Roger Is Reading a Book: By Koen Van Biesen

I finally got a copy of this book. And as with many other picture books that intrigue me, I have read and reread this one many times. I appreciate more with each reading, and the quality of the book brings me back to it.

Written and illustrated by Koen Van Biesen, this picture book was originally published in Belgium in 2012.  It was then published again by Eerdman's in 2015. This is the version I am reading now.

Van Biesen, Koen. Roger is reading a book. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, 2015. Print. ISBN 9780802854421. 

Because this book is about someone reading a book, it is especially interesting to me.

Roger is reading a book in his apartment. His orange tweed coat is hung, he's sitting on a stool, and his dog is resting beside him. All is good. But the facing page indicates there might be some trouble approaching, and the bouncing ball is proof. Soon we meet Emily, Roger's next door neighbor, a young girl who is playing basketball in her own apartment, and, the noise has startled both Roger and his dog. Roger knocks on the wall to show he's been bothered, but Emily decides to practice her singing next, once again jolting Roger and his dog of their quiet. Roger knocks again, but to no avail, as the next four attempts include Emily playing a drum, juggling, boxing and dancing -- and producing noise that disturbs the quiet next door. Finally, annoyed to the point of action, Roger delivers a package to Emily's place. Emily opens it, revealing a book, and soon Roger's problem is solved as the girl begins to read it. Soon, both Roger and Emily - each in their respective homes -- are both engrossed in books. But then the dog decides its his turn to get noticed, and the book ends as Emily and Roger walk the dog out together -- with another funny surprise at the end.

The text in this book is the conversation and interaction between Emily and Roger. The back and forth is quick and sharp -- as if the events are happening in real time. There's lots of onomatopoeia in this one, with each signaling Emily's next attempt at disruption and Roger's reaction (knocking). Lines are sparse and to-the-point, with the narration similar to a play-by-play. All work together to make this a very focused and well-paced read-aloud.

And however much the text works,  the illustrations are standouts, too. Color is used to highlight Roger and Emily, and white is used as background. We see shadows of Roger's stool, his shoe, and Emily's basketball. Bold text is in all caps in black, a forest green, and blue. Patterns in Emily's dress and chair, and Roger's vest catch the reader's eye. Van Biesen has also given clues about all the ways Emily will entertain Roger with the various items found in her room. Lines are especially important here with grey swirls indicating approaching events, curved ones showing sound as well as movement (Emily's hair, Roger's hat and pounding knocks, etc.). When Roger is knocking at the wall at his most impatient moment, Emily's head is bowed down, creating balance. As Roger is bothered, he repositions his stool, and his dog mimics him (a clever touch). Page turns lend motion to the story, and lead the reader through the book at just the right speed.

The other story happening simultaneously is the dog's reaction to it all, so watch for that, too.

This book, in a way, is the story of two opposing forces coming to an agreement -- with a bit of ingenuity and someone taking a positive first step. But mostly, the plot and interaction are just fun to watch. Emily is a clever and very interesting girl. And what book is it that Roger must read?

I have kept this one close by for awhile, as with every pick-up I see more. I am grateful to Eeerdman's for publishing this one and making it available here.

My Version of "Book Tasting"

Just a quick post here to share one activity I've been doing in the library for the last weeks of school. It is still a very busy place and the year is wrapping up--as you know!


Towards the end of the school year, like many of you, I start thinking about summer reading, and  I thought about how I would promote summer reading in my final class times with students. I wanted students to have a great list ready to go when they walked into their public library or bookstore this summer, and, ideally, I wanted them to generate a list of their own. So I decided to hold a "book tasting" - an event I first heard about from Andy Plemmons on his blog here.  I also read Buffy Hamilton's post about her book tasting event here. I adapted the event to make it fit my schedule and my library.

To give the library a café feel,  I decorated the tables with plastic tablecloths I had leftover from book fair. Other than that I really didn't decorate at all. Then I walked my fiction section for chapter books that were not as well circulated or ones I felt I hadn't had a chance to book talk recently. I placed one book on the table as a "place setting" and then created a "menu" from the titles. The menu simply listed the titles of the book in chart format with a place for notes (two columns).  Third and fourth graders came in and sat at a table, and using a menu to take notes, they skimmed each book for three minutes (I used a timer). I had them look at the cover, the inside jacket, the author bio, and the first few pages of each book. They took notes in anyway that was comfortable for them: a happy face, a checkmark, questions, etc. After that, they passed the books around until they'd had a chance to look at each book on their table.

We didn't finish during the first class session, so it continued the next week. Along the way, students became hooked on some of the books so they immediately checked them out. (That was awesome and I was very happy about this!) I had a stack of replacement books ready to go when this happened. On the menu, I'd already left some blank spaces so that they could fill in the title if it wasn't available anymore.

At the end of the second class time, and a go-around of about 8 books, I had students get up and walk around to check other titles they might have missed. They added to their lists as the browsed and had great conversations with classmates. By this time, everyone had at least 3 books they wanted to read, and most had a lot more. They walked away with a list of books, and now, I hope they will check these out our wonderful public library this summer.

Overall I was pleased with how this activity turned out, and I know I will do it again next year. I think I will also try it out at the beginning or middle of the year so that readers will have more time to read the books they added to their lists!

I am grateful to Andy Plemmons and Buffy Hamilton for sharing! If you try this in your library, make sure to share, too!

Narrative Nonfiction: Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis

Gibbs, Kathryn Davis. Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. Illus. by Gilbert Ford. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. Print. ISBN 9780547959221.

I'm not sure where I first about MR. FERRIS AND HIS WHEEL. I grabbed a copy of this title as soon as I could and recently was fortunate enough to meet the author when she visited our area.

In this nonfiction picture book, author Kathryn Gibbs Davis recounts the history of the invention of the Ferris Wheel by introducing readers to George Ferris. Already an engineer of bridges and tunnels and an expert in the use of steel, Ferris challenged himself to design a structure that would be chosen for the Chicago World's Fair. A childhood memory of a water wheel influenced his thinking, and he submitted a plan for a design that "would dazzle and move" (Davis, 2014). But the World's Fair judges rejected his proposal. After considering many copies of the previous winner, the Eiffel Tower, the judges finally accepted his idea, but decided not to fund it. Determined, Ferris asked banks to lend him money, but his idea was met with ridicule. Finally, armed with his own savings and money from a few investors, Ferris began building the structure. Despite encountering challenges such as an icy surface and unexpected (deep) quicksand, the wheel was finally built in 1893. Ferris and his wife (along with several other guests) rode the wheel for the first time, and after its first successful spins and rides, the wheel indeed became a star attraction of the World's Fair as intended. After a successful 19-week run and 10,000 rotations, the wheel was shut down. It was eventually renamed the Ferris Wheel and inspired many copies.

With narrative paragraphs on the left page, and nonfiction text on the right, Davis gives readers both a story and a history lesson. Gilbert Ford's blue, pink, and golden illustrations done in digital mixed media with watercolor and ink help young readers comprehend the magnitude of Ferris's accomplishments and lend appeal to the subject.

As a nonfiction work, this book would be appropriate and helpful for units in engineering, design, building, and biographies.

Davis creates a portrayal of Ferris as a thinker, problem-solver, and dreamer who persevered. Today's young readers will no doubt apply the story to their love of Legos, and Davis smartly makes this comparison on one page.

Back matter includes a list of websites, a photo of Ferris, a bibliography, and list of quoted sources.

Awards for MR. FERRIS AND HIS WHEEL include:

2015 Orbis Pictus Honor Book (NCTE)

2015 Bank Street College Center for Children's Literature Cook Prize (STEM) Honor Book

Kindergarten & Wolfie the Bunny

I learned something very important today: 

I always understand a picture book so much more AFTER I have read it to a kindergarten class. 

This week I am reading Wolfie the Bunny (Little Brown, 2015) and I'm seeing it through their eyes -- 

Dyckman, Ame. Wolfie the Bunny. Illus. by Zachariah Ohora. New York: Little Brown, 2015. Print.  9780316226141. 

In this picture book, Wolfie has arrived in a basket -- right on the doorstep of the Bunny family. They are happy to take him in, with Mama and Papa Bunny proudly taking Polaroids of the new addition to their family, and finding everything he does wonderful! (Mama even sews him a bunny suit.) But sister Dot will have none of this, and from the beginning, she expresses her objection in a clever refrain that kindergarteners will enjoy repeating: "He's going to eat us all up!" 

As Dot's words fall on deaf ears, Wolfie grows more and more attached to Dot. Wolfie also grows bigger due to an unending hunger for carrots, and this makes it necessary for the two to go to the "Carrot Patch" to replenish supply. While at the store a bear confronts Dot, searching for his next meal. Who rescues whom? Does Dot eventually come to love her "brother"? 

This is a humorous story of "siblings" and acceptance, and every page gives readers more reasons to be engaged completely in the book. 


Also worth noting: 

The color palette adds appeal to the book: bright yellow with parts in pink and gray - a trio that works. Notice the sloth on the sidewalk working in front of the Carrot Patch. (With its record for non-speed, how did a sloth get hired? I had fun thinking about it.)

Notice Papa Bunny's argyle sweater vest, Mama's red glasses, the layout of vegetables at the grocery store, and the t-shirt the bear is wearing. Notice the little bunny in the window. All lend more reasons why this book deserves more than just one read. I've lost count if how many times I've reached for it.) 

Here's what I also thought about: 

Mama Bunny sews Wolfie a bunny outfit. Why? Is it to make Wolfie fit in? Does SHE wish he was a bunny? 

Wolfie had a baby stuffed bunny in his basket. 

The bear is buying bear honey bottles.

 
Mama and Papa Bunny are so proud of Wolfie, they even praise his drool! That is love! 

So much to see in this book. And don't think I would have noticed half of it if I had not shared the story with my students. Their laughter & reactions made their opinion clear. 

For me, everything made it a perfect candidate for a Kindergarten Read-Aloud. 

Lenny & Lucy

At my first TLA last year, I heard Philip and Erin Stead speak on a panel. I enjoyed listening to the conversations about picture books and picture book art, and what made it all the more wonderful was the fact that Mac Barnett and Chris Van Dusen also were part of it. (This was the first time I met Mac Barnett, another one of my most favorite authors ever.) 

Here's my pic of the event. Yes, I sat in the front row. Wouldn't you? 

Listening to these authors and illustrators talk about their books was such a great experience. They think so deeply about every part of their work and appreciate each other's talents in a way that is truly inspiring. 

I knew the Steads, of course, from these books: 

I highly recommend all of them! (Not all are listed here.) 

And now, imagine my happiness at finding this in my mailbox.

Stead, Philip. Lenny & Lucy. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. New York: Macmillan,  Print. 

I was eager to open it up and take a look. To properly enjoy a book written and/or illustrated by the Steads, one needs quiet, space, and freedom to concentrate. I gave myself all of these things. 

After an evening with the book, I took note of many aspects. There are so many things to think about in this book that I don't know where to begin. 

So. . .

I'll go with the illustrations. 

You can see from the cover that the car and its riders provide the only color. The trees - imposing and creating vertical lines in gray --  surround the family. They are being completely enveloped in their surroundings. As I poured over each page, I asked myself: What does Erin Stead want me to notice? I will know it by the orange, green, blue, purple, or even red. Again: What does Erin Stead want me to notice? It will also have patterns: floral wallpaper, textured blankets, striped shirt, print clothing. The woods and their eeriness are always in gray, in the background, silent -- yet very much a presence. A lone yellow leaf hanging from a tree points down like a finger on several pages: notice Peter under the tree, looking away from house, notice the bridge that Peter and Harold walk on together, and finally, notice Lenny waiting underneath the tree and protecting Peter.  The oversize floral wallpaper is a nice effect in Peter's room - in essence, creating Peter's natural world - much more beautiful and safer than the desolate unknown  outside.

Now the story: 

Peter, his dog Harold, and his dad are moving to a new house, and from the beginning we know that Peter does not think this is a good idea. Dad is silent throughout the book, and Peter, after a snack of milk and cookies, ponders his situation and how he will handle it. His solution is Lenny, a protective figure, in the form of stuffed blankets and pillow hands -- comfortable and soft, and at the same time, imposing enough to guard the bridge's entrance. Peter goes to great lengths to create Lenny. And when he and Harold are back in their room checking on Lenny from upstairs, Peter worries about Lenny being lonely. So he builds another friend for Lenny and her name is Lucy. And they sit together at the foot of the bridge.

And I will not tell you about the ending, but I am still thinking about that, too. 

It's an engaging story -- unexpected, moving forward, unpredictable. Through a kid's eyes, everything makes sense. The bridge connects Peter -- not only to his home and to the woods, but also to his future, unknown, and a bit scary. 

I will be reading this story again. I do this with every Stead book. 


Also in my mailbox this week: a stuffed turtle plush from And Then It's Spring. Thanks, Mackids! They are available now at Kohl's as part of a program called Kohl's Cares: $5 will buy one of the Stead books and another $5 will buy a stuffed plush. Read about the program here on Erin Stead's blog. 

I will read Lenny and Lucy again and again. And I hope you will join me in getting your own copy in October 2015 when it is released. 

Earth Day, Bugs, and Poetry

It is still National Poetry Month, so I have been using every opportunity to share a poem with anyone who walks into the library. (I still plan on doing this after April, of course!)

With my kindergarten classes, the opportunity came via their curriculum. The classes had been studying insects, so I immediately thought of several bug poetry books including Bug Off! Creepy Crawly Poems (Wordsong, 2012).

In this poetry picture book, Yolen writes poems about insects and accompanies each poem with a nonfiction paragraph as well as a close-up photograph by Jason Stemple. Before reading the poem I'd selected, I did a picture walk with the book. My students called out the name of each insect or shared with a partner what they knew about it. I heard lots of "Wow" and "Eww!"

I had chosen "Grasshopper Green", a poem about yes, a grasshopper,  because I loved how it sounded as I read it aloud to myself. It consists of two stanzas with four lines each, and the last line of each stanza is "Green, green, green". 

I displayed the poem on chart paper, and read it aloud twice. On the third reading, students repeated the last line with me saying "Green, green, green". It sounded lovely! 

With my 2nd graders, I knew they'd been studying Earth Day and that they had taken a nature walk the day before. Although their library day was the day AFTER Earth Day, I chose to continue the celebration! 

I showed a picture of Earth, and then had the students tell me all about their nature walk the day before. I then read a poem aloud especially written for Earth Day by Mary Lee Hahn. The poem is entitled "Earth, You Are" and it is a short, two verse poem in which the narrator talks to the Earth. 

I found this poem in the book Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015) compiled by Dr. Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. 

Following the suggested plan for the poem in the book, I read the poem twice. On the second reading, my students read aloud the first three words of each of the first lines in the stanza: "Earth, you are ...."

After, I had students share what they would do to celebrate/protect the earth that very day. The answers ranged from recycling trash, to going paperless. Others said they'd plant a seed! 

Some students chose to illustrate the poem or draw Earth afterward: 

These activities were relatively simple and still allowed for checkout time. It's no surprise that many of the books I'd pulled on recycling, Earth Day, and gardening were quickly checked out. 

What I loved about both of these "poetry breaks" was that they were quick and did not involve a lot of preparation (other than reading the poetry beforehand which was awesome).  But they did add a lot of joy to the day, and together in that library, my students and teachers and I shared a wonderful literary moment -- the kind of moment that will live in my librarian heart forever. 

TLA 2015: I Am Thankful

I'm home now from my second trip to the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference. Held in Austin, the conference drew over 7,000 attendees. I was fortunate to be able to go, and I am grateful to my awesome district and administration for supporting my learning!

An added bonus was that the conference took place during National Library Week and School Library Month. Celebrating this event with fellow librarians made it extra special.

So, because my experience was incredibly rich, it would be impossible for me to concisely recount every great thing that happened (nor would you want to read such a long post!), and, no doubt, I would omit someone's name or leave out something important.  I would never want to do that.

Instead I want to share some realizations -- and I know that some may seem incredibly simple and obvious. But this is where my learning is at this point, and after some time passes, the concepts will reveal themselves more specifically.

TLA helped me appreciate that:

• No matter how much I read children's literature or learn about it, it will never be enough!  It truly is my passion (along with libraries)! Listening to an author or illustrator talk about their book brings me a joy I cannot fully describe. This is because the more I learn about #kidlit, the better equipped I will be to help the readers in my library find the books they need. 

• Connecting with other librarians helps me improve my practice. When I ask questions, listen, and engage in conversations with other librarians, I instantly improve my own work. This is because I am doing a lot of thinking as I assess my knowledge, reconfigure for new information, and set goals. 

• I love my library, and to make it an even better place, I must keep pursuing ideas and exploring. This will require me to be forward-thinking and always-working. I will definitely need to "Be the Hero"! 

• A conference is learning-on-the-go, subject to the environment around me. Though I may have a plan, sometimes letting go of it leads you to something even better.

Note: I took a lot of notes and documented my learning via Twitter. And thanks to my fellow tweeting librarians, I was able to learn from sessions I could not attend. 

I am thankful for the Texas Library Association and their leadership and resources. 

P.S. I can't wait until next year: #txla2016. But also, I cannot wait until tomorrow, when I can use this learning in the library! 

See you in Houston!