"We listen to Enough again please Miss Masse?" One of my kindergarteners asks with eagerness in her eyes. We have taken to audio recording our read alouds to listen to them during transition times and other times during our day. This idea came at the suggestion of a friend and mentor, Audrey O'Clair, who was… Continue reading I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Month: November 2019
Fee, fi fo fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman! These words are well known by children and adults familiar with the traditional story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child, written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Julie Paschkis, is the tale of Jack told from a multicultural perspective. Fleischman collects… Continue reading
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment, by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson
How could someone look so real and so magical at the same time? Who is she? In that moment, Parker saw more than just a portrait -- she saw a road before her with endless possibilities. What begins as an ordinary day for young Parker Curry turns into an extraordinary moment as young Parker becomes… Continue reading Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment, by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson
A Gift From Abuela by Cecilia Ruiz
This is a story of a beautiful and strong relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild. The child in the story grew up very close to grandma, sharing many moments together, like dancing in the house and eating together. As the girl gets older, she spends less time with grandma. As the girl gets older,… Continue reading A Gift From Abuela by Cecilia Ruiz
The Fisherman & the Whale
In The Fisherman and the Whale, Jessica Lanan portrays the sad, yet inspiring story of an entangled whale and the boy and man who save him. This wordless picture book is filled with action and emotion. It creates endless opportunities for young readers to infer character actions, dialogue and feelings. I shared this book with… Continue reading The Fisherman & the Whale
Thank You, Omu!
Oge Mora has beautifully woven the themes of kindness, friendship, caring and generosity into the gorgeously illustrated, Thank You, Omu! Mrs. Unger's twenty-two, first graders truly enjoyed this heartwarming narrative, predicting who’d arrive at the door and how Omu would react upon finding nothing in left in her pot. The read aloud seamlessly shifted to… Continue reading Thank You, Omu!
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years
by Stacy McAnulty and Illustrated by David Litchfield Hi! I’m Earth! But you can call me Planet Awesome. Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, tells the autobiographical story of Earth’s history, from the beginning of time to the present. This text takes you on a walk through geologic time from the perspective of Earth, herself.… Continue reading Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years
Born to Ride – A Story About Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule
I wish I had video taped us reading Born to Ride - A Story About Bicycle Face by Laurissa Theule to share natural reader reactions and engagement. "They were also told not to wear pants or ride a bicycle." Several students gasp. A couple of pages later I read, "Joe lowered his voice, "bicycle face?… Continue reading Born to Ride – A Story About Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule
Give and Take by Elly Swartz
You don't want to lose the things or people that leave imprints on your heart.--Elly Swartz Maggie: A twelve-year-old girl who describes herself as someone who cannot love in small doses. She has been missing Nana since Forgot-Me Day, hoping to adopt Izzie as her little sister for keeps, and longs for her trap-shooting team… Continue reading Give and Take by Elly Swartz
I Want a Dog, By Jon Agee
My fourth grade class recently began our thematic study of dogs. During this study, we will participate in an Interactive Read Aloud, Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dane Bauer, read fiction and nonfiction books about dogs and become experts on the subject. To introduce our unit this year, we read I Want a Dog by… Continue reading I Want a Dog, By Jon Agee
Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle and Rafael López
Margarita Engle is one of my favorite poets! Elementary children love Drum Dream Girl and Bravo!. Middle schoolers love her memoirs Enchanted Air and Soaring Earth. She writes in a lyrical fashion that is so beautiful it causes your breath to catch. Dancing Hands, like her other work, does not disappoint. A picture book told… Continue reading Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle and Rafael López
Drawn Together by Minh Le and Dan Santat
The last two posts on my personal blog, I've talked about the amazing experience I had at nErDcampLI. One question that author and illustrator, Lita Judge, asked is whether or not we are making a home for neurodiverse learners in our classroom. She shared that she grew up on a remote island in Alaska where… Continue reading Drawn Together by Minh Le and Dan Santat
Who Wet My Pants? By Bob Shea and Zachariah Ohora
This book has had quite a journey in my coaching bag. I pulled it out when a teacher described the tough morning he had before arriving at school. He proceeded to read it aloud to the group, and at the end of it, we were all in stitches. On another day, this book traveled to… Continue reading Who Wet My Pants? By Bob Shea and Zachariah Ohora
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
“Even though he comes home tired, he always has time for me.” Daisy Ramona races through her hometown with her father on his motorcycle, taking in the sights and sounds of the people and places she loves. Through strong literary language and comic/graphic novel-style illustrations, Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña show the all that make… Continue reading My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
