Picture Perfect Pick: Back To School With Bigfoot

Back To School With Bigfoot
by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough
Illustrated by Dave Presser
Arthur A. Levine Books
40 pages (page count from Amazon)
ISBN: 9780545859738

Available June 27, 2017

. Back to school is tough for anyone, but can you imagine if you were Bigfoot?

Quirky illustrations will win readers over including a favorite on the first spread depicting a young student coming unglued over a pile of texts including the titles: Learning Is Hard, Hard Math, Impossible Math, Vague Geography, and Grammar Ain't Easy.

Bigfoot is worried about school. Shopping for clothes and shoes is impossible for someone his size. He decides school is overrated and he'll just stay home, but he will miss his teacher, Miss Sierra Nevada! And his friends. He thinks about all the fun he will miss with his friends and even dreams of becoming the Valebigtorian of the class! Bigfoot happily agrees to go back to school where he can meet his friends and have fun.

Bigfoot is an affable character smiling on each page. He is lovable and winsome and every reader will want to meet him.

This little charmer would be a great read for a child who is afraid of going to school for the first time or to a new school.

Highly recommended for young readers.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the F & G from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Hot Tech Tools for the Classroom and Beyond

Hot Tech Tools for Classroom and Beyond

                                      Some for testing, some for studying, some just for fun!

                                                               List by Pamela Thompson, LMS

                                                              http://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/

http://www.flubaroo.com/    Use with Google docs; self-grading tests, send reports, and best of all, email students their grades. Save time grading. Flubaroo does it for you!

https://edshelf.com/  Get a free account; extensive collection of apps, web links, lessons that teachers can use and add content of their own. A great place for ideas!

https://infogr.am/  Create charts and infograms for free.

http://www.cdc.gov/bam/gameroom.html   games for kids from the CDC; interactive learning

https://www.geoguessr.com/  Students can play in single or challenge mode; guess their location using blank world map and photo. Great fun!

http://bighugelabs.com/  Free site to make your photos into amazing things! Movie posters, puzzles, mosaics, special filters.

http://www.fotobabble.com/  create talking photos and slideshows. Add a message to photos.

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/  create flashcards to study for your next exam; share them with students, friends or study groups.

http://www.funbrain.com/  games to hone math and reading skills; fun!

http://www.imagechef.com/  Choose a photo/image and add your own words; share to Twitter or Facebook.

                            

Professional Pick: The Handbook for Storytellers

The Handbook for Storytellers
by Judy Freeman and Caroline Feller Bauer
ALA Editions
2015
394 pages with subject, author and title  indices
ISBN: 9780838911006

The Handbook for Storytellers is a must-have how to book for storytellers.

This handy how-to compendium is  for seasoned storytellers or beginning tale tellers and is bound to become the most highlighted, tagged, bookmarked, post-it noted, and dog-eared well-loved volume on the book shelf. Judy Freeman has left no stone unturned. She has included numerous well-loved and lesser known stories that can be used with children of all ages. Her helpful hints include ideas of using props including kites, textiles, dolls, puzzles and toys. Ideas for gifts for children to take away from an event  include uncooked pasta to remember Strega Nona, dried peas in remembrance of "The Princess and the Pea," or a piece of rope to remember  The Lion & the Mouse.

I was fortunate enough to attend a day-long session where  Freeman."presented" As a presenter, she came equipped with literally thousands of props, books, instruments, artifacts, and odds and ends. Out of seemingly magical trunks, she created an experience for the audience that this educator/librarian will never forget. A child lucky enough to see Freeman perform would be mesmerized. Storytelling is a time honored tradition that should be embraced and practiced in every library, classroom and children's program. There is nothing as magical as listening--truly listening-- to a wild tale and creating that "movie" in one's mind.

Folklore stories and trickster tales, myths, legends, fairy tales, and modern day versions of old tales are included in the book. Freeman also adds "Favorite Stories To Tell"--the favorites selected by Bauer and Freeman out of thousands of books and stories they both have read/learned. These are listed by subject for easier accessibility.  Stories are listed by title, author, and publication and contain a brief synopsis. The indices in the back of the book also allow storytellers to find what they need. The preface by Freeman is a beautiful testament to the two authors' friendship and collaboration. Freeman expresses her love and gratitude for the dynamo she knew as Caroline Feller Bauer. I never met Bauer, but I've seen Judy perform, and it's a gift. If you ever have a chance to attend one of her seminars, you will have a front row seat to something that will change your presentations forever.

I love this book! It will come in handy in any program. My copy already has tons of post-it notes sticking out of it. Post-it note inventor, thank you!

Highly, highly recommended for any librarian, teacher, minister, public speaker, presenter, counselor, well, just about everyone!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)