Me and My Teaching Partner

When I finish a really good book, I want to tell somebody. During the school year, that somebody resides across the tiled squares of our small shared office in daylight hours. Inevitably on Mondays, we arrive with books in our bags, titles we have read over the weekend and need to share with each other. She had one this morning that did not live up to her expectations nor the reviews she had read. I brought in one similar to that. But I also shared a fantastic short novel by Janet S. Wong: Me and Rolly Maloo.

A school story with a plausible troubling issue, the book draws in readers with the speech bubbles of characters who contemplate each other on the opening pages of the part graphic novel/part traditional novel. In short, Rolly Maloo and her friend Patty Parker want their smart classmate, Jenna Lee, to help them with math...and then proceed to ask her for answers on a district math test. Rumors and lies abound until Mrs. Pie, their wise teacher, helps the truth rise out of the mire. The method of revelation and the subsequent characters' thoughts play out perfectly in the author's carefully planned narration.

Being able to talk about books and our reactions to them is one of the many blessings of having two librarians who serve a large school population. Though we do not always have the same reactions to and impressions of books, our shared comments provide depth to our collection development, as well as authentic book discussions like we want our students to experience.

Interestingly, she talked with a fifth grade teacher last week who wanted to share books with students to demonstrate that people of all ages, social groups, and cultural backgrounds have voices in literature. Me and Rolly Maloo is a perfect example. Each of the schoolchildren is of a different ethnic group, yet that is not the focus of the controversy. Their voices ring true to their situations.

I am hoping my cherished library lady/teacher partner has time to read this book after tonight's PTA meeting so we can exchange ideas in the morning.

The Refrigerator Door

It used to be our refrigerator door was almost impossible to view underneath layers of the boys' artwork and photographs. This memory was invoked when I glimpsed the back of Bridget's Beret by Tom Lichtenheld, one of my five favorites for the CLN event. Bridget's father is standing before the chilly gallery holding a milk carton, and he says, "Honey, have you seen the fridge? I can't find it!" We could always find the fridge, but some creations inevitably fell from the display when the door was opened or when a dump truck or Hot Wheels driver passed too closely.

Bridget is a lucky girl. Her family hangs many of her works on permanent exhibit. They provide her with numerous art supplies, including "a big black beret. The kind of hat that lots of Great Artists wear." Their actions and acceptance validate her art and creative process, acknowledging the pleasure she takes in painting (or chalk drawing). Parents, caregivers, and educators have that power with children. By demonstrating interest in a child's activities, we provide an impetus for the child to continue, to learn more, to perfect a skill, to indulge in a pleasure.

Bridget's cherished beret blows away in a strong breeze, causing her to lose the ability to draw. No borrowed hat can bring back her creative genius. Her wise little sister, however, begs her to make a sign for a lemonade stand. Despite Bridget's certainty that the beret was necessary, her simple lemonade stand signs become masterpieces, representing the styles of the Great Artists: a Swirly Lemonade sign in the image of Van Gogh's Starry Night, a soup can sign reminiscent of Andy Warhol, and so many others that the neighbors all turn out for the opening (and some lemonade, of course).

I may never be a good artist with paint, but I have learned to be a good photographer (the marzipan creatures were in a bakery case in London), a strong quilter, and an excellent culinary artist. All these skills were fostered by those who have loved me and encouraged me. Take time to encourage another in something he or she pursues. It makes such a difference in our collective lives.

By the way, over time, my boys were not eager to display their masterpieces in the kitchen gallery, preferring often to stuff them in folders or sneak them to the recycling bin in hopes I would not notice. I retrieved what I could, framed many for display in our home, and squirreled away others for them to view when they are older.

Have You Read? #4

Train tracks run just a block from my childhood home. Growing up, we crossed them many times, often stopping to put an ear by the track to listen for any coming trains. When a train did pass by, we waited to wave to the caboose. Never could I have imagined someone jumping from a moving train, especially not a young girl. Abilene Tucker is a twelve-year-old girl who waits "till the clack of the train wheels slows to the rhythm of your heartbeat" jumps just before getting to Manifest, Kansas in 1936. She was used to jumping, was not always a paying customer, and clearly had experience with trains. If she had rolled to a stop in the weeds near my house, I would probably have been frightened. Because she appeared in the pages of Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, I kept turning to learn more about this brave girl.

Abilene is resourceful, skeptical, fiercely independent, and guarded. Yet she trusts people she has never met, especially Hattie Mae Harper (back in 1917)/Hattie Mae Macke, of the Manifest Herald and Shady Howard, the sometimes preacher with whom she is supposed to stay while Gideon, her father, works a railroad job in Iowa. As Abilene meets townspeople and learns their stories (through face-to-face interactions, from history divined by Miss Sadie and by reading old copies of "Hattie Mae's News Auxiliary), she forms a picture of Gideon's life and a place for herself.

I loved this book so much I selected it as one of my top five of 2011 for the Children's Literature Network's Books for Breakfast event next weekend, even before it won the Newbery Medal.

Only Four?

Planning an independent book festival requires creativity with decor and design. Without a commercial theme, we chose to focus on the books we love. At today's staff meeting, each person received a sheet on which to record favorite children's books. The completed pages trickled in during the day...some placed in our mail box and most delivered by hand with comments. The most common? It was hard to choose only four. Some people simply added more titles to the sheet.

Compiling the lists is a pleasure. In addition to the books, people commented on the reasons for loving the books. There are duplicate titles, of course, showing how specific books touch so many people. There are older books and new books. There are books read to children and books that had been read to them as children. There are favorite read-aloud titles and books perfect for reading alone. As many as possible will be sold at the book festival in March.

My husband teases me about my favorite books. They are all your favorites, he tells me. Not really. I just love so many. For this list, my choices were

• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - I love the art, the story behind his drawing of the ducks, and the determination of Mrs. Mallard to teach her ducklings all the important things in life.
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Since reading this book (published the year I was born!), I have always wanted to stay overnight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt - I experienced every emotion while reading this book...everyone should read it.
• Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg - Our sons requested this book so many times that we can still recite it from memory.

Consider your own top four choices! Post them to share.

So Much Depends On a Bookshop

Today was a teacher work day, and my teaching partner and I spent part of it at the Red Balloon Bookshop (where preschool storytime was in full swing during our visit). Our goal was to peruse the store in search of non-book items to offer at the school’s spring book festival, conducted this time independent of a national corporation. Ideas sparked more ideas as we imagined the possibilities and connections for families. The staff offered insights and suggestions that led to more ideas. This book festival topic deserves numerous posts, and I will offer them in the coming weeks.

As we left the store, my teaching partner commented that being at a bookstore is far more effective than reading reviews. We read hundreds of reviews. We read the books mentioned in those reviews prior to deciding whether or not to purchase them. But at the bookshop this morning, we found books we had not previously known, made connections with those books and curriculum needs, and bantered with the booksellers about their popular titles and ours. We picked up second copies of some ALA award winners, another Because of Mr. Terupt because it is so popular with teachers, and a Folkmanis alligator puppet for a teacher wanting to use it with greater than/less than in math.

For the upcoming fifth grade biography/wax museum project starting next week, we loved Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo (the first for children about Audrey Hepburn!) and Demi’s Alexander the Great. For those who have forgotten about the magical abilities of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, know that books about her are always off the shelf. Thus, we know readers are going to love Nancy and Plum, published originally in 1952. All those girls who ask for horse books will adore Holly Hobbie’s autobiographical picture book Everything But the Horse. We will read aloud Patricia Polacco’s latest title Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln, a time travel tale to the battlefield of Antietam.

Of course we never leave a bookstore without personal purchases…a board book copy of Inside Freight Train for a young boy she knows and my own copy of Moon Over Manifest to read again.

Girl Talk

"Do you have any good books?" We hear that question daily in the library and smile as we look with the questioning reader at the thousands of books surrounding us. "What have you read last that you liked?" I ask next. Usually, the reader pauses, reaching into her or his brain for the title. When I know what the person liked, I can more easily discern what to recommend next. Last week, a fifth grader mentioned a mystery she had finished...but she wanted something a little different. She left with Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise, a unique mystery in which the clues are presented in letters, messages, newspaper articles, and classroom conversation, and Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen, the first in a series with a spunky young detective who experiences unusual things.

Today that fifth grader returned. "I love Sammy Keyes," she told me and proceeded to give her reasons why. Sammy is both bold and sometimes scared. Sammy's grandma's binoculars allow her access to actions across the street. There is so much suspense that she wants to read the end of a chapter first and then go back and read the rest. A classmate joined the conversation. Soon we were talking about how much they loved the library, how they would love to stay overnight in the library, how it should be only fifth graders, how there should be a night for boys and a separate night for girls, how boys used to get along with them in second grade but are not as cute and nice in fifth grade (though both were hopeful they would be cute again someday), how wonderful it would be to just pick any book from the shelves if you could not sleep, and then somehow back to Sammy Keyes. There are three titles in the series at the public library that are not in our school library, I was told. I wished the girls a pleasant day, smiling as I went to my desk to order a few new books.

First Grade Inquiry

Most of the first grade teachers at my school limit the children's book selections to the Everybody section of the library. Though it helps the children learn how to find books well in alphabetical order, it limits their desire to search for and check out items from the nonfiction section. Many times during first semester, children would ask for "a dog book" or "a dinosaur book" or "a book about ships". I could always find something to suit them in the E section (What Pete Ate From A to Z by Maira Kalman, Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures With the Family Lazardo by William Joyce, or The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen).

Today 24 first graders sat on the story steps and listened to me describe almost 50 nonfiction books! When we looked at the clock, we were amazed to see their library time was done! All of us were so engrossed in the experience that lost track of time. I asked if any of them discovered a book on the cart they liked. All hands raised! Their tastes were varied, but their desires to learn more about topics of interest to them specifically led them to things like Black? White! Day? Night! by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Elisha Cooper's Ice Cream. Like these children, we all learn more when our natural instincts for inquiry are stimulated.