Be a Citizen Scientist - Counting Birds

Heidi Stemple and Clover Robin have joined their talents to create an awesome book about Frank Chapman who had an idea - that idea was to promote a bird census on Christmas Day to replace the annual hunt that had become a tradition in many communities.  Chapman's idea and promotion of the Bird Count is credited for saving many species of birds.
I wondered what the audience for the book would be - as an adult I LOVED it.  But would the picture book set enjoy it as much.  So one morning I set down to read the book to a kindergartener that hangs around my house before school most days.  He has heard many books since he was a baby and definitely has likes and dislikes.  He LOVED it.  We named birds, talked about geography, talked about counting birds, what identifying birds meant, and learning bird calls, and he wants to count birds. I suggested we start as suggested in the book as bird feeder counters. Well he thought that might be too easy (I'm thinking it is not easy enough.). But we will begin this summer to "practice." And then he thought that his friends in his class will surely want to hear the book. 
We loved learning about Frank Chapman and how one person could make a difference - and the 6-year-old totally got that.The writing is accessible and informative but most of all interesting.  The art is magnificent and showcases Robin's artistic talents superbly.  And how fitting is it that an artist with the last name Robin has illustrated a book about birds?
Anyway whatever happens next, I love having material to get him thinking about being kind and thoughtful (including to birds) developing good citizenship, and being involved in doing something good. Never too early to begin and never too late to start - counting birds and reading.

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Stemple, Heidi E.Y.  Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Featured Friends. (Young Naturalist).  Illustrated by Clover Robin.  Seagrass Press.
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Update 2019 -- Counting Birds was named the Northern Lights Award Winning title in the STEM category.  More information at the award website at:   https://northerndawnawards.com/2019-northern-lights-book-awards-winners/

Previously this book was named:

A 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students: K–12

- The National Science Teachers Association and Children's Book Council

A 2019 Green Earth Book Honor Award in the Picture Book category

- Awarded by The Nature Generation

A 2019 Best STEM Book for K–12 Students

- The National Science Teachers Association and Children's Book Council

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Read more about the author, Heidi Stemple on her website at http://www.heidieystemple.com/.  Follow her on Twitter @heidieys and Facebook as Heidi E.Y. Stemple.
Read more about the collage artist and illustrator Clover Robin, on her website at http://www.cloverrobin.com/.  Follow her on twitter  @cloverrobin; and on instagram @clover_robin, or on Facebook as cloverrobincollage.  

If you have other great books about birds, great field guides for identifying birds, or identifying bird calls or other great collaborative reads please post those suggestions in the comments.

And if you wish to have Quarto Books' great 8 page teachers guide to this book you will find a pdf of the guide on Stemple's website http://heidieystemple.com/downloadables/tg-counting-birds.pdf  (a free downloadable guide).

This book gets ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ five hearts.

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Collaborative reads/views:

Kid Time Story Time. (2018 December 20). Counting Birds - Reading for Kids (a STEM Christmas book). — a reading of the book by Heidi E. Y. Stemple, with interspersed comments by the reader. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/08aceCeWwtQ

 Public Broadcasting System (PBS). (2013, November 24). Counting birds. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/video/counting-birds-counting-birds/ — a 56 minute narrative about the history of and the bird count origin and the contemporary counts in NH, ME, Ecuador, and Cuba. National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count.

Richmond, Susan Edwards. (2019). Bird Count. Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. Peachtree. Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends. Illustrated by Clover Robin.  Quarto Kids.

Little Green Witch (or maybe The Little Red Fort)

Fall is coming and that brings along some favorite books for Halloween.  But before we can really enjoy one of my favorites Little Green Witch by Barbara Barbieri McGrath. Illustrated by Martha G. Alexander. (Charlesbridge, 2005) we need to start now and read all the versions of "Little Red Hen" that we can get our hands on.  Check out the lesson sequence created for the "Little Red Hen" tale at http://bit.ly/littlereadhen. 
Read the poem "The Mouse, The Frog, and the Little Red hen"  - a copy can be found at http://bit.ly/LRHpoem.  And then during the last week in October read Little Green Witch by Barbara Barbieri McGrath.

