Torchbearers out there

Big fan of Neil Gaiman here;     

 this title was suggested to me  by long time friend, Sherry Lynn.

 Any time I see a book recommendation of a title I think I will like, it's off to my county's Library web page.  I request many, many books online. Sometimes the title takes forever; yes I'm still waiting for an Aesop's collection, but usually the book arrives with in a week.

The State of Maryland has a great inter library loan system. Lucky me my local library is less than a mile away. The other day I picked up four books at once all from other county library systems.

I requested Gaiman's Art Matters  illustrations by Chris Riddell.


  Please read this one !  It;s brief , a quick read with lots of pictures to make your lips quirk when you turn the pages.
Divided in to four sections :

• Credo  
• Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming
• Making a Chair
• Make Good Art

Everyone has an "I believe" statement and Gaiman's is, to me, an inspiration. Has Ophra interviewed Mr. Neil, I wonder?

The second section, Our Future" is a detailed praise and plea for libraries and librarians. Many thanks for the articulation on why libraries and librarians are important.  I was reminded of my first visits to the public library. Both Sherry Lynn and I were there, just around our corner, in our home town.

Chair making is, I believe, about writing process. Just do it please.

Last section  Make Good Art for me, is dedicated to my graphic designer son, Sam Ludophile.  Make that art, make it every day.  Make the art you want to even though no one else sees or agrees or accepts what is your art.

As the torchbearers, you librarians out there, read this book!  

Chills and Thrills guest reviewer Beth Hibbard

My friend Beth is back with another read aloud recommendation. Beth loves read a louds and she chooses titles that will engage and delight students. This time of the year. Beth  reads The Ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam 

Sam is a little bit scary, with a funny ending. The text is repetitious and it rhymes !  Author Angela Shelf Medaris is a great story teller living in Texas.  The 100th Day of School is her best know book. Make a note for a January/February lesson.
 Beth also recommends

https://www.cfclassroom.com/2011/10/haunted-house-creative-writing-project.html

for writing prompts and other project activities.

Other spooky titles:

traditional song and story

Georgie the Ghost series.  This title form from Audible now under a dollar.

How brave are you ?

Make a sequencing activity for Kindergarten.

Autsim Makes Waves

Yesterday I presented at MASL (Maryland Association of School Librarians) on my favorite topic Students with Autism in the Elementary Library Classroom.  I choose pecha kucha, a chit chat slide show presentation.  I used the 20 x 20 format, though the time frame was about 15 minutes longer .
Below are many of the slides and a little explanation.

I asked the group to share what experiences they had with students with autism

Quick pass at the AALA standards, for this presentation I focused on Collaboration, Inclusion and Engagement.

Description of the autism spectrum disorder in students; social skills, repetitive behaviors, non verbal communication, individuals have unique strengths. Causes are genetics and environmental. 

The rate of autism in general population 1/60, for boys 1/42 and 1/189 for girls.

 The above data comes from AutismSpeaks

 Collaboration with teachers, teaching assistants and administration essential.

While cruising the internet I found this photo of a paraeducator form Maryland. Your expectations for paraeducators should be specific, discussed and approved by administrators, special education teachers and introduced to the para before instruction begins.

When working with students with autism in a library media center  make it VISUAL

and

introduce VOCABULARY

Special Education Teachers use Boardmaker software or the online app to create social stories.

Instead of paying for software or an app I use MS Power Point, which has copyright free clip art. Using a template, choose 12 vocabulary words from a book, picture book or non fiction. Include the cover, read the story or use a recorded version lots on You Tube, Pebble GO , Discovery Ed or Mackin Library.  Students may follow along with the reading identify the vocabulary with finger, or with manipulative, cut up velcro-ed pictures or a cut and paste activity, as below.

Alternate activities to introduce could be CODE.org or other on line coding sites and MakerSpace activities, puzzles, Legos, STEM boxes.  Students with Autism need engagement and inclusion as do all students.

Thank you to all who attended my presentation.I hope you enjoyed the back and forth discussion. I know I did!

Why Genre fy Dewey ?

I find this article interesting.  If I was in a school library today I would give the gentrification of Dewey serious consideration; mostly to increase circulation, but also to recognize that there is sexism and racism and cultural ignorance in the DDS.

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=ditching-dewey-libraries-These-Ideas-Can-Get-You-Started-on-Genrefication

for National Hispanic Heritage Month

Each Tiny Spark : Be brave and light up the world   by Pablo Cartana

Also author of Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

short review

•  slow pace
•  multi layered
•  middle grade 
•  6^th grade class
• many themes
•  PTSD
•  immigration
•  ADHA
•  bilingualism 
• heritage
• and food

Emilia Rosa lives in Northern Georgia with her mother and Abuela. At beginning of the novel, Emilia Rosa’s dad is a deployed Marine; he returns by chapter six.  Her mother, an app designer has gone to San Francisco for a conference.  The family texts back and forth daily; Emilia Rosa’s mother will pop in for video chats from the West Coast.  Mom stays on top of Emilia Rosa’s progress in school because of her ADHD.  There are generational conflicts between Abuela and Emilia Rosa and Mom which could lead to fireworks in a discussion group. The themes listed above, may work well for a small group, possibly grades 4, 5 and above.

Personally, I enjoyed both books and the inclusion of Spanish dialog, which gave me a little practice in conversational Spanish

Hand Jive

High Five   Adam Rubin, author    Daniel Salimieri, illustrator

10 word review: Rhymes, vocabulary “zesty finesse”, interactive, fun, bright colors & multiple animals

• Sensi, the narrator voices instructions for high five gamesmanship.
• Hand and arm position for successful high five
• Chart with suggested high five styles

Tiny quibbles: rhyme patterns are not always consistent; male kangaroos don’t have pockets; the palms for practice high fives are all right handed.

Suggestions for read aloud

One on one:  Sit side by side and practice your high fives on the page

In classroom or group:  Use a recorded video on screen, listeners in a double circle, inside face out, outside facing in, rotating opposite directions as the video plays, practice high fiving, continue with the style chart with partners. 

Great brain break activity.

Sing a Rainbow

Red and Yellow and Pink and Green,  I love color coding ! No not building a database or app but as  a busy library teacher coloring coding your grade levels.  K-5, each gets a grade level color for  bar codes, folders,  planning. Color coding makes life easier.

And for the littles; if you have trouble remembering names, especially the youngest kindergarten and first grade when the change so much, take a photo of each and put it on the cards you use for check out.  Or on the seating chart.   You will thank yourself, later.

Sample media cards: Kindergarten is always white. Remember Kinder don;t have all the tools to read a tiny, directory style name or school number.

Never Forget

Today is the 18th Anniversary of  Nine Eleven; the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

Here are a few books to start conversations with your children about 9/11. Picture books first.

We might call these beginning, middle and end.  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers describes how iconic the Twin Towers were, gracing the skyline of New York.  14 Cows for American a "real story"  (my students always ask this question) about an international reaction to 9/11.  Finally 7 Tons of Steel retells the 9/11 story and depicts a floating memorial.

Middle Grade level book focuses on a family and a personal legacy of 9/11.

We're NOT chicken

Love chickens?  Picture books about chickens are out there!  Today I will talk about two of my favorites, The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane Auch and Herm Auch.

Henrietta is a chicken who loves to read, and wisely uses the public library.  Henrietta checks out a Writing Rules book .  She finds a typewriter, pecks at the keyboard making several attempts to write a novel, and begins to practice the rules for great book writing: Some examples,

Rule # 2 Hatch a plot. 

Rule #4 Develop your plot by asking ‘What if?”

Rule # 7 Make your story come alive by using all 5 senses.

This book is funny, has writing rules for story craft and great illustrations done in oil and digital tech with lots of detail and visual jokes.  (Tidbit; the Auch’s live in upstate New York and do keep chickens !)

AND Chicken Big by Keith Graves.

A very large chicken is born in a tiny coop. His companions can’t figure out what this BIG chicken is, an elephant?,  a squirrel?, a umbrella?  Well no, Big Chicken is simply larger than normal, and the flock does find an identity for him.

Humongous chuckles in store, simple graphic line illustrations that engage and a lesson for the fox.

So why am I writing about chickens? Because of my young friend Ava, who knows a lot about chickens, she used to raise them and my little cousin Tom, who asked.

Here are some more chicken titles you and your family might enjoy.

                                                                         

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County     Book! Book! Book   and  Chicken Talk

The Dragonfly Guest Reviewer: Beth Hibbard

Don't often meet up with a classroom teacher who loves to read aloud to her class, but my friend Beth does !  A frequent user of the library, Beth will request these titles year after year.

Here are two books she recommends to read aloud to students and then compare:

Roxenboxen  by Alice McLerran  Illustrated by Barbara Cooney 

Roxenboxen strikes a memory chord for me. The book reminds me of two special childhood days in my life when  neighborhood friends played a game, a building project in the mud of our family's sidewalk with stones and a 2 x 6 board. .No, I don't remember the object of the game or how we organized ourselves,  BUT I do remember the camaraderie and the fun.   I hope reading the book to a room of students will get them out in the dirt and play.

 AND Weslandia  by Paul Fleischman Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Meet Wesley, the proprietor of Weslandia, founded in his back yard. Wesley is a different drummer style of boy who is looking for a summer project.  He finds the project in some strange looking plants sprouting in the back garden.  As Wesley cultivates the plants, STEAM products abound as he explores uses for all parts of the "swist" , including a sunscreen/mosquito repellent he sells to his classmates.   Shout out to Wesley's parents who know "he stands out like a nose" but allow him to explore without interference.  

Extra links for you    Roxenboxen    is a real place !

                                  WeslandiaSTEAM     lesson plans for Weslandia

Where is Eddie?

Is this book a graphic novel   yes or no?   more yes than no

Takes place over one school day

The theft of Eddie the Owl, school mascot
of Tiddlywhump Elementary School and a mystery to solve 

by 4^th grade gumshoe, Moxie McCoy and her

1^st grade brother, Milton, who isn’t a useless as Moxie thinks.

Parent/ teacher alert Vocabulary introduced in the illustrations great job !

Cleaver, cute and engaging

First in a series  visit this middle grade series again !

and here's a great link The Real McCoy

Takei graphic novel and other connections

My plan is to post once a week on a Monday or a Wednesday so here is a WEDNESDAY post

George Takei of Star Trek and other notable roles has written a graphic novel about his family's interment during WWII.
Wow !   did you know that?

Interested ?   I am !  the images on line look good I have a copy on hold at my public library. Nope I do not buy books often, usually borrow. Anyhow while I am waiting to preview here are a w middle grade novels and a picture book about  a national shame, the relocation and incarceration of up to 120,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry between 1942-1946.

   

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban,  a favorite of mine because the  imagery has stuck with me.; the contrast between the landscape of the Pacific Coast and the high desert in California resonates.  The Japanese tradition of writing wishes or poems on paper and fastening the papers to tree limbs is explained. Main character, Manami finds another way to send her wishes because there are no trees in the camp.

Diamond in the Desert, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice, another title, not about mining but baseball and the games unifying force.  Tetsu and his mother and sister are removed to an interment camp. His father has been taken away for questioning.  Baseball is the main focus of this book yet the author develops the characters and setting well.

This book leads me to the last, a picture book 

  

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki recommended as a read aloud for multiple grade levels. The illustrator is Dom Lee.  

Walk on the Weird Side

 I just finished Inkling by Kenneth Oppel illustrations by Sydney Smith

       ten word review: inventive, engaging, sensitive, charming, quirky, thought provoking, fun and funny, sad, and joyful
described as a early middle grade Black Eyed Susan Nominee for 2019-2020


found on my FB page    picture books   

The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2019

AUGUST 19, 2019 BY TRAVIS JONKER           Link Below

Unconventional

enjoy !