DIY Story Time: The Letter "Z"

We made it -- it's "Z" Week! Here are a few books to celebrate this final, zany letter of the alphabet:

By Deborah Lee Rose

Baker & Taylor Publisher Services, 2021. Picture Book.

From A to Z, “you are there” NASA photos capture real women and men astronauts on the International Space Station doing all kinds of work―and having fun! Diverse astronauts from around the world include NASA’S first all-woman spacewalk team and the first African American astronaut on a 6-month mission to the space station.

With STEM-rich text and action words, ASTRONAUTS ZOOM! gives kids a space-eye view from the time astronauts awake till they’re zipped in for the night. Kids will also discover how astronauts practice on Earth, getting dressed in spacesuits and “spacewalking” in NASA’s training pool. Lots of hands-on STEAM ideas are included―like exploring science and engineering activities, making videos “from space,” even throwing a space pizza party!

--Publisher

Construction Zoo

Written by Jennifer Thorne

Illustrated by Susie Hammer

Albert Whitman & Company, 2018. Picture Book.

It's a quiet morning at the zoo, until some strange new creatures roll in―trucks and bulldozers and wrecking balls! They’re tumbling, digging, and roaring alongside the animals. Giraffe, rhino, the monkeys, and the tigers watch the new creatures and, soon, are playing with their new friends. It’s party time at the Construction Zoo! But…what happens when the construction is over? Will the party be over, too? The clever rhyming text and simple, bold art will appeal to both kids and their parents. --Publisher

Zombelina

Written by Kristyn Crow

Illustrated by Molly Idle

Walker Books for Young Readers, 2013. Picture Book.

Zombelina loves to dance. She moonwalks with mummies and boogies with bats. She spins like a specter and glides like a ghost and loves to dance for her family the most. When Zombelina enrolls in a ballet class for real girls, her dancing gives everyone the chills! But when her first recital brings on a case of stage fright, her zombie moans and ghoulish groans scare her audience away. Only her devoted family's cheers, in their special spooky way, help Zombelina dance the ballet debut of her dreams.

Introducing the most adorable zombie to ever grace the dance floor, Kristyn Crow's pitch-perfect rhyme and Molly Idle's charmingly spook-tacular illustrations will make every reader want to sway and sashay in their own zombie trance. --Publisher

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