June 7, 2022 NEW AMAZING PICTURE BOOK ALERT "One Turtle's Last Straw" by Elisa Boxer and Marta Alvarez Miguens
This beautifully and lyrically written picture book details the effects of plastic pollution on marine life. We travel with a straw as it makes its way from a human's milkshake all the way into the ocean...and into a poor turtle's nostril. It's emotional, I've read this story now about 6 times since we've gotten it (my daughter is obsessed with it currently) and each time I get choked up. The message really hits home that by making one small change to our lives, we can drastically impact the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean. So next time your server asks, "straw or no straw?" the answer is clear: "I'll skip the straw!"
THE POLIO PIONEER by Linda Elovitz Marshall
I may be partial to picture book biographies lately, but THE POLIO PIONEER by Linda Elovitz Marshall has got my vote for top pick of the year. Props to Linda for the most timely book as well. Seriously- could this book have come out at a better time? For children (and adults) who want to know more about vaccines and how they have helped in the past, look no further than this picture book. The life of Dr. Jonas Salk, the man who created the flu and polio vaccines, will inspire children to want to help others. Not only that, Linda breaks down how vaccines are created in a way children can understand. I read this book with my Kindergarten pod and we had the honor of zooming with Linda to ask her questions about Dr. Jonas Salk and her book. The students prepared some pretty thoughtful questions for her, such as "How did polio spread?" and "Did animals get polio?" But after talking to Linda for some time, the kids got comfortable and the questions became, "Did Santa get polio?" "The Elves?" This book is a must for teachers and parents in 2021.
Your kids are never too old for picture books!
Parents are usually proud when they can say, "My child has outgrown picture books." But seriously, this statement could be farther from the truth. Naturally children will move on to middle grade and chapter books. However, I am an adult and I still learn from picture books all the time! As an upper elementary teacher of 3rd-5th grade, I was constantly using picture books to introduce a topic with a read aloud. Fiction, non-fiction and everything in between. Picture books are treasures that should never be forgotten no matter what age. This article below details this belief beautifully: www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/opinion/sunday/picture-books-reading.html?smid=em-share