Unleashing Readers

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (Ricki’s Review)

July 27, 2015April 10, 2014 by Ricki

Each Kindness
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Published October 2nd, 2012 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary: Each kindness makes the world a little better

Chloe and her friends won’t play with the new girl, Maya. Maya is different–she wears hand-me-downs and plays with old-fashioned toys. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her gang, they reject her. Eventually, Maya plays alone, and then stops coming to school altogether. When Chloe’s teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she’d shown a little kindness toward Maya.

This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On Home Soon. With its powerful message and striking art, it will resonate with readers long after they’ve put it down.

Review: This is a beautiful story that would be FANTASTIC for the classroom. Students of any age can learn from this book, and I would read it to my class on the very first day of school. It is easy to get caught up in drama and gossip, and Jackie Woodson reminds us how hurtful this can be. I am so glad that I own a copy of this book. I plan to read it to my son very often because the lessons are so important, and the story is simply stunning. Usually, I don’t review a book that Kellee has also reviewed on Unleashing Readers, but I couldn’t help but share my thoughts about this incredible text.

Teacher’s Tool For Navigation: I would be remiss if I didn’t direct you to Kellee’s post about this book. She did a fantastic activity with her class that used multi-flow maps.

One of my favorite parts about this book is that it doesn’t have a happy ending. I would love to discuss this with students–why might this be? Is Woodson teaching us something? Then, we might explore other books that don’t have happy endings and discuss why authors might do this intentionally and how it might impact readers’ feelings about the books. Students are notorious for disliking sad endings, so I think this would provoke much discussion.

This book can be both preventative and reactionary to bullying issues in the classroom/school community. While I would read it at the beginning of the school year, I could also see it as an effective tool for teachers who are having issues with bullying during the school year. This book makes us want to be better people.

Discussion Questions: Why is Chloe so mean to Maya?; What do we know about Maya? Why do you think Woodson characterizes her this way?; Why does this book end in an unhappy way? What does it teach us?; How might we spread kindness?

We Flagged: “And on that first day, Maya turned to me and smiled. But I didn’t smile back. I moved my chair, myself and my books a little farther away from her. When she looked my way, I turned to the window and stared out at the snow” (6).

Read This If You Loved: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea, Endgame by Nancy Garden, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, Burn by Suzanne Phillips, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp, Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Recommended For:

Biographical Picture Books about Strong Women

July 27, 2014April 9, 2014 by Kellee

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!

Over the last few years I have noticed a trend (a trend I love!) of biographical picture books about strong women from history. After reading a wonderful batch of them, I decided I need to share all of the amazing ones that I have read.
[Each picture book cover can be clicked on to take you to either Goodreads or a review of mine.]

I love that these woman are getting their stories told!

Were there any that I missed? Please share!

Top Ten Tuesday: Unique Books We’ve Read

April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 by Kellee

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 Unique Books We’ve Read

Ricki

1. Nothing by Janne Teller

The plot of this book was extremely clever and very different from any other book I have ever read. It is one of my favorites. I read the first few pages aloud to my students and they are fascinated by it.

2. Wonder by R. J. Palacio

The voice of this book was so powerful that it felt unique. I felt as if I was trapped in this young boy’s body. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

I didn’t particularly love this book, but it was one of the most unusual books that I have read. The text features were very neat.

4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I love how Riggs used old photographs to create this story. I found that to be very different from any book I have ever read.

5. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

The premise of this book is that the main character is a liar. The story is very interesting because she lies to the readers throughout the book. I liked the confusion this provided.

Kellee

1. Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

Horse stables in the middle of Philadelphia and a boy dealing with all of a sudden living with an absent father—unique. I love how this book is written and the premise of it. There is no other book like it.

2. Graceling by Kristen Cashore

At the time when I read Graceling, I’d not read any high fantasy like this. Katsa is such a unique character and the book is just as amazing. I mean, the whole idea of being “graced” is a unique concept.

3. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

I was so enthralled with this book! I was fascinated by the idea of airships as cruise ships, Kate going against everything that she has been taught is right, and the zoology discussed throughout. I have not read anything else like this series.

4. Battle Bunny by Jon Sciezska and Mac Barnet

This is a “golden book” given to Alex by his grandmother; however, Alex makes it his own. This picture book cracked me up, made me want to share it with everyone and anyone, and was just so well done. And there is nothing like it.

5. Anything by Roald Dahl

He was so ahead of his time and all of his books are unique (mostly if you compare it to other books being written at the time).

What really unique books have you read?

and

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 4/7/14

June 26, 2018April 7, 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

Top Ten Tuesday: “Gateway” Books/Authors in Our Reading Journey

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I finished Wild Awake by Hilary Smith. It was an interesting journey of watching a character’s life run out of her control. I was a big fan of the way the author wrote the story because if helped you feel the chaos that was happening in Kiri’s life. A very impressive debut novel.

Trent’s picture book #bookaday continued, and we actually doubled up on a couple of days. This week, we read:

Disney Bedtime Stories Board Books: 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, Lion King, Dumbo, Lilo & Stitch, and Pinocchio (These stories are all touch and go. Some are so sweet, especially Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians, and Lilo & Stitch. We have 2 more left that we plan to finish this week.)
Listened to Go Dog Go, Are You My Mother?, and The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman on You Tube (These videos are perfect for the 20 minutes Trent and I have to spend upright after nursing. I’m sure we will listen to them over and over.)
Baseball Is… by Louise Borden (Friday was the Cubs home opener, and we celebrated by having a baseball filled day! Thank you to Michele Knott for recommending this beautiful book to me.)
Black on White by Tana Hoban (I learned about Tana Hoban’s books at the Mommy-Baby Tea that I go to. Since babies’ eyesight is not mature yet, the contrast in these wordless books keeps their attention, and it worked great for Trent. I made a little story for each picture to make it a little more interesting for me.)

Ricki: This week, I read a lot of great books. I am going to divide them up by category to make it easier to read.

Professional Development: I finished Life in Schools by Peter McLaren. It was good, but it wasn’t my favorite PD text. I felt like many of the ideas were contained in several other texts I have read recently. That said, I agree with the ideas he puts forth about the hegemony that exists in schools.

YA/Middle Grade: I read We Were Liars by e. lockhart. It was incredible. If you are looking for a good YA book, this one will blow you away. It has strong literary merit and is haunting. I get the shivers thinking about how powerful it is. I also finished Aphrodite by George O’Connor. I love how he re-imagines Greek mythology in graphic novel form!

Children’s Books: We pounded through our library books this week. Henry and I have a new tradition. We read a book downstairs before we go upstairs for his last feeding, so he and I enjoy double the reading time. My favorite from this week was The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Shotter. It highlights the magic of collecting words. I also loved Jane Yolen’s How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?. The other books we read and enjoyed together were: Robie Harris’ When Lions Roar, Mark Moulton’s Change the World Before Bedtime, Mem Fox’s Koala Lou, Chris Allsburg’s The Stranger, and Taro Miura’s The Tiny King.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have already started All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, and I am intrigued by the premise already. At only 30 pages in, I am excited to keep reading it. And, of course, Trent and I are going to continue our #bookaday. We’ll first finish the Disney board books then move to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and other books Aly kindly sent us.

Ricki: My next PD book is Jonathan Kozol’s The Shame of the Nation. I have always wanted to read this one, so I am looking forward to learning a lot from it. I just started the young adult book, Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. I pre-ordered it because I heard such good things about it. Henry and I are reading Fairy Tale Comics (edited by Chris Duffy). It retells seventeen fairy tales in graphic novel form. He love the bright colors, and I enjoy how each fairy tale is short, so I can keep his attention!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Unique Books We’ve Read

Wednesday: Favorite Nonfiction Picture Books About Strong Women in History

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

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub

July 27, 2015April 4, 2014 by Kellee

Little Red Writing
Author: Joan Holub
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Published September 24th, 2013 by Chronicle Books

Goodreads Summary: Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, in which a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000)… and saves the day.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I really think these wonderful woman created this book for just for teachers. It is a perfect, perfect, perfect book for a read aloud AND for a mentor text!

First, the book is a direct allusion to Red Riding Hood and is a great book to throw into the mix when looking at different versions of Red Riding Hood. I can just picture this book, with a version of the original story, Hoodwinked the movie, and Lon Po Po. Wow! What great discussions and activities you could do with this.

Second, this book is not just an awesome narrative and it includes a great lesson about writing a narrative. Red, our main character, is given the job to write a story and the book takes us through her journey of writing the story where she needs to include characters, setting, trouble, and fixing the trouble. A perfect opportunity to discuss narrative elements. Taking this even further, it would be so much fun to look at the ideas that each of the other pencils had for their stories and write the entire story. You would have to look at each pencil’s personality and think about how s/he would write the story.

Finally, the book also deals with some parts of speech and how to use them. First are verbs where Red looks for more interesting verbs. She then looks for adjectives to add description. Then learns the importance of conjunctions (but watch out! They can lead to run-on sentences). Finally came adverbs with a bit of punctuation and capitalization discussion. Each part of speech is discussed in a nonboring way and the introduction could be a jumping off point to a deeper discussion.

Discussion Questions: How did Red use adjectives throughout the story to help you visualize the action?; What ended up being Red’s trouble, how did it get worse, and how did she fix it?; Pick one of the other pencils’ stories. How do you think it would end?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Red Riding Hood by Brothers Grimm, Lon Po Po by Ed Young, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Recommended For:

Locomotive by Brian Floca (Ricki’s Review)

July 27, 2015April 3, 2014 by Ricki

Locomotive
Author and Illustrator: Brian Floca
Published September 3rd, 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Timesbestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads, from the creator of the “stunning” (Booklist) Moonshot.

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

My Review: 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 took my husband and me three nights to read this title to our son because we needed to pause and take in its magic. After I closed the last page of the book, a library copy, my husband looked at me and mouthed (because our son was asleep), “Let’s buy this one.” There is a wonderful balance of factual information about the train and lyrical language that brims with gorgeous figurative language. This book is a standout and well-deserving of the accolades it has received.

**A special thanks to Kellee, who texted me that I had to read this one. You can read her review here.**

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I would use this text in any grade level. I envision the eager eyes of elementary school students as their curiosity is piqued… middle schoolers, suddenly interested in trains and this time in our history…or high schoolers, researching the different parts of the train and learning how effective figurative language can be in writing. This book would be a great mentor text to teach creativity. The layout of the pages is so very purposeful, which pave the way for great classroom discussions.

Discussion Questions: How does Brian Floca grab the readers’ attention? How is his writing purposeful?; In what ways does Floca manipulate language?; How does the second person point-of-view add to the story?; What does this book teach us? Go beyond the obvious.; How do the pages differ in their visual appeal? Why do you think this is?

We Flagged:

Rather than including a quote here, I wanted to show you a few of the gorgeous spreads with this book. These pages are pulled from images posted on Amazon.

Read This If You Loved: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Recommended For:

Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America’s Heart by Julie Cummins

April 2, 2014 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America’s Heart
Author: Julie Cummins
Illustrator: Malene R. Laugesen
Published July 23rd, 2013 by Roaring Brook Press

Goodreads Summary: In 1927, airplanes were a thrilling but dangerous novelty. Most people, men and women, believed that a woman belonged in the kitchen and not in a cockpit. One woman, Ruth Elder, set out to prove them wrong by flying across the Atlantic Ocean. Ruth didn’t make it, crashing spectacularly, but she flew right into the spotlight and America’s heart. This is the story of a remarkable woman who chased her dreams with grit and determination, and whose appetite for adventure helped pave the way for future generations of female flyers.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Ruth Elder joins the group of amazing women who have eye-opening picture books about them and how they changed history. (I love this trend!) More and more brilliant and brave women from history are getting recognition through their story being told. Ruth Elder was America’s sweetheart daredevil, and through her crazy feats showed America that woman were brave too. Although Amelia Earhart beat her in her mission to cross the Atlantic, she never stopped pushing herself and the women around her. I would love to see a unit about amazing women in history that uses the slew of beautiful picture books about these woman. One idea would be splitting up kids into groups, having them each read about one of the picture books, maybe doing some extra research, and then sharing with the other groups what they learned. It’d be a great way to give these women the spotlight they deserve.

Discussion Questions: Although Ruth did not cross the Atlantic, why did she become famous?; Ruth had the chance to be a Hollywood star, but she chose to go back to flying–why would she make this decision? Do you agree with her decision?; How did Ruth and her race help change America’s view of woman pilots?

We Flagged: “On August 18, 1929, Ruth and nineteen other women set out to show that women could fly airplanes just as well as men in the first women’s cross-country air race. The pilots had more than headwinds to counteract. One reporter sputtered, “The only thing worse than dames in planes is dames racing planes!””

Look inside Flying Solo at Amazon

Read This If You Loved: Daredevil by Meghan McCarthy, Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

Recommended For: