What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb

Last week, at our Cover to Cover visit, Sally handed me an ARC of WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET by Tricia Springstubb. I hadn't planned on reading it right away-my stack is huge. But I did. I finished it this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thinking back on the book now that I have finished it, it is all about the characters. The people on Fox Street will live with me for a very long time.

Mo Wren, her little sister and her father live on a house on Fox Street. She has always lived there. The street is one with many people who have watched Mo and her sister grow up. People she counts on. But the family is dealing with grief--the loss of Mo's mother a few years back. This is the story of Mo and her family and friends and holding on to what she can and letting go of other things.

I found myself tabbing several pages with text I loved. One of my favorite passage came early in the book and it captures one of the lessons Mo learns through this story:
"Every person you pass on the street, or wait behind in line, or see sitting alone on her porch-every one is summoning up the courage for some battle, whether you can see it or not."

This is a quiet book--seems to have the feel of a safe street with neighbors you trust. But there are so many little things to think about. Mo Wren is a thinker--she thinks a lot. And as a reader, I found myself doing a lot of thinking too--issues of grief, hope, family, race, betrayal and more come up. But they are quiet issues--they happen in the book as they happen in real life--as part of ordinary days.

I can see this as a read aloud or a book talk book for older elementary kids. Definitely glad I made the time to read this one.

Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weird Jr. Edition

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weird Junior Edition

by David Borgenicht and Justin Heimberg

illustrated by Chuck Gonzales

Chronicle Books, 2010

review copy purchased for my classroom library

My fourth graders love reading the advice in the regular and extreme editions of the Junior Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks, so I'm sure they'll love this one, too.

In this edition, readers receive handy advice on how to deal with aliens, monsters, hauntings, time travel, and magic and myth.

I went straight to the time travel section to learn what to take (gold, snacks, a water purifier and a first-aid kit, among other essentials), how to survive in ancient times (eat gingko nuts in dino times, take toilet paper to ancient Rome, shave your head in ancient Egypt, and don't bother jousting in Medieval times) and what to ask your future self (What's the most important lesson I've learned?).

This fun parody of advice writing would make a great mentor text. It would also be fun to frame research writing in a how-to-survive format.

100+ Cool Teachers In Children's Literature

It's been a while since we've added a new teacher to our list of Cool Teachers in Children's Literature.

When we started the list, in the summer of 2006, we were hoping to collect a list of 100 Cool Teachers. We are now up to 130 teachers!! The list is in alphabetical order by author's last name.

Mandy, at Enjoy and Embrace Learning, has suggested Ms. Lilly from Noonie's Masterpiece by Lisa Railsback. In her nomination, Mandy writes:

"Ms. Lilly is insightful and wise. I love these two bits of advice she gives Noonie; 'artists have the power to change the world' and 'sometimes artist block is a good thing.' Ms. Lilly is also instrumental in showing Noonie it's okay to carry around a mentor text, the Masterpiece, it's a collection of different artist Noonie refers to constantly while she thinks about her own art. Ms. Lilly guides Noonie at the end showing her how to accept her journey and life."

Have there been any cool teachers in the books you've read recently?

Another Book I Could Read A Million Times

Okay, so I have never done this--put a book on the BOOKS I COULD READ A MILLION TIMES list, before I actually read it to many, many classes. But I am soooo confident about this one, that I thought I'd go ahead and add it to the list. I have absolutely no doubt that this book is worthy of the list. I plan to read it at least a million times over the next few years and I am absolutely positive that I will never tire of it.

CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG by Mo Willems definitely fits my "Books I Could Read a Million Times" criteria. I was a little hesitant about this book when I read about it. I love Mo Willems. I love Pigeon and Piggie and Elephant. I love all that he does. I love how his writing and illustrations work together. So, I couldn't imagine a book by Mo Willems that was illustrated by someone else. And I could tell by the look of this one, that it was a different kind of book for Mo Willems.

I should have known better than to worry. Mo's work has never let us down. I have loved every one of his books and this one is definitely one of my favorites. Although the story is a bit more serious than some of his others, it is really not so different. As always, Mo Willems deals with life's issues in a way that works for young children.

This is a more serious book than some of Mo Willems' others. It is about two friends--a city dog and a country frog. They love to be together and to share their lives with each other. They play during spring and summer. But then in fall, frog is too tired to play so they enjoy each other's company in other ways. When winter comes, frog is no longer there. Mo knows young children so well, that he writes this story of friendship and grief in a way that works for any age. He reminds us that those we love are always with us in some way. And Jon J. Muth's illustrations are a perfect match. I couldn't imagine illustrations that capture the story any better.

There is a great deal of depth to this book. Readers can jump in at many levels--one of the reasons I am putting it on my list. So much about grief and seasons. So much about friendship and relationships. Mo Willems is brilliant about saying so much in so few words.

San Antonio Choice Literacy Workshop

I had a great few days in San Antonio with Choice Literacy. What a great group of teachers. I always learn so much when I work with teachers. It was a great kickoff to summer. I also had a chance to see a show at the Majestic Theatre. What a gorgeous theatre. If you ever have a chance to see a show there, you should! I also had some time to spend with friends--Brenda Power, the 2 Sisters, and my new friend, Trish.

My new friend Trish, an amazing teacher in Texas, made these VERY FUN centerpieces for the" Delight in Words" workshop. She set these up the night before and they brought a great energy to the room. They were quite fun and the base as well as the dots placed around the table made for a happy day.


I am thinking about using something like this in the library. I have to figure out exactly how to do it, but wouldn't they be great for advertising new books, sharing books that kids might like if they liked other books, one with all of the books in a series, etc. I can see them placed on tables, shelves, etc. I know these took Trish hours and hours and hours to make but they made such a difference in the room. As I continue to think about the environment I am creating, it is these little touches that make all of the difference. I find it a bit more difficult to do this in the library because it is a K-5/whole school space, but these centerpieces definitely got me thinking about little touches that make a big differences.

Poetry Friday -- Te Deum

Te Deum

by Charles Reznikoff

Not because of victories

I sing,

having none,

but for the common sunshine,

the breeze,

the largess of the spring.

(the rest of the poem is here at Poets.org)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What is te deum?

n.
A hymn of praise to God sung as part of a liturgy.

[From Late Latin Tē Deum (laudāmus), You, God, (we praise), the opening words of the hymn : Latin tē, you + Latin deum, accusative of deus, god.]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Today, Kelly Polark has the Poetry Friday roundup.

(I'm noticing how much "te deum" sounds like "today"... today -- te deum, today -- te deum ... take away from that whatever deep and meaningful message you would like...)

Speaking of roundups, we're getting close to the end of our schedule. So close, in fact, that a couple of people have already stepped up for August (which, as teachers know, will be here before we blink so we need to live for today/te deum/carpe diem). If you'd like to host one of the remaining 2010 round ups, let me know in the comments which week works for you (or by email at mlhahn AT earthlink DOT net). Once the schedule is set, all you have to do is ask for the html code so that you, too, can post the schedule in your sidebar.

AUGUST
6 Laura Shovan at Author Amok
13 Zsofia McMullin at Stenhouse
20 Laura Evans at Teach Poetry K-12
27 Kate Coombs at Book Aunt

SEPTEMBER
3 Susan Taylor Brown at Susan Writes
10 Anastasia Suen at Picture Book of the Day
17 Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader
24 Karen Edmisten at The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title

OCTOBER
1 Jennie Rothschild at Biblio File
8 Carol at Carol's Corner
15 Terry Doherty at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
22 Mary Ann Scheuer at Great Kid Books
29 Toby Speed at The Writer's Armchair

NOVEMBER
5 Carmela Martino at TeachingAuthors
12 Liz Garton Scanlon at Liz in Ink
19 Diane Mayr at Random Noodling
26 Jone MacCulloch at Check It Out

DECEMBER
3 Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
10 Jama Rattigan at jama rattigan's alphabet soup
17 Amy VanDerwater at The Poem Farm
24 Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
31 Linda Kulp at Write Time

Dragonbreath: Ninja Frogs and Were-Wieners

Dragonbreath #02: Attack of the Ninja Frogs

by Ursula Vernon

Dial Books, 2010

copy purchased for my classroom library

The father of one of my math students was amused by the fact that my last name is same as the evil crime boss guy in the Bruce Lee classic kung fu movie "Enter the Dragon." He was so amused that he sent the movie in with his son for me to bring home and watch. Which I did, but mostly because I live with someone who is, if not a kung fu movie expert, at least someone who has watched enough of them to walk me through the hallmarks of the genre.

All of that by way of saying that if you've watched just ONE kung fu movie (or probably just one episode of any Saturday morning ninja cartoons) this book will be so funny you will start quoting out loud from it after only a few pages.

"Danny sighed. Pepperoni pizza was a good thing--possibly a great thing--but not as awesome as kung fu movies. Hardly anything was.

Still, he couldn't be too upset. Seven Fists of Carnage was going to be on tonight. He hoped it was as good as his all-time favorite, Vengeance of the Thirteen Masters, in which a blind salamander samurai fights off thirteen ninja clans, using only a pair of chopsticks.

