Always Mom, Forever Dad

Title: Always Mom, Forever Dad 
Author: Joanna Rowland  
Illustrator: Penny Weber 
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers 
Publication Date: May 15th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: In today's world, more and more children have parents who live separately. As these children move between homes, they can't help but wonder: will mom still love me? Will Dad? In this reassuring picture book, young readers see children who have two households,whether because of divorce, separation, or other circumstances, experiencing life's ups and downs with both parents, secure in the knowledge that Mom will always be Mom, and Dad is forever Dad. 
What I Think: Books will always be a great way to share stories with kids because they give us the opportunity to talk about real life topics that might be difficult to discuss. They give us a starting point and a safe way to approach topics because we can think through the lens of the characters in the book. Kids can ask questions and share their thoughts in safe place because it doesn't have to be directly personal to them, it can be about the book or about the characters in the book but we can relate to them and learn from them. Always Mom, Forever Dad is a book just for that, starting conversations and sharing ideas.
     I really enjoy how this book helps children see how it's okay if your parents are divorced. It makes me sad to think that kids might feel badly if their parents are divorced or separated. Life takes is in all sorts of different directions and sometimes to places we never expect. I believe parents want what is best for their children but sometimes what's best for their children is taking care of themselves and making sure that they, as parents, are in healthy relationships. It's sad to see parents get divorced but sometimes I believe it's what's best. This book helps kids know that their parents will always love them even if they aren't married.
     As a mentor text, I can see how this might be a book that kids can read and make connections to but it can also be a great opportunity to get kids thinking of their own personal narrative stories about their parents. There are also lots of examples of AAAWWUBBIS that are great for middle grade students to look at.
     I was excited to share the cover reveal for this book back in March and now I'm excited to share the book itself! 
Read Together: Grades 2 - 4 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 5 
Snatch of Text: 
"When I'm with my dad, he makes me pancakes for breakfast. He takes the whipped cream and puts a happy face on them. I decorate his pancake like a jellyfish and we laugh." 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when something changed. How did you feel about the change? What helped you deal with the change or feel better about what had changed in your life?
Topics Covered: Family, Relationships, Love, Belonging 

I *heart* It:

Brothers at Bat - #NFPB13

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detectives. Every Wednesday, I'll review non-fiction picture book. (It may not always be a picture book. Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other non-fiction books are shared this week!

Title: Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team 
Author: Audrey Vernick 
Illustrator: Steven Salerno 
Publisher: Clarion Books 
Publication Date: April 2012 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction Narrative/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: The Acerra family had sixteen children, including twelve ball-playing boys. It was the 1930s, and many families had lots of kids. But only one had enough to field a baseball team . . . with three on the bench! The Acerras were the longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. They loved the game, but more important, they cared for
and supported each other and stayed together as a team. Nothing life threw their way could stop them.

Full of action, drama, and excitement, this never-before-told true story is vividly brought to life by Audrey Vernick’s expert storytelling and Steven Salerno’s stunning vintage-style art.  
What I Think: Reading this book had me simultaneously wanting to be a kid again, ready to run out and play baseball, and wishing I had oodles of brothers. The artwork does a great job of bringing the story that Audrey tells to life. One image that sticks with me is when all the brothers are running out of the houses to play baseball. It was like I was watching them rush out of the door, hearing the screen door slam behind them as they wooshed by. There are more and more non-fiction picture book biographies popping up but I like that this book isn't about just one person, it's about all the brothers and how they worked together and were all bonded by baseball. They had moments of adversity, but by supporting each other, they persevered. I find it admirable to see how loyal they were to each other but also how passionate they were about baseball.
     The girl in me desperately wants to know that their sisters were up to while the boys were playing baseball...even if they weren't playing baseball, I'm sure they were involved or at least up to something themselves. I'm so curious about that!
     I'm really excited to hopefully use this book with a group of middle schoolers this year. At the beginning of the year, they will be focusing on expository writing and I'm going to use this as a jumping off kind of mentor text as well as possibly a mentor text for looking at how we use commas. I really like how narrative non-fiction draws a reader in and this book seems to prompt so many different opportunities to branch off into research: baseball, history of baseball, brothers playing baseball, war, sports in general, etc. I think this is a great text to use to talk about how we have to do research and let research lead us. Recently, I gathered a stack of non-fiction books to start brainstorming ideas for my own non-fiction narrative picture book biography and just checking out the books and seeing what has already been written about the subject I'm interested in is a great first step. Like Chris Lehman talks about in his book on research, Energize, we have to help kids venture into seeing what research is there and making adjustments in topics based on what they discover is out there. I love the possibilities for kicking of a research project with Brothers at Bat.
Read Together: Grades K - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 2 - 12 
Read With: Here Come the Girl Scouts and Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Snatch of Text: 
     "But there was no jealousy, no rivalry, no fighting. As the younger brothers grew up, the older ones shared playing time. If someone dropped a fly ball or struck out, no one screamed or threw down his glove or stomped off the field.
     'We stuck together,' Freddie said."
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Asking Questions, Visualizing 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Expository, Informational, Personal Narrative, Commas (series), AAAWWUBBIS, Repetition 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you felt part of a team, whether you were working with family or friends. Do research on baseball and create an informational text to share what you learned about baseball (get creative about what format you use to share your information).  
Topics Covered:  Family, Friendship, Baseball, Integration - History, Teamwork, Determination, Integration - Sports, Adversity

