Unusual Present

As a birthday gift for Karen, I offered to construct readers theatre scripts for some of her books. Though they will be performed at an upcoming event, I think they would be great for students in my school to use as well. Beginning with A Time of Angels, I strove to pull threads of Vermont life together while giving enough information about the historical context to performers and listeners. I love the characters in that book so much, so choosing scenes became difficult, especially since I wanted to show Uncle Klaus Gerhard's deep concern for Hannah in numerous ways. Next I worked with Just Juice, and the challenge was how to convey Juice's concern for her little sister Lulu and the secret of her own inability to read. Now I'm working on Witness. It is such a serious story, but I find myself smiling every time I read a passage from Esther Hirsh's voice.

"i did first meet sara chickering
when i had comings here last year
to be a fresh air girl in vermont.

vermont is a nice place.
they have wiggle fish.
that is what i did tell daddy in new york
when i had comings back to him.
i did ask daddy
to have our livings in vermont with sara chickering

for keeps.:

Her observations of the world and her slightly odd sentence constructions charm me. I know I need to include her in this script.

Safekeeping

Since returning from a visit with my dear friend Karen (and her wonderfully dear husband), I have worn this necklace almost every day. It was a gift from her. One afternoon, she selected the beads carefully (3 Dogons and 2 Venetian eye and trail beads) from the locked antique bead cabinet at the shop and watched as I strung them. Now, when I finger them, she feels somehow closer than across the country. It seems strange even to me, but it is like she is nearby. Keeping me safe and connected to her. Happy Birthday to Karen today! 

Tree Knowledge

I love how the expertise of one person becomes apparent to others through connections and experiences. Last week I met a wonderful arborist named Jason, and he has taught me so much about the trees in our yard. Sadly, one of our favorite maples has experienced a stunted growth season. I have hugged it many times, reminding it how much we love its shade the orange leaves that make our library gleam golden in the autumn. Yet it remains distressed. Jason taught us to uncover the roots, certain the problem was something called stem girdling roots (see http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2009/01/stem-girdling-roots-booklet/ for more information - it is an increasingly common problem). He was correct. Many of the roots are wrapping around the trunk, compressing it and causing stress to the tree. We will follow his guidance and hope to save this tree. He also taught us about unions and tree wounds.

As we walked around the yard together last night, I had the brilliant idea of creating a tree bibliography for him to share with families and teach young readers and would-be arborists about trees. I've started with these titles:

• A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer
• A Tree is Nice by Janet May Udry
• Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids by Gail Gibbons

Any other ideas?

His and Hers

In our home library, one side is his and one side is hers. Visitors immediately notice how different the content is on one side versus the other. Her side (mine, of course) is filled with autographed picture books, chapter books for young people, books about teaching, and two shelves of traditional literature. His shelves are filled with thrillers, mysteries, and spy novels, with bowls and collections of agates intermingled. I love the blending of our collections and our lives. Today marks 24 years of marriage, and I am ever-grateful for his love of me and his passion for reading. We have shaped three young men with the same love of books and reading.

Caps for Sale

Yesterday we met the two-month-old son of some friends, and as usual, we brought books as a gift. One of them was the board book version of Esphyr Slobodkina's 1940 classic Caps For Sale. Our friends did not know of the book, but the three-year-old big brother quickly made it a family favorite. "Read it again," he told me - three times. 

I read this book again and again and again when our sons were young, and I found it was still committed to memory. The board book text is slightly altered from the original. Some of my favorite parts were omitted, and I found myself ready to say the non-existent phrases, like "But nobody wanted any caps that morning. Nobody wanted even a red cap." My young friend, however, was more concerned about the cap colors. The original text reads like this:

"First he had on his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, then a bunch of brown caps, then a bunch of blue caps, and on the very top a bunch of red caps."

Because of the color reproduction, there doesn't appear to be any brown caps on the page, only goldish-yellow caps. So, he would add, "And a bunch of yellow caps." When I got home, I checked our copy of the book, and the caps are a cross between brown and tan, certainly not yellow.

Bon Appetit!

Julia Child would have been 100 years old last week. Two recent picture books have celebrated her life and work: Minette's Feast: A Delicious Story about Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich and Bon Appetit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland. Though I do not think stories and lives are delicious, I do find it interesting that both books share that word in their subtitles. The first presents a more abbreviated version of her life and career, centered mostly around the cat she adopted while living in Paris. The second is more comprehensive, but the present tense verb choice and busy pages might be distracting for readers. Each book concludes with a bit of dessert: additional resources and facts about the famous chef.  For young readers and would-be chefs, the details about her life might motivate visits to Julia Child's cookbooks.

My good friend Julie prepared this beautiful salad for me!

Readicide

A colleague recommended Kelly Gallagher's 2009 book Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It, and I have been taking notes and rereading phrases so much that my progress is slow. My blood pressure is high, however (at least it was at the doctor's office today, and I had been reading the book while waiting). I agree so strongly with Mr. Gallagher's statements and research that I almost cannot keep myself from talking about it with my family (none of whom really want to have this discussion; they know what good reading instruction looks like).

Essentially, the book is based on the definition of readicide: "systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools." (p.2) Instead of promoting reading, schools increasingly value test-taking and limit the authentic experiences readers should have. By preparing students to take multiple-choice tests, the curriculum has become shallow, continuing the challenges faced by struggling readers and creating aliterates, people who can read but have no desire to do so.

As a reading teacher and librarian, I strive to provide positive reading experiences for students (and adults), and this book has completely reinforced my thoughts about what is important.

For more information about the national movement to curb standardized testing, view this document:
http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/

For fun activities that promote reading, vocabulary development, and literacy, visit the Alphabet Forest at the Minnesota State Fair, beginning August 23rd: http://www.mnstatefair.org/entertainment/fair_alphabet.html