Thought for the Day:
“A world without adjectives would still have the sun rising and setting, the flowers blooming, the trees bearing fruits, the birds singing, and the bees stinging.”
~ A.A. Patawaran ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
We all have writer’s block sometimes. The post HERE from The Mixed-Up Files of … Middle-Grade Authors will give you some great ideas for breaking the block.
BookBaby has some great tips HERE to help you look at your writing with fresh eyes.
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I love research. Sometimes I get lost in it and don’t get much writing done. HERE is great post on primary sources from the Non-Fiction Ninjas blog.
I may not be here next week. Maggie is coming to town to get ready for her benefit concert, and I want to spend as much time as possible with her. However, if she is busy working on her album, I might have time to post. No promises. Just know if I’m not here it means I am having some excellent family time.
I am not a scientist, but I am interested in almost anything that falls under the big umbrella of science. My husband was a scientist, and we often talked about different areas of science. I actually got a supplementary science credential when I first started teaching and taught a science class for part of a semester until the school could find a real science teacher. I took an astronomy class and taught what I learned each week and hoped they would find someone else before we finished the astronomy unit. They did and the kids were saved. But I do love books about all things scientific. When I spotted Tell Me Earth & Sky, a Barron’s Education Series book on the review list for the San Francisco Book Review, I grabbed it. It is a really fun book. Here is the review I wrote for them.
One thing anyone who spends time with children knows is that what they all have in common is curiosity. Books that can help kids answer their endless questions are always a bonus. This wonderful book is filled with over 200 questions and the answers to them. Each spread in the book has four questions with cute illustrations for each. All are laid out on grid paper with tiny related illustrations around the edges. The writing is fun and kid-friendly but filled with real, useful information. The four tabbed sections cover The Universe, The Solar System, The Earth, and Humans. The questions cover such things as, “What will happen if an asteroid smashes into the Earth?” and “When will the Sun burn out?” and “What did the men do on the Moon?” This is a book that can take what kids have to dish out. It is printed on glossy card stock and spiral bound inside a heavy hardcover with an elastic band built in to keep it closed. Two pages of space-related stickers in the back are a fun bonus. This is a great book for a car trip or just to keep youngsters busy and learning. It’s a winner!
I have a gently-read copy of this book for one of you. All you need do is be a follower or subscriber (it’s free!), have a U.S. address, and leave a comment below. If you would like extra chances, please share the link to this post on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet and let me know you have done that. If you are reading this in your email, please click HERE to get to my blog, then click on the title of the post, and leave a comment. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
I love science, too, Rosi. So do all three of my grown kids. This sounds like a good one. Thanks for the review and the giveaway!
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You’re welcome. Good luck in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by.
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Have a great time with your daughter. This sounds like a great book that I would have enjoyed reading with my daughter when she was younger. I’m going to let someone with kids win this.
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Thanks for the comment, Natalie. Always nice to see you here.
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You deserve some excellent family time with Maggie. Thinking of her and you.
This book sounds like something my five-year-old grandnephew would love. He’s very curious! I love that it’s printed on card stock. And stickers are a wonderful bonus.
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This could be great to share with a curious five-year-old. Thanks for commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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This sounds like a great book for a classroom library and a school library. I’ll pass on the giveaway, though, as I am swimming in unread books. Have a good time with your daughter.
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Thanks. I am enjoying my Maggie time.
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Thanks for the nonfiction ninja link (I forgot about them and read through a few of their blog posts this morning). Science is my favorite topic when writing nonfiction for kids. This book sounds like exciting mentor text for me as well as fun to learn new things, maybe even generate ideas. I shared on tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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Thanks for always sharing my link. I appreciate it. Glad you found a link you like. Good luck in the drawing.
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Non fiction seems to be extremely popular right now. Your review makes it sound like you could spend hours totally engrossed in the question and answer format. Kids also love to share what they learn with a frequent “Did you know…” I like this type of book for the classroom and at home. Please let someone else win as I have a stack of non-fiction waiting to be opened.
The links today were great in that they reinforced many things I have already been doing. Have fun with Maggie and I’m sure it will be a great concert.
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This is a book one could spend a lot of time with. Glad you like the links. I am having fun with Maggie. Thanks for the comment.
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I am delighted you will be spending time with Maggie! I hope the benefit is a successful and you have lots to share. Science wasn’t easy for me as a kid, although I loved nature. I did have questions, and a book like this may have intrigued me. It sounds like a wonderful classroom or travel book.
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I am enjoying having my girl home for a few days. Thanks for stopping by, Patricia. Good luck in the drawing.
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I have some grandkids who would love this book. thanks for the chance to win it!
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You’re welcome. Good luck int he drawing.
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This sounds like the kind of book I’d love to share with some of my kiddos. If I don’t see a posting next week, I’ll be happy knowing you are having a fabulous visit with Maggie. I hope the concert goes amazingly well, and that you all soon have wonderful news.
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Thanks for your good wishes. I am having fun with Maggie being home. Good luck in the drawing.
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As always, I enjoyed your MMGM post, Rosi! I hope you enjoy your time with your daughter and that her concert goes well. I appreciate your sharing this book with us–sounds like a good one. {No need to enter me in the giveaway.} Thanks!
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Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it. I’m glad to know you enjoy my posts.
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Have fun with Maggie. You know that these are the books I love to read and share. (but don’t enter me in your give-away). Earth, sky, and everything in between.
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Thanks, Sue. I am having fun with Maggie. I appreciate you reading and commenting.
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You always have the best writing links–thanks for that! I also really love science, and if I’m being honest, I find the kids’ science books most readable and thoroughly enjoy them. Thanks for the recommendation and I hope your weekend away has been fabulous!
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I’m always glad when someone tells me they like the links. It makes my day. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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