National Science Week - 13-21 August, 2022

 

I am just popping this in here as a brief post because I have already talked about The International Year of Glass in a previous post. It is terrific that our Australian National Science Week (the week before Book Week) will also feature glass. The 2022 theme is:

Glass: more than meets the eye

Take a look here for teaching ideas and resources. The only thing missing from the 70+ page teacher booklet is any reference to literature - especially picture books!

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has an extensive Pinterest with heaps of books you could share during Science week. Here is a sample of her collection:

Take a look at this blog post too from Kinderbookswitheverything. 

She says: We collected fiction and nonfiction books about jars, glasses, bottles, spectacles, marbles, lights, lanterns, telescopes, microscopes, mirrors, magnifying glasses, lighthouses and windows.

I also have a post about picture books which feature windows. Here are a few more books with links to my blog posts (where I have them) that I didn't not include in my original piece.

It fell from the Sky

Penny series by Kevin Henkes

A thousand Glass Flowers

Whale in a Fishbowl

Perhaps you could also set up a display of marbles or paperweights or snow globes? Or turn your library windows into stained glass? This book looks good but it is sadly long out of print. 

A Thousand Glass Flowers by Evan Turk

A Thousand Glass Flowers - Marietta Barovier and the invention of the Rosetta Bead.

"Her father ... as a true maestro, a master of the glass. He performed miracles with it, turning the molten sand into elegant forms as clear as water, as white as milk, or as richly coloured as precious stones."

A Thousand Glass Flowers is a perfect book to share with your library groups this year - The International Year of Glass.

Publisher blurb: Marietta and her family lived on the island of Murano, near Venice, as all glassmakers did in the early Renaissance. Her father, Angelo Barovier, was a true maestro, a master of glass. Marietta longed to create gorgeous glass too, but glass was men’s work. One day her father showed her how to shape the scalding-hot material into a work of art, and Marietta was mesmerized. Her skills grew and grew. Marietta worked until she created her own unique glass bead: the rosetta. Small but precious, the beautiful beads grew popular around the world and became as valuable as gold. The young girl who was once told she could not create art was now the woman who would leave her mark on glasswork for centuries to come.

You can see some pages inside this book at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast. And here is a wonderful, generous and detailed interview with Evan Turk by Elizabeth Bird at the School Library Journal. 

In this book you will read about glass making in 1496 alongside the expectations levelled at girls and women. Marietta is such a wonderful role model for young girls who want to pursue their own passion. There is an extensive author's note at the back of this book where you can read more about glass making, Marietta, her family and the rosetta beads. These are also called millefiori which means 'a thousand flowers'.  The beads are made from segments cut from long ropes of layered glass. This technique was first used in Egypt thousands of years ago. 

"Marietta Barovier grew up in a world that did not typically allow women to own businesses, or reward women who worked instead of married." 

Clearly a labour of love, this ethereal and striking selection incorporates imagination, art, creativity, and women’s history in a story that emphasises dedication, resilience, and innovation.  An enchanting tale of a 15th-century artist that emphasises attributes and skills we need today. Kirkus Star review

A Thousand Glass Flowers is an intimate and beautiful story of an artist’s relationship with her father and what blossoms when she’s given the ability to grow into her talent. I’m happy that Marietta Barovier’s story fell into the talented hands of Evan Turk. I’m also very grateful to know Barovier's name, work, and legacy — and I hope that children will enjoy her story as much as I did. Horn Book

It Fell from the Sky by The Fan Brothers

"The Inchworm insisted it only bounced twice."

"Everyone agreed it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen."

"A Frog assumed it was a gobstopper."

"The Stink Bug doubted that it fell from the sky at all."

"The Luna Moth knew it was not a comet or a star or a planet."

"The Spider assumed they must have left to spread the word ... "

Blurb: It fell from the sky on a Thursday. None of the insects know where it came from, or what it is. Some say it's an egg. Others, a gumdrop. But whatever it is, it fell near Spider's house, so he's convinced it belongs to him. Spider builds a wondrous display so that insects from far and wide can come look at the marvel. Spider has their best interests at heart. So what if he has to charge a small fee? So what if the lines are long? So what if no one can even see the wonder anymore? But what will Spider do after everyone stops showing up?

The Fans’ marvellous illustrations sparkle with nuance, from lofting dandelion seeds to the Spider’s dew-dropped web. Kirkus

This contemporary fable begins on its title page with a cat’s-eye marble falling to earth from the sky.  Horn Book

Here is an interview with Eric and Terry by Elizabeth Bird at the School Library Journal. And here is another interview with We Need Diverse Books. 

This is my new most favourite picture book. I would so love to own a copy but the hardcover price here in Australia is SO high. I will just need to keep my eyes open for a sale copy - hopefully.

Companion reads:

More

Babak the Beetle

Here is an article that compares this book with It Fell from the sky

The Midnight Fair

Have you met the Fan Brothers? Pardon the pun but I am a huge fan!

Ocean Meets Sky

2022 The International Year of Glass

My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything alerted me to The International Year of Glass for 2022.  She has begun a collection of books from her K-2 library to set up a display ready for Term One when the children return in February. 

Glass - what books can you think of?

Cinderella wears glass slippers

Sometimes characters wear magical eye glasses

Castles and palaces can be made of glass

The Glassmaker's Daughter

Mirrors are often important in stories

The Mirrorstone

The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek

Children can read about glass as a material and the way it is manufactured. Check your library at the Dewey number 666

Windows often feature in picture books

Snow globes are made from glass

Glass can be recycled

Perhaps you put your tooth in a glass for the tooth fairy

Oliver Sundew Tooth Fairy

I wish milk bottles were still made from glass but at least we still have glass jars and sometimes lucky people even find a message in a bottle. 

Donavan's Word Jar

Star in the Jar

In a Jar

Jam

Finding Francois

Lighthouses rely on glass 

Hello Lighthouse

People grow beautiful plants in a glasshouse

A Glasshouse of Stars

I love my glass button jar. The buttons in these two books are in tins but I thought I would share them anyway.

The Button Box

In this book the girl herself is made from glass

The Girl of Glass

You might have glass ornaments in your home or a torch. You might look through a microscope or a magnifying glass. Your television, computer screen and phone are all made from glass. You could visit a church to enjoy the stained glass windows which often tell stories. There are hundreds of way we use glass in the world. Here are some other things to think about - Glasses; genie in a bottle; Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator; Alice through the Looking Glass; and a ship in a bottle.

Here are a few resources about glass

Kiddle Glass Facts for kids

Britannica for Kids - Glass

History of Glass Video  (7 minutes)

How is Glass Made? Method & Process - Science for Kids by Mocomi (1.5minutes)

How was it made? Stained glass window | V&A (4 minutes)

Image Source: Live Enhanced

Why dedicate a year to glass?

• Because it is the material that, since the dawn of human civilisation, has accompanied us in art and work, becoming a work of art, an instrument, a jewel.
• Because it is an eco-sustainable material that, if well disposed of (and we have been able to do so for a long time), can be recycled practically indefinitely, truly being “friendly” towards the planet’s resources.
• Because it is an invaluable material for its conservation properties and for the protection from any contamination it offers. Plus it looks amazing!

This Christmas my friend gifted me some drinking glasses with images by Max Velthuijs. 

Take a look around your home. I am sure you will discover you have many treasures made from glass and perhaps you have some books that feature glass too. It will be great to see the display in my friend's school library and see all the different books she has collected - I will share a few more here over the coming months. 

Check out this Pinterest of  books to include in your International Year of Glass.