Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/10/17

July 10, 2017 by Kellee

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

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, 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

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

Tuesday: Listen to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence This Fourth of July #WeThePeopleListen

Wednesday: Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

Thursday: Busy Builders: Construction Site by Katherine Sully

Friday: Story Path by Madalena Matoso

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Mature Poop” by A.J. Cosmo

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Since we are in the second half of summer, it is family time in the Moye household! I’m taking a 2 week blog vacation, so I will be back with you all later in July 🙂

Ricki

I am moving across the country to Colorado to start my new job at Colorado State University! Yahoo! I am sorry that I will be gone for the next few weeks because internet access (and finding my computer) will likely be tricky. I’ll see you all in August!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Authors from Diego, 6th Grade

Wednesday: March Trilogy by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

Thursday: Guest Review: Snow White by Matt Phelan

Friday: Splatypus by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Sunday: Author Guest Post

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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Author Guest Post!: “Mature Poop” by A.J. Cosmo

July 9, 2017 by Kellee

“Mature Poop”

In my middle-grade novel Poop (don’t giggle), the main character’s journey is one of finding his maturity. He goes from a ten year old boy who believes that the world is out to get him to realizing that not only is the world indifferent to him, it requires him to take action. Liam’s development is in contrast to his estranged father who is an example that age and maturity are not necessarily correlated. But what exactly is maturity? It’s an abstract concept worth an hour of class discussion. With that in mind, here is how maturity is presented in Poop along with some questions to get the conversation going. (Once the giggling dies down that is.)

Maturity is your view of the world

One of the ways we can assess our maturity is through our view of the world. Do we consider ourselves to be the center of the universe? If so, then we are immature. Likewise, understanding that the world is neither for or against us is a hallmark of a mature personality. Ask your students how important they think they are to their inner circle and to the world at large.

Maturity is putting the needs of others in front of your own

Parents are by default considered mature because they are responsible for the well being of their children. We recognize that taking care of other people, especially when it takes something away from yourself, is an earmark of maturity. It’s remarkable when this trait for charity develops without the presence of children though. Ask your students for examples of times where they put the needs of someone else before their own.

Maturity is doing what you fear

It’s no secret that life often puts the thing you fear most directly in your path. Overcoming your fears and pressing on, in acceptance of being scared, is another sign of maturity. Think of the heroes that we praise for doing the right thing when everyone else was too scared to act. This can be anything from a fear of public speaking to a fear of walking alone at night. A mature person knows that they have the tools to face what is uncomfortable. Ask your students to share a time when they overcame their fears.

Maturity is owning up to your faults

Ask a toddler to admit something they did wrong and what do you get? Without fail, they will give you excuses and distractions. Being able fess up to your own mistakes is a huge part of maturity. No one is perfect, yet we all seem to want to project that we cannot make mistakes. Perhaps it’s a fear of punishment, or maybe it comes from pride, but we have all diverted the truth at some point. Ask your students about a mistake that they made and then lied about. Then ask them what happened and if they eventually had to confess.

Maturity is constant improvement

Growing up means knowing your flaws and being open to correction and improvement. A mature adult knows that growth and change is a constant part of life and works with it rather than against it. Ask any great artist and they will tell you that they still aren’t as good as what they wished they could be. The best athletes never stop practicing and the greatest minds never stop thinking. There is no stopping point and that’s the point of being an adult. Ask your students what they need to work on.

Maturity is trying again after failure

Fear of failure cripples far too many people, which is ironic, because young children never seem to care if they fall down. Being a mature person also means not avoiding failure. Sure, you may have to take care of a scraped knee, but maturity means accepting that failure is a part of growth and experience. Avoiding failure, by being a perfectionist, is actually a refusal to engage with life. After all, many of the great achievements of mankind came only after significant failure (just look up the story of inventing the jet engine.) Ask your students about a time they learned from their own failures.

More questions for your students:

What other traits do you imagine a mature person possesses?
Why is maturity important?
What could you do today to act more mature?

Though it’s an abstract concept, maturity carries with it enough identifiers to allow us to measure ourselves against our own potential. I hope that this has given your students a lot to think about and discuss and, hopefully, reminded a few adults about their own life choices as well. The great irony in creating a middle-grade novel called Poop is that everyone automatically assumes that I am both immature and witless, however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like how Liam learns important life lessons from a talking pile of you know what, it’s oftentimes the most juvenile aspects of life that provide the greatest opportunities for maturity to blossom.

You’re now free to giggle.

Poop
Author: A.J. Cosmo
Published September 12th, 2016 by Thought Bubble Publishing

Summary: Poor Liam. On the very first day of fifth grade, in a strange new town, and a large new school, he interrupts everyone to bolt out and into the girl’s bathroom. There, down in the far stall, in pain from a horrible stomach condition, he meets a new friend: Poop. The cheery little guy says he’s there to help Liam through a tough time in his life. But what does Liam need help with? And who, in their right mind, would want Poop for a friend?

About the Author: A.J. Cosmo is the writer and illustrator of over thirty children’s books including the best selling The Monster That Ate My Socks and I Don’t Want to Go to School. Poop is available online or by asking your local bookstore. Say hi on twitter @ajcosmokids or at www.ajcosmo.com

Thank you A.J. for this post! Maturity is something that is always a necessary conversation in middle school! Also, thank you to Chris from Thought Bubble Publishing for getting us in touch with A.J.

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Story Path: Choose a Path, Tell a Story by Madalena Matoso

July 7, 2017 by Kellee

Story Path: Choose a Path, Tell a Story
Author/Illustrator: Madalena Matoso
Published March, 2017 by Kane Miller EDC Publishing

Summary: Where you go, whom you meet, what you do next — it’s all up to you…

Travel along the story path and discover an enchanted world where princess battle with hairy monsters and vampire cats zoom through the galaxy on silver unicorns!

This innovative picture book allows you to choose your own characters, settings, and plots at every turn. With quirky illustrations by the award-winning Madalena Matoso, this is an imaginative storytelling experience for children of all ages.

Review: I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was younger because it made you part of the story to an extent that other books didn’t because you get to be the actual creator of the plot. Story Path does just this but for a younger audience! The author set up the book in a very friendly way that gives lots of options but also is easy to follow. On each page, the story continues with a beginning of a sentence like “One day, they were riding along on their…” and the reader then gets to pick from a set of illustrations. This spread includes options like a two-headed dragon, rocket ship, horse, boat, or an elephant. Then after the choice is made, the author included guiding questions to ask the reader like “What did you choose? What noise did it make? How fast was it? Where were they going?” This helps add even more to the story that the reader is creating.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book could take narrative writing to a new level in the early elementary classroom! As students are first learning how to write stories, Story Path can help guide the writers through characters, setting, and plot yet each writer would have a different story.

Discussion Questions: What story did you create? Why did you pick what you did? What can you add to your story?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Loved: Choose Your Own Adventure books, Journey trilogy by Aaron Becker, Henri Mouse by George Mendoza

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Lynn at Kane Miller for providing a copy for review!!**

Busy Builders: Construction Site by Katherine Sully

July 6, 2017 by Kellee

Busy Builders Construction Site
Author: Katherine Sully
Illustrator: Carles Ballesteros
Published December 20, 2016 by Silver Dolphin

Summary: Dig in and get ready to work in Busy Builders: Construction Site. This three-dimensional interactive kit will bring young children to a busy building site, where they will meet the construction crew at work on a new school. The fact book introduces kids to the people and machines at a construction site, using colorful illustrations and simple text. Plus, the box folds out to form a school under construction, complete with model pieces for the building, vehicles, and construction workers.

Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book/kit was such a joy. I saved it for a gathering of kids at a lake house. Six kids (a 9 mo, 2 yo, 2.5 yo, 3.5 yo, 5 yo, and 7 yo) worked together to read the book and build the construction site. The two oldest kids were the best at putting the pieces together, and the parents helped. The directions were very easy to follow, and the construction vehicles swivel and move!

I didn’t remember to take pictures of the group effort in action, but I did take a few pictures of my two sons reading the book and playing with the kit the next day (see below). It was so fun to read about all of the construction workers and to have the figures in hand to place them on the construction site. This book would make a wonderful gift and would be great for a learning station in a class. My son is 3.5 years old, and I built most of the vehicles, but he helped with the smaller figures. Early elementary school students would be able to build this kit together with assistance, and the picture book is clear and easy to follow. For a learning stations, the kit can easily be disassembled between groups, or each group of students can build a different vehicle.

We are very excited to assemble the airport and fire station kits next!

Discussion Questions: Where do all of the crew members work? How do they work together to build the school?; How do you think the author and illustrator worked together to craft this book?

Fun Moments:

An Hour Later (No Lie):

Read This If You Love: Building Models, Vehicles, Interactive Play, Engaging Reading Activities

Recommended For:

Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

July 5, 2017 by Kellee

Nonfiction 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!

Can an Aardvark Bark?
Author: Melissa Stewart
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins
Published June 13th, 2017 by Beach Lane Books

Summary: From award-winning author Melissa Stewart and Caldecott honoree Steve Jenkins comes a noisy nonfiction exploration of the many sounds animals make.

Can an aardvark bark? No, but it can grunt. Lots of other animals grunt too…

Barks, grunts, squeals—animals make all kinds of sounds to communicate and express themselves. With a growling salamander and a whining porcupine, bellowing giraffes and laughing gorillas, this boisterous book is chock-full of fun and interesting facts and is sure to be a favorite of even the youngest animal enthusiasts.

Review: This book came at a perfect time for my family! Trent had a doctor appointment last week and he was in the jungle room. While in the room, he started saying the noises for each animal and asking me what the ones he didn’t know make. I promptly found an app for that, and we’ve been exploring the app ever since listening to the sounds of all sorts of animals from chimpanzees to ibex to anteaters that live in the jungle to the farm to the mountains. And then we received Can an Aardvark Bark? in the mail, and it was such a happy coincidence! The book is a perfect addition to my new animal sound obsessed kid.

But in addition to my personal story of why we’re excited about this book the text is also filled with animal facts, fun to read, and illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Steve Jenkins.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: In an elementary classroom, Melissa Stewart’s work is such a wonderful way to bring science into reading time and reading into science time. This one is no exception. The book includes a wide variety of animals and interesting information about each one. It also has a fun rhythmic and rhyming text that lends itself to read alouds. The book could also be a jumping off point for an animal inquiry project focused around either an animal in the book or a new animal.

Discussion Questions: What are different ways animals communicate?; What animal makes a sound that surprised you?; How did the author structure the book?; What are some animals not in the book? What sound do they make? Where would they fit in in the text structure? Or would they be in their own category?; What can animal sounds tell you about the animal?

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Love: Nonfiction picture books about animals, Melissa Stewart’s work or Steve Jenkins’s work

Recommended For:

Listen to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence This Fourth of July #WeThePeopleListen

July 4, 2017 by Kellee

Penguin Random House Audio Urges Americans to Listen to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence This Fourth of July

The publisher will offer a free audio stream of both founding documents June 27‒July 31

NEW YORK, NY (June 23, 2017) – We can all agree that the Fourth of July is America’s most patriotic holiday, but how much do we really know about what we’re celebrating? Recent surveys indicate that most Americans lack basic civics knowledge—only 25% of U.S. adults can name all three branches of government, and more than 30% are unable to name even a single branch. This is a significant decline over previous years, according to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

The common foundation laid out in the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence is precisely what unites us as Americans.In this divisive political climate, where debates about checks and balances saturate our daily news cycle, it is crucial that we all understand for ourselves how our government works.

To encourage all Americans to read and appreciate our founding documents, Penguin Random House Audio is joining with award-winning authors and like-minded partner organizations, including PEN America and the National Coalition Against Censorship, to stream audio recordings of both the U.S. Constitution, narrated by Boyd Gaines, and the Declaration of Independence, narrated by Frank Langella, under the banner “We the People Listen.”

On Tuesday June 27, numerous partner organizations and bestselling authors will support this inclusive campaign by sharing a link to the audio stream, using #WeThePeopleListen.

“For many of us, it’s been years, if at all, since we’ve read the Constitution or the Declaration,” says Amanda D’Acierno, SVP and Publisher, Penguin Random House Audio. “Taking a little time this early summer to listen to these talented narrators bring the text alive is something we all need to do as we celebrate Independence Day this year.”

Listeners can stream the recording of both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence until July 31 atwww.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/wethepeoplelisten.

About the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 as an act of rebellion, the Declaration of Independence powerfully expresses the political principles of an emerging nation. As justification for severing ties with England, the Declaration of Independence presented a list of grievances against the King and declared the colonies to be sovereign states.

About the U.S. Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.…

Ratified in 1788, the U.S. Constitution remains a shining example of patriotism and compromise. In outlining the power of the three branches of government and establishing the rights of all Americans, the Constitution united the thirteen independent states and set forth the official viewpoint of a newly unified nation. Its most significant and insightful feature is that it can always be amended.

About Penguin Random House Audio:

As the premier publisher in the audiobook industry, Penguin Random House Audio is dedicated to producing top-quality fiction and nonfiction audiobooks written and read by the best in the business, including books by bestselling authors John Grisham, Dan Brown, Janet Evanovich, Kathryn Stockett, Khaled Hosseini, J.K. Rowling, and Rick Riordan, as well as Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Our audiobooks have won 14 Grammy® Awards, 74 Audie® Awards, and 17 Odyssey Awards and Honors. Random House Audio, and its sister imprints Penguin Audio, Listening Library and Books on Tape, are a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/3/17

July 3, 2017 by Kellee

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

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.

CONGRATULATIONS
Madeline S.
for winning a copy of Two Truths and a Lie!

Last Week’s Posts

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

Tuesday: Ten Books that Leave you Wanting More from Ash and Sam, 8th grade

Wednesday: More Favorite Books From Ten of Kellee’s 16-17 Middle School Students

Thursday: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Friday: The Bobs and Tweets by Pepper Springfield

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Using Your Personal Real Estate to Create Characters, Setting, and Conflict” by Fracaswell Hyman, Author of Mango Delight

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Happy July! I have a lot to share because I have been getting some great reading done, and I was at ALA last week!

I read three novels for pleasure! First, I read one of the SSYRA books Shadows of Sherwood by Kekla Magoon which is a dystopian, girl power adventure retelling of Robin Hood. Then, to continue to get ready for introducing Neal Shusterman at the ALAN breakfast, I read Tesla’s Attic by Shusterman and Eric Elfman, and I am so excited to read the rest of the series! Lastly, as soon as I got Patina by Jason Reynolds at ALA, I started reading it. You know I am a huge fan of Ghost, and Patina does not disappoint Ghost fans!

While at ALA, I also read a ton of not yet released (and a couple recently released) picture books:

Willy and the Cloud by Anthony Browne
Claymates by Dev Petty
Happy Dreamer by Peter Reynolds
In Plain Sight by Richard Jackson and Jerry Pinkney
When’s My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano and Christian Robinson
The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
La La La: A Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo and Jaime Kim
Sea Monkey and Bob by Aaron Reynolds and Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown
Noisy Night by Mac Barnett and Brian Briggs
After the Fall by Dan Santat
Life by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel.

All of these are must reads, but I HIGHLY recommend After the Fall by Dan Santat; Life by Cynthia Rylant; The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Jon Klassen & Mac Barnett; Happy Dreamer by Peter Reynolds; and Claymates by Dev Petty. All of these are definitely new favorites!

I also read these graphic novels, picture books, and early chapter books, but I am reviewing all of these, so I will share my thoughts in the reviews.

At ALA, I was also so lucky to attend the Coretta Scott King Breakfast (which always makes me cry!) and the Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet, and I also got to meet so many amazing authors in my two days in the exhibit hall!

Left to right: Marie Lu, Dan Santat, Fred Koehler, Nate Powell, Kristin Cashore, Deborah Heiligman, Neal Shusterman, Jenni Holm, Katherine Applegate, John Lewis!, Vivian Johnson, Laurel Snyder, Nicola Yoon, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Bryan, Peter Brown, Kadir Nelson

Ricki

Please focus all of your energy on Kellee’s awesome post! Our movers come this week as we head from Connecticut to Colorado. I am excited to start my new position at Colorado State University and anxious to get back to reading!

I did read this gem! March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell is incredible. I loved reading about John Lewis’ early life and am very excited to start books two and three this week!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Right now, I am continuing the Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman with Edison’s Alley. I’ll be taking off a couple of weeks on the blog for family time, so I hope to have a bunch to share with you when I blog IMWAYR again at the end of July.

Ricki

I am 3/4 of the way through The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book begs to be discussed in classrooms.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Listen to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence This Fourth of July #WeThePeopleListen

Wednesday: Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

Thursday: Busy Builders: Construction Site by Katherine Sully

Friday: Story Path by Madalena Matoso

Sunday: Author Guest Post

So, what are you reading?

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