Love Sugar Magic

Title: Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble
Author: Anna Meriano
Publisher: Walden Pond Press 
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2018 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Mild Fantasy/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.

Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake. 

Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business—even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet. And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong? 

What I Think: I have wonderful memories of making tamales with my grandma, my mom, my aunt, my sister, my cousin, and more recently my kids. We all pack ourselves into the kitchen to stir the dough and then when it's ready, we set up an assembly line and put tamal after tamal together. The joy and love in these memories reminds me of Leo and her family in Love Sugar Magic. 
     I love how we get to see the vibrancy of Leo's family and we can use this as  a mentor text for character development. Yesterday, I talked about how Tracy Holczer's character Lucy in Everything Else in the Universe also has a big family and how being part of a big family influences who she is and how she experiences the world. When we talk about characters and what makes them who they are, it allows us to also think about ourselves and what makes us who we are. And, ultimately, then we can think about other people and what makes them who they are. Discussions like this are so important. Discussions like this help us see that we might have things in common with other people and we might be different from other people. But just because someone is the same or different, it doesn't make them good or bad. Too often we don't slow down to ask why or to even realize that there might be a very good why that we need to understand. 
     As writers, we think about the world and the people in it. We need to know our characters and think about why they might make a choice that they do and in order do that, we need to understand what has happened in our character's past that has shaped them. Pairing Love Sugar Magic with Everything Else in the Universe gives readers an opportunity to think about the choice both authors made to give the main character a large and vibrant extended family. Recognizing the author's purpose in doing this give writers an opportunity to think about character development in their own stories.
     The snatch of text I pulled gives a little insight into Leo compared to her family getting ready in the morning and it also has an example of onomatopoeia, word choice, and being specific in describing. Lots of good things to discuss with these two sentences!

Snatch of Text: "The hallway filled with morning noises as the Logroño family got ready for the day. Leo shuffled down the hall, her orange-and-black-striped knee socks shush-shushing against the wood floor." (p. 4)

Yo Soy Muslim

Title: Yo Soy Muslim: A Father's Letter to His Daughter 
Author: Mark Gonzales  
Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini 
Publisher: Salaam Reads / Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 29th, 2017 
Genre/Format:  
GoodReads Summary: From Muslim and Latino poet Mark Gonzales comes a touching and lyrical picture book about a parent who encourages their child to find joy and pride in all aspects of their multicultural identity.

Dear little one,
…know you are wondrous.
A child of crescent moons,
a builder of mosques,
a descendant of brilliance,
an ancestor in training.

Written as a letter from a father to his daughter, Yo Soy Muslim is a celebration of social harmony and multicultural identities. The vivid and elegant verse, accompanied by magical and vibrant illustrations, highlights the diversity of the Muslim community as well as Indigenous identity. A literary journey of discovery and wonder, Yo Soy Muslim is sure to inspire adults and children alike. 
What I Think: Over the summer I watched a video that talked about how many people are hispanic and Jewish. This book reminded me of that because Mark Gonzales is Latino and Muslim and this book is written as a letter to his daughter. These are two examples of how important it is to learn people's stories and not assume things about people. As a reader who is Latina but not Muslim, I loved his words to his daughter and I love reading how he talks to his daughter about navigating the world and being proud of who she is. My dad's letter to me or my letter to my sons might be similar but still different. 
     As a mentor text, I love the idea of asking parents to write letters to their kids or even to have kids write letters to themselves. As much as we all have different experiences, as humans, we do also have things in common. I love this book and this idea of writing letters to ourselves as an opportunity to explore these commonalities and differences and to expand our understanding of how we are each unique but still need to be loved and lifted up. 
     Last week, a teacher friend asked me how to respond to a student telling her about reading the Bible as his independent reading at home. While we have to be cautious about discussing religion in school, I still think we can have conversations about the fact that people have different beliefs and that people have their right to their own beliefs. This book is another opportunity to show how people have different beliefs...but again, how we are all humans and are connected even though we have different beliefs and opinions.
Snatch of Text:  

"There are questions we al ask when we are learning what it means to be human. 

Who invented my hands?

Why wasn't I born with wings?

