The Conversation Around A Birthday Cake for George Washington

Recently, I wrote about the controversy over the book A Fine Dessert. There was a lot to think about if you followed the conversation, and as teachers and librarians, I think it is imperative that we are not only readers of children's literature.  I feel like it's also important that we are aware of the books we are reading and the issues surrounding them.

This month, Scholastic published a book called A Birthday Cake for George Washington.  Shortly after it was published, Scholastic released a statement stating that it was decided that they would be pulling it from distribution.

This was a pretty unprecedented move, but the controversy surrounding A Birthday Cake for George Washington, regardless of Scholastic's decision to pull the book, addresses the important issues about the way slavery is portrayed in children's books as well as important issues that deal with diversity in children's books.

Below are the posts I found to be worthwhile reads over the past few weeks.

January 4
Smiling Slaves in a post Fine Dessert World, Kirkus

January 6
Andrea Pinkney wrote about the book before it was released in the post, A Proud Slice of History.

January 6
And Debbie Reese addressed the issues in the book before it's release in her post, What Will They Say?

On January 15 Scholastic responded to the feedback it was getting about the book.

On the same day, January 15 Teaching for Change posted a review, Not Recommended: A Birthday Cake for George Washington

On January 16, Children's Book Causes a Stir for Inaccurate Depiction of Slavery.

And on January 17 the issue was discussed on ABC News.

January 17
Recalled

January 18
Amid Controversy Scholastic Pulls Book About Washington's Slave.

January 18
Smiling Slaves at Storytime

January 18

Hornbook: A Bumpy Ride (This one is an interesting read and the comments are also worth the read, whether you agree with them or not.)

January 19

Megan at Reading While White: No Text is Sacred

A post from the author of George Washington's Birthday Cake updated on January 19

On January 20, award-winning author,  Kimberly Brubaker Bradley weighed in on the discussion.

On January 22, the National Coalition Against Censorship issued a statement about Scholastic's decision.

On January 22, Free Speech Groups Defend A Birthday Cake for George Washington

On January 23, Daniel Jose Older tweeted his response to the statements made relating to censorship. These are collected in a Storify: On Censorship and Slavery.

This has all given me a great deal to think about.  Two other pieces that I have revisited but that are not directly related to the Birthday Cake for George Washington issue are:

This amazing TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story

And this response to the reaction to the  diversity in this year's award books. January 17, Not Mutually Exclusive

Lots to think about and lots of change that needs to happen.  

Poetry Friday -- Double or Nothing

via Unsplash

Because temperatures were in the single digits,
I threw on the old red barn coat
I used to wear for winter dog walks.

I saw you looking at the frayed cuffs,
the faded canvas,
the corduroy collar.

I've owned this coat longer than you've been alive.
What do you own now that will last that long?
Probably nothing.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Stijn Nieuwendijk

I began my day

with thoughts about 

racial and economic 

inequality

and I read the news

of the Afghan woman

whose nose was cut off

by her husband.

Then I spent

twenty minutes

drawing the opening

amaryllis buds

and the only thing

in my mind was this

everyday miracle.

Nothing else.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016

I wrote these poems in response to the Ditty of the Month Challenge that Douglas Florian offered up at Michelle's Today's Little Ditty to write a poem about nothing.

Tara has the Poetry Friday roundup today at A Teaching Life.

World Read Aloud Day -- Friendship Week

How does reading help us connect and make the world friendlier?

It gives us something to talk about -- BOOKS! What a blessing to belong to communities of readers, where the currency for a good conversation is as cheap and easy as "What are you reading now?"

And how does read aloud do the same thing? By giving a classroom full of diverse readers lots of books in common to use as reference points and compass points and discussion points.

Be A Friend by Salina Yoon

I so love Salina Yoon's new book Be a Friend.  I am a big fan of Salina Yoon--I love her Penguin books.  I love anything I've ever seen that she's written and illustrated. I am excited about her upcoming Duck, Duck Porcupine book that is coming out this spring. What a great new series for young readers.

But my favorite Salina Yoon book is her new picture book called BE A FRIEND.  The book seems absolutely perfect to me. It is a simple book with a powerful message. There is so much to think and talk about. I read the book to my 3rd graders early this week and we could have talked for hours. It is a book that has already been revisited several times as readers notice new details in the text and have new thoughts about what it means to be kind, to be a friend.  It is the first MUST-OWN of 2016, I think:-)

The book trailer was premiered on Mr. Schu's blog along with a letter from Salina Yoon.

And Salina Yoon wrote a post on The Nerdy Book Club blog last week titled What It Means to Be a Friend.

I followed lots of posts and photos of some of the book release parties and celebrations for this book and love every image I saw. The book makes me feel lots of joy.  And there are some great prints and things over at Salina Yoon's blog. I am thinking I may need one as a treat when I finally clean up my office.

Just love this book!

Poetry Friday -- On Collaboration

via Unsplash

THE TUFT OF FLOWERS
by Robert Frost

I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.

The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
Before I came to view the levelled scene.

I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.

But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
And I must be, as he had been,—alone,

As all must be,' I said within my heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

But as I said it, swift there passed me by
On noiseless wing a 'wildered butterfly,

Seeking with memories grown dim o'er night
Some resting flower of yesterday's delight.

And once I marked his flight go round and round,
As where some flower lay withering on the ground.

And then he flew as far as eye could see,
And then on tremulous wing came back to me.

I thought of questions that have no reply,
And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;

But he turned first, and led my eye to look
At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,

A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.

I left my place to know them by their name,
Finding them butterfly weed when I came.

The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
By leaving them to flourish, not for us,

Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.

The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,

That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,

And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
So that henceforth I worked no more alone;

But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;

And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.

Men work together,' I told him from the heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

This poem goes out to Heidi Mordhorst, with appreciation for her burst of submit-a-proposal-for-NCTE16 energy and the lingering joy of drafting and editing together on a Google Doc until the words (and word count!) (and presenters!) slipped into place like the proverbial hand in glove (with two hours to spare on Wednesday night!). Fingers crossed that our session is accepted!

Keri has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Keri Recommends.

World Read Aloud Day -- Curiosity Week

We're getting ready to begin a new read aloud in my classroom, and this is definitely a time that fits with the World Read Aloud Day theme of CURIOSITY. My students can't wait to find out what I've chosen, and I'm wondering how they'll react to and interact with the book.

I've chosen The Lion Who Stole My Arm by Nicola Davies. I think it will be interesting to compare the "journey" of Pedru as he works toward revenge on the lion who attacked him, to the journeys of Mark and Joseph in Dan Gemeinhart's two books.

Our next read aloud after this short (under 100 pages) but intense read will be Pax, by Sara Pennypacker, which is set to come out February 2. I've never chosen read alouds around the same theme all year long, but we got started with these powerful, heart-wrenching journey stories, and I'm CURIOUS to see what it will be like to continue with books on the same theme throughout the year!

Youth Media Awards

The winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced yesterday morning. (Complete list of winners here.)

I'm still scratching my head a bit at the Newbery winner -- the picture book Last Stop On Market Street. I'll withhold judgement until I've had a chance to read it.

But which of the winners DID I read this year?

All three Newbery Honor books -- The War That Saved My Life (my pick for winner), Echo, and Roller Girl

Caldecott Winner -- Finding Winnie

Sibert Honor book -- Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Stonewall winner -- George

Both middle grade Schneider winners -- Fish in a Tree and The War That Saved My Life

I'm currently reading one of the Coretta Scott King Honor books -- All American Boys

Pura Belpré Author Award -- Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

All in all, it was a good reading year for me!

This Week's Online Reading

(Visit Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for the  It's Monday! What Are You Reading? roundup!)

I have a lot of writing deadlines in January so I have not read much fiction. I am trying not to start a book because I know that it is hard to write when I am wondering about characters I love. So I have been reading a lot of online pieces and I have found so many worth sharing. So for today's "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" I thought I'd share some of the powerful things I've read this week. Once I started the list, I realized I should give credit to the people who shared these with me through email or social media but I wasn't that organized. So thanks to everyone who shares great reading, especially the pieces below.



To the White Parents of my Black Son's Friends by Maralee Bradley

Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick? by Vicki Abeles

Mom: What do I expect from my children's elementary school? Certainly not this. by Valerie Strauss

Let's Debate: Homework! by Kristi Mraz

10 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently by Andrew Tate

Beyond Working Hard: What Growth Mindset Teaches Us About Our Brains by Katrina Schwartz

Growing Pains by Jen Schwanke

 Reading Right Now Recommendations from Kristin Ziemke

Ann Patchett on the Return of Bookstores

Assessments as Hope by Cassandra Erkens

Poetry Friday -- Haiku Gifts

When I saw these little 2"x2"x.5" canvases at Michaels Arts and Crafts, I couldn't resist them, even though I had no idea what I'd do with them.

During my Haiku-a-Day in December, one of my brainstorming pages had these rich 5-syllable opposites: eventually/in the nick of time and truth abandons them/we discover truth. I added two different concrete 7-syllable lines, and realized that by mixing and matching, my 9 phrases could make multiple haikus.

I got out my watercolor colored pencils and made up this set for my brother for Christmas. He had sent me Jane Reichhold's WRITING AND ENJOYING HAIKU: A HANDS-ON GUIDE for my birthday, so it seemed like an appropriate gift. (I'm not all the way through Reichhold's book yet, but I'm loving it!)

Here's to the joy of creating art with words and visuals!

Tabatha has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at The Opposite of Indifference.

World Read Aloud Day -- Seven Strengths Countdown

LitWorld is counting down the weeks until World Read Aloud Day by highlighting a different strength of read aloud each week.

This week is BELONGING WEEK ("When has reading helped you feel like you belong to a community?")

In my classroom, the books I read aloud bring the class together as a community -- a truth this year in particular.

We started the year with Dan Gemeinhart's THE HONEST TRUTH (I reviewed it last year here.) When we finished, I suggested to the class that we share a "lighter" book next. They were vehemently against it -- they begged me for another book with hard issues that they would feel in their hearts. Another book that would make them gasp with fear, and cry with relief. Another book that would put them in the shoes of a character  who is dealing with hard problems.

We had a chance to Skype with Dan Gemeinhart, and he showed us the arc of his next book, SOME KIND OF COURAGE (available January 26). In a stroke of good luck, the arc arrived the next day in a box full of arcs from Scholastic.

SOME KIND OF COURAGE was our second read aloud of the year, and it was all kinds of magic. The book can be compared to THE HONEST TRUTH in its theme, characters, and story arc. Both are stories of quests, but SOME KIND OF COURAGE is historic fiction, rather than realistic fiction. Gemeinhart has the ability to write memorable scenes, and his mixture of sad or nerve-wracking scenes with humorous scenes is masterful. We are Skyping again this Friday, and we feel privileged to be one of the first classes to give him feedback on this book. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that we'll be giving him two thumbs up!

Because of a change of schedule, four of my students were going to be missing read aloud two out of the four days we have it. I was completely flummoxed about what I should do. There was just no other time in the schedule when I have them that I could work it in, and I didn't want to deny all the rest of the kids just for those four. I was stuck. Then their teacher came to me and shared that they are feeling the same way. Missing read aloud was a non-negotiable for them. So we worked it out so that my four can stay for read aloud and not miss anything in their other class. WHEW!

If that's not a testament to the strength of our classroom community around our read aloud, I'm not sure what is!

One Little Word 2016

image from Unsplash

I couldn't put it off any longer. My students chose their One Little Words yesterday, and I was still procrastinating.

I almost settled on BALANCE, but this word is one I am constantly working towards already. (Constantly, in fact.)

Then I went on a brainstorming spree: bellicose (too negative), cheer (hmm...possibility), levitate, float, informed. Then I got grumpy: hibernate, eschew, shirk. I tried chickadee, puzzle, curious, inquire, ask, design (hmm...possibility), stretch, change, barter.

Suddenly, my word found me:

BEND

Bend. It tells me to be flexible, reminds me not to break. It shows me a curving road with an unknowable ending, a journey, and it beckons me forward. If it is my teaching, I think of it as to mold or shape. If it is my poetry, photography, and art, I bend my efforts toward the creative. A bend is a kind of knot that connects two ropes, so I can feel a tightening of connections with this word. Last of all, it's a warning to me not to go in too deep -- divers get the bends, you know!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers for the round up!

I always love winter break reading. I either catch up on the last of the year's books or I read ahead to the upcoming books of the next year. Some years I do a combination of both but it is always one of my favorite reading times of the year.

This year I read some amazing books that are due out in 2016.  All are MUST READS for sure! I feel lucky to have started my 2016 with these books. They all tugged at my heart in very different ways and all are perfect for middle grade readers.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Due to be released February 2, 2016
This book, illustrated by Jon Klassen is one that I could not put down.  It is the story of a boy and his pet fox. It is a dog story and the story of a boy's journey and a story of loss and friendship.  It is the best of all of these things.

The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price by Jennifer Maschari

Due to be released February 23,  2016
This book was sent to me by the author (who lives in Ohio--lucky us!). What an amazing story of grief and healing.  Told in a story that reminded me a bit of Coraline, meeting Charlie and his sister Imogen as they work through their grief is an incredible read. The way the author puts the issues into a fantasy world is incredible and is perfect for middle grade readers.

When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
Due to be released January 5, 2016
Inge Maria is a character who will stay with me for a very long time.  She has recently lost her mother and moves in with her grandmother who she does not know well. She moves into a rather dull town but brings life to the town and brightens the lives of so many.  A great story with a great feisty character.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

I also read a 2015 book that I have been hearing a lot about. I am so glad that this was my first read of 2016. I am sorry I waited so long to read it.  I have already told so many people about it as I think it is a must-read.   This book is about two teenage boys dealing with issues of police brutality, racism, family and what it worth standing up for. The book is written by two authors and is brilliant. I would put this one next on your list of must reads and I plan to read more by these authors for sure.

#Nerdlution 2016!

A few years ago, several of us participated in #Nerdlution.  If you missed it the first round, you can read about it here. And here. And here.

I wasn't so successful with #nerdlution and hadn't thought much about it, but a few days  Niki Barnes tweeted out:

I figured it was a good time to revisit some goals and think about what I wanted to focus on in the next few months. Our original #nerdlution was 50 days so we set the 2016 #nerdlution to run from January 4 (tomorrow!) until February 22.  I don't remember why we settled on 50 but that seemed like a good timeframe again.

My first instinct was to set the goal "Pull myself together". But Colby Sharp is serious about goals and he reminded me that it needed to be more specific with this:

Colby also shared this article on goal setting.

And I found this one that was interesting.

And then I read Chris Lehman’s post about his hopes for the year. 

So I thought hard about what I meant when I said I needed to "pull myself together". How would that be measurable? Niki Barnes suggested a Before and After picture but that seemed a little stressful!  What was keeping me from feeling "pulled together" on a daily basis.  It's taken me a few days of thinking but here is what I've figured out.

I plan too much for a day or a weekend or a chunk of time. My to-do list is always impossible and I like it that way.  I like the work I do and I like to be busy. But because my to-do list is never-ending by choice, I have gotten into the habit of trying to get finished with my to-do list even though it isn't mean to be finished. So I end up feeling a big overwhelmed by all that I have to do. (even if I don't have to do it for weeks).  I end up rushing in the morning and rushing in the evening and then living a bit chaotically because of it.  Because I am trying to check things off my list, I don't make time for things that help me to feel organized. Whether I am put together or not, I don't feel like it because I have started to feel frazzled in the morninsg and in the evenings.

So to help with this goal, I have a few things I am going to try to change in the next 50 days. These are things I will do no matter how long my to-do list is (because it is always long, by choice remember:-)

-I will take the time to wash my face and use moisturizer every morning and night.  (This is something that I often skip because I try to check things off my to-do list and work "for just one more minute" until I am so tired that all I can do is fall into bed.)

-I will pack healthy lunches and have healthy breakfasts on most days (which means I will have to take a few minutes to plan and prepare these.)

-I will exercise 5 days a week.  Anything for 25+ minutes will count. (My to-do list will no longer be an excuse).

-As a family, we will spend 10 minutes every night picking up stuff in our family room and kitchen.  We tend to put things on the tables and the island as we go about our business each day. This become a bit overwhelming after a few days so we are committing to doing this each night before we go to bed.

None of these things are very hard and none of these take a long time but I think they will help me feel like I am more put together and less frantic about things.  I think this list will also give me permission to put my to-do list aside for a chunk of time each day.  Dropping daily routines has become a bad habit and I use my to-do list as an excuse too often.  Building these habits back into life   seems doable and very worthwhile. I am actually looking forward to it.  I may not look any different at the end of #nerdlution (which is why I did not take Nikki's advice to measure my #Nerdlution with a before and after picture:-)  but I am hoping that I feel more put together, more balanced and less obsessed with my never-ending to-do list (did I mention that I love everything on my to-do list!).

We hope you will join us!  If you have some new thing you are trying to commit to, join us with the #nerdlution hashtag on Twitter and on our Nerdlution Facebook Page!

Celebrating 10 Years of A Year of Reading: Happy 10th Birthday to Us!

Wikimedia

Happy 10th Birthday to A Year of Reading! 

Our blog began as a place to have conversations about books and make predictions about the Newbery winners. Here are all of the winners for the lifetime of our blog:

2006 Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

2007 The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

2009 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2010 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2011 Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

2012 Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

2013 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

2014 Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

2015 The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Our blog has been a place to share book reviews of children’s and profession books, classroom stories, Poetry Friday and Poetry Month, It’s Monday What Are You Reading, Math Monday, #Nerdlutions, One Little Words, #GNCelebration, #PB10for10, #cyberPD…and more in more than 3000 posts, which means we’ve averaged about 300 posts per year! WHEW!

The blog isn’t the only place we’ve shared our reading – we’re both on Goodreads, and have listed over 3000 books there. Between the two of us, we’ve tweeted over 30,000 tweets (probably not all about books and reading)!

The blog isn’t the only place we’ve been writing these past 10 years. Both of us write for Choice Literacy. Franki has published and/or co-published four books, and Mary Lee has poems in six anthologies.

It’s been a fun and productive 10 years both on and off the blog. We’re delighted that we share the Kidlitosphere with you, and look forward to what the next 10 years will bring!

Celebrating 10 Years of A Year of Reading: Our 9th Birthday

It seems hard to believe, but we are coming to the end of our 10th year of blogging! To celebrate, we will look back on our blog birthday posts through the years.  Join us as we revisit our birthday posts. Today is Day 9 of our 10 Day Birthday Celebration!

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A Year of Reading Turns Nine!