Merry Christmas: Graphic Novel Style

MANGA CLAUS (Honor, Loyalty, Tinsel): THE BLADE OF KRINGLE
by Nathaniel Marunas
artwork by Erik Craddock
Razorbill (a division of Penguin Books), 2006

One of Santa's elves, a disgruntled laundry room worker, wants to share some "cutting edge spells" with Santa. You've got to give it to Santa, he has made time on December 23rd to meet with Fritz, even though it's obvious that Fritz is not one of his top-notch elves. Their discussion is interrupted when Santa has to leave to attend an emergency on Assembly Line #47.

Fritz's eyes land on a Ninja nutcracker, a lightbulb goes "Bing!" over his head, and he hatches a plot to make Santa realize that he needs him for more important things than laundry.

Unfortunately, the magic that brings the Ninja nutcracker to life manages to spread to the teddy bears, and the Ninja teddy bears are on the brink of destroying the hydroelectric power plant that powers everything at the North Pole. Santa does indeed need Fritz now -- Fritz must bring Santa the two swords that the Samurai gave Santa a century and a half earlier.

The swords transform Santa into the buff Ninja teddy bear slasher seen on the book's cover, and as expected, he triumphs over evil, and the plant is repaired in time to complete orders for Christmas. In a surprise move, Fritz is promoted from laundry to Special-Effects Coordinator.

I won't spoil the ending, but after you read it, you'll understand why this book is paired with Jon Agee's SMART FELLER FART SMELLER on Amazon.

A fun holiday book for anyone who is a little over all the saccharine of the season.

(Too bad it wasn't a Cybils nominee. I would have definitely included it in my top five in the 8-12 year-old sub-category.)

More fun than anyone should have on a treadmill

Synchronized treadmilling.

Teaching and Learning in a Digital World

It is hard, but not impossible, to be a tail-end Baby Boomer (a Digital Immigrant) teaching Digital Natives. It takes work, though.

I've already embraced multiple digital and nondigital tools for composing in writing workshop. I still have a ways to go (see sidebar for great writing tools).

I'm pushing myself to read and value graphic novels.

I am half-a-step behind Monica in moving towards blogging with my students.

Podcasts like these tantalize me with possibilities for my classroom.

And there's a whole world of E-books just waiting to become another option for reading, and teaching readers. (Thank you, Wrung Sponge, for these links.)

I'll never catch up to the Natives, but I'll die learning, and that's a good thing!

Cats or Dogs?

What's your favorite metaphor for classroom management? Mine used to be "herding cats" until I read this.

My Christmas Wish List

All I have to say is, "Be careful what you wish for."

I'm the kind of reader/compulsive book buyer who doesn't need more books, just more time to read all the ones waiting on my shelves (and in piles at the ends of shelves, and in stacks by my bed, etc.).

Two repaired ruptured discs later, I got my wish: I have the next three weeks free and clear for nothing but reading while I recover from the surgery. (Yes, that's why I dedicated the snake poem to my spine.) Again, be careful what you wish for!

First, as a member of the nominations committee for the graphic novels category of the Cybils, I'm going to read as many of the nominees as I can get my hands on. The scope and breadth of the nominees is amazing -- from BABYMOUSE: BEACHBABE to Yaoi Manga and every possible variation in between! It's like there is a whole room in the library that I've never explored! To further my GN education, I am reading Comic Guru Scott McCloud's books UNDERSTANDING COMICS, REINVENTING COMICS, and MAKING COMICS.

I have some gift books that I'd like to read after the GNs: DEAD IN THE SCRUB by B.J. Oliphant, a mystery set in Colorado given to me by friends who know I'm not a mystery reader, so there must be something special about this one. My German "mom" sent me SNOW by Orhan Pamuk for my birthday. How timely, since the next book for book club is MY NAME IS RED, also by Pamuk. Last year at this time I was agog about listening to David Mitchell's CLOUD ATLAS. I got the print version for Christmas, as well as his earlier book NUMBER9DREAM. (I do suppose if there is one book Santa might send, it would be BLACK SWAN GREEN, if it's in paperback.)

I won't be able to swim for three months, but luckily I have HAUNTS OF THE BLACK MASSEUR: THE SWIMMER AS HERO, "a meditation on both the act of swimming and on its cultural, literary and psychological meaning," and GRAYSON, Lynne Cox's (of SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA fame) new book about her encounter with a baby grey whale while doing a training swim in the ocean.

And of course my to-read pile includes children's books: Penny Colman's ADVENTUROUS WOMEN, which I won in a drawing when I heard her speak more than a year ago; THE CONCH BEARER by Chitra Banerjee Kivakaruni, a book recommended by a librarian in my quest to have more books in my classroom library in which my Indian children could see themselves; IQBAL by Francesco D'Adamo, a novel based on the true story of a modern Pakistani child sold into slavery at a carpet factory; three to finish before I make my short list of Newbery nominations: YELLOW STAR by Jennifer Roy, BREAD AND ROSES, TOO by Katherine Paterson, and THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING by M.T. Anderson; and two that are intriguing hybrids of novel and graphic novel: THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznik, and THE FOG MOUND BOOK 1: TRAVELS OF THELONIOUS by Susan Schade and Jon Buller.

OK, Franki, you asked for it; there it is!

Christmas Books

Stephanie at The Children's Literature Book Club is reviewing Christmas books this week. I already found a new one to check out! It will be fun to read her site this week to get more holiday book ideas.

Gingerbread Cookie Cutters

Okay, so it is a stretch that this ties into my life as a reader. But, I do love some versions of THE GINGERBREAD MAN...so I think this is connected enough. Have you seen these very funny Cookie Cutters? I am quite amused. I have to buy a set. I always have several neighbor kids here decorating cookies with my kids. This could be fun!

I have ordered a few things from Kim and Jason's Lemonade Stand and have become kind of addicted. Really fun things and great service. They are one of my new, favorite companies. (You get a little free surprise every time you order!)

Leveled Books

Most of you know that I think we've gone too far with leveled books in our classrooms. Don't get me wrong...I think they are a great resource, especially for beginning readers. (I was just reading a few with my first grader.) But, too often, the thing that was meant to be a tool for teachers, has become a competition for our kids. By encouraging kids to move from level to level to level, they lose the purpose for reading and the love of reading. Not much different from the SRA's of my childhood. (I was stuck in the blue box for a LONG time!) Lisa Koch has a great new article about her son's experience with leveled books on Choice Literacy's website. I wrote one about my daughter a while back too, that talks about the variety of books that kids need in their reading lives. I just worry that we've gone too far and taken out so many of the great, quality picture books that don't "fit" the level formula.

Poetry Friday: Ode to my spine

The Snake
by William Matthews

A snake is the love of a thumb
and forefinger.
Other times, an arm
that has swallowed a bicep.

The air behind this one
is like a knot
in a child’s shoelace
come undone
while you were blinking.

It is bearing something away.
What? What time
does the next snake leave?

This one’s tail is ravelling
into its burrow—
a rosary returned to a purse.
The snake is the last time your spine
could go anywhere alone.

*****

I love those last two lines so much, here they are again:

The snake is the last time your spine
could go anywhere alone.

NCTE addresses NCLB

NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) has posted their recommendations for No Child Left Behind. You can read the statement on the NCTE website.