10 to Try Cover

Ten to try: Read Around West Virginia

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsBooksResources

We converted our usual in-person spring fundraising event Read-A-Palooza to a COVID-safe poster to both raise money and serve the mission. The Read Around West Virginia poster features books set in or written by authors from the Mountain State alongside our 31 sponsors, listed below. A celebration of West Virginia literacy, culture, and art, the poster was hand-drawn by Charleston-based artist Brenda Pinnell of HepCatz Design.

Posters will be shared with enrolled schools and community partners this winter onward. They will be sold in Charleston’s Taylor Books and Lewisburg’s A New Chapter, as well as other potential vendors.

Email stateoffice@readaloudwv.org if you’re interested in offering Read Around WV posters in your business.

This Ten to Try includes a sample of children’s books featured in the poster, and why we think they’re great.

The Star Fisher

by Laurence Yep | Ages 8 and up

Set in Clarksburg in 1927, fifteen-year-old Chinese-American protagonist Joan Lee, shares an emotionally complex story of prejudice and the immigrant experience in Appalachia, weaving a traditional Chinese myth about the half-bird, half-human starfisher throughout.

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon

Written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk | Ages 5 and up

The true story of Katherine Johnson, a Black mathematician and White Sulphur Springs native, and how she went from a curious, gifted student to a prominent contributor to the NASA space race, saving lives and making history with her calculations.

Golden Delicious: A Cinderella Apple Story

Written by Anna Egan Smucker, illustrated by Kathleen Kemly | Ages 4 and up

The true story of how a Clay County farmer – Anderson Mullins – discovers a tree of Golden Delicious apples on his farm and collaborates with the Missouri-based Stark brothers to make them a staple of the apple world.

Mothman Learns the ABCs

Written by Michael Schang, illustrated by Danner Seyffer-Sprague | Ages 0 and up

An ABC book starring West Virginia’s most famous cryptid, Mothman, who travels the Mountain State on a quest for knowledge.

More Than Anything Else

Written by Marie Bradby, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet | Ages 8 and up

A fictional account of nine-year-old Booker T. Washington living in a West Virginia settlement after emancipation, working in the salt works, and longing to learn to read.

The Boys Start the War

By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor | Ages 8 and up

A prank war between the four Hatford boys and the three Malloy girls is started when the Hatfords attempt to antagonize their unwanted new neighbors into leaving West Virginia and returning to Ohio.

Passing the Music Down

Written by Sarah Sullivan, illustrated by Barry Root | Ages 5 and up

A tale told in lyrical free verse and inspired by the lives of renowned fiddlers Melvin Wine and Jake Krack, this book follows a young boy who learns from an old-time fiddle player, joining a tradition of passing the music down.

Up Molasses Mountain

By Julie Baker | Ages 10 and up

Set in Clay, WV in 1953, two young narrators tell the story of a divided mining town. Elizabeth, whose father and brother are opposed on unionization, and her classmate Clarence, who is shunned for his cleft-palate, face turmoil and heartache together, weaving a narrative of empowering friendship amongst adversity.

The Relatives Came

Written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell | Ages 2 and up

In a time when big family get-togethers are much rarer than they used to be, who wouldn’t enjoy this sunny story about a long and boisterous visit from the relatives?

Venola the Vegetarian

By Cheryl Ware | Ages 8 and up

Seventh grader Venola Cutright isn’t afraid of a challenge. In a world where hotdog eating contests are the norm, she decides to become a vegetarian, attempting to convert her family, friends, and the unsmiling cafeteria lady along the way.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The Becker Family

Andy Richardson

William Maxwell Davis

John T. Gibson, DDS, PLLC

Tom Heywood and Melody Simpson

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10 to TRY — Good pairings

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsUncategorized

Our volunteers regularly pair books that go well together during a single read aloud sitting. Last summer, Christy Schwartz of the West Virginia Campaign for Grade Level Reading told volunteers at the Read Aloud conference that reading multiple texts on a subject helps students to improve their reading skill. Just for the fun of it, here are some of our volunteers’ listener-tested combinations:

The Bad Seed by John Jory and Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins are two charming, upbeat narratives all about teaching children about being kind and considerate to others. They pair well together with their complementary art styles and similar, silly takes on how one can be “A baaaaaaaaaad seed.” In each, the main character decides to change his ways from bad or rude and try (though they might not always succeed) to be nicer to those around them. Pre-K – 1 — Amanda Schwartz, Communications and Development Director

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak is agreat book to pair with any book that is too short to fill your allotted time. The children ask over and over for me to re-read this book. I have read it to kindergarten and second grade and it is without question the favorite of every child. I have great fun reading it, too. — Aletta Moffett, Marion County Chapter President

Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis, U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. The poetry is easy to understand for elementary students, the National Geographic photos are beautiful, and students learn about familiar and unfamiliar animals. The highlight is that a couple poems are rap poems (e.g., “Polar Bear Rap”) with the students participating by stomping their feet to the beat. There are always requests to do them second and third times!

A little dose of poetry gives the students something different and pairs well with other animal books. — Tom Tinder, Bridgeview Elementary, Kanawha County

Based on the undocumented notion that the boys prefer “fact” books and the girls prefer “fiction” books, I open with Bats by Elizabeth Carney, a National Geographic Kids Book, full of bat facts. I follow with Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, a beautifully illustrated story of a baby bat that gets separated from its mother and is raised by a bird family before reuniting with the bat mother. It’s a great story that comingles bat facts with bird facts. The whole class really enjoys both aspects of the reading and it makes for a good session. — Casey Willson, Gerrardstown Elementary School, Berkeley County

The Rabbit Listened by Cory Doerrfeld, a favorite of Executive Director Mary Kay Bond. One day Taylor concentrated hard and built something amazing with his blocks. Then disaster struck. The way different characters react to little Taylor’s setback will be recognizable to everyone. I read this along with Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb, the story of Velvet, who is thought to be so strange in her kindergarten class because her teacher gifts and birthday party games don’t come from a store. It’s a message kids really need to hear. K-3 — Bob Pepper, Sissonville Elementary, Kanawha County

Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt tells the story of painter Vincent Van Gogh and the postman’s family in Arles, whom Van Gogh painted, along with his famous sunflowers and Starry Night. Then we read the short rhyming book No One Saw by Bob Raczka, featuring a full-page example of a different artist on each page. When we get to, “No one saw stars like Vincent Van Gogh,” students are thrilled by their recognition, and usually curious about other artists in the book. 3-5– Dawn Miller, Piedmont Elementary, Kanawha County

Have a title to recommend to your fellow Read Aloud volunteers? Tell us about it: newsletter@readaloudwv.org.

If you purchase a book through one of the affiliate links on this page, Read Aloud will receive a small percentage of the proceeds. This in no way impacts our recommendations.

A snowy day to read

by Book Reviews and Recommendations

Here are a few old Read Aloud favorites when the weather turns wintry: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This book has been a winter favorite since today’s parents and grandparents were out exploring in the snow. PK-1

Axle Annie by Robin Pulver. No matter how hard it snows, Axle Annie will get the students to school and home again. PK-2

Snow by Cynthia Rylant captures that kid surprise that even adults sometimes still feel when they wake up to the altered world. 1-5

Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Few Nate stories live up to the first, great kid-noir classic, but this one is pretty good. A real mystery kids can solve if they watch for clues. 1-3

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the true story of the 19th-century Vermont man who figured out how to photograph individual snowflakes, allowing people to marvel at their beauty and uniqueness. Suitable for a class that can handle a longer read aloud session. It’s also nice if your library has one of W.A. Bentley’s books, such as Snowflakes in Photographs, just to see some more of his work. Listeners will not look at that sole flake briefly caught on their cuffs the same way afterward. 3-6 Of course, you can always find many more recommendations at our Book Lists and Reviews page.

Book review – Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsBooksVolunteer Readers

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

Reviewed by Matt Harmon

Grades 2+ • 350 pages

I read this to a group of 2nd-5th graders for the Read Aloud organization. It was a fun adventure tale, but couched within it are great lessons for kids regarding worth, value, and the nature of money.

In the story, the giant King, King Barf, covets gold above all else; he equates his massive gold stock with a rich kingdom. Yet, his people are suffering a famine due to crop failure. When the people complain to King Barf that they are poor and hungry, he dismisses their concerns because the kingdom has so much gold, so it must be rich.

This illuminates a fundamental principle of money—it exists to facilitate exchange, but it is not valuable in and of itself. What good is gold (or paper currency) if it cannot buy food? This is a lesson the world should have learned during the Great Depression, particularly France. Under the gold standard era, France increased its share of world gold reserves by 20 percent, in essence taking money out of the world financial system and leading to a massive deflation spiral. But I digress.

Jack and his sister Annabella save the day, with some help from the pixies, by turning the king’s golden eggs back into seeds that sprout plants. They took gold, which only has value in exchange, and turned it into crops which have value in use. My hat is off to Ms. Shurtliff for so elegantly illuminating key economic principles to children. Bravo!

Matt Harmon is a volunteer reader at Charleston Montessori School in Kanawha County.

