Larger-Than-Life Lara--Read Aloud

This week, our class finished LARGER-THAN-LIFE LARA by Dandi Daley Mackall as our second read aloud. I was a little bit worried. I had read aloud CASTLE IN THE ATTIC as our first read aloud and the kids were glued to every page. I knew LARGER THAN LIFE LARA was a great book, but I was worried that it was too serious after the fun fantasy that we had just finished.

Well, the experience was one of the best read alouds I have done. I am not sure what it was about the book, but reading it to kids was a whole different experience than reading it on my own.

If you have read the book, you know that there is a lot to talk about, a lot to think about, and a lot to be sad about. There is no happy ending. It is satisfying, but not happy. And I think the kids were surprised about that.

The author does an interesting thing throughout the book--connecting the story to the actual elements in a story. It made for a tricky read aloud and some of it was missed by lots of the kids but it was well worth it for the thinking that came from the book.

I have read aloud sad books before but they are usually about a pet dying or something. This sadness was a little bit different. I can't explain the feel in the room when we read the last two chapters. We had good, long talks about how good fiction makes you feel like the characters do and it sometimes helps you understand people in your real life better.

It was a great read. I have decided on something short and light for this week and am pondering a book for next week. I was thinking about EMMY AND THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING RAT but I'd love to find something with the kind of depth that this last one had--short with lots to talk and think about. This one was a depth that was perfect for 8-10 year olds.

Robert's Snow

Every person who is a cancer survivor should be granted their wish to die of old age.

Grace Lin's husband, Robert Mercer, was not granted that wish. He lost his fight against Ewing's sarcoma in August of 2007.

During Robert's first round of treatments, Grace made up and told Robert the story of a mouse who couldn't go out in the snow. This story became the book Robert's Snow. The book became the beginning of a blizzard of fund raising for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over $200,000 has been raised by the sale of the first book, a second book (Robert's Snowflakes) featuring selected 2004 snowflakes and poems by celebrated authors, and the online auction of wooden snowflakes, hand-decorated by children's illustrators.

We are proud to be a part of the multi-blog Event of Support for Grace Lin and for the cancer research of the Dana-Farber Institute. Many thanks and kudos go to the 7-Imps for organizing this event. Let's see what kind of fund raising records we can break with this year's auction! You can see the snowflakes and check the auction schedule here. Watch our sidebar for a weekly schedule of blogs that are featuring snowflake illustrators. This Friday, Franki will feature Jeff Newman.

Another Cure For Drowning

A trip to Pink Moon Cupcake Bakery helped me to leave behind the
stressful week/month/start of school.


Some folks go for an alcoholic TGIF, but I'm all about the sugar rush!

A Balanced Life--Is It Possible for Teachers?

So, I keep thinking about Mary Lee's drowning poem on Friday. It is true--so many of us are feeling that way, and we always do-at this time of year.

Hip Mama Writer's 30 Day Challenge sounded so worthwhile to me, but I couldn't add another thing to my to-do list. Instead, about 10 weeks ago, I started my own personal program that I called "81 Days of Balance". (I realized I had 81 days between out of town trips and decided those 81 days would be dedicated to a more balanced life.) It seemed that work had taken over my life and wanted to make sure I at least spent 81 days being smarter about my time.

Well, I have about 6 days left until that 81 days is over and I can't really say that I am balanced. But I have rethought what balance means for me.

There is lots out there on balance and quality time and simplifying our life. My problem is that I like all of the parts of my life--I enjoy my family, my work, my writing, my down time, etc. My issue with balance is that sometimes it gets to be too much and I feel like I don't do anything well.

So, I was attempting to balance my days during these past 81 days. To make sure to exercise every day, spend quality time with my kids every day, visit friends and family more often, eat healthier every day, read every day, write and work every day.

Well, it didn't quite work out that way. I have discovered, that in my life, I have to balance across the year. I can no longer hold myself to balanced days and I think lots of teachers feel this same way. It seems that these first six weeks of school make us feel a bit off balance because so much of our life revolves around work in the classroom. But the school year cycle becomes part of who we are. There are times when the workload is more manageable and we have more time for our families, hobbies, etc.

So, I did not achieve 81 days of balance. But I learned what balance means for me. It means that my days won't be balanced. It probably means that my weeks won't be balanced. And I can enjoy things that way--because over the course of the year, life is balanced. I spend lots of quality time with all of the people I love, I have great friends, I love my work, I exercise most weeks and I clean my house on a regular enough basis that it isn't embarrassing. September is never a month where I feel balanced but now I see that it is part of the balance of each year.

Next September I am going to try to remember that the drowning feeling is just part of the balance of the life of a teacher. I can't expect more from myself. I am wondering that if with any work that is worthwhile, the drowning feeling is just part of it all.

Snow Day! by Lester Laminack

I know it is a little bit early for a snow day here in Ohio, but with the stress and drowning that we have been feeling for the last few weeks, it is nice to fantasize about the possibility of a snow day in our future. If you have not seen Lester Laminack's new book SNOW DAY, it is a must have--for pretty much anyone who has ever anticipated a snow day.

When I picked up the book, I thought it was going to be about an actual snow day--what kids did on a snow day, etc. But, no! This book is about the anticipation of a snow day! You know, that feeling you get when you turn on the weather and see that a snowstorm is coming your way and has a 90 percent chance of hitting your town just a few hours before sunrise? This book captures THAT feeling and it captures it perfectly.

Reading the book reminds you of the feelings that teachers and kids have when there is a very good possibility of a snow day!

It is one we need to buy and read to kids when that snow forecast comes in. Maybe it will be the new tradition--if we read Lester Laminack's book at bedtime, the snow will come:-)

Poetry Friday -- Drowning

Today I'd like to share my favorite lines from Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith:

I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

During the first six weeks of school, it feels like water we're "swimming" in gets deeper and deeper. I'm hoping that this week the water has been the deepest and the waves have been the highest and now both Franki and I are on our way back to shore. Parent conferences are half done. Interims go out today. We have completed all of our fall assessments (math, reading, spelling) and the database has been turned in.

Deep cleansing breath in...deep cleansing breath out...


(Poetry Friday is being hosted by Two Writing Teachers this week.)

Missed All of You!!

I am sooooo totally bummed that I didn't get to join all of you at the Kidlitosphere conference. It was one of those family/mom decisions--too much going on these days! But I thought of all of you all day Saturday and have been enjoying all of the posts and photos since then. I almost feel like I was there with all of the great sharing and the few (live) chats I've been able to have with Mary Lee! Sounds like a GREAT time and I hope never to miss it again! Can't wait for details about next year!

Homeward Bound

Dear Franki,

Good news, bad news. Bad news first: I have no pictures to share. My camera doesn't shoot fast enough for candid shots that aren't blurry, and I didn't feel like making people pose. But I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures around on other blogs for you to see.

Everything else is good news: great speakers, important and relevant topics, lively conversation, lots of laughs, and most importantly, plans for NEXT YEAR'S CONFERENCE! Jone will host us in Portland, OR!!! Thank you, Jone!!!!

I 'm bringing you all the handouts (not like being here, I know) and a couple of other surprise goodies. Everyone asked after you and missed meeting you.

Talk to you soon!

ML

Chicago

Dear Franki,

I know it was a hard decision not to come to Chicago, and I'm not trying to make it any harder on you, but this is really a hoot! It's like being inside a story along with some of your favorite characters who have come to life from other books!

We've got a busy day ahead of us! I can't wait!

More later,

ML

Books I've Saved From Childhood

Imagine my happiness and surprise when I saw the cover of SAD DAY, GLAD DAY on Esme's blog this week! I thought I was the only person alive who still had a copy of that book. (I can't find it right now but I know it is in the house somewhere.)I thought it was on my shelf upstairs with a few other books from my childhood--books that I've never been able to part with. After reading Esme's post, I went upstairs to look at the small stack of books I've saved. It got me thinking about what it is about these books that has made me hold on to them and what does that all tell me about myself.

My mother clearly knew how to buy books. I seem to have a book for every major event in my life. She bought me SAD DAY, GLAD DAY when I was 5 and we moved to a new house. I still have a copy of TWO NEW BABIES by Agnesann McRobert. This was a story we read while waiting for my brother to be born. (One baby in the book was the new sibling, the other was a doll for the older sibling.) My parents clearly taught me that books help you make sense of life. What a gift!

I also saved an old favorite--TIME FOR A RHYME by Ellen Wilke. I didn't remember much about it except that I loved it and we read it over and over. When I opened it today, I realized why. It is such a fun book. Each page offers a question about a rhyme like "Let's try to guess what rhymes with spoon. An easy word is..." and then you turn the page. A fun interactive book. (By the way, it is very scary when you find your favorite books from childhood on a site called goantiques.com!?)

A PRESENT FOR THE PRINCESS by Jane Lowe Paschall was a big favorite of mine. It is about a beautiful blonde princess who gets a thoughtful gift from a blind boy. I remember it as a very sweet and happy story. Not a bad princess story, I must say. She wasn't saved by any male character and was a good, kind person.

I also kept a few fairy tales--THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA being my favorite--it has always been my favorite version until last year when Lauren Child's version was published.

I think I had all of THE WITCH NEXT DOOR (Norman Bridwell) books. We got them from the book orders and I loved the idea that a witch could live next door. Between these books and the TV shows I Dream of Jeanie and Bewitched, it seemed possible!

And I had JIGGERS (Joy Muchmor Lacey) A book about a girl and her puppy. (This one seems to be on a site that calls it "vintage". UGH!)

As I got older, I loved THE SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton (It totally stresses me out now that these kids got in strangers' cars to solve mysteries!?) and all of the BETSY (Carolyn Haywood) books. I think BETSY and the BOYS was my favorite although I liked when she got to name her sister herself! And of course, there was NANCY DREW! It looks like these books are still in print!

What does this tell me about my childhood reading--I had a ball. Obviously, the quality of the books didn't matter because most of these books would not pass our quality literature tests today. Oh, I still have my copy of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and other classics, but for some reason, these other books were also important enough that I haven't tossed them. I have been a reader for as long as I can remember--I won't even tell you the copyright on some of these.

And I found this great source for all of your childhood books! Childhoodbooks.com specializes in books from 1950 until now. You can search your favorite titles and purchase copies of those you've lost track of. (And I must say, I think Childhood Books is a much better name than anything with the word ANTIQUE or VINTAGE in it!)

This was fun to do. Thanks ESME for reminding me about some of those forgotten books of childhood. It was fun to revisit. What are your favorite books from childhood--the ones that you've kept over the years?