November 2014 – Unleashing Readers

My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge

November 28, 2014 by Kellee

My Yellow Balloon
Author: Tiffany Papageorge
Illustrator: Erwin Madrid
Published October 1st, 2014 by Minoan Moon Publishing

Publisher’s Summary: It all started at the carnival…That’s where Joey makes a new friend: a bright yellow balloon. Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon accidentally slips off Joey’s wrist and flies far, far away. What will Joey do without his special friend?

Tiffany Papageorge has crafted a poignant tale of love, loss, and letting go that will serve as a comforting guide to children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief. Learn more about Tiffany at her Facebook page or Linkedin.

Kellee’s Review: This book’s illustrations blew my mind. They are beautiful! Before I can talk about anything else, I definitely have to address how impressed I was by them. Luckily, the story is just as good as the illustrations. My Yellow Balloon is about Joey and his yellow balloon and the loss of the balloon he became attached to. This is the second book I’ve read recently about loss and grief. I think it is so important that there are picture books out there for kids dealing with tough situations. I like the way that this book symbolizes the loss by showing that Joey’s world lost color and using a fold out to show perspective as the balloon is lost. It was very well done.

Ricki’s Review: I agree with Kellee that the text features of this book are remarkable. When the color of the illustrations shift, my stomach felt like they were tied in knots, and I felt Joey’s sorrow. The language used to depict the ways Joey comes to terms with his grief are realistic and will be very helpful for children. This book should be a staple in classrooms. Even if students are not experiencing grief at the time of the story, it will help them cope with, unfortunately, the inevitability of this topic.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book could be used to talk about the concept of theme. The theme is quite evident and would inspire great discussions. Loss and grief are something that all children can connect to, and My Yellow Balloon would be a great jumping off point for this discussion.

Discussion Questions: Have you lost anything special to you? How did you feel?; Why did the author take away the colors after Joey lost his balloon?; How is the sun symbolic for Joey? Can the balloon be considered a symbol?

We Flagged:

“The balloon man wrapped the string around Joey’s wrist and said, ‘Here, let me tie you two together.’ From that moment on, they were never apart.”

Read This If You Loved: Knock, Knock by Daniel Beaty, I’ll Always Love You by Hans Wilhem, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Christine at New Shelves Distribution for providing copies for review!**

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2014 by Kellee

We hope you are enjoying the holiday. This year, we look forward to gathering around our tables and sharing how grateful we are to have such loving families. Ricki’s son was born two days before Thanksgiving last year, and she will always think of Henry (her little turkey) on this day. For Kellee, this is her first Thanksgiving with Trent. Our hearts are full with love for these little boys, and we hope to instill in them our love of reading.

For us, Thanksgiving is a great time for reflection—to talk about everything that went right. This day shouldn’t be about headdresses and feather costumes (actually these stereotypes should be avoided!), and instead, Thanksgiving is an appreciation of supportive family and good friends. This includes you, our blog friends. We are very fortunate to have you in our lives. Each week, we look forward to hearing from you. You invigorate us, and we want to give our thanks to you.

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The Holocaust: A Concise History by Doris L. Bergen

November 26, 2014 by Ricki

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

This week, I did not review a picture book. This text, however, is an incredibly informative nonfiction text that will help teachers and students who are learning about the Holocaust. I wanted to feature it on Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday because this is a topic that is taught in classrooms with students of all ages.

The Holocaust: A Concise History
Author: Doris L. Bergen
Published September 16, 2009 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

GoodReads Summary: In examining one of the defining events of the twentieth century, Doris Bergen situates the Holocaust in its historical, political, social, cultural, and military contexts. Unlike many other treatments of the Holocaust, this history traces not only the persecution of the Jews, but also other segments of society victimized by the Nazis: Gypsies, homosexuals, Poles, Soviet POWs, the disabled, and other groups deemed undesirable. With clear and eloquent prose, Bergen explores the two interconnected goals that drove the Nazi German program of conquest and genocide purification of the so-called Aryan race and expansion of its living space and discusses how these goals affected the course of World War II. Including illustrations and firsthand accounts from perpetrators, victims, and eyewitnesses, the book is immediate, human, and eminently readable.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I read this in preparation for a Teaching the Holocaust Workshop I attended.

I felt a gamut of emotions while reading this important text: anger, disappointment, disgust, and utter sadness. Bergen excellently balances the timeline of the Holocaust in this concise book of fewer than 300 pages. While many books that are taught in schools focus on concentration camps during the Holocaust, Bergen provides a wealth of information of the events both pre-war and post-war. I appreciated the ways in which she dispelled many myths that exist in books, textbooks, and the media. I’ve read over a hundred books about this time period, and while I considered myself an expert, this book was humbling to me. I was unaware of many aspects of the Holocaust that Bergen described, and she situates herself as an expert (and rightfully so, as she has received accolades for her work regarding the time period). I believe all teachers of history and English/language arts (at a minimum) should read this text. Moreover, it would pair well with any fiction or narrative nonfiction about the time period because it gives context of the events. Teachers might elect to use short portions to inform students and contextualize events in history.

I Recommed This Book If You: Teach any book that is set during the Holocaust

Recommended For:

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

November 25, 2014 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

We are back at school, and we can’t wait to dine with these characters!

Ricki

1. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Really…this time I am reading it. Kellee, thanks for reminding me by including it in your top five. Dual review, perhaps?

2. Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

And another I stole from Kellee. Seriously, though, I pre-ordered this book, so I should read it NOW.

3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I am tired of the critics screaming at me because I haven’t read this one. Josh Funk, did I just hear your cheers across twitterverse? I am officially reading this book within the next few months. Hopefully, it doesn’t put me to sleep like the movie did. ::wink::

4. Just One Year by Gayle Forman

This has been on my nightstand for far too long. Now that I heard it is going to be a movie, I better get my act together!

5. Atlantia by Ally Condie

I love Ally Condie. This semester was crazy, so I got behind and didn’t read this book, and I am excited to get to it.

Kellee

I think some of these books were on my fall TBR–OOPS!

1. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

2. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith
(and 100 Sideways Miles, but I figured Andrew should only get 2 slots.)

3. The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine
(and I really need to read The Lions of Little Rock too!)

4. Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

5. Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Which books are you looking forward to reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/24/14

July 27, 2015November 24, 2014 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Topics We’d Like to See More in Picture Books

Thursday: Henry and Ricki’s favorite PB 6-12 months

Friday: Trent and Kellee’s favorite PBs 6-9 months

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Kellee & Ricki: We are currently absorbing the awesomeness of the ALAN workshop in Washington, D.C. We will update you on our reading last week and this upcoming week next Monday. Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Our Winter TBR

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Six to Nine Months

February 14, 2021November 21, 2014 by Kellee

I CANNOT believe that my baby boy is already 9 months old (as of yesterday)! He is growing so quickly and is such an awesome little kid. We have continued reading as close to a book a day as possible and we are currently at 230 books! He’s been alive 264 days so if you count rereads we are pretty close to a book a day.

I will say that a 9 month old is much harder to get to sit down and read a book than a 3 month old! Also, over these 3 months, we focused on doing a lot of rereads because I felt we were rushing too much through books and not finding favorites. Because of these factors, we only read 59 different books over these 3 months vs. 91 during 0-3 months and 92 during 3-6 months.

Today, I wanted to share some of our 20 favorite books that we’ve read over the last 3 months. I did not include any rereads on the list because our favorites had already been mentioned on our past lists: 0-3 months & 3-6 months.

1. Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton

This is probably our favorite. It has a song of it sung by Davey Jones, and we follow along as we listen to the song. It is our go-to book right now.

2. Mini Myths by Joan Holub

I love that Joan Holub is turning myths into board books! They aren’t very detailed, but they give basic information about the myth and teach a lesson.

3. Swing! and Waddle! by Rufus Butler Seder

Scanimation illustrations mesmerize Trent, and with the rhyming text, these books are so entertaining to read.

4. Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty

Trent really enjoyed this book. I think it is the rhythm of the rhyming prose mixed with the colorful illustrations.
(Fun side note: When we first picked this up to read, Jim said, “Let’s read Five Black Cats.” Then Trent responded with something that sounded very much like “Fie Back Cats.” Probably a coincidence, but it was awesome!)

5. Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

I couldn’t believe I’d never read this book before! And I love that my husband pointed out the nuance that is the mouse in the book. He made me love it even more, and the simple story with strong illustrations holds Trent’s attention.

6. You Are My Work of Art by Sue DiCicco

Such a sweet, sweet, sweet message AND it is told using classic works of art. This book is right up our alley!

7. Big Bug by Henry Cole

This is a great book about perspective. This is a tough concept to teach, so Cole’s book will be great to help share it with Trent.

8. Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt

Loved the promotion of reading a books with little ones in this book.

9. Up Close by Gay Wegerif

This book teaches shapes, colors, and animals! Win!

10. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

A classic with such a sweet message about mothers’ true love.

11. Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

I remember reading this book as a child, but I hadn’t remembered how good it was. It is a story of true friendship and perseverance.

12. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

I have found that sometimes when I read a Dr. Seuss book with Trent, it doesn’t live up to my memory of the book; however, this one did! The rhymes and realization at the end are just done so well.

13. Kiss, Kiss Good Night by Ken Kesbitt

A sweet bedtime book with mom animals saying goodnight to their sweet babies.

14. Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira

Although the lesson at the end of the book was blatant, the illustrations, humor, and crazy characters makes this a new favorite for us.

15. Antic! by Cathi Hepworth

This is an ABC book like no other I’ve ever read. The inclusion of ANT in each word made it so the author had to stretch a bit, but the stretching what made it so the author had to be creative. There are some phenomenal words in this book.

16. This Moose Belongs to Me! by Oliver Jeffers

My husband read this book to Trent and it made us both laugh out loud. Another brilliant book from Oliver Jeffers.

17. Oliver by Birgitta Sif

I love the lesson that is taught in this one. It is one I look forward to reading to Trent when he gets older.

18. Pardon Me! by Daniel Miyares

Um, the ending!

19. The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett

The illustrations are perfection and mixed with the sweet story of a kind girl make me read this to Trent multiple times (and since it didn’t have any words, I was able to change up the story each time!).

20. Thomas the Tank Engine: Shapes and Sizes by Wilbert Awdry

This is one of Trent’s favorite books. It is the one he pulls off the shelf (and usually puts straight in his mouth).

Almost. Baby Beluga by Raffi

I LOVED this song when I was a kid! When I read this to Trent, I pull up a You Tube video of Raffi singing, and we follow along. The book would have made the list, not been honorary, because we like the song and book; however, the ecology just isn’t correct…

What books should Trent read in the next 3 months?

Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (6-12 months)

November 15, 2015November 20, 2014 by Ricki

Every six months, I make an attempt to pick out the top ten picture books that Henry and I read together. This is incredibly difficult because we read so many fantastic books. But I understand, as a mom with a limited budget, that other parents may appreciate a list. We usually plow through library books and buy our favorites. Each of the books listed below is worthy of purchasing! With the holidays near, I recommend each of these. I am excluding my favorite books from our first top ten list (birth to six months). As I described in the first post, Henry, his dad, and I read books together every night, and we are excited to share these great books with all of you! They are in no particular order.

1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

If you follow this blog, you know it is a tradition in our house to read this book every night. Henry is in love with it. His dad and I have the book memorized, and it has become our favorite. The way he reacts to each page and touches the red balloon and stars makes our hearts swell.

2. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

This lyrical book moved me. It is worthy of the praise it has received and may be one of the best picture books I have ever read. I was inspired to read it after A.S. King discussed it in her article of The ALAN Review. This is a wonderful text is for people of all ages. I put it on Henry’s birthday wish list.

3. Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is, in my humble opinion, one of the best picture book authors writing today. He breaks the rules and displays his quirky, clever humor in each of his books. This is a great book to teach the alphabet to kids. Each letter has a silly short story, and several of the short stories are connected. This book made me laugh a lot, and Henry seemed to enjoy it, too!

4. Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins (Linked to a Review by Kellee)

This nonfiction picture book tells the beautiful story of a remarkable woman, Kate Sessions, who brought trees to San Diego. The book is inspirational, and the illustrations are absolutely stunning. I intend to read many books about powerful women to Henry. 🙂

5. The Noisy Paint Box by Robert Munsch (Linked to a Review by Kellee)

This is a magical picture book that is well worth the hype it is receiving. It teaches about synesthesia and Kandinsky’s childhood. It made me want to get out my paint box to listen to the sounds of the paint. After learning about his life, I will be buying a Kandinsky print!

6. The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail by Maureen Stolar Kanefield

This is precisely the kind of book that I want to read to my son. It teaches him that it is only okay to be different, but that he can use his differences in ways that make him special. I adored this book and will certainly read it to him again and again.

7. Buddy and the Bunnies: Don’t Play with Your Food by Bob Shea

I absolutely adored this silly, fun story of a group of bunnies who fool a monster to prevent him from eating them. Bob Shea is an incredible storyteller, and this book reminded me of the trickster stories my grandfather used to tell me as a child.

8. The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty

I wish I had thought of the idea behind this book! It is a great story for bedtime, and Henry was drawn into the magical illustrations and rhyming language.

9. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

As one of the most censored books, you would expect this to be very controversial (rather than a true story about two penguins). I have always longed to read this book, and after reading it with Henry, I was surprised by how innocent and very well-written it is. I guess people like to challenge…the truth? Either way, censorship aside, this book is an excellent work of nonfiction that I highly recommend. I would use it to teach the value of family, but I guess I am a risk-taker. ::wink:

10. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Months after reading this book, I can still hear the “Whoo-whoo-whoo” of the owl and still feel the brisk, winter air. This text whisked us away into the setting, and it would be a great mentor text for teachers.

What are your favorite children’s books? Henry and I would love to reserve them from the library! Please share!