I have loved participating in Donalyn Miller's Book-A-Day Challenge. I approach the day differently, knowing I will read at least one book. Every Day. All Summer. My stack doesn't seem so overwhelming when I know I have a bit more time to catch up. This week, I did lots of picture book reading. Three books that I absolutely love are Time to Eat
, Time to Sleep
, and Time for a Bath
, all by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. I purchased all three at the same time and love the way they work together as well as separately. These are small square books. They are very inviting nonfiction. One thing I love about Steve Jenkins work is the ways in which he organizes it--the way he connects information for readers. Each of these books take on a different topic such as eating, sleeping and bathing. Then Jenkins and Page find fascinating stories about the different ways various animals do each of these things. So, this book can be read in any order--as each page stands alone with facts about an individual animal. But together, this book shows us something bigger about the animal world in general. Even though there are only a few sentences of text on each page, I learned a great deal from each book.
Although I was familiar with many of the animals in the books, there were also many that were new to me. Jenkins and Page have included information about each animal at the end of the book for readers who want to know more.
These books are great for primary readers. They are also great for older readers. They would make great read alouds and would also serve as great mentor texts in a nonfiction writing unit. I am hoping there are more books coming out in this series!
by Anne Ursu is due out in September. This is a favorite of mine for 2011 so far. It is a modern day fairy tale. A version of The Snow Queen. Ursu does an amazing job of weaving in issues that today's children may be dealing with into this fantasy story. The underlying themes are friendship and loss among other things. Divorce, boy-girl friendships, international adoption, and other things are explored in this book. The author does a great job at pulling in other stories we know such as the Chronicles of Narnia and the Little Match Girl. This is a book I may want to reread and definitely a great addition to any intermediate or middle school classroom. I loved it. It is so good that I would preorder it now so that you don't forget about it in September.
is a poetry book by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers that I have been meaning to read. The book is a powerful one, reminding us about what it means to be American. The book is both a celebration of our country and a realistic look at some issues we deal with as a nation. This is a gorgeous book that older students could read with depth.
purchasing the new issue of 
because Michael J. Fox was on the cover. Honestly, I felt like I was 13 and buying an issue of Teen Beat when I saw his photo on the cover. I picked up 
by Michael J. Fox and read it as part of my 48 Hour Read. This is a great little essay--one of those books aimed at graduating students. But so much of what Michael J. Fox says in this book resonated for me. A good, quick, life message. (By the way, a little Franki Trivia for you--I have a credit in a Michael J. Fox movie. I was the tutor on the set for a child in 
for one day of filming in Ohio. I didn't have to do much tutoring but I did get to ride in a van with Joan Jett and see Michael J. Fox in person from afar many times during the day:-)
I picked up 
by Olivia Bouler a few weeks ago. I had heard the story about Olivia raising money to help birds during the oil spill and was intrigued by the book. This book is full of information and drawings about birds by Olivia. We learn about the fascination of birds and also learn about the dangers to birds, about the oil spill and about Olivia's work to help them.m This is a great piece by an 11 year-old working to make a positive difference in the world.
by Shaun Tan was another that had been on my stack for a while. This is a collection of 3 short pieces around the theme of loss. Each story is different and each leaves the read with lots to think about. The illustrations are incredible and add to the text. I can see using this with older elementary and middle school students to really dig into the meaning of these stories, both separately and together.
by Catherynne Valente was the first book that I read. I actually started it a week or two ago but didn't have much time to read during the last weeks of school. The book is a fairy tale and the main character is one that will stay with me for a long time. But this is not an easy read. It seems more middle school than middle grade to me. It is a great, unique fairy tale. I did not fall in love with it until the last 1/3 but by the time I was finished, I loved it. I think had I not spread it out over a busy time of year, I would have loved it immediately. I definitely recommend this one to readers of more complex fantasy/fairy tales.
by Chris Van Allsburg and wasn't really expecting to. Honestly, when I ordered it, I had no idea what it was about. I just ordered it because it was by Van Allsburg and I love most everything by him. The Polar Express was one of the first children's book I owned when I began student- teaching and I have loved his work ever since. But this book is different for this author/illustrator. It is a picture book biography about the first woman to go over Niagra Falls in a barrel. I am addicted to finding great picture book biographies so finding this one was a real treat. Van Allsburg's illustrations make this a biography I think kids will love--the story is a great one and Van Allsburg's illustrations bring it to life. I am happy to add it to my biographies and to my Chris Van Allsburgh collection.
by Kirby Larson was the last book that I read during the 48 Hour Read and it was a a great ending to a great reading weekend! I love dolls so I especially liked the idea of this book. It is a historical booked based on the 57 dolls sent to the United States from Japan in 1927 as "Ambassadors of Friendship". This is the story of one doll and the people she meets in her travels. The book consists of 5 stories and we see the way that the doll was "brought to life" by each new girl she met. We also see how each of the girls was changed because of the doll. Each story is powerful by itself. The book reminded me a bit of The Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo in its premise. This is definitely a new favorite for me. I have always loved dolls so I am anxious to see how this book does with others who are not so interested in dolls. My gut says that it is a great story regardless of how you come to it. Together these create a story of hope, change, loss, friendship and more. At the end of the book, author Kirby Larson gives us a little more background about the Japanese dolls.
.
If you are looking for fun things to try this summer, I would definitely recommend this book. The product is a fun one (although they do take a bit of time) and it was a fun project to do together. Hopefully, I'll attempt one of the more complex cake pops later this summer, but for now, I am happy to have this new fun treat on my list of things to bake!
. (Clever and practical of me to have borrowed the middle of the pile from the library, eh? I have to read some books I missed -- Jennifer Holm, Gary Schmidt -- so that I can read the next in the series...because you know how I am about reading series in order!) And did you notice the ADULT reads there at the bottom of stack -- Geraldine Brooks' new one, 
(I LOVED 
and 
) and an 
. I'll have to add to the pile in order to have enough to make it through 
, by Annie Dillard.