Monday, September 1, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from pictures books through YA by Jen of Teacher Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.

We kicked off the school year on Thursday, so I have started adding our read aloud books to our "Where Are We Reading?" map. You can check out the map and associated links to see what books we are sharing, as we travel around the world this year through literature.



Other Posts this Week


This week I shared Part 2 of my Classroom Library Series: Organizing the Classroom Library. From the large-scale to the small-scale, find out everything you need to get your classroom library in order and working for you! So, onto this week's reads ...

Picture Books


This week I shared Part 1 in my new series Around the World in a Single Book: children around the world. This series presents some of my favorite nonfiction resources for studying world cultures. Part 1 focuses on books exclusively about children around the world. Part 2 will look at cultures around the world, and Part 3 will examine specific aspects of culture, including books about languages and schools around the world.


In line with my around the world theme above, there is a new book alert: Families Around the World by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Jessica Rae Gordon will be published on Sept. 1, 2014. This collection of 14 families are based on real people from 14 different countries across 5 continents. Click here to read my full review.


Hermelin the Detective Mouse by Mini Grey. This cute picture book will draw in talking-animal and mystery fans alike (though Hermelin is a typist, not a talker). The book also has some important lessons about first impressions and the assumptions we make about people (and mice). (H/T Melissa at Educate Empower Inspire Teach.)


Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland. This picture book / graphic novel follows Azzi and her family's sudden journey from their home country to a new home in (presumably) America. Now she finds herself at a new school, learning a new language, and missing her home and grandmother. This story is another I will be adding to my list of Picture Books that Deal with Modern Wars in sensitive ways. (H/T Myra at Gathering Books.)


Grandfather's Dream by Holly Keller. This hopeful picture book shares the impact that individuals can make in restoring the environment. Grandfather's Dream tells the story of efforts to recreate a safe place for cranes after the Vietnam War and highlights the persistent conflict for space between nature and farming. This would be a great companion book for last week's Parrots Over Puerto Rico to compare and contrast how different people have worked to protect birds in different places. (H/T Kay.)

Poetry


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I was delighted to find that our school librarian had already ordered a copy of Brown Girl Dreaming and that I was able to snag it for the long weekend. This incredible memoir is told in vivid poems that are rich with history and imagery. Suitable for middle school and up, this book could be read by later elementary students, but a strong background in US history and the Civil Rights movement would help a student understand much more of the nuance and the references woven through the book. Have already bookmarked several selections about the power of writing and Writer's Notebooks to share with my students. Inspirational!

Happy Reading!

20 comments:

  1. What a cool map! I need to learn how to make those! Did you do it in Google Maps?

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    1. Thanks, Beth! Yes, I made it in Google maps, and you can simply save the web link or they give you the code for embedding it in a web page. Any time I add to it, it will automatically update the linked pictures too.

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    2. Hi Beth - I posted detailed 'how to' directions for creating a custom map, if you're interested: http://www.thelogonauts.com/2014/09/maps.html .

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  2. I need to read Hermelin. Sounds so intriguing! Reminds me of The Great Mouse Detective movie!

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    1. Hermelin is a bit less anthropomorphic than the movie mice, but still endearing!

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  3. Thanks much for the books around the world, Katie, like Azzi In Between. It looks like another to add to a list of books about immigrants, too.

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    1. Thanks, Linda. Yes, definitely. Azzi and her family leave their country independently of the grandmother, so it definitely touches on that aspect of immigration too and how it impacts families.

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  4. Loved your post on classroom set up. Our teachers are "pinning" pictures of their's this week bc it's a discussion we want to have. I'm sending your link to my principal to get some ideas going!
    Love your map and books connection!
    To answer your question about Uni the Unicorn, it could lend itself really well to doing a close read about the idea of theme. On the front cover it says a story about believing - could have students look for evidence of it. I think it has its place, but if you're using it just for a story to read, it falls flat. The illustrations are beautiful!
    Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks so much, Michelle! I hope your principal and staff find them useful. I have a wider picture of my room I posted to Twitter earlier in the week too, https://twitter.com/thelogonauts/status/504704926606721024 .

      Will check out the unicorn story and see. Bummer when such beautiful illustrations are let down by their text!

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  5. I am do eager to read Brown Girl Dreaming. I thought it was going to arrive last week, but I still don't have my copy. SIGH. We're talking a lot about writer's notebooks in my comp class right now--can't wait to share some of Woodson's words about writing with my students. I've never heard of Azzi or Grandfather's Dream and will be looking for those now. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. You will definitely find a lot to share with your college students. (I was grateful our librarian does such a great job keeping up with books that it was already in our school library for me to snatch before circulation officially begins!) Both Azzi and Grandfather's Dream were new to me too until starting this blog - so useful!

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  6. I've got to get my hands on a copy of this Mini Grey title. I am a fan. She is so interesting! I am enjoying your series on the classroom library - thanks for sharing your ideas!

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    1. Thanks so much, Carrie! Hermelin is quite a cutie. Glad you are enjoying the classroom library series. My last post will be up this week - on the necessity of labeling and keeping track of what you have (the important but less-exciting-sounding behind-the-scenes work).

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  7. I LOVE the map as well! Please share how you did it! A perfect way to put a "name" to a book's setting.
    I need to go check out your classroom library organization posts. I have tried so many different ways, but my middle schoolers always go back to wanting it by author...

    Happy reading this week! :)

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    1. Thanks, Kellee! I used Google maps, and it was really easy. Maybe I can put a post together later in the week with screen shots and directions.

      I find my elementary students are often drawn to the topic bins - Books about Dragons and Books about Princesses were big hits this week. Most of them also noted on their reading surveys that they "don't pay attention to authors," so that might be a reason too.

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    2. Hi Kellee! I've put together a 'how to' post for creating the custom maps; thanks for asking about them! http://www.thelogonauts.com/2014/09/maps.html

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  8. Thank you so much for the link-back, and I am so glad you love Azzi - that book was introduced to me by Marjorie Coughlan from PaperTigers when I moderated her masterclass session with Leonard Marcus here in Singapore. Brown Girl Dreaming does sound like a must-read. Hope to find it here soon! :)

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    1. Thanks, Myra. Sounds like a great class to have been a part of - am enjoying your learning second-hand!

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  9. Hermelin looks adorable! And I'm currently reading Brown Girl Dreaming myself.... just started it yesterday!

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    1. Hermelin is definitely a cutie. What do you think of Brown Girl Dreaming so far? Just amazing!

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