Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs

I came across a book a while back, and I decided to try it with my eighth graders.  It is called Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen.  When I read it at home one morning after my own children left for school, I was laughing aloud so much the dog got up and joined me.  The illustrations are a wonderful addition to the awesome play on words.

Before reading the book to my students, I had them brainstorm about animals and some common characteristics associated with the animal(s) they selected.  I was hoping this would help them write their own humorous animal epitaph.  The first couple of epitaphs went over like a lead balloon; however, each subsequent reading was met with more and more laughter (and moans).  The students created a sequel to the book.  Many of them were very worthy!  It definately was a light-hearted exercise that I will probably repeat in the future.

Election Book

My son ordered a couple books from his class' Scholastic order, and I added one to the list.  The election Book:  The People Pick a President arrived at the perfect time--the day of the third presidential debate.  This book is perfect for explaining all that goes into an election.  In an objective manner, it explains the roles of the President, campaining for office, the election process, and the importance of voting.

The book could be rather dry; however, it adds interesting facts and some humor to it.  One particular humorous section was about the symbols of the Republican and Democratic party. 

We read through this 112 page book (in separate sittings) in about an hour and a half.  The last 25 pages included websites to visit, glossary of terms, chart of election results, and list (w/ picture) of the presidents through Obama.  Great read for my third grader!

Because of Winn Dixie

Spoiler alert (in a way)

"FINALLY!!!" my son exclaimed, "A dog book where the dog does not die!"

I read this 2001 Newbery honor book with my son.  As evidenced above, he loved the book.  He belly-laughed through some of it.  This was a light-hearted read-aloud for a wide variety of ages (grades 2-8).  I love that the characters in this book are "normal" flawed people with issues to which the average person can relate.  And, like my son says, you don't end up crying at the end because the dog doesn't die.

Link to Kate DiCamillo's author site:  http://www.katedicamillo.com/

American Revolution Nonfiction

Since I am teaching an American Revolution novel, I thought I would check out some quicker reads in nonfiction.  One of two books I pulled was entitled Liberty Or Death: American Revolution 1763-1783 by Betsy and Giulio Maestro.  I appreciated this book quite a bit more than the second random book I chose.

What I liked about this book is that in its brief survey of the American Revolution, it utilized familiar phrases and placed them in the context of the history.  Examples include "Give me liberty or give me death" and "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."  There were also maps and illustrations in this 64 page book.

For more information on this author/illustrator dual, see their webiste:  click HERE.

Sounder

My daughter had a final project in a class where, among other tasks, she had to read an award winning book from a given year.  I was looking on my Newbery app and saw the Newbery winner for the year I was born (1970) was William Armstrong's Sounder.  Since I try to read with my son at least a few minutes every day, I thought, "Oooh!  A dog book!"  And he thought, "Ooooh! A dog book!"  For me, this was so much more.

This book takes place in around the 1940's (my guess) in the home of a sharecropper family.  The family's father and his faithful dog frequently go out to hunt for food because times are tough.  Though a plot twist, the two are separated for years, but reunited.  For my son, this was "a dog book."  For me, this was a story of love and faithfulness much like Where the Red Fern Grows.  I highly, highly recommend this book.

Spoiler alert:  I made the mistake of reading this book to my son.  I was sobbing so hard at the end (he started tearing, too) that I had to have him finish up the chapter.  I was somewhat prepared for the end, but it was much more beautiful in a tragic way than I anticipated.

Hugo Cabret

Another one of my favorite books of the summer (and now on my all-time list) is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  It is truly art in words, ideas, and illustrations.  My son and I watched the movie while "camping out" in a tent over Spring Break.  I saw the book at the school's book fair, and was surprised at how many pages--well over 500!

I wanted to read the book with my son, but when he saw how many pages--well . . . he wasn't too keen on the idea.  But we started it, and both of us were captivated by the beautiful illustrations in combination with the text.  To get a preview of the artwork, click HERE.  We were hoping for a happy ending for the very sympathetic main character who always seemed to run out of luck at the worst places.

The author's website is just as awesome as his books.  Many, many fun links to click.

Star-Spangled Banner

My son and I read Ryan Jacobson's The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner.  It is part of the "Graphic Library --Graphic History" series.  When we opened the book, my son's reaction was "Oh cool!  It is part comic book." We haven't gotten into graphic novels . . . yet.  Nonetheless, he (and I) really enjoyed this book.

