School People: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. School People: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illus. by Ellen Shi. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 2018, Print.

It takes a wonderful group of people to make a school a special place for children.  Each play a part in making a child's day an awesome one!

This collection of poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins --whenever I think of poetry for children I always think of him and how could I not?--pays tribute with poems that applaud and celebrate these school people. Contributors to the collection include Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Amy Ludwig Vanderwater, Matt Forrest Essenwine, J. Patrick Lewis, Irene Latham, Alma Flor Ada, and more. Poems are written from the voices of students, describing the staff members' special ability to take them on magical learning journeys. Colorful and playful art by Ellen Shi brings the poems to life.

For an interactive read-aloud of this book, I might ask this question beforehand: "Who makes school a special place for you?" I might also bring this book out during special weeks such as Teacher Appreciation Week, with several poems that would fit the bill nicely.

Not only for Back-to-School week or National Poetry Month!

Spring Break and a Few Books

Yes, it is Spring Break here and March seems like it should be a long way away but it isn't! It is here! It is almost gone, actually! 

As a reader, I really enjoy Spring Break because it gives me a chance to "breathe" with my to-read stack! What I mean by that is that I have time to carefully choose what I want to read, and, more importantly, the time to truly get into the book without feeling like I have to rush off and get something done. 

As a busy librarian, I enjoy Spring Break because it give me a chance to work on house things again and declutter. I've been doing some of that this week! Especially with my books! 

Even so, my Spring Break is coming to it end,  and before it does, I thought I would share what I the books I've read recently:

If you've also read Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? also by Tanya Lee Stone, you will know why I appreciate this book. It tells the story of Ada Lovelace so well, and paired with Marjorie Priceman's dream-like art, the whole thing is a treat to read. This nonfiction picture book will inspire future coders and programmers -- really, all innovators!

The Little Red Fort has a release date of 3/27/18, but it was at my recent Scholastic Book Fair so I had a chance to read it (and share it). This picture book made me think of the Little Red Hen because it's about a sister who builds a treehouse while her brothers watch. Lots of STEM and Makerspace possibilities here, and I appreciate the main character Ruby so much because she doesn't listen when someone tells her she can't do something. Again, another book that will inspire anyone who creates! 

Matthew Cordell just won the Caldecott for Wolf in the Snow, so it was so lovely to receive this latest picture book he's illustrated. Actor Peter Hermann is the author, and it appeals to my love of poetry. It's an alphabet book like no other. Truly, it is a story told through mini-word puzzles that flow along nicely. I read it to myself this week and can't wait to read it to a class! I had fun trying to figure out what the next page would say! 

When I first opened this and read through it, I immediately thought about what a fabulous idea it was for a book. Using the most eye-catching and vivid photographs, April Pulley Sayre writes a thank-you letter to Earth. Each photograph, subject, and spread could ignite a fabulous conversation with learners and compel further research. Perfect for Earth Day, Poetry Month, or any other day! Check out her other books here. (My other two favorite April Pulley Sayre books are Best in Snow and Full of Fall.) 

Here's what I am currently reading: 

Here are some of the books I've received lately that I will be reading soon! 

Now for the shoes! 

I've been reading in the morning each day of my Spring Break, but while running errands, I always reach for my white Converse! Perfect with leggings and a book-ish t-shirt! 

What did you read during your Spring Break? What are you reading now? 

THE DIGGER AND THE FLOWER by Joseph Kuefler

THE BOOK: 

Kuefler, Joseph. The Digger and the Flower. New York: HarperCollins, 2018. Print.

Big trucks Crane, Dozer and Digger are busy in the city, building bridges, tall buildings, and roads. When break time comes, curious and dutiful Digger makes a discovery: a small blue flower growing out of the debris. Engrossed with the flower, Digger waters it, shields it from the wind, and sings to it at night. For a bit, Digger keeps the flower safe from the other trucks, but soon there is no other space to build, and the determined (and seemingly sinister) Dozer mows it down. Kuefler adeptly illustrates Digger's sadness with dark smoke clouds looming around him and a single gray filled-with-soot tear. After the smoke disappears, Digger finds the flower's seeds and transports them out of the city, setting out to make things right. The ending is a new beginning for Digger, shown in a new setting with added colors on the illustration palette. The broad square trim size and orientation (and the predominantly yellow, black and gray palette) suit the expansive, imposing urban feel of the story, with brightly colored work trucks standing out amidst the stark cold skyline. Kuefler's use of scale (Digger is the grandest in the spread in which he finds the flower) and white space combine to endear readers to Digger, and sympathize with his cause.

Digger is a character who takes a risk, setting himself apart from his peers to do a good thing. Digger isn't afraid to be himself, and to care about something tiny and fragile in his rough and tumble world of tearing up and tearing down. The flower is a character, too--changing Digger and leading him to the altered, warmer, for-the-better human-like machine he becomes. But Digger's caring for the flower isn't all about nurturing the bloom. Readers will realize that the flower gave Digger the permission and the reason to step out of the environment he very clearly did not belong in anymore.

Before I end this post, I must mention two things:
1.) I appreciated the textures Kuefler uses for the ground/earth -- similar to texture rubbing with crayons, and so real I wanted to move my hand over them.
2.) The double page spread in which the machines take a break at the whistle is the first place that Digger goes a different way and begins his story.

I will be sharing this book with readers in my library as spring approaches. I cannot wait to see what they see when I do. What will they learn from Digger? They will tell me.

*Update: I read this book to 3rd graders the day after I wrote this post. They noticed how much work the trucks had done as the story moved forward. "Lots of progress!" Also, they noticed at the end just how far the flowers had reached! See the final spread!

Here are two other picture books by Joseph Kuefler that I recommend as well:

THE SHOES:

Today I am wearing my comfy white Converse sneakers! I don't wear these often, but when I do, I appreciate them!