Larger Than Life Lara

I picked up this book at Cover to Cover a few weeks ago. I am always looking for short, easier chapter books that have depth--things to talk about. When I taught 5th grade, I could find lots and lots of great books for them that were worth talking about--books that dealt with issues. It is a bit trickier in third grade. The kids are still learning to follow plot so I try to find books with a good, easy to follow plot, as well as real life issues to talk about. I think LARGER THAN LIFE LARA by Dandi Daley Mackall will be a great book for read aloud and/or booktalks with 3rd and 4th graders. It has so many things to talk about. Mackall also weaves in reminders about story elements as we read which is a unique thing and something kids would enjoy. Lara moves into Laney's 4th grade classroom and is immediately the target of meanness and bullying. Lara is very large--so big that she has to have a special chair and she swishes when she walks. Lara handles the meanness with a positive attitude and is always able to find the best in people. It doesn't end quite the way I had predicted which is always nice--I love a little surprise. It isn't really a happy ending, but there is closure. There are lots of things that kids would find to discuss with this book. It is a great new book with lots of possibilities.

Snow Baby

The Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary's Daring Daughter
by Katheri Kirkpatrick
Holiday House, 2007
Guest review by A.J. Wald, resident Arctic and Antarctic expert

I do so love a surprise. That is probably why I gladly read Katherine Kirkpatrick’s The Snow Baby, even though I have shelves groaning under the weight of books on Arctic and Antarctic exploration. Book after book of determined adventurer’s and scientist’s tales of grim survival under the trials of cold, darkness, fear and, sometimes, madness. Not a single one of these volumes, however, tells the story of the sweet-faced little tyke born to Robert E. Peary and his wife Josephine Diebitsch Peary on September 12, 1893 on the shores of Smith Sound, Greenland.

Other books on the Arctic barely mention the birth of Marie Ahnighito (the woman who sewed Marie’s fox skin coat and caribou skin trousers also provided the baby’s middle name) Peary. Marie’s story is important, however, within the context of Arctic exploration and in light of her own, unique experiences.

It will come as no shock that Marie Peary did not have a stereotypical childhood. Beginning her life in Greenland, she was taken south to Washington D.C. at age 11 months. There, the Snow Baby lived with her mother and her maternal family while her explorer father continued to strive to reach the North Pole. A pattern developed that brought Marie and Mrs. Peary back to the Arctic for periodic reunions with Robert Peary, interspersed with time in ‘civilization’.

During the Arctic episodes, Marie meets a who’s who of North Pole exploration, from the indispensable Inuit, to the ice pilot Bartlett, to Mathew Henson. Marie has her own adventures too, skidding across glaciers, literally by the ‘seat of her pants’.

Her life, both in the far North and in the urbane strictures of Victorian America, fascinates and informs the reader about the history and the society of the times. Ms. Kirkpatrick does not shy away from the recognition of Robert Peary’s ‘other’ children, produced by his liaisons with Inuit women. Her frank, tasteful explanation of the historical existence of Marie’s half-brothers and sisters was refreshing in its tact and honesty.

There is a truly excellent map of Robert Peary’s expeditions and delightful photographs of the Pearys and the extended family, the Inuit of Greenland, the ships, dogs and characters that were part of Marie’s life. A fine bibliography of research works and a useful index round out this very worthwhile fifty page edition.

Upper level 4th and 5th grade readers, girls or boys, will be able to glean a great deal from The Snow Baby, as will anyone who delves into the exciting and complex life Marie Ahnighito Peary.

Poetry Friday -- Reading by Flashlight

My recent reading has not turned loose of me just yet.

I took out my copy of Poets Against the War (edited by Sam Hamill) and browsed a bit and shook my head that this book was published three years ago when the first lady uninvited poets from her poetry forum after getting wind that they might speak against the war. Time flies when it's not your town getting bombed.

I found today's poem on the Poets Against The War website. It is a poem that speaks of the consequences of war (as did Greetings From Planet Earth, although Kerley's book was more about human consequences), reading by flashlight (as did Letters from Rapunzel) and the question of "why do I have so much when others have so little?" (as did How to Steal a Dog).

Here is the end of Nancy Flynn's poem:

Reading The Oregonian by Flashlight

.
.
.
My flashlight makes a circle, enough light to read by,
and I feel like Abraham Lincoln. Isn't this
what character is made from?

In Baghdad, three years now, and electricity's
only reliable four hours a day.



Read the whole poem here.

MsMac at Check it Out has the round up this week.

Interesting Trio of Books

Greetings From Planet Earth by Barbara Kerley (website)
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes (website and blog)
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor (website and blog)

I checked out all three from the library to see whether or not I needed to own them. I read them all and I just purchased all three.

Dads are missing from all three stories: In Greetings, he hasn't returned home from Vietnam; in Letters, he's in the hospital with clinical depression; in Steal a Dog, he walked out on the family, leaving them homeless.

Great boy character in Greetings. Harry and Taran are the only other good boy characters in my summer reading (not on purpose). Theo is smart and curious and persistent.

Smart and curious and persistent also describe Cadence in Letters. Holmes captures/creates an authentic voice in the letters that Cadence writes. Georgina's voice in Steal a Dog is also spot on and crystal clear.

All three books are similar in the way the authors have masterfully woven the plot line. In Greetings, Kerley weaves together the best and worst of our nation in the late 1970's: space travel and the Vietnam War. In Letters, Holmes combines clinical depression, fairy tales, poetry, and the trials and tribulations of the gifted child. In Steal a Dog, Holmes gives poverty and homelessness a variety of different faces and voices which defy common sterotypes.

Out of all three, it was Steal a Dog that gripped my gut and made me talk out loud to the main character. ("What do you think you're doing?!?!?") I had thought there was a sense of doom and foreboding in Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli. Turns out, watching a character wait for his 10th birthday and the awfulness of becoming a wringer at the town pigeon shoot was nothing compared to watching Georgina blunder her way through the social and emotional chaos of living out of a car, the plan, the theft, the cover-up, and the realization that she has gotten herself in so deep that there is no graceful way out.

I'll keep Greetings and Letters for personal recommendations to 4th/5th graders. How to Steal a Dog will be one of my first read alouds.

* * * *

Mindy's interview of Barbara Kerley at propernoun
Kelly's interview of Barbara Kerley at Big A little a
7-Imp's interview of Barbara Kerley at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Little Willow's Poetry Friday from Letters from Rapunzel
7-Imp's review of Letters from Rapunzel
BooksForKidsBlog's review of Letters From Rapunzel
Midwestern Lodestar's thoughts on How to Steal a Dog
Brianne Reads and Reviews review of How to Steal a Dog
Barbara O'Connor's story of how a failed picture book turned into two novels: How to Steal a Dog and, coming in spring 2008, Greetings from Nowhere

EDITED TO ADD: Julius Lester's thoughts on Vietnam vs. Iraq, an interesting companion to Greetings from Planet Earth

New from Deborah Wiles

The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles

This might be my Newbery pick of the moment. I LOVE Deborah Wiles. I loved LOVE, RUBY LAVENDER and especially loved EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS. But, The Aurora County All-Stars (due out this week) may be my favorite for lots of reasons.

This is a story of baseball, a story of a strong community, and a story of friends. Deborah Wiles ties the story together with quotes from Walt Whitman. She also uses quotes from famous baseball players to set the stage for each chapter. Her writing is brilliant.

And, as an added bit of fun, Ruby Lavender is back in this book--she is part of the story. Reading about a familiar town with a few familiar characters is always fun and reading about Ruby Lavender again was quite a treat. She is not the main character but it is like visiting an old friend.

Deborah Wiles has characters you just have to love. Here is her introduction to one of the characters in the book:

"Honey Jackson, age six, aspiring dancer and lover-of-life extraordinaire, sat barefoot and cross-legged at the top of the front porch steps. She wore her best pink leotard and tutu. Around her neck, hanging from some string, was a pair of toilet-paper-roll binoculars. Behind her, in a short, straight row, sat seven small stuffed animals--her audience."

I am thinking that if I were teaching 4th or 5th grade this year, I would start the year with this as the read aloud. I am pretty sure it is one that all kids would love. And so much to think and talk about. But, I am teaching 3rd/4th and I am not sure it is the right book for early 3rd graders as our first read aloud.

Right now, it is one of my new very-favorites.

New Professional Book from Elaine Garan

SMART ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS by Elaine Garan
is one big gift to teachers from Elaine Garan.

It is hard to teach well these days. With the pressure of testing and standardization, so much of what we know about how best to meet kids' needs is being lost. As teachers, we know the best research-based practices but lately, we have been being asked to go against much of what we know to follow scripted programs, give more and more tests, and include more isolated skill and drill that never seems to transfer to real reading and writing.

In Elaine Garan's new book SMART ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS, Garan tackles many of the questions that we, as classroom teachers, are being asked--questions like "Why do you allow students to read on their own during class? When they are reading silently to themselves, how do you know they're really reading? Shouldn't you be testing them to make sure they're reading the right level of book? It seems to me there are a lot of problems with just having the class read on its own."

The questions are tough questions and they are questions that we get asked often. Elaine Garan has helped us answer these questions. She has not only provided an appropriate response to each question, but has also gathered important research that we can read in support of each of the best practices she describes. And she has put it all in one place for us.

Garan begins her book with a letter to teachers. She lets us know that parents most often trust their child's teacher. She gives us the tools we need to better participate in decision-making and to help educate parents on research-based best practices.

Throughout the book, she includes proof of her answers, research studies that she encourages us to read, things to think about, and ways to help parents see that the things happening in the classroom are in support of their child's learning--even if it is not what they did when they were in school.

An added feature throughout the book are thoughts specific to administrators and literacy coaches--ideas for working with staff and parents in staff development sessions to create conversations around these important issues.

The other thing I appreciate is how respectful Garan is of the people asking these tough questions. She is never critical of thoughts of the public, but is clear that, as educators, we do have knowledge about student learning and that it is our responsibility to share those with parents and community members so that we can work together for each child.

Actually, Garan's acknowledgments sold me on the concept of the book. Her last acknowledgment is to her parents. She says, "My parents gave me many gifts, but the one I treasure the most is their integrity and the model they set for us. They are both still writing letters to the editor, and neither will let an injustice or a lie slide by without at least trying to fight the wrong and maybe even right the wrong."

Elaine Garan sees the wrongs that are happening because of the misinformation about how students learn. With this book, she has give teachers the gift of answers and research to support quality classroom practice.

Life As We Know It Has Not Ended

J.K. Rowling will ("probably") write a "Potter encyclopedia" about the characters in the Harry Potter series.

Meredith Vieira heard it first. I learned it from Pop Goes The Library.

The Cat Master

The Cat Master
by Bonnie Pemberton
Marshall Cavendish, 2007
review copy courtesy of publisher

Remember my former student who is the Warriors series expert? She's the one who read and reported on the new (then) Warriors graphic novel last spring.

When the box of books came from Marshall Cavendish and I came across The Cat Master, I knew Warriors Girl was the one who should read and review it. Here is a loosely reconstructed transcript of our discussion of The Cat Master over ice cream at Graeters:

Me: So tell me a little about the book.

Warriors Girl: Well, it's the author's first book, and it took about 10 years for her to write. I know this because I googled her and read her website.

The two main characters in the book are Buddy and Jett, cats who are brothers. Jett is greedy and ambitious. When the Cat Master dies -- he's their father, but they don't know it -- Buddy is chosen to be the next Cat Master, but he doesn't know it because Jett intercepts the message. Jett wants to kill Buddy before Buddy becomes the master.

Me: Is this book at all like the Warriors books?

WG: It's like Warriors in that there are indoor and outdoor cats, but they are named differently (feral/indoor). It's different because there are other animals besides cats in the story (dogs, a possum, a lizard). Both have good and evil characters. The Cat Master feels really different than Warriors -- the chapters alternate between characters.

Me: Which series do you like better?

WG: It's too soon to tell, but I will definitely read more books by this author if she writes more. It seems like she will. You can kind of tell that the next book will be about Soot, Buddy's son, becoming Cat Master.

She dedicated the book "In Memory of Buddy" and in the acknowledgments she says Buddy was "a stray cat who changed my life forever." She has lots of cats and she really gets cat behavior. She even has a business that sells anti-scratching stuff that keeps cats from scratching on furniture.

Me: Anything else?

WG: I think I'm going to start reading prologues. If you skip them, you miss out on some pretty important information. I've always read epilogues; they give a summary and some good hints.

Me (in my mind): It's good to know that she's still growing as a reader! It's never too late to learn that prologues are pretty important!

Off Topic--Voice Your Love of DOTS

Okay, so DOTS are my very favorite candy. Love them. Often get them for birthday presents. Buy them whenever I see them. They make me happy.

So, I was a little thrown when I read the post about Dots on Candyblog today. UGH! I love this blog and often agree with the candy reviews. The sentence that stuck with me was:

"Dots are one of those candies that I see a lot at stores, but I rarely see anyone buying them or eating them."

I can see why Cybele at Candyblog said this. When I think about it, I rarely eat DOTS in public. Not for any reason, other than, they aren't often available in places where you would eat them. They sell them in stores and you eat them at home or in the car or at work. They are a comfort food. A great candy when you need a little sugar and a little flavor. They are fun and happy.

I am not a fan of anything but the traditional flavor box but I LOVE the original flavors.

For me, these are like the last of the original movie candy. Maybe they bring back childhood memories. I'm not sure.

Candyblog has invited anyone who loves DOTS to testify and so far, 17 people have already commented expressing their love of DOTS! SOOOO, if you love DOTS, go over to CANDYBLOG and show your support.

Really, Candy Corn or Dots? DOTS win hands-down! Don't you agree? DOTS win over pretty much any candy in my book.

(This may be the only candy that I would stand up for with this kind of enthusiasm!--unless they bring back Marathon Bars from the 80s.)

New Blog To Check Out

Megan is a 5th grade teacher just down the pike a bit from us who reads, reads, reads. In fact, that's the name of her blog: Read, Read, Read.

Her blog debuted in the kidlitosphere in June, and already she's skipping across the stage in scene three of Act One of The Play's The Thing (July's Carnival of Children's Literature)!

I can't wait until school starts and we get a chance to peek into her classroom and see how all these books she's been reading are received by her students!