Drawn Together

Title: Drawn Together
Author: Minh Le
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Publication Date: June 5th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picture book about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.
What I Think: Relationships with grandparents are special. My own kids adore their grandparents and I loved mine so much. I have memories of working in the garden and mowing the lawn with my grandpa, painting with my grandma, and playing cards with my other grandma. Each of them made me feel important. They showed me how to slow down and take my time and enjoy what I was doing. Drawn Together felt so true to me because my grandmother Mamita spoke Spanish and barely knew English. I learned most of my Spanish from her but there were still so many times when I struggled to express myself accurately to her or failed to understand what she was trying to say to me. Especially her jokes. She loved to recite poetry, sing songs, and tell stories and jokes. Jokes involve complex language which made them so hard to understand. I wish I could have better understood everything she ever said to me...but the reality is that I couldn't. It's hard to explain the heartbreak of this reality but in Drawn Together, Minh Le and Dan Santat bring this feeling to life. 
     While not everyone has the same experience with a language barrier with their grandparent, I wonder if many will still identify with the idea of misunderstanding each other in some way or another. In any relationship, there are so many ways to misunderstand each other. We can feel close and still feel so far away at the same time. 
     As a mentor text, Drawn Together can be used to spark conversations about relationships. It offers an opportunity for students to think about their own relationships and whether they recognize similarities in their own relationships or not. It's also a chance to think about how things like language differences might make growing a relationship difficult and whether there might be ways to overcome this. Student writers can then think about what relationships look like in their own writing and think about how things like language differences might impact the characters or people in their writing. 
     This book relies heavily on the illustrations to tell the story with the text. It's not a wordless picture book but there are several layouts without any text. I love books like this because they make it easy to focus on visual literacy. As a mentor text, readers can think about how they might describe what is happening in the illustrations and how to show this in their writing. It's a powerful way to link reading and writing. 
    Drawn Together is an absolutely beautiful book that everyone needs to read.
Snatch of Text:

"All the things we could never say come pouring out...

...and we build a new world that even words can't describe."

Disrupting Thinking

Today I'm offering a big standing ovation for Kylene Beers and Bob Probst and their thoughtful and audacious book Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. 

via GIPHY

This book is everything right now as I'm thinking about reading in my life, my kids lives, and in my students' lives. Because what makes sense for me as a reader makes sense for my own sons as readers and definitely for all the students I'm lucky enough to serve in my role as an instructional coach. 

In Disrupting Thinking, Kylene and Bob are not afraid to say what needs to be said when it comes to helping students be independent readers. It's not enough to teach students how to read and analyze text. We have to also reach their hearts. 

They write, "...if we aren't reading and writing so that we can grow, so that we can discover, so that we can change - change our thinking, change ourselves, perhaps help change the world - then those skills will be for naught." (p. 20)

The world could be a better place. People make all the difference. Reading fiction or non-fiction impacts us as humans and gives us tools to do work that needs to be done. It helps us know how, get started, and persevere.

In thinking about building cultural proficiency, I see reading as the way in. Reading is an act of humanity. Alfred Tatum says, "It is painful as hell not knowing how to read. Your humanity will not be in tact as we begin to move forward." I couldn't agree more and found myself emphatically nodding along as I read Disrupting Thinking. In chapter four, "The Compassionate Reader", they write, "Compassion should sharpen the readers' ability to see other points of view, other perspectives, and to imagine the feeling of those who hold them." (p. 45) 

Yes!

They go on to say, "Reading gives us an opportunity to have an intimate conversation with the text, with the author, with oneself, and then ultimately with others." (p. 48) This is where Kylene and Beers introduce the Book, Head, Heart Framework which asks readers to think about what is happening in the book, in their heads, and in their hearts as they read. When we look at reading in this way, we take intellectual engagement to a new level. 

I read because stories make me feel more whole. 

Stories help me navigate the world and navigate my experiences in the world. 

They make me grow, help me connect, and give me strength to make a difference. 

I can't say enough wonderful things about Disrupting Thinking. It's a book I hope all teachers will pick up. Lucky for you, you might just have one coming you away! Thanks to Scholastic for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review and for giving me another copy to share with you!

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Caring For Your Lion

Title: Caring For Your Lion
Author: Tammi Sauer 
Illustrator: Troy Cummings 
Publisher: Sterling Books 
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: What happens when you expect an itty-bitty kitty . . . but get a lion instead?
It’s kitten delivery day, but—SURPRISE. Congratulations on your new LION! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those. Fortunately, the big cat comes with instructions—like, try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. And give your lion PLENTY of space to play. But soon the feathers and fur start flying and everything’s in chaos. Is there any way a lion could actually be a child’s purr-fect pet?  
What I Think: In high school, I had to write put a twist on a How-To piece and I wrote all about how to get kicked out of a movie theater (I might have gone with a bunch of friends to see a movie and we may have been a bit loud...although we never got kicked out). Anyway, it was fun to come up with a way to spin a traditional How-To piece and add some voice and pizzazz to it. As I was reading Caring For Your Lion, I thought about that assignment because this book explains step by step directions for having a lion as a pet. As you can imagine, it's a lot of work! This book is super fun and a great example of a mentor text that might get some creative juices flowing!
     On another note, this is also a book that deserves a good close read. There are so many things to notice in the illustrations that students will be able to recognize how the text and illustrators work together and gather evidence of their inferences. Make sure to really look at the illustrations - and the undies! - to catch all the ways the illustrations support the text.  
Snatch of Text: 

"Step 3: Try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle Or a bunny." 

Writing Prompt: Write your own twisty-turny How-To piece!

Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem

Title: Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem 
Author: Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson 
Illustrator: Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson  
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment 
Publication Date: September 8th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Peg and Cat, stars of their own Emmy Award–winning animated TV series, zoom into a picture book and put math skills to the test in a lively racing adventure.

Peg and Cat have built an amazing car out of things they found lying around. They’ve named her Hot Buttered Lightning (since she’s built for speed), and they plan to win the Tallapegga Twenty. If they can make it out of the junkyard, that is. It’s a good thing Peg knows the best shape to use to make wheels and how to count laps to see who is ahead. And it’s lucky that Cat reminds Peg to keep calm when she’stotally freaking out! Will Peg and Cat be the first to complete twenty laps and win the Golden Cup? Or will it be one of their quirky competitors? Count on Peg and Cat to rev up young problem-solvers for an exciting race to the finish.  
What I Think: I'm fascinated by brain research and what it tells us. It's no secret that I'm a fan of the growth mindset but I'm also keen on problem solving. The brain loves to solve problems. For instance, if I suggest you solve the problem 5 + 5...you can't help but think 10 in your head! Your brain just can't hold itself back, it wants to think of the answer. Taking this into account when designing lessons makes learning much more engaging. Giving students the ownership to brainstorm, research, try and try again is powerful.
     Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem is an example of what might happen when we give kids the opportunity to come up with their own creation and see how it works. Last winter, my family had a blast creating our own cardboard games after watching Caine's Arcade. This book could be a great mentor text to discuss how to hang onto the growth mindset and persevere when creating - whether it's a race car or another type of creation - and this aligns well with the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice...in case you address these in your district/classroom. Reading The Race Car Problem and other texts about creating, tinkering, experimenting (see below) would be a great opportunity to build students' background knowledge about the mindset of a maker.
     There is a lot of mention of various shapes in this book. You could read and ask students to recognize shapes as the story goes on. The characters in this book are so fun and looking closely at the dialogue gives readers an opportunity to see how the characters' personalities come to life with the words they use. Overall, there are some really great words that can be pulled out as vocabulary words as well.   
Read Together: Grades K - 3  
Read Alone: Grades 1 - 3 
Read With: Going Places by Peter H. Reynolds and Paul A. Reynolds, What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada with illustrations by Mae Bosom, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires 
Snatch of Text:  

"They called it Hot-Buttered Lightning, 

because they hoped it would be as swift as a bolt of lightning.

(They added 'hot-buttered' to make the name even better, 

the way butter makes popcorn even better.)"

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you made something using your imagination. Did it go how you planned? Or did you have to try again after your first attempt? What helped you believe you should try again to make your idea better? 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Ingenuity, Determination, Integration - Math 

I *heart* It:

Rude Cakes

Title: Rude Cakes 
Author: Rowboat Watkins 
Illustrator: Rowboat Watkins 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: June 2nd, 2015 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Who knew that cakes were so rude?! In this deliciously entertaining book, a not-so-sweet cake—who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents—gets its just desserts. Mixing hilarious text and pictures, Rowboat Watkins, a former Sendak fellow, has cooked up a laugh-out-loud story that can also be served up as a delectable discussion starter about manners or bullying, as it sweetly reminds us all that even the rudest cake can learn to change its ways. 
What I Think: We usually think of cakes as sugary sweet...but not this cake! I love the choice to play with words this way. As a parent, I also love how the author uses some examples of kids being rude that we might not always take the time to talk through with kids. The illustrations are super sweet and support the text perfectly. This is a great text to use when talking to student readers about paying attention to the words and the illustrations. If you don't slow down to look at the illustrations, you miss out on all the interactions between the characters that truly bring the story to life.
     As a mentor text, this is a great book to start a discussion on manners and how we treat each other. So many of the examples of the little cake being rude could be acted out. And students could think about what the rude cake does and then what the giant cyclops does in contrast. This could even lead to a lesson on compare and contrast - looking at how the characters act similarly or differently in different situations. Students might even have ideas for what they do in similar situations that might be different from either of the characters.
     I would also use this book to look at commas in a series and to think about story arc. Throughout the story, we see how the main character changes and it is clear that a majorly significant experience causes the character to change. We want to see characters change or grow in stories but knowing how to make this happen isn't always easy. This book makes for a nice mentor text for inviting student writers to first recognize what life-or-death type moment happens in Rude Cakes and then to think about their own writing.
Read Together: Grades K - 2 
Read Alone: Grades K - 2 
Read With: My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) by Peter Brown, You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown, Don't Play With Your Food by Bob Shea, Wolfie The Bunny by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Zachariah Ohora
Snatch of Text:  

"Rude cakes never say please

and they never say thank you,

and they sometimes take things

that don't belong to them."

Writing Prompts: Write about a time when you remembered to use your manners and how it helped you or made a difference in your situation. 
Topics Covered: Family, Manners, Kindness, Caring 

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Chronicle Books for 

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

Let's Celebrate Sam and Dave and Some Ambiguity

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

*                  *                   *

This week I'm celebrating Sam and Dave and some ambiguity!

*throws confetti*

I have so much to celebrate this week...from Kate Messner's new book 59 Reasons to Write to our cardboard arcade to my cousin in Guatemala helping me with research to bullet journaling but I've wanted to talk about Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and my theory for a while now. Next week we'll be celebrating the books that win ALA awards and I'm wondering if Sam and Dave might be one of those award-winning books but I want to celebrate it either way. 

I'm celebrating Sam and Dave Dig a Hole again because it's a book I've shared with so many people - from kids to adults - a book that makes me think and has sparked countless conversations...and lots of, "Hmm..." and looking at the ceiling. And I love it. 

If you've been around for a while, you know how completely crazy I Want My Hat Back made me, the discussions we had, my love-hate relationship with that book. Well, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole also has sent my brain spinning but I can see that I'm much more open-armed when it comes to this book. (Maybe it's because no rabbits are harmed in this book...but maybe more because I'm growing as a reader.) Either way, I've realized I'm at a point where I wish we had more books like I Want My Hat Back and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, books that challenge readers and give them credit for all the brains they bring to the table.

Crazy-Making Books

These books that make me scratch my head

Are books that beg to be reread. 

These books that make me do a double take 

Are books that make my little head ache.

These books that make me want to shout

Are books I don't want to live without.

When I saw Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen at Anderson's last fall. They talked about how they do mean to be slightly ambiguous in this book but at the same time, Mac argued that they do give lots of clues so the reader can fill in his or her own ideas. I can't help but feel that crazy-making books like Sam and Dave Dig a Hole remind me a bit of the following artwork:

If you haven't read Sam and Dave Dig a Hole yet, I hope I haven't scared you away. Honestly, it needs to be read and reread. I don't know how you cannot close read this one. It's probably the closest I've read something in a long time.After multiple rereads, here's my theory. You can read all sorts of theories on Travis Jonker's blog post over at 100 Scope Notes. I shared my theory there in the comments and here it is again with a little editing. 

Here's my theory: I believe the whole book is a metaphor for life or any experiences we might have in life. Life is an adventure and there are times when we think we're working towards a goal or trying to get to something specific and often what we are striving for is right there without us realizing it. In the end, whether we get what we are looking for or not, we're changed by the journey. The journey changes us and we see the world in a different way. The trick for me is that the boys don't necessarily realize that they are changed...but sometimes life is like that, too. Sometimes a person or an experience changes us and we have no idea how world-altering it is. Sometimes we do feel the impact but other times, it's hard to realize the true magnitude of how our lives change from what we experience or the people we encounter.

When it comes to the dog, I think he can be interpreted different ways. First of all, he serves to help the reader realize how the story is a metaphor, he's almost a silent narrator who urges us to think about the story in more than a literal way. Additionally, he reminds me of people in our lives who are with us along the way, mentors or other individuals who we go to and who listen almost as outsiders. Sometimes it's hard to see the big picture of life when we're living it, but there are often wise people who can see that bigger perspective - and sometimes they point this out to us while other times they let us realize it for ourselves. Overall, I like that the dog doesn't really interfere, that they boys make the choices that they make and he's there do to his thing as they go along. I believe he gets the bone as an example that there are some people who know what they want and that it doesn't have to be something spectacular. And maybe that's another message - or an extension of the boys' message - that when you are always looking for something monumental in life, you might not appreciate the little things but if you stay focused on the small things and the most important things, you generally are happier with what you have or get.

And the more I think about, the book also shows us that there might be times in our lives when we are more like the boys and really dreaming big but there might be times in our lives when we are more like the dog and zeroing in on what's most crucial. Either way, I think the boys and the dog are pretty content in the end. So however you live your life, you can find happiness.

In looking at Travis' theories, I think mine most aligns with his Epic Journey theory. I don't think we have to go on an epic journey though. Every little journey we take in life can change us in an epic way. In the end this is what I've taken away from this book and why I'm celebrating Sam and Dave and some ambiguity this week. It let me fill in my own story and it means more to me because of it.

What are you celebrating this week?

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads

Title: Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads 
Author: Bob Shea  
Illustrator: Lane Smith 
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press 
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Drywater Gulch has a toad problem. Not the hop-down-your-britches, croaking-all-night toad kind of problem. The thievin', hootin' and hollerin', steal-your-gold never-say-thank-you outlaw toad kind of problem.
 Then hope rides into town. Sheriff Ryan might only be seven years old, and he might not know much about shooting and roping. But he knows a lot about dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. And it turns out that knowing a thing or two about paleontology can come in handy when it comes to hoodwinking and rounding up a few no-good bandits. From Bob Shea and Lane Smith comes this hilarious picture book, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads.   
What I Think: What a cunning book! We've read this so many times and talked over and over again about just what Sheriff Ryan does in this town! It's pretty great what Bob and Lane have done here. I have no idea how they came up with this book but it's brilliant.

There seem to be more and more picture books that really push for close reading and I love that about children's literature today. I'm so glad my kids get to grow up reading books like Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads. This book is just another example of how picture books aren't only meant for elementary-age students. This would be a great book to read with older kids because the story is not quite what is seems after the first reading.

One element of the story that I think takes it to a higher level apart from the plot is the language. It's dripping with descriptive words and oozes dialect that is sometimes a bit hard to decipher, or at least might be more accessible for older kids. All of these rolled up into this book make for a great discussion of words and dialogue and how they impact a story. There's definitely a trick to getting dialogue just right and making sure that it truly adds to the character without taking away or distracting from the plot. Reading this book with attention to word choice and then looking at others as well might be a great activity for looking at how dialect and dialogue impact our writing.

Read Together: Grades 3 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 12 
Read With: One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, Robot Zot by Jon Scieszka 
Snatch of Text:  

"Why, those Toad brothers

would steal your gold, kiss

your cattle, and insult your

chili. Hootin', hollarin', and 

cussin' all the while.

Mayor McMuffin was

beside his self. His cumin-

scented town was a goner."  

Writing Prompts: Write about whether you think there really were dinosaurs coming to town or not. Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Topics Covered: Wit, Determination, Confidence 

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Roaring Brook Press for 

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

Ninja!

November is Picture Book Month! I'm rocking out a Bookaday celebration of picture books!

Today I'm sharing ideas for using Ninja! by Arree Chung as a mentor text.

GoodReads Summary:

A ninja must be strong, courageous, and silent! He creeps through the house on a secret mission. There may be obstacles! But have no fear—a true ninja can overcome all challenges.

We really took our time looking at the pictures in this book! There were many pages with multiple panels and sometimes we even found ourselves going back forth between pages to make sure we knew what was happening. I've got some adventurous little dudes in my house so we know all about ninja-type moves around the house!

Here are some literacy ideas to go along with Ninja! by Arree Chung!

1. Since we spent a lot of time on the pictures in this book, I think it makes a great mentor text for close reading with young students. Close reading doesn't have to just be passages of text, it's totally cool to close read illustrations in a book. Illustrations in picture books are an integral part of telling the story so it's important to know that the illustrations and the text should work together. I might stop and ask students to describe what they see in the different panels. This could be a shared group activity or each student could write an idea on a sticky note and put it into the book.

(Side note - I will never ever forget taking Peanut to a story time where a teenager read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss to the kids. She skipped all the pages at the beginning when Sam is going by with his sign and just started where the words start! I was shocked but it was a good reminder to me that we have to model and show students how important it is to read more than only the words.)

2. There are a few places especially where a lot of action is happening and it might be a great opportunity to think about some super descriptive verbs - verbs that pack punch! I love talking about how we can put words on a continuum. You can take the word jump and brainstorm synonyms and then put them on a continuum, stacking the words so that the less intense words are at the bottom and then the words increase up to the top. So for jump, you might have hop at the very bottom and then a whole range of synonyms for jump all the way up to bound.

3. When you read Ninja!, you'll find that there is another character other than our little super-sneaky friend. She's a bit of a surprise and there is a little suspense until we know if she'll be an ally to our young warrior or not...and it would be a great exercise in point or view or perspective for students to try and tell her her side of the story. Oh! There is one more minor character...can you find her? And what might her side of the story be?

Read With: 

Dog in Charge by Dan Santat

Comics Squad: Recess! edited by Jennifer and Matthew Holm and Jarrett Krosoczka

I would so recommend reading Dog in Charge by Dan Santat in conjunction with Ninja! because of the similar style of story-telling. Dan Santat also uses panels and gives students an opportunity to read the pictures. 

As soon as we opened up the front cover of Ninja! and read about how a ninja must be super sneaky, it reminded me of "The Super Secret Ninja Club" by Gene Yang in Comics Squad: Recess! I've read that story and over and over and over and I love the connection between the two in terms of thinking about what a ninja has to be skilled at. This might lead to some research and reading of informational text to learn more about being a ninja.

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole Review and Giveaway

Title: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole 
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Jon Klassen 
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: October 14th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find . . . nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all. Attentive readers will be rewarded with a rare treasure in this witty story of looking for the extraordinary — and finding it in a manner you’d never expect. 
What I Think: This book will be available on Tuesday and I hope you have it pre-ordered because you're going to want to be in on the conversations about what in the world happens at the end of this book! As soon as I saw Travis Jonker's post on 100 Scope Notes called 6 Theories on the Ending of Sam & Dave Dig a Hole in my Twitter feed, you better believe I clicked it. I actually have a completely different (7th?) theory on the end of this book. 
     This book is suspenseful. You can't help but want to turn the page to figure out what happens next. I love how this can be a great mentor text for pacing and making sure that what you've written drives the story forward and makes the reader want to read more. The illustrations really add to this because the add so much to what the text tells us. It's as if the readers are in on a big secret (with our friend the god) while Sam and Dave have no idea what's going on. The text gives us Sam and Dave's thoughts but the illustrations let us in on the bigger story. 
     By the time I got to the end of the book I thought I had an inkling of what might happen but I was so totally wrong. I should have knew things would not go how I expected at all. My theory is that this book is a bigger metaphor for life and experiences we have throughout our lives. It took me a while to come to this decision - many discussions, and several close rereads - before I felt good about this conclusion. And I still want to hear what others think.
     So I did read this book with my kiddos (who are 7 and 4 right now) and they thought it was fun but they didn't really get what happened at the end...or notice that anything all that crazy happened. Peanut just shrugged his shoulders when I tried to ask him what he thought went down. For this reason, I believe this book would be great for older readers. In fact, I think it would spur an especially amazing and thoughtful discussion for middle school and high school readers. 
Read Together: Grades 3 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 12 
Read With: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett with illustrations by Jon Klassen, The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth based on a story by Leo Tolstoy, The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm, Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Snatch of Text:  

"'When should we stop digging?' asked Sam.

'We are on a mission,' said Dave.

'We won't stop digging until we find

something spectacular.'"

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you wanted one outcome but something else happened entirely. How did you handle the situation and how did you feel about it? 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Exploration, Life, Perseverance, Perspective

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Candlewick Press for 

a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review 

and he opportunity to offer the giveaway below!*

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Warning: Do Not Open This Book!

Title: Warning: Do Not Open This Book!
Author: Adam Lehrhaupt    
Illustrator: Matt Forsythe 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books 
Publication Date: April 27th, 2013 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: CAUTION! This book contains monkeys, toucans, and a whole lot of silliness. You really shouldn't be opening this book.

I'm serious.

Just put it back on the shelf.

Right...now.

You're still reading this?

Well, don't say I didn't warn you...

It looks like a book, it feels like a book, and it even smells like a book. But watch out...madness and mayhem lie within! Debut author Adam Lehrhaupt urges you NOT to take a walk on the wild side in this humorous, interactive romp with inventive and engaging illustrations from Eisner Award-winning comic artist and rising star children's book illustrator Matthew Forsythe.This quirky, subversive creation begs to be enjoyed again and again and again. 
What I Think: We absolutely love this book in our house! I can't even tell you how many times Little Bean asks us to read it over and over. We love the suspense of knowing we shouldn't be turning pages but we still do. The monkeys are awesome. The illustrations bring them to life and page by page, they get closer and closer. These monkeys are really something else. They aren't afraid of anything.
     I love this book as a text to introduce close reading. You can easily read the story the first time and get a kick out of interacting with the text. Going back, you really notice the illustrations and how much they drive the story. Each monkey is unique and readers can follow their personalities from page to page. Readers can look at the size of the monkeys and other animals across pages and the colors Matt Forsythe uses as the story progresses. I particularly like the layout where the reader is learning about the plan and the role he or she plays in the plan. The outlined sketches and the lack of color signify the change in progression of the story. There are so many elements of this story for a reader to notice upon reading through a second...or multiple times.
     But most of all, this book is fun! I guarantee it will make young readers giggle with anticipation and delight as they contribute to helping the story unfold!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read With: The Monster at the End of this Book and Another Monster at the end of This Book by Jon Stone, Press Here by Herve Tullet, Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett, Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nick Bromley, Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Snatch of Text:  

"Oh, no. Now you've done it."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Inferences, Making Predictions, Close Reading 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something you knew you shouldn't do. How did you deal with the consequences? 
Topics Covered: Taking Risks, Consequences 

I *heart* It: