Blog Birthday: Giveback-Giveaway #2

Hard to believe that we've been blogging for SEVEN years!

This year we'd like to celebrate by giving back to our readers with a Giveback-Giveaway every day for seven days.

We'll choose a random winner from the comments each day and send them the featured book of the day. The books we've chosen are all new(ish) books that celebrate books and reading. (As we were choosing books, we realize that we need to update our Books About Books and Reading list in the sidebar. Are any of your favorites missing from our list?)

Thanks for stopping by to help us celebrate 7 years!

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Blog Birthday Giveback-Giveaway #2 

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. Franki first discovered the book as an amazing interactive ebook on her iPad. She reviewed it on the blog then.  Today, we will be giving away the hard copy of book.

This is an amazing story of the power of books and we are happy to share it today -- comment for a chance to win!

CYBILS and NERDIES!

Cybils finalists are here:

Poetry -- I was on the panel that helped pick these seven fabulous books of poetry! Also serving: Anastasia/BookTalking, Trisha/The Miss Rumphius Effect, Misti/Kidlitgeek, Carol/Carol's Corner, Irene/Live Your Poem, and Jone/Check it Out

Picture Books
Nonfiction Picture Books
Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books
Book Apps
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Middle Grade and YA Nonfiction
YA Fiction
Middle Grade Fantasy/SciFi
YA Fantasy/SciFi


Nerdies winners are here:

Picture Books
Early Reader/Early Chapter Books
Nonfiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Poetry
Nonfiction
Middle Grade Fiction
YA Fiction

Blog Birthday: Giveback-Giveaway #1

Hard to believe that we've been blogging for SEVEN years!

This year we'd like to celebrate by giving back to our readers with a Giveback-Giveaway every day for seven days.

We'll choose a random winner from the comments each day and send them the featured book of the day. The books we've chosen are all new(ish) books that celebrate books and reading. (As we were choosing books, we realize that we need to update our Books About Books and Reading list in the sidebar. Are any of your favorites missing from our list?)

Thanks for stopping by to help us celebrate 7 years!

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Blog Birthday Giveback-Giveaway #1 -- OPEN THIS LITTLE BOOK

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Open This Little Book from Chronicle last week.  I was immediately drawn to it and noticed that it was illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Suzy Lee.  The author is Jesse Klausmeier and this is her first picture book.  What a treat it is!

This is a book that reminds me of so many books I love, but one that is unique on its own. It reminds me a little bit of Press Here because I can see kids having the same gleeful reaction to this one as they do to Press Here.  And it is a great one to add to my collection of books about books and reading.

When you open this book, you see that the inside pages are smaller than the cover. They are smaller because they are actually a book inside the book. The surprises every time you turn a page, continue. I can't even explain the design but I recommend you open it up because, as I said, it will make you gleeful :-)

Somehow Jessie Klausmeier and Suzy Lee have told a story about the power of reading and books in the simplest, most joyful way I've seen.  It is a simple, yet powerful message. But the details are far from simple. Even the end pages share a message.  It is a colorful book and the design is as important as any other part of the book.   Every time I open the book to reread it, I notice something I missed before. Like I said, a real treat.

Young children are going to love this one. It is definitely a great gift book because it is one parents and children can enjoy together over and over.  And it is perfect for EVERY the classroom and library. I can't wait to share it with my 4th graders.

There aren't many books that meet the needs of so many readers. The flap inside the book says of this author/illustrator team, "Together they have created a book of startling imagination that is not only an entertaining and interactive read for the very youngest reader, but also a stunning showcase of design that will delight even the most sophisticated book enthusiast." They certainly got that right in my opinion. It is not often that a book can do so many things in such a perfect way.

I love when I read a great book early in the new year. This is already one of my favorite books of 2013 and I am sure it will remain on my list of favorites forever.

Comment below for a chance to win this great new picture book!

December Mosaic and 2012 Photo Projects

Flickr photoset is here if you'd like to see the photos full-sized.

At the beginning of the month, our temperatures were still in the 50s. Almost like the flipping of a switch on Winter Solstice, the temperatures dropped and the snow came. Fun vegetable shots this month -- "Bright Veggies" in my Buddha Bowl at Northstar, a grinning spud spotted at Kroger, and fresh Brussel Sprouts from the Winter Worthington Farmers Market before they were roasted for Christmas dinner.

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Back in January, I gave myself a new focus for my photos:

I'm going to collect photos of numbers and letters (actual and representations). By the end of the year, I'll be able to make my own Alpha-Numeric picture book through the iPhoto store!

I collected about half of the alphabet and all of the numbers 1-13 except 9 and 10. I also discovered that our local Cord Camera is the way to go for all kinds of photography projects: support a local business and don't pay exorbitant shipping fees!

Coming Soon: January

A few years ago, I started a strand on my calendar to alert me to upcoming books. So, I technically have a book release calendar. I hate when I hear about a book weeks or months in advance and then forget about it.  So, this calendar reminds me of those books I am looking forward to.  I add books as I see them and I check the calendar every few weeks looking ahead to what is coming up.  Mr. Schu is far more efficient and organized than I am and  I check his public Book Release Calendar often.  Some of my students have also gotten into the habit of checking Mr. Schu's calendar for upcoming titles.

This year, I thought that every month, I'd share the titles I am most looking forward to in the coming month.  So, today, I thought I'd share the books I am excited about that are being released in January. Here they are!

January 1

Whatever After #2: If the Shoe Fits by Sarah Miynowski is the second in this Whatever After series. I love all things fairy tales-especially middle grade and YA versions of classic tales.  The first book in this series was popular with my 4th graders and I am excited that there is another coming out.  This is a present day story in which two kids somehow get transported to a story and have to solve a problem. This new one is centered around the Cinderella story.

January 2

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson--I love anything by Kadir Nelson and am excited about this new picture book biography about Nelson Mandela.  I love adding picture book biographies to my collection and I love that Kadir Nelson has done this one! Can't wait to see it!



January 8

I am really excited about The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier. I don't allow myself much time to read adult books as I spend so much time reading children's and YA books but I will definitely make time for this book. Tracy Chevalier is one of my very favorite adult authors and this book looks to be another good one. I love that it is set in Ohio too-an added bonus!

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin is one I am interested in because I love this author and this illustrator.  Jen Bryant and Mellissa Sweet are two of my favorites so I can't wait to see them team up on this picture book biography.






January 20

There is one professional book I am looking forward to in January.  Bill Bass and his colleagues have written a book with ISTE called FROM INSPIRATION TO RED CARPET. The book shares the story of a district who hosts a film festival for students.  I am excited to read about the power of video production, the projects that are possible, and more. Definitely one I have been looking forward to that I think will impact my classroom!






January looks to be a great month for books!!

2012 Nerdies: The Poetry Winners

ANNOUNCING THE 2012 POETRY NERDIES

Light Verse,

Incredibly Diverse,

Apologies,

Honey Bees,

Contemplation,

Rumination.

Best six:

Classics

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Head on over to the Nerdy Book Club blog for the details!

Bill The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman

I am always looking for great picture book biographies. I especially like the ones about people who are not famous.  So I was thrilled to find Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman. I recognized the author from another great picture book biography, BOYS OF STEEL which was quite popular in the library last year.

I am not a huge Batman reader but I do love popular culture and stories of creativity.  I loved this new picture book for so many of reasons and I can't wait to share it with kids.  The book is a good length-not too short and not too long. It is filled with the story of Bill Finger who co-created Batman as an anonymous writer. It is a fascinating story of a man who loved to create. Even more fascinating is the Author's Note in the back that gives even more information about Bill Finger and the research involved in publishing this book--the only book EVER that focuses on him.

I am excited to share this book with kids for lots of reasons. First of all, it is a great story and with so many comics/graphic novels fans, I am sure I will have kids who will be instantly interested in the topic. But it is also the story of writing and creating--how and where ideas come from and how storytelling is often collaborative.  The story is also a great example of someone who made a big difference in the world even though he was not famous. I worry about fame and our typical use of biographies. I want my students to know that there are many ways that people make the world a better place and you don't have to be famous to make a difference. And finally, the research involved in finding the story of Bill Finger life and the outcome of the research is worth sharing with students.  Research isn't so easy and it certainly is not the book research that kids often think of when we say the word research. Nobleman makes much of his research process public and that will be great for kids.

I totally enjoyed this book for lots of reasons. One of my favorite nonfiction books of the year for sure!

Poetry Friday: Il Tempo Corre

CLOCK
by Linda Pastan


Sometimes it really upsets me—
the way the clock's hands keep moving,

even when I'm just sitting here
not doing anything at all,

not even thinking about anything
except, right now, about that clock

and how it can't keep its hands still.

(read the rest of the poem at The Writer's Almanac)

We play against it, set records based on it, get hit in the head with it, try to stop it or run it out, watch it...and its hands just keep moving.

clock ¹ |kläk|
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch klocke, based on medieval Latin clocca ‘bell.’ 

noun
a mechanical or electrical device for measuring time, indicating hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds, typically by hands on a round dial or by displayed figures.
• (the clock) time taken as a factor in an activity, esp. in competitive sports: they play against the clock | her life is ruled by the clock.
• informal a measuring device resembling a clock for recording things other than time, such as a speedometer, taximeter, or odometer.

verb [ with obj. ]
1 attain or register (a specified time, distance, or speed): Thomas has clocked up forty years service | [ no obj. ] : the book clocks in at 989 pages.
• achieve (a victory): he clocked up his first win of the year.
• record as attaining a specified time or rate: the tower operators clocked a gust of 185 mph.
2 informal hit (someone), esp. on the head: someone clocked him for no good reason.

