Yesterday's Reading

While on my trip to the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, I happily found myself surrounded by some of the most exceptional professionals in the library field. I returned to work in my school library with many ideas and thoughts swimming in my brain. A day of making things seemed like the right way to go in order to process what I'm planning. So I started working on displays for the library, and while I was busy cutting and designing, I listened to an audio book of THE HUNDRED DRESSES by Eleanor Estes (as performed by Christina Moore).
I'm not sure what led me to pick this one up, but I did.     

Now many of us have read this book (a Newbery Honor winner for 1945), but in the light of new great kid literature, it deserves another look and a reread.

As I listened to it, I  was completely engaged. I felt sadness for Wanda, and I wanted to be the teacher in the class that fixed everything and took care of her. I wanted to make her life better with a book, and a smile, and let her know that someone cared for her. I wanted to get help for her family. So much to feel in this book, and that's another example of what a good book can do.

When I tweeted that this had been my #bookaday, Barb (a teacher and member of my Twitter PLN) tweeted back and mentioned she was working on a #choosekind "reading ladder" with WONDER by RJ Palacio.  What a great idea! This got me thinking! If you've read my blog or followed my tweets, you know how much I adore this book. (I even hosted a faculty book club with it, and you can read about it here .)

Now to understand what a "reading ladder" is, the book below is the one to read:

The author of this book is Teri Lesesne, also known as @ProfessorNana on Twitter. She is a wealth of knowledge on the teaching of English, library science, kid literature, young adult literature, writing, and, generally, all things literacy-related. Plus more.

As I understand it, the concept is about leading readers to books by using other books that are related in concept, theme, ideas, etc.

So I immediately thought of other books about innocent characters who are bullied and face injustice. (I'm not the first one to do this, but I was inspired!)

Another great book came to mind:

BLUEBIRD by Bob Staake is a wordless picture book that will literally take your breath away. The colors, images, artwork, and storytelling--everything--are all stunning. In it, a lonely boy, mocked by classmates, is befriended by a sweet bluebird. The story is so tender and powerful (re: the ending), I tear up just thinking about it. (My students loved this book, and were even inspired to make these paper bluebirds.) Aren't they awesome?

In addition to the "reading ladders", the children's books listed here lend themselves perfectly to discussion and response in the classroom or the library. How are Wanda and the Bluebird and Auggie all alike? What lessons do they teach us? What do we admire about them? What does each book say about kindness? Do readers remember another book that reminds them of these titles? I'm excited about all the possibilities.

No worksheets needed here.

What other books would you add to this list? Perhaps your combination is a little different. Or even better, what "reading ladders" would you create about other topics using other books? I hope you're inspired to create some of your own! Please share them with others!