NOT MUCH BLOGGING GOING ON

I've been working on an all-consuming curriculum project, and by the time I have written 8 or 10 hours a day for that, I just don't have a lot of words left to write. I have, however, been doing Donalyn Miller's Book A Day Challenge, so here's a quick list of the books I have read in the last few days:

1) MARTY MCGUIRE by Kate Messner- everyone has been talking about this terrific new chapter book and I can definitely see why. Marty is a spunky third grader, full of good ideas, not quite as naughty as Junie B., kind of more like Clementine. Her teacher assigns her the lead in the class play, THE FROG PRINCE. Marty is not thrilled about playing a princess…

2) MILO: STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZE by Alan Silberberg- I grabbed this when I was at the library getting MARTY MCGUIRE. Thumbing through the inside, I expected it to be a DIARY OF A WIMPY KID book. It is about a kind of geeky middle school boy, and parts of it are pretty funny, but the resemblance ends there. Milo's mother has died, and he, his father, and his older sister are all trying to dig their way out of a canyon of grief… beautiful story, have tissues ready!

3) And a bunch of picture books:

FORTUNE COOKIES by Albert Bitterman, illustrated by Chris Raschka- a little girl gets a box of seven fortune cookies from her uncle. Every day, she opens a new cookie, and reads the fortune (done on pullout tabs that seem just like real fortunes). Each day, the fortune has something to do with what goes on that day, e.g. the first day, "Lose something you don't need." and the little girl loses her tooth; the second day is "money is like the wind" and she buys a kite. Kind of a "fortunately, unfortunately" book- I think kids would love it.

THE SECRET BOX- Wordless picture book- a child hides a box of treasures in the attic of a boarding school or orphanage. Years later, some children find the box and follow some clues from the contents of the box.

FOREVER FRIENDS by Carin Berger- gentle book about a friendship between a bunny and a bird, who find all kinds of things to do together. When winter comes, the bird migrates, and the bunny waits for spring and the return of her friend. Interesting patterns, e.g. notebook paper, in the collage illustrationsThis would be a good book to compare to CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG.

ALFRED ZECTOR, BOOK COLLECTOR by Kelli Dipucchio. Hector is a little boy who loves books and wants to own more and more. Soon, he owns all of the books in his town. Hector reads and reads and reads, until one day, after many years, he realizes that he is the only person who owns any books, and he gives most of his collection away. Rhyming.

BOOM BOOM GO AWAY by Laura Geiringer A little boy is playing in his room when his mother tells him to go to bed. He and his toy friends aren't quite ready, however, and tell the mom to go away. Each two page spread features a different toy playing a musical instrument, complete with its own sound effects. Little kids are going to love the rhym-y sing song feel and all of the noises. I can imagine myself giving this as a gift to my toddler friends.

LOUISE THE BIG CHEESE AND THE LA-DI-DA SHOES by Elise Primavera, Louise wants new shoes. She is dreaming of black patent leather shoes, but her mother buys brown lace shoes with soles that squeak when she walks. A few days later, Louise's friend Fern shows up at school with la-di-da black patent leather shoes, and an attitude to match. Louise is kind of a cross between Fancy Nancy and Lily of purple plastic purse fame. I didn't know this series, but I'm definitely going to look for some of the other ones.

HOGWASH- Karma Wilson. It's spring and a determined farmer heads to the barn to wash his animals. The pigs refuse to be washed and a hilarious sequence of events ensues, complete with a note exchange, pigs in umbrellas and slickers, and a dive bombing plane. A funny book that kind of reminded me of the CLICK, CLACK MOO series.

LET THE WHOLE EARTH SING- Tomie de Paola- I loved this book, just like I loved Ashley Bryant's, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, earlier this year. I think I would be more inclined to give it to friends as gifts, however, than to put it in my classroom library.

COOKIEBOT: A HARRY AND HORSIE ADVENTURE- Katie Van Camp. Harry and his friend Horsie want cookies, but mom has put them on a high shelf. The two friends build a Cookiebot that is able to grab the cookie jar, but then goes berserk, tracking all over the city in search of more cookies…Scientific looking drawings that I know kids are going to love.

