Author: Mandy Robek

Sometimes, All I Need is Me by Juliana Perdomo was the perfect book to read while we reflect on starting a new year. As I read the story to my third grades this morning the room became more settled and a sense of calm filled the air. We usually have a similar feel when we… Continue reading Sometimes, All I Need is Me

Everywhere With You written by Carlie Sorosiak and illustrated by Devn Holzwarth is a new addition to our classroom library. This book reminded me about the power of a first read without any stopping and thinking moments. The story opens with two houses and a fence between them. On one side of the fence is… Continue reading Everywhere With You

John's Turn by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Kate Berube was recently published. It's a mentor text for being brave, taking risks, liking something different, and doing something in front of a large audience. I bet you can infer from the front cover what John shares with his whole school on a Friday morning. The… Continue reading John’s Turn by Mac Barnett

Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O'Neill and illustrated by Brizida Magro was the perfect book to kick off a canned food drive we were doing at school. I expected it to do just that; introduce and explain what a food pantry was. Then I realized it was going have us thinking and feeling… Continue reading Saturday at the Food Pantry

We enjoyed Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Eda Kaban the first time and decided to revisit again. This story is told with a sentence per page and shares different colors are for anyone who wants to wear and embrace them. It also identifies objects in our lives that can be… Continue reading Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman

It's so good to be back with all of you. The year was odd and many days I spent taking it one day at a time. Next year, I am moving grade levels and buildings. I will be opening a brand new school in our district and teaching third grade again. This was just what… Continue reading My Professional Summer Reading Stack

I Believe I Can is written by Grace Byers and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo. I added this book to our classroom to increase my diverse books collection. The story is filled with positive affirmations guiding readers to believe in themselves. What I found interesting was my students responses after hearing the book and each… Continue reading I Believe I Can

As I eagerly wait for my new second grade students I began collecting books for the first two weeks of school. We are preparing and going to try a hybrid model with our students. Half of my class will come at a time and in two weeks I will see each group five days. Layla's… Continue reading Layla’s Happiness by Maria Hadessa Ekere Tallie

It's been about a month since I closed my distance learning space here at my house and I've been wanting to write down a list of things I learned and just haven't really wanted to revisit those moments.  They were hard moments.  Reflecting and finding those learning moments helps me find growth and positives in… Continue reading Ten Things I Learned During Distance Learning

Here in the midwest, we are anxiously awaiting spring and The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine is a great book to help us think about the possibilities of spring.  I was so excited to discover Randi Sonenshine is a middle school literacy coach and this is her first picture book.  Maybe this book… Continue reading The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine

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

P Is for Pterodactyl The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Halder and Chris Carpenter was highly recommended to me by my favorite public librarian. As I read the text for myself and explored the book, I found the idea of focusing on words that start with silent letters an interesting word study focus. It… Continue reading P Is for Pterodactyl

Jack's Worry by Sam Zuppardi is one of my favorite books in my mental wellness collection. It's easy to avoid worries and Jack tries until it grows so big he's faced to recognize it. My favorite illustrative move is the shading and shape of the worry; teal blue to slate gray. Jack's own experience with… Continue reading Jack’s Worry by Sam Zuppardi

One of my current interests is finding books that help us process and promote mental wellnesss. In My Heart - A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek lets readers explore a wide range of feelings; brave, happy, mad, broken, hopeful, afraid, and silly to name a few. The book begins by exploring a feeling per… Continue reading In My Heart – A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek