The Edge of the Forest

The January issue of The Edge of the Forest is up! A great issue with articles, interviews, book reviews and more! If you have not checked it out before, Kelly publishes a new issue each month. Every one is packed with great articles dealing with children's lit.

TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING

Esme at PlanetEsme shares a great letter on her blog from a preservice teacher. She then goes on to remind us how a knowledge of children's literature is one of your best tools as a teacher. I would also add that it makes teaching and learning so much more fun!

She brings up some interesting points about new teachers. I loved her book EDUCATING ESME: DIARY OF A TEACHER'S FIRST YEAR when it came out. It gave us all great insights into the challenges faced by smart, new teachers. I also like a new one on a similar topic: TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING published by NCTE this fall. (The copies were sold out at the NCTE convention when I visited the booth--it is THAT good!)

"The authors recount their experiences from the preservice year through the first six years of teaching. They share moments of joy and success, but they also tell hard stories about obstacles that drive the knowledge, enthusiasm, and energy of new teachers underground and cause many to leave the profession"

I read this book and recommend it to educators at all experience levels. As a new teacher, it will help you to know that you are not alone--that we all struggle to match the visions we have for our classrooms and students. As an experienced teacher, it reminds me all that our newest teachers have to offer and how best to support them and to welcome them into the world of teaching.

Mock Newbery Round-Up

We're a week away from the announcement by the ALA of the official winners of the Newbery Award, named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery and awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Here are the UNOFFICIAL picks, as of today:

A Year of Reading
Franki's Picks:
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Mary Lee's Picks:
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (I know, I KNOW! But I refuse to take it off!)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant

Educating Alice:
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant
A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Wabi by Joseph Bruchac
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Porch Lies by Pat McKissack
Gossamer by Lois Lowry

Semicolon:
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Rules by Cynthia Lord

Mother Reader:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Shug by Jenny Han
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

New on 1/16 from Children's Literature Book Club:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

Nina's Newbery chose A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz.

Born Librarian reports on the choice of Kansas City librarians: Gossamer by Lois Lowry.

Sullivan County BOCES picked Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy, Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull, Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, Porch Lies by Pat McKissack, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Rhode Island Librarians chose The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Northport-East Northport (NY) Public Library Newbery Book Club chose Gossamer by Lois Lowry.

Allen County (IN) Public Library chose Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker.

Anderson's Bookshop has a list of 25 from which they'll be choosing this week.

Wake County (NC) Public Library has a short list of 8. No announcement date given.

Stillwater Public Library has a short list of 11 (scroll down) and it looks like they will announce January 17 or 18.

Reading With a Teacher's Eye, Ear, and Imagination

Franki and I have been working together and growing together as teachers for so many years, there's not much more I can add to her list of questions she asks herself as she reads with a teacher's eye.

I'll just say, "Ditto for me."

The one thing I would like to add is the role my imagination plays in making decisions about books for my classroom. If it's a book that seems like one I might want to use for a read aloud, I imagine myself doing just that. I "hear" what the words would sound like read aloud, and I "listen" to the conversations we might have at certain points in the book. I can imagine what individual children might say, and when the class might laugh out loud.

If it's a book I think my best readers will enjoy independently, I imagine, as I read, what I will tell them about the book as a hook to get them into it. Because I know my students' reading tastes and reading histories, I think of ways I can pitch this new book in the context of what they've been reading in the past few months.

If it's a book for my struggling readers, I imagine myself seated next to them as they read, and I try to find the parts they might struggle with so that I can build their prior knowledge before they start reading, or mark a few pages with a sticky notes to let them know they need to come talk to me when they get to those parts.

Newbery Hopes--Reading With a Teacher's Eye

Betsy at Fuse #8 suggested that we write about the reasons for each book on our list of Newbery Predictions. We thought that was a good idea, but we must remind you again that we are really not good at this! We just do it for the fun of having an excuse to read as many new children's books as possible!

We both read middle grade novels with the eye of a teacher. We are familiar with the Newbery criteria and love the anticipation of waiting for the winner to be announced. I consider my main job on the day of the ALA announcements to be to get as many of the winning books as possible to share with my students the next day.

This is part of the bigger picture of my teaching. I think it is hugely important for kids to be part of the world of reading outside of the classroom. Paying attention to new books, internet sites, movies-from-books, author gossip, awards etc. all help them to be part of the world of readers that has nothing to do with school. I think this is a critical part of my job--hooking them up to this world that I love so much! One that they can be part of for their entire lives. This Newbery/Caldecott piece is just one part of that. Inviting them to be part of a big day in the world of children's literature.

As a teacher, here is how I make decisions about books and questions I ask myself when reading a new book:

**Is this book so amazing, that I should read it aloud to my students? (Since in the course of the year, we only have time to read about 10 novels, the book has to be REALLY good to meet this criteria.)

**Will this appeal to most students in my classroom or is it one that will appeal to a certain group of kids with certain tastes as readers?

**Which books is this like? Are there other popular books that give me the same feeling when I read it?

**Am I really excited to bring this into the classroom or am dying to tell other teachers/friends about it?

**Is this book surprising in some way?

**How does this book compare to other books by the author? How does it add to his/her body of work? (I LOVE finding great books by new authors or books that change my view of an author completely!)

**Do I think about these characters long after I am finished with the book?

**Is it hard for me to move to another book when this book is finished because I don't want this one to be over yet?

**Do I find myself getting online to look for other books by this author right away?

**What do the reviews say? I always check the reviews. I know that I am reading with the eye of a teacher and not an expert in children's lit. So, I trust the reviews and blogs and read them carefully to see what others are saying about the title.

**I pay attention to any real-world issues in the book that I need to be aware of as a public school teacher. Is the issue written in an age-appropriate way? Is it presented to this age group in a way that will help them make sense of it or one that I see as too much for this age?

**Is there depth to this book that is accessible to my students? Is the theme one that students can understand from the book or one that is not really accessible to them in the writing?

**Can most of the students in my room read this book on their own? What will the challenges be for their independent reading? How can I support them in getting past these challenges if they choose to read it independently.

So, later this week, and before the Newbery Announcement on January 22, I'll share my thinking about a few of the books on my list. I just wanted to process what it is I think about when creating my list of Newbery Hopes.

ANOTHER AWARD FOR YELLOW STAR!

Since YELLOW STAR is one of my VERY favorite books of the year. And since we got to meet the author, Jennifer Roy at her Cover to Cover signing, I am thrilled that it is receiving so many awards. Thanks to Fuse #8 for the news of the 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, which recognize the best in Jewish Children's Literature. Congrats Jennifer Roy..again! Yellow Star deserves every award it gets!

CLEMENTINE

I seem to be using part of this month catching up on the books of 2006 that I haven't had time for. It is actually the only time of year that I am not jealous of all of the people out there who get boxes of review books! I am too far behind to read ahead at this point in the year. CLEMENTINE has been talked about on lots of blogs. Mother Reader put it on her list of "Not Newberyish Selections". I purchased it for my classroom and could not seem to get my hands back on it to read it. I lucked out on Friday when I noticed one of my students finishing the last page. I ran over to ask her if I could read it next. Seemed that someone was already ahead of me in line. So, I checked with the child who was next on the list for Clementine and she needed a few more days to finish the book she was reading. So, I got the book for the weekend--promising to have it back on Monday! (I know, it would have been easier to buy another copy of the book...) Anyway, I LOVED it! Laugh out loud, loved it! I was intrigued by the book because such a range of readers seem to love it. But once I read it, I understood why. It is pretty brilliant. Very funny from a child's standpoint. And the writing style is hysterically funny for adults too. With lines like, "But then a great idea popped into my head. I am lucky that way: great ideas are always popping into my head without me having to think them up," you cant help but LOVE Clementine. There is a sophistication in the humor that appeals to a variety of readers. It is a short book and a fun, light read. But, there is depth in the character and the humor. (even the author bio is pretty amusing) It seems pretty appropriate for a read aloud in grades K-1 and still a great read for readers in 3-5. A pretty perfect book!

Poetry Friday: The Art of Storytelling

We've been having lots of fun with storytelling in my classroom, thanks to the game, Pitch a Story. In this game, each player or team begins with a card from the character deck, and a card from the challenges deck. (The core of every story: someone wants something.) As you move your piece around the board, you might pick up props, settings, or other characters that you'll have to incorporate into your story. When you land on a "pitch place," you get a minute or two to plan your story based on the cards you're holding, and then you "pitch" your story in much the same way that "Writers, producers and directors "pitch" their story ideas as punchy, pithy presentations to Hollywood film studios, TV networks, Broadway theaters, and book publishers."

How perfect that Garrison Keillor has a storytelling poem for today's poem on The Writer's Almanac!

The Art of Storytelling
by Louis Simpson

Once upon a time there was a shocket,
that is, a kosher butcher,
who went for a walk.

He was standing by the harbor
admiring the ships, all painted white,
when up came three sailors, led by an officer.
"Filth," they said, "who gave you permission?"
and they seized and carried him off.

So he was taken into the navy.
It wasn't a bad life — nothing is.
He learned how to climb and sew,
and to shout "Glad to be of service, Your Excellency!"
He sailed all round the world,
Was twice shipwrecked, and had other adventures.
Finally, he made his way back to the village ...
whereupon he put on his apron, and picked up his knife,
and continued to be a shocket.

At this point, the person telling the story
would say, "This shocket-sailor
was one of our relatives, a distant cousin."

It was always so, they knew they could depend on it.
Even if the story made no sense,
the one in the story would be a relative —
a definite connection with the family.

Get to Know "Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast"

The girls at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have a fabulous idea. My favorite blog idea since Lisa Yee's book title contest! They will be interviewing various bloggers so that we get to know them better. And they started with themselves! It is an interview that is great fun to read. When you read it, you realize how lucky we are to be part of the kidlitosphere. You will learn some VERY interesting things about Jules and Eisha, like that Jules can sing the alphabet as it appears on the keyboard (I believe this calls for a podcast AND a post explaining exactly how this happened!).

Enjoy the post. I look forward to more interviews on the site!
Thanks Jules and Eisha for a GRAND idea!

Nina Gives Us some Newbery Scoop

Nina of Nina's Newbery has a great post called "The Juicy Part". In the post, she tells us how her Mock Newbery committee went about choosing the Mock Newbery winner. She also gives us a few insights about how the actual Newbery committee makes the difficult decision each year. So, check it out for the inside scoop:-) Unfortunately, Nina won't be blogging about 2007 books since she'll be chairing the Newbery Committee!

But, Monica at Educating Alice will be part of the Newbery Committee and will be sharing her thoughts on books that she reads during the year.