BOOKS
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imperfect II:
poems about perspective:
An Anthology for Middle Schoolers
Being human means to sometimes lose perspective. We focus on the one negative comment we received instead of the ten positive ones. We think we're the only person who has had something really embarrassing happen to us, or that a problem we're having will go on forever. When we've lost sight of the big picture, how can we help ourselves put things back in perspective? Poetry can lend a hand.
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Come visit the Imperfect II blog!
imperfect:
poems about mistakes:
An Anthology for Middle Schoolers
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This slim volume, geared toward middle-graders, packs a lot of punch. Featuring 70 poems by 55 different poets, it includes many new poets such as Linda Kulp Trout, Catherine Flynn, and Robert Schechter, alongside a handful of classic poets like Carl Sandburg, Kobayashi Issa, and Antonio Machado. There are even a selection of poems written by young people themselves (in sixth and seventh grade). The focus on making mistakes of all kinds is the "perfect" focus for an anthology aimed at tweens and teens, and the poets approach the topic from both serious and silly points of view. Extra resources at the back of the book offer helpful advice for the reader...Pithy quotes and minimal art are subtly placed throughout the poems, including the sketch of a crack(in the vase on the cover) on many pages, hinting at the"mending" ofi mperfection the Japanese call "kintsugi,"or "precious scars" or "golden repair," a way to see the beauty in fixing what is broken. A lively blog dedicated to the book(mistakesanthology.blogspot.com) continues to offer insights and quotes, along with links to each of the poets with more poems to enjoy."
~Sylvia Vardell
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Stop by the Imperfect blog!
wiesel, wiesenthal, klarsfeld:
holocaust survivors
The Holocaust Survivors delves into both the struggles of Holocaust survivors to rebuild their lives after liberation and the complexities of the search for justice. It traces the liberation of the concentration camps through the creation of Israel, survivors building new lives, and ways that the Holocaust is remembered. Also covered are the Nuremberg Trials, Nazi hunters, and Nazi war criminals in the United States, as well as an overview of the Holocaust itself. The Holocaust Survivors discusses the repercussions of this human tragedy and the importance of the lessons that the Holocaust holds for today and the future. It includes a glossary, index, photographs, maps, source notes, further reading, and a chronology.
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The Holocaust Survivors was chosen as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 1999 by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) in cooperation with The Children's Book Council (CBC).
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Highly recommended."
~ the book report
Joan of Arc: heavenly warrior
Tabatha wrote a biography of history's most famous teenager: Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior (Sterling Publishing).
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Who was Joan of Arc? Why are people still so inspired by her, nearly six hundred years after she was born?
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Learn all about Joan of Arc's childhood in war-torn France; ride with the young warrior into battle after battle and see how she helped a king win his rightful crown; and find out about her terror-filled final days and how, finally, her reputation was gloriously, posthumously restored.
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In Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior, Tabatha tells the story of Joan of Arc as the people of her day viewed her: warrior, leader, holy figure, witch.
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Appealing...this book is recommended for both younger and older readers."
~ Booklist
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A smooth blend of history and legend, it makes a compelling tale - especially when illustrated, as it is, with a mix of small but effective period images and documents, 19th-century paintings and modern photos of medieval locales, much in color."
~ Kirkus Reviews
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albert einstein: The Miracle of the mind
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." ~ Albert Einstein
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The National Science Teacher Association recommends Albert Einstein: The Miracle Mind, saying that it "provides a glimpse into the mind of a genius and insight into an era."
Based on this attractively designed title ...it’s not hard to see why Time magazine named Einstein the 'Person of the Century.' Even if the specific details of quantum physics sometimes elude them, teens will easily grasp the larger impact of Einstein’s many insights and contributions."
~ Booklist
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You can order Tabatha's biography of Einstein on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's, among other places.
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Have fun changing what Einstein writes on the blackboard on this site.
forensics: solving the crime
Modern forensic science has made the "perfect crime" difficult to commit. Just a trace of paint or hair can be conclusive evidence in a criminal case. Forensics profiles the pioneers who helped apply science to police work.
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Forensics was named to the Center for Children's Books List of "BEST BOOKS OF 2001"! The Center explains their "Best Books" list this way: "To make this list a title has to be practical, useful, and give the best-bang-for-their-buck."
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Yeatts—a member of Sisters in Crime—tells her stories well, bringing to life both perpetrators and pursuers of justice, while casting useful light on the science involved along the way. Both middle and upper school libraries would do well to make this book available for students who want to get behind the clichés of all those TV cop shows and movies bombarding them."
~ Kathleen Karr for Children's Literature
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There's plenty of juice and scandal as well as interesting technical details in the accounts, so this is no dry and mechanical collective biography."
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
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[A] readable and informative work...[Yeatts] does not shy away from trying to make complex areas...understandable to average readers."
- School Library Journal
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the legendary
Mae West
Comedic actor, writer, and superstar Mae West broke all the rules in her eighty-year career. Her jokes about taboo subjects made Mae's name code for "Trouble" as far as entertainment censors were concerned. In everything she did, from vaudeville to television, Mae had censors looking over her shoulder. She was arrested, more than once, for "obscenity," and even spent time in jail.
Mae was an independent thinker who took charge of her stage and screen performances, even to the extent of writing or rewriting her character's lines. Despite the typical media portrayal of women as thin, young, and helpless, Mae managed to present a powerful, curvy, and in-charge personality both in public and in private. Her playful one-liners about sex were considered very shocking when they were first presented to the public, but they have become part of our culture today. She is one of the most quoted women ever.
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Learn about censorship and entertainment history as you read about the woman who said it best when she joked, "When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."
Well researched, informative and fun to read. Highly recommended."
~ Roz Warren, humor expert
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Tabatha Yeatts is to be congratulated for having written this nicely balanced account."
~ John Culme, founder of the theatre history e-magazine "Footlight Notes"
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OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
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