PHRASES
around (or round ) the clock all day and all night: working around the clock.
run out the clock Sports deliberately use as much time as possible in order to preserve one's own team's advantage: facing a tie, he decided to run out the clock in the final moments.
stop the clock allow extra time by temporarily ceasing to count the time left before a deadline arrives: he agreed to stop the clock as negotiations continued.
turn (or put ) back the clock return to the past or to a previous way of doing things.
watch the clock (of an employee) be overly strict or zealous about not working more than one's required hours.

PHRASAL VERBS
clock in (or out )(of an employee) punch in (or out).

When the clock chimes 12:00 AM on January 1, 2013, I'll shout out a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and the world. 

In the meantime, sign up for a Jan-June Poetry Friday roundup slot here. 

Carol has today's round up at Carol's Corner. 

An Elizabethan Christmas Greeting from Karen Cushman

We were lucky enough to take part in Karen Cushman's blog tour for Will Sparrow's Road. My student, "Suzy," who is Muslim, read the book and helped to prepare the questions for Ms. Cushman. (see blog tour post here and comment for a chance to win a copy of the book) When we received the following information about Christmas in Elizabethan England, Suzy naturally had questions about Muslims in England at that time. Ms. Cushman graciously sent this addendum to her description of an Elizabethan Christmas:

Alexander Ostuzhev as Othello, 1935

Will Sparrow’s Road takes place in England in 1599, during the reign of Elizabeth I. There were very few if any Muslims in England at that time. Shakespeare was familiar enough with Muslims to include such characters in The Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus, and Othello, which featured a Moorish Othello as its title character. It is said these plays were inspired by several Moorish delegations from Morocco to England about 1600.

So now is come our joyful'st feast,
 
Let every man be jolly.
 

Each room with ivy leaves is drest,
 

And every post with holly. 

Though some churls at our mirth repine, 

Round your foreheads garlands twine,
 

Drown sorrow in a cup of wine,
 

And let us all be merry. 
(George Wither—16th c. poet)

 
Imagine a Christmas without a tree, colored lights, Santa Claus, presents, or Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. Even without these joys, the Elizabethan Christmas revels were the highpoint of the year. After the sad, solemn, sometimes violent reign of Mary Tudor, Englishmen were ready for gaiety. And Elizabeth, relieved to find herself queen and not martyr, marked her reign with joy, luxury, and extravagance. Her people, starting on Christmas Eve and culminating twelve days later on Twelfth Night, celebrated Christmas with gusto.

Villagers and nobles alike decorated their homes with holly, ivy, yew, bay, laurel--in fact, anything still green. A large log, the Yule log, was brought in and kept burning in the hearth throughout the twelve days of the holiday.

Someone would be chosen as “The Lord of Misrule” and would be in charge of organizing the entertainment and revelry for the Twelve Days of Christmas. There would be dancing and play-acting and the singing of carols. Groups of girls and boys would go round their village or neighborhood with an empty drinking cup, begging for each house to fill it with spiced ale or cakes or a silver penny. It was bad luck to refuse.

Food was the highlight of the celebration. Turkey had only been introduced into England from the Americas during the reign of Henry VIII and was relatively uncommon. Goose was more traditional. It is said that in 1588 Elizabeth I ordered the entire country to serve goose at their Christmas feast, since it was the first meal she had eaten following England's victory over the Spanish. The very rich might serve peacock—skinned, cooked, and put back into its skin and feathers. The poor, of course, ate whatever they could.

Other goodies included wild boar, minced meat pies, plum porridge, and a Christmas pie of birds' tongues, eggs, sugar, lemon and orange peel, accompanied by a beer brewed especially for the occasion. During the Elizabethan age water was not considered fit to drink. Instead, beer was the staple drink for the majority of people, and it was common for country homes to house their own brewery. Mulled wine might also be served as well as syllabub (spiced milk with rum or wine) and lambswool, made by heating cider, sherry or ale, spices, and apples until the apples exploded into a foamy, white head.

The last night of the Christmas celebrations was January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorated the coming of the Three Kings. Twelfth Night festivities were often the grandest of the year, filled with balls and parties. A special cake would be baked and given out to members of the family and household. This cake would contain a bean and whoever found it would be pronounced King of the Bean.

Whether or however you celebrate Christmas, I wish you great joy of the season and a splendid new year.

-- Karen Cushman

In case you were wondering...

...this is John F. Kennedy: