“Otsaliheliga,” We are grateful! I am grateful for this wonderful book about a journey through the seasons with a Cherokee family by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Frané Lessac. Sorell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, describes in detail how a Cherokee family moves through the year and the seasons, calling attention to everything they… Continue reading We Are Grateful–Otsaliheliga
Author: Ann Williams
Sweeping Up The Heart
It is a rare opportunity when you get to share a novel with just one student, and that is just the opportunity I had with my niece while reading Sweeping Up The Heart by Kevin Henkes last summer. Maria and I had been on the hunt for a book to share together when we walked… Continue reading Sweeping Up The Heart
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
You Hold Me Up
At the beginning of the school year, every teacher focuses on establishing a classroom community and developing relationships among the members of the classroom. Cultivating and maintaining a positive classroom community takes dedication, time and care. You Hold Me Up , by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Danielle Daniel is a book that will… Continue reading You Hold Me Up
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
I am a book hog, are you a book hog? This was the question posed to students as we began Greg Pizzoli’s new book, The Book Hog. Students quickly recognized the colors on the cover and the illustrations as being very similar to The Watermelon Seed, also by Pizzoli, and they were excited to dive… Continue reading The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
Endling, The Last
As the summer winds down and a new year begins, I think back to how the summer of 2019 began with a virtual book club! After meeting author, Katherine Applegate,at An Unlikely Story bookstore and hearing her speak about all of her books, including her new fantasy series Endling, students were excited to get their… Continue reading Endling, The Last