Wonderstruck is a True Wonder

I know Wonderstruck has been out a while. I can't believe I didn't read it until now. But I am glad I did.

If you have not read this yet, read it as soon as you can.

Like a line in this book, it is a "cabinet of wonders".

From the beginning you are intrigued with Ben and Rose, two children who long for something. We know them through pictures, and each time we turn the page, a question is answered, yet another one is uncovered!

Libraries and museums are characters in this book, too. Things are saved, collected, and cherished because they carry memories. 

Every page is necessary. Every picture is important.  Brian Selznick tells the story so perfectly. I felt as if I were hearing it from a loved one.

In Wonderstruck, you come to realize something that all readers already feel: that reading a book can change a life. 

I will book-talk this one to my 4th graders, and I have already put this one on my Book Notes page on my classroom blog.

Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins



I am always on the lookout for a good chapter book for my 4th graders. I came upon Toys Come Home on Goodreads. Having read Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party, I was excited to find it. My students have always enjoyed these books. They're always checked out of our classroom library.  

Toys Come Home is a prequel to the two earlier books.  It tells about the origin of many of the things we already know and love about StingRay, Lumphy, and Plastic.  I enjoyed it because the stories are told so well, and each is innocent and playful.  The toys deal with challenges in a child-like way, and the humor will appeal to kids. I like the way it teaches that friends can solve problems if they work together. They protect one another and worry about each other. The characters show curiousity about the world around them.  One of Lumphy's most wonderful lines is: "I can't sleep for all the wondering!" 

They also show bravery by facing fears to protect one another.  

I can see this as a great read-aloud in my class.  A thoroughly loveable book! 

It's a great addition to an elementary classroom library. 



It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I am joining Jen and Kellee from Mentor Texts for this weekly post about what we're reading this Monday. This is my first linky post, and I am new to book blogging! I decided to start one because I wanted to pass on my experiences with these books to others, and it's a natural extension for reading some wonderful literature.


This week has been an amazing week of reading for me! I don't think I've ever read so much at one time in my life. (I made three trips to the public library, and three trips to B&N!) I decided to devote my winter break to two things: celebrating the holidays and #bookaday.  So far, it's worked out.

PICTURE BOOKS:
The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg
Look! A Book! by Bob Staake
Me. . Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Press Here by Herve` Tullet
You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
Ice by Arthur Geisert

MIDDLE GRADE CHAPTER BOOKS:
Bigger Than A Breadbox by Laurel Snyder-(COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN)
Pie by Sarah Weeks- (MADE ME CRAVE PIE)
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu-(AMAZING!)
Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins-(SO PLAYFUL!)
Wonderstruck by Brian Jenkins-(FANTASTIC!)

(I will write reviews of several of these soon. Breadcrumbs is an especially amazing book, as are Wonderstruck and Bigger Than A Breadbox.)  These three books will have a special place in my classroom library, and I am planning my booktalks for them now.

Today, I am reading The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene DuBois and Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm.

My plan is to read library books first, then books I own. But the plan may change!
Happy reading and #bookaday to you all!

(My shoe choice today: The new leopard slippers I got for Christmas. I don't plan on leaving the house because I plan to read all day!)

A Club Like No Other

This is the stack of PBs I brought home from our public library, and my own school library. My two favorites right now are Me..Jane and You Will Be My Friend. They came recommended by some new friends I've made in a club I've joined.

In high school, I joined several clubs in hopes of gaining experience and making friends.  Although being in these clubs was advantageous and I did enjoy some of them, there were always some aspects that weren't always wonderful. Sometimes the meetings were long or scheduled at inconvenient hours. At times, I didn't have very much in common with the other members. A few required that I sell things people didn't need at prices that were too high.  Our projects were tedious, and some really had no point.

But now, I've joined a very wonderful club. This club meets at hours convenient for me. I share a common interest with all its members. All the "work" for this club involves me doing something I love to do! And every "project" has a point!
(See note below about projects.) But the very best thing about this club is that it helps me be an even better teacher.

The club I've joined is the Nerdy Book Club. We read all sorts of wonderful books. We met when we can, whenever we like, and every book we read makes us all better writers (and though most of us are writers, it is not required for membership). I read some wonderful children's books that I place in my classroom library.  I learn about the newest books and the best books, and I am able to bring this into my teaching and my school!  I am so thankful to be a member of this club! I've already read so many quality books that I never would have known about if it were not for my fellow members.

 

 

Would you like to join? Great! As one of our wonderful officers says, if you read, you're already a member! 

* A note about projects:
All Nerdy Book Club projects involve reading any book you like, whenever you like, and sharing it with any or all of the book members in any form you choose. . .

 

Eve Bunting Inspires

As a 4th grade teacher who teaches writing, I have come to rely on Eve Bunting. Her books always help teach so much.  I reach for Wednesday Surprise every year. And A Day's Work is one of my very favorite books.

Pirate Boy is a 2011 book. It is a very sweet book about a conversation between mother and son. Danny asks his mom some great "What if?" questions, and Mom answers with assurance and love. Mom proves to be just as creative in her replies.  Its playful and loving tone invite the reader in to an imaginative, creative world. Mom has Magic Spray!  There are pirates and sea monsters! It ends with cookies.  Julie Fortenberry illustrates the book and the pictures are just as wonderful.

I am in awe of Eve Bunting's talent. She is an inspiration to readers and writers of all ages everywhere.

(P.S. I also would love a bottle of magic spray.)

Stacks & Stacks

Stack A

I have many stacks of books around my house. I move them around regularly. I arrange them in several ways, depending on my mood. Some days I stack the books by genre (picture books, chapter books, or young adult).  Then sometimes I stack them by their location of origin or means of aquisition.  The books in Stack A above all came from B & N. I bought them the day of our read-aloud event. I had been hunting some of these titles for a very long time, so when I saw them on the shelf, I was elated!

Stack B

Stack B is also arranged by means of acquisition. I bought these at a different Barnes and Noble on a different day.

No matter where I get my books, I like having them around me.  Some that I have pictured will never be part of my classroom library. I read them to understand good writing and because I love reading books other people recommend.  

Three books from the above stacks that I will definitely share with my class:

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

Marty McGuire by Kate Messner

Pie by Sarah Weeks

Big Nate and Friends by Lincoln Peirce

I loved all of these books and will put up a review here in the coming days. 

In the meantime, I'm off to read and wear my last cute pair of shoes for the day: my slippers. 

Barnes and Noble Event

Recently, our school held a fundraising event at Barnes and Noble.

This is a very popular book in Texas. The reindeer are Longhorns, and they come to a sod house.  Our fourth graders performed a Reader's Theater of this book. It was a hit!

I also read Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson. It was nice for a read-aloud and seemed to bring a peaceful mood. This is a very sweet book to read during the holidays.

It came highly recommended and it didn't disappoint.

I also read my favorite picture books of 2011: I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen. This book makes you think, entertains you, and causes you to ask questions.  The kids AND the parents enjoyed this one.  I really want to make my own red hat! 

The event was wonderful, and I was so glad to be able to participate!  Afterwards, students and I walked around the bookstore (as parents followed!), and we were able to help them pick out some good titles!  

New Shoes, New Views

Over the Thanksgiving break, I reawakened the reader in me.


Yes, I still love shoes.

I picked up this pair of gray suede boots at a great Black Friday sale, in fact.

But I have always loved books even more. Thanks to some "tweechers" and a new club I've 'joined', (The Nerdy Book Club), I have been reading more than ever. Through their eyes, I have seen how much I owe it to myself to read. I have come to see (again), how precious books are, and how much they have always meant in my life. I notice I am reading with more intent. I am reading to finish books because the story is so compelling. I am reading to be a better teacher. And, I am reading to be a better writer.

As a writer, I thought my only avenues for writing were online articles and newsletter pieces. (I have managed throughout the past couple of years to have a few things published.) When I took part in National Writing Project this past summer, I was working on my writing every day and creating pieces I didn't know I had in me! Essays and poems galore! Miraculously! Gloriously! (It's amazing what you an accomplish in the right environment with encouragement.)

But teaching elementary school has a funny way of keeping you really busy--and nurturing my own writing ability has not been on my priority list. Yes,  I write in class in my own writer's notebook with my students every day (I must model), but those pieces remained in my notebook.  I hadn't done anything with my own work because I'd been focusing completely on my students' writing. As a class, we have been working on NaNoWriMo YWP, a classroom blog, and some web 2.0 projects.

But what I've discovered -- nestled deeply under piles of lesson plans, stacks of graded papers, empy Sonic diet Coke cups, and tons of to-do lists---is my own need to write. In my back-to-school zeal, I started this second blog but hadn't done very much with it. 

I know its purpose now.  "Teaching in Cute Shoes" will be a place for ME to write. It will be a place for me to talk about books. And, ultimately, it will be a place for me to connect my own reading and writing to my teaching. Everything in my life is connected to that in some way. 

So now, I will not only show pictures of my shoes, but I will also share the books I am reading.

I know this is a really different kind of blog, and I'm not sure if it is possible. I am willing to find out! Even if I am its only reader. 

Here's my first book stack picture.  I can hardly wait to dive on in---all the while wearing a pair of cute shoes. 

Mrs. Alaniz