Kite Flying - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
Do you wish that you could just get away? Do you dream of going and visiting other places? Or do you prefer to stay put? Do you need a little nudging and encouragement to do something? I know that I'm all of the above at different points in time. This wonderful little short poem illustrates a great imagination (is it really possible for a kite to take you away? Boy, I wish it could!), but also shows that even though you did not plan on going somewhere or doing anything that you can learn to love it.




POEM

I flew a kite down by the sea,
until, that is, the kite flew me!
It tugged me high into the sky.
I held on tight and learned to fly!
I felt so free, so featherlight,
flying the world, just me and Kite.

CONNECTIONS

• Ask the children if a kite could really take them away somewhere? Is this poem an example of using your imagination? 
• Ask the children where would they go if a kite took them flying? What city? What state? What country? To see someone? And ask them why?
• Ask the children to name their traveling kite. Why did they chose that name? 
• Let the children create their own kite: 
• Paperbag kite from I Can Teach My Child!
• 20-Minute Kite from Disney's Spoonful

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Outside the Box: A Book of Poems written by Karma Wilson and illus. by Diane Goode. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division). 2014. ISBN: 9781416980056.

The Ones That Stick With You (AKA Books You Grew Up With)

Just recently I helped a mom find books for her children and grandchildren. We didn't have a copy of a book that her daughter grew-up with, but I did find something along the same theme. We then explored books that I remember from my own childhood. The mom really wanted books that her little ones would love and remember when they're older.

This got me to thinking: what are all of the books that I had grown up with. Do you smell a new reading list? I do!

Whenever I see these books I reminisce and smile.

PICTURE BOOKS

• Madeline books written and illus. by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Berenstain Bears series written and illus. by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• The Day It Rained Hearts written and illus. by Felicia Bond
• Annie and the Wild Animals written and illus. by Jan Brett
• Arthur's Halloween written and illus. by Marc Brown
• The Little House written and illus. by Virginia Lee Burton
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel written and illus. by Virginia Lee Burton
• Brush written by Pere Calders and illus. by Carme Sole Vendrell
• Stellaluna written and illus. by Jannell Cannon
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar written and illus. by Eric Carle
• Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type written by Doreen Cronin and illus. by Betsy Lewin
• Are You My Mother? written and illus. by P.D. Eastman
• The Happy Lion written and illus. by Louise Fatio
• Bark, George written and illus. by Jules Feiffer
• Wynken, Blynken, and Nod written by Eugune Field and illus. by
• Possum Magic written and illus. by Mem Fox
• Where is the Green Sheep? written and illus. by Mem Fox
• Full Moon Soup written and illus. by Alastair Graham 
• Corduroy books written and illus. by Don Freeman
• Orlando the Marmalade Cat series written and illus. by Kathleen Hale
• Bailey Goes Camping written and illus. by Kevin Henkes
• Snow White written by Paul Heins and illus. by Trina Schart Hyman
• Harold and the Purple Crayon written and illus. by Crockett Johnson
• Elmer written and illus. by David McKee
• Zin! Zin! Zin!: A Violin written by Lloyd Moss and illus. by Marjorie Priceman
• If You Give A Pig a Pancake written by Laura Numeroff and illus. by Felicia Bond
• Curious George written and illus. by H.A. Rey
• The Dot written and illus. by Peter Reynolds
• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales written by Jon Scieszka and illus. by Lane Smith
• Where the Wild Things Are written and illus. by Maurice Sendak
• Green Eggs and Ham written and illus. by Dr. Seuss
• The Pop-Up Mice of Mr. Brice written and illus. by Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg
• Gregory the Terrible Eater written by Mitchel Sharmat and illus. by Jose Aruego and Adriane Dewey
• Caps for Sale written and illus. by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Calvin and Hobbes comics written and illus. by Bill Watterson 
• A Chair for My Mother written and illus. by Vera B. Williams
• Teddy Bear Farmer series written by Phoebe Worthington and illus. by Joan Worthington
• Harry the Dirty Dog written by Gene Zion and illus. by Margaret Bloy Graham 

  NONFICTION

• Mummies Made in Egypt written by Aliki

CHAPTER BOOKS

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle written by Avi
• Who Stole the Wizard of Oz written by Avi
• Chasing Vermeer written by Blue Balliett and illus. by Brett Helquist
• The Wright Three written by Blue Balliett and illus. by Brett Helquist
• The Calder Game written by Blue Balliett and illus. by Brett Helquist
• Time For Andrew written by Mary Downing Hahn
• The Doll in the Garden written by Mary Downing Hahn
• The Gentleman Outlaw and Me - Eli written by Mary Downing Hahn
• Following the Mystery Man written by Mary Downing Hahn
• Following My Own Footsteps written by Mary Downing Hahn
• Daphne's Book written by Mary Downing Hahn
• Look For Me By Moonlight written by Mary Downing Hahn (YA level)
• Nancy Drew series written by Carolyn Keene 
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler written by E. L. Konigsburg
• Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling
• The Egypt Game written by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Mozart Season written by Virginia Euwer Wolff
• American Girl series
• Molly and Felicity books written by Valerie Tripp and illus. by C. F. Payne,
• Samantha books written by Susan S. Adler and illus. by Dan Andreasen,
• Kirsten books written by Janet Beeler Shaw,
• Addy books written by Connie Porter and illus. by Dahl Taylor

GROWN-UPS ARE STILL GROWING
In my mind, I'm still growing up. These are books I discovered once I became a grown-up (with a job) that I will never forget.

• A Little Book of Sloth written by Lucy Cooke
• Cows in the Kitchen written by June Crebbin and illus. by Katharine McEwen 
• Flora and the Flamingo written and illus. by Molly Idle
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? written by Bill Martin, Jr. and illus. by Eric Carle
• Anne of Green Gables series written by L. M. Montgomery 
• Smells Like Dog written by Suzanne Selfors
• Smells Like Treasure written by Suzanne Selfors
• Smells Like Pirates written by Suzanne Selfors

What books did you grew up with that you will always remember?

The moment when....

You all know the moment. The moment when, while in the midst of an unrelated conversation, you squeal with delight because you just saw the newest book in a favorite series. That was me this afternoon. While talking to my partner in crime, I look down at the cart of new books and I saw these two books! Squeee!

 The Year of the Fortune Cookie written by Andrea Cheng and illus. by Patrice Barton. ISBN: 9780544105195.

This is sequel to The Year of the Book and The Year of the Baby. I love these books. The description in the book flap reads:

"Last year, Anna Wang learned how to be a sister. This year, when her teacher gets approved to adopt a baby from china, Anna has the chance she has been waiting for - an exciting trip to China. But she wonders: will she feel at home in China - or terribly homesick? This third novel in the heartwarming Anna Wang series, which follows The Year of the Book and The Year of the Baby, five us a larger, more global view of the world through the eleven-year-old eyes of Anna"

 Why I LOVE These Books: They're short in length (under 200 pages), but they have a great well-rounded story and characters. As you may tell by the cover artwork that they are multicultural.The main character is from a Chinese-American family, and author Cheng includes Chinese words (and pronunciations) in the book. and The illustrations are simple, charming, and playful - a perfect marriage with the writing. Plus, at the end of each book there is an activity related to the story that the readers are do. I can't wait to read this book!

Nancy Clancy: The Secret of the Silver Key written by Jane O'Connor and illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser. ISBN: 9780062082992.

This is book #4 for the Jane O'Connor's Nancy Clancy (of the Fancy Nancy fame) chapter book series.

The description on the back cover reads:

"Nancy Clancy and her best friend, Bree, are off to solve another mystery - but this time it involves going back in time! As Nancy's class learns about time capsules in school, another relic from the past pops up in the present. When Nancy finds an old desk at a tag sale, she soon finds out that someone left behind a key. Nancy and Bree set out to unlock the secret of the silver key in the hopes of finding some treasure along the way. But unlocking the mystery soon proves to be harder than they had thought, and when the answer isn't what they expected, they learn there are some things that remain timeless forever."

Why I LOVE These Books: I really enjoy reading stories about the older Nancy. As usual there is a plethora (that's another word for a lot!) of fancy, big words to introduce to a young reader's vocabulary - which is down right awesome! I also love mysteries, and Nancy and Bree are detectives! There is always a lesson to be learned somewhere in the story. It's great that O'Connor has written juvenile fiction books because children who start out with the picture books and beginning reader books will have something to welcome them into the world of chapter books! Finally, these are just plain fun!

I can't wait to read these!

*Book images were taken from www.goodreads.com.

The Year of the Baby - A Book Review

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cheng, Andrea. 2013. The Year of the Baby. Illus. by Patrice Barton. NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780547910673.


BOOK REVIEW
In the sequel to The Year of the Book, Anna is one year older and has two good friends by her side, Laura and Camille. Now, this year's challenge is Kaylee, her new baby sister that her parents adopted from China. Though she is adorably cute and stubborn she just does not want to eat. Anna and her family are concerned when the doctor says that she is not thriving. While the family, along with Grandma, focuses on helping Kaylee, Anna and her friends try to find just the right science fair project idea. Not wanting to do a project straight from a book, like the one chosen by Allison and Lucy, Anna decides through her observations that her baby sister is the answer. Perhaps singing to Kaylee will help her eat more? With the help of Laura and Camille, Anna sings two English songs and two Chinese songs to see which Kaylee responds better too, and the result is twofold.

The reading style of the book is calm and almost relaxing in nature. Yes, the story is compelling enough to keep the readers interested all the way through. The black and white illustrations are equally as simple yet charming. I love how Anna is curious, is always asking questions, and observing things. She is also honest with her feelings and worries, and she is accepting of others and their differences. The topic of an Asian American family adopting a child from China is a refreshingly new to children's books (or at least to this reader) and very interesting to read. Other minor topics about race and the opinions and treatment of girls (such as families in China prefer boys over girls) is also masterfully done. Readers also learn that having children can be difficult. Without out going into unnecessary details, it turns out that Anna's teacher Ms. Sylvester has been having trouble conceiving and wants to learn more about adopting a baby from China like Anna's parents.

Like in the first book, there are Chinese numbers (in character and English translation) and their pronunciations are included at the beginning of the book. In the back, there is also a recipe for Steamed Red Bean Bao Zi. Both are great connections for the young readers to explore after or during the reading of the book. A must-purchase sequel for any collection. You do not need to read the first book to enjoy The Year of the Baby, but if you would like more information about things about the year before when they are mentioned, then read The Year of the Book.I am looking forward to the next installment: The Year of the Fortune Cookies. 

CONNECTIONS

• Ask the children if they know what their parents did to make them eat when they were babies. 

Read WP-CC's review of The Year of the Book here!

Smells Like Dog Series - Book Reviews

I think I have found yet another favorite read this past month and a half. It is the Smells Like Dog book series by Suzanne Selfors.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Selfors, Suzanne. 2010. Smells Like Dog. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9870316043984. 

Selfors, Suzanne. 2011. Smells Like Treasure. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN:

9780316043991.

Selfors Suzanne. 2012. Smells Like Pirates. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316215756.

 

BOOK REVIEW
Homer W. Pudding is not necessarily your average twelve-year-old boy. He's a little chunky, he loves maps, and he dreams of being a treasure hunter like his Uncle Drake. The other kids at his one-room school (he lives in a small country town) all make fun of him. Living on his father's goat farm where he has chores isn't much of a treasure-hunter's way of life either. His father is a grouchy goat farmer (who has lives with dashed dreams), his bossy older sister (who has a pension for road kill and taxidermy) is always embarrassed by him, but his mother and little brother Squeak love him unconditionally (his father and sister do too, really). In the first book Smells Like Dog, not too longer after sharing the secret that he had found the map to the world's most famous pirate Rumpold Smeller's most coveted treasure, Uncle Drake is tragically and puzzlingly swallowed whole by a turtle at The City Zoo, and Homer inherits his "most treasured possession." But is it the basset hound named Dog who cannot smell a single thing or is it the coin found on his collar that has word L.O.S.T. on it? During a trip to The City and the Museum of Natural History, which is where he meets his first enemy Madame le Director,  the adventure begins to solve mystery of what happened to Uncle Drake, where did all his belongings disappeared to, what does the coin mean, and why did Uncle Drake have a dog that cannot smell? With the help of his new friend Lorelei,  Homer enters a whole new world as that he has always dreamed of. Full of twist and turns, readers will feel the excitement, hurt and betrayal (sometimes friends have secret motives and will stab you in the back, per say), and triumph right along with Homer and Dog.

Smells Like Treasure, the second book in the series, starts off a few months after the first one ended. Homer is back in Milkydale at the farm when he gets the notification that L.O.S.T. (the Society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures), a secret society of treasure hunters, has called a meeting to discuss Homer inheritance of his Uncle Drake's chair in the group. His friends and fellow members of L.O.S.T., extremely tall  Zelda and and inventor Ajitabh, are on his side, but other members are skeptical for allowing such a young member into the group let alone if he truly was rightful heir to the empty position. Then, all of sudden, Lorelei enters to claim the empty spot stating that she has the coin of membership. Now, Homer and Lorelei must put the treasure-hunter skills to the test and be the first person to find the hidden membership coin to claim their rightful place in the society. The introduction to the rest of the L.O.S.T. members expands Homer and readers' world.  Fellow member, and teenager, Hercules is a humorous and delightful hypochondriac character to meet that readers will greatly enjoy. This book is also laced with a few chapters about the history of Rumpold Smeller and how "he" became a pirate, which is very important to learn when you read the third book.

In the third book Smells Like Pirates Homer faces yet another hurdle soon after becoming a bonafide member of the L.O.S.T.. While at meeting to determine the new president of the society, it was announced that Lorelei has gotten ahold of Rumpold Smeller's map, which should have been safely hidden under Homer's bed back in Milkydale, and looks to claim the treasure for FOUND (her own treasure hunting society). Now, he and his friend/adversary have a gentleman's agreement to search for the treasure and split it 50/50. Hercules follows to record the hunt, especially to prove that Homer has not betrayed L.O.S.T. like other members.  All turns out well in the end, which is such a relief! New treasure has been discovered, friendships rebuilt, and new discoveries that will lead to new adventures for our dynamic duo, which could possibly turn into the terrific trio. Readers also learn that Lorelei has a famous treasure-hunting lineage, that she and Homer are still unaware of, and which the readers will love!

All three of these books have solid, well rounded characters that you will instantly love or hate or be suspicious of. Every single one of them have distinct qualities and characteristics that sets them apart from any other. Homer himself is an upstanding fellow who has an amazing qualities and feelings. Even though horrible things could happen and he feels the betrayal of close to him he can still put any ill feelings aside to work with the person or to refrain from saying things at the wrong time. All readers will fall in love with Dog and will connect to the attachment between Homer and Dog. When betrayal, distrust, a plotting scheme occurs that throws Homer's plans in a momentary spin, the readers will feel it, especially when Dog is "borrowed" on a couple of occasions. Another great element of this book is the use of Greek mythology, such as The Odyssey. 

Though the books could each stand stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning to get all the back story. Smells Like Pirates ends with just enough information that leaves readers with the hope for a fourth book. I'm ready for more Smells Like Dog books! And maybe my own basset hound.

CONNECTIONS

• Have the children explore the realm of cartography! Allow them to learn how to read a map properly. 
• Let the children create their own map!  
• Explore books about lost treasures. Allow the children to create their own hypothesis of where the treasures would be located today. 
• If the children were a member of L.O.S.T. what would they be like? Would they be an inventor like Ajitabh? What would their official treasure hunting outfit would be? 
• Have the children compare elements of the book series to the Odyssey. 

The Legend of the Ghost Dog

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. 2012. The Legend of the Ghost Dog. NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 97806545391276.

BOOK REVIEW
When she follows her father and little brother Jack to Nome, Alaska for two weeks as part of her Spring Break, Tee was hoping for some quiet time to read and hike through the wilderness. However while on a hike with her beagle Henry they both see the glimpses and wisps of a shadowy thing that both sends creepy feelings through both of them. With new friend Quinn at her side, the girls try meet the legendary ghost dog Shadow and solve the mystery of why he is still in the woods by an abandon cabin. There is just enough details of each of the characters for young readers to understand who they are and their background. Some readers will also related to Tee being a the responsible older sibling when both parents are busy workers (dad is a writer doing research for his new book and mom is in Japan on a business trip). A wonderful feature of the story is the use of double voice. The main story is Tee's, but sprinkled in between the chapters there are chapters from the point of view of Dodie, an old woman with a story about her family, their dogs, and the mysterious disappearance of her little sister over fifty-years ago. Additionally, Alaska's history of Balto and the other dog sled teams that brought medicine to Nome during the Diptheria epidemic and the Iditatrod plays a keep part in both stories. Through Kimmel's great writing story has all the qualities needed: adventure, mystery, tension, goosebump producing moments, history, and family and friends, which makes this book a must addition to library and school's juvenile collections.

CONNECTIONS

• Find Nome, Alaska on the map and any other visual connection to the town.
• Explore this history of the Iditarod.
• Pair with the ghost stories of Mary Downing Hahn.

The Quilt Walk

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dallas, Sandra. 2012. The Quilt Walk. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press. ISBN: 9781585368006.

BOOK REVIEW
It was1863 when her Pa announced that the family were to pull up roots and head out west to Golden Calorado, and ten-year-old Emmy Blue had mixed feelings. Excitement and adventure waited out west, but she would have to leave her family, friends even her cat in her hometown of Quincy, Illinois. Despite the chance of never seeing their loved ones again the Hatchett family started out on the Overland Trail to start a new life where the Colorado Gold Rush is in full swing. In attempts to make her a proper young lady and seamstress despite being so far away, Emmy Blue's grandmore gives her a parcel of fabric pieces that would create a minature log cabin quilt that could be stitched during her journey. Though extremely reluctant at first Emmy Blue grows to secretly enjoy quilting to the point that she would walk along the family wagon with her Aunt Catherine and stitch. Told through a child's eyes the historical details are effortelss written into the story that range from how diverse groups of families scarifice many things like their possessions to make the arduous journey to these groups make friends, facing accidents and death, families turning back to return their original homes, and the fears of encountering the American Indians. The book also wonderfully illustrateds the time period's gender roles, especially for women who "have a duty to their husband[s]" but who are also strong, brave, and educted. The encompassing theme of quilting, and how a wuilt itself can tell a story, is something that is typically focused on in a book about America's westward expansion and is a welcomed sight. Based on true events of a pioneer family, Sandra Dallas' first children's book is a beautifully stitched together book that is perfect for library collections and book clubs.

CONNECTIONS

• Ask the children how they would feel if their parents announced that they were leaving many things behind and moving to some place brand new.
• Ask the children for their thoughts on the roles of the adults and children during the journey west.
• Subsquently, ask them for thoughts on gender roles.
• Share books that have colored images of quilts, especially ones that were made during the 19th century.
• Share books about pioneers.
• Have the children create their own quilting block, which can be done on paper and drawing or you can go the whole way and sew a block.

2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List

As we're saying goodbye to October (where as the month gone, by the way?) we say a big "Hello" and "Howdy" to the new 2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List! 

The books found on this list will be voted on by children across the entire state of Texas in January 2014! 

For those who are curious about the vote that will happen in January 2013, view the 2012-2013 Master List here! 

• Aguirre, Jorge. 2012. Giants Beware! Illus. by Rafael Rosado. New York: Firsdt Second.
• Applegate, Katherine. 2012. The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. New York: Harper.
• Burg, Shana. 2012. Laugh with the Moon. New York: Delacorte.
• Chin, Jason. 2011. Coral Reefs. New York: Roaring Brook Press. 
• clifton, Lutricia. 2012. Freaky Fast Frankie Joe. New York: Holiday house. 
• Fem, Tracey. 2012. Barnum's Bones. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books. 
• Grandits, John. 2011. 10 Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus. Illus. by Michael Allen Austin. Boston: Clarion Books.
• Harris, R.P. 2012. Tua and the Elephant. Illus. by Taeeun Yoo. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 
• Kalman, Maira. 2012. Looking at Lincoln. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
• Lorenzi, Natalie Dias. 2012. Flying the Dragon. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
• MacLachlan, Patricia. 2011. Waiting for the Magic. Illus. by Amy June Bates. New York: Atheneum Books.
• Mlynowski, Sarah. 2012. Whatever After: Fairest of All. New York: Scholastic.
• Neri, G. 2011. Ghetto Cowboy. Illus. by Jesse Joshua Watson. Summerville, MA: Candlewick.
• Palacio, R.J. 2012. Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
• Potter, Ellen. 2012. The Humming Room. New York: Feiwel and riends.
• Scattergood, Augusta. 2012. Glory Be. New York: Scholastic. 
• Shannon, David. 2012. Jangles: A BIG Fish Story. New York: The Blue Sky Press.
• Sherry, Maureen. 2010. Walls Within Walls. Illus. by Adam Stower. New York: Katherine Tegen.
• Sweet, Melissa. 2011. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Boston: Houghton Miffin. 
• Varon, Sara. 2011. Bake Sale. New York: First Second. 

If you would like to read the official Annotated 2013-2104 Master List to learn more about each title, please follow the link here to visit the Texas Bluebonnet Award webpage. While you are there, you much check out the wonderful photo of Adam Rex, Jon Scieszka, and Mac Barnett as Robin, Batman and Robin as they announced the new list! 

      

Do you seen any titles that you're excited to see on the list? 

The Year of the Book

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cheng, Andrea. 2012. The Year of the Book. Illus. by Abigail Halpin. NY, NY: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780547684635.

BOOK REVIEW
Friendships and life can be difficult, and Anna knows all too well. Being quiet and self-concious she would prefer to curl up with a book than embrace and overcome the challenges that a fourth-grader would face. She's embarrassed by her her mother's still-developing English language sills and job as a hired cleaner, and she doesn't like attending Chinese school where she can't understand what her instructor is saying. Plus, her best friend Laura is now friends with the popular girls in school. However, as the year continues onward Anna begins to open her world to interact more with others like the friendly crossing-guard Ray, the kind widower Mr. Shepherd, a new friend Camille from Chinese school, and she begins to accept how wonderful her family is. Anna even rekindles her friendship with Laura. Throughout the story the readers will recognize familiar titles, which range from picture books like Little Blue and Little Yellow to chapter books like A Wrinkle in Time, that anna will escape into during rough moments. Details of the Chinese culture is seamlessly weaved into the story and is refreshingly real to life, especially for any American Born Chinese children. Chinese language words are introduced, such as Xie xie (thank you), and the occasional characters. Among the first few pages is a Pronunciation Guide for Chinese words and even shows the related characters. Readers will even appreciated Anna's creative side when she creates a Halloween costume, paints, and sews lunch bags. Beyond the semi-coming of age storyline The Year of the Book has deeper stories with Cheng's well-rounded characters such as Laura's coping of her parents rough and sometimes frightening separation as well as the all-too-familiar friendship issues. Abigail Halpin's black and gray illustrations are sprinkled throughout the pages and bring a visual to the reader's imagination of what Anna's watercolor paintings could look like. On the back cover are instructions on how to sew your own lunch bags, which is a great connective activity for the readers. All in all The Year of the Book is simple yet deep little novel that touches on real life that many readers could empathize with and learn that it is OK to escape into a book but to also to open up to others.


CONNECTIONS

• Ask the children to remember what books Anna reads and have them make a list. How many are there in total? Have they read any of those books?
• Ask if they ever felt the emotions that Anna felt.
• Have the children create their own drawstring bags.
• Have the children create their own watercolor paintings.

Read WP-CC's review of the second book The Year of the Baby here!

Some Recommended Chapter Books for Boys

As promised, here is a reading list of recommended chapter books geared for the boys! These books will have at least one boy main character so that the readers are not "forced" to read stories with all of these girls characters. The books on this list look are either adventure, humor, ghost story, newer titles and classic titles. Enjoy!

CURRENT TITLES

• Flat Stanley World Wide Adventures series Jeff Brown and Macky Pamintuan
• Boys of Wartime series written by Laurie Calkhoven 
• Al Capone Does My Shirts (and sequel) written by Gennifer Choldenko 
• Artemis Fowl  series written by Eoin Colfer 
• The Underland Chronicles (Gregor the Overlander) series written by Suzanne Collins
• The Dark Is Rising series written by Susan Cooper
• Return to the Library of Doom series written by Michael Dahl and illus. by Bradford Kendall 
• The Tale of Despereaux written by Kate DiCamillo and illus. by Timothy Basil Ering   
• Hank the Cowdog written by John Erickson 
• The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman 
• The Zack Files series written by Dan Greenburg and illus. by Jack E. Davis
• Young Bond series written by Charlie Higson (that is Bond, as in James Bond!)
  
• Alex Rider series written by Anthony Horowitz
  
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series written and illus. by Jeff Kinney 
• Horrible Harry series written by Suzy Kline and illus. by Amy Wummer
• Alvin Ho series written by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham
• Children of the Red King series (aka Charlie Bone) written by Jenny Nimmo 
• Percy Jackson and Olympians series written by Rick Riordan 
• Heroes of Olympus series written by Rick Riordan 
• The Kane Chronicles series written by Rick Riordan 
• Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling 
• Holes (and sequel) written by Louis Sachar 
• Calvin Coconut series written by Graham Salisbury and illus. by Jacqueline Rogers
• Guy Reads Library series written by Jon Scieszka and various authors and edited by Jon Scieszka 
• The Time Warp Trio written by Jon Scieszka and illus. by Lane Smith
• Vampirates series written by Justin Somper
• 100 Cupboards trilogy written by N. D. Wilson
• The Thirty-Nine Clues series written by various authors 
• Books by Mike Lupica
• Books by Gary Paulsen 

CLASSIC TITLES

• Peter Pan written by J. M. Barrie 
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle (and sequel) written by Beverly Cleary   
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (and sequel) written by Roald Dahl 
• James and the Giant Peach written by Roald Dahl
• Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe
  
• The Hardy Boys written by Franklin Dixon 
• The Phantom Tollbooth  written by Norton Juster and illus. by Jules Feiffer
• The Jungle Book written by Rudyard Kipling 
• Call of the Wild written by Jack London 
• The Adventures of Tintin graphic novel series written by Herge 
• Treasure Island written by Robert Louis Stevenson 
• Kidnapped written by Robert Louis Stevenson 
• The Hobbit written by J. R. R. Tolkein

Looking for more fun titles? Try exploring the Guy Reads website for suggestions of books just for guys!

What books do you recommend for boy readers? 

Reading Comprehension - The Questions

Parents of young beginning readers ask for ideas about reading comprehension. Generally, once the child is in school their teacher/school has their own method; however, a lot of parents become quite active as well, especially during the summer when their child is out of school. I shared these questions below with a parent earlier today to help her soon-to-be 1st Grader.  

For readers who are in Kindergarten and Beyond, here are some recommended questions to ask:

1. Who was the author and illustrator of the book?
2. Who were the main characters in the story?
3. Who was your favorite character and why?
4. How did the story start?
5. What happened in the middle of the story?
6. What happened at the end of the story?
7. What was the main feeling in the story (e.g. was it happy or sad) and why was this so?
8. Where was the story set?
9. How did the story make you feel and why?
10. Did you learn any new words from this story? If so, what?
11. What does the picture on the cover tell you about the story?
12. Is the story fiction (pretend) or nonfiction (real)?
13. Did you like/not like the story? Why?
14. Did you learn any lessons from the story?
15. What was the story about?

For Toddlers, you can ask beginning concept questions like:

1. Were there food in the story? If so, what type?
2. Were there animals in the story? If so, what type?
3. What colors did you see in the pictures?
4. What shapes did you see in the pictures?

You can ask these questions orally or, for the older readers, you can create a worksheet. Also, in case you are wondering, yes, you may want to be familiar with the book that you are going to ask your child about. 

For those who want some more reading comprehension ideas, check out my post about Reading Comprehension for Homeschoolers, which doesn't have to be just for homeschoolers!

If you would like some information on improving reading comprehension check out the WP-CC's page about R.A.D - Reading Aloud Daily. Reading Aloud has good benefits for comprehension!

Does anyone have other questions or recommendations to you help your reader's comprehension?

Some questions were found via: Planning With Kids 
More Questions can be found at: Wake County Public Libraries' Book Club for Kids General Book Discussion Guide.

Some Recommended Chapter Books for Girls

It's summer and it's time to share new reads with the kids who are off from school. The following list are books that I have recommended to young girl readers who are approximately 3 grade and up (and don't worry, a boy's is coming soon!). We have humor, mysteries, ghost stories, adventures, newer titles and classic titles! Hopefully there is at least one that peaks a reader's interest.

MORE RECENT TITLES

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle written by Avi
• The Chasing Vermeer trilogy written by Blue Balliet 
• The Penderwicks trilogy written by Jeanne Bridsall
• Shakespeare's Secret written by Elise Broach
• The Sisters Grimm series written by Michael Buckley and illus. by Peter Ferguson
• Molly Moon series written by Georgia Byng
• The Tale of Despereaux written by Kate DiCamillo and illus. by Timothy Basil Ering
• Coraline written by Neal Gaiman
• Running Out of Time written by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The Old Willis Place written by Mary Downing Hahn
• Just Grace series written and illus. by Charise Maricle Harper 
• The Tail of Emily Windsnap written by Liz Kessler
• Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo series written by Nancy Krulik and illus. by John and Wendy 
• Pippi Longstocking written Astrid Lindgren and illus. by Louis S. Glanzman
• Nancy Drew and Clue Crew series written by Carolyn Keene and Macky Pamintuan 
• The Hop written by Sharelle Byars Moranville and illus. by Niki Daly
  
• Amelia's Notebook series written and illus. by Marissa Moss
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians series written by Rick Riordan
• Heroes of Olympus series written by Rick Riordan
• The Kane Chronicles series written by Rick Riordan 
• Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowlings  
• Dork Diaries series written and illus. by Rachel Renee Russell
• The Grimm Legacy written by Polly Shulman 
• The Mysterious Benedict Society trilogy written by Trenton Lee Stewart 
• The Books of Elsewhere series written by Jacqueline West 
• The American Girl series by various authors and illus. by various artists 
• Little House series (related to the original Little House on the Prairie series) written by various authors 
• Dear America series written by various authors

CLASSIC TITLES 

• Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott   
• The Wizard of Oz series written by L. Frank Baum
• A Little Princess written by Francis Hodgson Burnett
• The Secret Garden written by Francis Hodgson Burnett
• Matilda written by Roald Dahl and illus. by Quentin Blake
• Trixie Belden series written by Julie Campbell
• Romona series written by Beverly Clearly 
• Because of Winn-Dixie written by Kate DiCamillo
• Harriet the Spy written by Louise Fitzhugh
• Nancy Drew series written by Carolyn Keene
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler written by E. L. Konigsburg   
• Anne of Green Gables series written by L. M. Montgomery
• The Borrowers series written by Mary Norton 
• The Egypt Game written by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and illus. by Alton Raible
• The Boxcar Children series written by Gertrude Chandler Warner 
• Charlotte's Web written by E. B. White 
• Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder  
• The Dollhouse Murders written by Betty Ren Wright 

New to Chapter Books Reading List

Every child (and their parent) should be super excited when they graduate from Beginning Reader books to the real thing - Chapter Books. However, sometimes it's hard to find stories that will capture the attention and imagination of these young readers. Here are some books that I have recommended to new-to-chapter-books readers:

• Cam Jansen series written by David A. Adler and illus. by Joy Allen
• Ivy and Bean series written Anne Barrows and illus. by Sophie Blackall
• Flat Stanley World Wide Adventures series Jeff Brown and Macky Pamintuan
• The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series written by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thorton Jones and illus. by John Steven Gurney
• Return to the Library of Doom series written by Michael Dahl and illus. by Bradford Kendall 
• Hank the Cowdog series written by John R. Erickson and illus. by Gerald L. Holmes
• (this is, perhaps, one of the harder book series in the this reading list)
• The Zack Files series written by Dan Greenburg and illus. by Jack E. Davis
• My Weird School series written by Dan Gutman and illus. by Jim Paillot
• Arthur series written by Stephen Krensky and illus. by Marc Brown
• Judy Moody Megan series written by Megan McDonald and illus. by Peter H. Reynolds
• Alvin Ho series written by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham
• Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth written by Jane O'Connor and illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser
• Junie B. Jones series written by Barbara Park and illus. by Denise Brunkus 
• Clementine series written by Sara Pennypacker and illus. by Marla Frazee
• The Magic Tree House series written by Mary Pope Osborne and illus. by Sal Murdocca
• The Jigsaw Jones Mystery series written by James Preller and illus. by John Speirs
• The A to Z Mysteries written by Ron Roy and illus. by John Steven Gurney
• Calvin Coconut series written by Graham Salisbury and illus. by Jacqueline Rogers
• The Time Warp Trio written by Jon Scieszka and illus. by Lane Smith
• Hank Zipzer series written by Henry Wrinkler and Lin Oliver and illus. by Jesse Joshua Watson
• Disney Princess series written by various authors and illus. by various artists
• The American Girls series by various authors and illus. by various artists
• Disney Fairies series written by various authors and illus. by various artists
• The Rainbow Magic series written by by Daisy Meadows (there are 21 different fairy types!) and illus. Georgie Ribber

All these, with the exception of Jane O'Connor's new Nancy book, are book series. Some are books that could be read alone with confident readers while others may require more parent/child reading together time. Either way, if a child loves the first book there are more with the same characters to carry on the new chapter book exploration.

I've Lost My Hippopotamus - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
You should never lose your imagination. Ever. I read this poem while looking through poet's Jack Prelutsky's new book I've Lost My Hippopotamus and loved this poem because of the imagination and how it can inspire the reader to use his or hers to find out where is that silly hippo! Share this poem with a visual aid - yep, a photo or two of a hippopotamus!







POEM

I've Lost My Hippopotamus
by Jack Prelutsky 

I've lost my hippopotamus,
The situation's weird.
One minute she was next to me,
Then poof! she disappeared.
It's hard to lose a hippo,
For a hippo's truly huge-
I'm sensing something fishy,
Some unsavory subterfuge.
I've searched and searched with no success,
I've yet to find a clue
To her status or location,
I'm unsure of what to do.
If you spot a hippopotamus
Where usually there's none,
Please let me know, the odds are good
You've found my missing one.

EXTENSIONS

• Ask the children where they think the hippopotamus could have disappeared to, and let them share their ideas.
• Ask if anyone has ever had an imaginary animal, and let them share it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Prelutsky, Jack. 2012. I've Lost My Hippopotamus. Illus. by Jackie Urbanovic. NY, NY: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollinsPublishers). ISBN: 9780062014573.

Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth

BIBLIOGRAPHY
O'Connor, Jane. 2012. Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth. Illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser. NY, NY: Harper (HarperCollinsPublishers). ISBN: 9780062082930.

BOOK REVIEW
Our Fancy Nancy has grown up! In her first ever chapter book, Nancy and her best friend Bree, inspired by the famous literary detective herself - Nancy Drew, are now sleuths in need of a mystery to solve. Soon enough a mystery hits their classroom, and they dawn their totally professional trench coats and grab their magnifying glasses, which are quite fancy looking, and get to work uncovering the culprit. As with any great detective story, a top-secret code, complete with answer key, is a fun element for readers to discover and try out in their own mysteries. O'Connor's continues her excellent skill of weaving in new vocabulary words, as done in her previous Nancy books, which is parents will greatly appreciate. The black and white illustrations are just as fun as the previous books and make the book complete. As a whole, the book gives the readers the great element of still being fancy, but also being smart, polite, and adventurous, which is always refreshing. Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth is a surefire, that means fabulously perfect, read for young readers who have graduated from the Beginning Reader books but need a friendly character to welcome them to real chapter books and new adventures! Looking forward to more in the series!

CONNECTIONS

• Ask the children how they would have felt if their sibling was a suspect/culprit of a mystery.
• Have the children create their own fancy detective outfits and have them solve a mystery! The mystery could be something as simple as a mystery memento project like the one in the story.
• Introduce to the children another super sleuth, Nancy Drew. Read, together, one of her famous novels and do an activity based off of it!  

Reading Comprehension for Homeschoolers

On the occasion I receive questions from new homeschooling parents about how to monitor the progression of their child(ren)'s reading. Many public school districts will use a system like AR and Lexile to measure the reading comprehension and advancement. Book levels are available online through their  respected websites. However, homeschoolers are generally not able to have access to the testing resources that come with these programs. How is a homeschooling parent to know how well their child is doing one may ask?

I am sure that many homeschooling families already know this, so this post is probably geared towards the new-to-homeschooling families. Either way, I want to point out that homescoolers have the wonderful freedom, in comparisons to many public schools, in what the children can read! Families, never take that for granted!


Here are a few of my recommended tips for the parents who want to see how their children are doing in reading and comprehension:

1. Let your child read whatever he or she wants. If child picks up a graphic novel, that is OK because GNs do require reading comprehension, but they will generally not appear on a AR and Lexile list. That is OK too! I generally tell parents that let them pick a graphic novel and then another "serious-yet-fun-and-interesting" chapter book of their choice (but, also, of your suggestion). This concept works for all levels with the exception of high school students. Compromise is a good term to use here. You do not know how many times I see disappointed looks on the faces of children who cannot read an awesome looking book only because it is not have the correct AR level and they "can't" read it. It actually hurts to see it. Trust me.

2. Be familiar with the books that your child is reading. Why? Because then you can ask them questions about it. What was it about? Who is the main character? What happened at the end? Did you like it? Why? Why not? Now, this is not the time to get every single detail and make you child feel like they must know everything. That's too much pressure. You just want to know how they are doing and if they're comprehending it.

3. If you want to test your child, check with your local public library to see what they have to offer. The State of Texas has the Texas STAAR for grade-level students and are for subjects like Reading, Mathematics, and Science. It just so happens that there are Texas STAAR coach books. The library system that I work for has these test guide books and the answer keys. I recommend these to a lot of students and parents because they can see and practice what the state requires students to know by a specified grade level. 

4. Look in to getting some SRA (Science Research Associates, Inc) Kits. As a former homeschool student (completed grades K-12), my siblings and I did SRAs. For those who are familiar with the older versions, we would pull out a card with a narrative on it, read it, and answered the questions then graded ourselves. We had two box kits: One that was really easy then another that was huge and color coded. The latter was especially meant for us when we were in middle school and high school. I may or may not have liked them back then, by I can definitely appreciate their value now. Publisher McGraw-Hill provides SRA Kits via their website. You can also check out your local homeschool curriculum sales to look into getting your hand on some of these! 

More Tips

If you would like some information on improving reading comprehension check out the WP-CC's page about R.A.D - Reading Aloud Daily. Reading Aloud has good benefits for comprehension!

Looking for example questions to ask about the book your reader just read? Look the post about Reading Comprehension - The Questions!

These are just a few tips that homeschoolers can take to mapping reading comprehension. Check with your local library to see what the children's librarian has up his or her sleeve to help you in your schooling.

Does anyone have other recommended tips for new-to-homeschooling families?

Pineapple - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION

It’s time for a funny “holiday” poetry break! April 20^th is National Upside Down Pineapple Cake Day! Yes, there is actually a day for this delectable dessert, and now I am able to pull a haiku poem from Pat Mora’s Yum! Mmmm! Que rico!: Americas’ Sproutings book! Share this poem and have a some fresh pineapples for tasting!

POEM

Pineapple

by Pat Mora

A stuff, spiky hat

on thick prickly skin, inside

hide syrupy rings.

EXTENSION

• Have the children help bake a upside down pineapple cake in the kitchen with plenty of adult supervision.
• If you have fresh pineapple for eating, have the children prep the tops for growing a new pineapple plant.
• Let the children share what they like and don’t like about the fruit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat2007. Yum! Mmmm! Que rico!: Americas’ Sproutings. Illus. by Rafael Lopez. NY, NY: Lee & Low Books, Inc. ISBN: 9781584302711.

T. Rex Tag - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever thought what dinosaurs did for fun? What games did they play? Which other dinosaurs did they play with? If they ate their friends? Yes, ate them. This poem is a lot of fun to read. Before you share the poem ask the children if they have played tag and what do you do when you do play the game. Then ask if they think dinosaurs could play tag back in the day.

 POEM

T. Rex Tag
by Robert Weinstock

I didn't mean to eat my friends,
But...Yum...I munched them all.
They came to quite delicious ends-
So tasty, sweet, and small!

I gobbled Fern eight hours ago,
And chomped Earl yesterday.
I can't recall when I ate Flo.
Now no one's left to play.

I never knew a game of tag
Alone would stink this bad.
I'm always "It"! It's such a drag,
I snarfed the friends I had.

EXTENSION

• Ask the children what they thought of the poem. Was it silly and funny?
• Have the children imagine other outdoor games dinosaurs could've played and let them share their ideas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Weinstock, Robert. 2010. Can You Dig It? And Other Poems. Illus. by Robert Weinstock. NY, NY: Disney-Hyperion Books. ISBN: 9781423122081.

Decisions, Decisions - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION

This is an excellent poem to share on various topics like President’s Day (February 18), Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday (April 13), and Inventors Day (November 9). Today we’re celebrating Thomas Jefferson’s 269th birthday.

 

POEM

Decisions, Decisions

(Thomas Jefferson, 1801-9)

 by Susan Katz

Thomas Jefferson designed

a rope apparatus that shifted his bed

…up to the ceiling

Or down to the floor;

a two-faced clock that he could see

…inside the house

or outside the house;

a swivel chair so he could swirl

…to his right

or to his left;

a dumbwaiter that hauled his drinks

…down to the cellar

or back upstairs;

a door on a pivot that he could swing

…open to the dining room

or open to the passage;

a revolving stand so he could read

…five books

…at one time.

A cleverer man you couldn’t find,

…but somewhat unable

to make up his mind.

EXTENSION

• Share more fun facts about this founding father.
• Have the children pick facts that they like about Jefferson and have them create a list poem.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Katz, Susan. 2012. The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems About the Presidents. Illus. by Robert Neubecker. NY, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 9780547182216.

EXTRA TIDBIT

Here is the footnote that accompanied this poem:

Thomas Jefferson played role in the design of many inventions, often improving upon other people’s ideas. His contributions included an octagonal house, a polygraph machine for writing several copies of a letter simultaneously, a ladder that folded up into a pole, and a wheel cipher for using secret codes (a version of which was used until World War II, nearly a century and a half later).

Twindependent - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION

Today (April 10) is National Siblings Day. Some may have an older/younger brother or sister or both. Some may not. Some may be from a set of multiples. J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen created a new poetry book that celebrates those who are twins. In fact, J. Patrick Lewis is a twin himself! Sometimes people think that twins are similar in many ways. That can be but, then again, it may not. This poem is about the differences between the twins. You can share this poem with other ones from books like Kristine O’Connell George’s Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems.

POEM

Twindependent

By J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen

I am I,

I am not you.

I live apart.

Do you live, too,

With dreams and hopes

That are your own?

We will be two

When fully grown?

I want to be

an astronaut.

You want to live

Where it is hot.

I long for silence,

You for noise.

You play with dolls,

Planes are my toys.

I am I,

A thing apart,

Although we share

Our mother’s heart,

Our father’s , too,

And in our way

Our genes and all

Our DNA.

But in each

Personality

We are as one

As we can be.

EXTENSION

• Have the children who share their differences and similarities between them and their siblings. If a child is an only child have them imagine the differences and similarities that he or she would share if there was a sibling.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewis, J. Patrick and Jane Yolen. 2012. Take Two!: A Celebration of Twins. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763637026.