Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/2/14

July 27, 2015June 2, 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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Professional Books

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets was such a well-done book! It really captured what depression and anxiety feel like. You will not regret it if you read it. I also read a couple of wonderful picture books this week. First was The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson. I loved the story, the lesson, the illustrations. Beautiful! The other was The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. It had such great illustrations and is an important book to share with kids. Trent and I had no duds in our reading this week.

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Joffe Numeroff (Book #100!!!! And it was perfect for it! Since my mom was visiting, she got to read the book to him, and she loves cats. This Numeroff book is just like her others, but I am a fan of the formula.)
Two Hands to Love You by Diane Adams (This is such a sweet, lyrical book. Great to read with kids.)
We’re currently reading the Fly Guy Reader Collection which has 6 Fly Guy stories. We’ve read 5 of them so far: Hi Fly Guy!, Super Fly Guy!, Shoo Fly Guy!, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, and Fly High Fly Guy! (I’d never read any Fly Guy stories before, and they are so much fun. Fly Guy is a new favorite!)

Ricki: This week, I read Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum. All of Tatum’s research focuses on African American adolescent males, and I wish I had read this book when I was still in the classroom. He provides a healthy list of “enabling texts” and thoroughly explains how to empower these young men to read. I love how he describes the importance of building students’ “textual lineages” with texts that matter. Many of his approaches would work well with other reluctant readers, as well. I would absolutely recommend this PD text.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and I hope to finish it by Tuesday. Then I am not sure what book I am going to grab. Trent and I will finish the Fly Guy Reader Collection, and then I’m not sure either. It is going to be a surprise-filled week. 🙂

Ricki: Kellee, I LOVED Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock! I wish I had read it back-to-back with Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets like you are doing. I can’t wait to hear how they compare. Henry and I are trucking away with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He keeps falling asleep, so I only read 5-10 pages at a time. I am almost finished with I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora, and I also started Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson. I also have a stack of PD texts, but I haven’t quite decided which is next. I’m taking a YAL break from PD books this week.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Dream Book Vacations

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!

and

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

May 31, 2014May 30, 2014 by Kellee

A Long Walk to Water
Author: Linda Sue Park
Published November, 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Goodreads Summary: A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The wars in Sudan and Darfur are the most violent and long lasting wars in the world; however, most Americans are unaware that they are even occurring. Linda Sue Park took a true story of a lost boy’s survival (watch a video about the true story here) after being chased from his village because of war and transformed it into a novel that will leave the reader with a feeling of awe. Awe of the bravery and pure fearlessness of Salva and the other Lost boys of Sudan and awe of the world of riches and blindness we live in while a horrendous war wages on the other side of the world. I love this book because it is very accessible to children, it won’t bog them down with too much history; however, it will definitely make them aware of the situation in Sudan.

Discussion Questions: What is a way that you could share what you learned about the Lost Boys of Sudan? How can you help?

We Flagged: “Salva took a few steps towards the men.
‘Hey!’
A soldier approached Salva and raised his gun.
Salva froze. All he could see was the gun’s huge barrel, black and gleaming, as it moved toward his face.
The end of the barrel touched his chin.
Salva felt his knees turn to water. He closed his eyes.
If I die now, I will never see my family again.
Somehow, this thought strengthened him enough to keep him from collapsing in terror.
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.” (p. 11)

“Going was easy.

Going, the big plastic container held only air… There was little weight, going. There was only heat, the sun already baking the air, even though it was long before noon. It would take her half the morning if she didn’t stop on the way.

Heat. Time. And thorns…

Nya filled the container all the way to the top. Then she tied the gourd in back in place and took the padded cloth doughnut from her pocked. The doughnut went on her head first, followed by the heavy container of water, which she would hold in place with one hand.

With the water balanced on her head, and her foot still sore from the thorn, Nya knew that going home would take longer than coming had. But she might reach home by noon, if all went well.” (p. 1, 14-15)

Read This If You Loved: The Queen of Water by Laura Resau, Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Diamonds in the Shadows by Caroline B. Cooney, Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples, So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba

Recommended For:

Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (Birth-6 Months)

October 12, 2015May 29, 2014 by Ricki

Being a mom is absolutely wonderful. I will admit that the first month or two passed by very slowly, and I was very eager to sleep for longer than two-hour spurts. I don’t think most moms are willing to share how relentless and exhausting those days can be. Now that I am six months into the job, I feel like Henry and I have hit our stride. We have a system, and it works very well for us. If either of us breaks that system on a given day, there is a lot of irritability (from both of us), but most days run smoothly and blissfully. I am truly grateful for the days I spend with my little boy.

