Revisiting Old Favorites -- Three Little Kittens

Three Little Kittens
by Jerry Pinkney
Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin), 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

It's autumn in Jerry Pinkney's version of the Three Little Kittens, and this mischievous trio can't wait to go outside and tumble in the leaves with their mousie toys, their ball of yarn, and the cardinal, blue jay and goldfinch who swoop outside their window.

True to form, they lose their mittens, find them again, eat pie with them on and dirty them, wash them clean and then ask to go outside and play again.

The delight of this traditional version is all in the details of the pictures. Anyone with cats will recognize how truly Pinkney has portrayed the way the kittens move, the things that catch their attention, even that wide-eyed wild look they get when they are engrossed in play.

There's lots to look at on every page, and be sure you don't miss the music and words to The Three Little Kittens printed on the inside of the book jacket.

This would be a fun story for children to read aloud and maybe even act out for Poetry Friday or readers' theater!

Tomorrow, a new version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears...

Do You Know What This Is?

Can you read this?

If you need more info, see Jeff Utecht's post at The Thinking Stick.

Revisiting Old Favorites -- The Red Hen

The Red Hen
by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley
Roaring Brook Press (A Neal Porter Book), 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

This father/daughter team, who recently re-imagined Chicken Little, are back at it with The Red Hen.

The Red Hen is boldly-colored and wacky-eyed, like her unwilling helpers, the cat, the rat and the frog (who says, "Bribbit" instead of "Not I").

In this version, the Red Hen finds a recipe for a cake, gathers the ingredients, makes it, decorates it, and, you guessed it, eats it all by herself.  BUT...she also gives the reader her recipe at the end of the book. Hopefully, readers will be able to find an adult who will help them bake and decorate their cake!

A fun addition to any collection of folk and fairy tale variants!

Tomorrow, a new version of Three Little Kittens...

Revisiting Old Favorites -- The 3 Little Pigs

The 3 Little Dassies
by Jan Brett
G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin), 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

Jan Brett brings us a charming African version of The 3 Little Pigs set in Namibia. Dassies are critters that resemble a guinea pig-sized koala. They live in rocky areas with red-headed agama lizards nearby and black eagles overhead.

The style of this book is classic Jan Brett, with borders composed of a stunning variety of African prints and patterns, the illustrations filled with details of the plant and animal life of the region, the characters dressed in the traditional dress of the Herero women of Namibia, and foreshadowing found in decorated panels in the margins of each page.

Mimbi, Pimbi, and Timbi are the three dassie sisters who set off from the Namib Desert towards the mountains to make a new life now that they are all grown up. They meet Agama Man, a fancily-dressed redheaded lizard who watches over them as Mimbi weaves her home of grasses, Pimbi constructs her home of driftwood, and Timbi makes her home of mountain stones. The eagle in this version does not huff and puff, but she does grab Mimbi and Pimbi and take them to her nest to feed to her babies. Agama Man saves the two sisters, bringing them safely to Timbi's stone house.  When the eagle swoops down the chimney to grab Timbi, she lands in the fire and singes her feathers, which is why the eagles in that part of Africa are black to this very day.

Two thumbs up for this new version of The 3 Little Pigs!

Tomorrow, a new version of The Red Hen...

Revisiting Old Favorites

photo by GottShott, Flickr Creative Commons

I wound up with five different new versions of old favorite fairy tales in a pile on my kitchen table, so I'm going to be treating you to a week of "Revisiting Old Favorites" this coming week.

I'll start tomorrow by sharing a new take on the 3 Little Pigs...

Poetry Friday: Change of Seasons

Here are two parts of Linda Pastan's twelve-part poem, The Months:


October

How suddenly
the woods
have turned
again. I feel

like Daphne, standing
with my arms
outstretched
to the season,

overtaken
by color, crowned
with the hammered gold
of leaves.


November

These anonymous
leaves, their wet
bodies pressed
against the window

or falling past—
I count them
in my sleep,
absolving gravity,

absolving even death
who knows as I do
the imperatives
of the season.


Pastan has perfectly captured the changes that have taken place between the glowing, sunny October images in my mosaic, and the chilly, dark dampness we now have. Her whole twelve-part poem describes an entire year just as effectively. It's sometimes hard to remember the oppressive heat of summer or the delights of the first buds of spring at this point in the swing of the seasons, but her poem takes you right back. Poetry is good for that -- holding onto what is fleeting.

JoAnn at Teaching Authors has the roundup today.  Go over and see what other poems this fall day has in store for you!

Blogging with Ana

Ana, shopping at one of her favorite places-
Jo-Ann Fabrics!

(I have always learned most when watching my own children grow and learn. As parents, we have the luxury of watching one child over a period of time and see how they grow as learners.  When Ana was a beginning reader, her book choice helped me rethink what I understood about "just right books" and I wrote about that experience in an article, "Shopping With Ana".   When Angela asked me to write on the topic of passion in learning, what I've learned from Ana came to mind again. This post will be cross-posted on Angela Maiers' site as part of her amazing #PassionDriven Conversation!)


Blogging With Ana: What I Learned About Learning From Watching My Daughter Become a Blogger


Ana, my youngest daughter, is an artist.  A creator.  Since she was very little, she loved to make things.  She is a collector of stuff. She sees possibility in every little thing that I attempt to throw away--old jars, empty boxes, buttons, and scraps of paper. In her eyes, everything can become something. Ana lives her life envisioning what she can make.


Ana has an amazing art teacher, one who gives students choice and ownership and who teaches her how to live her life as an artist. Ana has thrived in that environment in art class each week. Her art classroom is the perfect example of what Carol Dweck describes in her article, "Even Geniuses Work Hard":
"Meaningful work not only promotes learning in the immediate situation, but also promotes a love of learning and resilience in the face of obstacles. This kind of meaningful work takes place in classrooms in which teachers praise the learning process rather than the students' ability, convey the joy of tackling challenging learning tasks, and highlight progress and effort. Students who are nurtured in such classrooms will have the values and tools that breed lifelong success."


However, up until this year, Ana was also what I would consider a reluctant writer. She worked hard to avoid writing.  Some years, during writing time, Ana would produce a few lines of text in an hour's time.  She became quite skilled at avoiding writing.


But, Ana is part of a family of bloggers.  I have blogged about books at A Year of Reading for almost 5 years. My husband recently started a blog about his work in Tech Education (Scott Sibberson's blog). And our older daughter writes often and has started a variety of blogs over the past few years. One day, when Ana and I were chatting about blogs, I suggested she start a blog about the things she makes. I thought a blog like that would be great for others who liked to make things. Her eyes got wide and she said, "I can do that?"  And off she went to become a writer.


Almost the minute I suggested it, Ana started her blog, Fun Things to Make.  Within a few hours of that first conversation, Ana nagged at us until she had a blog, an avatar and a profile. Up until that point, she had no idea that she could write about the thing she loved best.  She had no idea that anyone would be interested in reading about the things she created. She couldn't wait to get started.


I watched Ana blog all summer.  She blogged once or twice a week all summer and she wrote more in each post than she had written in the entire year.  She came to care about her audience and she became fascinated in the world when she discovered the "stats" button on her blog.  She checked her email for comments and found countries on the map that she had never heard of.   I often found her thinking aloud about her readers, wondering if they would be interested in certain things she was making.


Not only did she write, but she learned so much about Web 2.0 tools. She became interested in iMovie and Keynote. She even pulled out her Flip Video camera to capture what she was doing.  She learned to find copyright free images on Flickr and she learned to take her own photos that told a story.  She learned to link and she began to read other kids' blogs.  Last month, after discovering a great new store that sells unique crafts, she ran home to blog about it, knowing her readers would want to know about this great place, Wholly Craft.  Later that day, she asked if she could do a video interview of the owner for her blog and emailed the owner telling her how much she loved her store and asking if she'd be willing to do an interview.  Ana was thinking like a writer.


She also began to realize the impact her work had on others.  Family members and friends asked her to make them clipboards. She is starting to give handmade gifts and began to see the good she can do with the things she makes. She took the opportunity to bake with my mother and learn to make a few fun family recipes.


This year, Ana is in 5th grade and she is writing more than ever.  She is writing poetry and narrative. She is adding music to her writing and collecting words she loves in the back of her notebook. This week, I was telling my husband about a post we had done on our blog called "100 Things About Me as a Reader". Ana overheard, pulled out the computer and asked if she could create one.  Of course, I said yes. I assumed she was taking our idea, as other bloggers had, and started her own list about herself as a reader. But Ana surprised me again.  Instead she started her list entitled, "100 Things About Me as an Artist".


She has had less time to work on her blog since school (and dance and other commitments) started up again. But the blog is not what is important.  More importantly, Ana now sees herself as not only an artist, but an artist and a writer.


Ana learned so much from starting with something she was passionate about.   Ana has a new confidence this year and I attribute so much of that to her blog. She knows herself in a way that she didn't before. She knows that she can work through challenges. She knows that she loves to make things but that the work that goes along with that is often hard.  She knows that she can work through challenges and she knows that it will be worth it.  Most importantly, she's found work that she loves and a community who cares about the work she does.

As her mother, I am thrilled that Ana has found something she cares enough about to work so hard. Isn't that what we all want for our children? For them to find something that matters? For them to find something that inspires them to be who they are meant to be?  

As a teacher, reflecting on Ana's blogging, I keep going back to a quote I heard from Christian Long this summer. He said, “"While there is often talk about making school 'fun', the real trick is to challenge our students with work that they can deeply believe in, work that matters and gives them a chance to make an impact on the world around them.  When school is merely about keeping kids 'busy', then kids often ask for 'fun'.  On the other hand, when the work is authentic and powerful, kids rise to the challenge.  Every time."

Watching Ana this summer has been a reminder to me about how important it is to give kids choice in their learning lives-to find what they love and to build on that.  So much about this era of testing has compromised that one thing that is so important to a child's learning. If children are to find their passions, giving students choice and finding the things they love is key.  And I think we need to be true to the idea of choice and not just give our students "fake choices".   In a recent #TitleTalk Chat on Twitter this year, @PaulWHankins hit the mark when he said this about choice, “Offering one or two choices is what you do with toddlers at breakfast with cereal, not with budding readers in a ELA classroom."  Our students need real choices if we want them to own their own learning.


Ana says her blog doesn't feel like work.  "It feels more like having fun. I never get bored and I get to share my things. I was surprised that I wrote so much at first because I never really wrote so much. I never thought I'd be able to do that much writing and I did. Even though sometimes it's really hard, I know I have to get over it and remember how happy I feel when I publish a post."

ONLY ONE YEAR by Andrea Chen

I saw this book, ONLY ONE YEAR, at Cover to Cover last week and recognized the author, Andrea Cheng, from another book, WHERE THE STEPS WERE. I had read that book and loved it so I picked this one up based on my history with the author.

I am always looking for short novels with lots to think about. When I think about a perfect read aloud book, often I am looking for one that is short with lots to think and talk about.  I find that it is difficult to find read alouds for 2nd and 3rd grade.  If teachers want to read a chapter book, I often have trouble recommending one that does what I want a read aloud to do--provide for great conversations and learning.  ONLY ONE YEAR is a great one and perfect for children newer to chapter books as well as more sophisticated readers.  It is 96 pages long and is a great story of family and challenges.

This story is about a little girl whose grandparents live in China.  Her parents decide to send her two year-old brother to China for a year because they believe it will be better for him to be with family than in a daycare.  This is a hard decision for the family and this story tells about the year Di Di is away as well as his homecoming.  Each family member deals with DiDi's absence in a different way.