Explorers by Matthew Cordell
ExplorersBy Matthew Cordell My third graders are fascinated by wordless picture books. From Draw the Line by Kathryn Otoshi to I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët, wordless picture books captivate readers' interests and require deep thinking. When I saw Explorers by Matthew Cordell on a bookshelf in another teacher's classroom, I knew I wanted to… Continue reading Explorers by Matthew Cordell
Our House Is On Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter
This picture book is a perfect introduction to Greta Thunberg, the sixteen-year-old, Swedish climate activist who is making her voice heard on the global stage. My fifth grade students connected immediately to Greta. They were inspired by her. In fact, ever since reading about her, they have been creating slideshows detailing ways that they and… Continue reading Our House Is On Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter
At School Kindness Starts With You
By: Jacquelyn Stagg Illustrated by T. Omaskat When I first talk about the golden rule with preschoolers, the concept is new. But with the help of this book and the clear illustrations, they were able to understand the concept and put it into practice. Children started by complimenting each other’s outfits, and passing the utensils… Continue reading At School Kindness Starts With You
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival is a relatable story for all kids, and probably most adults too! When Ruby finds her worry, she tries to ignore it, but that only makes it grow larger. Ruby finally realizes that the only way to make her worry go away is to talk about it. When… Continue reading Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
If Elephants Disappear by Lily Williams
If Elephants Disappear by Lily Williams I read that Lily Williams never imagined writing a book where poop figures prominently, but in her book, If Elephants Disappear, elephants' dung plays a critical role in tropic cascade and readers are given a front row seat to its importance to the elephant ecosystem and our own survival.… Continue reading If Elephants Disappear by Lily Williams
I AM HUMAN A Book of Empathy
By Susan Verde Art By Peter H. Reynolds I was very excited to read this book in my preschool/Pre K classroom. It is written in a language accessible to even the youngest student in my classroom and it gave me another way to talk about kindness. I am Human brings up a very important point… Continue reading I AM HUMAN A Book of Empathy
Follow Chester!: A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History By: Gloria Respress-Churchwell
Our students know the stories of Wilma Rudolph, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s so nice to have a fresh look at a lesser known hero named Chester Pierce. Chester was the only African American member of the 1947 Harvard University Football Team. Follow Chester is unlike many of… Continue reading Follow Chester!: A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History By: Gloria Respress-Churchwell
Inky’s Amazing Escape by Sy Montgomery illustrated by Amy Shimler-Saford
This engaging book cover caught my eye during a summer stroll through the picture book stacks of my favorite library. I picked it up, sat down and read all about Inky’s escape from New Zealand’s National Aquarium. When I was done, I knew I had a new mentor text to use with my fifth-grade writers.… Continue reading Inky’s Amazing Escape by Sy Montgomery illustrated by Amy Shimler-Saford
Jasper & Ollie by Alex Willan
Friendship comes in many forms... sometimes in those of a sloth and a fox. Follow these unlikely friends through a day in their lives and see how opposites truly do attract! These second grade friends LOVED sharing Jasper & Ollie's story with each other! A good book to read - we give it 2 thumbs… Continue reading Jasper & Ollie by Alex Willan
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
On a good day, Chicken liked to wander. On a bad day, Chicken would bolt. But no matter what, Cat loved him as wide as the Golden Gate Bridge, as deep as the sea floor, and as fierce as a shark bite. Sixth Grade Book Club Members Think... Caterpillar Summer is a wonderful, figurative language… Continue reading Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
PAPER SON, The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
Paper Son is a gorgeous, new biographical picture book written by Julie Leung and illustrated by Chris Sasaki about the life of unsung Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong. The story follows Tyrus from his immigration to the United States during the Chinese Exclusion Act, through his childhood, to art school, and to his first creative job… Continue reading PAPER SON, The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
What If…
What if? When disaster strikes, people harness the power to rebuild self and society, to refine, as they recreate. As detailed in the author's note of this wonderful journey, Samantha Berger was forced to do just that; rethink, refine and recreate, when a flood took all that she had. Mike Curato uses a myriad of… Continue reading What If…
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison is a beautiful story/folktale about a little girl who is not happy with the midnight color of her skin. Sulwe tells the complex story of what it's feels like to be unhappy in one's skin. One evening Sulwe goes on a magical journey. On her journey she… Continue reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
This is My Room! ( No Tigers Allowed) by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
This is the story of JoJo who decides to sleep in her own bedroom rather than with her older sister, Margaret. Margaret assures JoJo that she will be back. As JoJo settles in for the night, she is visited by a variety of animals, and the story of her getting rid of the animals begins. … Continue reading This is My Room! ( No Tigers Allowed) by Jennifer Richard Jacobson