Every night, Henry, his dad, and I read books together. While his dad is at work, we love to travel to the library. I have been posting a lot of books in these first six months, and a viewer asked if I would consider listing our favorites. At first, I had trouble consolidating. There are so many beautiful stories (and to be honest, many that left us a bit disappointed). But I always crave the best of the best from book lists, so here are Henry’s and my top ten children’s books from our first six months together (in no particular order—because ordering them would take me hours and involve a lot of stress). Enjoy!

1. This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

this is not my hat

A clever story, This Is Not My Hat will suck you in from the first page. It is about a tiny fish who steals a hat. The illustrations are beautiful and constructed digitally with Chinese ink. As an adult, I love how dark this story is, and I think kids will find it to be simply delightful.

2. Press Here by Hervé Tullet

This is a wonderfully innovative book. It asks the child to interact with the story—pressing, tilting, shaking, etc. at each page. I am not ashamed to admit that I was smiling and following the instructions, eagerly wondering what awaited me on the next pages. I suspect I am going to have a very active child (based on the stories about my husband), and this book will allow him to wiggle and jump as he reads. This is a book that makes reading fun.

3. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

This is such a simple story, but it makes my heart swell. The ending of the book is what makes it truly wonderful. I suspect that moms everywhere will love this book because it shows how very special our children are to us.

4. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

There are so many lessons to be learned from this delightful picture book. It felt very whimsical to me—a lion in the library is just silly and fun. I suspect this is going to be one of Henry’s favorites when he is older.

5. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

love you forever

Break out the tissues! Every time I read this to Henry, I get weepy. It is a beautiful story. Now that I learned the truth behind the story, I cry even more.

6. Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

I just love these Llama Llama books. They are simply delightful. This is my favorite of the series because I think it will be useful when Henry goes to school. He is a bit attached to me, so we may need to use books to help him learn a bit more independence when he gets older.

7. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

This is a clever story that will surely entertain readers. I loved reading about the crayons’ revolt.

8. Locomotive by Brian Floca

Filled with a beautiful array images (watercolor, ink, acrylic, etc.), this incredibly well-researched book takes readers on a journey through the summer of 1869. It is a standout and well-deserving of the accolades it has received.

9. Noodle by Mauro Leaf

I borrowed this book from the library and immediately put it on my to-buy list. I loved the story of Noodle, a dog who is given the chance to be any other size and shape. Noodle spends time asking other animals about their sizes and shapes as he works to figure out the best choice. This is a great book to teach confidence and individuality to kids.

10. Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

The paintings in this book are phenomenal. It teaches lessons of kindness. Too often, children’s books finish with a neat, little bow that ties up the happy ending. This book breaks the mold, and I think this aspect offers great opportunities for discussion.

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

Kellee and Trent’s Favorite Picture Books: First Three Months

February 14, 2021May 28, 2014 by Kellee

For as long as I have dreamt about being a mom, I’ve dreamt about reading to my child. Trent made that dream a reality. I so badly want him to love reading as much as I do, so I started exposing him to books at day 3 and have done my best to read him a book a day (or the equivalent to a book a day). Some books hold his attention more than others, but overall he enjoys looking at the books and hearing the stories.

Last Tuesday, Trent turned three months old! In his first three months of life, we have read 92 different picture books. In this amazing pile of books, there are so many that touched my heart, made me laugh, kept my son’s attention, and have become favorites. Today I wanted to share some of them with you. There are different books that are special for different reasons, so I have categorized our favorites below.

Favorite Bedtime Book

It’s Time to Sleep, My Love by Eric Metaxas

Favorite Nonfiction

Best Friends: Owen & Mzee by Isabella Hatkoff

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Favorite “I Love You” Book

Forever by Emma Dodd

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Favorite “Be Yourself” Books

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andraea & Rainbow Rob by Roger Priddy

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Favorite “Live Life to its Fullest” Book

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant

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Book That Made Kellee Cry

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

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Favorite Penguin Book

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

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Favorite ABC Books

Chicago Cubs ABC by Brad Epstein & Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.

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Favorite Counting Book

How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jan Yolen & Ten Apples on Top by Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss)

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Favorite Interactive Books

Spot the Dot by David A. Carter & Press Here by Herve Tullet

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Favorite Repetitive Book

The Napping House by Don Wood

Favorite Poem Book

Little You by Richard Van Camp

Favorite Animal Book

Do Cows Meow? by Salina Yoon

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Favorite Simple Rhyming Book

Llama Llama Zippity-Zoom by Anna Dewdney

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Favorite Book About Dads

How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler

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Dad’s Favorite Book

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood

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A Favorite Book That I Loved Watching My Sister Read (for the first time) to Trent

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I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Favorite New-to-Kellee Author

Mem Fox

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Favorite Rediscovered Author

Sandra Boynton

Favorite You Tube Read Along Videos

Are You My Mother?, Go, Dog Go!, & The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman

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Other Titles That We Loved

Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell

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Oh, the Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss

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Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb

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Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

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Me Hungry! by Jeremy Tankard

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What were your favorite picture books to read when you were a child? Your favorites to read to your children?

I cannot wait to see what the next three months hold in terms of even more wonderful picture books for me and Trent to explore and discover!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Professional Books

April 22, 2023May 27, 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 Professional Books

These are the professional books that have molded us as teachers. We tried to limit our list to just ten books each, but we couldn’t stop. So here are the top TWENTY professional books. We did our best not to repeat any texts.

Ricki

1. Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12 by Teri Lesesne

If you want to help match students with books, this text is a must-have. It focus on three areas—knowing the readers, knowing the books, and knowing the strategies. Making the Match represents everything I believe about teaching. Even though I felt that I was experienced at matching books with readers, it gave me so many new ideas to try!

2. Readicide by Kelly Gallagher

As I read this book, I kept saying, “YES!” out loud. A fairly quick read, Readicide uses research to prove why we are systematically killing the love of reading in schools. The evidence is overwhelming.

3. In the Middle: New Understandings about Writing, Reading, and Learning by Nancie Atwell

I read this book in college and constantly used the ideas in my classroom. I can’t say enough positive things about the value of reading and writing workshops (both of which are promoted in this text). Atwell made me want to open my own school! This book is chockfull of mini-lessons and ideas for teachers. It is a very practical, useful guide.

4. The English Teacher’s Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession by Jim Burke

When I read this in college, I had to go out and buy a new highlighter. It was like a bible to me because it had so many ideas. Whenever I felt down or discouraged while teaching, I would flip through this book and feel like I just came back from NCTE. There are so many great strategies and teaching ideas that you will feel reinvigorated every time you open it.

5. Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades by Mary Cowhey

This book is written for elementary school teachers, but as a high school teacher, I learned a lot. Cowhey gives real classroom examples of how she promotes social justice, action, and independence in the classroom. I use this text to teach my students who are pre-service elementary school teachers, and they love it.

6. When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do About It by Kylene Beers

This is my go-to book for struggling readers. It is a phenomenal resource and is incredibly helpful for those moments when a student reads a passage, turns to you and says, “I don’t get it.”

7. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice by Geneva Gay

Geneva Gay’s writing is very well-researched and thoughtful. She gives very useful tools for responding to all of the cultures in our classrooms. I highly recommend this text to teachers. I couldn’t stop highlighting!

8. Commando Classics: A Field Manual for Helping Teens Understand (And Maybe Even Enjoy) Classic Literature

Daria Plumb’s approach to classic literature is accessible and exciting. I love the text sets she provides. They are invaluable for teachers.

9. Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne

I can’t help but repeat this one from Kellee’s list. It is a fantastic resource for teachers who want to challenge their students while still granting them freedom as they read.

10. Experience and Education by John Dewey

This is where it all began, isn’t it? Written in 1938, this book is lightyears before its time. Dewey is a foundational thinker who changed education today. It is not a surprise that he is continually cited for his good work.

Kellee

1. The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

I thank this book, and its author, for helping me reform my teaching and focus on what is important.

2. Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne

Reading ladders have been something I think about constantly when working with my struggling readers (I am a reading coach and taught intensive reading). I find out where the students are and using the idea of Lesesne’s ladders, I work on moving them up.

3. Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage by Paulo Freire

Although Freire’s theories seem like fantasy, they are the utopia that I wish we had here in America’s school system.

4. Teaching With the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen

This text is important for all teachers to read, so they learn specifically how to reach their students.

5. A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne

This one is specifically important for teachers who grew up out of poverty. It gives a better sense of addressing students living in poverty.

6. Book Love by Penny Kittle

The Book Whisperer for high school. I love that it shows that the same ideas Donalyn laid out can be applied to secondary education.

7. Thrive by Meenoo Rami

I read this right when I was returning from maternity leave, and it was just what I needed.

8. How to Differentiate in a Mixed-Ability Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson

If you teach in a mixed-ability classroom, differentiation is key to make sure each student gets the best education. Tomlinson’s ideas can be used within any curriculum.

9. Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12 by Janet Allen

I read this in my young adult literature class. It is very practical for class and assessments.

10. The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers by Nancie Atwell

The beginning of it all. I am always striving to do as Nancie would do.

What are your favorite professional development texts? Which did we miss?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/26/14

July 27, 2015May 26, 2014 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books About Friendship

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Well, when it came to novel reading this week, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. I did finish Coyote Summer by J.S. Kapchinske, which was a surprisingly good coming-of-age story dealing with grief and identity. I look forward to sharing it. I really struggled with my other novel, though, and I found myself avoiding reading because I didn’t want to read the book. Yesterday, I decided to put it aside, and I picked up a new one. Hopefully it’ll be more successful. I did read two amazing picture books though: The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock. Both were amazing, and I cannot wait to blog about them for you.

Trent and I had a great picture book week and read some amazing ones!

Hunwick’s Egg by Mem Fox (This book was recommended to me by Carrie, and though it took me a bit to fall in love with it, in the end I loved it as much as Hunwick loved his egg.)
Crankenstein by Samantha Berger (SO FUNNY! Some fun stuff to look forward too. I am trying to read as many Dan Santat books that I can :D)
Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds (Another Dan Santat illustrated book. This one reminded me of Bruce and the other sharks in “Finding Nemo”, and is just as funny.)
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard (I really like Jeremy Tankard. This is the second book of his that I’ve read, and it is just as entertaining as the first one we read, Me Hungry! I’m going to have to find more of his books.)
Baby Animals by Eric Carle (This was Trent’s first book with buttons that make sound, and he really liked the elephant sound.)
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (Actually a kind of sad book, but in the end teaches a lesson that is important for children to know.)
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (The final “Little” book. I just love the reverse psychology!)

Ricki: I read some great books this week. I just finished Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. This is such an important book. Roskos does an incredible job capturing the feelings of hopelessness that come with depression. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I also enjoyed Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, Nuts by Paula Gerritsen, and 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle. All three were wonderful picture books.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: After hearing Ricki talk about it, I picked up Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. I do not know much about it, but I trust her judgment. Next to that, I do not know my plans for the week! It is a bit of a stressful one as my husband goes back to work, so this is the first time since Trent was born that we both are working… 🙁

Ricki: Kellee, I am flattered that you trust my opinion! I hope you love it as much as I did. This week, I am continuing to read Reading for their Life: (Re)building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum. Henry and I bought several Eric Carle picture books, so I am excited to dive into those. I think my next YA book will be I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Professional Books

So, what are you reading?

and

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon

May 23, 2014 by Kellee

Herman and Rosie
Author and Illustrator: Gus Gordon
Published October 15th, 2013 by Roaring Brook Press

Goodreads Summary: Once upon a time in a very busy city, on a very busy street, in two very small apartments, lived…
Herman and Rosie. Herman liked playing the oboe, the smell of hot dogs in the winter, and watching films about the ocean. Rosie liked pancakes, listening to old jazz records, and watching films about the ocean. They both loved the groovy rhythm of the city, but sometimes the bustling crowds and constant motion left them lonely, until one night …

My Review: This book is a love note to music and for finding a friend to share your love. This wonderful story is told in a way that makes you fall in love with the characters immediately and feel every up and down with them. Also, the illustrations in this picture book are probably some of my favorite ever. I love the cartoony style mixed with some mixed media. Beautiful.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I think this book will find its most love as a read aloud and as a wait to promote music and other passions; however, the book could definitely be used in other ways in the classroom. The tone and mood of the book takes a drastic turn about halfway through and would be a good introduction to these two narrative elements. It is interesting to look at how the illustrations helped drive the change. Also, there are onomatopoeias throughout that add to the imagery of the book.

Discussion Questions: How does music bring Herman and Rosie together?; Would Herman and Rosie every had become friends without the bad event happening to them?; How are Herman and Rosie similar? Different?

We Flagged:

“Herman lived on the seventh floor. He liked potted plants, playing the oboe, wild boysenberry yogurt, the smell of hot dogs in the winter, and watching films about the ocean.”

Read This If You Loved: Marvin Makes Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Jazz ABZ by Wynton Marsalis, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney, The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacque Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino

Recommended For: