At home resources #15

Book suggestions
Younger readers

The Don't Worry Book by Todd Parr
Here the author reads aloud from this picture book. He reminds us that we all worry sometimes and gives us some real and some silly ideas to help us to know what to do when we feel worried.


Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle
Inspired by the story of Millo Castro Zalldariaga, this picture book tells of a girl who dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret because girls aren't supposed to be drummers. But when at last her music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream.


Middle grade readers

El Deafo author, Cece Bell, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her popular graphic novel! Ms. Bell reads from her book each Monday and tells us the background story of the book. She's only up to chapter three, so you can easily catch up. And if you haven't read the book, these video visits with the author might convince you to try it! Here's the link to the author's page with the links to each chapter.

Older readers:

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
When Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, inherited the throne in 1894, he was unprepared to do so. With their four daughters (including Anastasia) and only son,  Nicholas and his reclusive wife, Alexandra, buried their heads in the sand, living a life of opulence as World War I raged outside their door and political unrest grew. The author alternates between this life of the royal family and their ultra-rich lifetyle and the lives of the peasants who are growing increasingly unhappy with the lack of understanding from their monarch. This was a Lawrence Reads selection several years ago. Here's a book trailer if you need more convincing: https://vimeo.com/194873378


Arts inspriation:


Peabody Essex Museum has lots of interesting ideas for art-inspired projects. Challenge yourself to spot the difference between some very similar works of art, color some coloring pages of art from the PEM's collection, or follow the links to some origami projects. Click here to reach the site.