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?

Reproductive Rights: Who Decides?

Title: Reproductive Right: Who Decides?
Author: Vicky Oransky Wittenstein   
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books (CT) 
Publication Date: January 1st, 2016
Genre/Format: Non-Ficton/Expository 
GoodReads Summary: Examine reproductive rights through a historical lens, from early history's methods for family planning to the introduction of the Pill in the 1960s and the Roe v Wade decision of the 1970s, to contemporary legal and societal battlegrounds. 
What I Think: I'm amazed by all the history included in this book! It's completely fascinating. Vicki takes a somewhat controversial topic and writes about it from a very matter-of-fact perspective. It's clear and concise and informative at the same time. You'll find a blend of text and non-fiction features to support readers.
     Honestly, I don't envy healthy and physical education teachers who have to discuss this topic with students! But if I were teaching this topic, I would definitely appreciate having this as s resource.
    As a mentor text, this would be a great text to use when talking about voice in a text. Clearly, this book has a much more clearcut sense of voice even though it as accessible to readers.
Read Together: Grades 8 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 7 - 12 
Writing Prompts: Choose one of the topics in the book that interest you and see what additional research you can find to learn more about that topic.
Topics Covered: Integration - Health, Integration - History, Wellness 
Additional Resources: Before becoming an author, VICKI ORANKSY WITTENSTEIN prosecuted criminal cases as an assistant district attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney's office. She earned an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Vicki has written a number of science articles and books for the juvenile market, including Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths, which won the 2011 Science Communication Award from the American Institute of Physics. Her book For the Good of Mankind? The Shameful History of Human Medical Experimentation was a Junior Literary Guild selection. Vicki and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her website at vickiwittenstein.com.

Praise for REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: WHO DECIDES?

★"Though slim, this volume packs a wallop."  --Booklist (starred review)

"Well written and impeccably researched, this volume will appeal to budding activists and feminists and to those concerned about human rights." --School Library Journal

A Junior Library Guild Selection

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Check out all the previous stops on the blog tour!

Mon, Feb 15	Proseandkahn	http://proseandkahn.blogspot.com/
Tues, Feb 16	The Book Monsters	http://thebookmonsters.com/
Wed, Feb 17	Library Fanatic	http://www.thelibraryfanatic.com/
Thurs, Feb 18	Kid Lit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Fri, Feb 19	The Nonfiction Detectives	http://www.nonfictiondetectives.com/
Sat, Feb 20	Ms. Yingling Reads	http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Mon, Feb 22	The Launch Pad	http://info.vcfa.edu/vcfa-launch-pad
Tues, Feb 23	Through the Tollbooth	http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/
Wed, Feb 24	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Thurs, Feb 25	The Pirate Tree	http://www.thepiratetree.com/
Fri, Feb 26	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3yHmVeUfE

Louise Loves Art

Title: Louise Loves Art 
Author: Kelly Light  
Illustrator: Kelly Light 
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: September 9th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: For fans of Olivia and Eloise, this stunning debut from Kelly Light is an irresistible story about the importance of creativity in all its forms.

Meet Louise. Louise loves art more than anything. It's her imagination on the outside. She is determined to create a masterpiece—her pièce de résistance!

Louise also loves Art, her little brother. This is their story.Louise Loves Art is a celebration of the brilliant artist who resides in all of us.  
What I Think:  
We've had so much fun with Louise Loves Art in our house! We read this in November during Picture Book Month and I tried my best to grab book pics with my wild and crazy kids. 

We loved watching Art follow Louise around and were just waiting for her to find out what he was up to. Having a little brother or sister can be complicated but Louise gave us an opportunity to talk about that. Little Bean is constantly wanting to be like his older brother but it's hard for Peanut to see that. It was nice to be able to talk about Louise and how she reacted to her little brother in this book.

