It's Monday! This day gets here before we know it! I usually join Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts on Mondays because my fellow teacher and librarian friends are all over there! They love to read like I do, and I always get the best titles from them.
This week:
I have two big projects due for library school at the end of the month, so I'm working diligently to complete them! I am consumed with learning and making my work better. This translates to learning for my students because I'm reading a lot of nonfiction and using strategies that I practice with myself and then teach my class. Interestingly, I'm learning about my own learning preferences, and how important it is that I help my students do the same. I've discovered I need lots of space to work, that I like to change work areas, that white noise helps (thanks to my Infinite Storm app), and that I need frequent breaks. Do you know how YOU learn best?
My reading:
(Forgive my light reading this week! If I added my chapters and articles, it would look much different!)
What I read this week:
FOLLOW FOLLOW by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Massee
Published by: Dial
Published: 2/7/13
Pages: 32
Have you read (or heard of) MIRROR MIRROR by Marilyn Singer? This is the second book of reverso poems by this talented writer! MIRROR MIRROR was a Texas Bluebonnet Book Award nominee for 2011-2012. It's very popular with students because reading reverse poems is generally a very fun thing to do! This book is even more wonderful than the first. I first heard about it at the Penguin Book Buzz at ALA Midwinter and I was so excited about it. I still am. It's a perfect addition to my poetry month selections. The illustrations are split down the middle, and so are the poems, and seeing the two different sides is a feast for your eyes. My students read these aloud in pairs, and it was truly music to my ears. Each poem is based on a fairy tale, and Marilyn Singer includes a page at the end to tell about each one. (This became another great source for my students.) I especially loved "No Bigger Than Your Thumb" based on Thumbelina. One of my students summarized this fairy tale for me just because she wanted to, and because this book brought about that moment, I will truly never forget it! Add this one to your poetry collection as soon as you can!
TEA REX by Molly Idle
Published: 4/9/13
Published by: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 40
If you know Molly Idle's work, you know she's already written one of my favorite picture books of 2013: FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO. (Get this book as soon as possible: it's a treasure!)
Now, she's given us another treat with TEA REX. This is a delightful picture book, and it brought me so much happiness! Have you ever hosted a party and had an expected guest? This book gives you advice for how to handle that situation. What is especially wonderful about this book is that the illustrations tell one part of the story while the text tells another. Visually, the page holds surprises for the attentive eye with the size and placement of both the text and the images. The soft & sweet color palette reminded me of favorite confections, and I was very much inspired to have a tea party afterwards. I highly recommend TEA REX to you, and I will keep on looking for any book by Molly Idle.
Thanks to Penguin Kids for the book!
THE WATER CASTLE by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Published by: Walker & Company
Published: 1/8/13
Pages: 352
My chapter book for the week is now one of my new favorites. This title has the look and feel of a classic reminding me of THE SECRET GARDEN (though the stories are different). THE WATER CASTLE came highly recommended to me at ALA Midwinter, and as soon as I started reading it, I could see why.
It's a mystery and at the same time, a family story. Ephraim's father has had a stroke, and his family has moved to Water Castle in Crystal Springs, Maine so that he can get treatment & care. Ephraim wants his dad to be better, and as he struggles to find help for
him, he also takes a look at himself and how he fits in with his
siblings. But the mystery comes from the setting. Why are the people of Crystal Springs so good at everything they do? Is the water in the castle magical? Two other kids join him in his search for a solution to the water mystery. A weaving of historical references and family legends enrich the plot in a charming way that keep the reader turning the pages. In fact, readers just might disappear in the Water Castle because they're so engaged in the story. I know I did.
This week I hope to read:
THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE by Christopher Healy
(The first book -- THE HERO'S GUIDE TO SAVING THE KINGDOM--is our current class read-aloud. So funny!)
ONE CAME HOME by Amy Timberlake (It came highly
What are you reading this week?