan. By the second day, Ivy and Bean promise Franny and Harlan that a Komodo dragon will be found even though they are “very, very rare in Monkey Park.” Sure enough, Ivy catches a “Komodo” in her net before the camp day is over!

Back at home, Bean has to listen to her older sister brag about being chosen to be part of a routine at Girl Power 4-Ever. Bean thinks this combination cheer and dance is dumb. But on Wednesday, she drags a metal washtub to the park to create music, puts thumbtacks in the soles of everyone’s shoes, and tells them to dance to their heart’s content—until Mom shows up to stop the noise in the neighborhood and recover the tub. Physical exercise is the next focus, with strength training starting with picking up a grape.

Thursday they learn first aid, and the Heimlich maneuver is the first technique. Everyone gets to practice using fake blood. Then everyone turns into zombies and wanders right through the Puppet Fun group, scaring some of the younger kids badly.

At week’s end, their last topic is famous women. Ivy is the first to play the role of Boudicca, Queen of the Britons, fighting Roman soldiers to their death. The lead shifts from camper to camper. When no one wants to be a Roman soldier anymore, they substitute trash blowing in the wind. After a while, all the campers end up in the water fountain, along with the garbage they collected.

Find out how older sister Nancy compares her Girl Power 4-Ever experience with Camp Flaming Arrow by reading this hilarious and engaging chapter book with your favorite second or third grader!

TAB

National Geographic Kids: Everything Battles by John Perritano and James Spears
Reviewed by Becky, Illinois Mom

We were elated when we received our latest review selection to find National Geographic Kids: Everything Battles!

I have found, through helping in the library at my son’s school, that as boys get older they are more reluctant to read. Well, National Geographic Kids has a wonderful line of nonfiction “Everything” books, chock-full of fascinating facts and stories alongside the full-color photos that National Geographic is renowned for worldwide, all in a kid-friendly format. This series is a hit with boys, and of course, girls read them too!

Everything Battles is everything you ever wanted to know about battles, from “What is a battle?” to “What is victory?” to battles on land, at sea, and in the air. Everything Battles covers it all, again in a kid-friendly format.

This is a beautiful full-color book, and each topic is covered in two pages, making it just enough pertinent information for young minds to absorb without being overwhelmed. Each topic also opens the door for more questions to ask about the subject matter, encouraging research.

We already subscribe to National Geographic Kids magazine, so my son was excited to read this book to me and with me, and we both learned a lot of information about battles. He also had a revelation though discussion that war doesn’t really solve anything, which made it a difficult yet necessary teaching moment.

I highly recommend this series to any family with a child who craves to learn more about one subject, and also to any family that wants to teach their children more about one subject.

I also recommend this series to adults, because you should never stop learning, and this series is a way to learn more about one subject in an easy-to-read format.

But first, the fantastic nominees:

1. Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel
2. Get the Scoop on Animal Poop! by Dawn Cusick
3. Homer by Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner
4. National Geographic Kids: Just Joking
5. Pluto Visits Earth! by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Jared Lee

And the winner in the office poll, which just happens to be the formal winner of the Children’s Choice Book Award is…

BAD KITTY FOR PRESIDENT!

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts on this book, the other nominees, or other favorites you had in mind.

Stay tuned this week to hear about the rest of our office picks—and the formal Children’s Choice Book Award stars!

Introducing the Scholastic Writers of Tomorrow from P.S. 135:

Stranded: Tales of Survival will take you on many unforgettable trips as you read each story. Some will make you laugh and some will have you wondering what will happen next. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these adventures!

Author Bio: Allister Edwards is an administrative coordinator for Scholastic Book Clubs.

Taking Care of Our Earth (grades PreK–K) is a fun and thoughtful selection of age-appropriate read-alouds about how the earth takes care of us and how we can help conserve resources and limit pollution.

The Celebrate Earth Day Every Day! collection (grades K–1) explores why and how each of us can take care of the earth, in addition to delving into where trash goes, how to limit waste and conserve resources by recycling, and what it means to be green.

Save the Planet! (grades 2–3) investigates how we can protect and wisely use the earth’s natural resources, and examines what happens when humans cause damage to the environment.  Children will discuss how the three R’s—reduce, reuse, and recycle—can help protect the environment for future generations.

The Knowledge Quest! Read-Aloud Collections on ecology, along with the other themed Knowledge Quest! collections, come with an accompanying guidebook, making it easy to use the books as a teaching tool and correlate the fun activities to the Common Core State Standards. Each collection is designed to help parents and teachers grow the reading and language arts skills children need for school, college, and careers. We invite you to learn more and order these collections at scholastic.com/knowledgequest.

For More Information and to Purchase:
The Knowledge Quest! Read-Aloud Collection:
Taking Care of Our Earth (grades PreK–K)
is available in Firefly April.
Buy Now  [Teachers | Parents]

The Knowledge Quest! Read-Aloud Collection:
Celebrate Earth Day Every Day! (grades K–1)
is available in SeeSaw April.
Buy Now  [Teachers | Parents]

The Knowledge Quest! Read-Aloud Collection:
Save the Planet! (grades 2–3)
is available in Lucky April.
Buy Now   [Teachers | Parents]

Author Bio: Sue Rosenthal is a freelance writer and website producer. She works closely with an amazing team of editors and educational experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and the Knowledge Quest! program.

To get ready for the big event, we’ll be having a giveaway! One lucky grand prize winner will win signed copies of Abandon, Underworld, and the unreleased last book in the series, Awaken! Four runners-up will receive signed copies of Abandon and Underworld!

To enter, simply comment on this post with the phrase, “My favorite Meg Cabot book is…” and tell us the title of your favorite book by this fabulous author!

You have until 11:59 p.m. on May 15 to enter. What are you waiting for? Enter now!

Please click here for complete rules.

You can find Abandon and Underworld in Book Beat right now!