One character we absolutely love is their cat. That cat is awesome! It follows them around, knowing all the time what's going on and trying to help bring the siblings together. That little cat has some pretty amazing expressions. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more expressive cat before. It was fun to imagine what words would come out of the cat's mouth if it could talk. As a mentor text, this is a great opportunity to talk about personification and dialogue. Here students can see that the cat isn't able to talk and doesn't in the book, but what if we personified the cat and gave it the ability to talk? What might the cat say? This is also an opportunity to look at dialogue. What I love about dialogue is that it gives us access to the character who is talking but also to the other characters as well. What might the cat say that would reveal something about what it's thinking? What might the cat say that would reveal something about Louise and Art? Has this happened before? Has Louise had a chance to practice some patience before, too? This is a great time to talk about characters and how dialogue can play a role in developing characters.

And what I completely, totally, utterly love about this book is that it reminds us to let free our inner artist. Growing up, I painted a lot with my grandmother and my aunt but I also did all sorts of arts and crafts. I still consider myself to be very creative and love how my artsy side has evolved over the years. I write more than practice any other kind of art but I do love colors and design and painting in the backyard with my kids. Louise Loves Art reminds us that we have imaginations that we can bring to life and that our art is worth sharing. At home or at school, kids can put on their own art show, hanging up their work and inviting others to come and admire it. What a great way to celebrate art and share what kids - and maybe adults? - have created!

Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 5 
Read With: Bink and Gollie (series) by Kate DiCamillo and Allison McGhee, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, Chloe Instead by Micah Player, One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Snatch of Text:  

"I love art!
It's my imagination on the outside."

"I've done it.

So fierce! So feline! So fantastic...

a masterpiece!"

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions, Making Inferences 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Dialogue, Characterization,  $100 Words, Personification, Point of view, Perspective
Writing Prompts: Imagine you are the cat in the story. What do you think the cat might think or say to Louise and/or Art? Think about how dialogue shows the reader about the characters. 
Topics Covered: Family, Integration - Art, Self Esteem, Determination, Forgiveness 

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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!*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over

Julie Sternberg is the author of the best-selling Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and its sequels, Like Bug Juice on a Burger and Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake. Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie is a Gryphon Award winner and a Texas Bluebonnet Award finalist; Like Bug Juice on a Burger is a Gryphon Honor Book, a Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards Nominee, and an Illinois Monarch Award Finalist. Formerly a public interest lawyer, Julie is a graduate of the New School's MFA program in Creative Writing, with a concentration in writing for children. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. For more information about her life and work and to download free activity materials based on her books, visit her website: juliesternberg.com. I'm super excited to be part of the blog tour for The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine!

Check out the other stops on Julie’s blog tour!

Mon, Sept 29	Mother Daughter  Book Club	http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/
Tues, Sept 30	5 Minutes for Mom	http://www.5minutesformom.com/category/feature-columns/5-minutes-for-books/
Wed, Oct 1	Sharpread	http://mrcolbysharp.com/
Thurs, Oct 2	KidLit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Fri, Oct 3	The Hiding Spot	http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com
Sat, Oct 4	Booking Mama	http://www.bookingmama.net/
Mon, Oct 6	Ms. Yingling Reads	http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Tues, Oct 7	GreenBeanTeenQueen	http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
Wed, Oct 8	Great Kid Books	http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/
Thurs, Oct 9	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3DP0vkvgi
Fri, Oct 10	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Sat, Oct 11	Bermuda Onion	http://bermudaonion.net/

Title: The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over 
Author: Julie Sternberg  
Illustrator: Johanna Wright 
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press 
Publication Date: October 1st, 2014
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book 
GoodReads Summary: Ten-year-old Celie has quite a few things on her mind -- fights with her sister Jo, secrets at school, an increasingly forgetful grandmother, and worst of all, a best friend who won't speak to her. How can a girl who hates change survive, when everything in her life is changing? By writing, of course! Celie's often comical and always heartfelt diary entries include notes, e-mails, homework assignments, and pages from her top-secret spy notebook. 
What I Think: I've enjoyed all the Eleanor books from Julie Sternberg but I'm definitely excited about The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine. This book is written like a diary with Celie's thoughts and drawings mixed in with notes and letters she tapes into her journal. I really enjoyed Celie as a character and think that readers will relate to her. It seems like Julie did a great job of bringing her to life. There are a few times when Celie writes about some random thoughts and this really helps to see more of who she is (I pulled my favorite random thought for the Snatch of Text below!) One of my favorite parts was when they talked about Cousin Carla. I think Celie and her sister's reactions to Cousin Carla and other situations in the book are very true to upper elementary aged students.
     I love the attention on family and friendship in this book. These are definitely topics that are relevant and very real to students. Just like in the Eleanor books, Julie is able to help readers what it might feel like to be the main character and to navigate family and friend relationships. Siblings and best friends are great but there are always those times when either we hurt or are hurt by siblings and best friends. This book focuses on how to overcome and work through those times.  
Read Together: Grades 2 - 5
Read Alone: Grade 3 - 6 
Read With: Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg, Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, The Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Mary Amato, Chloe, Instead by Micah Player, When Life Gives You OJ by Erica S. Perl, Marty McGuire (series) by Kate Messner  
Snatch of Text: 
"I feel sorry for raw chicken. It's so germy and funny-looking, and nobody gets close to it. Unless they're about to stick it in a very hot oven." (p. 22) 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you were in an argument with a friend or family member. How did you handle the situation? How did you feel during the argument and/or afterwards?
Topics Covered: Family, Siblings, Friendship, Forgiveness, Relationships, Trust, Loyalty

I *heart* It:

*Thanks to Boyds Mills Press and Blue Slip Media for 

a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review 

and the opportunity to offer the giveaway below!*

Eric the Boy Who Lost His Gravity

Title: Eric the Boy Who Lost His Gravity
 Author: Jenni Desmond
 Illustrator: Jenni Desmond
 Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Publication Date: March 11th, 2014
 Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction
 GoodReads Summary: We've all seen kids who kick and scream and lose their cool. But when Eric loses his temper over his annoying little sister Alice, he floats up to the ceiling! And so we have a fresh and funny twist on temper tantrums created by star-on-the-rise Jenni Desmond. Eric, The Boy Who Lost His Gravity, with an amusing story and expressive painterly art, captures a spot-on understanding of how children feel when they get out of control and how they need help to pull themselves together - or, as in Eric's case, back to the ground. There will always be annoying brothers and sisters and things one wants, but can't have. This book gives children and parents an entertaining way to gain perspective and talk about these issues. For all of them, Eric offers a wise, witty, and uplifting tale that kids won't want to put down
What I Think: I live with a four-year-old. I live with a seven-year-old. I also live with a thirty-two-year-old. Sometimes my four-, seven-, and even my thirty-two-year-old get angry. It's hard to live together and not get cranky at some point or another. Eric in Eric the Boy Who Lost His Gravity is closest in age to my four-year-old and he has a little sister who has a tendency to make him angry, as innocent as she is. I really enjoyed this book for thinking about how we feel when we get angry and talking through some of those emotions. It seems like I do a lot of calming down of situations with my kiddos. Little Bean and I are often talking about making good choices and I have to remind him (a lot) that he can't always have his way. He identified a lot with Eric in this book.
     As a mentor text, I really like how this books can help kiddos think about their feelings and think about how to handle feelings that seem to take over. It's great to have a book where kids can explore these feelings through a character and when they (hopefully) aren't experiencing those feelings at that time. I would use this book to talk to readers about making connections because I'm guessing they have felt like Eric at some point in their lives. From here, students can write about a time when they were mad and how they handled it. Maybe they didn't manage their anger very well and now they can reflect on how they acted and what the might do differently. They might come up with a situation that could easily turn into a seed idea in their writer's notebook.
     I can also see using this book as a mentor text with older readers to look at dialogue and voice. The snatch of text I pulled shows three characters talking: Eric, his little sister Alice and his dad. You can hear Alice's sweet words telling Eric that her bunny wants to play with him, you can hear the short angry words from Eric and then you can even hear the tone in Dad's voice. Without even knowing the story, you can easily hear how each character would say these words. It would be great to ask students to read the words aloud and to add inflection in their voices so that they tell their message with their tone as much as with the words they are speaking. This is a great way to practice fluency but also voice and to look at how dialogue fits into a story. Dialogue is powerful in story. It helps the reader see how different perspectives and it does help to build a reader's understanding of different characters. Dialogue is a great way to bring characters to life. I love how the snatch of text can be used in isolation or during or after reading the whole picture book to look at how dialogue helps to capture character voice.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 2
Read Alone: Grades K - 2
Read With: Chloe Instead by Micah Player, Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
Snatch of Text:

"'Bunny wants to play, too,' said Alice.

'Get that bunny off my train,' said Eric.

'Eric, play nicely, please.' called his dad." 

Writing Prompts: Write about a time when someone else made you really mad and how you handled your emotions and the situation. Would you handle your anger in the same way again or might you try responding in a different way the next time you get angry?
Topics Covered: Family, Anger, Frustration, Problem-Solving, Empathy

 I *heart* It:

 

Campfire Crisis

Title: Campfire Crisis     
Author: Blake Hoena  
Publisher: Lake 7 Creative 
Publication Date: April 15, 2013
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Choose Your Adventure 
GoodReads Summary: What's better than reading an outdoors adventure? Reading one where you are the main character! But be careful: You might find yourself in a forest fire! Your decisions will help you learn camping safety tips while you rescue your friends.
What Jen Thinks: I have always thought there needed to be more choose-your-own-adventure books in the world. I remember reading the R.A. Montgomery books when I was younger and loving them. One thing that was very different about this chose-your-adventure type book compared to others that I have read, is that readers are given a choice at the end of every chapter. Your choice doesn't mean that you will jump around in the book, the reader still reads through the chapters but is given a choice at the end of each. The author helps readers recognize when he or she has made a decision that would not be wise and then the reader is made aware of this and is able to instead make the opposite choice. Because this format is so unique compared to what I have read before, it made me stop and think about what I'm used to and why the author made the decisions he did about how to format this particular book. This would be a wonderful conversation to have with students about decisions an author makes and why or why not he or she might make those decisions. It would be interesting to hear how students respond to different types of choices they are given.
     Similarly, choose-your-adventure books are unique because they are usually told form a 2nd person point of view. 2nd person seems to be altogether rare in writing and I think it is often overlooked when point of view is taught to students. I love that books like Campfire Crisis give students the opportunity to recognize what 2nd person point of view is and how it is different from 1st and 3rd person. (I totally remember wondering what 2nd person point of view meant because if you had 1st and 3rd, why wouldn't you have 2nd?) I strongly believe in giving kids all the information and helping them discern for themselves why you may or may not use a point of view and why it may or may not be more common than others. Overall, I think students will learn a lot about camping and survival by reading this book but can also examine an author's decisions and discuss how those decisions might apply in their own writing.
What Kellee Thinks: A different kind of choose your path book. In a choice chapter book, you are still the protagonist (2nd person alert!), but throughout the book you are given choices (one is right and one is wrong; rational is given) and you only continue when you choose the right one. This book definitely would be a great introduction to camping and takes the reader through some really realistic situations. Though a bit didactical, it definitely works in teaching safety- I even learned a few things.
     In the classroom, this book would be great in a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom to talk about cause and effect. You could look at what would happen if you chose the wrong choice. 
     I cannot wait to see what other books come out in this series. I think it is a great opportunity to teach readers about many different things in a fun way. 
Read Together: Grades 2 - 4 
Read Alone: Grades 2 - 5 
Read With: Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book by Ryan Jacobson, Any Choose Your Own Adventure books
Snatch of Text:  
Choice 1 "The hand-crank radio: You tell Carla to pack her radio. Good choice! It doesn't have any games, but it will always have power. You just crank its lever. Then you can listen to music. You can also get weather reports if it looks stormy outside." 
Choice 2 "The smart phone: You tell Carla to pack her phone. It would be fun to play games. But the phone will run out of power. You won't be able to recharge it. And what if a storm comes? You might need to hear weather reports. You should tell Carla to pack the radio instead." 
Mentor Text For: Point of View, Perspective, Author's Purpose, Cause/Effect 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you had to make a tough decision.; Were there any decisions withing Campfire Crisis that you disagreed with? If so, what would you have done differently? 
Topics Covered: Friends, Family, Independence, Decision Making, Risk Taking 

We *heart* It:

and

**Thank you to the author, Blake Hoena, for providing copies for us to review!**

Ball

Title: Ball 
Author: Mary Sullivan  
Illustrator: Mary Sullivan 
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: A dog with a ball is one of the most relentlessly hopeful creatures on Earth. After his best little-girl pal leaves for school, this dog hits up yoga mom, baby, and even the angry cat for a quick throw. No luck. Forced to go solo, the dog begins a hilarious one-sided game of fetch until naptime’s wild, ball-centric dream sequence. The pictures speak a thousand words in this comic book-style ode to canine monomania. Ball? Ball. 
What I Think: I'm so excited about this book! I think dogs make the best kind of pets and I love to see their fun personalities come through in picture books. We cracked up as we read this book and imagined what the dog was thinking throughout the story. As a basically wordless picture book, the story is told primarily through illustrations. The only word "spoken" throughout is ball. I immediately thought of Doug from the movie Up. That's the dog whose attention is captured any time he thinks there is a squirrel nearby. Love that movie, love that dog. Squirrel!
     Ball also reminded me of an activity I did once in high school about communication and body language. In pairs, we took turns having a conversation with only the words yes and no. The idea is that through body language and inflection, we can convey a message. This is a great activity in fluency because it becomes clear to students that how they say the words is just as important as the words that are being said. It can also be a great writing activity because a challenge in writing is to show instead of tell. Dialogue can be so important but also describing what a person is doing when he or she is talking can help give the reader a clear image of what is happening in the text.
     I'm envisioning this book in a bookstack with the other books recommended below and it makes me super excited! I love writing about pets with kids...it seems like every kid either has a pet, has had a pet (Wah!), or desperately would love to have a pet. Before I had my kids, I wrote lots of persuasive pieces with my students so they could help me try and convince my husband that we needed a dog. (We were never successful in changing his mind...although we did convince my students' parents a few times!) I adore each of the books below and how they bring pets or animals to life. And a bonus, no dogs die at the end of these books! Score! On the contrary, they are sure to bring a smile to kids' faces and make for an opportunity to compare and contrast the stories. You could look at how illustrators bring the stories to life, how the stories are told from different perspectives, how in some books the animals are personified while in others they are not. So many things to do and so many ideas for reading and writing with all of these texts.
     Stopping to imagine the world from someone else's shoes is so especially imperative in writing. This story gives kids a reason to imagine what the do might be thinking and then what the little girl might be thinking. Actually, kids could also imagine what the mom and the little baby is thinking in the story, too! After imagining what he or she might be thinking, students can try writing from different perspectives. Mary obviously chose to tell the story from the perspective of the dog, we never get to see the world outside of the house and it would be a great discussion to have with kids about why she might have decided to do that. There is just so much that can be done with this text and by matching it with other texts. So fun!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 12 
Read With: Bird and Squirrel by James Burkes, Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt, Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires, A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka, Prudence Wants a Pet by Cathleen Daly, Boot and Shoe by Marla Frazee, Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon, Dogs Don't Do Ballet by Anna Kemp, Dog in Charge by K.L. Going
Snatch of Text:  

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions, Fluency, Speaking, Making Inferences 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Perspective Taking
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you were anticipating something exciting that was going to happen and how you felt. Choose one scene and describe the dog and what he is doing. Make sure you show, don't tell. Pretend you are the dog in the story and write what he is thinking at one point in the story, then pretend you are the owner and write what she is thinking about while she is at school.
Topics Covered: Passion, Love, Friendship, Hopes and Dreams

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