I am not a history buff--so I cannot attest to the accuracy of details.  From what I remembered, this seemed to be the acceptable lore of how and why the Star-Spangled Banner was written.  This book is 32 pages long, but divided into chapters.  It also has a page of related facts, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further study (both books and Internet sites).  I'm definitely going to find other books in this series!

The Spiderwick Chronicles

I attempt to read with my son four or five nights a week.  We are working our way through the Percy Jackson series.  The reading level is a little too difficult for him, so we read it together (not to mention that the mythology review helps me!).  I wanted a series he could read in bed at night, I would read also, and we could discuss at breakfast or in the car.  We picked The Spiderwick Chronicles.

We started spring break.  My husband and I had to take our son with us to our "tax" meeting, so I encouraged my son to start the book.  Well . . . he completed the entire book at the meeting.  I asked him how he liked it.  "I didn't.  I didn't get it."  As a teacher, I really do not like when students say "I don't get it."  I want them to be more specific.  My son couldn't, and he wasn't interested in any elaboration.

Nonetheless, I read the book hoping I could spark his interest, and we could go to the library to get book two. Like my son, I didn't like it.  I have no desire to read further.  And I really cannot elaborate why.

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred

Samantha R. Vamos ( author info ) wrote a wonderful, lyrical, bi-lingual book entitled The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred.  Rafael Lopez (  sorry--a wiki link about the illustrator  ) illustrated this book.

I doubt that I will utilize this book in my current position; however, I did send the information to a friend who teaches Spanish to younger children.

Poems Squeezed from a Single Word

Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka ( Bob Raczka ).  The title alone piqued my interested.  As I read through the book, I thought of lesson plans using this book as an example (and Raczka's intro mentions Andrew Russ--another search for another day).

 To help me remember this author, I thought about writing a poem for this post.  I've just got to figure out what word I want to manipulate!  I will definitely revisit this book either for a mini-lesson in word manipulation (?) or part of a poetry unit or mini-lesson.

Won Ton & Haiku

This was another book I selected from a list.  I may bring this to school to read as a filler activity to my junior high students.  We wrote haiku poems as a collaberative work with art class.  This shows the diversity of a set, specific form.

I found the book quite humorous--it seemed to capture the cat's personality.  The perceived arrogance of the cat is explained from HIS perspective.  Funny!

Visit Lee Wardlaw's website ( Lee Wardlaw ) to learn more about this book and/or author.

Shout!

I discovered a list of the NCTE/CLA 2012 "Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts."  I thought I'd try to read through most of the list by summer's end.  (My "Wanna Read" list grows daily.  Having taught preschool for many years, author Denise Fleming was familiar to me.  Her new book, Shout! Shout it out! would be read just as the title indicates.  I doubt a child under five could resist the temptation of shouting out what comes next.  The pages review number, alphabet, color, animal, and transporation vocabulary.

My personal favorite part of the book is finding the mouse on each page and reading his comments.  If I were back reading to a preschool class, this book would be a must read.
Click HERE to go to Denise Fleming's website.

Pablo Neruda--Poet of the People

Another 2011 book noted by NCTE was Monica Brown's Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People.  The book was illustrated by Julie Paschkis.  The collaberation between the two makes this book so effective.  The text provides biographical details about Neruda in a language appropriate for young children (even pre-readers).  The illustrations at first glance are appealing--bright, colorful, and dynamic.

However, when the reader slows to "read" the illustrations, he or she locates the real strength of the book.  Words are woven into each picture.  The result is very engaging and poetic.  This is another book I would not hesitate to use at any level.

Click following link for more information:  Monica Brown  and  Julie Paschkis  .

The Cat Who Went to Heaven

I was searching for a quick book for my son to read for his book report.  (He currently is reading a long, difficult novel of his choosing that I didn't think was relevant for a 2nd grade book report).  I came back from the library with several selections, and he chose The Cat Who Went to Heaven.  Coatsworth won the Newbery Medal in 1931 for this book.

My son really liked this "story," but on a very surface level.  I tried explaining how this ties in with religion, even though we don't worship Buddah we can respect all religions, etc.  I overcomplicated it.  He has to write (writing = his nemisis) five sentences about this book.  They are as follows:  1) The cat is white, yellow, and black.  2) The cat died of extreme joy and went to heaven.  3) The cat didn't act like normal cats.  4) the cat had a tail like a bunny. 5) The cat's name was Good Fortune.  Hum?!?

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

My students gave me a gift card for Christmas, so I decided to spend it on the 2011 Newbery books for my classroom. I wanted to read them, so basically I have them "for free." I recieved my shipment yesterday and read Joyce Sidman's Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. What a fabulous book!  Though I purchased it for my seventh grade classroom, I think it is perfect for my second grade son.

The poems are simple and beautiful.  The theme is so interesting (especially to my second grader).  The prints used to illustrate the book are amazing.  In addition, each set of pages contains non-fiction details about the subject of the poem/artwork.  It is perfectly balanced to hit a wide range of readers.

I look forward to checking out other Sidman books:  Joyce Sidman--I'm thinking Swirl by Swirl.    An article and more information on this book's illustrator may be found at the following link:  Rick Allen.

It's Not a Book, But . . .

About a week ago, I set a "date" with my son (and any other family member who would like to join) for Tuesday night, in our pajamas, bring your snuggie, mom & dad's bed.  We were going to watch Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer.

I love the old Burl Ives' Rudolph.  I had enough forethought to make the agreement with my son that I could sing the songs.  He told me only if they were singing it on the television--no additional singing.  My husband joined us, but he mocked my singing . . . I do sound like an injured moose.  I know that a second grade boy who has two older sisters may or may not believe in Santa much longer.  I'm going to be sure I enjoy this year of believing as much as possible.

BTW--the only reason my husband joined us was because it promised to be in HD.  I still cannot tell the difference.  HD or not, I watched the exact same show when I was my son's age.

The Magician's Nephew

Since I no longer teach preschool and my "baby" is in second grade, "Tiny Tuesdays" are not so tiny.  Nonetheless--I'm still going to write about elementary school books.  My son and I finished reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.  It is part of The Chronicals of Narnia series.  Though written last, the books takes place first chonologically.

So, what does a second grader get out of The Magician's Nephew?  He thinks the witch is funny--perhaps it was our not-so-dramatic reading aloud.  His favorite part was when the horse grew wings.  Hum?  Another example of how adults read a text very differently (thank goodness . . . both ways) than eight-year-old boys.

Lewis is one of the most influential Christian writers in the 20th century.  Some biological information can be located at the following cite:  C. S. Lewis Homepage.

Back-To-School Book

One of the things I loved most about teaching in early childhood for so many years is choosing from the smorgas board of fabulous books.  Because they are so short (as compared to adolescent lit or adult novels), you can literally read hundreds of books.

One book I love to share with early learners is The Kissing Hand byAudrey Penn.

Barnes and Nobel is featuring it this month as a read aloud.  It is read by the author.
Barnes and Noble Story Time

An Abe Lincoln Book

Last night we got a break in the weather, so my son and I looked at a book outside on the deck.  I was born and raised in Illinois; my husband's parents and my parents as well as siblings still reside in the same place.  Last summer I was in Illinois for a week, so I took my children down to Springfield, IL.  We toured Abraham Lincolns home (they were less than thrilled) before heading to the most remarkable museum. 

This trip sparked some interest in all three children.  My youngest checked out a book from the library:  Lincoln--A Photobiography by Russell Freedman.  The book won a Newbery award in 1988.  My son is going into the second grade, so I read excerpts from the book and we looked at pictures.  The book's reading level is more suited for 5th through 8th grade.  Some of the pictures were very appealing to him since they were replicated in "life size, 3-D format" at the museum. 

Twist on a Familiar Favorite

As school activities are starting and my lesson planning is under way, I am thinking about the book I've used the first week of school the last several years when I taught preschool.  (I imagine my seventh grade students would not approve!).  I like to use something that is familiar to students so they feel comfortable; however, it needs to be slightly different (and funny) so they can get excited about all of the things they will learn under my care. 

Lenny Hort published a book in 2000 entitled The Seals on the Bus.  Just when my kids think they know everything (and preschoolers do!), I read this book.  We laugh.  We act out the scenes.  We try to predict what animal is next.  I LOVE this book.  I sing it to them and have the students join me:  The seals on the bus go Arr! Arr! Arr! . . . all around the town.  The lions on the bus go Roar! Roar! Roar! . . .