Sandra Markle's Blog, page 11

I LOVE TREES--HOW ABOUT YOU?

I've only ever written one book that's just about trees--OUTSIDE AND INSIDE TREES.  

However, as I looked back through the books I've written, I discovered something very interesting. Trees--sometimes whole forests--are an important part of many of my books.   

Check it out!



In THE CASE OF THE VANISHING HONEYBEES (Millbrook/Lerner) almond trees are possibly one reason entire colonies of honeybees are vanishing--and thought to probably be dead.



California's almond blossom season is the single biggest pollination event in the world.  


Over one million beehives full of worker bees are needed for about a months. So beekeepers truck in lots of hives, each full of its colony of honeybees. 


Having lots of bees on hand is the only way orchard owners can make sure nearly every blossom on their almond trees is visited by a bee.


That's what has to happen. The blossom produces a little sweet nectar. 


A bee pushes into the blossom to collect that nectar and in the process picks up a little pollen, the male reproductive cells. A little pollen from another tree is also dropped off. That fertilizes the flower's ovules, the female reproductive parts. 



What's good for the trees is hard on the bees. Beekeepers transport their hives from all over the U.S. to California but they arrive early, ahead of the trees blooming. So they have to feed their bees a sugary syrup to keep them going. It's not a healthy diet. And because of it the worker bees are weaker than normal. And the bees have just come from pollinating other crops.


Being overworked could be one reason honeybees are dying causing honeybee colonies to collapse. Do you think honeybees should be trucked to different places to pollinate crops? Why? Or why not?
Read the CASE OF THE VANISHING HONEYBEES to find out at least two other things that could be effecting honeybees.

A tree plays a dramatic role in my book LITTLE LOST BAT (Charlesbridge).


















In this story, the mother bat leaves her baby in the bat colony's cave nursery and goes hunting for insects to eat. On night, she passes a tall oak tree. 

Read this story to see what is in that tree.
Keep reading to find out what happens next.

And keep on reading to find out happens at the very end of this story.






















Trees are a key part of my story FINDING HOME (Charlesbridge).

First, something happens to a forest to start this story. What happens?

Then there is a big search for one kind of tree. Why is that?






Finally, list five steps that tell what happens along the way to finding that special kind of tree.FINDING HOME is an exciting story. And people lend a helping hand. So don't miss finding out what happens.

A tree stars in my book BUTTERFLY TREE (Peachtree Publishing).  This story is based on one of my very own childhood experiences. I grew up in Ohio near Lake Erie. And one autumn, I had the unique chance to see the migrating Monarch butterflies come across the lake and settle into a forest for the night.


Read this story to see where the butterflies spend the night. It will surprise you!

Next, write your own story. Make up a story where a tree plays a key part.


What tree's fruit is a pod the size of a football, hard as wood on the outside and full of beans surrounded by white pulp?  Did you guess its a cacao tree?  


CHOCOLATE: A Sweet History (Grosset & Dunlap) is a whole book starring the cacao tree. Yes, it's true. Chocolate is made from cocoa powder. And cocoa powder is made from the seeds of the cacao tree.

Ready to dig for treasure? Then read this book to find facts you can treasure an share with your friends and family.

How did the ancient Mayans make chocolate spicy?What king was the first to sweeten chocolate?Why did Antarctic explorers take chocolate with them to the South Pole?Why does chocolate sometimes turn gray?

SUMMER MEANS DISCOVERY FUN!

Okay, it's summer! So here are ten things to enjoy while it's hot, sunny and being outdoors is fun....





1.  Make something out of mud. Even better do it after it's rained. What is that mud like? How is different from dry dirt? Is there one way it's still the same? 
And then read Mud by Mary Lyn Ray with illustrations by Lauren Stringer.


2. Play flashlight tag in the dark. 


3. Go on a shadow hunt to find the following shadows. But take an adult along because grown-ups need to have fun too:a. Find a shadow with a bright hole in it.b. Find the biggest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.c. Find the littlest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.  
And then Read Flashlight Night by Matt Forrest Esenwine and illustrations by Fred Koehler.



4. Fly a kite. But make one first. Here are sites with easy how-to instructions.
Easy Paper Kite

How To Build Kites
And read The Emperor's Kit by Jane Yolen with illustrations by Ed Young

5. Make a FOOT painting. Sure, you've probably done fingerprinting. But have you ever painted with your feet? It will really let you STEP UP as an artist. Try mixing your own paints first. Here's some how-to sites to help you. 
 Homemade Edible Fingerpaint

Homemade Fingerpaint
And read What If You Had Animal Feet?! by ME Sandra Markle with illustrations by Howard McWilliam.


6. Look at the world through a magnifying glass. Especially something you never thought to look at closely before. See anything that surprised you?  


7. Put on a puppet show with puppets you make yourself. Here's some sites with ideas to help you do just that.

Puppet Craft for Kids
How To Design Hand Puppets
8. Learn one constellation you didn't know in the night sky. Find out what story people used to tell about it. Then make up a new story yourself.
Mmy favorite constellation is ORION. And here's a couple of sites with star stories, including ones about Orion.
Windows To The UniverseSkyServer




And read Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton




Hope you have fun with these activities. And to share an adventure that happened one summer, Read my newest discovery fun book  WHAT IF YOU COULD SNIFF LIKE A SHARK? (Scholastic) Of course, any time you read one of my books it's like I'm right there sharing it with you.




HAPPY SUMMER!

I'M READING THE LONG, LONG JOURNEY

Could you flap your arms non-stop for 7 days? 




