International Book Giving Day 2014!

International Book Giving Day 2014 is coming up next week on February 14th! Since its also Valentine's Day, I thought I would share my top ten picture books that celebrate love. Two of these (Guess How Much I Love You and Love You Forever) are old favorites but the others are books I have discovered since I've had my own kids. They are all books we love to read over and over again in our house!

What are some of your favorites to read on or around Valentine's Day?

International Book Giving Day is a perfect chance to give a book 

and spread some book love!

Tea Party Rules

Title: Tea Party Rules
Author: Ame Dyckman    
Illustrator: K. G. Campbell 
Publisher: Viking Juvenile 
Publication Date: October, 2013  
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: When he follows his nose through the woods, Cub discovers a backyard tea party…with cookies!  He is just about to dig in when the hostess of the tea party shows up. And she has several strong opinions on how Tea Party must be played. Cub tries to follow her rules . . . but just how much can one bear take, even for cookies?

A laugh-out-loud funny look at the required give-and-take of playtime,Tea Party Rules is an eventual friendship story that will delight grubby cubs, fancy girls, and cookie lovers everywhere.  
What I Think: This book is so clever and sweet! I love that neither the little girl or Cub are looking for a friend but that they find each other. I also love that they spend so much time just getting ready to have the tea party. Isn't that so often what little kids do? They plan who will play which role, what's going to happen, where they need to go and what they need to wear and then they rarely or barely get to play I love how this story captures that element of childhood so well.
    Right now, Peanut and Little Bean are at a super fun age where they can be the best of brothers one minute and furious at each other the next. Oftentimes, Little Bean decides to do something and Peanut thinks he's not doing it the right way but it ends up not being the "right way" according to Peanut more than anything else. We've had so many talks about how there doesn't have to be only one right way to do things and how as long as no one's getting hurt, it's probably okay. After reading this book, we talked about how it's okay to change the rules or to do something differently than according to plan. It was a great discussion and one that I think lots of kids might benefit from. Throughout the story, the little girl has a clear vision of what her tea party will be like but when Cub turns things upside down, she has to adjust. She could easily throw a tantrum and not have fun at her tea party but she decides - after some hesitation - to go with the flow and to choose fun over frustration. I love it!
Read Together: Grades K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades K - 4 
Read With: Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson, A Story for Bear by Haseley, A Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand, Chloe, Instead by Micah Player
Snatch of Text:  

"Cub was playing in the woods

when he smelled something delicious.

He followed his nose through the

bushes and found...

cookies!

And another bear."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Expository, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Explain the difference between rules you have to follow and rules that are okay to change, like tea party rules. How do you know when it's okay to change the rules? Write about a time in your life when you changed the rules and it was okay.
Topics Covered: Friendship, Determination, Imagination, Play 

I *heart* It:

WRAD 2014 Is Coming!

World Read Aloud Day is coming! On Wednesday, March 5th I'm excited to bring attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories with Litworld. I'm happy to be a WRADvocate again and to help spread the word about this great literacy celebration. If you would like to participate, register for World Read Aloud Day 2014 and check out ideas for your own World Read Aloud Day Activities. Kids can sign up to take part in the WRAD Reading Minutes Challenge and anyone can donate to the Reading Challenge here.  

Last year, we invited some friends over to celebrate WRAD by reading and having a Dragons Love Tacos-themed party. I also read Waking Dragons in sign language to a group of preschoolers. It was so much fun! This year, when I was planning out my 2014 Bookish Un-Boring List, I decided to celebrate World Read Aloud Day with an ice cream sundae party and by reading Lindsay Ward's wonderful picture book, Please Bring Balloons. 

I've started brainstorming ideas for this wonderfully whimsical party we are going to have! You can visit my Please Bring Balloons #WRAD2014 Party Pinterest board to see some of ideas that have caught my eye.

I asked Lindsay Ward if she would be willing to answer some of our questions about Please Bring Balloons and writing and illustrating in general. I'm so excited to share more about this book as we get ready to celebrate World Read Aloud Day and her book. A giant thanks to Lindsay for being here today!

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TMT: Peanut, my 6-year-old son, is curious about how you find stories for your books. He wants to know, "How does she figure out stories to write?"

Lindsay Ward: My stories always seem to come from personal experiences, most of which from childhood. When I was about 4 or 5 I had a big wicker toy basket, similar in size to a bathtub. I would dump out the toys (much to my mother's dismay) and sit inside the basket, pretending it could take me anywhere I wanted to go. When I sat down to write and illustrate my first children's picture book, Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon, that old wicker basket popped in my head and the story came to life. When Blue Met Egg is mostly about when I lived in New York City one summer during college. I felt small and lost in the beginning but loved the city. So I wrote about a character who navigated such a big place with confidence. I also loved to read Are You My Mother when I was little. My parents met painting carousels and I loved the scene in Mary Poppins when the carousel horses ride right off the platform...I think in a lot of ways those two things led to Please Bring Balloons. But sometimes, I write about things that happen randomly. For example the book I have just finished, Henry Finds His Word, is about a baby physically looking for his first word. I went to lunch with a friend and her son, who was just beginning to try and make words. He was trying so hard to get his mom to understand him, but he just couldn't. I went home and wrote the first draft for Henry Finds His Word that afternoon. I never try to force any of my stories, I try to let them find me.

TMT: As a child, did you always love reading? Was there someone or something that helped or encouraged you to become a reader?

Lindsay Ward: Yes, I was a big reader as a kid. My mother is and always has been an avid reader and she read to me a lot when I was little. I will always remember her reading The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury aloud to me when I was around 8 or 9. She is a big science fiction fan and to this day it is still one of my all time favorite books.

TMT: Do you have a routine when it comes to writing? How is it similar or different from when you work on the illustrations?

Lindsay Ward: Not really. I wish I was one of those people who sat down to write and/or draw everyday, but I'm not. I tend to let my stories happen organically. When I'm inspired I write or draw. I always create my books in a certain order though. The story usually comes first, but on occasion I will have a character in my head first before I've written a single word. I don't like to begin sketching beyond the character(s) until I have a story. Once my story is complete I begin creating a storyboard of the book. I like to work out where things will go in the book as a whole before I begin working on specific drawings. Writing has always been the harder of the two for me. I was trained as an illustrator so that comes much more naturally to me, but I love doing both. It's wonderful to be able to bring my characters and the world they live in to life.

TMT: Are you reading anything you really love right now? Or do you have a favorite author or illustrator whose work inspires you right now?

Lindsay Ward: I just finished The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata, which I loved! She is one of my favorite authors. Mary Blair, one of the the all time greats, is always an inspiration to me. I love her use of color and shape. Current authors and/or illustrators working right now that I'm in awe of are Jon Klassen, Erin Stead, Catia Chien, Oliver Jeffers, Carson Ellis, Suzy Lee, and Emily Gravett. All of their work is absolutely amazing.

TMT: On March 5th, we're celebrating World Read Aloud Day. We're planning a whole party around your book, Please Bring Balloons. The goal of World Read Aloud Day is to promote literacy and spread the love of books and reading. How would you finish the statement: Reading is... ?

Lindsay Ward: That is awesome! Thank you so much! Reading is...adventurous. Only those willing to see the world from a new perspective or take a walk in someone else's shoes are the true readers out there. Reading is brave and bold and can take you places you never thought possible.

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Thank you again, Lindsay for answering our questions and for Please Bring Balloons. It's such a great book that truly does celebrate how imagination and stories can take us on magical adventures.

Do you have plans for World Read Aloud Day yet? 

I would love to hear what you have in store!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/3/13

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: I am sooooo close to finishing I Am Malala! So close. I have been reading The Quirks with Peanut, The Summer of Letting Go and Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen. I can tell I'm in the mode where I don't have enough time to read and I keep grabbing random things to read and getting nothing done. I actually have most of my blog posts ready to go for the week so maybe that will mean time to read? A girl can hope.

Reviewed Last Week:

Click on any image above to read my review/post.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: I know I'll finish I Am Malala today and then I think I'm going to listen to Allegiant. We're going to keep reading The Quirks and I'll keep reading The Summer of Letting Go. I should probably stick to one book and actually take it with me everywhere I go so I can get it read. It's really great, I just haven't had time. Happy reading to everyone!

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to read these reviews/posts. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell    
Publisher: St. Martin's Press 
Publication Date: September, 2013  
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 
What I Think: This book has Nerdy Book Club written all over it! I loved Cath and her story from the very beginning. I was instantly gripped by Rainbow Rowell's writing. She brings characters to life in such a natural way, helping the reader feel like we know them already. I listened to this book on audio and remember pulling over to tweet just how much I loved this book after barely listening to it. 
     I love that Cath is such a normal girl, I can see how so many readers will connect with her. She's level-headed, loves to read and write, follows the rules but at the same time isn't so sure about life away from home, her dad and her twin sister. Then there's her roommate Reagan and her boyfriend Levi and they are awesome. There are all such believable characters with lots of personality. I just love them!
     As I reread parts of Fangirl to grab quotes, I was so much more aware of all the little nuances between Cath and her...I'll say "love interest" to be spoiler-conscious. Rowell gets it. The first time around, I was still wondering about Cath and her "love interest" but now that I know it's him, there are so many little things that are so obvious now. At the same time, she wove them in like little whispers of love. This love story if so wonderfully done by Rowell. 
     When it comes to Fangirl as a mentor text, looking at what Rowell does with characters is definitely the place to start. She masters dialogue and showing what characters are doing instead of telling to help the reader build an understanding of her characters. Readers connect with characters when authors so expertly bring them to life. To me, this is an art. Ask students to really pay attention to what she has done, how her characters talk, how they interact with each other. The third snatch of text below is an exchange between Cath and another character. It's mostly great dialogue but notice how the little description is so perfect. It's about what they are doing, how they look at each other, less about what's around them and instead how they look at each other. It's so well done! An excellent mentor text if I ever saw one. 
Read Together: Grades 10 and up  
Read Alone: Grades 10 and up 
Read With: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green,  The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner
Snatch of Text:  
     "She just needed to settle her nerves.
     To take the anxiety she felt like black static behind her eyes and an extra heart in her throat, and shove it all back down to her stomach where it belonged - where she could at least tie it into a nice knot and work around it." (p. 5)
     
     "Cath imagined herself at her laptop. She tried to put into words how it felt, what happened when it was good, when it was working, when the words were coming out of her before she knew what they were, bubbling up from her chest, like rhyming, like rapping, like jump-roping, she thought, jumping just before the rope hits your ankles.
     'To share something true,' another girl said. Another pair of Ray-Bans.
     Cath shook her head.
     'Why do we write fiction?' Professor Piper asked.
     Cath looked down at her notebook.
     To disappear." (p. 23)

     "'You just want to make fun of me.'
     'I won't,' he said. 'I promise.'
     'That's what you and Reagan do when I'm not here, right? Make fun of me. Play with my commemorative busts. Do you have a stupid nickname for me?'
     His eyes sparkled. 'Cather.'
     'I don't exist to amuse you, you know.'
     'One, are you sure? Because you do. And, two, we don't make fun of you. Very much. Anymore. And, three...'
     He was counting on his fingers, and his cheeks were twitching, and it was making Cath laugh.
     'Three,' he said, 'I won't make fun of you, to anyone but you, from now on, if you'll just once, right now, read me some of your fanfiction.'
     Cath gave him a level stare. A mostly level stare. She was still giggling a little. And blinking hard. And occasionally looking up at the ceiling. 'You're curious,' she said.
     He nodded." (p. 132 - 133)
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connection, Visualizing, Making Inferences
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Characterization, Description, Show Don't Tell, Dialogue 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you gave up something you wanted to do to for something your were responsible for.  
Topics Covered: Relationships, Family, Siblings - Sisters, Twins, Identity, Self Esteem, Friends, Love, Trust, Loyalty, Responsibility, Courage 

I *heart* It:

Please Bring Balloons

Title: Please Bring Balloons
Author: Lindsay Ward    
Illustrator: Lindsay Ward 
Publisher: Dial 
Publication Date: October, 2013  
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Every day can be an adventure. Especially if you bring balloons.

Ever wondered what it would be like to ride a carousel right off its platform?  As Emma discovers, all it takes is a handful of balloons and a very kind polar bear to show you the way.  This soaring story of friendship, between a carousel bear and the little girl who noticed him, will take readers to the arctic and back—in time for bedtime, of course—and remind them anything is possible.  Even flying. 
What I Think: I'm a huge fan of mixed media artwork in picture books but I'm also a huge fan of whimsical books which makes Please Bring Balloons a book I just love. I've always been a dreamer and imagining that a story like this might really happen is so fun. There's a piece of me that believes that these magical stories could really be true - maybe it's because I've read so many books and know the power of words to take us away into stories. I love being able to go along with Emma on her adventure.
     I absolutely adore the patterns and colors Lindsay chose to include in the story. There is such a distinct difference between the carousel, the balloons, the night sky, and the town Emma lives in. Readers can see the difference between all of these and notice how the story moves from day to night and from the boring, dull houses where Emma lives and the wonderfully magical night sky glittering with stars.
     Peanut loved reading this book, gasping and laughing with surprise. I love books that make you catch your breath when you turn the page and take in what you find there. I watched Peanut as he took in the illustrations and it was like I could see him imagining the illustrations to life. I'm not sure how else to describe it other than magical.
     This book was written for dreamers like me who believe that an adventure is waiting at every turn if we open our eyes and take a chance. As a mentor text, I love the possibility for this book to help kids generate ideas for stories. At the end of the book, the polar bear leaves Emma a new note that proposes another adventure. Kids could easily write that story or they might imagine other adventures Emma and her friend, the polar bear, might embark on. Because Lindsay gives us such an imaginative story to start with (two stories actually...), it helps readers start to let their own imaginations loose and to know that no story is to silly or fantastic. Kids have wonderful imaginations and encouraging that in their writing is important. I do believe that even though they are imaginative, it does help to get their brains revved up and ready to write. Please Bring Balloons is a perfect mentor text to springboard students into their own stories.
Read Together: Grades K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades K - 4 
Read With: Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson, A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na, You Are Stardust by Elin Kelsey
Snatch of Text:

"It was after midnight when the sky

opened with snow, each flake lightly

kissing Emma's nose as it fell.

It had been a perfect adventure."  

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Inferences, Making Predictions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Description, Narrative, Alliteration 
Writing Prompts: Write about an adventure you would invite the polar bear to go on with you. 
Topics Covered: Adventure, Curiosity, Taking Risks, Trust 

I *heart* It:

Let's Celebrate 2014 Youth Media Awards!

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. 

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This week I'm celebrating ALA award-winning books!

*throws confetti*

On Monday, I was excited to watch the announcements of the ALA Youth Media Awards. The more I pay attention to the awards, the trickier I feel they are. It's great that we celebrate books and that books get awards but inevitably there are books that don't get awards. I'm all about celebrating books so it makes me sad that some of my favorites didn't get awards but that's okay. I can still celebrate all my favorites here all year round and that makes me happy. Below are books I reviewed here at Teach Mentor Texts that won awards this year. When I look over them, it makes me happy to remember all of them and to know they were recognized for being awesome. Click on any of the pictures to read my review!

What are you celebrating this week?