It'll be worth a search to find this gem.  And pay close attention to the illustrations and the literary allusions to the little red hen.  Alexander's sly inclusions are inspired.

And when checking the companion books mentioned, don't miss making Great-Granny's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake.
Check this blog entry: http://bit.ly/LRH-shortcake 

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But if you have missed any of the chances to share Little Green Witch as a finalé during the fall be sure to read this brand new twist on Little Red Hen -  The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier, with illustrations by Sonia Sanchez (Scholastic, 2018).  This is a girl-powered perspective on cooperation today.  A great read.

Little Red Hen's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake

Big Brown Rooster is Little Red Hen's grandson and shades of his grandmother BB Rooster has the same difficulties getting help as did the Little Red Hen.  But all comes out well in the end when the menagerie of friends finally share a strawberry shortcake.

As presented by Big Brown Rooster in Janet Steven's book 

Great-Granny's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake

is easy to make and a delight to share after reading a copy of Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel  (Harcourt, 1999)

Great-Granny's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (one stick)

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup milk

3 to 4 cups strawberries, washed and sliced

whipped cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Sift flour, then sift together dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add egg and milk, stirring by hand just enough to moisten.  Spread dough in greased 8 x 1 1/2 inch round pan. building up edges slightly.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.  Remove cake from pan; cool on rack for 5 minutes.  Split into two layers; lift top off carefully.  Alternate layers of cake, whipped cream, and strawberries, ending with strawberries on top.

Pumpkin Book Characters — Creativity on Display

Willy the Gorilla

Creating favorite book characters from pumpkins is not a new idea but it is certainly one that inspires creativity.  This activity is especially popular during the fall season when pumpkins are popular.  One of my favorite six-year-olds (PEB) attends an elementary school that has used this idea in the past, and again this year (2019).  He wanted to be involved -- and he was emphatic that it wasn't a contest.  And that fake pumpkins should be used.  Best information I got ... but it was enough.  Many schools and libraries specify pumpkins that are not cut or carved (to prevent decay).

Click on image to access
a larger copy of this sample flyer.

Get Started in YOUR School or Library - Encourage Creativity and Reading

Many schools have developed procedures for creating a focus on reading and thinking about book characters by promoting maker activities to create book characters from pumpkins.  An elementary school in Selma, Illinois has developed a successful contest using the pumpkin book character concept.  Their exemplary handout - outlining their procedures may help provide a starting point for your own flyer announcing your school's pumpkin book characters display.

Back to Echo Hill and Still a Gorilla

The first thing I asked, "So what book character do you want to do?"
PEB: Willy the Gorilla
The character was Willy, a gorilla, from a book Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman (Orchard Books, 2017).  As it turns out Willy was PEB's current favorite.  Willy wants to be anything but a gorilla... a lion (If Willy, "roars will he be a lion, no, still a gorilla").  Tusks do not make him a walrus, nor can Willy be a billy goat, an alligator, or a kangaroo.  No matter what he does Willy will be "Still a gorilla." 


So, I asked, "How will Willy be a pumpkin."  PEB had an answer, "If Willy painted himself orange he would be a pumpkin."  The conversation took the logical path,  "Would he be a pumpkin?"  His answer (with an impish grin), "No, still a gorilla."  So his project was born.
Felt would make the face, with eyes and mouth.  The face could then be glued to the pumpkins - one orange pumpkin for the pumpkin Willy, and one black pumpkin for the Still a Gorilla Willy.

And as book characters are brought into the library, Katie Merulla, library media specialist, takes the picture and posts it to the school Instagram site @echohilllm.

Celebration of creativity and reading.

A great experience:
Celebrating reading, creativity, parent and child connections, and a chance to showcase favorite books of the moment.

Please share other campaigns you have developed for encouraging similar overreaching goals.