Picture Book Picks -- William Hoy, Oh Boy!

Last summer, my kiddos and I enjoyed several brief but informative summer evening read-alouds with nonfiction picture books.  Last evening, we reignited that tradition with two winning choices.

We hit it out of the park (pun intended) with Nancy Churnin's The William Hoy Story.  Hoy was an outstanding major league baseball player who also happened to be deaf.  His story is one of hard work, determination, and courage.  Very inspirational.  I teared up toward the end because I was so moved and, honestly, it's good for kids to see that kind of tangible evidence of the power of words and stories. 

The fact that Hoy played several seasons for the Cincinnati Reds (and grew up in Ohio, JUST LIKE I DID!!!) sealed the deal for me on the excellence of this story.  Didn't hurt that the kids and I were just at a Reds game two weeks ago when visiting family.  You can see in the photo above that Jez Tuya's illustrations are stellar.  So, in short, if you have children in your house, you should read them this book.  If you have young ball players in your house, you have to read them this book.  My kids are not all that little (11, 9, and 7) but loved it.

And if this one inspires you to read another excellent nonfiction picture book about baseball:  check out Brothers at Bat.

Our other nonfiction picture book was also great, but more nerve-wracking than inspiring.  Crossing Niagara:  The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin by Matt Tavares is one of those true stories that seems unbelievable (but isn't).  If you've ever visited Niagara Falls or are planning to visit, check it out.  If your own child is a daredevil, maybe skip it. 

We have two more nonfiction gems checked out from the library so stay tuned!

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Those of you with young'uns probably already know about the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative.  I did not, another sign that I have passed into a new era of motherhood.  I was flipping through our library's winter magazine and saw the feature above.  The idea is that you read 1,000 books with your child before kindergarten to "Promote early literacy and encourage parent and child bonding through reading."  Who can argue with that?  Apparently, there's even an app for tracking the books.  I checked the App Store, and from the reviews it looks as if they're still working out the kinks, but still, great idea.  The Elmhurst Public Library is offering prizes for each 100-book milestone and some kind of graduation party.  I love it all!  Some of my happiest memories involve reading with my children.  Bedtime, the smell of baby lotion, footie pajamas, chubby fingers pointing, Ten Nine Eight, The Going to Bed Book, Goodnight Moon, Give Me Grace, Miss Spider's Tea Party, and every Little Critter title or any one of the many other books we enjoyed together ... I could cry right now. 

Having this app would have been fun, but I think I exceeded 1,000 books before kindergarten with each kiddo without the app.  No time spent reading with a child is wasted.  Not a second.  Except maybe with those Disney Look and Find books or the Dora or Barbie books -- kidding.  Seriously, just kidding -- reading together is everything, no matter if it's 1,000 different books or a few favorites on repeat.

In case you're not a fellow citizen of Pleasantville, here's the library magazine I referenced:  Elmhurst Public Library's Fine Print.  I am consistently impressed (and amazed, per the cover) by our friendly, professional, dedicated library staff and their ideas for programming, resources, and community outreach.

Masterpiece -- Reading with Kids

The third graders were assigned a Cereal Box Mystery Project.  Mine was excited about the project but disappointed because he ended up with a Hardy Boys book when he made his selection in class.  We spent two weeks going in circles.  He would never want to read his book.  I would tell him to ask his teacher if he could change his book.  He would tell me he wasn't going to ask because he knew he couldn't.  He would tell me that the Hardy Boys book was boring.  I would tell him that I knew that.  Finally, when he was only on page 38, despite lots of in-class reading time, I emailed his teacher and asked if he could change books.  She gave me some parameters, and I did some research and offered three choices for her approval. 

The end result of this negotiation was Masterpiece by Elise Broach.  My son had to push himself to catch up and finish but ended up loving the book.  And I quote:  "Now I know that a lot of the harder chapter books are worth it."  I read Masterpiece as well, sometimes aloud to him as we were in a crunch time situation, and thought it was a great mystery about friendship and family dynamics that also gives kids insights into the art world.

My older son read and loved Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach just last year.  Wondering if I can convince my third grader to read that one just for fun.  Maybe a family read-aloud?  Masterpiece would be a good read-aloud.

Should I have stayed out of it and made him suffer through a Hardy Boys book that he wasn't enjoying?  I don't regret intervening because the end result was a very positive reading experience and plenty of momentum for the cereal box project that accompanied it.  Should I have made him talk to his teacher about switching books instead of doing it for him?  Yes.  Next time.

Thank YOU, Elephant & Piggie!

Modern Mrs. Darcy is devoting this whole week of blogging (and podcasting) to reading for a lifetime!  Check out all of this week's MMD posts, particularly her 7 Tips for Raising Kids Who Love to Read.

Am I raising kids who love to read?  I hope so.  I think so.

It seems the perfect time to mention (again) a series of books that really helped my beginning readers gain confidence and find pleasure in the act of reading.  The Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems have so much going for them:
* They are genuinely funny.  The combination of dialogue and illustrations is witty perfection.
* They are easy to read without feeling clunky, forced, or just plain lame (like some books for beginning readers).
* They are perfect for reading aloud.  Both of my sons brought in Elephant & Piggie books to share with the class when it was their turn to read aloud at school.  These books are ideal for practicing reading with expression.
* They are fun for reading together.  Divide up the parts and read aloud.

* Plus, there's a game!  Mo Willems hides Pigeon from another popular series of his (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and etc.) in the endpapers of each book.  Even now my kids make sure to look for Pigeon.

Last spring, Mo Willems published the final Elephant and Piggie title:  The Thank You Book.  It's a very sweet story that revisits characters from throughout the series and even includes a couple inside jokes.  I read it with my middle and little when it first came out.  Two nights ago, I made my oldest read it to me.  I welled up a bit, remembering how thrilled I was when he was first able to read these books aloud.  Cue the cliches about how fast it all goes.  But it does. 

Thank you, Mo Willems, for helping me raise kids who love to read.

Non-Fiction Read Alouds

My kids are all independent readers now, but that doesn't mean I don't still want to read with them.  It also doesn't mean that they all love reading on their own.  I'm still on the lookout for books we can enjoy together, especially for my least motivated reader.

Our library had a special section reserved for children's books that have won the Monarch Award, which is an Illinois School Library Media Association Readers' Choice honor.

Many of the Monarch Award titles gathered were non-fiction, and those were the ones my eight year-old and I really enjoyed reading together.  It's kind of nice to read for ten minutes, learn a little something, and then be able to discuss it.  Here are a few of the non-fiction (or "based on a true story") read alouds we would recommend ...

 Trapped: A Whale's Rescue by Robert Burleigh.  Paintings by Wendell Minor.

 Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox.  Illustrated by Brian Floca.

 Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis.  Illustrated by Gilbert Ford.

We loved this because the Ferris Wheel was introduced in our town (Chicago!).

I neglected to snap a pic of our very favorite (and the saddest) of the non-fiction read alouds:  Ivan: The Remarkable Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.  

All of these books have background information and additional research at the end.  Reading and learning together never gets old.

National Poetry Month -- Hooray!

April can indeed be the cruelest month.  When it snows.  When you dress your son in six layers for a bitter cold baseball practice.  When you realize your moving of the winter coats into storage was premature or possibly delusional.  When glimpses of true spring and even hints of summer appear only to disappear in a puff of sinus headache haze.

And yet on those April days when the sun shines and you notice the trees blooming and realize the grass needs cut, the relief and hope are overwhelming.  Anything seems possible.  You have, after all, survived winter which, even if it not particularly cruel, was long as ever.

The highs and lows of April make it the ideal choice for National Poetry Month. 

Here a few ways we've celebrated National Poetry Month around here:

Starting the last week of March, our library offered these poetry coloring sheets.  I read the poem to my kindergartner and she illustrated it!

I plucked this poetry collection from a National Poetry Month display at the library, and my middle guy and I have been enjoying it every evening.  He is a very capable reader, but he does not love reading.  He still loves being read to though, and my goal with him is to just keep exposing him to stories (and now poems) that he enjoys.  He's read some of the poems to me as well, and that kind of reading aloud is good to practice.  He asked me to order our own copy of Judith Viorst's What Are You Glad About?  What Are You Mad About?  I'll say more about this collection in a later post, but I'll be very happy to have a copy for our home library!  It arrives tomorrow.

Finally, some of my favorite teacher friends from back in the day initiated an email poetry share.  The poem I chose to share, which seemed perfect for spring, was Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Afternoon on a Hill."  When I was linking to it, I came across a poem we always shared with our high school students when we read The Odyssey:  Millay's "An Ancient Gesture."  I had forgotten how perfect that poem is.  My friend, a wonderful poet herself, shared a poem even more suited to the hope of spring:  "From Blossoms" by Li-Young Lee.

Find some ways to celebrate poetry this month, okay? 

What I'm Into Right About Now

I'm linking up with Leigh Kramer by way of Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what I'm into these days.

It's stretching the truth to say that I'm into coloring, but I have settled in for a few colored pencil and adult coloring book sessions.  Perhaps I defeated the purpose (relaxation/stress reduction?) by telling myself, "Do a lovely job so you can put your final product in a frame."  But, as you know, if I like it, then I'm going to put a frame on it, and that's a nice satisfying process for me.  I think it would be fun to have a few moms over to color, chat, and enjoy some coffee, Diet Coke, or adult beverages.  I'll report back if I attempt such a gathering. 

I have a reputation for being a pretty good salad artist, though I am often disinterested in my own creations.  I was on a kick last week, however, and ate salad at home every darn day.  I don't shop at Whole Foods regularly, but I was in there out of convenience and picked up a big container of pre-washed baby kale.  Such an excellent salad base.  I love the texture and find it less prone to the slimy-ness that often plagues spring mix.  The salad of the week was:  baby kale, diced apples, gorgonzola, thinly-sliced red onion, and balsamic vinaigrette.  Once I topped it with an eight-count grilled nugget from Chick-fil-a.  YES.

After last week's World Read Aloud Day, I'm getting back into the habit of reading aloud with all three kids.  The first chapter of Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family was a success.  Megan P. sure loved these books as a girl. 

My grocery store flowers have seen spring-like sunshine, rain, sleet, and snow out my kitchen window since I purchased them last weekend.  I imagine March will continue to be a mixed bag, but as mild as this winter has been, I'm not complaining about that. 

I'm not yet into taking a break from Facebook, but I'd like to get into it or, rather, out of it.  Time suck, irritant, and blah blah blah.  Even with the post-it affixed to my screen, I found myself checking it this evening out of ingrained habit.  Typing it into the browser bar is muscle memory or something.  I'm going to try to be more intentional about not wasting time browsing and following rabbit holes of comment threads and profile snoops. 

Finally, no accompanying photos, but I am super into my audiobook, The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley (narrated by Erica Sullivan).  Just loving the story, the characters, the pace, the NYC setting, everything.

I also inhaled the Amazon Prime series, Schitt's Creek.  Great cast -- Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Elliott, and two of Levy's adult children.  Quirky-without-being-annoying characters.  Lots of laughs.  Will hate waiting for the second season.

What are you into these days?  I'm especially interested in salad ideas.

World Read Aloud Day -- Hooray!

Today is World Read Aloud Day, and I am proud to say that my family celebrated!

Especially if you have young children in your life, check out Mem Fox's 10 Read Aloud Commandments.  If you're intrigued and inspired by the commandments, try her wonderful book Reading Magic. 

Donalyn Miller, reading teacher extraordinaire and author of the much-adored The Book Whisperer, has a great piece on Scholastic's web site:  "Never too old: Reading aloud to independent readers."  Again, if you're intrigued and inspired, consider reading The Book Whisperer or its follow-up, Reading in the Wild.

Whatever you do, stay committed to reading aloud to the kids in your life!

I read to and with my kindergartner every day, but I admit that I sometimes fall out of the habit with my older kids, who are now independent readers.  We have had some great read alouds of Beverly Cleary's Henry Huggins books and her Ramona ones.  I have read aloud Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy two times through with my sons and will try for a third time with my daughter (I checked it out of my school library once a month for much of my early grade career and heart it so much).

We celebrated World Read Aloud Day after dinner this evening.  I read Last Stop on Market Street, which I purchased at the Scholastic Book Fair at school because I loved the cover.  What a gorgeous book with a beautiful (but subtle) message and wonderful language:

The outside air smelled like freedom, but it also smelled like rain, 

which freckled CJ's shirt and dripped down his nose.

The bus creaked to a stop in front of them.  It sighed and sagged and the doors swung open.

"Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful."

I could go on!  Matt De La Pena (author) and Christian Robinson (illustrator) so deserve all their many honors and awards.*

My oldest chose several poems from Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends.  My middle guy took on BJ Novak's The Book with No Pictures.  My newly-minted reader treated us to Mo Willem's I Really Like Slop.  A highlight of the day for sure, much better than one of the 167 episodes of Full House in our DVR.

I gathered some favorite family read alouds to pose for a pic.  I'm sure I'm forgetting many beloved read alouds, but here are some thoughts/tips ...

David Shannon's No, David! books -- Kids relate to David and can easily memorize these books, which they love! 

Ruth Krauss's I Can Fly -- Such a pleasure to read well-written rhyming books.  Joy in the language and in the beautiful illustrations in this one!  Captures the spirit of childhood.

Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox -- A simple story, but calming and engrossing.

Just a Little Critter Collection by Mercer Mayer -- We adore Little Critter at our house, and it's fun to read from these anthologies.  You can read book after book with no lag time for decisions or negotiations!

I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems -- The Elephant and Piggie books are so funny and clever.  I laugh out loud.  Beginning readers can practice reading with expression and timing, and it's such a pleasure to listen.  

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein -- Again, the pleasures of language itself!

Goose Goofs Off -- One of my favorite books from the 1980s Sweet Pickles glory days.

The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak -- Perfect for gifting.  My kids laugh at this book every time, whether they are the ones listening or reading.  Cool for them to see the power of words.

I'd love to know what the beloved read alouds are in your home or classroom. 

Starting next month on March 24th, you're invited to join my Read Aloud Roll Call.  Write a post about some read aloud experiences in your home or classroom and link up on the 24th of each month.  More on that later!

Thoughts on reading aloud or any of the books mentioned in this post?  Please share in comments.  Happy Reading!

* Last Stop on Market Street's Honors:  Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal, A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book, A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2015, A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of 2015

Milestone Post-It

Our ten year-old left this book and post-it on his Dad's nightstand.  I was so tickled when I saw it there.  Bub was in a bit of a reading slump this Fall, but his Grammy bought him this book at Costco after Christmas, and it seems to have re-ignited his reading fire!  Judging the book by its cover, I sense it's not my cup of tea.  My son was wise to recommend it to his dad instead.  My hubby started it two nights ago, and I have high hopes that he'll love it as much as our boy and that it will be the first of many shared reading experiences.  That's my kind of fantasy.

Poetry in the House

Rediscovered this basket of books which includes several poetry collections (and about twenty Penguin miniatures, a former obsession of mine).

A few weeks ago, my son had to write a free verse poem about the first day of school.  His first draft was very strong, and I enjoyed conferencing with him and pushing him (a bit) to choose some even more specific images and stronger words to capture the day.  He seemed to enjoy the process of writing the poem and took great pleasure in reading it aloud and hearing his words strung together.  Poetry is a really good thing.  I had almost forgotten.  Seed planted. 

Yesterday, Modern Mrs. Darcy posted about poetry -- describing a new ritual of reading poetry before bed and sharing some of her favorite poetry collections.  As I read it, I thought about how I needed more poetry in my life and about how I thought my kids would embrace and appreciate more exposure to poetry.  Seed watered.

This evening, my middle guy wanted to snuggle on the couch tonight and watch a show.  Trying to avoid Teen Titans Go, I checked out the HBO Kids OnDemand offerings and found something titled Classical: Poetry.*  The show has celebrities (and a couple of actual poets) reading classic poems aloud as animated images related to the poems cross the screen.  Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, and more ...

Classical: Poetry also includes segments where children are interviewed about poetry.  There was one boy with a British accent who was very confident and articulate in his discussion of poetry.  My older son said, "That kid is loaded."  I said, "Oh, does his accent make you think he is rich?"  (I was assuming he did not think the kid was drunk.)  "No," he said, "I think he was loaded with all these poetry ideas by the adults making this show."  That made me chuckle, though I assumed he was just a precocious kid.

My middle guy cuddled up and alternated between listening to the poems and asking a million questions about them.  As the show ended, he said, "This show is very pleasant."  And it was.  There is something about just listening to poetry.  Seed growing.

They were both asking about Shakespeare afterwards so I showed them my Norton Shakespeare and my Norton Anthology of Poetry.  I also found a basket of little books (several of which were poetry collections) that I had sort of forgotten about.  We brought them up from the basement.

Maybe seeing these books will remind me to water that poetry seed.  We'll see what grows.

Any tips on sharing poetry with your family?  I'd love to hear them.



*Classical: Poetry might just be the OnDemand title, not the actual name of the show.

Evenings with Ramona

My childhood copies of Beverly Cleary's books are well-loved to say the least.  These books conjure happy memories of hours of free reading and of trips to the B.Dalton bookstore at Tri-County Mall where I thanked God that I did not live in Canada where those kids had to pay so much more for each book.  I've been tempted by the Cleary box sets at Costco on several occasions, but it seems so special to be sharing my actual books with my actual kids.  Tough to resist my second grade handwriting on the inside covers (usually my name written several times, often in an experimental cursive intended, I recall, to mimic my teacher's lovely script).

When my oldest was in kindergarten and first grade, I read all of the Ramona and Henry Huggins titles to him.  My middle guy got squeezed out of that tradition when he was at that stage.  Surprise, surprise.  But, happily, I am back on track reading the Ramona books to my kindergarten daughter and second-grade son (better late than never).  Big brother has found reason to be in close proximity for most of these read-alouds as well.

 

Is there a character more lovable than Ramona?  Her energy, her zest for life, her creativity, her spirit, her honesty.  I'm going to dedicate a long and more thoughtful post (or series of) to Ramona once the kids and I finish all the books.  For now, I'll just share two moments from a chapter of Ramona the Pest.

Ramona proudly shows and tells.

                                                                                                                                                                             
Miss Binney smiled encouragingly.  "Is there something you would like to tell us about your doll?"

"I can really wash her hair," said Ramona.  "It's sort of green because I gave her a blue rinse."

"And what do you wash it with?" asked Miss Binney.

"Lots of things," said Ramona, beginning to enjoy speaking in front of the class.  "Soap, shampoo, detergent, bubble bath.  I tried Dutch Cleanser once, but it didn't work."

"What is your doll's name?" asked Miss Binney.

"Chevrolet," answered Ramona.  "I named her after my aunt's car."

Ramona's frenemy Howie Kemp forgets to bring something for the first day of Show and Tell.  Urged by Mrs. Kemp and her mother, Ramona runs inside her house to grab an item to lend to Howie:  an old stuffed rabbit that her cat likes to beat up and chew upon.  Miss Binny tries to liven the bunny up with a bright red ribbon, the ownership of which becomes a source of conflict between Ramona and Howie.

"Is there something you would like to tell us about your bunny?" asked Miss Binney.

"No," said Howie.  "I just brought it because my mother made me."

"I can tell you something about your bunny," said Miss Binney.  "It has had lots of love.  That's why it's so worn."

Ramona was fascinated.  In her imagination she could see the cat lying on the carpet with the rabbit gripped in his teeth while he battered it with his hind feet.  The look that Howie gave the rabbit was somehow lacking in love.  Ramona waited for him to say that it wasn't his rabbit, but he did not.  He just stood there.

I could barely read that final paragraph aloud for laughing.

Here's to more cozy evenings with my old friend Ramona and three of her twenty-first century fans.