Spring Book Review: Whirl by Deborah Kerbel

Hi Everyone,

Did you know that April is Earth Month? What a great time to get outdoors and explore nature!

If you’re looking for a good book to help celebrate the Earth this month, check out Whirl by Deborah Kerbel. It’s a fun story about a maple tree seed pod that gets picked up by the wind and goes on a wild adventure!

Here’s what Chirp reader Thelonious thought of this book:

“I liked it. The part where the kids pretend that the maple keys are eyebrows and mustaches and walrus tusks was the funniest part. I like following the line of the maple keys with my finger when they fall. My favorite part was when the blue jay took the maple key! Other kids would maybe like it. I want to read it again!”

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Thelonious!

To learn more about maple tree seed pods, check out the Science page in the April issue of Chirp magazine.

Happy reading!

• Jackie

Flying Fun

Hi readers,

Looking for something to do this week? Why not listen to a story about the history of women in aviation as told by author Tiffany Stone. This story, called Hi, Sky, was originally published in Chirp magazine and is full of flying fun! And guess what? Author Tiffany Stone’s dad used to be a pilot so she grew up around all kinds of airplanes and is very passionate about the history of flight. Thanks Tiffany, for sharing your story with us!

Oscar Lives Next Door Contest Winners

These two lucky winners get a copy of Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer.

Congrats!

Kailyea, 5

Rio, 4

And good luck in the next Chirp Blog Contest, everyone!

Book Review and Giveaway: Oscar Lives Next Door

Black History Month Reading List

Hi, Owlkids Family!

February marks Black History Month; a time to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of Black people from the past and present.

This is also a great time to diversify your family book shelf and seek out new books at the library. There are so many amazing titles out there that tell stories from under-represented perspectives, share histories of struggle and hope, and offer ways we can all  appreciate ourselves and others; our differences, our similarities. Check out some of the books below!

We hope that your family will enjoy adding more and more books like these to your reading list throughout the year. And if you have book suggestions of your own, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

Happy reading, everyone!

Click on the book titles for more detailed information and to see sample pages.

Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin (Penguin Random House, ages 4-6)

A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverly Found Her Voice by Nadia L. Hohn (Owlkids Books, ages 4-8)

I am Enough by Grace Byers (Harper Collins, ages 4-8)

Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer (Owlkids Books, ages 4-8)

Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged by Nyasha Warner (Groundwood Books, ages 5-9)

Intersection Allies: We Make Room For All by Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, Carolyn Choi (Dottir Press, ages 6-12)

The Kids Book of Black Canadian History by Rosemary Sadlier (Kids Can Press, ages 8-12)

Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendships by Irene Latham (Carolrhoda Books, ages 8-12)

The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis (Random House, ages 8-12)

What Lane by Torrey Maldonado (Penguin Random House, ages 10-15)