Danny passed the time until the pizza arrived by drawing ninjas. Drawing ninjas was difficult because you couldn't really see a ninja. So the drawings mostly consisted of places where ninjas might be hiding."

Suki, the Japanese exchange student who complicates things by being a girl, is being attacked by ninja frogs. She doesn't even believe in ninjas, but since they're "practically mythological," they're right up Danny's alley, seeing as he's a dragon.

Danny, his friend Wendell, and Suki set out to get to the bottom of why the ninjas are so interested in Suki. They take the bus (the same one that took them to the Sargasso Sea in the first book) to mythological Japan where Danny's great-grandfather lives, and where they learn that Suki must choose between becoming a veterinarian and the leader of an underground ninja clan.

Dragonbreath #03: Curse of the Were-Wiener

by Ursula Vernon

Dial Books, on shelves September 16, 2010

arc from Cover to Cover Children's Books

Wendell: "Do you ever worry that your childhood is warping you in some fashion?"

Danny: "Are you kidding? I'm counting on it."

YAY! The potato salad that slunk into the storm sewer in the first book comes back to save the day in this one!

Wendell is bit by his school cafeteria hot dog and starts growing hair on his back. A quick trip into the cafeteria's freezer reveals that some of the hot dogs served were Were-Wieners, a product of Transylvania. Unfortunately, Danny doesn't have any relatives there, so they can't take the bus this time. Even though "Calling the company did not hold the same appeal as storming a factory in the vampire-ridden Carpathians," Wendell calls the number listed on the package where "It says 'In case of missing product, damage or lycanthropy, call 1-800-WURST-R-US' " and learns that they must kill the alpha wurst so that the rest of were-wieners lose their power and Wendell can be restored to normal.

Either I'm channeling my inner fourth grader, or I'm simply relaxed enough after only a couple of days of vacation to get my sense of humor back (or both) but this series is turning out to be one of my all-time favorites.

Other Dragonbreath fans:

Charlotte's Library

TheHappyNappyBookseller

FRANKLY, FRANNIE by A.J. Stern

I read the first book in this new series, FRANKLY, FRANNIE, last night and laughed out loud. Frannie is a funny new character who wants to be a grown-up. She carries a briefcase and a resume, loves offices and for Christmas last year, she asked for "an assistant". She is a hoot.

But everyone doesn't agree that Frannie is so amusing. She seems to get in trouble quite a bit and seems to need extra supervision. But her heart is always in the right place.

In this first book, Frannie's class goes to visit the radio station. But when the phone rings and no one is at the radio desk, Frannie comes to the rescue--or at least that's how she sees it. In trying to help out and trying to be a grown-up, Frannie causes lots of problems.

Frannie was a mix between Clementine, Roscoe Riley, Junie B. and all of the other spunky characters who seem to get in trouble when they are really just trying to help out. I liked the ending of this one--Frannie apologizes to the people who were impacted and they see the good in Frannie. She also knows that she did the right thing.

I think kids will really like this series. I always love to see new series for transitional readers and this is a fun one--looks like there are 2 out now and one more coming in September. I think this is a great book for kids newer to chapter books but the humor also makes it a good choice for older kids who are looking for a fun read.

One-A-Day

This summer,

Donalyn's going to read a book a day.

Amy's going to write a poem a day. (KEEP writing, actually -- she has been writing a poem a day, since April 1)

I'm thinking about writing a thank you note a day.

(Some of my other favorite one-a-days are Hugh McCloud's daily Gaping Void cartoons, Harry Bliss' daily cartoons, and Garrison Keillor's A Writer's Almanac.)

What will you do once a day all summer long?

Skywriting: Poems to Fly by J. Patrick Lewis

Skywriting: Poems to Fly

by J. Patrick Lewis

illustrated by Laszlo Kubinyi

Creative Editions, September 2010

review copy provided by the publisher

A history of flight, told in poems! Brilliant!

Lewis begins with Icarus, then treats us to three versions of the hot air balloon. He includes ideas that didn't work so well (Ornithopter and Multiplane) and others whose time was brief but brilliant (Zeppelin and Bell Rocket Belt). He ends with the Nighthawk and the Space Shuttle, but a canny reader will realize that with a history like this, it's likely that humans haven't run out of ideas for new ways to take to the sky.

Endnotes give a little more information about each of the airplanes/modes of flight, and a final timeline gives a tidbit of non-flight history for each of the years in which flight history was featured in a poem.

The poems are clever and snappy -- the Ornithopter got a double limerick and the Concorde's poem is shaped like the plane -- and this book is another great example of multi-genre writing, with its blend of history and poetry.