And

does the moon ever get lonely?"

Writing Prompt: Why did Mark Gonzales choose to write this book as a letter to his daughter? How does that choice impact the purpose behind his words?

Wishtree

Title: Wishtree 
Author: Katherine Applegate 
Illustrator: Charles Santoso
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: September 26th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.  
What I Think: Oh, Katherine Applegate. She's done it again. I love Wishtree so much. It's another book from her with a whole lot of heart. And the most fascinating thing is the main character is a tree who has a whole lot of heart. I'm so excited to share this with young readers because I'm sure it will spark great discussion. 
     As I was reading I kept thinking of Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks and I might go reread it to see how they might connect. Overall, the tone in Wishtree reminded me of Seedfolks but I also saw similarities in the themes.
     The tone of Wishtree is so clear because Katherine so purely writes Red (the wishtree) as a character. It's beautiful. When I think about characters in my own writing, I think about who they are and what I know about them that my readers might never know. I make sure I know what they have gone through as characters before the story starts because all those little experiences shape who they are. Everything that has happened to them is part of why they make the decisions they do. It's not always easy for a writer to not include all of these past experiences...I've seen lots of student writers tell readers way too much early on. I *might* happen to also do this in my own writing, especially in first drafts. But in revisions, I can usually spot when I'm telling and either delete my rambling or find a way to work it in without dumping all the information in one spot. 
     One other way Wishtree can be used as a mentor text is to look at foreshadowing. Katherine gives us really subtle clues of theme throughout the book. I pulled two examples to share in the snatch of text. Both of these come at the end of a chapter. Red is so wise but if readers stop and think about what he's pointing out along the way, we can start to recognize some foreshadowing in the story. As a writer, I've found that I'm able to find little snippets of clues I can leave for my reader along the way. Some of them make it into my first draft but I find that I'm better able to add in foreshadowing during revisions when I know where my story is going overall. One of my favorite mentor texts for foreshadowing is One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by David Small. There are so many clues along the way if you just slow down and really pay attention. The trick to being able to pepper in foreshadowing as a writer is to recognize how authors use foreshadowing as a reader. And Wishtree allows you to do just that!
Snatch of Text: 
     "If this were a fairy tale, I would tell you there was something magical about Samar. That she cast a spell on the animals, perhaps. Animals don't just leave their nests and burrows willingly. They are afraid of people, with good reason. 
     But this isn't a fairy tale, and there was no spell. Animals compete for resources, just like humans.
     They eat one another. They fight for dominance. Nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. But sometimes surprises happen. And Samar, every spring night, reminded me there is beauty in stillness and grace in acceptance. 
     And that you're never too old to be surprised." 

     "Watching Bongo soar, I considered, not for the first time, my rambling roots. What would it be like to fly? To burrow? To swim? To gallop?
     Delightful, no doubt. Sheer joy. And yet. I wouldn't trade a single rootlet for any of it. 
     It is a great gift indeed to love who you are."
Writing Prompt: Why does Katherine Applegate choose to end two chapters with the phrases like the snatches of text above? 

The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, The First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon

Title: The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, The First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon  
Author: Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee 
Illustrator: Susanna Chapman 
Publisher: Compendium Inc.
Publication Date: June 13th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: "She said she would do it, she wasn't a liar; she'd show them by running like the wind in the fire." When Bobbi Gibb saw the Boston Marathon her mind was set—she had to be a part of it. She trained hard, journeying across America to run on all kinds of terrain. But when the time came to apply for the marathon, she was refused entry. They told her girls don't run, girls can't run. That didn't stop Bobbi.

