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? 

Shy

Title: Shy 
Author: Deborah Freedman 
Illustrator: Deborah Freedman 
Publisher: Viking 
Publication Date: September 27th, 2016
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: Shy loves birds. He'd love to watch them fly and hear them sing, but he's only ever read about them in books. . .until a real bird comes along. He's dying to meet her, but there's just one problem: Shy is, well, shy--so shy, in fact, that he's afraid to leave the gutter of the book. Can Shy overcome his fears and venture out onto the page? 

This sweetly relatable picture book from the acclaimed Deborah Freedman speaks to every child who's ever felt like hiding instead of facing the daunting world. 
What I Think: I've had the lovely pleasure of meeting Deborah Freedman and it's so obvious after meeting her that her personality comes across in her illustrations. Her work is beautiful and gentle, calm and soothing. Shy especially is quiet and lovely. I love how Deborah so intricately weaves the text and the illustrations together. This book is a perfect mentor text for looking at how the text leaves space for the illustrations to do their work.
     As a mentor text, this book is perfect for looking at how the illustrations support the text. It's also an opportunity to look at how to show and not tell in the sense that it's the author's job to give enough information to the reader that he or she can fill in the blanks. This is super super hard to do. It's easier to give lots of information and outline everything for a reader...but knowing when to pull back and what specific details to show is harder. This would be an interesting mini-lesson in how to pull back on a personal narrative. I know there are times when I struggle to not tell too much. But there's a power in recognizing the need to pull back and going through to cut words. I written before about Lisa Graff and how she writes a manuscript and then she revises by going through and cutting her words in half. It's amazing what message shines through when you take out all the extra unnecessary words!
Snatch of Text: 

"Shy was happiest between the pages of a book."

Writing Prompt: Reread something you've written. Now try to take out 10 words, 15 words, 25 words. Does your writing sound stronger as you tighten up the words? Don't give up the meaning or the core of your message, but see if it makes your message stronger.

Dig In!

Title: Dig In! 
Author: Cindy Jenson-Elliott 
Illustrator: Mary Peterson 
Publisher: Beach Lane Books 
Publication Date: March 1st, 2016 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Dig in to this vibrant picture book that celebrates all the surprises found down in the dirt!

I dig in the dirt...and find a seed.
Seed waits.
I dig in the dirt...and find a spider.
Spider runs.

Explore all of the creepy, crawly, dirty, muddy, green, and growing things that can be found outside in the garden. From pill bugs to worms to leafy green sprouts, young readers will love discovering the muddy garden habitat within the pages of this book—and outside in their own backyards!This sweet and playful celebration of outdoor exploration is a perfect read aloud for story time.  
What I Think: Little Bean and I enjoyed predicting our way through this repetitive down-in-the-dirt picture book! This is a perfect book for little ones to talk about what they might find in the dirt and to try and predict what they find in the dirt. We especially had fun talking about words like sprout and pill bug - we call them rollie pollies! And I've heard them called doodle bugs. Even a simple text can be great to spark discussions, build vocabulary, and get kids brainstorming their own ideas for stories. 
     As a mentor text, you can read this book and invite kids to write their own dirt adventure stories or maybe they write a similar style book with a different setting instead!
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 1 
Read Alone: Grade Pre-K - 1 
Read With: Up, Tall, High! by Ethan Long, The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
Writing Prompts: Write about what you have discovered in the dirt!  
Topics Covered: Integration - Science, Discovery, Exploration 

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*Thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s Books for 

a copy of Dig In! in exchange for an honest review!*

Max the Brave Review and Blog Tour

Title: Max the Brave 
Author: Ed Vere 
Illustrator: Ed Vere 
Publisher: Sourcebooks 
Publication Date: September 8th, 2015  
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Max is a fearless kitten. Max is a brave kitten. Max is a kitten who chases mice. There's only one problem-Max doesn't know what a mouse looks like! With a little bit of bad advice, Max finds himself facing a much bigger challenge. Maybe Max doesn't have to be Max the Brave all the time...