 

 

Redwoods

Book Reviews: Early Grades

by Book Reviews and Recommendations

 

RedwoodsRedwoods by Jason Chin. School Library Journal recommends this title for grades 1 to 4. While cataloged as nonfiction, this book is an inventive blend of fact and fantasy. It follows the adventures of an unnamed boy who finds a book about redwoods on a subway bench and is transported to a redwood forest. Be sure to pay attention to the illustrations when reading this book! See a preview.

— Terri McDougal, Head of Children’s Services, Kanawha County Public Library

 

Georgia in HawaiiGeorgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. School Library Journal recommends this title for K-4. Having recently presented a series of children’s programs about Georgia O’Keeffe, I can assure you that most children have never heard of this famous artist. I find that books such as this are a wonderful way to share knowledge about O’Keeffe without overwhelming children with details. I like that both this title and Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Rodriguez (which I have also read to students) are also illustrated in similar styles to O’Keeffe’s artwork.

— Terri McDougal, Head of Children’s Services, Kanawha County Public Library

 

Just Behave, Pablo PicassoJust Behave, Pablo Picasso! by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. School Library Journal recommends this title for grades 2-5. While there are a handful of children’s books about O’Keeffe that make good read alouds, there are even fewer read aloud titles about Picasso. This one, however, fits the bill by introducing Picasso as a man and an artist that defied his critics to create his own style of art, time after time. While cataloged as a nonfiction book, the text and artwork seem like a picture book.

 

Boycott BluesBoycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

“With glowing, dramatic double-page spreads and a clear rhythmic text,
this large picture book tells the inspiring story of the Montgomery bus
boycott,” says Booklist. We pair this one with Rosa by Nikki Giovanni.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

RosaRosa by Nikki Giovanni. The story of Rosa Parks’ life provides an entry into a summary of the Civil Rights movement.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

 

 

 

Troll Country by Edward Marshall, illustrated by James Marshall.

A girl has a book that tells all about trolls, but her mother has actually met one. So the girl heads deep into the woods to find a real troll.

 

 

 

 

 0-439-92950-4Cabin Creek Mysteries: The Secret of Robber’s Cave by Kristiana Gregory. Two brothers set out to explore an overgrown and misty island. There are clues and cliffhangers and a storyline that spans the series.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

 

 

Auntie ClausAuntie Claus by Elise Primavera. Plenty of chic New York style, holiday intrigue and magic mark this story of Sophie, and how she grows more sophistocated one remarkable Christmas.

— Dawn Miller, RAWV Advisory Board

 

 

Abe Lincoln's DreamAbe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith.

What if President Lincoln’s ghost walked the White House today? What would he think of what he sees? A serious, yet humorous book, with plenty of hope.

— Dawn Miller, RAWV Advisory Board

 

 

 

Wiley and the Hairy ManWiley and the Hairy Man by Molly Bang. In this adaptation of an American folktale, young Wiley and his dogs go into the swamp to cut some bamboo for a hen roost. His mother warns about the Hairy Man. If you outsmart him three times, he can no longer bother you.

 

 

 

Abraham Lincoln Comes HomeAbraham Lincoln Comes Home by Robert Burleigh. After President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, for 13 days, his funeral train made its way from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Ill. It evokes deep feelings among grieving Americans, including a young boy experiencing a time of great change. Stunning paintings by Wendell Minor.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

CelebritreesCelebritrees: Historic & Famous Trees of the World by Margi Preus and Rebecca Gibbon. School Library Journal recommends this title for grades 2 to 4. This factual book introduces readers to 14 different historic trees from around the globe. Each tree is described on one page, so this is perhaps not a book to be read aloud at one time so much as a “filler” to read one or two pages from at the end of your Read Aloud session.

— Terri McDougal, Head of Children’s Services, Kanawha County Public Library

 

MoonshotMoonshot by Brian Floca. Well-researched and technically accurate illustrations bring the story of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon vividly to life.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

 

 

One HenOne Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway. After his father dies, a boy in Africa has to quit school and help his mother gather firewood to sell, until his mom gives him a little money. The money is a bit of a loan from the neighbors. The boy buys a hen, and in a year, has a thriving flock of birds and then a farm.

This book is inspired by a true story in Ghana and introduces the concept of microfinance.

— Raleigh County Read Aloud

 

About our contributors:

Terri McDougal is director of children’s services at the Kanawha County Public Library and a board member of Read Aloud West Virginia.

Dawn Miller is editorial page editor of the The Charleston Gazette-Mail, a 20-year Read Aloud West Virginia volunteer, and a former chair of Read Aloud’s board.