Think about that as you join me while I read The Long, Long Journey (with permission from Lerner Publishing). 




It's the story of the Godwit's amazing migration, flapping non-stop all the way. 

Also, look through my blog post archives to find SHARE THE LONG, LONG JOURNEY for more fun, facts, and some activities too.

I'M READING AND SHARING WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EARS!?

Hi! Are you ready to share a new book with me? Here's what I'm sharing next.


Join me as I'm reading. Find out about some really cool wild animal ears. Then imagine what if you had one of those kind of ears for a day. Which kind would you choose?


Now, just for fun, imagine two of those wild animals switched ears. Which two would you choose? How might that switch work out for each animal?

MINI-PICTURE BOOK WRITING WORKSHOP

This seemed like a good time to share some picture book writing tips. 


Use them yourself. Share them with young writers. I hope everyone watching will gain something that helps you move from idea to creating the text for your own picture book.

So, here goes. Let me walk you through how I worked from idea to text for one of my newest picture books HUSH UP AND HIBERNATE! (WunderMills).




Happily HUSH UP AND HIBERNATE! is selling well and proving very popular with children--and adult who read it aloud to them.


Now, dig in! Put the steps I shared to work and create your own picture book.

I'M READING WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EYES!?

I'm reading WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EYES!? (with permission from Scholastic). 
 Join me! I'd love to share this book with you.

THIRSTY, THIRSTY ELEPHANTS--THE REAL STORY

I'm delighted to share the real story that inspired this award-winning book THIRSTY, THIRSTY ELEPHANTS(published by Charlesbridge). 

I'M READING WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!?

I'm reading WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!? with permission from Scholastic.




I'll do it in several parts so I can tell you a little about the book and a little more about the animals as we go along.

Here we go--Part 1.



Next, Part 2.



Ready to share Part 3 with me?



Now, let's finish WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!?

I'M READING WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!?

I'm reading WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!? with Scholastic's permission. 

I'm sharing it in segments so you can follow along. This also lets me tell you a little bit of the behind-the-book story as you share it with me.

Part 1 starts now. Enjoy! 

SHARE A SANDRA MARKLE VIRTUAL VISIT!

What's a SANDRA MARKLE Virtual Visit like?


WHEN we share a Virtual Visit, I first send "BEFORE SANDRA MARKLE VISITS" materials. This is a great way to introduce children to my books and to me. 





During my Virtual Visit, I share "Behind-my-Book" stories.


Just a few of my books!



 These include my three trips to Antarctica with the National Science Foundation and my adventures camping out with Adelie penguins.

I also share SCIENCE MAGIC. 



I not only taught science for many years, I was also  Ms. Whiz on TV in Atlanta, Georgia for a number of years. Children love the SCIENCE MAGIC so much they don't realize they're discovering solid, STEM-based science concepts. 



I pause twice to answer questions from the children. 
And I share a peek inside THE BOOK CLOSET. 


I receive lots of positive feedback on that from children and teachers. It's a peek at all of my 200+ published books plus special surprises I've tucked inside for kids to discover, such as a 10,000 year old woolly mammoth hair.

I prove VIRTUAL VISITS can pack a lot of WOW!


A few reviews:


“That was so wonderful! The kids had amazing things to say after and I even got a few hugs for having you "visit". Jamie Cyrus, Media Specialist, George C Simkins, Jr Elementary, Greensboro, NC
Thank you so much for spending time with us today!  Your talk was by far the best author interaction I've ever participated in!  This group- second grade- was the youngest I've ever had participate in an author event.  Your talk was just wonderful.  As the kids left the library, many of them asked when we would get to do it again.  They also asked and asked if I would be sure to have your new book at our next book fair.  :) Melissa LeMay, Media Specialist, Southside Elementary School, Cabot, AR
Thank you so much for making it fun for my students.Thank you so much for the fun, informative author visit! Teachers and students have come up to be so excited about the wealth of knowledge you shared and how smoothly you run your presentation. I even had one of our Kindergarten teachers do the water glass experiment when they returned to their class! Thanks again and hope to work with you in the future!! Debbie Gilmore, Librarian, Bloom Elementary, Louisville, KY 
Our Rockbrook ES 1st graders had an absolute blast today Skyping with amazing author SANDRA MARKLE! They were so engaged and hung on to every word! Thank you for making this possible!  Rockbrook Elementary, Lewisville, TX

Thank you! Yesterday went swimmingly, and the science magic time was a pleasant surprise. I had many students and teachers compliment your pacing and presentation. We are thankful for the opportunity to have met you! Nolan Elementary, Signal Mountain, TN
Thanks so much! the kids give you 5/5 stars! Rowan Elementary, Cranberry Township, PA
Thank you so much! For most of the students, it was their first time talking with an author. One 1st grader said "She's like a real-life superhero!" I agree! Laurel Springs School, Laurel Springs, NJ

That was AMAZING! Thank you so much!!!! Roosevelt Alexander Elementary, Katy, TX
My students loved it and are so excited about their new books. Bonnie Yurkanin, Library Media Specialist, Claymont Elementary School, Claymont, DE 
Thank you so much! We are giving each of the students the book, What if you Had T Rex Teeth? and the students are very excited to read more of your books.  Thank you so much for your time and opening up your home to us. Scott Decker, 2nd Grade River Woods Elementary, Des Moines, IA
Such an amazing Skype with Sandra Markle at Liberal Elementary! Never have I seen a group of 150+ kids sit and listen so intently to an author. She kept them engaged the entire time, highly recommended!!!! Justin Johnson, Liberal R-II, Liberal, MO