Poetry in February

One of the very best parts of my week was sharing poetry with 2nd grade. These young readers know my love of books, but I also wanted them to know that poetry is one of my most favorite genres of all.  I knew their teachers were focusing on poetry in language arts, so I decided to supplement/support their instruction with a mini-lesson during their library time.

My inspiration for this lesson came from the two books pictured below. I consider both to be must-haves for anyone using poetry in their classrooms or libraries.  (I will forever be grateful to Georgia Heard, Dr. Sylvia Vardell, and Janet Wong for their work.)

I had several goals (besides their language arts standards, of course). One was to establish the library as a place where poetry could be celebrated. My message: "We have poetry books and this is a place where you can read poems aloud and share them!" I also wanted to read poetry to them and help them hear the lovely music a poem can play. And, I wanted them to "discover" poetry that they liked on their own.

I had a lot of goals! 

We sat around my storytime area. I told them how much I loved poetry and asked if I could share one of my favorite poems with them: "The Library" by Barbara A. Huff. It's a wonderful ode to libraries! Then, because it was Super Bowl weekend, I shared "Super Bowl Sunday" by Jane Rush MacCulloch from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015). I had fun acting out the eating in the poem and we all joined in on the last word: "Touchdown!" 

I shared "Poem Like the Sea" by Patricia Hubbell next. They thought it was very funny that I was sharing a poem about a poem! I read it once aloud, then showed it to them. "Tell me what you think," I said to the class.  Slowly, hands went up with noticings about rhyme, repetition, line arrangement, and verses. During this discussion, I used teachable opportunities to tag on to their own learning. I celebrated their observations, asked questions for clarification, and connected one learner's answers to another. At just the right moment, I sent them off to our tables where I had placed poetry books -- hand-picked by me! I asked them to read poetry by themselves or with a partner. They immediately found poems about favorite topics like dinosaurs and chocolate and recess. And I noticed them walking over to each other to share what they'd found. I asked if anyone had found any poems they enjoyed. Hands went up immediately, and though I had not asked them to read the poems aloud, most wanted to do just that! And many did! And two boys came together in one class to read a 2-voice poem! With everyone that read aloud, I read right with along with them-- mainly, to provide support in case they came upon a word they didn't know, but also to celebrate with them.

After checkout, many came back to the poetry books to read more. Several brought me books from the tables and asked if they could check them out. I said "Of course!" with detectable joy in my voice. (Couldn't hide it.)

Now, the poetry section is a bit of a mess, and it looks depleted but to a school librarian, this is a very good thing! It means the books are being read!

The next part of the poetry lessons will continue next week. But I have already learned so much.

Check the Biography Section

I am always looking for great picture book biographies for our readers. I know that curiosity will lead them to these books, and that they will, at some point, be conducting some sort of research in this area of the library. I display biographies continuously, and try to book talk at least one biography per week (mostly narrative nonfiction).

Recently, our third graders began a biography project. After working with teachers to learn about the project, and discuss the work, my awesome parent volunteers pulled the needed biography books. During library time, I talked about the biography section, went over how it is arranged, talked about the special spine labels and call numbers, and, more importantly, discussed how biographies can help our learning. We talked about where to find the books, and how to look them up on our online catalog.

After teachers introduced the project, and students explored the biography section by skimming books, I also showed our readers how our databases could help.

With all the reading and research our learners were about to do, I thought  a session on note-taking would be valuable - and our teachers agreed. So, I got to work -- and with each class, I read an article about Laura Ingalls Wilder from our Britannica School online database. Next, I modeled Trash-Treasure Note-taking as found in The Big 6 Goes Primary (Linworth Books, 2009).

Jansen, Barbara A. The Big 6 Goes Primary: Teaching Information & Communications Technology Skills in the K-3 Curriculum. Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth, 2009. Print. 

I read the article sentence by sentence, then added relevant facts to the chart as I went along. We discussed what was important from every sentence. I thought aloud and explained my process as I went. We also had a great discussion about Laura Ingalls Wilder as an author.  I also told the students about the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award given by the American Library Association. (The 2016 Winner is Jerry Pinkney.)

The classes are working on their project now, and I can't wait to see their final artifacts!

This was one way I could collaborate and support learning. Through continued conversation with our amazing teachers, I will help in any way I can! I hope that this project leads to lifelong reading of biographies!

By the way:

Two biographies I share often with young readers:

Tavares, Matt. Growing Up Pedro. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2015. Print. 

Bryant, Jen. Roget and His Thesaurus. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014. Print. 

My Name in a Book

When I first read Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Random House Kids, 2013), I remember enjoying all of its clues, puzzles and book titles! I also loved reading about Mr. Lemoncello's very high-tech, "dream" library. Truly, it's a fun book for anyone who loves books and libraries!

So I was really happy that at #txla14, I had the privilege of meeting Chris Grabenstein, the book's author. By this point, I'd read the book at least 2 times!

At the next TLA Conference in 2015,  I met up with Mr. Grabenstein again, and found out about  his next book, Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics. 

I received an advanced copy of Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics and saw that Mr. Grabenstein  had mentioned me in the book!! On page 48!! Mr. Grabenstein even signed my copy!

When the book was published in January, I could hardly wait to check page 48:

And there it was! My name in a book! Imagine my surprise and happiness! 

I am grateful to Chris for including me in Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics as the coach of the Southwest team! In the book, Mr. Lemoncello has organized the Library Olympics, and teams from all over the country have gathered to compete. But along the way,  there is a mystery that must be solved: books from Mr. Lemoncello's library are missing! Who is trying to keep readers from these books? Why? 

The book's display at the Random House Kids booth at ALA MidWinter 2016

I still really can't believe my name is in a book -- but all I have to do is check p. 48, and there it is! 

This proves to me once again that books bring joy and wonderful surprises! 

ALA MidWinter/Youth Media Awards 2016

ALA MidWinter was a time for celebration and learning.

The 2016 Newbery and Caldecott Award winners were announced, and I was a part of many wonderful conversations about children's literature. I met up with colleagues, talked to authors, and heard about the upcoming books for 2016. And my discussions about these books were the best book discussions I could have had. Plots, characters, theme -- all covered.

In fact, several times during the conference, I would think of a book and talk to a friend about it. Or someone would ask me if I'd read a particular book. And with that, came my learning.

I'll share some of the conference here in pictures:

Candlewick hosted a fun event at Fenway in Boston. Here, I met author/illustrator Matt Tavares. His latest book  is GROWING UP PEDRO, a picture book about famous baseball player brothers Pedro and Ramon Martinez. 

Can't wait to see a final copy of FLORA AND PEACOCKS by Molly Idle! Love the green cover of this one! 

Thank you, Boyds Mills Press, for this galley of THE KNOWING BOOK (written by Rebecca Kai Doltich and illustrated by Matthew Cordell.)

THE WILD ROBOT is Peter Brown's next book and it's a middle grade novel! Thankful to Little Brown for the ARC of this one!

Hearing that the next Elephant & Piggie book will be the last = sad. :-( 

FINDING WINNIE wins the 2016 Caldecott Medal. I read this one aloud to 4th grade when I came back. (But that's another blog post). 

Attending my ALSC All-Committee meeting and reuniting with colleagues. Great discussions here. If you are an ALSC member, volunteer for a committee and join us! 

LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET wins the 2016 Newbery Medal, a 2016 Caldecott Honor, and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award. So very happy for Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson! 

My great seat for the Youth Media Awards. Pretty perfect. I sat with my friend Lisa Morris-Wilkey. 

Lynda Mullaly Hunt's FISH IN A TREE wins the Schneider Award for Middle Grade. So. Happy. For. Her. And Nancy Paulsen. 

ECHO by Pam Muńoz Ryan wins a 2016 Newbery Honor Medal. I still remember the joy I felt when I read the ARC. Thank you, Lizette Serrano, for sharing a copy with me at the ALSC Institute!

And I also met author Lauren Wolk at a Penguin lunch. Lauren is the author of WOLF HOLLOW, an upcoming book from Penguin that I have read and can't stop thinking about. She was lovely and I enjoyed listening as she shared this book with us.

Annual comes next in Orlando! See you then! 

Waiting

Next Monday (Jan. 11th), the winners of the 2016 Youth Media Awards will be announced. The awards include the Newbery, Caldecott, Geisel, Coretta Scott King, and Pura Belpré winners -- among others. For a complete listing, click here.

(And if you'd like to watch the broadcast with these announcements, click here.)

As I wait with my fellow librarians for this day to arrive, I am thinking about the 2015 books I did - and did not -- read. (It will be a week of thinking, predicting, and guessing -- and, also, rereading.)

And I can't help but think about the following book. A book about ---  waiting.

Henkes, Kevin. Waiting. New York: HarperCollins, 2015. Print.

I think it is the perfect time to reread this picture book. In it, a pig, an owl, a bear, a puppy, and a rabbit all sit at a window pane, gazing out and waiting. All except the rabbit are waiting for something in particular. And for them, what they are waiting for makes sense. (Example: the bear waits for the wind because he has a kite!)

Henkes tells this story using a soft, candy-like palette of pink, cream, mint, and powder blue. Time passes by as they wait, and the weather changes -- this is shown to the reader through window scenes and panels: snow, fireworks, falling leaves, rain. Some pages are wordless, some have text layered like ladder steps, and some pages only include text. Some mimic a window's edge, and on a few pages, the world opens to us as the window opens, too.

It was a pleasure to reread this one -- again. As I wait.

This book will, indeed, make you think about the process of waiting. When we wait in line, wait for something to happen, or wait for someone to arrive, our scenery changes. Sometimes we wait alone. Sometimes we wait with others. Sometimes we are just waiting -- and not sure what we will get in return.

If we are fortunate, the waiting brings us what we seek. Or, something we do not expect. Something better. 

Sometimes the waiting is the story.

On Monday, Jan. 11th,  I will be waiting with my fellow librarians and other children's literature enthusiasts to hear who has won these prestigious awards. 

And I sure that whatever the result, the waiting will be worth it.

Happy 2016!

I can't believe 2016 is here!

I have pulled out my planner and started writing down goals, hopes, and reminders. And I have gathered a final stack of books I want to read before holiday break is over.

I have also set my Goodreads reading goal. Last year, I set a goal for 300 and surpassed it, and so this year, I decided to go with 400. What I like about my goal is the fact that I can adjust it as needed. Either way, it helps me keep reading!

It was hard to decide on what the last book of 2015 would be, and it was just as hard to decide my FIRST book of 2016. But I finally decided!

I wrapped up my 2015 reading year with THE WHISPER by Aaron Starmer (YA fantasy and filled with storytelling!):

And my first book of 2016 was GOOSEBERRY PARK AND THE MASTER PLAN by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard. It's a delightful sequel/companion book to GOOSEBERRY PARK. 

Both of these books were published in 2015. I am still thinking about these books and would reread them both. 

Reading is a lovely and perfect way for me to usher in 2016! I am excited about the year and the wonderful moments I will share with readers in our library. 

Hoping your year is off to a fabulous start as well! 

Elephant & Piggie Book: I REALLY LIKE SLOP

I have been meaning to blog about this one, and with the winter break, I am finally doing just that!

Willems, Mo. I Really Like Slop! New York: Hyperion, 2015. Print. 

Kindergarten just adores Elephant and Piggie! And who can blame them? These two have a great relationship, and provide us so much humor -- and great read-alouds, too! 

This fun and silly adventure ends up being a great lesson in friendship. Our friends have different tastes, different favorites, different likes and dislikes. Sometimes we try out those favorites and love them, and sometimes we don't! Here, Piggie is trying to "sell" Elephant on his favorite food (slop!), but it is green, and, as you can see from the cover, attracts flies! Elephant's reactions are perfect: tongue out, and an emphatic "NO WAY!" when Piggie asks him to try it. But Elephant has a soft spot for Piggie, and - spoiler alert -- gives in to Piggie's pleas. Does Elephant end up loving the stuff? Well, I won't reveal that here, but I can tell you that the result is hilarious, absurb, and much fun for both reader and listener. 

As with Mo Willems' many books, it hits the right note. With Elephant and Piggie, we are comfortable -- knowing that whatever takes place, it will be fun, and light, and make us laugh. 

With plenty of white space, loud and vociferous quotations, onomatopoeia, and outrageousness, this book will be requested and checked out again and again. Just like the other Elephant & Piggie books! 

Click here for a listing! 

And watch Mo Willems talk about the book in the video below: