PICTURE BOOK - Around the World in Numbers by Clive Gifford

 Illustrated by Josh Hurley

2017, Red Shed (UK), Sterling (US)

CH $14.95

pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.5 - 2 ratings

My rating:  5

Endpapers:  Orange with darker orange animal sketches

Illustrations:  Edge - to - edge, no white, bold colors, great illustrations that jump out at you.

1^st line/s: "Grab you rsuitcase and fill it with facts as you travel through the different countries that make up Europe.  Packed with over 740 million people, there are lots of enormous and tiny numbers to discover, as well as some really surprising ones."

My comments:  I so enjoyed pouring over the facts, numbers, and illustrations in this book.  Although jam-packed with super interesting information, it's not so dense that it's off-putting.  On the contrary, I read each and every statistic and was dazzled by almost all of them.  Such though-provoking information - AND, I discovered a couple of new places to ad to my bucket list.  For older kids, the kind of kids who love maps and encyclopedias and World Record books.  And adults, too!

Goodreads:   Welcome to the fun and surprising world of numbers! 
Did you know there were about 10,000 light bulbs on the Titanic? Or that the Eiffel Tower is repainted every seven years—using 1,500 paintbrushes and 60 tons of paint? This engaging collection of statistics encourages kids’ curiosity by sharing some unbelievable numerical facts from across the globe. From famous landmarks and bustling cities to hidden treasures and incredible creatures, no number is too big or too small. Lively graphic illustrations add to the fun. 

PICTURE BOOK - Earmuffs for Everyone by Meghan McCarthy

How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs
illustrated by the author

2015, Paula Wiseman, Simon & Schuster

HC $17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.59

My rating: 4

Illustrations:  a bit cartoonish, but they work okay.

1^st line/s:  "The word "muff" has been around since the Middle Ages.  Starting in the 1700s, people wore muffs on their hands to keep them warm."

My comments:  Excellent resource to teach kids about researching completely before writing informational/non-fiction.  Chester Greenwood is known - and celebrated - as the INVENTOR OF THE EARMUFF.  But his is not, not at all.  In these 40 pages we learn a little about Chester Greenwood and his life, about the history of earmuffs, about how history became "changed," about inventions and getting a patent for them, and then, by reading the excellent 2-page afterword ("A Note about This Book"), how much research went into correctly chronicling this history.  Includes extensive bibliography and acknowledgements.

Goodreads:  As a young boy, Chester Greenwood went from having cold ears to becoming a great inventor in this nonfiction picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator of Pop! and Daredevil.
          When your ears are cold, you can wear earmuffs, but that wasn't true for Chester Greenwood back in 1873. Earmuffs didn't exist yet! But during yet another long and cold Maine winter, Chester decided to do something about his freezing ears, and he designed the first pair of ear protectors (a.k.a. earmuffs) out of wire, beaver fur, and cloth. He received a patent for his design by the time he was nineteen, and within a decade the Chester Greenwood & Company factory was producing and shipping "Champion Ear Protectors" worldwide!
          But that was just the beginning of Chester's career as a successful businessman and prolific inventor. In this fun and fact-filled picture book you can find out all about his other clever creations. The Smithsonian has declared Chester Greenwood one of America's most outstanding inventors. And if you';re ever in Maine on December 21, be sure to don a pair of earmuffs and celebrate Chester Greenwood day!

Groundhog Weather School - Joan Holub

Illustrated by Kristin Sorra
G. P. Putnam's, 2009
$16.99
32 pages
My rating: 5
Grades 1-4
Endpapers: 3 shades of aqua - blueprints of a groundhog's burrow.

Because the winter weather is different depending on where you live, the head weather groundhog decides to open a groundhog weather school. He advertises and we see many different animals examining the ads. School begins and we meet a number of the students. We read their reports on actual "real" famous groundhogs - from Punxatawny Phil in PA to Sir Walter Wally in NC to Buckeye Chuck in OH -- and even Pierre C. Shadeaux in LA - eight in total. We learn about natural weather predictors (ie: tree leaves curl up if there's moisture in the air). We learn a bit about famous weathermen, facts about groundhogs and their lives, the reasons for seasons, how shadows happen - and then we follow several of the students who graduate - and what happens between then and February 2nd (Groundhog's Day).

Comical. Clever. Entertaining. Interesting. Informative. Jam-packed with information, this book completely won me over: My 4th graders would love it - a fun, easy way to learn all SORTS of things!

Illustrations cover the page in medium tones...and the groundhogs are adorable!

And by-the-way...this very morning, February 2nd, the groundhog saw his shadow - so six more weeks of winter. A horrible thing for Northeast Harbor, Maine which wakes up to a frigid 8 degress this morning, but an awesome thing for sunny southern Arizona which wakes up to high-40's and gets leaves work in the 60's.....let's keep the heat down for as long as possible!

Thirty Days Has September

Cool Ways to Remember Stuff
Scholastic, 2008
124 pgs.
1st published in Britain
$9.99

Here's a great gift for every 4th - 8th grade student! Not only does it have "cool wasy to remember stuff," but it has lots of interesting facts.

"In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue."
There's edeifinely no A in definite.

Clues for punctuation, homonyms, grammar, mnemonic devices for remembering historical dates, the presidents, geography, the 50 states, colors -- dates -- planets -- chemical formulas -- multiplication memorization (and even waaay more difficult math concepts)...every clued that's out there is in here.

MOVIE - Capitalism, A Love Story

Really interesting, but choppy
Released Oct. 2, 2009
NR (2:07)
Nov. 28, 2009 at Century Gateway with Fran
RT: 75% cag: Pretty much the same, I guess
Director: Michael Moore

The top 1 percent of this country has the wealth of the lowest 95 percent. Unimaginable. Unbelievable. This time, Michael Moore goes after the the banks, the CEO's that run the government, insurance policies that are taken out by companies on their employees (with the company as the beneficiary), the low pay of airline pilots, worker-owned companies.....big business...big business...capitalism....

It's all interesting, but I'm not quite sure how some of it fits together. It's not at all seamless. And I, as a watcher, and left thinking....OKAY, if that's so, what can I DO???? There's no insight into that.

The Big Snow - Berta & Elmer Hader

Caldecott Medal 1949
Simon & Schuster, 1948
$18.99
48 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Aqua-y blue with different white 1.5 inch snowflakes

Although I've seen the cover of this book - it's a Caldecott after all - I don't ever remember reading it. It's actually a great introduction to the coming of winter for the animals in the northern climates for young kids - or kids who live in Arizona and don't have this sort of change of seasons!

The illustrations are beautifully rendered black and white (charcoal? pencil?) with lovely detail. Flora and fauna. Every few pages the illustrations are in color - watercolor - and a totally different look than the black and white. I wonder if the two author/illustrators each had their own media? (More research!) Although I like the black and white illustrations the best, the two page watercolor of the snow blanketing the world - a winter wonderland - is just lovely.

Although told somewhat in story format, this is more of an informational book about what happens to various birds and animals in the winter. Preparation, hibernation and migration are all included. Informative and interesting.

A surprising touch near the end - when the animals are getting a little desperate with hunger because the storm has been pretty major, covering even their stores of food - an elderly couple shovels out of their home and leave all sorts of food for the animals - thoughtfully including both winged and four-legged.

This is a very lovely book. I had no clue. I'm wondering why, in my mind, I was thinking the beauty and story in these older books would be of a poorer quality because they're "old." How ridiculous! I'm so glad I'm taking this journey through the Caldecott books!