This picture book tells the true story of how she broke the rules in 1966 and how, one step at a time, her grit and determination changed the world. Created in collaboration with Bobbi Gibb and the perfect gift for would-be runners, kids of all ages, and everyone out there with a love of sport.
What I Think: I'm a runner myself so I completely connected with the love of running that Frances and Kristina bring to life by telling Bobbi's story. I didn't start running for myself until college but now I see how it's such a great activity that so many people can participate in. Running in 5ks is fun but running in a marathon is completely overwhelming in an amazing way. I've only run the Chicago Marathon once but it's an accomplishment I'm so proud of and one I will never forget.
     There is a theme of inspiration throughout this book. Bobbi is inspired and then she inspires others as well. As a mentor text, it's interesting to look at how the authors came back to this theme and wove it into the book throughout. There are several lines that come back to Bobbi and her running while the rest of the text blankets these lines and at the same time show how she was inspired. It's so interesting to me, this idea of inspiration and it's neat to look at how the authors brought this theme to a book and wove it in. Recognizing a theme or themes of our writing is important. I find it helpful to know what message I'd like to send overall because when I'm conscious of it, I can more easily weave it in. It helps me feel more grounded in my story when I know the theme as well. This can help in longer texts or short texts too. I reviewed Disrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst last week and they talk about reading and paying attention to what is happening in the text, in our head, and in our heart. As writers, we need to pay attention to our craft, to what we want our readers to think but most importantly, how we want to reach our readers' hearts. To me, the theme has a lot to do with heart. 
     As a mentor text, The Girl Who Ran is a perfect example of how we can weave theme into a text. Yes, the tell the story, yes they use elements of writing we can study, but also, they use theme to touch our hearts.  
Snatch of Text:  

"One day, when Bobbi was grown, her father took her to Boston, 

where she saw...

Not a few, not a dozen, but hundreds of people, moving as one. 

Kindred spirits, all running miles together.

Bobbi knew she had to be a part of it."

Writing Prompt: Throughout the book, the author uses the word "inspire" and gives examples of inspiration. Use examples from the text to talk about what it means to be inspired.

World Pizza

Title: World Pizza 
Author: Cece Meng 
Illustrator: Ellen Shi 
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books 
Publication Date: June 6th, 2017
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: When Momma spots a wishing star, she starts to ask for world peace—but a sneeze changes “peace” into “peace-AH-AH-AH-choo!” World PIZZA! Suddenly, yummy pies of every kind come drifting down from the sky. That’s not exactly what Momma hoped for . . . or is it? With humor, warmth, and heart, this delicious picture book celebrates the things that truly bring us together. 
What I Think: Oh, if only it was so easy to bring peace to the world! As an adult, I understand the complexities of so much more than a child would reading this text. Looking at it through the lens of reading this with a child or a group of children, I can see how it would definitely be a way to start conversations. Food is a part of culture but at the same time culture is so much more than food. And food brings people together. I love that World Pizza brings our attention to this. Right away the 5 F's of culture came to mind: food, fashion, famous people, festivals, and flags. Too often, these are the elements of culture that we see and understand without seeking to know more. Using World Pizza, we can see how food is different in different parts of the world and we can start a discussion about how each of us might like different kinds of pizza. I like a good veggie deep dish, no cheese and my younger son likes his pizza with bacon. Starting with something like pizza, that might be familiar to most kids, is a great way to start to recognize that we might have common tastes or we might have different tastes and that's okay. We can have our own opinions about foods and still get along. But then this discussion can turn into discussions about other things and still come back to the idea that we might be similar or different but we can still get along. 
     As a mentor text, I would read World Pizza and have students think of what they like on their pizza. They can draw and/or write about kinds of pizza they like. They can discuss things like their favorite pizza place, favorite type of crust, favorite sauce to cheese ratio, favorite toppings, etc. But there might be some kids who've never tried pizza or don't like pizza and that's okay too. It might be really neat to have each student write about their connections with pizza on a "slice" of paper and then the slices can be fit together into one pizza or a few smaller pizzas to show how our opinions can connect. 
Snatch of Text: 

"There was spicy pepper pizza, salty seaweed pizza, 

chocolate cherry pizza, and extra-cheesy-with-pickles pizza. 

None of the pizzas were the same, but they were all delicious." 

Writing Prompt: Why do you think the author decided the pizzas would all be different? And why do you think that she said, "...but they were all delicious"?

For The Love Of Mentor Texts - Jennifer Laffin

Welcome to another guest post in my series For The Love of Mentor Texts here at Teach Mentor Texts. I love to talk about the power of mentor texts to impact our writing but I'm thrilled to have friends share how they use mentor texts for a fresh perspective. Today I'm excited to share thoughts from Jennifer Laffin who blogs at A Sweet Writing Life. I hope you are as inspired by her ideas as I am!

