This year I plan to read all the GA Book Award Nominees and provide a “one stop” resource for teachers who would like to use these books in their classrooms.  I will be posting links to author Web sites, teacher’s guides, and related Web links.  I hope to make this an unbiased resource, so I will not be providing my own review of the books–other than recommending it as a read aloud (or not).

Saving the Griffin by :  Kristin Wolden Nitz

Summary: When eleven-year-old Kate and her younger brother Michael encounter a baby griffin in an Italian garden, they vow to help the creature find its way back home and to keep Griffo’s existence a secret.

Author Web Site:  http://www.kwnitz.com

Teacher’s Guide:  Not Currently Available

Behind the Scenes from the Author’s Blog:  http://kristinwoldennitz.wordpress.com/category/saving-the-griffin

Definition of Griffin:

A griffin is a legendary creature, usually represented in literature and art as having the head, beak, and wings of an eagle, the body and legs of a lion, and occasionally a serpent’s tail. The griffin seems to have originated in the Middle East, as it is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. The Romans used the griffin merely for decorative purposes in friezes and on table legs, altars, and candelabra. The griffin motif appeared in early Christian times in the bestiaries, or beast allegories, of St. Basil and St. Ambrose. Stone replicas of griffins frequently served as gargoyles in the Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages. The griffin is still a familiar device in heraldry and is thought to represent strength and vigilance.

Citation
Griffin. (2009). Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

Griffin Gargoyle Photos:

Credit:

Related Links:  Griffin (Mythical Creature)

KidzWorld:  Griffin

Mythical Creatures Coloring Pages

Related Links:  Florence, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos and Video of Florence)

Related Links:  Sienna, Italy

Guide to Italy (Photos of Siena)

Video of Siena, Italy from GeoBeats

Related Links:  Basic Italian

Children’s Conversational Italian (Short Audio Files by Native Speakers)

Video of Top Local Italian Phrases from GeoBeats

Read Aloud Recommendation: Definitely!  This story has fantasy, adventure, and a hint of danger.

Book Cover

Need a FREE, quality, online story you can share with your family?  Check out http://www.kennedy-center.org/multimedia/storytimeonline.  My favorite so far is the online adaptation of Judith Viorst’s classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Other stories available include Harlem (Caldecott Honor Book), a poem by Walter Dean Myers, and Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen.

]]> http://readingtreasurechest.com/2009/06/14/the-kennedy-center-presents-storytime-online/feed/ 0 http://readingtreasurechest.com/2008/06/16/hello-world/ http://readingtreasurechest.com/2008/06/16/hello-world/#comments Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:40:58 +0000 readingt http://readingtreasurechest.com/?p=1 As an educator for the past 17 years and a library media specialist for the last 10 years, I am constantly seeking new resources to encourage literacy in all forms–reading, information literacy, and technology literacy.  I hope to make this Web site a source of inspiration for others.  Here, I will posting resources and links to learning that I have discovered.  I hope you find my treasure chest to be a valuable resource for you.