Monthly Archives: December 2017

JUST LOVED READING: Full of Beans

JUST LOVED READING: Full of Beans

Just Loved Reading:

Full of Beans

Middle Grade/Fiction

Holm, Jennifer L. Full of Beans. New York: Random House Children’s Books, 2016.

Depression-era Key West was no tourist destination. Kids like Beans Curry will tell you. Beans is 10 years-old. His kid brother, Kermit and a stray dog he named Termite, follow him everywhere he goes – delivering laundry his mother takes in, collecting used cans for pennies, shooting marbles for the best team in the Keys or seeing the latest Shirley Temple movie.

One day, men from the Roosevelt administration come to the Keys with the aim of turning the Keys into a tourist destination. No one likes these intruders least of all Beans but he doesn’t let them interfere with his chance to make some easy money by helping a local rum smuggler. His dad is in New Jersey looking for work and his family needs the money.

The government men slowly win over the locals and soon tourists descend on the Keys and improve the local economy. But what will happen to Beans and his family?

WHY I LOVED READING THIS BOOK:

Beans Curry, the central character in Full of Beans of Beans, propels the plot by the force of his personality. The Florida Keys were economically depressed like the rest of the country and hardly able to welcome visitors. Kids ran barefoot and hungry. Full of Beans is based on the true story of the Roosevelt administration’s attempts to turn the Keys into a tourist mecca. Local slang, customs, and foods, add an extra dimension to the story about one summer in the life of a 10-year old boy.

MORE ON KEY WEST DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION:

http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/depress/depress1.pdf

http://www.floridahistory.org/depression.htm

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLORIDA KEYS AND KEY WEST TODAY:

http://www.fla-keys.com/key-west/

Image result for free photos key west during the great depression

Share Button

JUST LOVED READING: Amina’s Voice

JUST LOVED READING: Amina’s Voice

Just Loved Reading:

Amina’s Voice

Middle Grade/Fiction

Khan, Hena. Amina’s Voice. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017.

            Amina Khokar is a Pakistani-American immigrant who, with her brother and parents lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her best friend, Soojin, is an immigrant from South Korea and is about to become an American citizen. When Soojin becomes friendly with their once-sworn enemy, Emily, and announces that she is changing her Korean name to something American, Amina feels her life is about to be upended. To make things even more stressful, her parents have signed Amina and her brother to the state-wide Quran competition. Amina freezes in front of audiences, refusing to use her beautiful singing much less her imperfect Arabic.

On top of everything that is happening, her strict great-uncle is coming for a long visit and is all too willing to help her perfect her Arabic for the competition. Only when the Islamic Center is vandalized, does Amina realize she is not alone, but has the support of loving friends and family.

WHY I LOVED READING THIS BOOK:

The author weaves the cultural and religious traditions of Amina and her family within the larger American society that the live in. Amina is no different than any other middle school student in her town but all of a sudden, she has to face hatred and destruction of the Islamic center. Her quiet world is no longer. It’s only when her friends support her does she realize where she really belongs.

Amina and her family and friends lived in Minneapolis,Minnesota. To learn more about Minneapolis, click on the following links:

http://www.minneapolis.org/

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/great-lakes/minneapolis

Amina and her family are part of Minneapolis’ large diverse Muslim community:

http://iccmn.us/v2/

Share Button

Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas II

Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas II
Blue, Green, Chartreuse Umbrella

Blue, Green, Chartreuse                       Umbrella

 

ReadThe Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

A family dog finds a red umbrella on a windy day in the yard. When the dog opens up the umbrella, the wind carries them over the clouds and around the world. They go to Africa where the dog confronts elephants, alligators, hippos, zebras and storks; the oceans and their inhabitants; the tropics; the North Pole and finally, back home.

Project: Decorate an old umbrella and if you want to challenge yourself, give the design a theme: animals, fairies, sports, etc.

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers 

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

Share Button

Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas I

Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas I
Yellow Umbrella

Yellow Umbrella

ReadThe Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

A family dog finds a red umbrella on a windy day in the yard. When the dog opens up the umbrella, the wind carries them over the clouds and around the world. They go to Africa where the dog confronts elephants, alligators, hippos, zebras and storks; the oceans and their inhabitants; the tropics; the North Pole and finally, back home.

Project: Decorate an old umbrella and if you want to challenge yourself, give the design a theme: animals, fairies, sports, etc.

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers 

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

Share Button