Would you like to write a guest post for For The Love of Mentor Texts? Just let me know by filling out this simple form. 

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In the summer of 2011, I took part in the National Writing Project’s Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Those three weeks were heaven on earth for me as I wrote, researched, and learned about the best practices in teaching writing. I came to the Institute knowing very little about teaching writing, but I was like a sponge, ready to soak up any and all wise words.

I had to choose a Teacher Inquiry Project to research during the Institute. After mulling over hundreds of topics (literally hundreds because I knew very little about teaching writing), I decided to spend my time learning about using mentor texts in the writing classroom. Mentor texts combined two things I loved -- reading and writing.

That choice, to research how to use mentor texts in the writing classroom, was the best decision! It was the toehold I needed to launch me into this beautiful world of teaching writing. Before the Institute, I hadn’t even heard of using a mentor text in the writing classroom. Now, I can’t teach writing without one.

There are many reasons why mentor texts help make teaching writing easier, but here are a few of my favorites:

Mentor texts can be used for all phases of the writing process. They can spark an idea, help with revision, and show us how conventions make writing strong.

Mentor texts show us some cool writing tricks. Including the Power of Three (listing three details in a row), varying sentence length for effect, or varying your first line are just a few ways mentor texts can support student writers.

Mentor texts help us teach some writing elements that are difficult. For example, take character development. Many young writers create rather flat characters. However, after studying how an author develops a character, these writers can change their character into one that has life.

Mentor texts are a great way to teach conventions within the context of writing. Do you have students who don’t capitalize the letter “I” or the first word of a sentence? Are run on sentences running rampant because your writer forgot how to use a period? Is the writing missing paragraphs, making it very difficult to read and follow? Pull out a mentor text for a quick study of how the author used these conventions to make the writing easier for the reader.

Any book can be a mentor text. You don’t necessarily need a special title to get the job done. Read through your favorite picture book and point out some things you notice that your student writers could pull into their own writing. Soon, your students will do this on their own.

With a mentor text, you never have to teach writing alone again. Think of all those experts that are just waiting in your classroom library for their chance to help!

Don’t know where to start? The Writing Fix website has an amazing bibliography of mentor texts and lessons to accompany them.

If you aren’t already using mentor texts in your writing classroom, I hope you will give it a try!

A giant hug to Jennifer to stopping by to share her love of mentor texts!

Dear Dragon Review and Blog Tour

Title: Dear Dragon
Author: Josh Funk   
Illustrator: Rodolfo Montalvo 
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers 
Publication Date: September 6th, 2016 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: A sweet and clever friendship story in rhyme, about looking past physical differences to appreciate the person (or dragon) underneath.

George and Blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything: their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. There’s just one thing that the two friends don’t know: George is a human, while Blaise is a dragon! What will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face? 
What I Think: Connecting with others through letter writing is such an awesome experience. I love the twist Josh incorporate into Dear Dragon. Can you imagine finding out your pen pal is a dragon?! This book is a great opportunity to discuss letter writing and to have students think about what they might share about their day with a friend. This is also a great opportunity to start a discussion about communication in general. We have so many ways to communicate now! Have students make a list of all the different ways and what makes each unique. Then think about which mode of communication might work better for some instances than others. To take this to another level, think about how information can be mistaken through written communicate. There are so many intricacies of language...but with social media now, with emojis and text speak and having to read between the lines. There are so many advantages and disadvantages to discuss when it comes to being as connected as we are (or can be) these days.
Book Trailer:

I'm so excited to have Josh Funk here today 

to give some advice to any reluctant writers out there! 

Josh Funk’s Advice for Reluctant Writers

For all of you reluctant writers out there, let’s unravel what ‘writing’ really is.

Writing is creating.

Every book starts with someone writing. But it’s not just books. Movies, television shows - they all start with someone writing the story. Even video games, many of the best ones have great stories, compelling characters, conflicts with villains, and so on.