I *heart* It:

Those Darn Squirrels!

Title: Those Darn Squirrels! 
Author: Adam Rubin 
Illustrator: Daniel Salmieri 
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
Publication Date: September, 2011   
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Old Man Fookwire has a plan. He'll build some birdfeeders and fill them with yummy seeds and berries. That way, the wild birds he loves so much will stick around for the winter--instead of flying south. But there are other hungry creatures in the forest, and the have plans, too...Those darn squirrels! 
What I Think: When I was a child, my grandparents always had bird feeders at their house...and my grandfather was always so cranky with the squirrels. Reading this story reminded me so much of my grandfather, who died when I was a senior in high school. I remember how much those squirrels drove him crazy. My grandmother used to get mad at them, too. She would tap on the window and try to scare them away. Both of them would talk about the different kinds of birds that came to visit. Their kitchen table was always next to the window so they could eat breakfast and look out at the birds. I loved this book because it rang so true to what I knew about my grandparents and their annoyance at squirrels. I was always amazed at how the squirrels were still able to get to the bird feeder no matter what kind of bird feeder it was or whatever my grandfather did to try and stop them. I like how Adam Rubin's squirrels are just as clever. As annoying as my grandparents found them to be, it's hard to deny how determined and smart those squirrels are.
     I love to do voices when I read aloud and I had a blast shaking my fist in the air and reading Old Man Fookwire's parts. It cracked my kids up, too. They thought he was so funny. Kids seem to love when adults get angry and then angrier. They loved the squirrels and their antics.   
     I just saw that there are two more squirrel books by Adam Rubin that I am excited to read! I think this book would pair really well with Look Up! by Annette LeBlanc Cate that we reviewed last week. In fact, I think I'm going to take my kids to buy bird feeders that we can hang in our backyard. Maybe we can find bird feeders that the boys can decorate and then put up or maybe even those pinecone-peanut butter bird feeders that we can make ourselves and then do some bird watching of our own. In the comments last week, one of our readers, Mandy Robek, shared an idea that she uses in her classroom. She has a window that is designated as an observation window and students are able to take their writer's notebooks over to the window to take time to observe, draw, or write whatever they see in the window. I love this idea! It's simple but just calling a window an observation station makes it so much more exciting! And what a great option to give to student writers who might have trouble getting ideas.
Read Together: Grades K - 6 
Read Alone: Grades K - 6 
Read With: Look Up! by Annette LeBlanc Cate, Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
Snatch of Text: 
     "When the air turned crisp and the leaves began to change color, the old man grew sad. He knew that soon the birds would fly south for the winter, as they did every year, and that he would be lonely.
     Then he had an idea: If he fed the birds, maybe they would stick around."
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions, Asking Questions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: AAAWWUBBIS, Personal Narrative  
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when things didn't go your way. How did you respond? What did you learn from the situation? How will you hand things the same or differently in the future? 
Topics Covered: Hobbies, Love, Friendship, Loneliness, Integration - Science - Bird, Birdwatching, Animals 

I *heart* It:

Tua and the Elephant

Title: Tua and the Elephant     
Author: R.P. Harris   
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo  
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: April 2012 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Ten-year-old Tua (Thai for peanut) has everything she needs at home in Chiang Mai, Thailand, except for one thing she has always wanted: a sister. In the market one day, Tua makes an accidental acquaintance one with wise, loving eyes, remarkable strength, and a very curious trunk. And when Tua meets Pohn-Pohn, it is clear this elephant needs her help. Together, the unusual team sets off on a remarkable journey to escape from Pohn-Pohn's vile captors. From the bustling night market to the hallowed halls of a Buddhist temple and finally, to the sanctuary of an elephant refuge, this clever girl and her beloved companion find that right under their noses is exactly what each has been searching for: a friend. 
What I Think: I love the wonderful descriptions in this book. It is a book that is set, for me, in such a unique place that is very different from where I live and have lived all of my life. The setting Harris brings to life in Tua and the Elephant is beautiful - he definitely brings a voice that makes the book feel like it is a story being told and he also so seamlessly captures the culture in the story. I love Tua, she's just a sweet kid who keeps herself busy visiting relatives at the market until she finds a hole in a wall. It beckons to her and she lets her heart guide her on a journey to help her new elephant friend.
     I am an animal lover so I am naturally drawn to stories about animals and about helping them. I think elephants are beautiful creatures. They are so smart. I love to read about them. This is a great book to share with students and to remind them that even though they are young, they can still make choices to help animals. I do have to say that how Tua helps Pohn-Pohn initially might be a good topic of discussion. She is helping the elephant but she does something I think is somewhat wrong. It reminds me a little of the discussions we have had about I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Is it okay to do something wrong if you feel that it is justified?
Read Together: Grades 4 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 5 - 6 
Read With: Non-fiction about elephants and/or Thailand, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen,  Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (adult) 
Snatch of Text: "Strings of bare lightbulbs crisscrossed overhead, igniting the street in a blaze. Vendor's carts crowded both sides of the street, hawking their wares to the people strolling down the middle." p. 12
"Behind where the boxes and crates had been stacked higher than a brown dog can jump - and gaping like old Grandma Orn's toothless mouth - there, looking just big enough for Tua to squeeze through...was a hole.
If walls could talk, this one would have invited Tua to step through the hole to the other side." p. 22
Mentor Text For: Descriptive Writing, Characterization, Visualization, Voice, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something wrong but you felt your reasons for your action were worthy of the action. Start a story by finishing this sentence, "If walls could talk, ..."
Topics Covered: Friendship, Adventure, Help, Compassion, Family, Culture, Elephants, Story-Telling, Courage

Jen *hearts* It:

From What I Remember...

Title: From What I Remember... 
Author: Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas  
Publisher: Hyperion 
Publication Date: May 15th, 2012 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.

MAX: It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in Tijuana. WIth less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome. 

WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring thier passports across the border--but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started. 
LILY: I just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up without a fight. 
What I Think: I stumbled across this book on NetGalley and when I started to read it, I became completely consumed with the story. I love all the characters and I love all the craziness! There are so many different stories going on but making sense at the same time. We get to see so many different perspectives. Once I started reading, I could not put it down...well, I had to, but with every free milli-second, I grabbed it again until I devoured the entire book. 

If ever there was a book that reads like a wild, non-stop movie, this would be it. I love how the authors even mention how events that happen in the book are just like out of a movie...but at the same time unique to the story in the book. I'm glad this book is a book rather than a movie. Anyone who loves the movie The Breakfast Club or other John Hughes' movies will enjoy this book. The fact that chapters switch perspectives helps readers really see into what the characters are thinking and feeling. It's interesting to read about how the characters perceive each other and then to be in the characters' heads and to read what they are thinking and feeling on the inside and how that compares to the front the present to others.


The scenes between Max and Kylie are electric. In the end, the whole book is about going after your dreams and not letting life pass you by. I love it! I remember telling Kellee that she absolutely must get this book because it is awesome. And so should you!


As a teacher, I do have to add a disclaimer that there is possibly some non-parent-teacher-sanctioned teenage behavior in this book so I would read it first and be aware of that before recommending it to students. BUT, I think high school students will love the energy in this book while still getting an intense look at who the characters are and what motivates them.


Enough already! JUST GO READ THIS BOOK! It's the perfect book to kick of your summer reading!
Read Together: Grades 9 -12  
Read Alone: Grades 9 -12 
Read With: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John  
Snatch of Text: 
     "How could I explain that my stories helped me escape the dreary sameness of my life - the same old TV shows, the same old questions from my parents, the same old mostaccioli on Thursdays and lasagna on Sundays? How could I tell her that for those few moments when I was telling the story, I slipped into a shinier world and lived the life I really wanted?
     I just shrugged."  -Max (taken from NetGalley - so I don't have page numbers)


     "A bunch of people laugh. Ha-ha. So witty. He may be perfect on the outside but inside it's a different story. If he had a thought in his head, it would perish of loneliness. Max, as always, basks in the attention. He tips back in his chair and tosses his shaggy, sandy locks, like a preening bird.
     Like everyone at Freiburg, Max is a spoiled rich kid, floating in a vapid sea of privilege, completely and blissfully ignorant of how the rest of the world lives. Everyone that is, except for Will. Thank God for Will. God knows, I wouldn't have survived without him." - Kylie  (taken from NetGalley - so I don't have page numbers)
Mentor Text For: Characterization, Voice, Stereotypes, Mood, Visualization, Making Connections
Writing Prompts: After people watching, choose one person to write about - how might what you see on the outside be different from this person's story on the inside?
Topics Covered: Friendship, Adversity, Love, Adventure, Determination, Family, Honesty, Taking Risks, Stereotypes, Identity, Dreams, Being True to Yourself

Jen *hearts* It:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Title: Where the Mountin Meets the Moon      
Author: Grace Lin   
Publisher: Little Brown and Company  
Publication Date: July 2009 
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Novel 
Summary: This story is about Minli and how the tales her father tells her lead her on a great adventure when she decides to take her fate into her own hands. She sets off in search of good fortune for her family and meets a dragon who cannot fly and many others on her way to meet with the Man in the Moon. 
What I Think: I really think Grace Lin has outdone herself with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Her writing is excellent. I love the imagery that she creates with her descriptions. The story is so magical while at the same time feeling very possible. She brings to life dragons and other magical creatures with such ease. It doesn’t feel forced at all, it just seems normal to be talking to dragons and goldfish and lions.

I feel like this book pays homage to folk literature. She weaves in Minli’s story with the folk tales her father tells her and the stories she hears from characters she encounters on her journey. It’s amazing how the stories go back and forth from Minli’s story but at the same time are such an integral part of Minli’s story. Readers don’t realize right away how Minli’s story is really a new folk tale that hinges itself upon the others until close to the end. As a teacher, I think this book would be great to tie in with a lesson or unit on folk literature or at least on Chinese culture and folklore.

This book teaches a great lesson in the end. Readers will discover that it’s important to be thankful for what they have in their lives and to recognize what they have to be thankful for. I, personally, am an optimist and I try to reflect on all the great things I have in my life every day. Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down with what we don’t have or what others have that we wish we could have but this book illustrates how important it is to be grateful for what you do have and I think that’s an important message for kids.   
Read Together: 4  - 6 
Read Alone: 4 - 8 
Read With: Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie, non-fiction about Chinese culture, other Chinese folklore  
Snatch of Text: "Every morning, before the sun rose, Minli, her mother, and her father began work in the fields. It was planting season, which was especially grueling. The mud stuck to their feet like glue and each seedling had to be painstakingly planted by hand. When the hot sun burned overhead, Minli’s knees shook from weariness. She hated the feeling of thick, soggy mud in her hands and face; and many times she wanted to stop in irritation and exhaustion. But seeing her parents patiently working, backs bent, made her swallow her complaints and continue." p.11 
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Visualizing, Making Connections 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Descriptive, Personal Narrative 
Writing Prompts: Describe a time in your life when you had to do something you really didn't want to do. 
Topics Covered: Family, Loyalty, Trust, Determination, Courage, Friendship, Honesty, Taking Risks, Faith

 

How to Steal a Dog

Title: How to Steal a Dog    

Author: Barbara O'Connor 

Publication Date: 2009 

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel  

Summary: Georgina's dad left and now she's living in her car with her mom and little brother.  Georgina hates it and comes up with a plan to steal a dog so she can return it and get the reward money.  She plans it all out and is hoping the reward money will allow them to get an apartment.  

What I Think: I've never read a book with a homeless character/family.  I love reading books that give us perspective into what someone else's life might be like, especially when I've never experienced it before ourselves.  It's so important for kids to read these kinds of stories, too.  One of my students actually told me about this book and said I should read it because she enjoyed when her classroom teacher read it aloud in class.  For middle grade students, I think it's a perfect blend of understanding how horrible Georgina feels to be living in her car and a good story about how desperate it makes her.  It definitely could be a great way to initiate discussions about feelings, right versus wrong, and how to get help when you need it.    

Read Together: 4 - 6  

Read Alone: 4 - 6  

Read With: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo; Ida B: ...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan; Love That Dog by Sharon Creech  

Snatch of Text: "There in the bushes along the porch was a dog.  A little black-and-white dog digging so hard that dirt was flying out behind him.  His rear end was stuck up in the air and his scraggly tail was wagging away while his front legs worked faster and faster at the dirt." p. 23
     "As I pushed through the bushes toward the front of the house, I had an uneasy feeling.  My worries seemed to be piling up, one on top of the other, like bricks on a wall." p. 111   

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions, Making Inferences, Visualizing    

Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, AAAWWUBBIS, Descriptive Writing, Simile  

Writing Prompts: Describe an animal - it could be your favorite pet, a friend's pet, an animal you saw at the zoo, etc.  Use the sentence, "My worries seemed to be piling up, one on top of the other, like bricks on a wall," to start your own personal narrative about a time when you were worried about something.      

Topics Covered: Family, Poverty, Homelessness, Challenges, Disappointment, Feelings, Right Versus Wrong, Asking For Help  

Translated to Spanish: No

 

I'm Just Like My Mom; I'm Just Like My Dad

I'm Just Like My Mom; I'm Just Like My Dad/ Me parezco tanto a mi mama; Me parez

Title: I'm Just Like My Mom; I'm Just Like My Dad

Author: Jorge Ramos

Illustrator: Akemi Gutierrez 

Publication Date: 2008

Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book  

Summary: This book tells the story of how a little girl is just like her mom and then you can flip it over and it tells a similar story of how a little boy is just like his dad.  The text is simple, but emphasizes how much we resemble people in our family.   

What I Think: Peanut and I had fun reading this book - he wanted to read the girl side because I'm a girl and I wanted to read the boy side because he's a boy!  Of course, we had to read both sides...many times!  It was fun to see how the kids were like their mom or dad and then we compared how Peanut is like me and how he is like his dad.  I love how this could generate ideas for young writers to write about their families and maybe extend into personal narratives.

Read Together: Pre-K - 3

Read Alone: 1 - 3  

Read With: When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth, by Jamie Lee Curtis  

Snatch of Text: "When I'm mad, my forehead wrinkles just like my mom's."  "When we drink hot chocolate together in the morning, I get a mustache just like my dad's." 

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections

Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, AAAWWUBBIS, Memoir

Writing Prompts: Write a personal narrative about a special time you spent with one of your family members.  Write about your favorite memory of someone in your family.  Write a poem about how you are like your mom or your dad or someone in your family.    

Topics Covered: Family, Memories   

Translated to Spanish: Yes! Me Parezco Tanto a Mi Mama; Me Parezco Tanto a Mi Papa

 

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? (Caldecott Honor Book)

Title: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Author: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Publication Date: 2003

Genre/Format: Non-Fiction, Animals/Picture book

Summary: A book that highlights various animals and what they do with their noses, ears, tails, eyes, feet, and mouths.  Includes a section at the end that goes into a little more depth about each animal that appears throughout the book.

What I Think:  The paper collage artwork is visually appealing.  Peanut and I loved reading about the more uncommon animals like the bush baby and the blue-footed booby!  I even learned some cool facts about animals!  The whole book has lots of "If" AAAWWUBBIS examples!  

Read Together: Pre-K - 8

Read Alone: 2 - 8

Read With: Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steven Jenkins

Snatch of Text: "What do you do with feet like these?  If you're a mountain goat, you leap from ledge to ledge."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Predicting, Questioning, Making Connections

Writing Strategies to Practice: AAAWWUBBIS, Recognizing Writing Patterns

Writing Prompts: Choose you favorite animal to research and write about.  Write your own What?/If... pairs.  Write a story from the perspective of one of the animals in the book.  

Translated to Spanish: No

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