Stink and the Hairy Scary Spider

The author and illustrator teamed up once more to produce the 12th in this series of young reader chapter books about seven-year-old Stink who's interested in everything scientific. However, while he loves most creatures, he is terrified of spiders. There is no way he can see them, let alone touch them, without getting what his sister, Judy, hero of the Judy Moody book series, calls "the heebie jeebies."

Things take an interesting turn when Stink discovers a pink-toed tarantula in his backyard while searching for his origami jumping frog. Knowing about his spider phobia, his sister and his friend Webster encourage Stink to try desensitization techniques to conquer his fear.

The book contains a wealth of information about spiders, spider hero comics and trivia, and includes an illustrated anatomy of a tarantula, along with a how-to origami page.

Stink's adventures will interest young readers who have a curiosity about flora and fauna. Children will love the characters and wordplay while older ones who are just getting into chapter books will want to read the next in the Judy Moody series of books.

Stink and the Hairy Scary Spider also offers teachers or parents a natural discussion starter about how we can deal with our fears. It would be a welcome addition to any bookshelf at home or in the classroom.

Gail Lennon has more than 35 years of experience teaching at every level from kindergarten to university.

Stink and the Hairy Scary Spider, Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2020, ISBN 978-1-5362-0920-4, hardcover, 160 pages, $15, penguinrandomhouse.ca

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Breaking Through: Heroes in Canadian Women's Sport

Library or bookstore shelves are usually filled with sports books written about men and their accomplishments. Finding a book that focuses on women athletes is much more challenging; finding one about Canadian women athletes is rarer still. Author Sue Irwin's contribution, then, is for those young Canadian athletes in your class who need inspiration and someone to look up to.

Breaking Through introduces readers to great moments in Canadian sports history and features both known and less familiar female athletes. They're introduced through their moments of glory in play-by-play style as the reader learns about the excitement leading up to their successes. She follows up by informing us of the struggles and challenges these resilient women faced as they worked to reach their goals.

Inspirational quotes that speak directly to the young reader are scattered throughout. For example, wrestling Olympic gold medallist Carol Huynh says, "Don't believe anyone that says you can't do something because you're a girl." And former cross-country skier Sharon Anne Firth adds, "When you fail, always get up, and you'll learn from your mistakes."

These stories will undoubtedly excite your students as they're introduced to new sports heroes. They'll also learn that with hard work and dedication, they can achieve anything.

Kerry Zinkiewich, OCT, is a vice- principal with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

Breaking Through: Heroes in Canadian Women's Sport, James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Toronto, 2018, ISBN 978-1-4594-1372-6, softcover, 144 pages, $12.95, lorimer.ca

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Joyful Math

Joyful Math finds creative ways to engage young students through art, literacy, science and outdoor play, connecting math to the world outside the classroom. It was clearly designed to make math fun for students, highlighting that it extends well beyond worksheets and textbooks. This book should inspire teachers to create rich and meaningful STEAM inquiries as it explains how, once a strong foundation is obtained, young learners will develop the necessary critical thinking skills.

With step-by-step instructions that start when the school year begins, Joyful Math helps the teacher design long-range plans. But it also encourages teachers to think about their physical space - both inside and outside the classroom - where learning occurs. Deanna Pecaski McLennon, a veteran, kindergarten and math specialist, sprinkles her knowledge, tips and tricks throughout the book.

This STEAM-inspired work will provide hours of learning opportunities that will not only enhance and reinforce concepts taught, but will also allow students to organically enjoy math without fear or frustration. Teachers will discover it infuses culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, reflective of today's diverse classrooms, while providing several ways to connect students' life experiences to math. This gem is a great addition to early learning classrooms

Cheryl Woolnough, OCT, is a teacher with the Peel District School Board who has international teaching experience in the United Kingdom, Caribbean and Asia.

Joyful Math, Stenhouse Publishers, Portsmouth, N.H., 2020, ISBN 978-1-62531-325-6. Paperback, 160 pages, $39.95, distributed by pembrokepublishers.com

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The Autism Lens

One word sums up this book: connection. To accomplish that connection, we must know each student. When it comes to students with autism, the knowledge comes from understanding autism's traits, which can vary from student to student.

As the author points out, some people with autism are good at systemizing; "analyzing variables in order to figure out rules that govern how things work and what causes what." While this can work for some situations, especially logical, scientific systems, it can impede personal relationships. The author makes it clear that what comes easily to neurotypical people does not always make sense or come easily to students with autism. Therefore, we have to find ways to help such students understand what to expect and how to meet those expectations.

While much of the advice shared in the book can help us improve our practice with all students (fair and just discipline, calm communication), the book's main lesson relates to its title. We have to see the classroom, the playground, and the bus ride to and from school the way our students with autism do. Through that point of view, we can begin to understand that, in the words of one student quoted in the book, "Autism is when everyone else wants cotton candy and all you want is a grape."

Shannon Saturno, OCT, is English department head at St. Matthew High School in Ottawa.

The Autism Lens: Everything teachers need to connect with students, build confidence, and promote classroom learning, Pembroke Publishers, Markham, Ont., 2020, ISBN 9781551383477, softcover, 160 pages, $24.95, pembrokepublishers.com

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Rethinking Recess

Have you ever heard a child say that recess is their favourite subject? While this may be the case for some children, for others, recess can be an enormously stressful time during the school day. In this book Rebecca London, a sociologist by training, argues that recess should be designed intentionally to support student social and emotional learning, and physical activity. When left as an afterthought of unstructured time, she says, it can create a need for disciplinary action that erodes children's self-confidence and eats into precious classroom time. By designing recess intentionally, with particular attention to children's mental health and safety, educators can counteract schoolyard inequities and create strategies to nurture a culture of constructive play.

London shares ideas about making school sites more inclusive so children can freely develop social and emotional skills. She challenges educators to consider how scary and painful recess can be for some and suggests ways to plan a playing field that can lead to fewer behavioural problems and the fostering of a healthy lifestyle.

London's central thesis is the importance of customizing recess to fit the specific needs of each school. She encourages all teachers to reconsider what recess has historically been - a time for free, unstructured play - and to initiate change by carefully planning a structure for recess that will support student growth and well-being.

Janice Chisholm, OCT, is a vice- principal with the Toronto District School Board.

Rethinking Recess: Creating Safe and Inclusive Playtime for All Children in School, Harvard Education Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2019, ISBN 978-1-68253-414-4, softcover, 264 pages, US$34, hepg.org