I believe the general rule for college classes is that you get what you put into them. That might even be true for everything else in life, but I don't think I have the time to try to prove it :) But I found that to be especially true for this class. I could see a few of my classmates coming to class unprepared, and they didn't really get much out of our discussions. But after doing the readings and thinking critically about the books, I found that our class discussions were quickly taking on lives of their own, taking us down paths that none of us expected. And that was the most exciting part of all: watching our discussions begin with a common starting point (the books we had just read) and take off in all sorts of different directions. I've been avoiding reading other reflections because I didn't want them to alter my own thoughts, but our class discussions were definitely my favorite part of the class. They really opened up my imagination to worlds of possibilities that I never considered when reading on my own.
If nothing else, participating in this class has reinforced the idea that reading is social. We get so much more out of a book when we discuss it and share our ideas with other people - that's why children love read-aloud time, that's why book groups still exist, and that's why we take Children's Literature classes and discuss our thoughts and feelings as a group. And that's why as educators we must do our best to embrace the "social-ness" of reading within our future classrooms. No matter what age your students are, they will be capable of reading and having enlightened conversations about what they've read. They might need support and guidance, but to remove reading from a social context does an injustice to everyone involved.
Overall, I found this class to be really beneficial, and it really opened my eyes to the plethora of ways that literature can be used in the classroom. It also got me thinking about how we judge literature. What makes "good" children's literature is as much up to the children as it is to us. As teachers we must be able to help students locate literature that is exciting, thought-provoking, and developmentally appropriate. It is not our job to impose our own values onto our students. We can show them examples of what we think is "quality" literature, and hope that they'll agree. But if little Billy still wants to read Goosebumps in his free time, then he'd probably best off if his teacher could find some way to support or acknowledge that.
Even though I struggled a bit to keep up this blog, I think that blogging has been a helpful tool for our class to use. Blogging is a great way to get our thoughts "out there" for the rest of the world to see - that includes classmates as well as random Korean strangers :) It would also be a great resource for any teacher to use, whether to make book recommendations to students, to connect with other teachers via the internet, or to keep an up-to-date newsletter informing parents of classroom happenings. That's the great thing about the internet: it's easy to use, the information is free, and it connects us to a potentially infinite audience.
I really enjoyed this class, and I have taken a lot of great ideas from it. Hopefully with the information I have acquired this semester, I can help instill in my students a life-long love of reading. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Butterfly Count
By Sneed B. Collard III
Illustrated by Paul Kratter
When Amy's great-great-grandmother farmed the prairie, the regal fritillary was her favorite butterfly. But now, many years and many lost acres of habitat later, the regal fritillary is rarely seen at all. Amy and her mother are going on a 4th of July butterfly count on the family's old land, and Amy is downright determined to find the regal fritillary once again.
While I found this book during my search for books on "endangered animals," this book seems to strike a chord for conservation instead. The two go hand-in-hand, of course, but I think this book is especially great to use here in Iowa because it is very relevant to our own land. Did you know that 99% of Iowa's native prairie was destroyed and plowed to make room for all of our farms? And the regal fritillaries, once a common sight among the tall prairie grasses, are in danger of going extinct. Additionally, the 4th of July butterfly count is an actual national event, which makes this book seem even more realistic. While the story itself is fiction, I really appreciated the realistic details included.
Overall... this probably isn't the most entertaining or the funniest book that kids will ever read, and to be honest some will even probably find it boring. But personally, I really value its realism and the message it tries to send. It would work perfectly within a broader discussion of either endangered species or nature conservation.
Illustrated by Paul Kratter
When Amy's great-great-grandmother farmed the prairie, the regal fritillary was her favorite butterfly. But now, many years and many lost acres of habitat later, the regal fritillary is rarely seen at all. Amy and her mother are going on a 4th of July butterfly count on the family's old land, and Amy is downright determined to find the regal fritillary once again.
While I found this book during my search for books on "endangered animals," this book seems to strike a chord for conservation instead. The two go hand-in-hand, of course, but I think this book is especially great to use here in Iowa because it is very relevant to our own land. Did you know that 99% of Iowa's native prairie was destroyed and plowed to make room for all of our farms? And the regal fritillaries, once a common sight among the tall prairie grasses, are in danger of going extinct. Additionally, the 4th of July butterfly count is an actual national event, which makes this book seem even more realistic. While the story itself is fiction, I really appreciated the realistic details included.
Overall... this probably isn't the most entertaining or the funniest book that kids will ever read, and to be honest some will even probably find it boring. But personally, I really value its realism and the message it tries to send. It would work perfectly within a broader discussion of either endangered species or nature conservation.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Diary of a Worm
By Doreen Cronin
Illustrated by Harry Bliss
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a worm? I thought it would probably be pretty boring, but Doreen Cronin proved me wrong. This hilarious picture book gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a worm. The unique diary format, creative illustrations, and great sense of humor will delight all readers. Take June 15th’s entry, for example: "My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not."
This book is a great way to bring a new perspective to a commonly overlooked subject. It has a lot of great things going for it, and I think most young children would find it to be very entertaining and interesting. Similar to Yours Truly, Goldilocks, this book would be another way to talk about unique formatting for books or how the point of view of a story can definitely change the entire book. And even if you're not looking to teach a lesson, this book is absolutely hilarious. I think it's a great read!
Illustrated by Harry Bliss
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a worm? I thought it would probably be pretty boring, but Doreen Cronin proved me wrong. This hilarious picture book gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a worm. The unique diary format, creative illustrations, and great sense of humor will delight all readers. Take June 15th’s entry, for example: "My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not."
This book is a great way to bring a new perspective to a commonly overlooked subject. It has a lot of great things going for it, and I think most young children would find it to be very entertaining and interesting. Similar to Yours Truly, Goldilocks, this book would be another way to talk about unique formatting for books or how the point of view of a story can definitely change the entire book. And even if you're not looking to teach a lesson, this book is absolutely hilarious. I think it's a great read!
