10 for 10--Picture Books that Celebrate Words!

I LOVE this day and hope is becomes an annual tradition FOREVER! Thanks to Cathy at REFLECT AND REFINE and Mandy at ENJOY AND EMBRACE LEARNING for creating this wonderful event! It is totally impossible for me to come up with my Top 10 picture books so I didn't even attempt it.  Instead I have must Must-Haves (at the moment favorites) that celebrate words.

I have learned over the years, that word play takes me a long way with kids.  If I want them to think about words and word choice in writing, if I want them to pay attention to new words they see and hear, and if I want them to discover the power of words, they must first have fun with words. So, I am always looking for new books that help kids celebrate the fun in words. I often use these books in the first six weeks of school to start various conversations about words that we'll come back to. Each of these books is fun and playful and invites kids into the joy of word play. Most of the books listed are natural invitations for children to play with words in lots of ways!


Mr. Putney's Quacking Dog by Jon Agee is a fun book about a man who has all sorts of animal (and other) friends.  Each page serves as a type of riddle for readers.  The wording of the riddle give readers a clue into the answer to the riddle and each requires that readers put together two words. This is the perfect level of humor and word play for young and middle grade readers.  The language play is very accessible to them.



This Plus That is Amy Krouse Rosenthal's newest book and is such fun!  Rosenthal puts words into equations to help define the word a bit. The equations become a riddle for the reader and kids definitely leave this book wanting to try word equations of their own.

Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black is a book about bottoms.  The illustrations and words work together to describe animals trying to get to the honey at the top of a tree. But the main words in the story label the "bottoms" of each animal. A new word is used to label each animal's bottom (derriere, patootie, etc.) This is a fun book and a great way to begin conversations about synonyms and word choice.  (The video of Michael Ian Black reading this one aloud is quite fun!)

Animal Soup by Todd Doodler is a lift-the-flap book. It is a another book that combines two known words to create a new word.  Doodler asks the reader a question that requires combining two animal words and the reader lifts the flap for the answer.  A fun read for young children and a great way to begin discussions about word parts with older kids.

Q is for Duck is an old favorite.  It is an alphabet book but it is a little bit tricky.  The book follows a pattern telling readers things like "Q is for duck". When the reader turns they page, they realize that "Q is for duck" because "a duck quacks." Readers love to work to figure out how the letters relate to the word given.  A fun game for readers to play and the text is great for new readers.




I love the way that Liz Scanlon thinks about pockets in the book A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes.  Who could have thought of a sock being a pocket for your toes? This book is full of ideas like this and it is great fun looking at how authors can play with words in unique ways.

Had I known about Beach is to Fun:  A Book of Relationships by Pat Brisson when I was in elementary school, analogies might make far more sense to me!  This is a book of analogies and the comparisons follow the rules of good analogies. It is fun for readers to discover the way these analogies work. When I've used this book with 3rd-5th graders, they beg to go off and try to write their own analogies around a topic.  So different from my attitude about analogies after being introduced to them on a multiple choice bubble sheet!?

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse  by Marilyn Singer is simply brilliant!  In this take on classic fairy tales, the author plays with Reverso and actually completely reverses the words in one poem to create another, very different poem about the same story.  This is a fun read and the idea of Reverso is discussed at the end of the book.  This is a great book to include with fairy tale reading too!

Every time I read DOGKU by Andrew Clements to a group,  I have several students begging to try to write a story in Haiku. That is what the author does in DOGKU. This is a picture book story about a lost dog who finds a new home.  But each page is written in Haiku. Even the author blurb and other features in the book are written in Haiku. A fun way to write and enjoy a story!


I just found is One Foot, Two Feet by Peter Maloney. The book appears to be a simple counting book but the paired words are really "exceptional plurals". The illustrations are shown with cut out frames and the words are show the various ways that we turn singular words into plural words.  

#bookaday Favorites

I have so loved participating in Donalyn Miller's Book-A-Day Challenge.  I wasn't sure how it would go but there was so much more to it than just reading lots of books (which I did!). It was more of a mindset. Knowing that I wanted to read a book every day, I had to think about the kind of book I would read that made sense each day--how much time did I have, etc.  I also realized how much I skim picture and poetry books. I am an honest person who would never add a book to my #bookaday list if I hadn't read it cover to cover, so I got into the habit of actually reading entire books.  I also love how much reading I caught up on. Oh, my To-Be-Read stack is still very large and growing every day, but I have read a lot and have lots of new books to share with kids and teachers. I am already looking forward to the holiday version of #bookaday and any other #bookadays I can fit in.
Here are some of the highlights from my #bookaday reading:

Nonfiction Picture Books

Time to Eat, Time to Sleep, Time for a Bath by Steve Jenkins (Click here for blog review)
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg (Click here for blog review)

Middle Grade Novels
A Million Miles from Boston by Karen Day (Click here for blog review)

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

Breadcrumbs by Ana Ursu (Click here for blog review)
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (Click here for blog review)
Hidden by Helen Frost
When Life Gives you O.J. by Erica Perl
Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai






Early Grade Chapter Book

Toys Come Home

Adult Read

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (Click here for blog review)

Young Adult

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Picture Books

If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin (Click here for blog review)

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig (Click here for blog review)

Rah, Rah, Radishes!:  A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre (Click here for blog review)

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray (Click here for blog review)
Big Brothers Don't Take Naps by Louise Borden (Click here for blog review)
Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems

Poetry Friday -- Joy

Joy

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A Dragon-Fly with beauteous wing

Is hov’ring o’er a silv’ry spring;

I watch its motions with delight,

Now dark its colours seem, now bright;

Chameleon-like appear, now blue,

Now red, and now of greenish hue.

Would it would come still nearer me,

That I its tints might better see

It hovers, flutters, resting ne’er!

But hush! it settles on the mead.

I have it safe now, I declare!

And when its form I closely view,

’Tis of a sad and dingy blue

Such, Joy-Dissector, is thy case indeed.

Live, love, and let it go...

Libby has the roundup today at A Year of Literacy Coaching.

Frankly, Frannie: Principal for the Day

Frankly, Frannie: Principal for the Day
by A.J. Stern
illustrated by Doreen Mulryan Marts
Grosset&Dulap/Penguin Young Readers, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom library

Frannie Miller (Frankly B. Miller, when she's being professional) loves work and all the trappings that go with it -- briefcase, resume, glasses...you name it. But she's a big-picture kind of girl, and the details of all the jobs she's tried out in this series have tripped her up with calamitacious results.

Now Frannie has (remarkably...I mean...what are they THINKING??) won the Principal for the Day essay contest at her school. Based on her track record for muddling up the world of work, Principal Wilkins has enforced a strick "three strikes, you're out" policy.

How fast can you count to three? In the beginning it's interrupting classes. In the middle, it's the copy machine, and in the end, it's the most beautiful red, shiny box Frannie has ever seen.

That Frannie!

November Learning #BLC11 Relfection #2

I am continuing my reflections about BLC11 as a way to share my learning and to make sense of it --all at the same time. As I work through my notes, I realize just how much I learned and how many new things I have to think about.

One of the speakers I was excited to hear was Shannon Miller (@shannonmmiller). Shannon is so gracious with her sharing.  She has been one of the key people I have learned from as I've moved from the classroom to the library world.  I have heard her speak before (Educon) but never on her own and about her own program. So I was thrilled to attend her session about social media and the ways her students are benefiting.  Shannon works in a K-12 school so I need to study some of the tools she mentioned to think about which make sense for my elementary students.

I was amazed at the number of projects Shannon has going at first.  It seems that she is constantly adding something to her already full schedule. But after hearing her talk, I can see how it works.  She networks her own teachers with others she meets and creates lots of projects that seem too good to pass up. I imagine the people on her staff trust that any project idea she has is worth the time and effort. Her understanding and respect for the children and adults in her school and her easy personality helped me make sense of how she does all that she does.  (still in awe of it, but I do understand how she is so successful a bit better now!)

Shannon shared several ways that she uses Skype with her students.  She has invited authors to talk with her kids, experts on various topics, other classes and more.  Skype seems to be a natural part of what kids expect at Van Meter and the idea that they can connect with whoever it is that they need to connect with is a powerful one.  Many of the people that Shannon sets up Skype visits with are people she knows from Twitter. She has found that if she approaches people about Skype, most will be very willing to pop in and talk to kids.  She has no fancy set up but is really focused on the experience for the students.  You can read about some of the Skype sessions (that happened all in one day at Van Meter!) in her blog post
A Day of Connecting at Van Meter.  I have been hesitant to get started with Skype because I was not sure where to begin. Now, I see I can just jump in with whatever makes sense and build from there.

Shannon talked about her collaboration with John Schu and their blog Two Libraries One Voice. By getting to know and working with another colleague, many projects have begun.  The blog captures the ways that the two schools work together on projects.  Read Across America was one of the highlights she shared.

Shannon is very clear about the purpose of her Van Meter Library Voice blog. She wanted to develop a voice for her library and school and the students understand the idea of voice and what the blog creates. Her blog is a great place to keep up with all that they are doing at Van Meter. She also starts blogs for any project or club that is part of her work. She talked a bit about the photography club,  Club Click and how much it has grown globally because of the blog.

Shannon mentioned several other tools that I want to check out:

Edmodo is a collaborate tool in a safe network that is similar to a Facebook like tool.  It allows for lots of conversation and collaboration and also the ability teach digital citizenship at the same time.

Primary Wall is similar to Wallwisher but Shannon suggested it for younger kids. I can't wait to check this one out.

Cosketch is a multiuser draw tool. I can't think of how I would use it now but it seems like a powerful collaboration tool for primary classrooms especially.

Voki allows you to create animated avatars--almost like animated podcasts. I have played around with this one but want to look at it again.

Shannon taught me the importance of taking advantage of lots of opportunities for our students. She has a great vision for the kids at her school and  is gracious about sharing. Her students are definitely learning this global sharing piece from her.  Shannon's presentation showed me the power of these global colllaborations as well as how many opportunities there are if we pay attention.  Can't wait to dig in.

Thanks, Shannon!

A MILLION MILES FROM BOSTON by Karen Day

A good friend sent me a copy of Karen Day's new middle grade novel, A MILLION MILES FROM BOSTON.  I'm a little late at reading this...It somehow got lost in my to-be-read pile but I am so glad I noticed it last week and moved it to the top of the pile.  LOVED IT!
A MILLION MILES FROM BOSTON is getting great reviews from so many sources. (Jen Robinson, Book Review Club) After reading it, I can see why. This is such a great middle grade novel and I can already think of so many kids who will love it. (My 11 year old will be the first one I hand it to:-)

This is a story about Lucy. Lots of changes are happening for Lucy including moving from elementary school to middle school.  So,  Lucy is looking forward to her summer in Maine where everything is predictable and stable.  But this is the story of a summer where everything is not so predictable.  Her father has a new girlfriend and she is worried about middle school. To make things worse, a boy from her school is also spending the summer in her Maine neighborhood. Throughout the summer,  Lucy continues to deal with the death of her mother that happened 5 years earlier. Change is hard for Lucy and Karen Day captures the complexity of the character well.  Lucy's struggles with grief and change as well as the issues that are common to all kids of this age (growing up, starting middle school, making friends) are all part of this story and done well.

I think this age group is a hard one to write for. Readers in grades 4-6 are readers who want depth and complexity. But authors must do that in a way that makes sense for the worlds 10-12 year olds live in.  This is a book I love because it is a perfect mix for these readers. It is the kind of book I look for when I look for a great read aloud book for grades 4-5. One that is engaging for boys and girls in this age group and books that give us enough to talk and think about, especially around character and theme.

I read this book on the plane to Boston for #BLC11.  I loved the book from the beginning but, I knew this was a great book when I realized I had missed the plane's landing because I was almost at the end of the book and so engaged that I wasn't paying attention to the flight.  For those of you who know me, I am not a great flyer to begin and this is a big deal. I am worst when taking off and landing. I am very attentive during these times and I have never had a book that pulled me in in a way that made me miss the landing!

This is definitely a book you don't want to miss. It is very realistic story about a character who will stay with me for a very long time.  I can't wait to see what Karen Day writes next!

PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES

I have to admit that I was a little bit worried about reading the sequel to PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES by Eric Litwin.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE PETE THE CAT and could not imagine how the 2nd book could possibly live up to my expectations.  You can imagine how happy I was when I read PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES and LOVED it! No disappointment at all. Eric Litwin and James Dean have created another great song/book! And I can't wait to share it with kids.



Katie at Creative Literacy was the first one who told me about PETE THE CAT. Since then, I have been on a mission to make sure everyone I know, knows about this book. The first book was a huge hit with all of our kids last year.  Even the older kids could be caught singing it to themselves. Parents learned it on field trips as kids sang it on long bus rides. I even dressed up as Pete the Cat for Halloween.

If you know the first book, you know how engaging it is for readers. You can't help but singing along and enjoying the story and the character.  Not only is it a fun story, but it has a great message. Well, the new book is just as fun, but a little different.  The song and rhythm are similar (thank goodness!) but this is a story about Pete at school. He does all kinds of things like go to the library, eat in the cafeteria, and play on the playground.  The text invites students to sing along with Pete as he rocks in his new school shoes. It also invites them to jump in with the place in the school where Pete is doing whatever it is he is doing. A perfect book for young children at the beginning of the school year. So many possibilities!

I am so happy about this book--it will be another PETE THE CAT hit!

November Learning #BLC--Reflection #1

I really have no idea what the best way is to capture and share my learning from #BLC11. I have so many new things to think about, people to learn from and tools to explore that I don't know the best way to organize it. So, I am thinking I'll just reflect and share my thinking about each session I attended. I'll do this in several parts because it is far too much for one post.

One of my favorite things from BLC is that I discovered a few new people to learn from.  I was tempted to go to all sessions offered by a few people I have learned from over the year but decided to stretch myself a bit and see speakers I was familiar with (Shannon Miller, Kathy Cassidy, Angela Maiers) with people I had never had the opportunity to hear.

The conference was kicked off by Dr. Eric Mazur  (@eric_mazur)of Harvard. It was a great kick-off to the conference as he asked us to really think about the meaning of education and that we must move beyond education as "information transfer".  He shared a great classic video clip of Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University to support his thinking about the problem with lecturing in school.  This video provides a humorous reminder of how important it is for us to really think about our goals for education.



Dr. Mazur's led us through some ways that he is expanding his classes by teaching through questions and the ways in which technology is allowing that to happen in lecture halls of 500 students.  His big message for me was that it is not the technology, but the pedagogy that matters in education. He said, "Technology should be at the service of pedagogy." Loved that quote!

You can watch his entire keynote on BLC's website:  http://novemberlearning.com/videos/

THE SEARCH IS SOCIAL by Angela Maiers
Following the first keynote, I attended Angela Maiers' (@angelamaiers) session called "The Search is Social".  This was a powerful talk about how google and other search engines are changing the ways we, as consumers, get information. Angela talked about the importance of the social piece of information gathering and invited us to think about what this means for our students.  Angela graciously shares what she learns with the world and you can access her presentation and some thoughts around it  on her site.  Here are some highlights:

*As teachers who are teaching Internet search skills to our students, we want to focus on teaching dispositions of being a web participant, not the product of a search. She suggests that to do this, we pay attention to behaviors and explore real time content together.  She reminded us that every day the web evolves so when we teach web search, we are never in the role of master. She believes that we have to be learners in the moment in front of the kids using think-aloud.

*Up until recently, the social components of the Web have been separated from the data part.(Facebook separate from research, etc.).  Our behaviors and dispositions with each of those were different. But now, they are no longer separate. We must legitimize the social piece of research for our students. She explained that Web 3.0 means that we, as web users are the web.

*She talked about the importance of strangers in research. How often do we take the advice of strangers on sites like Trip Advisor, Amazon, Zappos, etc. when making a decision? We use this connected voice of strangers to make decisions about lots of things . But she asked us to think about the ways we position strangers to kids on the web.  That doesn't negate Internet safety but since people are not defining the web community, we cannot negate the impact of information from strangers.

*Our responsibility is to teach kids how humans interact with information and what it means to be a contributor of this global community.

*Angela went on to explain how Google and other search engines are now showing us what it is that it thinks we want to see.  The search engines control what we get access to and we each get access to different things based on our circles. She recommended "Beware Online Filter Bubbles" TED TALK by Eli Pariser to better understand these ideas.

*Network literacy is far more important than information literacy.  This is about more than consumption of information but about becoming part of the digital community and managing your digital footprint.

*She ended talking about the company, KLOUT, that analyzes your social influence and gives you a score. This is the part that is changing--our social influence matters in lots of ways and this will become more important as time goes on.  Definitely worth checking out!

MORE #BLC11 Reflections to come later this week and/or next!