Extended Shelf Life

Leaving Orange Street

2012-03-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

The third graders and I are leaving the comforts, trials, and challenges of Orange Street this week (One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin). Though I have commented previously on how enamored the children are with the book, one boy's reaction exemplified how deep their concern for the story goes. He complained at the beginning of the hour of a headache but decided to wait a bit to see if he felt better. After our computer work, he really thought he wanted to go to the nurse. I completed the pass to her office, handed it to him, and started to open the book. "Wait," he said. "Are you reading right now?" Yes, I told him. We would finish it in 20 minutes. "Well..." I asked if he wanted to listen for a while and see if the headache was bearable. Eagerly, he handed the pass back to me and joined his classmates in the reading alcove. Later, as we got to one of the parts that makes me teary, he was the only one who knew exactly why the character Larry Tilley did not correct Ms. Snoops when she called him Ralph (his father) and asked about Larry. His classmates nodded - and later shared moments when they, too, had preserved an older person's dignity.

Making Music

2012-02-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Beginning at age four, I took piano lessons, influenced by my great grandmother's playing. I remember each of my five teachers quite well and loved some more than others. One decision I made in high school was to keep music as a hobby and not pursue a musical major in college. Still, I love stories about musicians and their determination to develop their talents, despite outside pressures to abandon musical pursuits in favor of more prestigious or higher-paying careers. Take Leonard Bernstein, for example. Though his mother supported his dream to play piano well, his father told him he could only be a klezmer with such a career choice. Lenny persevered, and as we know, became one of the most respected musicians and directors of all time.

Susan Goldman Rubin's latest biography - Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein - taught me about his early life and his rise to recognition and fame. Accompanied by numerous photographs, the work he did with many other famous musicians and those who became close friends is described in detail. Her timeline, biographies of other musicians, list of recordings and resources (which motivated me to reserve the recommended recordings from the library), and an epilogue about his later life help complete the story. It is the perfect book to recommend to the 5th graders for their Wax Museum projects, especially since the high school students will be performing West Side Story in two months.

Family Reading Night Again

2012-02-28T16:16:00.001-08:00

Hearts and squares flowed across the screen. Questions bubbled like a fountain from children's and parents' mouths. Michael Hall's bright images, carefully formed text, and thoughtfully constructed responses enchanted all of us in attendance at another intriguing Family Reading Night. As if we were viewing deleted scenes from a movie, he showed the rejected pages (he began with 80!) from My Heart is Like a Zoo. We all giggled at the antics of the beaver in a short film Michael assembled in an effort to create a book trailer for the book. The sneak-peak of his next book delighted the audience with its playful language. And then young and old gathered paper squares, scissors, glue sticks, and paper punches to transform their own squares as Michael did in Perfect Square. It was a perfect evening.

One insightful dad asked Michael what things he would want the children to take away from his presentation. He specifically mentioned how important it is to keep an open mind about what something becomes, instead of being so set on an outcome that the possibilities are missed. That advice went far as the boats, storms, ladybugs, and other creatures filled the pages.

Elements Revisited

2012-02-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

It is no surprise, I am certain, that I love bookstores. Not the large, chain types. I love my favorite independent bookshop on Grand Avenue (where children's and young adult books outnumber adult books by probably 4 to 1). For more than a quarter century I have loved the University Bookstore. Though it changed locations years ago from the underground spot in Williamson Hall to a more central location in Coffman Memorial Union, I still feel good wandering through the aisles and spaces.

On my annual pre-holiday shopping visit to the University Bookstore, the display of Theodore Gray's Elements products caught my eye. The boys got the puzzle for Christmas, and I relearned the periodic table as the pieces were assembled. For the book version, see http://periodictable.com/theelements/. For visual learners, this is a far better tool to help with memorizing the elements than the table I used 27 years ago.

Looking at Lincoln

2012-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

The second graders surprised me with their intense interest over the past week. I read aloud from Honk and then started them on a mini-research project that lasted for the rest of the time. Inspired by Alexander Graham's portrait of Abraham Lincoln taken on February 5, 1865, they shared what they already know about him and then made observations about the photograph. While I explained some things, they attempted to sit for three whole minutes in the same pose as Lincoln (we stopped at 90 seconds). They noted things like the light and shadows, his blurry hands, the glasses and pen in his hands, his crooked bow tie, and his watch fob. I read aloud Maira Kalman's new book Looking at Lincoln (from the F & G as I just got the actual hardcover this week), and they listened intently. Then they went off in groups of 3 or 4 with other books about Lincoln and recorded facts they learned. All this time, every single person was completely focused!

Have You Read? #21

2012-02-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at lunch I read-walked for a bit with John Green's latest novel The Fault in Our Stars. Then I could hardly sit through my afternoon curriculum day meetings in anticipation of reading again when I got home.

This is not the sort of novel I thought I would enjoy reading. The narrator, Hazel Grace Lancaster, is dying of cancer. She needs an oxygen tank with her at all times. Yet she looks at life, at death, and at those trying to accept death with an honest, matter-of-fact, sort of attitude. Out of respect for her parents, she attends a weekly support group for young people with cancer. It is there she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor and friend of another support group attendee. The two immediately sense a connection. They understand each other's quirky, biting humor, as well as the emotions they confront as they live with parents who love them deeply. They have the same reaction to a book by an eccentric, alcoholic Dutch author...and try to get answers from him in almost unbelievable ways.

The book's title comes from a line in Julius Caesar when Cassius tells Brutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves..." That Dutch author, Peter Van Houten, does not quite agree with the playwright's words.

I loved the humor amidst the bleak hope. I loved Hazel's willingness to reach out to Isaac, the friend who brought Augustus to support group with him. I loved how Augustus's parents respect their son's love for Hazel. And I loved how Hazel thought so much of her parents and what they might experience if she died.

Subnivean Zone

2012-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

While drinking my tea and nibbling a chocolate chip cookie this afternoon, I paged my way through a pile of books next to my chair. Do you learn something new each time you read a book? I do. From Kate Messner's lovely picture book Over and Under the Snow, I now know where the subnivean zone is located and what goes on in that environment. This year in Minnesota the subnivean zone might be non-existent, given that it is the airy place (more accurately, it is a connected network of small places) between the ground and the snow cover formed from the warmth of the ground melting the snow. There are few snow-covered spaces in my yard or in the nearby woods. Creatures like mice, moles, voles are safer from predators in the subnivean zone.

"Under the snow, a chipmunk wakes for a meal. Bedroom, kitchen, hallway - his house under my feet."

Kate's book, charmingly illustrated in mixed media by Christopher Silas Neal, is narrated by a young Nordic skier who moves over the snow with her dad. He tells her about the "secret kingdom" that exists under their skis, and the two encounter many "over the snow" creatures on their journey toward a supper bonfire in the moonlight. The illustrations are cross sections of the snow and woods, perfectly portraying the animals moving, dozing, and working. One last page shows the cross section of the narrator under her covers, dreaming of the creatures she encountered. The author's note gives information about each of the animals in the book and a great list of titles and websites for further investigation.

Love in the Air

2012-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

We're reading a romance this week, I tell the children. The boys groan. The girls smile. The teachers nod. It is by Sara Pennypacker, the same author who wrote Clementine, and it's called Pierre in Love. There are laughs when Pierre notes that even words that sound like his beloved Catherine's name delight him (like aspirin or bathroom) and that he is reminded of her by many things (sunrises, sunsets, and empty potato chip bags). Despite the mix-ups and missed opportunities, the ballet teacher and fisherman follow good advice: if you love someone, tell him or her!

I love so many people and shared love yesterday with chocolate raspberry linzer cookies :)

At the end on the story steps, all appear pleased when Catherine's and Pierre's hearts become one.

Always Looking

2012-02-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Children are asked to read biographies all through the year at our school, and though there are thousands of biographies in print and hundreds in our collection, we always search for even more unique people to bring to readers. Louise Borden's latest book - His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg - introduces readers to an incredible human being. Born in Sweden, he took a post in Budapest, Hungary during World War II to save Jewish people from Nazi marches and death camps. Using methods like collective passports, schutzpasses, and buildings designated as Swedish property, he saved thousands of lives. Determined to keep the Jews safe until the Russians liberated them, Wallenberg instead was taken to Lubyanka Prison in 1945 and never heard from again.

When a teenage photographer named Tom Veres was without a position (after Hungarian Admiral Horthy resigned), he became Raoul's photographer, capturing historical images that otherwise would have been unknown.

"At first he was afraid he would be caught, but Raoul's courage inspired the young Hungarian. Tom cut a narrow hole in his woolen scarf and then hid his Leica camera...pointing the lens through the slit so that the Nazis wouldn't notice when he took photos." - p. 100

Engaging from start to finish, the author's extensive research and image collection add to the biography's intrigue.

One and Only

2012-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

"Memories are precious," Stella adds. "They help tell us who we are." - p. 53

I love that thought. It sums up how I think about my past, the people I love and have loved, the events that have shaped my life, the scents that transport me to places and times, the places that mean so much. This photo reminds me of the laughter that occurred just before my middle son took the photograph. He had been pointing the camera toward himself, looking into the wrong spot, and closing the eye that was supposed to be looking. My sweet grandmother was laughing so hard - and my son caught that moment on film as well!

The words were spoken by a non-human. Stella is an elephant in Katherine Applegate's latest novel The One and Only Ivan, a book I have been longing to read since its release last month. Stella is also the best friend of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who narrates the book, lives next to her, and is an artist. Really. Along with a few other creatures, they are captives in a shopping mall circus display. Aside from their friendship with each other and Bob, a stray dog, their experiences with other animals are limited.

Yet there is hope for them. When the circus/mall owner acquires a baby elephant named Ruby, Ivan knows something has to change. He needs to change Ruby's story.

I cannot begin to share the plot because there are so many wonderful things to savor, that cause laughter and tears, and that make the reader contemplate humanity - and because I want others to read this book. It is an excellent story.

"Because she remembers everything, Stella knows many stories. I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings. But any story will do." - p. 63

May I Bring a Friend?

2012-02-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Unless librarians introduce children to certain books, some books might not reach children. The 1965 Caldecott Medal Winner is one such book. The bright pink spine is not especially appealing. The color palate is limited (and alternating with black and white pages). It is just not one that children choose on their own! Written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and illustrated by Beni Montresor, the rhymes are fun to read aloud, and the illustrations bring a surprise with each page turn. We read it aloud this week to first and second graders, and they giggled and gasped. All our copies were gone in a day!

CTC Evening

2012-02-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made plans and then wished you had not? I felt that way last night. Things during the day did not go as anticipated, and family life after that was equally disappointing. The last thing I felt like doing was heading downtown to an evening event. But the tickets had been paid. Two friends were planning to go with me.

Our destination was the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, though we were not going to watch a play. Instead, author Gary Schmidt and CTC Artistic Director Peter Brosius would be conversing about the CTC's upcoming staging of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. From Peter's first question about Gary's writing studio (an out-building, heated by a woodstove) and his method of writing (1953 Royal typewriter; it slows him down), the evening was magical. Peter was an outstanding interviewer, and Gary told story after story about his work and his thoughts. It felt like we were witnessing a conversation, not an interview.

And then there was the thrill of seeing some of the cast members read a scene for us! The three of us made plans to attend the play (which runs March 13-April 8).

The CTC shares the building with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and we quietly opened the shared doors to view Dale Chihuly's sun before heading out to see the full moon, all of us glad we had come.

China Books

2012-02-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

I started reading Honk: The Moose by Phil Stong this afternoon to second graders. The book's copyright is 1936, and one child said, "If a book is that old, people could call it china." Why? I asked. "Because it is fragile," he told me, with a voice that indicated it should be obvious!

Incidentally, the children were instantly engrossed in the story of Ivar and Waino, two boys who discover a real moose in Ivar's father's livery stable. Timeless fears and surprises kept their interest and made them gasp and laugh. They all want to go to Biwabik, Minnesota to see the statue of Honk there.

In Honor of Crescent

2012-02-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

Crescent Dragonwagon's latest cookbook was released a few weeks ago. Bean by Bean features "more than 175 recipes for fresh beans, dried beans, cool beans, hot beans, savory beans, even sweet beans!" We enjoyed each other's company a few years ago at a potluck lunch in Vermont, and I brought brownies. So, one of those sweet bean recipes in the cookbook is for my favorite peanut butter cup brownies, first discovered almost twenty years ago (and then modified) in a tiny little cookbook called The 55 Best Brownies in the World. I baked them this afternoon in honor of Crescent. Her voice comes through in every recipe introduction and explanation! Later this week her pasta e fagioli is on the menu. Everything in her cookbook sounds delicious, and because they come from Crescent, they are sure to made with fresh, natural ingredients.

Favorite Words

2012-02-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

This week Vicki at Children's Literature Network asked for submissions of favorite words. I have so many. I am embarrassed to say I submitted none because there are long lists in my journals. Not a good reason. My tablemate at this morning's Books for Breakfast event said his would be irritated. That would go on my least favorite words list, perhaps just because it sounds like what it means. Instead, my list would include things I like for their sounds as well as for their meanings:

clandestine frosty clarity safe chocolate cardamom maple reflection mom mountain ocean cumulus cirrus chickadee fjord journey porch swing nuthatch perpetual magenta

I'll stop there.

Moral Connection

2012-02-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

At the end of "Harvest" in Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote these words:

"But she didn't understand why Pa had called him a little liar. She didn't understand how Charley could be a liar, when he had not said a word."

For those unfamiliar with the story, the Ingalls family had been to Uncle Henry and Aunt Polly's house so Pa could help Uncle Henry cut and shock the oats. Cousin Peter is told to help the men in the afternoon, but he fooled them three times by yelling as if something was terribly wrong. The fourth time he yelled, the men did not run to him. His yelling continued because he had actually jumped on a yellow jacket nest and was being stung repeatedly!

The second graders were quick to comment on Charley's status as a liar. Then one child said, "It is just like The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Others agreed. "And you know that moral, right?" the child asked. Not all kids could recite it. "You can't believe a liar, even when he is telling the truth," he told everyone. Nods all around.

Blue Chicken

2012-01-31T17:24:00.000-08:00

I love picture books that incorporate aspects of art. I also love books which engage readers from the front end page to the last one. Deborah Freedman's Blue Chicken does both that well, and it is our read-aloud selection this week. Some readers pass over end pages, but the students at my school are used to looking. Though I did not mention the need to note the barn through the window panes, they noticed. They watched as an artist's materials were shown below that same window ledge. They laughed as the little chicken saw its reflection in the blue paint and decided to help add color the barn (in the painting). At the very end, they noted how the real barn and the artist's barn were going to be transformed - as well the chicken and friends. It is a clever book, and my favorite young readers caught every bit of its wit.

Its Name Says What It Does

2012-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

An new inquiry unit centered around inventors and inventions began today with third graders. We (my teaching partner, the cooperating teacher, and myself) began by discussing what inquiry means, gave a brief role play example of friendly/unfriendly group behaviors, and listed what we thought we knew about Alexander Graham Bell (in an effort to activate background knowledge).

Then they practiced listing what they know with photographs of inventions. An iPod, a GPS, an old-fashioned bicycle, and a calculator were easy for the list-makers. The paperclip drew a bit of silence...and then my favorite comment of the afternoon: "Its name says what it does!"

Unexpected Attraction

2012-01-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I really do not want to read certain books. I felt that way about A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (based on Siobahn Dowd's ideas and manuscript), but I really loved the honesty and portrayal of a young boy facing his mother's death. I feel that way still about Unbroken. It was sitting next to my nightstand until last week when I determined I just could not read about the horrors described in its pages. I was certain I would not like Rebecca Makkai's The Borrower, but my teaching partner convinced me to read it. It is right now next to my computer and the bowl of cookie dough I am baking. I catch a few paragraphs in between dough scoops.

Lucy Hull is a children's librarian who encounters an avid reader named Ian. Though Ian voraciously reads anything she recommends, his controlling mother brings her a list of the books and authors he should read in order to experience "the breath of God." Lucy sneaks books to Ian, and he transports them in his pants and parka, always avoiding his nanny and mother. Lucy is torn about First Amendment rights and the need to patronize her patron's mother. When she can no longer stand to witness the ways the young boy's mind is being tortured by his parents and the church, she does the unthinkable.

Intermingled with Ian's and Lucy's story are snippets from books, familiar titles, and references to characters and plot lines. The author even ends one chapter with a nod to Ludwig Bemelmans:

In a library in Missouri that was covered with vines
Lived thousands of books in a hundred straight lines
A boy came in at half past nine
Every Saturday, rain or shine
His book selections were clan-des-tine.

Studio Visits

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

On this teacher workday, I spent part of the afternoon in one of my favorite places: my friend Debra's studio. The first time I visited Debra Frasier's studio, I was slightly nervous. The elevator to the third floor is a bit old. The hallways are a bit maze-like. Once inside the door, I felt instant comfort. The bookcases filled with titles that inspire her art and shape her story development line the walls. Large sheets of Canson paper in a rainbow of colors are tacked onto corkboard on one wall. Binders of each book's curriculum and programs fill another shelf. The current book's artwork and is hung, displayed, and strewn about the place. And the reminders of past books make me smile...like this wooden spoon puppet from The Incredible Water Show.

In our first collaborative effort, we staged the book as a play three different ways with fifth graders from my school: one with miniature box theatres, one with puppets of various sizes, and one with human characters in costume. It was a grand project with fabulous results! How good it feels to visit a familiar place and savor the memories held there!

Award Day

2012-01-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

The live webcast of the ALA Youth Media Awards held our attention this morning in the library office, but typical Monday morning problems kept us from listening completely. We cheered for Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet's multi-layered, filled-with-facts book about Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who created the Macy's parade balloons. What a perfect choice to receive the Sibert Medal! We cheered again when our personal favorite, John Rocco's Blackout, received a Caldecott Honor Medal; the students have loved that book since we read it aloud earlier this year and were hoping it would win today. Our third cheer came for Eugene Yelchin's Breaking Stalin's Nose!

The third grade Caldecott committees have been deliberating and debating about their book selections and choices. Some are adamant that the book they have selected is the best, citing very appropriate and detailed reasons to support the choice. When all the voting and decisions are done, their award recipients might be surprising!

An Author's Books

2012-01-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

Most often, when I read a book I love by a certain author, I am likely to love that author's other books. It held true with Helen Frost this week. My admiration for Diamond Willow led me to Crossing Stones, and I found myself once again spellbound by her words and story. Muriel, her brother Ollie, and her friend Emma narrate this historical tale of love, commitment, and determination. Muriel's words flow, and her "mind meanders like the creek" in a zig-zag pattern across the pages, much like the water flowing between Muriel's and Emma's farms. Ollie's and Emma's words are held in fourteen-line sonnets with rhyme structures that cup them together (and middle lines that rhyme with each other, something rather significant later in the story).

As World War I rages, Muriel questions why President Wilson would "take us right into the middle of this war they're fighting oversees." She adores Emma's older brother Frank but wonders if she should feel more than that about a young man going off to war. Emma's practicality dominates her life in school and chores, but her allegiance to her brother, to Ollie, and to Grace (Muriel and Ollie's little sister) shines fiercely in her actions. Ollie is certain his decision to lie about his age and enlist is the right thing - until he gets to training and then the front. As their stories come together, the many ways we see situations and live through challenges are illuminated in good ways.

Helen Frost's other books are on reserve at my library.

Caldecott Committees

2012-01-18T17:48:00.000-08:00

The third graders gathered in groups of four with a decade of Caldecott Medal books this afternoon. Using the book pass method, they perused each book for 90 seconds, briefly taking in the story but focusing more on the artwork. The books passed from hand to hand around the table until each child had seen each book. Then, they debated amongst themselves which book of their decade was the most distinguished. I heard things comments like these

* I think the artist used watercolor here. See how it spreads along the trees. - about The Funny Little Woman illustrated by Blair Lent
* Each of us likes a different book best! How will we decide? - about Officer Buckle and Gloria, Tuesday, Rapunzel, and Snowflake Bentley from the 1990s
* Some of these books have the same style. - about Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Duffy and the Devil from the 1970s

Next session each group will share their most distinguished book and their reasons for choosing it - and we will all know the 2012 Caldecott books!

Actions from Words

2012-01-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

When reading aloud to children, I take special care to look at them often, reading ahead so I can say certain phrases with emphasis and connect with the listeners via eye contact and expression. I make sure I scan the whole area, holding each child's gaze at least once during the read-aloud session. Their engagement is obvious. Lately, their actions have indicated that engagement as well. Or maybe I am just noticing it more.

Bunny/Bonita in One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street taps her mom's purple gardening hat and blinks three times in a superstitious effort to keep her mother safe during her travels. In today's chapter, the girls does it when a baby hummingbird is knocked from its nest to the ground. In the third grade listening audience, several children reached up to tap their heads and then blinked three times. They also finger an imaginary heart-shaped stone whenever Ali, the young girl who believes the stone is her wishing stone and keeps it in her pocket for easy rubbing, does so in the story.

Last week in "Dance at Grandpa's," as the aunts combed and braided their hair, the second grade girls started finger-combing each other's hair and then braiding their own hair as they listened. The boys feet began to jig along with Uncle George's during the dance description.

Parents sometimes express their release from reading aloud to their children once those children can read well themselves. Children love to listen, no matter what the age. I share examples like these to remind them.

Making Lists

2012-01-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, the students did not have school today. Teachers met to discuss curriculum issues, and for my teaching partner and me, that included making lists. Lists of books for the spring book festival inventory. Books for each grade level's 2012 summer reading list. I just love this, she told me. I loved it, too.

We looked for books by favorite authors, hoping for new titles to be released before the end of March, and added books like Betty Bunny Loves Everything by Michael Kaplan and The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. We searched for series books that children love and added Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O'Connor and Abe Lincoln at Last by Mary Pope Osborne (#47 in the Magic Tree House series).

We pored over our order lists since the beginning of the school year and started designating newly acquired books for the grade level lists. Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker was added to the second grade list. Drawing From Memory by Allen Say was added to the fifth grade list. Now we will begin the thoughtful task of annotating all those books to complete the summer reading lists in time for release at the beginning of June.

It is always a good day when we are immersed in book titles.

Snowfall & Icefall

2012-01-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

After a week in which every day felt like Friday, I welcomed the chance to read under a favorite quilt with a hot cup of tea next to me today (with bread-baking and soup-making mixed in). As the snow fell outdoors, I was enthralled with Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby indoors. My teaching partner read it the other day. She brought it to work, telling me she would rather be home reading it! We often do that: bring the book we wish we were reading, all the while knowing we will not be able to read it at school. We must get comfort in having it nearby. She was not certain I would enjoy the suspenseful adventure as much as she did. I have.

Solveig is the middle daughter of the king and the story's narrator. Along with her brother Harald, heir to the throne, and her sister Asa, stunningly beautiful and most-noticed by their father, she is literally stuck in a rocky, ice-locked fjord with a glacier flowing above them. Protected by three men assigned by the king and later joined by the king's berserkers (all in bear or wolf skins), Solveig senses imminent danger, learns to trust Alric, the king's skald, and finds an unlikely companion in Hake, the berserker leader. Something is amiss in their icy steading, yet Solveig remains stalwart in her defense of what she believes is right.

Before I go to bed on this cold Minnesota evening, I must finish the story that has so captured my attention.

Inhabiting My Thoughts

2012-01-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

I love how it feels to be so immersed in a book that I do not want it to end, to dream of the characters and places, to wish they were my neighbors so I could get to know them even better. In the case of Helen Frost's Diamond Willow, that would have me living in Alaska near a young girl named Willow who loves to drive her family's sled dogs.

Telling all the things that make this book wonderful is not possible. Really. After reading the jacket copy, the summary statement, and hearing a bit from my teaching partner, I still was not prepared for the well-told, magical story. Written in diamond-shaped with a poetic tone, the story contains hidden messages within those poems (in the form of bold-face words that present another glimpse into Willow's thoughts). Her ancestors (in the form of a spruce hen and a dog) and her friends' ancestors provide commentary and insights as their spirits (in animal characters) guide her. There are secrets unveiled, understandings communicated, and relationships solidified in unlikely ways.

It is a lovely book, one that I will buy for myself as I know I want to read it again and savor Helen Frost's words.

Understanding Signals

2012-01-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

With the third graders in my information literacy classes, I am more than halfway done with One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street. They adore the characters in this book. Many of them asked for it as a Christmas gift and came back to tell me they had finished it over winter break. Sometimes as I'm reading, I will pause to be certain they understand a word or an idiomatic expression. In the past two chapters, there were interactions between characters that I thought might need more in-depth discussion.

When Robert thinks dear old Ms. Snoops is trying to keep the loan of a book a secret, he winks at her. She winks back at him. The exchange happens once more. In reality, Ms. Snoops has short-term memory loss and does not recall loaning the book to Robert. The children totally understood that, and they provided many examples of when people might wink at each other to show solidarity on a secret issue. Parents who are trying to keep a secret from their children was the number one example (though one child said he learned to read lips so he could still understand them). An unlikely child (i.e. so perfectly behaved) said she and her brother wink at each other when they have tricks to play on their younger siblings.

When the Ruff, Bunny's dog, is digging in the empty lot, he unearths a glass jar. Unbeknownst to the children, the mysterious stranger (whom they now know lived on Orange Street as a boy) has watched the event and asks if anyone digging ever found anything on top of that glass jar. Ali hesitates, knowing the heart-shaped blue stone in her pocket came from that spot. She offers it to the stranger, telling him it is an excellent wishing stone. He hesitates and then tells her that was not the object. She should keep it. I paused here to ask the students what they thought about that. It was his, they told me. He just thought Ali needed it more than he did.

I needn't have worried about their understanding.

Awareness = Questions

2012-01-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

This week and next we are reading aloud picture books that tell the stories of discrimination and civil rights. For the intermediate students, Andrea Davis Pinkney's Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down is the chosen book. The fourth graders in my first class had already heard it (recommended by me to their teacher after we read a related book), so Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey (and softly illustrated by Floyd Cooper) was the choice. They were mesmerized! Ruth's dad purchases a sea-mist green 1952 Buick, and they gasped at the color. Their family leaves Chicago to visit relatives in the southern states, soon discovering that they are not welcome at gas stations, motels, restrooms, and diners. The children gasped again. As Ruth's story unfolds, along with the use of "The Negro Motorist Green Book" by Victor Green, they were captivated by how the family found caring individuals to satisfy their traveling needs.

When I finished reading, one usually distracted child raised her hand and asked, "Why did the white people treat the black people that way? I don't understand." My colleague and I could give no reason. The other children vehemently agreed that it made no sense. Their awareness of something unjust and new to them created a subdued atmosphere as they looked for books.

Dance at Grandpa's

2012-01-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today's chapter in Little House in the Big Woods is one of my favorites in regard to description. The family piles into the sleigh for the dance at Grandpa's to mark the end of the sugaring season. Grandma meets them at the door, smiling and calling them indoors. Laura has never seen a room as long as the great room. She watches attentively as Grandma make hasty pudding (which they later eat with fresh maple syrup). She loves watching Aunt Docia and Aunt Ruby dress for the dance, carefully parting and braiding their hairs. What really astounded the children, though, was the description of the tightening of corset strings! The girls could not believe anyone would do that, and the boys kept trying to span their hands like Pa's to imagine going around a waist. They loved the jigging competition between Uncle George and Grandma and wished they could get plates of fresh snow to be covered in a ladle of maple syrup. It feels so good to share stories with children...and to revisit favorites myself.

2012-01-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

The Horn Book arrived yesterday. I can hardly to open it every two months! The first thing I do is flip to Roger's editorial to see what he is thinking. In this issue, he encourages librarians to get the books mentioned in "Horn Book Fanfare" for 2011 into readers' hands and hearts. My teaching partner and I love doing that; half the books on this year's list are already circulating. The next thing I do is page through the articles to see which I want to read first. This time Richard Peck's "Books to Unite the Digitally Divided Family" topped the list. Though it did not live up to its title, it contained excellent lines that are now in my favorite quotes journal. How about this one about writers?
"We write from observation, not experience. From research, not recollection. All fiction is based on research. We don't write what we know. We write what we can find out. Every book begins in the library in the hope that it will end there."
And lastly, I turn to the Book Reviews, noting what we already have in the collection, what we have on order, and what we want to preview from the public library. My reserve list grew by 12 books tonight.

2012-01-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

Listeners were a bit quiet as I read the words "Red Sled" from the book by Patricia Thomas of the same title. A dad and son gather their winter gear, traipse up a hill, and glide down. Soon their voices joined in the rhyming text with expression and enthusiasm.

"No! No!

Whoa! Whoa!"

and

"Flip flop stop"

Written in the style of an ancient poetic form called chiasmus, the sparse text guides readers from the starting point to the climax and back to the "Red Sled" finale. We went right back to the beginning and read it togheter again.

Books Appreciated

2011-12-31T13:57:00.000-08:00

My nieces and nephew called yesterday. I love to hear their young, enthusiastic voices on the other end, telling me what they are doing and what they love. They had just unwrapped the books we got for their Christmas gifts. They know before opening the packages that books are contained inside the paper, but they still appreciate the surprise of the new titles. The oldest was thrilled to get The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back and noticed right away how Tom Angleberger drew Origami Yoda and Darth Paper on the title pages with his personalized signature. The ever-sincere middle child loved all her books, but she especially adored Tiny Treasures (out-of-print, unfortunately, but I snagged a good used copy), a terrific American Girl publication that features itty-bitty craft projects made from common objects. And the littlest liked everything: Can't Sleep Without Sheep, My Heart is Like a Zoo, and two more. I love imaging them reading.

Necessary E

2011-12-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Imagine a world without E. It would b difficult to spll in usual ways. Common things would b missing thr parts. In Tom Lichtenheld's new book E-mergency (created with Ezra Fields-Meyer), E gets a bit too much speed coming down the stairs and is out of commission for a while. The other letters in the alphabet house try to work without the essential letter and decide that noble O will take E's place.

A tells the other letters: "That's right. Starting right NOW, it's O instead of E. That's it, poriod."

Things go awry after that. Though the other letters try to be helpful - speaking on talk shows, spreading the word about E in their travels - E does not seem to get well. The narrator is eventually told by the other letters to stop using their "bod-riddon buddy" in the book's text, and suddenly, E is "out of bod and roady to go back to work. Just in timo for...ThE End."

Lichtenheld's ever-comical side speeches and speech bubbles, along with the detailed illustrations, add humor and connections for readers (like the Targot bag!).

Reading Day

2011-12-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

Though I had many things to do today, reading seemed the best option. I've been savoring Kevin Kling's autobiographical pieces in The Dog Says How and alternately laugh and cry as I ponder his insights into humanity. I have loved best two things:

* From "Perception" - Perception, deception, refraction, distraction. We see it when we believe it. We are all so worried about being deceived. Take a day off. Stand in front of a mirror and have your loved one tell you how great you look. Believe me, you look hot.

* From "Racing Toward Solace" - I believe each of us is drawn to a geography whether it's mountains, the desert, or an ocean. There lives in a particular nature that which provides us solace but also awakens our muse.

What brings you solace? For me, it is home or the mountains.

Word Play

2011-12-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

The wooden NOEL blocks on our mantel sometimes read LONE or LEON. The WELCOME blocks near the front door are currently missing LCO, and the M is inverted to spell WE WE. My husband loves playing with the words...and seeing how long it takes me to notice his latest movements (he also plays Words With Friends for an hour each day).

In Max's Castle by Kate Banks, Max pulls alphabet blocks from under his bed, trying to create excitement from his older brothers. They are the ones, should you have read Max's Words and Max's Dragon, who are never very willing to share, yet they always find Max's word discoveries interesting. In this latest installment, Max builds a castle with rooms for each brother (featuring the things each loves) and continues to tell a story using his blocks to spell out the characters, places, and activities. When things get tenuous or just need to be changed up a bit, Max moves around the blocks. The PIRATES become RAT PIES, for example. It is ingeniously organized and boldly illustrated by Boris Kulikov. A perfect gift for one who loves word play or those who need inspiration in that area.

Full Mailbox

2011-12-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

The boys beat me home each day, and I miss out on one of my favorite sights: a mailbox filled with holiday greetings. Yes, they courteously put them on the kitchen counter for me to open, but the thrill of retrieving them myself is gone - for a few years anyway. Still, the delight I take in reading cards and letters, seeing familiar faces just a bit older and changed, and imagining the people I love is extreme. It is a great pleasure of life to keep close the people we hold dear through our correspondence. And then there are the weekly letters from my mom that feature some funny story from her past or recent experiences. I do love a full mailbox.

Paddling, Rowing, Reading

2011-12-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

As I get older, I read things that never would have appealed to me at a younger age. Nonfiction, most surprising to me, has become a frequent choice.

My friend Jan, an avid paddler, recommended Jill Fredston's book Rowing to Latitude, and even she is a bit surprised I have enjoyed it so much. Jill describes the thousands of miles she has rowed with her husband Doug along coasts and rivers of the world. Though not an experienced paddler, I have explored the sea caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, a bit of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and an even smaller bit of Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs National Park. I have never rowed in the sliding seat boats Jill describes and uses. None of that made reading her book any less intriguing. In fact, I was mesmerized, not only by the technical things she describes, but also by her observations of scenery and people they encountered on these long journeys.

Though our lives have entirely different paths and surroundings, what she wrote about the lessons she learned from the Yukon River resonate with me. I keep relearning these things in my life:

"Keep moving but find places to slow down. Don't go straight at the expense of meandering. Nurture others; accommodate both change and tradition. Savor the element of surprise. Be gracious, accepting, resilient."

As a read-walker, I loved how she accomplishes her two favorite things at once:

"I became so desperate to amuse my parboiled brain that I bungee-corded Wallace Stegner's Angles of Repose to my feet and read while I rowed, not an easy task."

Jill's incorporation of history, geology (she is an avalanche expert), anthropology, culture, and nature in her travels and her thoughtful voice make it a pleasure to row along with her.

Have You Read? #20

2011-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I read a book that brings me so deeply into a character's mind and circumstance that it takes me a long time to resurface. Eugene Yelchin's Breaking Stalin's Nose has done that to me this week. Knowing from reviews how vividly young Sasha's life experience would be portrayed, I began the book hesitantly. Instantly, I was hooked.

"My dad is a hero and a Communist and, more than anything, I want to be like him. I can never be like Comrade Stalin, of course. He's our great Leader and Teacher."

Sasha proceeds to write Comrade Stalin a letter, detailing his commitment to joining the Young Soviet Pioneers and training his vigilant character. Within hours, the young boy's life is in upheaval, yet he maintains the belief that with Comrade Stalin's help, all will be made right, never wavering in his faithfulness to the Communist ideals. The depth of brainwashing and use of propaganda to reinforce twisted ideas and supposed facts is incredible. Without giving away too much of the plot, just know that the plaster bust of Stalin in the elementary school hallway plays into a fateful accident that shapes Sasha's destiny.

In the end he is waiting in a long line in Lubyanka Square, suddenly befriended by an older woman who shares a warm scarf, hopeful and looking toward his future.

Yelchin's stark monochromatic illustrations provide intensity, action, and insight amidst the tension of the text. The stunning dust jacket shows St. Basil's and the Kremlin in the distance with the young boy marching across the icy streets through thick snow. Yelchin's Author's Note ends with these words:

"I set this story in the past, but the main issue in it transcends time and place. To this day, there are places in the world where innocent people face persecution and death for making a choice about what they believe to be right."

Book Connection

2011-12-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

Last week's chapter in Little House in the Big Woods was entitled "Christmas". The second graders loved thinking about the molasses candy Laura and Mary got to pour in squiggles in clean pans of snow, the pictures they made falling flat in the snow, and the stories they listened to their parents tell when the children were supposed to be sleeping. This morning one sweet girl brought her personal copy of the picture book entitled Christmas in the Big Woods to show me how many of the things from the chapter were illustrated there! She was so proud of the connection to her personal book collection. I looked at each page and let her point out the similarities. She will be an excellent book club member soon!

Be a Book Character

2011-12-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

A second grade teacher left her class with me for specialist time saying, "What a bunch of characters!" This teacher faithfully reads aloud to her class and favors the books Emily Jenkins and Paul Zelinsky wrote and illustrated about Stingray, Lumphy (the buffalo), and Plastic, and The Doll People series by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin. One usually quiet boy followed up on the word character, telling the class, "If I could be a book character, I'd be Sleeping Billy from The Meanest Doll in the World." This boy's reason? "That is just the coolest name."

That started a conversation in my head about book characters and who I might like to be...Caddie Woodlawn, perhaps. How about you?

Lighthouse Perspective

2011-12-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

Imagine celebrating Christmas with an almost-empty larder (what a great vocabulary word to promote word consciousness and the use of context clues!) on a rocky island in Penobscot Bay. Add to that the memories of holidays spent on the mainland with family members who played piano and made delicious food.

In Toni Buzzeo's latest book, Lighthouse Christmas, two young siblings, whose father is the lighthouse keeper, spend their first Christmas as a lighthouse family in just that manner. Their hopes were high about going ashore in a dory sent by their aunt. Peter even plans their celebrations in drawings, enticing his big sister Frances to dream about what things could be like. An overturned fishing boat changes their plans, and the lighthouse family spends the holiday with their rescued guest.

The readers in my library loved the ending of this book when the Ledge Light family gets a surprise visit from Santa who drops a package from his plane! They especially liked the author's information about the Flying Santa organization (www.flyingsanta.org).

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

We set off this morning for our favorite tree farm to find that perfect tree for our holiday celebration. This tree farm has been our destination for 19 Christmases now! I love to hang back and watch the boys as they weave in and out among the trees, looking for straight trunks and well-rounded branches. They love walking to the garage/barn with me to greet our friend Bruce who kindly tells them each how they've grown and remembers what they told him last year. They find our family photograph amidst the hundreds of other family photographs on the boards around the woodstove.

As they hung their cherished ornaments on its lit branches tonight, I marveled at the how they each appreciate these traditions. Tomorrow night I will start reading some of our favorite tree and holiday stories during and after dinner:

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

The Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larsen

and, their all-time favorite

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

How do you find just the right tree for you?

Book Angels

2011-12-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Each year the Red Balloon Bookshop offers the community the opportunity to purchase books for children in local shelters - and they match the dollars spent. Our sons like choosing their favorites, hoping another reader will love the books as much as they do. They always pick The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (in hardcover, just like we have it), The Wednesday Wars (one of our all-time favorite books), and Each Peach Pear Plum (which all of us memorized when they were little).

This year my husband's colleagues joined in the experience, and we purchased a whole table of books for kids to read and cherish. We chose books we love to give (The Best Pet of All, Mercy Watson to the Rescue, Because of Winn-Dixie), funny books (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Rrralph, Monkey With a Tool Belt), classic stories (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel), and so many others we love, all the while imagining them being held in another's hands and read again and again.

Snowy Day Influence

2011-12-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

After we read The Snowy Day, we tell the children about the other books Ezra Jack Keats wrote and illustrated that feature Peter. The normally full KEA shelf in the picture book section is down to just a few titles. I love how much impact a read-aloud selection can have on readers' independent book choices.

Our library office door features two snow angels, like those made by Peter, and numerous snowflakes. Some of the flakes were cut by me with a scissors, and some were created by the two of us using the very cool Make-a-Flake website (http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/).

Awake All Night?

2011-12-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of each month, several teachers request booktalks for their classes. Based on genre, the books are read in conjunction with a project the students will do independently. I love to watch the children as I do a brief commercial for each of the 40 or so titles I select. They watch and listen intently. Slowly, they inch closer to the book cart and me, obviously hoping they can just snatch their desired title before anyone else chooses it.

After talking about historical fiction book choices to a group of third graders this afternoon, the teacher commented that they were lucky to hear about so many good books in such a short time. One student asked, "Were you awake all night reading?"

Snowy Day Doors

2011-12-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Snowy Day marks its 50th anniversary in 2012, and we are reading it aloud to students this week. They tell us how much they love this book, oblivious to the controversy originally surrounding the book in 1962. It was the first book to feature a non-white main character. They love the collage artwork, the snowy endpapers, and the expression in Peter's one eye when snow plops on his head.

Around the building, snowy doors are being created. Some are very much like scenes from the book. Some display similar elements but unique interpretations. The one in this photograph seems to have more snowflakes each day, cut by the kindergarten students who learn inside the door.

For more information about the book's anniversary, here is a good blog entry: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/the-snowy-day-celebrates-50-years/

Poring Over Recipes

2011-12-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

In Boston 2 1/2 years ago, I realized a dream I have had for 16+ years: going to Rosie's Bakery. While pregnant with each child, my body slipped into the gestational diabetes mode, and I ate and exercised so carefully to avoid insulin injections and complications. My survival skill was to read recipes of the luscious things I wished I could have been eating. Judy Rosenberg's two cookbooks topped the list. Her humorous introductions (and recipe names) kept me smiling while I wished for the actual treats.

This weekend I have been poring over Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed, Jam-Filled, Butter-Rich, No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book in anticipation of baking numerous things for an upcoming holiday event. Chocolate Babycakes top the list, and I am going to try them this afternoon, just to be certain they will be delightful later this month. I wonder as I read...do others take as much pleasure as me in reading recipes?

A Christmas Memory

2011-12-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railway, lived on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, and the Hill House is now a Minnesota Historical Society site. Our family has enjoyed many Hill House experiences, but tonight might just be my favorite. Two fabulous readers and a musician brought guests back in time to rural Alabama where Sook and Buddy, two friends of like interests, find ways to make money all year (hiding the money in a bead purse under the chamber pot under the floor boards under Sook's bed) in order to make fruitcakes in November.

I love this story. Their interpretation was perfect. Really. Sook's vocal expressions and fitting looks and glances (especially when Mr. Ha Ha Jones comes to the door to sell them whiskey) made me feel like I was standing next to the buggy with her. When she cries after allowing Buddy to drink the remaining whiskey - and getting caught by the adults - I cried, too. My sweet husband found a tissue for me. But when Buddy is taken from her love and friendship and placed in military school, my heart ached for them both. I'm still sniffling.

Chocolate Cake

2011-12-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

A confession: I have eaten chocolate cake for breakfast. I always have something more nutritious with it, of course. But after I bake a chocolate cake, something about it calls to me after my morning walk or run.

Betty Bunny, the main character in our read-aloud this week, loves chocolate cake so much she decides to marry it. Her siblings point out the impossibility of this idea, but Betty Bunny's strong feelings for her cake prevail. When her mom tells her at bedtime that she loves her, Betty Bunny responds with, "I love chocolate cake." She goes to great lengths to extend that love throughout the day, even putting a piece in her pocket before going to school. Imagine that mess at dinnertime.

Betty Bunny's perceptions are a bit skewed beyond chocolate cake. Her mom has told her she is a handful. The children have many good definitions for what it means to be a handful: causing trouble for other people, not behaving well. Betty Bunny, however, think it must be very good to be a handful because she knows her parents love her. She tells her mother affectionately one night, "Mommy, you are a handful."

I giggle inside the whole time I read this book. The kids giggle and groan (especially at the end, which is too funny to write here). Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake was written by Michael Kaplan.

Connecting With My Favorite

2011-11-29T18:28:00.000-08:00

I have been savoring the images in Robert McCloskey: A Private Life in Words and Pictures the past few days. Written by his younger daughter Jane, it is really more a collection of her interpretations and observations of his life and her role as the daughter than it is entirely about my favorite picture book author and illustrator. Still. I keep rereading passages that reveal things I never knew.

"Sometimes my mother sent Sal and me to visit my father at his studio in the boathouse. The studio often had paintings we had never seen before, and sometimes never saw again until after he died. After we looked around for a few minutes, Bob arranged us on the floor with chalk or pencils or paint, and we all settled down to work."

I love that image. I love the descriptions of his friendship with Marc Simont and how they supposedly would eat a pound of spaghetti at a time in college. I love the descriptions of island activities and hazards. Mostly, I love the glimpses into his work, prompting me to revisit my favorite books with new eyes and insights.

Voice in Person

2011-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Kevin Kling's picture book Big Little Brother is a perfect example of how voice can be associated with a person. Hearing him read the book at the Red Balloon Bookshop on Sunday was fantastic. Seated next to illustrator Chris Monroe (who expertly showed the pictures), Kevin's expressive voice illuminated the voice of the words on the pages. Even the years of age difference between his adult self and his child self faded as he read about putting the perfect plastic turkey into the oven at daycare and being tired of his big little brother's constant presence when he just wanted to be alone. Listeners applauded when the little brother came to his rescue, just in time to save that pretend Thanksgiving dinner. I just loved hearing him read his own work, so perfectly complemented by Chris's insightful illustrations.

Just Not the Same

2011-11-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, my maternal grandmother cared for me while my parents were at work. There were things I would eat at her house (like braunschweiger!) that I would never touch at home. It just was not the same.

All of our sons love James Bond, but the eldest reads my dad's collection of Ian Fleming books whenever we visit my parents' home. He read three over the course of the three days! My mom offered to send them home with him, knowing how much he loves them. No, thanks, he told her. It just would not be the same.

In Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Each night before I fall asleep, I record at least five things in my journal for which I am grateful. I used to record only three, but I increased that number as it got easier. So far today I am grateful for color, for the friends who came to run our informal Turkey Trot (and eat my cinnamon rolls), for the freedom to wake up without an alarm clock, and for my family's health. I anticipate being grateful for the familiar drive across Wisconsin, for time with my parents in the afternoon, and for my sons' contented sighs after enjoying their grandma's cooking. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Reading Recommendations

2011-11-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

I love talking about books with people who are passionate about reading. Sometimes I discover books I never expected to like about topics I would never have considered reading if someone else had not loved the book (Ahab's Wife comes to mind). Generally, though, my friends read many of the same things I like to read, and we exchange book titles and topics freely. My dear friend Gloria (who lives in Washington and loves Mt. Rainier National Park just as our family did when visiting her 6 years ago) always sends a book title or two in her letters. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira was her latest recommendation, and I have been engrossed in Mary's story for the past two days. I love it when a book so captures my attention that I have a hard time leaving the setting and characters to participate in real life. So, now that the Thanksgiving baking is finished, I am going back to 1861 and the makeshift hospital where she is caring for soldiers.

Just a Second

2011-11-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

How many times have I uttered these phrases? Just a second or Just a minute. They are poor substitutes for what I really mean, usually I will be there when I finish whatever I am doing now. The older I get, the more careful I am with my speech, and I have tried to eliminate those pat responses.

Steve Jenkins's newest book Just a Second makes me ponder the meaning to even greater lengths. In a second, I learned, woodpeckers can hammer a tree trunk 20 times, and a human can blink 7 times. In a minute, a human heart beats about 70 times while a hamster's heart beats 450 times! In an hour, baby blue whales gain 10 pounds when drinking their mothers' milk. In a day, the worldwide chicken population lays 2,000,000,000 eggs. In a week, moose antlers can grow by 6 inches. Not one to usually memorize facts, I found myself fixated on the incredible statistics in the book.

Of course, his incredible cut-paper illustrations astound me! The crushed aluminum can (with accompanying facts about the landfill accumulation in a month) looks real! The details of eyes, tails, and teeth on the mice offspring (with a horrifying fact about what the worldwide population would be is all the original pair's offspring survived) are amazing. He is noted for his fabulous, fact-filled glossaries, and this book also includes terrific timelines and graphs. Students will love it as a book to peruse alone or to hear read aloud.

A Story-Filled Afternoon

2011-11-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

I waited in anxious anticipation this afternoon at St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater for three chairs on the stage to be occupied by some of my favorite people. The middle chair was for Cathy Wurzer, host of MPR's Morning Edition. The other two were for Chris Van Allsburg and Kate DiCamillo. They chatted about Harris Burdick, that incredibly talented, elusive, mysterious stranger made famous by Mr. Van Allsburg back in 1984. They shared the story of how The Chronicles of Harris Burdick came into being. Kate and Chris each read parts of the stories they contributed to the volume. Kate's epistolary story, told from the perspective of a young girl named Pearlie, accompanies "The Third Floor Bedroom" for which Harris Burdick's caption reads as follows: It all began when someone left the window open. I love that illustration and wrote my own version many years ago. Chris's story, based on the illustration for "Oscar and Alphonse", introduces readers to a little-known scientific theory called "The Farkas Conjecture" and provides quite an entertaining view of just how those caterpillars in her hand could spell. They followed the reading with more stories about their stories, giving me lots of things to share with the students when we return from Thanksgiving break.

Snow Queen & Breadcrumbs

2011-11-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Science fiction and fantasy are my least favorite genres. Whenever teachers request for a booktalk featuring the genre or when students ask for recommendations, I refer to those I have read and rely on reviews. That said, I eagerly read Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs. The beautiful cover art (by Erin McGuire) pulled me in, much as the main character Hazel is pulled into the woods (and the Snow Queen's palace) to rescue her long-time friend Jack.

I love the relationship Hazel and Jack shared through much of their childhood: playing imaginatively as only uninhibited young people can do, creating worlds and scenarios wholeheartedly. Jack even puts aside his guy friends to play with Hazel (a true loner) during recess sometimes. Yet one day in the snow, he is stricken by something in his eye (and, unbeknownst to Hazel and other, his heart). He changes, disregarding her and others, suddenly disappearing one day when he should have been sledding.

If the story sounds a bit like one familiar, it is because the author shaped her modern day version after Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale (which I read again as soon as I finished Breadcrumbs). I love the way the Hazel and Jack's story that of Gerda and Kai (in some versions Kay), yet the Minneapolis setting makes everything seem real for this Twin Cities resident.

Children at the book festival this week asked for my recommendations, and by the close of sales, there were no copies of Breadcrumbs remaining. I eagerly await their thoughts.

As Creative As a Paintbrush

2011-11-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Second graders have been writing similes to describe friends or family members in preparation for their portrait project. The art teacher and I collaborated to teach them about famous portraits and self-portraits, deciding finally that they could not bring in all the object they would need to adorn their paintings (as did Hanoch Piven in My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks). So, I taught them the necessary skill of clicking (right-clicking, to be exact) on an image to copy it and then pasting it into a Word document. They will cut out their objects and add them to the paintings.

They love my example (which looks like a second-grader's piece of art) about my teaching partner who is

as smart as a dictionary full of words (hair)

as flexible as a macaroni noodle (eyebrows)

as sweet as chocolate chip cookies (eyes)

as happy as a clam (nose)

as creative as a paintbrush (mouth)

Next I'll work on my principal's portrait!

To the Dogs

2011-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Last night at the book festival, Micki and Morgan (and their owners) were on hand to provide listening ears to young readers. Called Paws to Read at our public library, the program allows a safe opportunity to read aloud to a non-judgmental listeners: dogs. Watching the readers select one of the many dog-related books from the library and settling in next to the dogs was delightful. The dogs hardly had a break during their hour of volunteer time! Readers kept lining up for a turn, some coming back three or four times to read. Micki and Morgan enjoyed Laura Numeroff's new book If You Give a Dog a Donut, Sit, Truman! by Dan Harper, Arthur's New Puppy by Marc Brown, Maya Gottfried's Good Dog, and many other titles.

p.s. This kind listener, my brother's dog Sam, is no longer with us, but gosh, was he a good dog!

Finding a Voice

2011-11-15T18:39:00.001-08:00

Two third graders pushed the cozy chairs leg-to-leg this morning, silently reading in close proximity. I had just finished reading aloud Jon Scieszka's The Frog Prince Continued, and I asked if their teacher had talked about voice. A thoughtful young man was certain he knew. "It's how when you read something, you know who wrote it." Wow. That is the perfect definition. Hearing the author's voice in the narration and the Frog Prince's words solidified their understanding of the concept.

Author's Chair

2011-11-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

Each time an author or illustrator visits the Red Balloon Bookshop, the talented person leaves a drawing or inscription on a chair. I have no idea what the bookshop does with these pieces of collaborative art, but I think they should be auctioned off to school libraries. I can only imagine the thrill it would give a young, would-be author or illustrator to sit in such a chair. Young people could share their own words and artwork, inspired by the words and art adorning the chair and by the beloved authors and illustrators who enhanced its appearance. I must ask about this idea sometime.

Bringing an Author Home for Dinner

2011-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

My boys enjoyed the dinnertime conversation on Friday evening immensely as Chris Monroe came home with me for the meal. She had just finished signing many copies of her books at the book festival, sharing her career path with Family Reading Night attendees, and teaching the participants how to draw Chico Bon Bon. Number three son was pleased to get signed copies of her newest books, Monkey With a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans and Big Little Brother (written by Kevin Kling). Do they all realize how lucky they are to have interesting guests sitting at the table and sharing stories? I think so.

In a Dog Suit

2011-11-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

Stephen Shashkan appeared in a dog suit for his first-ever bookstore event this morning! The bookshop was so filled with children and their parents that I viewed the festivities from above in the Red Balloon's loft. Stephen read aloud from his playful book A Dog is a Dog, and the audience tried to fill in the correct rhyming animal when appropriate. His ingenious text tells of the dog's qualities - until the dog costume is unzipped, revealing a cat underneath. The same thing happens with the cat's characteristics - until its costume is shed to feature a purplish squid. The moose easily slips off the squid guise, and the text takes the reader back to the beginning with these lines:

A moose is a moose, in the clear...or the fog.

A moose is a moose, unless it's a...dog!

His bold and large illustrations are the perfect companions for the text. Readers at the bookshop loved it, and the readers to whom I am giving this book will undoubtedly agree.

Bring Home the Bacon

2011-11-10T18:56:00.000-08:00

Some things occur several times within in a week and make me wonder about their appearance. This week it was the phrase "bring home the bacon". One of my colleagues told us about her husband's retirement and noted that she is now the one who has to bring home the bacon. Immediately, two of us began singing the Enjoli perfume commercial from 1980. A much younger colleague (who was not even born in 1980) thought so much of the singing that she needed to look for the video on YouTube! We all laughed about that ridiculous advertisement.

Today, though, the phrase came up in Little House in the Big Woods when Pa is telling Laura and Mary about how he came upon a bear in the woods ready to feast on a dead pig. One usually quiet boy's hand shot up, and he exclaimed, "That has two meanings, you know." He proceeded to tell his classmates and me that one meaning is the paycheck or money a person brings home, and the other meaning is when someone really does buy bacon meat to bring home. They looked at him in amazement! I did, too, knowing everyone would remember the two meanings and go home to tell their families.

Ready for Visitors

2011-11-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

The book boxes arrived this morning, all labeled by genre and age level. Book posters adorned the walls. Brightly covered tables waited for the books. Volunteers unpacked books, stacking and displaying them to attract readers. Items were moved from one place to another, anticipating readers' interests. The doors open tomorrow morning for our second independent book festival, putting sought-after books in readers' hands. We look forward to seeing if our sales predictions were correct!

Chair Readers

2011-11-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

For the past six school years, I have cringed at the sound of wood scraping against tile as children rushed to the reading alcove in hopes of getting one of the four coveted chairs that were set alongside the carpet. Inevitably, two bodies claimed to have been first, and the chaotic chatter about who should get the chairs took up too much time.

In August, we decided to move those four chairs to secluded spots in the library, and the result has been amazing. Obviously, arguments have ceased in the reading alcove as everybody sits on the carpet. Most pleasing, though, are the glimpses of readers, curled up in those chairs, completely absorbed in books. Oblivious to the book searching around them, they read, not even noticing the librarian with the camera who wants to capture the moment.

Surprising Discovery

2011-11-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Watson discovered a pink polka-dot balloon in the woods on Saturday and was baffled by its slight movements. He edged closer and closer, finally comfortable enough to nudge it with his nose. The unexpected discovery prompted understanding.

Today during library time the fourth graders were engrossed in the versions of The Frog Prince I read aloud. The retellings of the Grimm version each ended similarly, surprising the listeners (and the teacher) who thought the frog became a prince when he was kissed by the princess. Not so. Nothing so tender brought about his transformation! The distressed princess threw the frog against the wall, and he suddenly became the handsome prince. Amazing, isn't it? All those readers thought it happened a different way. Next week they will enjoy Jon Scieszka's alternate version, prompting more surprises.

Have You Read? #19

2011-11-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wait for a favorite author's next book to be released? I do. Sometimes I wish for the next title just after finishing the newest. So it is with Naomi Shihab Nye's books. This week I was lucky enough to borrow her latest - There is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories - via interlibrary loan. Note the subtitle. This is not another collection of her incredible, insightful poems. In the introduction, she tells of the requests for short stories she had not written - yet. Slowly, she wrote some and some more, thanking the things in her life that helped her form them.

Thank you, everything we remember. Distance between thought and action. Distance betwen suggestion, intention, reality.

And then come the stories. There were those that surprised me, just as they surprised the characters (like "Stay True Hotel" in which a young girl learns things about her deceased mother and hence her father and herself). Some made me smile despite sadness (like "Thud" in which a girl loses her grandfather but strangely meets a boy she always imagined in her mind). Some made me wonder about the people and relationships in my life (like "Downhill" in which a girl learns something incredible about her grandmother and odd uncle, explaining everything about how her grandma and dad get along). Some made me sad, of course, and then I had to read another to wash away that sadness and grasp contentment again. Mostly, I have loved reading them bit by bit this week. I do not want to return the book.

Swirl of a Day

2011-11-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

When people tell me to slow down, to be sure not to do too much, to take some time for myself, I assure them I do. Today I enjoyed three hours with my buddy Joyce and her dog Watson. We hiked through the woods around her house, talking about swirls in cinnamon rolls, shells, pumpkin tendrils, leaf stems, squirrels' tails, and more. We imagined what children would like to learn about swirls when she talks to a group. Leaves crunched under our hiking boots. Ripples spread in Bufflehead Pond when we dropped leaves into it. After lunch, I took home signed copies of Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, Joyce's latest book, illustrated by Beth Krommes.

I love this book for its flowing words as well as the incredible artwork. Each stanza of the text begins by telling what a spiral is: a snuggling shape, a growing shape, a strong shape, a clever shape. Spirals explore the world, hold on to other things, move, twist and stretch. Even the copyright/dedication information is in a spiral! Readers will love looking closely at the illustrations, finding the creatures nestled in spirals underground, identifying the plants, insects, and sea creatures , and imagining the spirals they have witnessed in their worlds. Joyce's fabulous glossary (with Beth's tiny illustrations) provides even more wonderful information about each thing. I keep holding my copy and rereading it this evening, remembering the swirls of the day.

Practicing Restraint

2011-11-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

At this afternoon's meeting regarding the upcoming fall book festival, I could not help but look around the bookshop at all the new books. By new, I mean those that were not there last week when I visited. I held one long-awaited book in my hands. I read it, savoring the onomatopoeic text and wonderful artwork. I laughed as the animal characters held on to each other's fur and quills as they zoomed down the hill. I wondered along with the human boy who noticed the bear tracks in the snow outside his cabin. I hoped, along with him, to see the animals from his window, borrowing the red sled for another ride down the hill. I love Lita Judge's newest book Red Sled, but I practiced restraint today. No doubt I will look at it again next week and take it home for my shelf.

p.s. This bear track was found near Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park at the end of July of 2011!

Reading Prompts Knitting

2011-11-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

I knit often. Not quite daily, but I usually pick up a project a few times a week. Knitting gets me through long meetings, band concerts (though I once dropped the yarn ball and it rolled to the front of the high school auditorium), and car rides. Thanks to my grandma, I have been knitting since I was 16, and many warm things have come from my needles.

Knowing how much I love knitting, my friend Debra got me the best book: A Knitter's Home Companion by Michelle Edwards. To make the book last, I read just a bit each night, and instead of feeling sleepy, I feel like buying more yarn and starting new projects! Michelle writes about knitting, shares favorite books in which knitting is part of the story, ,gives recipes for favorite foods, and provides patterns for a blanket, mittens, socks, a purse, and several other unique things (like a chicken egg warmer). Generally, the book lives up to its subtitle: A Heartwarming Collection of Stories, Patterns, and Recipes.

On another note...I finally like the eyes I gave my doll, so she and the brown, nubby rabbit are off to Brattcat's house this weekend for shipping to Bon Samaritan in Haiti to be loved by children.

Abandoning a Book

2011-11-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

I absolutely hate having to do what I did today: abandon a read-aloud selection. In discussions about the Common Core Standards and the importance of challenging readers with texts, I attempted to read J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan to the second graders. After two chapters, there were far too many breaks in the reading to check understanding. Despite their attempts to stay connected, their attention strayed to things out the window, others passing through the library, or the box elder bugs that somehow fly around the room each autumn.

So, I put Peter Pan back on the shelf and picked up a tried and true selection: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Their questions were many.

Did they have stairs to get up in the attic?

Do people still have trundle beds?

Why did they store their food in the attic?

How could Pa retrieve his gun if it was on the wall above the door?

How did Pa get the nails in the hollowed up log for smoking the meat?

Why could Pa use a net to catch fish? Did he need a license?

We had to stop just before the butchering of the pig (sounds of slaughter came from some of the boys), and they begged for more. Now I feel better about my selection.

Halloween Treats

2011-10-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Halloween, not for the gruesome, scary side of it but for the simple pleasure of pretending to be something or someone else. At school, I love watching the children parade through the library in their costumes...some wanting to remain in character and some peeking through their masks to grin at me.

The day has been filled with treats: reading aloud One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street to third graders, reading aloud the second chapter of Peter Pan to second graders, helping students find books, savoring several chocolates. At the end of the day a student and his mom brought me a treat: the most delicious chocolate cookies I could imagine (and which I now want to figure out how to make myself). When I returned home, I walked a Halloween treat down the street to my young friends Conrad and Bettina, and then I had the pleasure of reading aloud The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories to that dinosaur and Tinkerbell. And now, as I write, I must pause for the doorbell every few minutes. Play-Doh has been the favorite thing from my treat bowl!

Breakfast Table Reading

2011-10-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

Without a monthly issue, I have not tracked exactly when it arrives. The arrival of the King Arthur Flour Baking Catalogue always causes a giddiness and excitement in my day. I allow myself only to look at the front and back cover at first, savoring the entire thing while I eat breakfast the next morning. I even pull it out of my baking cupboard a few times each month, just to reread recipes or look at products I might like to try.

It was a King Arthur day in my kitchen. I used their bread and whole wheat flours, vital wheat gluten, and instant yeast in wild rice bread (our weekly bread). The pumpkin and cat cut-out cookies were flavored by Nielsen-Massey vanilla. The gem of the day, though, was the pan of spiderweb brownies. The recipe came from last year's catalogue, and the brownies look almost like the picture! They will make a perfect dessert tomorrow night.

Along the Way

2011-10-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Along the way to becoming a librarian, I have been influenced by many amazing women. The past few days at the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) convention several of those lovely ladies have crossed my path. Though I attended some terrific sessions and look forward to trying new things when I return to school on Monday, I think I most valued my chance meetings with the people who have shaped my career path.

The presenter at a session about improving school library websites (and making them more interactive and more determined by student work) was my favorite collection development professor from UW-Whitewater. The quiet, determined librarian who oversaw my middle school student teaching experience talked with me about our current situations and our families. A friend from way back in our middle school English teaching days (who also became an elementary librarian) talked about the realities of day-to-day experiences and the things we wish we could do better with students. They have each shined brightly in my life.

Cookies Shared

2011-10-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today two of my friends celebrated their birthdays, and all of us were together at lunch for cake and tea. One brought lovely, decorated cookies for each of us in attendance. My family enjoyed bits and pieces of this after dinner. The other received 51 chocolate chip cookies in honor of his 51 years.

While the others finished cake, tea, and their chatting, I read aloud "Butterball" to the third graders in the reading alcove. The birthday boy came to join us at the end, and he told the children about his gift of 51 cookies. What do you think I should do with them? he asked. Responses ranged from sharing the cookies with them to sharing the cookies with teachers to putting them in his freezer. Most creative of all was the idea of writing a story about how they were eaten. I can envision about book like that...almost a map of the character's days until the last crumb has been enjoyed.

But You Have to Read It

2011-10-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Third graders clustered around my rocking chair on this autumn afternoon for Lise Lunge-Larsen's version of the Norwegian folktale "Butterball" from her book The Troll With No Heart in His Body. They groaned each time the round, sweet-loving boy popped from his hiding spot saying, "Pip! Pip! Here I am!" to the troll hag who carries her head under her left arm pit. They really groaned when he got smart enough to shove the troll hag's daughter into the cooking pot. Then they wanted to know what we were going to read next week.

I choose my read-aloud selections carefully, and I had been contemplating two of them: Joanne Rocklin's One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street and Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio. One students asked when I would be reading Because of Winn-Dixie. I asked how many students had read it already and was shocked to see only three hands raise. Actually, I was not going to read it aloud this year. What? But you have to read it, she told me. It is one of my favorite books to read aloud (though I always cry several times). Children love it. I told her I would think about it. Before she left class, she came back to me and repeated, But you have to read it.

Just Kids

2011-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I witnessed the marriage of two people I adore: a young man who has taught my sons to play their saxophones and trumpet well and a young woman who was a teacher in my building. Their relationship is my first successful attempt at matchmaking (a year ago already). Watching them fall in love has been a delight. Seeing them speak their vows confidently on this autumn day was a pleasure. I think about my own wedding 23 years ago and wonder about readiness for marriage. We were "just kids" at ages 21 and 22. These two are a bit older but still just kids.

My thoughts are influenced, no doubt, by what I am reading today: Patti Smith's Just Kids, in which she candidly writes of her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. They were just kids, but living in New York City in the 1960s presented opportunities for discovery, artistic expression, and self-exploration like nothing I can imagine. Her life is such a stark contrast to that of my parents (who are the same age and married at young ages, also just kids), but she tells everything in such a matter-of-fact manner, causing me to be engrossed in her personal story. From those experiences, she became the artist, writer, and musician with whom many are familiar. Her memoir is worth reading for perspective and introspection.

Recipe Book

2011-10-22T14:46:00.001-07:00

Though my thoughts about religion keep evolving, Father Tim of Mitford fame always brings me comfort. The life experiences described by author Jan Karon in the Mitford books have become so dear to me that I feel like those folks are people I know. Wisely, the author chose to publish recipes made by characters in the books (even Esther Bolick's famous orange marmalade cake). Each is set alongside the text from which readers learn of the recipe.

It is Father Tim's housekeeper, Puny Bradshaw, who most amazes me with her cooking skills in the novels, and Puny's Macaroni and Cheese has become a bi-weekly menu item in our house. Last night I made it with a pasta we had never seen: trottole. The curly noodles looked so lovely coated in white cheddar sauce and topped with buttered breadcrumbs...they even tasted better than elbow noodles! For this and other recipes from Mitford's fictitious cooks, check out Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader.

Wrapping Up the Words

2011-10-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

On a cherished day off from school, I wrapped the books I have purchased during the year as gifts for my nieces, nephew, neighborhood children, and friends (while watching a movie and stopping to do household errands). It looks like I need to stop supporting the bookshop and focus more on the college funds! But the people getting these books will love them, I know. They are so good that they must be shared! When I imagine the readers turning the pages and taking in the words and artwork, I smile, knowing my well-intended gifts will bring hours of reading pleasure.

Going Home

2011-10-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

It seems strange to me sometimes that 26 years after leaving my hometown, I still tell others I am going home when I visit there. My home is the home in which I live, but that home in my heart is the home in which I was raised. It looks a bit different now...an enclosed porch, my dad's inflatables in the front yard on holidays. But it is still home.

Upstairs in that childhood home are shelves of books that I love for various reasons: the Tom & Jerry Golden Book my youngest son loved listening to as much I as did, the Ian Fleming books my oldest son reads and rereads each time he is there, the copy of Jane Eyre I first read, the picture book Too Much Noise I got from a book club order (and which is read often as a pattern book now at my school). I love to stand in front of those shelves and remember.

Searching the Catalog

2011-10-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, second and third graders in information literacy classes love searching the online library catalog for books. Even the more restless students listen carefully when we talk about ways to look for the titles, authors, subjects, and series they want. They love the idea that a keyword search of just two words brings up the book title they were hoping to find. They challenge themselves to locate books with the fewest search terms...and then beg me for free time the next class session so they can search the online catalog some more. It is like a puzzle game for them, and the relevance to real-world experiences is enormous.

Wonderstruck Again

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Listening to Brian Selznick read from the first pages of Wonderstruck last night (and watching the ASL interpreter sign Brian's words), I was wonderstruck again by the amazing book he created. He spoke about wanting the reader's brain to be quiet during the stretches of illustrations, to stop that inner voice that readers bring to the text. Certainly the auditorium filled with people was silent. Like me, everyone was amazed by the images and touched by the words.

I always love to know the stories behind a story (or in the case of Wonderstruck, that would be three stories: the story in words, the story in illustrations, and the story the combination of the two make). Brian provided so many details to help me understand his working process. He begins by writing a basic outline in present tense. Then he works on only the words (which he says are the most difficult for him). Then he works on only the illustrations (first creating sketches -1/4 the size of the trim size, then thumbnails, then tiny dummies of each of those thumbnails in each illustration sequence). He was able to walk (wearing special booties) in the NYC model in the Queens Museum of Art to take photographs from which to draw it. He located photographs from 1927 of the American Museum of Natural History and drew illustrations to correspond to those. I left the auditorium mesmerized - and dreamed about the wolves on Gunflint Lake during the night.

Story-Filled Day

2011-10-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Our family and friends were immersed in stories yesterday. From the morning family story hour with David LaRochelle at the public library (hosted by my mom and me) to shared stories of Turkish and American engagements and marriages to an afternoon of stories in my mom and dad's foyer, the day overflowed with words, images, sounds (and intense silence as the audiences watched David draw), tastes (like sundaes and toppings from our favorite hometown ice cream shop for all the guests), and scents. David capped off the afternoon by drawing special pictures for my nieces of nephews of themselves doing things they love. It was a magical day.

Sidewalk Art

2011-10-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

On my morning walk around my hometown, I remembered how much I loved the sidewalk art created by the leaves printed on the concrete after they have been wet. With only asphalt on the paths around my own home, we miss out on this art! All the sights and scents of the places I have known all my life flooded my senses: the smoky air around the bowling alley, the rubbery/metallic scent by the hardware store, the damp earthy smell of autumn.

In Season to Taste, Molly Birnbaum shares her rediscovery of scents after losing her sense of smell in an accident. Once on the path to being a chef, her world becomes void of the scents that so defined her life. Filled with scientific explanations and interviews, the text engrossed me as I tried to understand the things she was experiencing. The description of her slow acquisition of smell has heightened my own appreciation for the scents that comprise the important and ordinary things in my life.

Sharing Stories

2011-10-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

My friend from Turkey is visiting our country for six weeks, and I so enjoy all the things we do together. Though she dislikes cooking, she said she would teach me to make something during this visit. That thing was Turkish coffee, and she also brought the most lovely coffee set for us to use when she departs.

Last night after dinner, she showed me the steps in the preparation process, and tonight I will try them myself. It is traditional, she said, for the people waiting for the coffee to converse, often forgetting the coffee until it boils over! We laughed that there is an expression like "a watched pot never boils" in her country also.

From this one cultural lesson, I learned never to hand a scissors (or knife) to another person (when she was opening the coffee); instead, the sharp item should be set on the counter for the other to pick up. Handing it off foretells an argument. I learned how the prospective groom's family comes to the prospective bride's family so that parents can discuss the engagement, all of which is done over a serving of Turkish coffee prepared by the young woman (who slips salt into her beloved's coffee instead of sugar). I learned that if there was not a dessert prepared, her family would enjoy fruit after dinner with their tea (or coffee). I savored again how much I appreciate learning about another person's world.

One and a Half Shelves

2011-10-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

My teenage niece wanted to talk with me tonight. I had called to speak with her mom, but the sweet girl engaged in a long conversation with me about books. Her birthday was last week, and she always gets books from me. From her parents this year, she got to move her room to the basement and paint it the colors she likes. I had to move all my books, she told me, so I counted them. Apparently there are more than 200! Yours take up a shelf and a half, she continued. Those were my favorite words of the day.

One Amazing Thing on One Amazing Morning

2011-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Autumn weather is generally crisp, brisk, and tinted with unique scents. This amazing morning was sunny, exceptionally warm, and unbelievably colorful. Intending to read-walk with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's One Amazing Thing, I found myself unable to focus on the story! The scenery was too bright. I walked back home, deposited the book on the counter, and went out again with my camera. I felt like Frederick (the mouse made famous by Leo Lionni), savoring images that will bring warmth in the winter.

Now I am back to the book, and I must stay awake until I finish it tonight. It is the story of nine people who are literally thrown together in the Indian consulate when an earthquake strikes. When their situation seems most dire, Uma, the story's narrator, declares they should each share a story about one amazing thing that has happened in their lives. Despite the initial protests, each person reveals a story that causes the others to consider him or her in a totally new light. From the Chinese grandmother whom everyone assumed could not speak English to the upper-class husband whose unlikely past sobers even his wife, their stories are filled with joy, light, angst, and perspective.

Those Beautiful Books

2011-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

First grade teachers have been guiding children to discover details in illustrations, photographs, and text. Each chooses different types of books to model for the students what they need to learn. One teacher checked out I Spy book, Where's Waldo? books, and Walter Wick's Can You See What I See? books. Another asked for books that led readers to see details and books for which the illustrations were essential for understanding the text. We provided some of each, and the first graders loved them all. After storytime yesterday, one girl asked me for "one of those beautiful books." I knew exactly what she meant because I think they are beautiful as well. Frank Serafini's Looking Closely series features the telephoto version of an image on the right-hand side of the page, and when the page is turned, the wider version of the image is revealed. Readers can look closely at the desert, a pond, the forest, the seashore, a garden, and the rain forest. It was Looking Closely in the Rain Forest she most wanted, and she left, smiling, with her beautiful book.

Those Darn Squirrels

2011-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

From a distance, they look like the fluorescent yellow-green tennis balls. Up close, the black walnut spheres are pocked and marred. The neighborhood squirrels horde them, storing them in our hockey net, the landscaping rocks, along the house. They had five lined up in the gutter when I came home from work. Imagining their adventures in retrieving them and hiding them is as rewarding as actually watching them try to get to the precious nutmeat!

Old Man Fookwire in Adam Rubin's Those Darn Squirrels would not enjoy watching my neighborhood squirrels. In fact, he only wants to protect his bird feeders from the crafty creatures. The first and second graders love this book. They point and giggle, whisper and chant. They laugh at the full-bellied squirrels resting on tree branches. When Old Man Fookwire thinks his favorite birds have returned early from migration, they say, "Those aren't birds. They're squirrels." They glance occasionally at the squirrel puppet on my right hand that nods, points, cheers, and shows them details in the artwork. After Old Man Fookwire lifts his fist at the end and says, "Those darn squirrels!" in a friendlier manner, the children ask if they can have the book.

Mile Long Letters

2011-10-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

David LaRochelle mesmerized the audience at Family Reading Night last evening. It began with his reading of the brief first letter from Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary, David's favorite chapter book. He proceeded to tell about the letters he has received and written over the years:

an itsy bitsy letter from a friend in college

a gigantic letter on newsprint in return to that friend

an extra long letter formed by taping together the cut-up lines of a regular letter

letters on leaves

the letter he sent me in a plastic bottle last week

messages written on huge sheets of cardboard and then cut into postcard sizes to mail separately, forming a large puzzle

letters on creatively constructed stationery, using a copy machine to reproduce things like leaves

a letter from his sister when she went to summer camp

a letter from his mom when he was in college

letters written in code (backwards, upside down)

letters folded into their own envelopes (which he taught everyone to do, including all the adults)

The way he decorates his envelopes inspired guests to try their own! Inspired describes each child and adult in attendance. There were gasps for each new thing David showed and shared. They gladly grabbed large newsprint sheets, postcards, ready-made turtle stationery, and envelopes to begin writing letters at home.

The thank you letter my teaching partner and I sent him today is one of my favorite creations. I'm ready to write a mile-long letter to my nephew.

Pen Names

2011-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

The third graders are listening to the last chapters of The SOS File this week. They laugh hysterically when "Pumpkin Man" (who has been stung by yellow jackets and has an incredibly swollen and red face) bursts from the girls' bathroom stall, scaring the female inhabitants. They sigh in understanding when the author of "Held Back" is revealed to be their teacher. But it is the story of "White Lightning" that draws the most commentary. The story's author is Ima Writer, and she explains to her teacher that she is really Brianna Thompson and is using a pen name. The children love to discuss this. We talk about Lemony Snicket, Carolyn Keene, and somebody named Ima Reader (whose name appeared in their readers' notebooks. As the story progresses, Ima Writer confesses that her horse is not really named White Lightning (which really would be a stretch, given the horse's slow manners and movements); his name is Bob. One astute listener noted, "The horse has a pen name, too!"

Fall Reading

2011-10-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Though I glanced up frequently to enjoy the incredible autumn colors on the route to Duluth for a cross country meet today, my thoughts were in France, living and reliving Marshall Stone's experiences as an airman who was hidden by various brave souls during World War II in Bobbie Ann Mason's The Girl in the Blue Beret. He is a fictional character whose experiences are based loosely on her father-in-law's real experiences. Once again, I am dismayed at what I did not know about history and am grateful for the author's care in telling this intriguing story.

Blackout Response

2011-09-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

We are reading aloud John Rocco's Blackout to the classes this week during library time. Both my teaching partner and I love this book, and the children are mesmerized by the incredible artwork and by the idea of a blackout. The light emanating from just the flashlight and candle create an intense brightness in the apartment, on the rooftop, and in the street. Because the text is intentionally sparse, the illustrations must be read. It is a skill most children learn when they are very young, but when they become readers of text, they often adopt the attitude that reading pictures is for the younger students. This book draws observant minds into the illustrations. Many notice how the rooftop scene looks similar to Van Gogh's Starry Night. All notice how the main character decides to flip the light switch to the off position after the power is restored, just to take back the lack of busyness the blackout established for a brief time.

Far from black, the sunny Dale Chihuly creation hanging in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts lobby seemed the best accompaniment to Blackout.

The Most Wonderful Storyteller in the World

2011-09-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

The most wonderful storyteller in the world, my sweet friend and talented librarian Kim, shared the most amazing stories with children and parents at Family Reading Night. She began with Helme Heine's The Most Wonderful Egg in the World, in which three chickens vie for the prize of being a princess and living in the palace with the queen. Her incredible props and the bawk-bawking of each chicken enchanted the listeners, and they were eager to hear Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. She finished the night with her version of Debra Frasier's fabulously crafted book A Birthday Cake is No Ordinary Cake, complete with a large cake (baked in the sun!) that children wanted to cut and serve. Having Debra there to introduce it was the icing!

The thought process involved in transforming a picture book into an oral story is so detailed, and Kim has the added gift of being able to create and form all her own props. The children were intrigued by that as well and asked how things were made. One girl in front of me was swinging her legs, saying, "I just love stories!"

Generally shy person that I am, I stretched myself to join in as the queen and George. It was a wonderful night

Reading the End First

2011-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Many times, I need to read the end of a book first. I generally am not scared of what will happen. I do not feel anxious about the potential outcome. Actually, I read a few chapters of a book before flipping to the last pages. My reason for reading the end instead of going from start to finish stems from my desire to see the entire plot ahead of me. If it is a heart-warming book, I see that what is coming supports what I was thinking. If the book is troubling, I am able to reconcile some of the events into my mind. If there are historical notes or an extensive author's note, I learn the context of the content or plot before working through it.

I found myself reading only the author's notes today in Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden. After the author found letters written by her grandmother, she learned of the extraordinary excursion the elder Dorothy and her childhood friend Rosamund made across the country to the wilds of Colorado in 1916. The two friends agreed to teach the children in the tiny settlement of Elkhead at the request of a local attorney named Farrington Carpenter. Intrepid though they were, the ladies certainly could not have been prepared for the circumstances they met. This time, I am going to wait till the end of the book to learn the end of their story.

A Visitor for Bear

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about my favorite bookshop is meeting authors and illustrators there. This morning my mom and I (and extended family members) listened to Bonny Becker read her latest book, The Sniffles for Bear, and her first bear and mouse book, A Visitor for Bear, to guests at the Red Balloon. I love these books! Two unlikely creatures come together despite their very different personalities and preferences, slowly learning to know each other.

We bought copies for her to sign, of course, and asked questions about her writing and experiences. The books are delightfully illustrated by Kady McDonald Denton, and Bonny's favorite image in the Sniffles book was mine as well: a very sick and tired bear leaning over the banister as the tiny, bright-eyed mouse attempts to pull him up to bed.

We spent the rest of the morning there recommending books to our cousins and left with my alphabet bag heavier than it was last weekend!

Miracle on Main Street

2011-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today I read what I find to be the saddest story in The SOS File: Miracle on Main Street, told by a fictional girl named Joy. The beginning is so tragic that I dreaded having the children hear it. Their eyes widened in horror as I read Joy's words about her first day of life, spent in a dumpster outside a motel. I could feel them holding their collective breaths as I read about the delivery driver who thought he heard a kitten mewing in that dumpster - and got out of his truck to rescue it, only to find the baby. I cried, of course, as I read it aloud.

The story is uplifting after that. Joy keeps a scrapbook of her life history, and she has the newspaper clipping of the man standing by the dumpster. When her curiosity leads her to the newspaper office to see if the embroidery on his jumpsuit reveals his name, she begins a quest to find him, the man who saved her life. Her parents support her, holding her hand when she needs it, letting her ask the questions when they come to company owners. Ultimately, they pull up to his house (he's now retired), and the two embrace as if they had known each other all their lives - which for Joy, at least, is true.

The children offered all sorts of reasons why they thought someone would leave a baby in a dumpster. Before we moved on to "Shark Attack", one sweet girl offered this: "I cried, too."

Wonderstruck

2011-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

So many things today caused me to wonder. Every time I walk by my neighbor's pear tree, I marvel that there is one in my neighborhood. The children listening to Lady Lollipop (by Dick King-Smith) had fabulous insights about how Johnny Skinner not only trained the pig but also trained the princess - and made her think differently. One boy perfectly explained the phrase "between a rock and a hard place." The children listening to The SOS File knew so much about Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. The first graders listening to Three by the Sea (by Mini Grey) noticed how the three friends cooperated to fly their kite, all their differences behind them, on the story's last page.

It was the fourth graders' fascination with Wonderstruck (by Brian Selznick) that warmed my literary heart most. One had heard about it because he attended Books & Blondies with his mom this morning. His teacher was the lucky first person to check it out, and I brought it with me to the classroom for inquiry learning. She enthusiastically shared the content with the students, held up The Invention of Hugo Cabret for them to see, and fielded questions. One person asked if she would read it aloud. She looked to me for guidance. "I'm not sure it would work well as a read-aloud selection," I told the students. So much of the story is told through the artwork, and it just would not be the same to see those images through the document camera. They begged to see just a bit. As the image of wolves became clear, the room became silent - and remained that way while I showed those few pages. I could not resist telling them more about Ben Fisher's story and then shared how the other character's story was told through illustrations only (until the end of the book). They were mesmerized by the images. Wonderstruck, even. They want this book.