So there you have it. And now I have to go to bed, because I have another long day of writing in front of me tomorrow…

POETRY FRIDAY

I am in the middle of a huge two week curriculum writing project. To make a little extra money. So my boys can have new football cleats. And have their helmets reconditioned so their brains don't rattle around any more than absolutely necessary when they encounter 3oo pound lineman. It's worth $59 a kid to save their brains, right? The extra money will also help with football camps so they can get scholarships so I won't have to pay for all of college, in the event that someone decides they want to go. And maybe we can even eat during football season.

So yesterday, between writing lessons, and after I took the football helmets to the shop ($118) I had the air conditioning guy out. For a yearly preventive maintenance call. I pay an annual fee. So the visit was supposed to be free. And it cost me $340. For a new capacitator. And then I had an electrician out. Because I thought something was wrong with the electricity in the kitchen because the microwave breaker flips off every time you try to use the microwave. It only cost $210 to find out nothing is wrong with the electricity. Something was wrong with my microwave. Which is only ten months old. And so I had to buy a new microwave. Because my teenagers are absolutely sure that life cannot go on without frozen burritos and pizza rolls at midnight. And the microwave doesn't quite fit and I need to figure out a way to raise it up so the door will open when the front is on the cupboard. And then my printer, which I really need for my writing project, died last night. And it cost $112 to replace it.

I need to marry or at least date a handyman. Or take a class. So I can fix stuff. And so for today's poem, I bring you "The Hammer." This is actually the end of the poem.

The Hammer

Carl Sandburg

…Day by day

And year by year

The idols fall

And the idols rise.

Today

I worship the hammer.

Read the rest of the poem here.

Poetry Friday is at Picture Book of the Day.

SUGAR AND ICE- Kate Messner

For years, I have dreamed of writing a novel. I even have a plot, kind of, in my head. Every summer, I say, "This is the year I'm going to do it." But, like most people who dream of writing novels, I never quite get around to actually sitting down and writing.

I've followed with fascination and huge admiration, then, the writing career of Kate Messner. I first became aware of Kate through her writings on Twitter. Kate is a middle school teacher in New York. And she is a working mom. But somehow, she also manages to write. Looking at her website, it looks like she has published two novels, with two more on the way. The first book in her new series, MARTY MCGUIRE, came out to rave reviews this spring. She has a new professional book, REAL REVISIONS, that has also gotten really good reviews. Messner has a couple of more books set on Lake Champlain, where she lives. And she has a couple of picture books coming out. Oh, and she is a poet. (One of her recent poems, "The Book in My Head," was about people like me, who never actually get to the writing).

Yesterday, for bookaday I read Messner's SUGAR AND ICE. Claire Boucher is a busy middle schooler, who divides her time between school, friends, working on her family's maple sugar farm, and pursuing her passion for figure skating. During a figure skating show, she is "discovered" by a scout, and invited to train at Lake Placid. While she is thrilled by this opportunity, it's also a huge commitment. Long, hard practices, three to five days a week, and the 90 minute drive each way mean that Claire has to make sacrifices in other areas of her life- time with family and friends, and school interests and clubs. Plus, the world of ice skating is super competitive and many of the kids in Claire's new world are not all that nice. Ultimately, Claire has to make some really hard choices…

A great read for the intermediate grade and middle school athletes in your life!

A COUPLE OF "NONTRADITIONAL" NOVELS

I watched Twitter in fascination this weekend, as everyone's 48 hour reading challenge tweets rolled in. This weekend I helped at a football camp, and drove to Colorado Springs to see my mom, and went to a friend's birthday barbecue. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a couple of "nontraditional" novels.

THE DEFENSE OF THADDEUS LEDBETTER by John Gosselink is told entirely through a series of artifacts- letters, emails, detention slips, diagrams, cartoons. At the beginning of the book, it's January, and Thaddeus has been sentenced to in-school suspension for the rest of the year. It seems he's staged the all time largest, most comprehensive emergency drill, which involves being prepared not only for tornadoes, but also killer bees and old people driving down the school halls in cars. Thaddeus is a quirky guy- brilliant, passionate about words, the creator of unique clubs, and with a helpful plan/suggestion for every dilemma that confronts the school principal. Throughout the book, Thaddeus attempts to convince the principal, his teachers, and his Uncle Pete (who has somehow been pressed into the role of defense lawyer) why he should not be in a semester of in school suspension. The book is clever and oh so funny, perfect for strong fifth grade readers or for the middle school set.

DOODLEBUG, by Karen Romano Young, is another book told in a very unique style. At the beginning of the book, Dodo Bussey, aka Doodlebug, and her family are in the car, moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, because her father has taken a new job. Her parents give Dodo a journal, which she fills with doodles, sketches, cartoons, conversations, and lists, that chronicle her adjustment to her new school. This is another book perfect for fifth grade and/or middle schoolers.

POETRY FRIDAY

I'm looking forward to some quiet time this summer…

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

Read the rest of the poem here.

Toby Speed is hosting Poetry Friday at The Writer's Armchair.

A COUPLE OF NEW FINDS FOR MY LITTLEST READING FRIENDS

Yesterday, while the boys were at football, I headed across the street to Tattered Cover and found several books for my youngest reading friends.

The first, TWEAK TWEAK, is by one of my all time favorite authors, Eve Bunting. Mama Elephant and Little Elephant are out for a stroll. Mama tells Little Elephant to tweak her tail if she wants something. It isn't long before Mama feels her baby elephant.

"Mama? What is that?"
"That is a frog."
"What is he doing?"
"He's jumping."
"Can I jump?"
"No, because you are not a frog. You are a little elephant. But you can stomp your foot and make a big sound."
"Like that, Mama?
"Just like that, my little elephant."
And on they went.

The story goes with a similar repetitive pattern, as Mama and Little Elephant encounter a variety of animals- a songbird, a frog, a crocodile, a butterfly, and a monkey. Illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier are sweet and fun and perfect for the text. This is one I can see reading aloud again and again and again.

The second book, I MUST HAVE BOBO, by Eileen Rosenthal, made me laugh out loud. At the beginning of this book, a little boy named Willy wakes up one morning to find his beloved sock monkey, Bobo, has gone missing. Willy goes on a search, and finally finds Bobo with Earl, the family cat. It seems that Earl believes he must have Bobo too. A battle ensues, with Willy and Earl taking the monkey back and forth. Finally a compromise is reached. But is it really? Another one kids are going to want to read again and again.

WEIRD BUT TRUE 3- 300 OUTRAGEOUS FACTS

Many years ago, in a speech at CCIRA, Richard Allington said something that I have never forgotten. Allington suggested that we as teachers should imagine the weakest reader we knew walking into our classrooms. He asked us to think about what reading materials were available in our classrooms for that reader. The room was silent as people mentally scanned their classroom libraries, then Allington went even further. He asked us to think about which of those materials the reader would actually find appealing enough to WANT to read. I've returned to that question many times as I have worked in classrooms or supported kids as they learned to read. What texts are available for this child to read? Which texts will he/she want to read?

This week, I received a new book from National Geographic Kids. Weird But True 3 is absolutely perfect for struggling readers.

Some of the facts have to do with the natural world:

• One of the world's fastest snakes, the black mamba, can slither up t0 7 miles per hour.
• Your stomach would digest itself without mucus.
• It takes 8 minutes and 19 seconds for light to travel from the sun to the Earth.

Some of them have to do with interesting words:

• A group of rhinos is called a crash.
• A five seat bicycle is called a quindem.
• Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables.

And some of them are just downright silly:

• A company in India made a pair of underpants that are 58 feet wide- that's wider than three large SUV's.
• A British man ate 36 cockroaches in a minute.
• Rats can't burp. Also, birds don't sweat.

And there are also plenty of facts that are just plain gross. Did you know, for instance, that a Scottish dish named haggis is cooked inside a sheep's stomach?

This book would be perfect for any reader, but especially those kids that struggle. First, it's super interesting and engaging. Each fact is no more than one or two sentences. The book is arranged with anywhere from 1-5 facts, some with really nice photos, some with interesting fonts, on a page. I can picture kids reading and rereading, sharing it with friends, asking me questions, until it falls apart.

Definitely one that belongs in every classroom library!