“That doesn’t help me when I’m staring at a blank page, Josh,” you say. Well, you’re right. But what do stories, especially the best stories, do? They make you feel. They evoke emotions. Maybe they make you laugh or cry? Get excited or scared? Make you think or see the world differently? Or maybe they just entertain you for a little while.

Even the dictionary definition of ‘write’ means ‘to express or communicate’ (in writing). So how about this, my reluctant writer friend?

Make someone feel.

Pick an emotion. Any emotion. Whatever you’re feeling right now. Or whatever you want to feel. Or whatever you want someone else to feel.

Write something that will make your friends laugh.

Write something to gross people out.

Write about someone you love.

Write about something that excites you.

Write the saddest thing you can think of (without being mean, of course).

And if words aren’t for you, then draw a picture to make people feel. Or draw and write.

Or maybe write a letter. In Dear Dragon, both George and Blaise aren’t terribly excited about their assigned pen pal project … but they do it anyway. And (spoiler alert), it turns out that they become great friends!

Oh, and also, don’t worry about spelling. Real authors don’t worry about spelling. That’s what spell-check and editors are for.

About The Author: ​​Josh Funk is the author of Dear Dragon (Viking/Penguin) and other picture books. Josh is a board member of The Writers' Loft in Sherborn, MA and the co-coordinator of the 2016 and 2017 New England Regional SCBWI Conferences. Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes picture book manuscripts. Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________. Find out more at www.joshfunkbooks.com and on twitter @joshfunkbooks.

A big thanks to Josh for sharing his thoughts on writing with us!

You can visit the other stops on the Dear Dragon blog tour!

LibLaura5 – September 5

The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog – September 6

Teach Mentor Texts - September 7

As They Grow Up – September 8

Emily’s Reading Room – September 9

Reederama – September 10

What do you want to write about today?

I Wish You More

Title: I Wish You More 
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal 
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: March 31st, 2015 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Some books are about a single wish. Some books are about three wishes. The infallible team of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld have combined their extraordinary talents to create this exuberant book of endless good wishes. Wishes for curiosity and wonder, for friendship and strength, laughter and peace. Whether celebrating life's joyous milestones, sharing words of encouragement, or observing the wonder of everyday moments, this sweet and uplifting book is perfect for wishers of every age.  
What I Think: Every year, we give our kids a picture book on the first day of school. I've written about this little tradition over at Nerdy Book Club, here, and for a local blog called Little Lake County. It's one of my favorite traditions and so far my kids love it too. For 3rd grade, I was sure I was going to gift my kids Katherine Appplegate's The One and Only Ivan but it just so happens that Peanut and I read it before third grade, he wanted to buy his own copy at the Scholastic book fair and then we also went to Anderson's Bookshop to meet her in person. So instead we picked out I Wish You More to give him on his first day of third grade.
      This book is beautiful. It's so perfect to any child any time really. It reminded me of I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder because of how breezily the text moves us through the pages and how the illustrations to sweetly match the message.The repetition makes it predictable but how Amy Krouse Rosenthal finishes the sentences that make them stand out. She plays with words and seems to so easily bring childhood to life. I would definitely ask students to think about how the repetition works here but how the fact that she offers some unique ways to finish it makes it possible for the repetition to not get annoying. Students could try writing their own wishes that they might want to share with their parents or other loved ones. It would be neat to have them illustrate it and put it into a just-because card to give to a friend or family member. It's almost like a backwards wish on a birthday candle - instead of the birthday boy or girl wishing for him or herself, we can send our best wishes! This would also make for a great class anthology. I can just see all the wonderful illustrations!
     As a mentor text, I love this book might provide several jumping off points. Children could write about how these wishes might come true in real life or share their own stories for how they've experienced some of the wishes already in life. It's also a neat opportunity to talk about the math terms "more than" and "less than"!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read With: I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder, Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall, Here's a Little Poem by Jane Yolen, Only One You by Linda Kranz 
Snatch of Text:  

"I wish you more treasures than pockets."

Writing Prompts: Write about what you wish for someone important to you in your life. 
Topics Covered: Hopes, Dreams, Integration - Math

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Chronicle Books for 

a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!*

Tea Rex

Title: Tea Rex
Author: Molly Idle
Illustrator: Molly Idle
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: April 9th, 2013
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: Some tea parties are for grown-ups.
Some are for girls.But this tea party is for a very special guest.And it is important to follow some rules . . .like providing comfortable chairs,and good conversation,and yummy food. But sometimes that is not enough for special guests,especially when their manners are more Cretaceous than gracious . . .
Introducing Tea Rex, a guest that just about any child would love to have to tea!
What I Think: Can you imagine having afternoon tea and your guest is a dinosaur? We just read Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallan and I think it would match so well with Tea Rex. Peanut and I had a great conversation about how Tyrannosaurus' friends helped him learn to be less disruptive in their classroom. But inviting Tyrannosaurus to tea and hoping he would have manners for that is a different story. 
     Over the summer, Peanut got to attend Nerd Camp Junior and listen to Kelly DiPucchio speak. She talked to the kids about taking a normal, everyday topic and putting a twist into it. She handed out cards with pictures on them and then the kids had to come up with a twist to go with the image on their card. It was pretty fun and I can see how this activity would work really great after reading Tea Rex as well. It would be fun to imagine how a Tyrannosaurus would be able to participate in any of our everyday life experiences.
     Many children are familiar with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie but I love this circular tale. Kids will have fun predicting what is going to happen next and following along with the story. 
     When I took Composition my junior year in high school, we had to write an expository piece explaining how not to do something or how to do something most people wouldn't usually encourage. It was a neat exercise because it allowed us to be a little more creative than simply describing how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something like that. I wrote about how to get kicked it our a movie theater - outlining all the obnoxious things people do at the movies that might get them reprimanded if not kicked out. This writing activity can easily be used after reading this book. Students can outline all the things they need to know when attending afternoon tea but then they can outline all the things not to do at tea. I would love to see kids act this out or draw their own illustrations for this!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 2
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 2
Read With: Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallan, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (series) by Laura Numeroff, Tea Party Rules by Amy Dyckman
Snatch of Text:

"When hosting an afternoon tea for a special friend ---

greet your guest at the door."

Writing Prompts: Write about what someone needs to do in order to prepare for afternoon tea and/or a guidebook for how to act when you are invited to afternoon tea...or maybe how not to act when you are invited to tea!
Topics Covered: Friendship, Manners

 I *heart* It:

The Pigeon Needs a Bath! - GIVEAWAY!

Title: The Pigeon Needs a Bath! 
Author: Mo Willems 
Illustrator: Mo Willems 
Publisher: Disney Hyperion 
Publication Date: April 1st, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon's not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It's going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge. 
What I Think: This book is stinkin' awesome! We love Mo Willems and all of his books in our house and this is such a great addition to the Pigeon books. We've read this book countless times since it arrived at our doorstep. My kids think it's hysterical and ask for it again and again. It's pretty obvious when a book rings true to kids because they totally know. My kids both totally get where the Pigeon is coming from and they totally know his words have come out their mouths before. I think that makes it even better is they know how batty arguing about bath drives their parents. There aren't many books that my kids love so much that they know all the words (and maybe that has more do to with my kids than book....) but they know the words to The Pigeon Needs a Bath!. They love the end especially but I won't give away what happens. If you're familiar with the other Pigeon books, I'm sure you can take a guess at where the Pigeon ends up by the end. This book is so well done. I think parents and kids alike will enjoy the story because it rings so true to bath-time conversations.
     If I ever decide to try stand-up comedy (which will probably never happen...), one of my "bits" would be about how ridiculous I feel whenever we lose power at our house. I can't even tell you how many times the power has gone out and I wander around trying to turn on lights or use electrically-powered things like a hair dryer or the toaster and then I remember I can't because the power is out. I know full well the power is out but my brain struggles to make the connection. Personally, I think this might be an amusing story/joke to tell because I imagine others might relate to my story. Funny stories are often funny because other people can relate to the experience or the feelings. The Pigeon Needs a Bath! does exactly this. Kids take baths, kids often don't want to take baths, kids even more often are picky about exactly the conditions of their baths. Parents are definitely often exasperated with kids and baths. Because this seems to be such a universal experience, so many readers, young and old, can relate to this book. That's what makes it a gem in my opinion.
     As a mentor text, this book and the discussion about finding a story that others can really relate to or finding an emotion that you can help readers relate to, is such a great opportunity to talk about plot with students. Writing is complicated and finding the plot is definitely one layer that students need support with. Brainstorming some everyday stories and helping students see how they might bring those stories to life and zoom in on the experience is a great way to get students started on what they might write about. Having a discussion about what exactly Mo Willems does here and why it works so well would be a great way to look at author's purpose and craft.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 3  
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read With: Other books by Mo Willems, The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli, Hiccup! by Mike Herrod, Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin
Snatch of Text:  

