Our Blogging Journeys

This past week as I presented at Lit Camp, I spoke about my "blogging journey".  I explained how I named my blog (from my love of shoe-purchasing!) and how I was inspired to get it started by fellow #nerdybookclub members. I can remember a few of us all creating our first post, and then sharing links with one another. Such an exciting time!

As I shared my blog with others, I found that helping them get theirs started caused me to really take a good, deep look at my own.

I realized that I needed to take a look at it with fresh eyes (an examination long overdue).  This process continues, but I now realize that it should be more of a presence in my life -- and hold more importance than I place on it. I have librarian friends who also blog, and I know they tend to their sites with so much focus.  I tell others, "I have a blog." But I wonder if I truly understand the power of that.

A saying that hangs in my library office 

I also thought about this:

I thought about how my blog is like other places that I write. Or rather, how it is NOT like it. Yes, I have a writer's notebook. But a blog is different.  I designed it, named it, created it and I fill it as much as I can. I pour into it not just to express my ideas - but to share them.

Also, my blog:

• helps me take stock
• illuminates important books 

My little blog helps me reflect on books in a way that can mean something to others. 

So with this "reset" of my blog, I blog again with a renewed sense of purpose.

I guess my blog needs a summer recharge, too!

Catching Up

The holiday break is generally a catch-up time for me, especially in the area of book-reading. I am sure it is the same for many fellow educators. A clear free day (or two) was all I needed.

I was able to get to some books that had been waiting for me for patiently. (Reviews are forthcoming.) Two have been included on several 2014 lists, FISH IN A TREE is out the first week of February, and ECHO will be available on February 25th.

I also read some wonderful picture books, including the two below.

Watch the trailer here. The music is quite lively! I love the size of the owl's eyes in this one.





I also read this delightful bear book. I think I read this one at least five times. I also feel the need to bake the cake featured in this book. Thankfully, author Anika Denise includes the recipe at the back of the book.

Watch the trailer for this book here.




I not only caught up (somewhat) on my reading, but I also set my 2015 Goodreads Challenge for 300 books. I surpassed my 2014 goal of 200 books and read 245. This surprised me because I know how busy the year truly was.

So with the beginning of 2015, I am also reflecting on my blogging.  I am intent this year on posting more regularly here -- dare I say daily! I want my blog to be a helpful source for teachers and librarians and a place for me to share my learning as well.

I wish you all a happy 2015! May it be filled with many, many wonderful books! I am beyond excited about the possibilities of the year!

My Picture Book Faves

I started my blog over a year ago. I knew it was something I needed to do--as a teacher, learner, and writer. At first, I thought it would be about teaching. But then I just couldn't help myself: the books had to be shared.

In a year where I read more books than I ever had before, I recorded many of the titles here. I read picture books, middle grades, and YA. I discovered new authors and reaffirmed my admiration for the known authors who have always been a part of my classroom. I even had the privilege of meeting some of them this year. I cannot thank them enough for their work and dedication to children's literature.

It seems that many of  my fellow Nerdy Book Club bloggers are posting these end-of-the-year pieces, so I will do the same. Please forgive the predictability of this. For me, it is new.

I read many picture books in 2012, but here are the ones I name as my top picks:

FICTION:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
This books is a really clever story. My class loved it. We loved the characters, and it gave us lots of great points to discuss.

 

 

C.R. Mudgeon by Leslie Muir and Julian Hector
This is a story about being friends with people who are different from you. Paprika and C.R. Mudgeon couldn't be more opposite. I loved the message of this book.

 

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
It's no secret. I WANT MY HAT BACK was such a fave of of mine in 2011! I think I carried it around everywhere expecting to book talk it at any minute. THIS IS NOT MY HAT is also wonderful. My students voted this one as our Mock Caldecott winner!

 

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Funny, funny book! My students adored it, too. We all wanted to eat tacos afterward. We still do. It was  Mock Caldecott Honor book in 4A.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman and Dan Yaccarino
A personal fave, but also my students' fave. It's a story about friendship that is fun to listen to and even more fun to read. I wear my "Affirmative!" wristband every day! Ame Dyckman is such a talent!!

goodreads.com

 

The Monsters' Monster by Patrick McDonnell
Get a copy of this one, too! Some monsters decide to create their own monster, but things don't turn out like they planned. So cute! So sweet! I had to check it out from the library, but I will be buying my own copy soon--next time I'm at the bookstore (which will probably be today).

goodreads.com

 

 

Unspoken by Henry Cole

I read this at ALA in the summer. It took my breath away. Henry Cole is such an amazing artist and storyteller. Take a close look at every page. Infer and draw conclusions!! It is BRILLIANT.

 



NONFICTION:

goodreads.com

 

Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman
I loved the way this author told us all about Abraham Lincoln! Great book!

 

Plant Hunters by Anita Silvey (along with a QR Code I made for a video of Anita Silvey talking about the book)
This is a very engaging nonfiction book about people who did risky things to find and collect plants. I learned a lot from this one. I used it in a presentation to show the ways teachers could use a QR Code as a supplement in reader's workshop.



Fifty Cents and a Dream by Jabari Asim and Bryan Collier
This book tells an amazing story of determination. The story is about Booker T. Washington, and what he did in order to be able to go to school! It's very inspiring and well-told, and watch the illustrations on this one, too. They speak text in their own way.

goodreads.com

Here Come the Girl Scouts By Shana Corey and Hadley Hooper
I'm a former Girl Scout, so this book holds a special place in my heart. Well-written and very inspirational!

These are books I'll remember the most. It would be impossible for me to name all of the books I loved, so I hope I am forgiven if I've left any out.

In tomorrow's post, I will list the middle grades and YA novels I especially loved this year.

Which picture books would be on your 2012 list?

P.S. Today, I'm wearing my cowgirl boots. They're perfect for just about everything. Except running. ;-)

Capturing Our Thoughts

My students make so many interesting observations. They share profound things that make me literally freeze in my cute shoes. These thoughts must be captured. They must be considered by others. I shouldn't be the only one fortunate enough to hear them.
Thankfully, we have Writer's Notebooks. They are mobile and don't require charging or upgrades. We can be imperfect there. We can try out ideas like a new pair of shoes. We can pin down our thoughts with No. 2 pencil points.

But as writers of the digital age, we also have other tools to record our thinking. We have our classroom blog & a class Twitter account. We can't keep them in our desks, & sometimes, the websites are down, but they prove their own values. Indeed, with these tools, we've learned the power of an audience. A comment from a teacher in Austin sparks a geography lesson. A reply from a class in Ohio gets us thinking about similes. These happenings are powerful, for they fuel the next post, or the next tweet. Thus the writing lives on.
How is this maintained? What is the process? I wish I could give the exact steps. Quantifying these moments in a way that can be replicated is impossible. I go with the words spoken. I listen to my students as they talk, and I apply the thought to a concept. It doesn't take an expert ear, but it does take a willing one. Are you willing to let go of the way you planned to teach something? Can you share it in the form your students need to hear it?
A writer's notebook is where it begins. A writer's notebook is where the thoughts are tossed about. But sometimes the thoughts must go elsewhere.
Sometimes we must bottle them in electronic containers to be clicked open by trackpad or mouse.
Then they are free again.
Free to be considered by others. Free to amaze others. Free to be.