Join this adventurous black cat as he very politely asks a variety of animals for help in finding a mouse. Young readers will delight in Max's mistakes, while adults will love the subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this new children's classic. 
About the Author/Illustrator: Ed Vere is an author, artist and illustrator with a long track record of success in the picture book category. Max the Brave was named one of The Sunday Times’s 100 Modern Children’s Classics. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize and Mr Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 (and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren making it the largest single print run of a picture book). Vere was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009.
What I Think: I'm in love with Max! He's super adorable and so full of spunk that readers will fall in love with him whether they are cat lovers or not. When it comes to characterization, Max the Brave is an example of how it's possible to tell so much about a character in two sentences. Of course, the rest of the book elaborates and helps readers get a better sense of Max and who he is but it is possible to pack a lot of punch in only a couple of sentences.
     The illustrations are vibrant and simple but powerful as well. Reading Max the Brave offers an opportunity to talk to students about illustrations, how they support the text, and what choices or moves the artist might have made to impact the story.
     Readers will be rooting for Max, cracking up at his misunderstanding, worried about him and then cheering for him all over again as he goes along on his adventure. Reading Max the Brave is also a perfect opportunity to practice prediction as the story moves along. I read with Peanut and Little Bean and we had a blast trying to guess what was going to happen next. This will be a perfect read aloud for a super hero themed event...get our your super hero capes!

    Visit Sourcebooks' Max the Brave website where you can access an activity kit and the educator guide. And be sure to follow @ed_vere and @jabberwockykids on Twitter!

Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 5 

Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 2 
Read With: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman, Pardon Me  by Daniel Miyares, Boris and the Snoozebox by Leigh Hodgkinson, Won Ton and Won Ton and Chopstick by Lee Wardlaw
Snatch of Text:  

"Max looks so sweet that sometimes

people dress him up with bows.

Max does not like being

dressed up with bows."

Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you were confused or misunderstood something and how it impacted you.
Topics Covered: Courage, Determination, Self-Awareness 

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*Thanks to Sourcebooks for 

a copy of this title and the opportunity for a giveaway 

in exchange for an honest review!*

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Hug Machine

Title: Hug Machine 
Author: Scott Campbell
Illustrator: Scott Campbell  
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 26th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Who have YOU hugged today? Open your arms to this delightfully tender, goofy, and sweet tale.

Watch out world, here he comes! The Hug Machine!

Whether you are big, or small, or square, or long, or spikey, or soft, no one can resist his unbelievable hugs! HUG ACCOMPLISHED!This endearing story encourages a warm, caring, and buoyantly affectionate approach to life. Everyone deserves a hug - and this book! 
What I Think: Earlier this week, I saw a tweet that said that people who hug a lot actually get sick less than people who avoid hugs. I was excited because...I love hugs! It also made me think about this book and how it will be a perfect read for Valentine's Day. And it's great timing because Valentine's Day is just around the corner!
     As I've worked on my novel and am drafting another one, I've thought a lot about how a plot rolls out and I notice how this parallels storylines in picture books. Picture books are deceptive. While they are short and don't need a lot of text, it doesn't mean they are easy to write. I actually feel like they would be harder because of how tight the story has to be. I wrote a picture book when I had a flash of inspiration a couple of years ago but I haven't spent much time really closely studying the structure of picture books. This book makes me really excited to look at picture books more closely. And here's why! I love how Hug Machine starts with our little huggable hugger...but eventually he runs into an obstacle or two...and then after that, he runs out of steam but he figures out what to do to solve his problem. For some reason, the story map just really stuck out to me when I read Hug Machine and I think it would be great to include when looking at things like exposition, rising action, climax and resolution in a story. 
     I would also pair Hug MachineI with Kelly DiPucchio's Zombie in Love also illustrated by Scott Campbell. Zombie in Love is one of the most clever books I've ever seen and also fantastic for Valentine's Day - especially for boy and girl readers alike. When I reread Hug Machine and looked closely at the main character, I imagined him as a zombie. Maybe I was getting my books confused but it was fun to compare Scott's illustrations in these two books and to see how reading Zombie in Love might influence how we interpret Hug Machine. At first, I read it is a sweet book...then I read it with him as a tiny bit zombie-ish and it added some great personality to the boy. It reminded me a lot of my own kiddos who are always goofing around and being silly. I've found that it's not always easy to capture the essence of a character in writing but I love how this can be a great opportunity to talk about rereading and how the more we read, the more we bring to our reading. I love showing kids how great rereading is but also how we change as readers and how we bring our experiences to our reading.
Read Together: When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio 
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 3 
Read With: Grades Pre-K - 5 
Snatch of Text:  

"Whoa!

Here I come!

I am the Hug Machine!

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Compare and Contrast, Identifying Story Elements, Making an Inference, Visualizing, Rereading, Predicting
Writing Strategies to Practice: Plot, Characterization, Descriptive, Narrative  
Writing Prompts: Write about someone in your life who has a big personality. How might you capture their spirit by describing an interaction with him or her? 
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Generosity, Kindness

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Shh! We Have a Plan

Title: Shh! We Have a Plan 
Author: Chris Haughton   
Illustrator: Chris Haughton   
Publisher: Walker
Publication Date: March 6th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: From award-winning illustrator Chris haughton, one of the most exciting new voices in children's literature, comes a brand new picture book about a beautiful bird, an unquenchable desire and plans gone awry...Four friends, three big and one little, are out for a walk. Suddenly, they spot it - a beautiful bird perched high in a tree! They simply MUST have it and - SHH! - they have a PLAN. So they tip-toe, tip-toe very slowly, nets poised - "Ready one...ready two...ready three...GO!" But, at the turn of the page, we find a ridiculous bunch of very tangled characters and a blissfully oblivious bird, flying away.  
What I Think: We've read books by Chris Haughton before but during the Cybils judging this year, we downloaded, played, and fell in love with the Hat Monkey app. As part of the app, you can get a glimpse into Little Owl Lost, Oh No, George! and Shh! We Have a Plan. The next time we visited the library, we tracked down all three of these books and happily read them all over and over again with a renewed excitement. Little Bean especially loved Shh! We Have a Plan and if we read it once, we had to read at least three more times. He can read it all by himself and with such emotion. It's awesome. I love when books capture kids like this. It reminds me of when we read Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt. That was another that we read over and over and that got him excited every single time. It's so fun to watch.
     Repetitive books are great for the youngest readers. You can see the anticipation build in them as they start to realize what's going to happen next. So much fun!  
     For older readers, this might be a great opportunity to think about how repetition might be used in a story but also how putting in a twist when the reader least expects it really makes a story fun. They can easily right their own stories where something happens over and over again until something different happens and they can write their own silly twists in.
Read Together: Pre-K - 2  
Read Alone: Pre-K - 2 
Read With: Little Owl Lost and Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton, Hug by Jez Alborough, Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt
Snatch of Text:  

"Ready one...

ready two...

ready three...

GO!"

Writing Prompts: Write about a time when you did something good for someone or when someone did something nice for you. How did it make your feel?

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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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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

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*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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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

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My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.)

Title: My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.)
Author: Peter Brown
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 1st, 2014
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: A young boy named Bobby has the worst teacher. She's loud, she yells, and if you throw paper airplanes, she won't allow you to enjoy recess. She is a monster! Luckily, Bobby can go to his favorite spot in the park on weekends to play. Until one day...he finds his teacher there! Over the course of one day, Bobby learns that monsters are not always what they seem.

Each page is filled with "monstrous" details that will have kids reading the story again and again. Peter Brown takes a universal and timeless theme, and adds his own humorous spin to create another winner of a picture book. 
What I Think: Since I've owned my copy of My Teacher Is a Monster! (No I Am Not.), it has been kid-tested, mother approved and teacher approved. I brought a bag of picture books to Nerdcamp with me for my sessions on mentor texts. As I passed the books out, teachers were excited to read My Teacher is a Monster and while I walked around to talk to people, I noticed a teacher giggling as she read through the book and one teacher pulled out the second snatch of text below.
     When I read it to my kids, I had fun quacking along with Bobby and his teacher, Ms. Kirby. I love when authors design books that make it easy to interact with the text. The page with all the quacking is my favorite. The first time I read it, I was snuggled between Peanut and Little Bean and I reached over and tickled each of them as we quacked along together. It was such a great reading-together moment.
     Peanut could totally identify with Bobby and his love for paper airplanes as he is an avid paper airplane folder and flyer himself. And afterwards, Little Bean immediately asked me to read it again...and then the next night, when it was time to read books before bed, he specifically requested Ms. Kirby again.
      I first read My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) at NCTE last fall. I remember thinking it was a sweet story and one that many readers will identify with. Most people have experiences with school and wonderful and maybe less-than-wonderful teachers. I can think of a few teachers who challenged me to learn and even though I wasn't particularly fond of them at the time, they did encourage my brain and my thinking to grow. Maybe they were my Ms. Kirbys.
     After the first time we read this book, I was chasing Little Bean around, trying to convince him to brush his teeth before bed. When I finally caught him and reiterated how important it is to brush our teeth, he looked at me and said, "You're Ms. Kirby." My mouth gaped open but I wanted to laugh at the same time. We had gone from snuggling on the bed to me using my stern-mom voice and wrangling him in to get his teeth brushed. I might have been a tad cranky exasperated by the time the toothbrush finally reached his mouth. I think all readers will be able to relate to this story and the honesty with which Peter Brown portrays relationships. I was amazed that Little Bean (being only four years old) recognized that I have moments just like Ms. Kirby. And don't we all have those moments?
     As a mentor text, I love how this story encourages readers to look at different perspectives. The more I write, the more I look at people around me and wonder about their stories. Sometimes I jump to one story but then I think about a possible different story for the same person. Using My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) students could imagine back stories for Bobby and for Ms. Kirby and try to understand a little more about why they act as they do in the story. This would be a great activity to brainstorm stories but also to build empathy.
Read Together: Grades K - 4
Read Alone: Grades K - 5 
Read With: Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Henry Allard, The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler,
Snatch of Text:

"Bobby wanted to run!

He wanted to hide!

But he knew that would

only make things worse."

“When they were all quacked out, Bobby had an idea.” 

Writing Prompts: Write about a memorable teacher and describe what stands out to you about him or her.
Topics Covered: Relationships, Compassion, Understanding, Perspective

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The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend

Title: The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend
Author: Dan Santat
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 8th, 2014
Genre/Format: Storybook
GoodReads Summary:This magical story begins on an island far away where an imaginary friend is born. He patiently waits his turn to be chosen by a real child, but when he is overlooked time and again, he sets off on an incredible journey to the bustling city, where he finally meets his perfect match and-at long last-is given his special name: Beekle.

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Dan Santat combines classic storytelling with breathtaking art, creating an unforgettable tale about friendship, imagination, and the courage to find one's place in the world. 
What I Think: I didn't have an imaginary friend when I was growing up but I sure wish I did. I would totally introduce him or her to Beekle and at least try to convince them to take me on an adventure. It's so fascinating to me how truly important friendship is and how friends do make such a difference our lives. I remember when my grandparents moved to a new house and my grandfather helped me introduce myself to the girl next door. It's not easy finding a new friend but super important!
     I love that this book is strongly centered in imagination. Kids are so great at imagining and helping to foster their imagination is such a great opportunity that parents and teachers have. As a mentor text, this book is a great story to read to encourage students to imagine their own stories. The artwork is amazing, colorful and vibrant, and readers can use this as a starting point for their own stories. They can also look at the illustrations and write their own descriptive, narrative or even personal narrative pieces.
     When I think of Dan Santat's illlustrations, I think of how much he is able to inject feelings and bring characters to life. There are many points throughout this story when readers can infer what the characters might be thinking and when they can make predictions about what might happen next. This is definitely a text that can be shared again and again and looked at through different lenses.
Read Together: Grades 2 - 5
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 5 
Read With: Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, One True Friend by Tony Buzzeo, Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow, You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown
Snatch of Text:

"Her face was friendly and familiar, and there

was something about her that felt just right."

Writing Prompts: Write about what you imagine Beekle might have felt as he traveled to the real world. Write about a time when you made a friend, what did you do and how did you feel?
Topics Covered: Friendship, Imagination, Determination, Adventure, Courage

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Journey

Title: Journey
Author: Aaron Becker 
Illustrator: Aaron Becker 
Publisher: Candlewick 
Publication Date: August 6th, 2013  
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Wordless Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination — and unexpected friendship.

A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.
What I Think: I blogged recently about the power of wordless picture books. I just love how wonderful they are at giving readers an opportunity to think closely about building a story. It's amazing what we - kids especially - can come up with when given the opportunity. There are many great ideas to support reluctant writers and I believe that sharing a wordless picture books and talking through ideas together is one great opportunity to give them an entry into a story.
    Loneliness is such a universal feeling - it seems like everyone has to experience some level of loneliness at some point in their lives. Journey gives us a story to find solidarity in feeling lonely but also an idea for how to curb loneliness. If you ever feel lonely, you always have your imagination! By imagining other worlds and finding fun things to do, you may discover new places, experiences and even people. I love the sentiment of this book and how it plays between a magical imaginary world and the real world. Such a great story to share with students.
Read Together: Grades 1 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 2 - 12 
Read With: Hello! Hello! by Matthew Cordell, Bluebird by Bob Staake, The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat 
Snatch of Text:  

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

Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Characterization, Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you felt lonely. What did you do in that situation? 
Topics Covered: Adventure, Friendship, Imagination, Dreams 

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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!**

Robot Burp Head Smartypants!

Title: Robot Burp Head Smartypants!
Author: Annette Simon    
Illustrator: Annette Simon 
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: February 25th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Annette Simon’s rival robots are back with a new game of nutty and bolty — or is that burpy? — one-upmanship.

Robot and Robot are thirsty. How about a big gulp of engine oil? Ga-lugg! Guzzle! Mmm, mmm — BurrRRRP! Oops! Pardon me! Of cour —Burrrrrp! — ourse! Oh, pardon me! On your mark, get set, belch! The green and purple robots from Robot Zombie Frankenstein! are back for a second round of "Top This" games! Burp to ten? Easy! Burp the alphabet? No sweat! Burp by tens while blindfolded, juggling, and skateboarding? Yikes! Reluctant readers won’t even notice that they’re learning as they laugh out loud at the wacky antics of these irreverent robotic pals. 
What I Think: I knew this book was going to be dangerous in my house because we have a total burp-on-command kiddo in residence here! I have no idea where he gets it from, but Peanut can burp up a storm and all you have to do is say go. Little Bean was so excited to name the letters and numbers on the inside cover. As he proudly pointed to each one, I mentioned to Peanut that there are some people who can burp the alphabet. His eyes lit up, "Really?" He was intrigued but I could tell he didn't really get it yet. It was one of those mom moments when I couldn't believe I was going to teach my kid how to burp the alphabet...but at the same time how could I not take the opportunity to teach my kid how to burp the alphabet? I don't know. As I type this I'm shaking my head at myself but it happened and it was fun and that's really all that matters. I talked him through trying to say the vowels while burping and then he tried all the letters. Some are definitely easier than others. He was amazed at this new talent! It made reading this book so much more fun and entertaining. As he burped through the pages for us, we were all giggling and our giggling turned into hysterics by the end.
     Both of my boys love books but I know not all boys love books like mine do. If I ever make a list of books to capture boys' attention, Robot Burp Head Smartypants! would definitely be on it. I would recommend reading this book ahead of time to familiarize yourself with what the story is about. A lot is going on with the dialogue between both of the robots that it's easy to miss how zany these two robots get as they try to outdo each other.
     The summary talks about how kids won't even realize they are practicing their counting or their alphabet and I completely agree with this. I can just imagine boy burpers lined up counting by tens. It makes me think of Ralph Fletcher. I saw him present on the topic of boy writers. He showed a sample of a group of boys who rewrote the 12 Days of Christmas compared to a group of girls who rewrote it. You can imagine the differences - especially when boys are allowed to be as creative as they want to be. Letting boys burp their numbers or their alphabet would be awesome. Obviously, you can always have a discussion about manners and point out how even the robots in the book excuse themselves.
     As a mentor text, this book would be a great idea starter for kids to think about writing their own stories about what they can do while they can count by tens. Kids might think about what talents they have and then write and illustrate a book to show what they can do. Taking photos or videos of kids counting by tens and editing them into a book or video would be fun to. Maybe kids can jump rope, hula hoop, hop on one foot, run backwards, do cartwheels and count by tens at the same time. This would be a fun activity that could also carry over to home where kids could get extra practice.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 2 
Read Alone: Grades 1 - 2 
Read With: Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon, Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, Robot Zot! by Jon Scieszka, Beep and Bah by James Burks, Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham
Snatch of Text:  

"Mmm-mmm, motor oil.

Nutty and bolty and tinny and ---

brrp!"

Reading Strategies to Practice: Making Predictions, Making Connections 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative 
Writing Prompts: Write your own story of counting by tens! Can you count by tens standing on one foot? While you cross the monkey bars? As you leap frog over your friends?
Topics Covered: Alphabet, Counting, Manners, Integration - Math, Integration - Physical Education, Pride 

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