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

Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Five Sense, $100 Words, Author's Purpose, Craft  
Writing Prompts: Write about an experience you have had that you think others might be able to relate to. Narrow the story down to a simple form but then freeze time and really focus on bringing each part of the story to life. 
Topics Covered: Stubbornness, Determination 

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**I'm super excited to have three copies of The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems to give away thanks to Disney Publishing. Enter below for your chance to win a copy!**

The Summer of Letting Go

Title: The Summer of Letting Go
Author: Gae Polisner    
Publisher: Algonquin Books 
Publication Date: March 25, 2014  
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel
GoodReads Summary: Just when everything seems to be going wrong, hope and love can appear in the most unexpected places.

Summer has begun, the beach beckons and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca's little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca's the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can't have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it's possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she'd never dare to go and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.  
What I Think: There is so much in this book and about this book that I love. Gae has truly made so many emotions come to life for me by telling Francesca's story. She really has a way of describing and showing readers what her characters are feeling and dealing with. Through Teachers Write, Gae has taught me to get real about a story and to not be afraid of showing what my characters are going through. It's awesome to read her books and know that she does this herself. She really gets real about a lot of things in The Summer of Letting Go.
     When I think about students and writing, grasping the idea of "Show, Don't Tell" is one of the biggest concepts they have to understand. Having worked with student writers from early childhood through high school, I can see how "Show, Don't Tell" is relevant all along the way in fiction and non-fiction writing. In my own writing, I focused a lot on showing and descriptive writing in high school to the point where I feel as though my plotting was never developed much, but I also see how important it is to focus on description. When descriptive writing is done well, a writer truly makes writing come to life for a reader.
     I always taught the idea of author's purpose by sharing how writing and reading go hand in hand. The author's true purpose, in my mind, is to do his or her best job at writing and using literary elements like similes, metaphors, using the five sense, that the reader can visualize and imagine what the author wants him or her to see. Gae does an amazing job of describing how Francesca feels about all the things that feel tumultuous in her life and helping the reader understand what she is going through. Gae weaves together a story that lets us share everything Francesca is dealing with. This is a book you'll want to be recommending to students as a book that they will relate to but also as an awesome mentor text for description and personal narrative.  
Read Together: Grades 8 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 9 - 12 
Read With: Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner, Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder, The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Eli the Good by Silas House, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 
Snatch of Text:  
"I swallow back a lump in my throat. I miss Lisette. I miss us. I know I was just at her house, but we're not quite us anymore. Something is off between us. There's a crack turning into a chasm. It keeps stretching wider and wider." (p. 33)

"I put my head back and close my eyes as we fly down the highway. It feels overwhelming, but in a good way, to be here like this with Lisette. In this car full of friends, barefooted, with the top down and the music blaring, our bodies drenched in sunshine, the wind whipping our hair in our faces. I can't remember the last time I felt so weightless and carefree." (p. 97)

"I feel my brother in the room. The air smells of him, of peaches and sunshine and the ocean." p. 262
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Visualizing 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Imagery, Descriptive, Personal Narrative, Metaphor, Author's Purpose, Figurative Language
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you misunderstood something that someone said or did, or maybe you misinterpreted something. How did you feel when you figured out where you were mistaken? How did you handle it after you realized the mistake?  
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Relationships, Love, Grief, Death, Loyalty, Honesty, Trust, Courage 

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