This Land is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

Mary Lee and I attended the American Library Association Mid-Winter conference last month. It was a great experience and of course, I came home with so many books to add to my to-be-read stack. Following the awards announcements on Monday morning, there is an annual session for the YALSA Morris and Nonfiction award winners. Someone suggested that we attend the session and was it a treat!  We were able to hear all of the Morris and Nonfiction winners speak for a few minutes about their work. Then we received some of the books for autographing.

One of the books that had been on my radar was This Land is Our Land by Linda Barrett Osborne.  I have spend the last few weeks reading this, a little bit at a time, and am so glad that I did.

This book is a comprehensive history of immigration in the United States.  The Table of Contents shows all that is explored in the book.

  

It was an interesting and important read during this time in our country.  I am so glad that I read it and I have a better understanding of the issues surrounding immigration. It seems like an important read for everyone.  I don't often purchase books that I can't use in my classroom but I am so glad I bought this one. It is a boo that belongs in every middle school and high school libraries (many reviews say grades 6-10).

When I talked to the author during the autograph line she mentioned how interesting it was to be working on this book at this time (she started long before many of the current issues.)  She hoped that both teens and adults would read this book as there was so much that she had researched and wanted to share. I agree completely.

NCTE Book Awards

NCTE announced its book awards this week.  I love both of the lists.  I've always loved the Orbis Pictus Award. I've watched it for years and have discovered so many amazing nonfiction books through this award and list each year. This year, I had read many books on the award list, but have several that I'll add to my TBR stack.  

This year, I was part of the Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children committee. It is an honor to be part of this committee during its first years. I never had the opportunity to study under Charlotte Huck at Ohio State but I feel that I learned from her through her writing and through others I knew who knew her. What a legacy! And I so love the premise of the new Charlotte Huck Award.  From the NCTE website, "The award commemorates the work of educator Charlotte Huck and her focus on the importance of bringing books and children together in significant ways. " It goes on to discuss the criteria--below is the first bullet.

• Fiction for children that has the potential to transform children’s lives
• Fiction that invites compassion, imagination, and wonder
• Fiction that connects children to their own humanity and offers them a rich experience with the power to influence their lives
• Fiction that stretches children’s thinking, feelings, and imagination

Isn't this what children's literature is all about? Isn't this what matters?

The experience I had on the committee, learning from so many amazing people, thinking about this award was incredible. Definitely a great way to start 2015. If you have not seen the award list, you can find it here.

Sunshine Awards!

On November 30, the wonderful Suzanne Gibbs of the blog Finding Fourth Grade awarded me with a Sunshine Award. I was so excited an honored. It took me a while to pull together the answers to the questions, etc. but here they are--a month late.  

Here's a little info on the Sunshine Award:

This is a way for bloggers to get to know each other and one of the cool things about it is that there are limitless "winners"! The Sunshine award gives others an opportunity to learn more about me as a blogger and then, in turn, I will send sunshine the way of 11 other amazing bloggers for you to get to know! Here are the "official" rules:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers. They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.

So, here goes!

11 Random Facts About Me

        1 -I cannot sing.  At all. In our 5th grade program, the teacher asked me to
 mouth the words and by 6th grade they gave me a
“special part” as head angel which took me out of the choir.

2- I used to love roller coasters until
I married my husband who hates them.

3- I was married in the same church
as my mother and my grandmother.

4-My favorite kind of ice cream is grape from Handel’s.

5- My husband met my extended family on Thanksgiving Day
 a long time ago. After dinner at both grandmothers’ houses,
he thought I would grow up to cook like them. He was wrong.

6-I have attempted to find hobbies for years with no luck.

7-In 2nd grade, I threw up on my shoes
at the end of the school day so the teacher sent me home
 with a box in case I threw up again.  (I walked home.)

8- My favorite holidays are those that involve presents.

9-When I was in elementary school,
I ran a big carnival in my backyard to raise
money for a children’s home in our city.

10- I have not read the Harry Potter books

  11-Michael J. Fox, Joan Jett and I
have a movie credit in the same movie. I was an on-set tutor
for one day during the production of Light of Day which earned me a credit.

The Answers to Suzanne's Questions to Me:

1  Why did you start blogging?

Mary Lee suggested it and I trust her.

Do you prefer warm or cold weather? Any reason for that?

Warm because I want to cry when I am outside in the cold! Honestly, I prefer being indoors no matter what the weather. (Is indoor a kind of weather?)

Have you (and/or your family) decorated for the holidays yet? Why or why not?

Yes, every year while I am at NCTE, my husband decorates for the holidays.  Not sure how this tradition started but we like to enjoy the tree for a while before Christmas and then we take it down right after. 

Whom would you say is the ONE person in history you admire the most and why? 

I am inspired by all of the women in history who did things outside of what was expected/allowed at the time.

What's your favorite beverage?

Venti Awake Hot Tea from Starbucks

If you could recommend only one book to someone to read, what would it be?

Glass Castle

What is one thing on your "bucket list" not many people - or maybe no one - knows about?

 To live in a big city.

What's the most relaxing vacation you've been on?

Disney World

Who brings you the most joy in your life?

My family

If you could give a lot of money to one organization, which one would it be and why?

Ronald McDonald House

What's your favorite color?

 Yellow-it’s bright and happy

11 bloggers Who Deserve the Sunshine Award 

(And if you are too busy this time of year to post about this, that's fine--just wanted to give you a shout out!)

1-Stephanie Shouldis at Books, Interventions and More!

2-Ruth Ayres at Discover, Play Build

3-Stella at My World, Mi Mundo

4-Betsy at Teaching Young Writers

5-Karen Terlecky at Literate Lives

6-Carol Wilcox at Carol's Corner

7-Tony Keefer at Atychiphobia 2.0

8-Maria Caplin at Teaching in the 21st Century

9-Dylan Teut at Mile High Reading

10-Mandy Robek of Enjoy and Embrace Learning

11-Cathy Mere of Reflect and Refine

11 Questions for the Bloggers

1     1- What is the best thing that happened to you this week?

2     2- What is your favorite book of 2013?

3     3-Which TV shows do you watch regularly?

4     4-What is the thing you are most excited about for 2014?

5     5-Do you have any pets?

6     6-Is your favorite meal breakfast, lunch or dinner? Why?

7     7-What’s was a favorite childhood book?

8     8- Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?

9     9-What’s a favorite movie?

1     10- What’s one thing you love to do when you have free time?

1     11- Who is an author you’d love to meet?