Yoga - Sun Salutation

Here is a link to the Dr Oz yoga workout video for sun salutation.

http://www.realage.com/shape-up-slim-down/workout-center/dr-oz-sun-salutation-video?src=edit&chan=tips&con=rr-tout&click=et1

This easy yoga routine combines a series of popular yoga poses to stretch and strengthen each major muscle group in only a few minutes a day. Yoga improves balance and flexibility, relieves stress, and promotes a sense of inner calm, and it may also help fight depression.

Fanstastic Reads Blog

http://ali-fantasticreads.blogspot.com/ Fanstastic Reads- This is a blog written by Alison who has a PhD in children's fantasy literature.

Here are two other blogs she recommends- "great blogs out there. Mine is http://ali-fantasticreads.blogspot.com/, mostly about children's fantasy fiction (my PhD subject), but I go off topic regularly.
http://www.playingbythebook.net/ and http://popclassicsjg.blogspot.com/ are two of my favorites: the former about activities for children inspired by books, the latter about Classical culture in popular culture, frequently including books and TV for children and young adults."

Just in Time Lincoln

Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln by Patricia Polacco

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Not one of Polacco's better reads. It was okay but I much preferred her other new book, January's Sparrow. Check out the reviews for that title. It is fabulous. Her title Pink and Say is still my favorite of her books.


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Cats's Pajamas

The Cat's Pajamas by Wallace Edwards

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Good book on idioms for middle and upper grades. wonderful illustrations. I especially enjoyed finding all the hidden cats on each page.
But not for BMJ award. Author is not American and level is too high.

School Library Journal (February 1, 2011)
Gr 4-7-Edwards begins this picture book with a definition of "idiom," and English teachers will thrill to find a book that deals with this elusive idea. The expectation will be that the pictures will get to the true meaning of the expressions, but readers will be surprised. In fact, Edwards's illustrations show the literal meaning, which is effective in its own way. When he depicts a pelican swallowing a frog to illustrate "having a frog in one's throat," it's clear that the meaning could not be literal. It is patently ridiculous. A list of the real meanings is provided at the end of the book. The illustrations are handsome and detailed, which adds to the ridiculous nature of the literal interpretations. This is a useful book to introduce this figure of speech to older kids; it will make them laugh as they tease out what each entry actually means.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc
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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


booklist pick 2010

Enjoyed this one but difficult to switch between the two stories of now and past. Fast read. Not sure kids will pick it up independently.



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Harry and Hopper

Harry & Hopper by Margaret Wild

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Uk book best illustrated 2010 Kate Greenaway award



A story about a young boy dealing with the death of his dog. This one really touched my heart. Sad story, one to make you appreciate the connection between a boy and his dog. Loved it.

Booklist starred (February 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 11))
Preschool-Grade 3. Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 2010, this bittersweet Australian import about a boy and his dog brings diffuse tenderness and a touch of magic realism to a tale of love and loss. Harry meets Hopper the hound on the title page, and for a few spreads, the two are inseparable. Then Hopper is killed in an accident, and Harry is devastated. That night, Hopper appears at the window, solid and warm, and the two relive their time together, playing, wrestling, and cuddling. Hopper returns, night after night, ever fading in substance, until Harry is ready to say good-bye. Wild’s unflinching narrative—sensitive and straightforward and spare—evokes the quiet, ceaseless throb of absence. Blackwood’s sketchy paintings, though muted in tone and somber in substance, wriggle with life, even when that life is only a dream. With careful use of composition and perspective, Blackwood often places the protagonists on the outskirts of the page, positions that echo the story’s themes of loneliness and connection. When so many picture books about grief aim squarely at bibliotherapy, Harry & Hopper reaches past the platitudes, sharing something essential about sadness and healing.

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