The author's note at the end talks about how common it is for parents to make a decision like this and why they do. This book would provide for great conversations around so many things.

THE PRESENT by Bob Gill

I am not usually a fan of books whose message is too obvious.  But even though the message in THE PRESENT is an obvious one, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the book!

The quote at the beginning of the book gives a clue about the message. It says, "Better an apple given than eaten"--Anonymous

A little boy named Arthur noticed a wrapped package on the top shelf of his parents' closet. He knew his birthday was coming and knew that it must be a gift for his birthday.  He wondered and wondered what might be in the box, thinking about so many of the things he was hoping for.  Each day he became more and more excited as he wondered about the present.

Finally, his birthday is only one day away (Spoiler coming but this is a picture book so I think it is okay!)  That day, the doorbell rings and a woman comes to collect toys for poor children.  Arthur decided to get the present down from the closet and give it to the woman.

The illustrations are all done in blacks and grays with the present being the only thing in color on each page. The author does a great job of having the feeling of excitement over a wrapped present.  And the ending is a surprise in a good way.

I am anxious to share this book with students of all ages.

COMING THIS WEEK: DAY BY DAY: REFINING WRITING WORKSHOP THROUGH 180 DAYS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Great news for any fans of Ruth Ayres' and Stacey Shubitz's fabulous blog, 2 Writing Teachers.  Their new book, DAY BY DAY: REFINING WRITING WORKSHOP THROUGH 180 DAYS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE is due out tomorrow, November 3!

When I visited Stenhouse a few weeks ago, I was given an advanced copy. What a treat! Being delayed in the airport with a few hours on planes, I had a good chunk of time to dig into the book immediately.

I have to admit, I didn't read the book cover to cover.  It is not really meant to be read that way, I don't think. The authors give you way too much to think about on each page to race through the whole thing at once.  It is a book we'll all want to carry around with us.  It will help us reflect and refine as often as we want.

I love the idea of this book! I remember the first year I really dug into writing workshop. My friend, Karen Szymusiak was doing the same thing.  Even though we taught at different schools, we relied on daily conversations to get us through each day and to refine our work with kids in the workshop.  These conversations were critical and they still are.

The introduction serves as an invitation. The authors say, "This book is for anyone who believes in the power of writing workshop and wants to continue to refine his or her practice.  We realize that the teaching of writing is complex, and it is not only nice to know you are not along on this journey, it is a necessity.  If you have ever wished for daily doses of encouragement, tips, challenges, advice, and understanding during the school year, this book is for you."

The authors suggest three ways to read the book. .  It is organized by chapters.  The chapter is organized into cycles--a certain aspect of teaching writing such as writers' notebooks, celebrations, and minilessons. Ruth and Stacey suggest that readers can read by chapters, by cycles  or every day all year (thus the 180 days.) I think there are many, many ways to read this book. For me, it is one I see myself going back to again and again and again.  I imagine it will be tabbed and highlighted and dog-eared as I think through various aspects of my teaching and learning.

Ruth and Stacey give us lots to think about and the book follows a perfect pattern. Each new idea is introduced with some type of story or classroom experience. Each short piece helps readers think about various components of the workshop.   At the end of the short piece, the authors offer a challenge for teachers--something to think about or try share. Then the authors give us a few questions to use for our own personal reflection.

Really, the idea of this book is so brilliant!  A way for teachers to reflect on the workshop every day of the year. Anyone who believes in writing workshop knows that as a teacher, you are always learning and refining.  This book values that teachers are learners, thinkers and professionals. It also acknowledges the fact that we need time to rethink and refine our work.  And it provides a way to do that. This would be a great book to read with colleagues. To really help us remember and rethink why we do what we do.  To think through the decisions we make each day. To help us think about our practice so we do the best we can for our students.