Poetry Friday -- Picking Favorites

I kept snagging this poem as I ran my fingers through the teeming waters of the Poetry Foundation archive. The more I read it, the more perfect it seemed for this week. This week of Newbery Hopefuls and Newbery Potentials. (Did you notice that the first four letters of potential spell poet?)

Here is the first verse:

Reading to the Children
by Herbert Morris

The first child asks me: Are these poems yours?
The second asks: Where do you get ideas?
The third child says: I have always loved poems.
The fourth child wonders: What makes poems poems?
The fifth one asks: Which of them is your favorite?
The sixth one asks me: Is there ice cream later?
The seventh child asks: Is a poem dreaming?

The verses that follow answer the children's questions, one by one. You might expect me to share with you the answer to the fifth child, in keeping with the theme of "picking favorites." Here, however, is a part of the sixth answer, and it is just as apt:

Ice cream? Of course there will be ice cream later,
more flavors than you knew existed, cookies
shaped like cottages (plumes of chocolate coiling
from crumb-top chimneys), candied apples, plum tarts.
By the time the desserts are brought and passed
(I suggest this for your consideration,
no more than that, one possibility
among the many which may offer themselves),
what you have heard (and, hearing, felt) may well seem
more astonishing than the crisps, the pastries,
the butterscotch napoleons, the rum balls,
mocha parfaits, coconut wafers, jam cakes,
the goblets of vanilla-laced-with-mangoes,
brought on trays from the pantry. One can know that
only at the conclusion, having sampled,
one by one, what was deftly laid before you,
poems read, plates passed, music heard, half-heard,
a judgment reached, or not reached, a choice made.


The whole poem is here.

The Roundup today is at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Newbery Hopefuls, Reflections

We hope you all enjoyed our Newbery Hopefuls series. It certainly gave us lots to read over our winter break. We love all of our friends who participated in the series and can't wait to see which book wins! It is always so fun to predict. We'll definitely have our own predictions/hopefuls list up in January--before the award is announced. We'll also do a round-up of other bloggers' predictions the week before so stay tuned so that you can share your thoughts!


In the meantime, don't miss Sharon's Newbery blog. They have chosen their finalist and it is another great list!
Happy reading:-)

Hannah Montana Concert!

Yes, we had a family concert event and attended the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert this week! What an event, let me tell you. From what I hear, tickets sold out in 15 minutes. It was packed and loud. We even got a chance to see Hannah/Miley's bus that was parked outside the arena. The Jonas Brothers were also part of the show. They were also quite good! And, it gets even better. (In case you were wondering how this fits into a blog about books by two teachers....) Miley is supporting Officemax's "Adopt-a-Classroom" program, realizing how much money teachers spend for classroom supplies each year. Miley/Hannah recently donated a large sum of money and had a surprise visit from one of her own teachers, it seems. It seems lots of companies are picking up on the crazy surrounding Hannah Montana. Limited Too was passing out treat bags. Officemax had a sign-making station set up outside the concert. And, you can even get a Build-A-Bear in Hannah attire.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 8 From Sally Oddi at Cover to Cover Bookstore

Today's Newbery predictions come from Sally Oddi, owner of our VERY FAVORITE children's bookstore in the world--Cover to Cover. (You may want to subscribe to their newsletter on the site!) Sally is a genius when it comes to children's books and if you live anywhere near Columbus, Ohio, you already know that. So, here is her Newbery thinking:

Edward's Eyes. Patricia MacLachlan. Atheneum, 2007.

This short novel is a gem. The author introduces the reader to a rambling
family and their extended family of friends that live on the Cape (Cod) and
love baseball. As we follow the family through a year, they experience love
and heartbreaking loss, but show us the resiliency that comes with hope.


Fire From the Rock. Sharon M. Draper. Dutton, 2007.

The integration of schools in Little Rock is the setting for this novel and
Sharon Draper illustrates the many points of view of families, both black
and white, with understanding and care. One of the pivotal events of the
civil rights movement, school integration affected young and old alike. The
complexities of institutional racism and efforts to end it, as experienced
by Sylvia Patterson and her family, brings the civil rights movement to
life for another generation.

Iron Thunder. Avi. Hyperion, 2007.

The building of the ironclad the Monitor was an endeavor filled with physical, financial, scientific and political challenges and 13-year-old Tom Carroll is in thick of it. Because of his small size he is recruited to work on welding particularly small spaces in the interior of the ship and becomes a witness to historic events that changed the course of the Civil War. Adventure and excitement are found on every page as Tom is pursued by spies, thugs, and eventually the Merrimac!

Book of a Thousand Days. Shannon Hale.Bloomsbury, 2007.

Lady Saren and her maid Dashti are imprisoned in the tower because Lady
Saren has refused to marry the man her father has chosen. In this little
known Grimm tale adapted by Hale, Dashti keeps a journal of their days, both
hopeful; and frightening. This is a romantic retelling with a satisfying
fairytale ending.


Uprising. Maragaret Peterson Haddix. Simon & Schuster, 2007.

Haddix weaves a compelling tale of three young woman, one wealthy and two
working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, with the history of labor
unionization, the plight of young immigrant workers, and the birth of the
women rights movement. It is both believable and possible that these young
women could have met and become friends, had they been real historical
figures. The tragedy of the fire that is a part of our early industrial
history is handled with precision and care, and the historical details are
well-researched but not overwhelming.

Wednesday Wars. Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion, 2007.

Holling HoodHood spends his Wednesday afternoons in 1967 reading Shakespeare with his 7th grade teacher, because he is the lone Protestant, not Jewish or Catholic and therefore not excused for an afternoon of religious education. The Vietnam War is raging, many families and friends are affected, and Holling is just trying to find his way through the middle school in what is a crazy world. Lots of funny classroom incidents and characteristically uncomfortable adolescent moments will be all-too-familiar to Schmidt's audience.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 7

Today, we hear from our friend Beth from Cover to Cover. You can tell she is young and hip since she doesn't use capital letters or much punctuation! She reads a ton and always has a stack of books waiting for me when I visit the store. I end up spending a ton of money on her recommendations and I am never sorry!
Here's Beth:

thanks for the opportunity to share my favorites!

well. i obviously hope that the invention of hugo cabret wins everything. obviously.
in the event that this is not possible...

a friendship for today by patricia mckissack
book of a thousand days by shannon hale
talented clementine by sara pennypacker
bone by bone by bone by tony johnston
into the wild by sarah beth durst
crooked kind of perfect by linda urban


i am also reading grimpow by rafael abalos, true meaning of smekday by adam rex, and plan on reading home of the brave by katherine applegate. apparently this could change everything.

books that can't but should get shiny stickers:

woolvs in the sitee by margaret wild
the arrival by shaun tan
snow goose by paul gallico and illustrated by angela barrett
professor's daughter by joann sfar and emmanuel guibert

it isn't new, but if anyone needs to have their day made by a sheep on a vespa, read the surprise by sylvia van ommen.

7 Things Meme

We've been tagged by Travis at 100ScopeNotes for the "Seven Things" meme. We're never ones to follow the rules of a meme to the "T" (remember this one?), and we've already shared 8 random things about ourselves, so our seven things this time will be...

"Seven Things About Me As A Reader."

MARY LEE'S SEVEN

1. My to-read pile is a stack of 20 graphic novels for the Cybils Graphic Novels nominating committee. (I should say, ONE of my to-read piles. Piles, with an S.)
2. I am currently listening to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS on the commute to and from school. The readers are brilliant.
3. I am reading aloud THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET in my 4th grade classroom. Actually, if I use the correct educationese, it is a shared reading. We have a half-dozen copies of the book (thanks again for the loan, Franki!) and the students follow along as I read aloud. The conversation about the story and about the pictures is amazing.
4. I read series books in order. Part of the reason that stack of graphic novels is so big is that a book which is number FIVE in its series was nominated. I will read 1-4 first.
5. I keep a list of all the books I read. I've done this since 1987. So far this year, I have read 80+ children's books (I don't count picture books, but I do sometimes lump together easy readers or short graphic novels) and 17 adult books.
6. For me, listening to an audio books counts as reading.
7. I always give CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM at a baby shower for first babies.

FRANKI'S SEVEN

1. I only like to read new books-I hardly ever use the library or go to used bookstores. Something about new books make me happy.
2. Some of my favorite books are middle grade and young adult novels.
3. When I was in elementary school, I visited my grandma's library every Sunday to choose my Nancy Drew reading for the week. (She had the entire collection up there. I considered it my own personal library.)
4. Most of my reading takes place at night before I go to sleep. I also seem to get a lot of reading done as I am walking from place to place--magazine and journal articles get read that way.
5. I have subscribed to "Runner's World Magazine" for 12 months so far and haven't yet started to run. (I need to learn about it first?)
6. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was one of the best adult books I've ever read.
7. A long time ago, I thought Mary Lee told me that she reads 26 children's books a year. So I thought I'd give that a try and was very proud at the end of the year when I had read 26 children's books. Turns out, that I misunderstood--Mary Lee reads 52 children's books a year. I love having lots of friends who read more than I do!

We're tagging Creative Literacy, Read,Read,Read, The Reading Zone, and My Breakfast Platter. Get busy, folks!

Are Your Creative Juices Flowing?

Time to enter Lisa Yee's 2nd Annual Bodacious Book Title Contest!

There are already THREE PAGES of entries, but all the good ideas aren't taken yet.

From Lisa's blog:

Here are THE NEW OFFICIAL RULES:
1. Think of a title from a children's/middle grade/young adult book.
2. Take ONE WORD and rhyme it to change the title.
3. Then add one SHORT sentence describing the new book.

Examples:

Original Title: Old Yeller
New Title: Old Speller
Short Sentence: Decades after winning the Spelling Bee, he still could not be s-t-o-p-p-e-d.


Original Title: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
New Title: Lilly's Purple Plastic Hearse
Short Sentence: Upon death, Lilly finally got to ride in the big car.

MORE OFFICIAL RULES . . .
1. Enter as often as you'd like (and encourage others to do the same).
2. No nasty stuff. This contest is rated PG-13. Any questionable entries will be deleted.
3. Employees must wash hands before returning to work.
4. The contest will run until Sunday, December 16th at midnight, PST. Or around there, that's up to the Contest Entry Ending Committee.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 6

Today, we hear from Karen--our friend from Cover to Cover. As you know, we love the Cover to Cover staff and they all help us choose books all year.

My favorite book this year is Red Glass by Laura Resau. She also wrote What the Moon Saw, which I enjoyed. I loved Red Glass. The descriptions in the book made me actually smell the tortillas and eggs that are typically eaten in Guatemala. I could feel the warm breezes and the close humid jungle air, too. Seeing life through the eyes of someone with a belief system and heritage so different yet so much the same as my own reminded me of experiencing this myself in the people I met in Guatemala. Sophie, the main character learns to be strong and to love herself. Her tellings of how she feels weak and plain and wants to burst out of herself are all too real to many people. I think this book might be a little to old of an audience for the Newbery but you never know.

Beowulf

Two graphic novel versions of Beowulf have been nominated for the Cybils.



Beowulf Monster Slayer: A British Legend
story by Paul D. Storrie, pencils and inks by Ron Randall
Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
2007





Beowulf
adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds
Candlewick Press
2007






Storrie's version gives the reader a good introduction to the Beowulf legend. True to the Graphic Universe series, it comes with a map on the title page, and a column of background information on the copyright page. At the end of the book, there is a glossary/pronunciation guide, suggestions for further reading, including websites, and an index.

The language used in the story has a slightly formal sound, but is not difficult to understand. There is a good combination of speech bubbles and narrative text boxes that carry the story along. However, for the less able reader, the story holds together if you simply "read" the images.

The Hinds version includes an author's note about the text. The book was originally self-published with a verse translation, but the Candlewick publication used a 1904 translation. This makes for a much more difficult read. The text in the Hinds version is all in text boxes (no speech bubbles), often very awkwardly placed on the illustrations so that text covers characters' faces or key parts of the action. It looks like the book was drawn with no thought of integrating the text into the action. The fight scenes are the strongest pictorial narratives in this version -- they go on for pages without any interruptions of text.

Here are a couple of comparison points for the two books:

Grendel is a hairy beast in both. In Storrie's version, Grendel wears a loin cloth. In Hinds' version, Grendel's private parts are disguised by long serpentine hairs.

In the Storrie version, the first fight with Grendel, in which his arm is pulled off by Beowulf, lasts three pages. In the Hinds version, it goes on for 20 pages.

Grendel's mother is old in both versions. In the Storrie version, she is clothed, and looks like a monster who has aged, but is still a force to be dealt with. In the Hinds version, she has pendulous, old-woman breasts, a gigantic fat belly, and, like Grendel, serpentine pubic hairs. Her face is deeply wrinkled, and she looks like she is definitely past her prime as a monster. She cowers when Beowulf beheads her.

Both books take Beowulf's story through his time as king, his fight with the dragon, and the passing of his leadership to Wiglaf, ending with Beowulf's funeral pyre. In the Storrie version, each phase of Beowulf's life is a chapter. In the Hind's version, the phases are Books One, Two, and Three. Visually, Book Three, the fight with the dragon and the end of Beowulf's life, looks like it does not belong with the rest of the book. It is done in greys and black, the font of the text boxes ranges in size and style with no discernible reason, and the art style is very different from the rest of the book.

In the end of both books, Beowulf is an old man. In Storrie's version, he is old and grey, but with a full head of hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and the same smooth, strong muscles he had as a younger hero. Hinds' version gives us a more realistic view of what an aged superhero might look like. His Beowulf is balding on top with long stringy hair and a spade-length beard, he has a wrinkled, liver-spotted, and warty face, and he has ropey veins sticking out all over the muscles of his arms. He's a wreck, and the fight with the dragon was clearly his last.

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends, Day 5: A Friend from Canada

Today's predictions come from our friend, Larry Swartz. Larry knows books! Larry Swartz is an instructor in the Elementary Pre-service Program at OISE/University of Toronto.He reads a ton and always has great recommendations for amazing books. Larry has written several books for teachers about books, literacy, drama, etc. One of his newer resources is The Novel Experience--a great flipchart on using fiction in the classroom. And, he is an expert on Books for Boys.

NEWBERY… OR NOT NEWBERY?

Hey folks

For what it's worth.. here's an opinion (north of the border) about possible NEWBERY winners...

The two best books I read this year haven’t' got a 'chance'

Sherman Alexis THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
knocked me out.. but if 'they' couldn't handle the word scrotum.. I don't think 'they' would take to this...I think too the word 'Indian' might be jarring for some nitpickers... I also hesitate to recommend books when 'adult' authors cross-over into young people's territory.. (Carl Hiassen, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornsby)...But I loved this book for its' humour and honesty... and really wish it could replace (ok maybe not replace.. but be read alongside) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD to help young folk understand contemporary issues with social justice, diversity and equity... life on the rez.. poverty… hope.. belonging… funny…. I loved this book! (and there’s pictures too)

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS was a knockout read.. I think best suited for over 11 year olds...The voice of innocence and irony... puts readers against the fence of a concentration camp...JOHN BOYNE is not American (i.e. IRISH).. this book is being translated throughout the world.. and needs to be read!!!! Soon to be a motion picture (YIKES!!!)

Jerry Spinelli gets my vote (ALWAYS)... bravo to him for the sequel to STARGIRL (a great love story).. but EGGS is a special read.. As I was reading, I couldn’t help thinking about the novels that I recently read that featured characters whose parents have died. . Give me a fifth grade class and I would love to organize Literature Circles (when all titles are available in paperback ) around The Higher Power of Lucky, The Meaning of Life According to Jeremy Fink, Wing Nut and Eggs not only because one or more character has a missing parent, but because they get inside the skin and hearts of these kids who are coping with life’s rotten eggs and hoping make omelettes out of life’s dilemmas large and small. …boy girl protagonists..... a quirky character or two.. and how bad could a book be that highlights the read aloud experience. Hooray for Mr. Spinelli... the best, the best, the best
(Best cover of the year too)
(See Larry's Guest Review of EGGS here!)

Early in the year, I predicted that THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick should win the Newbery.. It would be a brave choice.. but one that supports the reading session of graphic texts...I noticed that it was one of the top ten books featured as best illustrated books in the NEW YORK times list... but this is a novel... (isn't it?) and one that would hook a buncha readers.. (hey miss, can you believe I read a 530 page book?).. and yes.. appeal to those BOYS...

REALLY LIKED
THE CASTLE CORONA by Sharon Creech (a good adventure)
JACK PLANK TELLS TALES by Natalie Babbitt (great storytelling)

Sort of liked LARGER-THAN-LIFE LARA.. the kids were too mean .. by dandi daley mackall

Next on my book pile is ELIJAH OF BUXTON by Christopher Paul Curtis... a colleague declared 'it' should be the winner.. another friend at work.. said he needed an editor....

But end of discussion.. the award goes to HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate...
A beautiful beautiful read...
Wow! Let’s give ‘em a strong book that deals with refugees
And a strong first person (male) voice
And (exquisitely) written in free verse
And lets us care about ELL learners
And fills our hearts about the plight of longing and belonging

Here’s what my (smart) friend Nancy says about Home of the Brave…
The story is told through in the voice of the main character who speaks English in the way someone from a very different culture would speak it. The peculiarities of his speech draw you into the world he has left behind in a way that telling you about that world never would

We believe everything about his story. Having read memoirs written by children who have escaped similar situations I found everything I was being told rang true.
He and his cousin are real boys we've known.

As with all important stories about tragedy, you are not spared the details of the terrible evil of which humans are capable but you find hope in the acts of kindness that are shown. The story would have worked even if his mother had not been found but I enjoyed that little gift at the end.


So.. if the author’s won before do we* want to give another author a chance?
Do we want a novel that will get the BOYS reading and caring about a book?
Do we want a book that will be popular with boys and girls and not a hard sell?
Do we want a book that will lead them to other books?
Do we want to be brave about choosing a book with outside of the box format?

Do we care about ‘certain’ words / themes? Is safe the way to go?
Do we care about the cover?
Do we care what the kids think?

* we = the awards committee