Digging for Words

Digging for Words by Angela Burke Kunkel and illustrated by Paula Escobar is a book based on the story of Jose Alberto Gutierrez.  He was a garbage collector in Bogota, Columbia, and began taking the books others had discarded and taking them home so he could share the love of reading with others.  This inspirational story is a good example of a man who decided to help others even though he didn't have much.  It is available in Spanish as well.

One Little Bag

One Little Bag by Henry Cole is a book for all ages.  This book without words tells the story of one paper bag as well as a boy's life.  I have added it to my list of wordless picture books to use with my students for speaking or writing practice.  It is also a good book on the topic of conservation.

Home in the Woods

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler is one of my new favorite picture books.  It is based on the story of the author's grandmother, Marvel.  Marvel and her family lived in Wisconsin in the middle of the 1930s.  Her father died, leaving a large family with little.  The family found an old house in the woods and moved in.  Everyone needed to pitch in to make things survive on what little they have.  This is good read and can help this generation of children get a glimpse of how difficult life was during the Great Depression for some people.  For middle school and high school students, it could add a human element to the facts and events of those times.   

The Fifth Avenue Story Society

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck is a decent summer read.  Set in New York City, the story has five prominent characters-Lexa, Jett, Chuck, Ed, and Coral.  Each receives an invitation to the story society at a small library, though no one knows for sure where the invitations came from.  The characters end up meeting each week and become important to one another.

I liked the book because it was not predictable.  There were enough surprises to make me keep reading, and it didn't seem like the standard formula for a love story.  The characters were very human and likable, too.  It's a good book to read for a book club.  

Searching for Minnesota's Native Wildflowers

Searching for Minnesota's Native Wildflowers is written by Phyllis Root with photography by Kelly Povo.  I know some of Root's books for children, so when I saw this book by her about Minnesota's wildflowers, I checked it out from the library.

This book has the information you need if you are going to go looking for native wildflowers in Minnesota or if you want to be able to identify the ones that you see.  I now know what a rough blazing star looks like thanks to the great photos in the book.  (There is a field of them outside of town).

The main part of the book is organized by habitat and season, while the end has a color guide to wildflowers if you want to identify a certain flower.

I recommend anyone living in Minnesota take a look at this book...you could learn more about different flowers here, and you may enjoy learning about different places worth visiting.  It is a great book  for science teachers, a nature center's resource library or anyone who appreciates nature.