Swan Song: Poems of Extinction
By J. Patrick Lewis
Woodcuts by Christopher Wormell
I think the foreword to this book sums everything up pretty well:
More than ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived are now extinct. The most enduring and compelling image of large-scale death is that of the dinosaurs, colossal reptiles who vanished from Earth sixty-five million years ago.
At the other extreme, the last falling feather of the Passenger Pigeon, which once numbered in the billions, had all the impact of a single snowflake fluttering down a canyon. The last Barbary Lion, far form being celebrated, amused a North African king as a carpet. The howling echo of Miss Waldron's Red Colobus monkey will soon be a memory to no one at all.
This book is about the recently departed. In Earth's geat forests and fields, they buzzed and chirped and bellowed through little incidents of sorry from roughly 1627 to 2000. Whether beautiful or homely, giant or dwarf, each species was its own drama in many disappearing acts, even if it was very far off the Broadway of the dinosaurs.
On Earth, six animal species die every hour, many of the most recent due to climate change, habitat destruction, or human greed or carelessness or indifference. Here are a few small epitaphs in verse to mark their passing.
There a lot of really great things that I like about this book. First, that all of these extinct animals are presented in poetry (in "a few small eitaphs," as the foreword says) makes their passing much more emotional and easy to relate to. Of course it is interesting to read nonfiction books about extinct animals as well - but many nonfiction books simply present the facts and hardly seem to mourn the loss of such interesting and unique animals. I believe that presenting this information in poetry makes it easier for children (and adults!) to recognize the importance of preserving our planet's wildlife.
Second, the illustrations in this book are all black and white woodcuts - somehow simultaneously portraying each of the animals intricately and simply at the same time. These woodcuts seem to capture the true essence of these animals, without any cartoonish qualities. Of course, many of these animals were never photographed, so I think that using woodcuts is an effective way of illustrating them.
The third thing I really enjoy is the wealth of information that this book offers. The animals are listed in order of extinction, starting with the Aurochs in 1627 and ending with Miss Waldron's Red Colobus monkey in 2000. At the top of each page is the animal's Latin name, the date of its extinction, and where it used to live. At the bottom of each page is a continuing time line telling us important events that were happening at the time - the bubonic plague in 1681, the publishing of Frankenstein in 1818, the invention of Coca-Cola in 1899, the beginning of WWI in 1914, the Great Depression in 1933, etc. I really like the inclusion of this time line because it gives us the context in which these animals disappeared. The back of the book includes "Endnotes" which give us more factual information about each of the animals, since some of the poems don't cover all the details.
This book would definitely be best suited for upper elementary readers, since a lot of the information is too specific for younger readers to fully understand. But overall I think this book would be a great resource for the classroom, because it is very interesting and it presents a serious topic in a very unique way. I definitely recommend this book!
Woodcuts by Christopher Wormell
I think the foreword to this book sums everything up pretty well:
More than ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived are now extinct. The most enduring and compelling image of large-scale death is that of the dinosaurs, colossal reptiles who vanished from Earth sixty-five million years ago.
At the other extreme, the last falling feather of the Passenger Pigeon, which once numbered in the billions, had all the impact of a single snowflake fluttering down a canyon. The last Barbary Lion, far form being celebrated, amused a North African king as a carpet. The howling echo of Miss Waldron's Red Colobus monkey will soon be a memory to no one at all.
This book is about the recently departed. In Earth's geat forests and fields, they buzzed and chirped and bellowed through little incidents of sorry from roughly 1627 to 2000. Whether beautiful or homely, giant or dwarf, each species was its own drama in many disappearing acts, even if it was very far off the Broadway of the dinosaurs.
On Earth, six animal species die every hour, many of the most recent due to climate change, habitat destruction, or human greed or carelessness or indifference. Here are a few small epitaphs in verse to mark their passing.
There a lot of really great things that I like about this book. First, that all of these extinct animals are presented in poetry (in "a few small eitaphs," as the foreword says) makes their passing much more emotional and easy to relate to. Of course it is interesting to read nonfiction books about extinct animals as well - but many nonfiction books simply present the facts and hardly seem to mourn the loss of such interesting and unique animals. I believe that presenting this information in poetry makes it easier for children (and adults!) to recognize the importance of preserving our planet's wildlife.
Second, the illustrations in this book are all black and white woodcuts - somehow simultaneously portraying each of the animals intricately and simply at the same time. These woodcuts seem to capture the true essence of these animals, without any cartoonish qualities. Of course, many of these animals were never photographed, so I think that using woodcuts is an effective way of illustrating them.
The third thing I really enjoy is the wealth of information that this book offers. The animals are listed in order of extinction, starting with the Aurochs in 1627 and ending with Miss Waldron's Red Colobus monkey in 2000. At the top of each page is the animal's Latin name, the date of its extinction, and where it used to live. At the bottom of each page is a continuing time line telling us important events that were happening at the time - the bubonic plague in 1681, the publishing of Frankenstein in 1818, the invention of Coca-Cola in 1899, the beginning of WWI in 1914, the Great Depression in 1933, etc. I really like the inclusion of this time line because it gives us the context in which these animals disappeared. The back of the book includes "Endnotes" which give us more factual information about each of the animals, since some of the poems don't cover all the details.
This book would definitely be best suited for upper elementary readers, since a lot of the information is too specific for younger readers to fully understand. But overall I think this book would be a great resource for the classroom, because it is very interesting and it presents a serious topic in a very unique way. I definitely recommend this book!
The Dirt on Dirt
By Paulette Bourgeois and Kathy Vanderlinden
Illustrated by Martha Newbigging
This book is a fantastic resource when it comes to random facts about dirt. Bourgeois and Vanderlinden describe the dirt under your toenails, dirt biking, how to “make the world’s greatest dirt,” how rocks become dirt, tracking animals in the dirt, quicksand, buried treasures and archaeology, worms, mud baths, and just about everything else that is remotely related to dirt. As you can imagine, this book really captures the multifaceted world of dirt, and all the ways it relates to our lives. All of these fascinating facts are accompanied by hands-on projects, such as making "the world's greatest dirt" by composting in a milk carton and how to make a delicious "mud cake."
The wide variety of facts in this book is accompanied by vivid color photography, cartoon drawings, and diagrams. Together, the text and illustration create an exciting and interesting exploration into the world of dirt. This is a great resource for dirt-lovers or others who just like to learn random facts. More exciting than most nonfiction books on dirt, and more varied than books such as A Handful of Dirt, this book will offer young readers all the random facts and experiments that they could ever need.
Illustrated by Martha Newbigging
This book is a fantastic resource when it comes to random facts about dirt. Bourgeois and Vanderlinden describe the dirt under your toenails, dirt biking, how to “make the world’s greatest dirt,” how rocks become dirt, tracking animals in the dirt, quicksand, buried treasures and archaeology, worms, mud baths, and just about everything else that is remotely related to dirt. As you can imagine, this book really captures the multifaceted world of dirt, and all the ways it relates to our lives. All of these fascinating facts are accompanied by hands-on projects, such as making "the world's greatest dirt" by composting in a milk carton and how to make a delicious "mud cake."
The wide variety of facts in this book is accompanied by vivid color photography, cartoon drawings, and diagrams. Together, the text and illustration create an exciting and interesting exploration into the world of dirt. This is a great resource for dirt-lovers or others who just like to learn random facts. More exciting than most nonfiction books on dirt, and more varied than books such as A Handful of Dirt, this book will offer young readers all the random facts and experiments that they could ever need.
A Handful of Dirt
By Raymond Bial
This was probably my favorite "dirt" book I read while I was compiling my text set. It is nonfiction but it describes things much more poetically than most nonfiction books for children. Beautiful and descriptive language makes it easy to see how dirt relates to our lives in an essential way. Even if you find most nonfiction books about dirt to be dull or boring, this book will definitely open your eyes to the rich, life-giving side of soil. Bial, an award-winning photo essayist, also offers a wide variety of vivid photographs, which help readers connect to the text even further.
Overall, I don't think I can say enough good things about Bial's work. It presents a lot of information in an interesting, enjoyable way.
This was probably my favorite "dirt" book I read while I was compiling my text set. It is nonfiction but it describes things much more poetically than most nonfiction books for children. Beautiful and descriptive language makes it easy to see how dirt relates to our lives in an essential way. Even if you find most nonfiction books about dirt to be dull or boring, this book will definitely open your eyes to the rich, life-giving side of soil. Bial, an award-winning photo essayist, also offers a wide variety of vivid photographs, which help readers connect to the text even further.
Overall, I don't think I can say enough good things about Bial's work. It presents a lot of information in an interesting, enjoyable way.
Yours Truly, Goldilocks
By Alma Flor Ada
Illustrated by Leslie Tryon
This book is comprised of a series of letters between Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, the Three Little Pigs, Peter Rabbit, and two Big Bad Wolves. Though the entire story is told through these letters, it is very easy to understand the plot development. The three little pigs, after finally building their brick house, are planning to have a house warming party with all of their friends. Their excitement grows but somehow the wolves (Wolfy Lupus and Fer O'Cious) catch wind of this plan, and decide to make a plan of their own. Since this is a fairy tale, you can probably guess who wins, but I'll let you read the book to find out how it all unfolds.
I really enjoyed reading this book for a few reasons. First of all, combining well-known fairy tales always interests me because it offers new twists on the stories that everyone already knows. Using characters from common fairy tales gives us shared background knowledge that doesn't need to be explained in the book, yet the book itself stretches our imaginations and opens our minds to a whole new world of "what ifs." Additionally, I really enjoyed the letter format of this story. Using this book and its prequel (Dear Peter Rabbit) could very easily turn into a discussion about different points of view and how they affect stories. Or, if you want to take a different route, these books could be used to teach a lesson on how to write a letter in the correct form. No matter what direction you want to take with this book, it is always a lot of fun to read and enjoy.
Illustrated by Leslie Tryon
This book is comprised of a series of letters between Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, the Three Little Pigs, Peter Rabbit, and two Big Bad Wolves. Though the entire story is told through these letters, it is very easy to understand the plot development. The three little pigs, after finally building their brick house, are planning to have a house warming party with all of their friends. Their excitement grows but somehow the wolves (Wolfy Lupus and Fer O'Cious) catch wind of this plan, and decide to make a plan of their own. Since this is a fairy tale, you can probably guess who wins, but I'll let you read the book to find out how it all unfolds.
I really enjoyed reading this book for a few reasons. First of all, combining well-known fairy tales always interests me because it offers new twists on the stories that everyone already knows. Using characters from common fairy tales gives us shared background knowledge that doesn't need to be explained in the book, yet the book itself stretches our imaginations and opens our minds to a whole new world of "what ifs." Additionally, I really enjoyed the letter format of this story. Using this book and its prequel (Dear Peter Rabbit) could very easily turn into a discussion about different points of view and how they affect stories. Or, if you want to take a different route, these books could be used to teach a lesson on how to write a letter in the correct form. No matter what direction you want to take with this book, it is always a lot of fun to read and enjoy.
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly
By Simms Taback
Everyone knows the poem about the old lady who swallowed a fly, then a spider, then a bird... but never before have we been given such an interesting and humorous view of the situation! Using die-cut holes, we are able to see exactly what is going on inside this crazy old lady's stomach. And Taback's combination of bold painting, crayon, and collage create a very unique perspective of a well-known story. Attentiveness to detail and humorous asides are what make this book a pleasure to read. And since the story itself has been put into books countless times, it's impressive to see how unique Taback was able to make this story - so impressive, in fact, that it won a Caldecott Honor award.
I think the best part of this book is its sense of humor. The humorous illustrations and the clever asides of the animals mean that readers will want to take their time looking through all the pages. And the story ends with a very strong moral: "Never swallow a horse." It's pretty hard to argue with a message like that!
Everyone knows the poem about the old lady who swallowed a fly, then a spider, then a bird... but never before have we been given such an interesting and humorous view of the situation! Using die-cut holes, we are able to see exactly what is going on inside this crazy old lady's stomach. And Taback's combination of bold painting, crayon, and collage create a very unique perspective of a well-known story. Attentiveness to detail and humorous asides are what make this book a pleasure to read. And since the story itself has been put into books countless times, it's impressive to see how unique Taback was able to make this story - so impressive, in fact, that it won a Caldecott Honor award.
I think the best part of this book is its sense of humor. The humorous illustrations and the clever asides of the animals mean that readers will want to take their time looking through all the pages. And the story ends with a very strong moral: "Never swallow a horse." It's pretty hard to argue with a message like that!
Mirette on the High Wire
By Emily Arnold McCully
Like Hurry, although this book is fiction, it feels very realistic and historically accurate. Mirette on the High Wire takes place one hundred years ago in Paris, and the details that McCully includes in her story make the readers feel like they are actually there. McCully's attention to detail in both the text and the illustrations make the story oddly captivating - we can visualize the characters, hear the French accents of Mirette and Bellini, and even easily imagine a stereotypical French accordion playing in the background while the narrator tells this story. It's no surprise that this book won the 1993 Caldecott Medal.
The story itself teaches us to dream big and to face our fears - and that the only way to get really great at something is through practice, practice, practice! Once Mirette decides to learn how to walk on the tight rope, she never gives up. And although the Great Bellini develops his own fears, he learns that he must not give up his dream either. The story itself is unique and interesting, but the messages it sends to children are fairly universal. I think a wide variety of readers would find this book very enjoyable!
Like Hurry, although this book is fiction, it feels very realistic and historically accurate. Mirette on the High Wire takes place one hundred years ago in Paris, and the details that McCully includes in her story make the readers feel like they are actually there. McCully's attention to detail in both the text and the illustrations make the story oddly captivating - we can visualize the characters, hear the French accents of Mirette and Bellini, and even easily imagine a stereotypical French accordion playing in the background while the narrator tells this story. It's no surprise that this book won the 1993 Caldecott Medal.
The story itself teaches us to dream big and to face our fears - and that the only way to get really great at something is through practice, practice, practice! Once Mirette decides to learn how to walk on the tight rope, she never gives up. And although the Great Bellini develops his own fears, he learns that he must not give up his dream either. The story itself is unique and interesting, but the messages it sends to children are fairly universal. I think a wide variety of readers would find this book very enjoyable!
Hurry!
Illustrated and Adapted by Emily Arnold McCully
Adapted from Farewell to the Farivox by Harry Hartwick
This book is a great way to introduce the idea of extinction and endangered species to young animals. Though the story is fiction, it reads like a piece of historical nonfiction, listing names, the date, and specific details that successfully place the story in small-town Iowa in 1916. 10-year-old Tom Elson is walking to the library but stops to watch the town blacksmith work... it is at the blacksmith's shop where he meets a strange man with a crate in his wagon. Inside the crate is a strange animal, the farivox. The book reads, "it's face was wide and flat, like a monkey's face, but it had a long body like a weasel's, with a bush tail like that of a fox. Tom could barely see the animal's small feet, which were clawed like a lion's. Its ears were tufted up and sharp like those of a lynx, and it had a hooked beak like an owl's." And most interesting of all: the farivox can speak! Tom asks the man about the animal, and whether it is for sale. The strange man offers to sell it for $10.00, no less. Tom tells the man he'll be right back - and much to his surprise, the farivox says "Hurry!" The rest of his book is full of excitement and wondering - will he manage to buy the farivox?
This book has a lot of great attributes. The realistic story, accompanied by McCully's wonderful watercolor illustrations, would make this book captivating for a wide variety of readers. There is also a sense of excitement as Tom hurries to gather all of his money so he can buy the farivox. The one thing that I had trouble dealing with is that, although it reads like a fable or a nonfiction story, as far as I've been able to tell it is 100% fiction. An introduction or a post-script telling readers that the farivox is completely made up would be helpful - though it does very nicely relate to the idea of extinction and endangered species (the intro talks of passenger pigeons and the end of the book speaks of other animals that have disappeared).
Adapted from Farewell to the Farivox by Harry Hartwick
This book is a great way to introduce the idea of extinction and endangered species to young animals. Though the story is fiction, it reads like a piece of historical nonfiction, listing names, the date, and specific details that successfully place the story in small-town Iowa in 1916. 10-year-old Tom Elson is walking to the library but stops to watch the town blacksmith work... it is at the blacksmith's shop where he meets a strange man with a crate in his wagon. Inside the crate is a strange animal, the farivox. The book reads, "it's face was wide and flat, like a monkey's face, but it had a long body like a weasel's, with a bush tail like that of a fox. Tom could barely see the animal's small feet, which were clawed like a lion's. Its ears were tufted up and sharp like those of a lynx, and it had a hooked beak like an owl's." And most interesting of all: the farivox can speak! Tom asks the man about the animal, and whether it is for sale. The strange man offers to sell it for $10.00, no less. Tom tells the man he'll be right back - and much to his surprise, the farivox says "Hurry!" The rest of his book is full of excitement and wondering - will he manage to buy the farivox?
This book has a lot of great attributes. The realistic story, accompanied by McCully's wonderful watercolor illustrations, would make this book captivating for a wide variety of readers. There is also a sense of excitement as Tom hurries to gather all of his money so he can buy the farivox. The one thing that I had trouble dealing with is that, although it reads like a fable or a nonfiction story, as far as I've been able to tell it is 100% fiction. An introduction or a post-script telling readers that the farivox is completely made up would be helpful - though it does very nicely relate to the idea of extinction and endangered species (the intro talks of passenger pigeons and the end of the book speaks of other animals that have disappeared).
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Love That Dog
By Sharon Creech
I can think of a plethora of ways to use this in the classroom - modeling the use of a writer's notebook, encouraging written response during the reading workshop, modeling our work off of the writing of others, showing students that poetry can be about whatever inspires us most.
We don't know much about Jack. We don't know what he looks like. We don't know who his friends are. We don't know what he likes to do in his free time. We just know what he has written - and through that, we learn more about him than we could ever possibly imagine. I loved seeing Jack's thought process peek out in his writing, and I loved seeing how his thoughts and feelings evolved over time. I especially loved seeing his transformation from a boy who doesn't want to write poetry into a boy who has found his voice and believes in himself as a thoughtful and powerful writer.
As educators I think this is a dream that we have for all of our students, regardless of what they look like, who their friends are, and what they like to do in their free time. And that is what makes this book so universal: there are enough details in this book to make it realistic, but the themes are broad enough that every single reader can put themselves in Jack's shoes. As I started reading this book I wished I had more details about Jack, but it turned out that none of them mattered. Even if we don't know everything about him, we can relate to him through his writing.
I think this is an important message to take away as readers, as writers, and as educators. Even if we leave out some of the details, when we write we are putting ourselves onto the paper. Sometimes it's scary and hard, sometimes we don't want to do it, and sometimes we write things so personal that we thought they would stay inside us forever. The same is true of our students. I think introducing them to and "turning them on" to poetry opens up a whole new world of self-expression and reflection that none of them ever imagined. And reading this book is a great way to help us achieve that goal.
I can think of a plethora of ways to use this in the classroom - modeling the use of a writer's notebook, encouraging written response during the reading workshop, modeling our work off of the writing of others, showing students that poetry can be about whatever inspires us most.
We don't know much about Jack. We don't know what he looks like. We don't know who his friends are. We don't know what he likes to do in his free time. We just know what he has written - and through that, we learn more about him than we could ever possibly imagine. I loved seeing Jack's thought process peek out in his writing, and I loved seeing how his thoughts and feelings evolved over time. I especially loved seeing his transformation from a boy who doesn't want to write poetry into a boy who has found his voice and believes in himself as a thoughtful and powerful writer.
As educators I think this is a dream that we have for all of our students, regardless of what they look like, who their friends are, and what they like to do in their free time. And that is what makes this book so universal: there are enough details in this book to make it realistic, but the themes are broad enough that every single reader can put themselves in Jack's shoes. As I started reading this book I wished I had more details about Jack, but it turned out that none of them mattered. Even if we don't know everything about him, we can relate to him through his writing.
I think this is an important message to take away as readers, as writers, and as educators. Even if we leave out some of the details, when we write we are putting ourselves onto the paper. Sometimes it's scary and hard, sometimes we don't want to do it, and sometimes we write things so personal that we thought they would stay inside us forever. The same is true of our students. I think introducing them to and "turning them on" to poetry opens up a whole new world of self-expression and reflection that none of them ever imagined. And reading this book is a great way to help us achieve that goal.
Holly's Secret
By Nancy Garden
When 11-year-old Holly moves from Manhattan to Massachusetts, she and her lifelong friend Kelsey devise a new plan for her new life. After all, new beginnings offer us a chance to change the things we don't like about ourselves, right? Holly decides to call herself Yvette (after her glamorous and girly aunt) and lies to her new friends about a central fact of her life: that she has two moms. As could be expected, assuming this new identity proves to be harder than Holly ever expected. And readers are left wondering: how long can she keep it up before her secret comes out?
Of course, eventually Holly's plan backfires, and she learns a lesson about being who you truly are, without shame or fear. While I appreciated the theme and message of this book (while there are several picture books regarding homosexuality is has been difficult for me to find any novels, particularly from the perspective of a child with gay parents), the entire story felt a bit contrived. Since the book is written in the third person, as a reader I felt like I was never really able to get inside Holly's head. What was she feeling? And it seemed as if Holly was never really able to stand up for herself until she had absolutely no other options. I understand that Garden was trying to reflect upon the fact that dealing with such issues is often difficult for children, but it would have been beneficial to see a much stronger heroine in this story. Additionally, Garden leaves out a lot of details (such as saying they ate "all Holly's favorite dishes" for her birthday, instead of actually giving us any details). I get the feeling that this was an attempt to make Holly seem more universal to a wide audience, but in reality it made the story seem less real. As a reader it was very hard to relate to any of the characters or situations in this book.
Overall I think this book was okay - nothing spectacular. I have to give Garden credit for tackling a difficult subject that many authors avoid - but at the same time, I am left wishing for a story that would be more realistic.
When 11-year-old Holly moves from Manhattan to Massachusetts, she and her lifelong friend Kelsey devise a new plan for her new life. After all, new beginnings offer us a chance to change the things we don't like about ourselves, right? Holly decides to call herself Yvette (after her glamorous and girly aunt) and lies to her new friends about a central fact of her life: that she has two moms. As could be expected, assuming this new identity proves to be harder than Holly ever expected. And readers are left wondering: how long can she keep it up before her secret comes out?
Of course, eventually Holly's plan backfires, and she learns a lesson about being who you truly are, without shame or fear. While I appreciated the theme and message of this book (while there are several picture books regarding homosexuality is has been difficult for me to find any novels, particularly from the perspective of a child with gay parents), the entire story felt a bit contrived. Since the book is written in the third person, as a reader I felt like I was never really able to get inside Holly's head. What was she feeling? And it seemed as if Holly was never really able to stand up for herself until she had absolutely no other options. I understand that Garden was trying to reflect upon the fact that dealing with such issues is often difficult for children, but it would have been beneficial to see a much stronger heroine in this story. Additionally, Garden leaves out a lot of details (such as saying they ate "all Holly's favorite dishes" for her birthday, instead of actually giving us any details). I get the feeling that this was an attempt to make Holly seem more universal to a wide audience, but in reality it made the story seem less real. As a reader it was very hard to relate to any of the characters or situations in this book.
Overall I think this book was okay - nothing spectacular. I have to give Garden credit for tackling a difficult subject that many authors avoid - but at the same time, I am left wishing for a story that would be more realistic.
Carnival of the Animals: Poems inspired by Saint-Saens' Music
Poems by James Berry, Kit Wright, Cicely Herbert, Judith Chernaik, Adrian Mitchell, Gavin Ewart, X.J. Kennedy, Gerard Benson, Gillian Clarke, Valerie Bloom, Wendy Cope, Edwin Morgan, and Charles Causley
Edited by Judith Chernaik
Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
More than 100 years ago, French composer Cimille Saint-Saens wrote a light-hearted "zoological fantasy" as a surprise gift for a friend. But he just wrote it for fun and thought the Carnival of the Animals was too frivolous to be taken seriously, and so it was never performed during his lifetime. However, in this day and age, the piece is a favorite of music lovers and animal lovers alike. Each movement paints a musical picture of different animals - lions, elephants, a graceful swan. And in this book, 13 writers came together to create a book of poetry inspired by these songs. Complete with a CD featuring each poem followed by the musical passage that inspired it, this book allows us to create our mental paintings not just through music, but also through words and illustrations.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Just as each movement in the Carnival of the Animals is drastically different from the rest, each of these poems portrays a unique sense of style. Each writer clearly has his or her own personal style of writing. And although the entire book was illustrated by Kitamura, each poem (and musical movement) has a very unique illustration which is just as captivating as the poems and the music.
I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but honestly I think it is great. It is always refreshing to me to see unique ways that people manage to pull together music, art, and the written word. This book could easily be read for fun by very young readers, but it also opens a whole world of possibilities for discussing the connections between all of these varying forms of art.
Edited by Judith Chernaik
Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
More than 100 years ago, French composer Cimille Saint-Saens wrote a light-hearted "zoological fantasy" as a surprise gift for a friend. But he just wrote it for fun and thought the Carnival of the Animals was too frivolous to be taken seriously, and so it was never performed during his lifetime. However, in this day and age, the piece is a favorite of music lovers and animal lovers alike. Each movement paints a musical picture of different animals - lions, elephants, a graceful swan. And in this book, 13 writers came together to create a book of poetry inspired by these songs. Complete with a CD featuring each poem followed by the musical passage that inspired it, this book allows us to create our mental paintings not just through music, but also through words and illustrations.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Just as each movement in the Carnival of the Animals is drastically different from the rest, each of these poems portrays a unique sense of style. Each writer clearly has his or her own personal style of writing. And although the entire book was illustrated by Kitamura, each poem (and musical movement) has a very unique illustration which is just as captivating as the poems and the music.
I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but honestly I think it is great. It is always refreshing to me to see unique ways that people manage to pull together music, art, and the written word. This book could easily be read for fun by very young readers, but it also opens a whole world of possibilities for discussing the connections between all of these varying forms of art.
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave Mckean
"It takes a whole village to raise a child," or so the old proverb goes. But when it comes to Nobody Owens, instead of a village, it takes a graveyard. When Nobody (who goes by Bod for short) was the sole survivor of an attack on his family at the tender age of 18 months, the residents of the local graveyard took it upon themselves to raise him. Bod grows up in a strange world of limbo - still living, he learns the habits, knowledge, and magic of the graveyard. And his life is anything but ordinary - he meets ghouls and witches, and his personal mentor is a vampire. Readers watch as he tries to make friends and fit in at school (which of course is difficult, considering the differences that exist between Bod and "normal" children). Eventually, he confronts "the man named Jack" who murdered his entire family when he was a baby, and after that we see his attempt at living in the "real world."
I also really like the illustrations of this book. Mckean's wonderful hand-drawn artwork is at the beginning of every chapter. And though this book definitely involves a lot of reading, I think the illustrations add a lot to readers' interpretations and mental images regarding the story.
This Newberry Medal-winning book opens our eyes and our imaginations to what it might be like to be raised by the dead. Not only that, but through the entirety of Bod's adventures, we learn just how wonderful it is to actually be alive. Though this book has "mature" themes, I think it is a wonderful book for upper elementary aged readers.
There is another great aspect of this story. Though the book itself forms the entirety of Bod's story, each chapter can be read alone as an independent story. Gaiman, who wrote the book this way on purpose, ended up going on tour, reading entire chapters at a time to his audience. He followed each chapter by an extended Q&A session. And, not only that, but he posted all of these readings online for everyone to see. Not only can we buy and read the book, but through this use of technology we can see and hear the author read the entire book to us. What a great idea for a class read-aloud!
Illustrated by Dave Mckean
"It takes a whole village to raise a child," or so the old proverb goes. But when it comes to Nobody Owens, instead of a village, it takes a graveyard. When Nobody (who goes by Bod for short) was the sole survivor of an attack on his family at the tender age of 18 months, the residents of the local graveyard took it upon themselves to raise him. Bod grows up in a strange world of limbo - still living, he learns the habits, knowledge, and magic of the graveyard. And his life is anything but ordinary - he meets ghouls and witches, and his personal mentor is a vampire. Readers watch as he tries to make friends and fit in at school (which of course is difficult, considering the differences that exist between Bod and "normal" children). Eventually, he confronts "the man named Jack" who murdered his entire family when he was a baby, and after that we see his attempt at living in the "real world."
I also really like the illustrations of this book. Mckean's wonderful hand-drawn artwork is at the beginning of every chapter. And though this book definitely involves a lot of reading, I think the illustrations add a lot to readers' interpretations and mental images regarding the story.
This Newberry Medal-winning book opens our eyes and our imaginations to what it might be like to be raised by the dead. Not only that, but through the entirety of Bod's adventures, we learn just how wonderful it is to actually be alive. Though this book has "mature" themes, I think it is a wonderful book for upper elementary aged readers.
There is another great aspect of this story. Though the book itself forms the entirety of Bod's story, each chapter can be read alone as an independent story. Gaiman, who wrote the book this way on purpose, ended up going on tour, reading entire chapters at a time to his audience. He followed each chapter by an extended Q&A session. And, not only that, but he posted all of these readings online for everyone to see. Not only can we buy and read the book, but through this use of technology we can see and hear the author read the entire book to us. What a great idea for a class read-aloud!
Neil Gaiman's Advice for Young Writers
This doesn't have anything to do with a book I've read, but since Neil Gaiman seems to be a recurring writer in this blog, I thought it might be a nice addition to the resources on him that I've already gathered here.
Instructions
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Charles Vess
Instructions is a new book by Neil Gaiman. Originally just a poem, this story gives the wandering traveler instructions (hence the title) about how to survive a fairy tale. According to his blog, it became a picture book at the request of a friend. I really enjoyed this book because it captures a lot of universal themes that appear repeatedly in other "fairy tales." Also, putting this poem in the form of instructions places the reader directly into the story - the instructions are being given to you, as you read it. The instructions are specific enough to create strong mental images, but vague enough that we are left to imagine most of the finer details of this particular fairy tale: Where am I going? Why am I going there? Will I succeed in my quest? Receiving these instructions invokes the feeling that I am only at the very beginning of my journey, with an infinite number of possibilities that lie ahead.
Much like many other of his books, Instructions is not "just" a children's book - it is a book for readers of all ages, and offers themes and beautiful artwork that are just as appealing to adults as to children. But don't just take my word for it - the "book trailer" is available free on youtube, courtesy of Harper Kids.
Illustrated by Charles Vess
Instructions is a new book by Neil Gaiman. Originally just a poem, this story gives the wandering traveler instructions (hence the title) about how to survive a fairy tale. According to his blog, it became a picture book at the request of a friend. I really enjoyed this book because it captures a lot of universal themes that appear repeatedly in other "fairy tales." Also, putting this poem in the form of instructions places the reader directly into the story - the instructions are being given to you, as you read it. The instructions are specific enough to create strong mental images, but vague enough that we are left to imagine most of the finer details of this particular fairy tale: Where am I going? Why am I going there? Will I succeed in my quest? Receiving these instructions invokes the feeling that I am only at the very beginning of my journey, with an infinite number of possibilities that lie ahead.
Much like many other of his books, Instructions is not "just" a children's book - it is a book for readers of all ages, and offers themes and beautiful artwork that are just as appealing to adults as to children. But don't just take my word for it - the "book trailer" is available free on youtube, courtesy of Harper Kids.
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
By Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrated by Michael Emberley
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You would be a wonderful poetry book to use with younger readers. The theme of the book is getting together to read. The short poems are designed to be read aloud by two voices. The text is color-coded and in two columns, so it is easy to distinguish the two reader’s voices, along with the text that is to be read together. The poems are simple, yet full of energy. The poetry in this book contains repetition and rhyme, which is great for beginning readers. Most importantly, these fun poems allow children to see that poetry doesn’t always have to be serious and that reading can be fun. The fact that these poems are for two voices encourages children to read aloud with their parent/teacher/friend, which helps build fluency and comprehension. I believe this would be a great book to introduce to children who do not enjoy reading or who are disinterested by poetry.
Illustrated by Michael Emberley
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You would be a wonderful poetry book to use with younger readers. The theme of the book is getting together to read. The short poems are designed to be read aloud by two voices. The text is color-coded and in two columns, so it is easy to distinguish the two reader’s voices, along with the text that is to be read together. The poems are simple, yet full of energy. The poetry in this book contains repetition and rhyme, which is great for beginning readers. Most importantly, these fun poems allow children to see that poetry doesn’t always have to be serious and that reading can be fun. The fact that these poems are for two voices encourages children to read aloud with their parent/teacher/friend, which helps build fluency and comprehension. I believe this would be a great book to introduce to children who do not enjoy reading or who are disinterested by poetry.
The Wonder Book
By Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Paul Schmid
This is a wonderful new poetry book! This book contains a variety of poems that focus on word choice, rhyming, palindromes, etc. Most of these poems are very “silly,” which I think really appeals to young readers (there is even one poem which teaches us how to say “fart” in several different languages!). Like some of the other poetry books I’ve blogged about, this book would be a great one to help students see that poetry can be about anything and everything. The most important aspect about this book is its creativity – Amy Krouse Rosenthal does a great job varying the format and mood of her poems, and brings her readers a new surprise with every turn of the page. These poems also exemplify ways to incorporate everyday wonderings into writing – thus the name The Wonder Book – which I think is a really helpful writing strategy for young students to use in their own writing.
Illustrated by Paul Schmid
This is a wonderful new poetry book! This book contains a variety of poems that focus on word choice, rhyming, palindromes, etc. Most of these poems are very “silly,” which I think really appeals to young readers (there is even one poem which teaches us how to say “fart” in several different languages!). Like some of the other poetry books I’ve blogged about, this book would be a great one to help students see that poetry can be about anything and everything. The most important aspect about this book is its creativity – Amy Krouse Rosenthal does a great job varying the format and mood of her poems, and brings her readers a new surprise with every turn of the page. These poems also exemplify ways to incorporate everyday wonderings into writing – thus the name The Wonder Book – which I think is a really helpful writing strategy for young students to use in their own writing.
The Lorax
By Dr. Seuss
I’m including this as a poetry book because, well, Dr. Seuss is probably the most-loved children’s poet I can think of. What I think is interesting about this is that most children don’t actually think of Dr. Seuss as a “poet” – his books are a genre all their own (much like Disney movies), and generally he is just seen as a kid-friendly, whimsical, rhyming storyteller.
My child study buddy for Block A LOVES Dr. Seuss. And he LOVES rhyming. But whenever we talk about poetry, his eyes glaze over and he becomes completely disinterested. Why does this happen? Because for him, learning about poetry has never been made “fun” or “interesting”… it’s all about boring poems that don’t relate to his life. He has trouble even realizing that Dr. Seuss and other rhyming books he loves count as poetry as well. Personally, I think it’s a shame that this has happened, and as an educator I hope to try to prevent it from happening with my own students.
Back to the story. I really love this book because of the message it sends. We read it to the kids at wildlife camp ever summer because it sends a strong message about conservation, and about standing up for what is right. It also shows what can happen when people become too greedy. While many of Dr. Seuss’s books are wonderful stories in their own right, many of them also lack a “moral” as strong as this one. And even if you don’t believe that Dr. Seuss wrote “real” poetry, you can’t deny the values The Lorax conveys to children.
I’m including this as a poetry book because, well, Dr. Seuss is probably the most-loved children’s poet I can think of. What I think is interesting about this is that most children don’t actually think of Dr. Seuss as a “poet” – his books are a genre all their own (much like Disney movies), and generally he is just seen as a kid-friendly, whimsical, rhyming storyteller.
My child study buddy for Block A LOVES Dr. Seuss. And he LOVES rhyming. But whenever we talk about poetry, his eyes glaze over and he becomes completely disinterested. Why does this happen? Because for him, learning about poetry has never been made “fun” or “interesting”… it’s all about boring poems that don’t relate to his life. He has trouble even realizing that Dr. Seuss and other rhyming books he loves count as poetry as well. Personally, I think it’s a shame that this has happened, and as an educator I hope to try to prevent it from happening with my own students.
Back to the story. I really love this book because of the message it sends. We read it to the kids at wildlife camp ever summer because it sends a strong message about conservation, and about standing up for what is right. It also shows what can happen when people become too greedy. While many of Dr. Seuss’s books are wonderful stories in their own right, many of them also lack a “moral” as strong as this one. And even if you don’t believe that Dr. Seuss wrote “real” poetry, you can’t deny the values The Lorax conveys to children.
Queen of the Scene
By Queen Latifah
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
I really liked this story because it has a very strong “girl power” and “be yourself” sort of message. It’s all about a girl who is “the queen of the scene,” best at every sport or game you can think of. But there’s much more to it than that. A poetry book written by the “Grammy Award-winning First Lady of Hip-Hop” (as proclaimed inside the front cover) can easily bring about a powerful discussion on the relationship between poetry and music. The book even includes a CD recording of Queen Latifah rapping this story. I think that introducing rap/hip-hop into the poetry discussion can be a very powerful source of inspiration for many students. As educators we need to find ways to make learning “exciting,” and that means exploring different means for presenting information. Students who think poetry is boring or old-fashioned might just get hooked by the idea of connecting their poetry to music.
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
I really liked this story because it has a very strong “girl power” and “be yourself” sort of message. It’s all about a girl who is “the queen of the scene,” best at every sport or game you can think of. But there’s much more to it than that. A poetry book written by the “Grammy Award-winning First Lady of Hip-Hop” (as proclaimed inside the front cover) can easily bring about a powerful discussion on the relationship between poetry and music. The book even includes a CD recording of Queen Latifah rapping this story. I think that introducing rap/hip-hop into the poetry discussion can be a very powerful source of inspiration for many students. As educators we need to find ways to make learning “exciting,” and that means exploring different means for presenting information. Students who think poetry is boring or old-fashioned might just get hooked by the idea of connecting their poetry to music.
A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets
By Ralph Fletcher
I really like this poetry book because it’s directed toward young writers, and I feel like it could provide a lot of inspiration to elementary students. It makes direct references to the writer’s notebook and to the process of writing poetry, so I think these poems would be a good way to reinforce what your students are doing in the classroom. The poems would also help students to realize that they can write about whatever they want – inspiration comes from many different places. There are poems about grandma, little brothers, a weather forecast, and other topics that kids might be surprised to find in poetry. I believe that the fact that poetry can be about anything is a really empowering and inspiring realization. “Squished Squirrel Poem” is a perfect example:
I wanted to write about
a squished squirrel
I saw on the road
near my house last week.
You can’t write a poem
about a squished squirrel,
my teacher said to me.
I mean, you just can’t do it.
Pick a sunrise or an eagle
or a dolphin, he suggested.
Pick something noble
to lift the human spirit.
I tried. I really did. But I kept
coming back to that squirrel.
Did his wife send him out
to fetch some food or something?
There was blood and guts
but here’s what really got me:
he had pretty dark eyes
and they glistened still.
You can’t write a poem
about a squished squirrel,
my teacher insisted,
but I don’t think that’s true.
I really like this poetry book because it’s directed toward young writers, and I feel like it could provide a lot of inspiration to elementary students. It makes direct references to the writer’s notebook and to the process of writing poetry, so I think these poems would be a good way to reinforce what your students are doing in the classroom. The poems would also help students to realize that they can write about whatever they want – inspiration comes from many different places. There are poems about grandma, little brothers, a weather forecast, and other topics that kids might be surprised to find in poetry. I believe that the fact that poetry can be about anything is a really empowering and inspiring realization. “Squished Squirrel Poem” is a perfect example:
I wanted to write about
a squished squirrel
I saw on the road
near my house last week.
You can’t write a poem
about a squished squirrel,
my teacher said to me.
I mean, you just can’t do it.
Pick a sunrise or an eagle
or a dolphin, he suggested.
Pick something noble
to lift the human spirit.
I tried. I really did. But I kept
coming back to that squirrel.
Did his wife send him out
to fetch some food or something?
There was blood and guts
but here’s what really got me:
he had pretty dark eyes
and they glistened still.
You can’t write a poem
about a squished squirrel,
my teacher insisted,
but I don’t think that’s true.
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