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By: Chandler Arnold,
on 5/7/2013
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“If you can do one thing to prepare yourself for the future… you should spend as much time as you can with people who are different than you”. — President Bill Clinton
I recently had the opportunity to join Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO, at a special event for the Thea Foundation. Founded by Linda and Paul Leopoulos shortly after the untimely death of their daughter Thea Kay, the Thea Foundation connects young people to the power of visual art, dance, drama, and creative writing across Arkansas and beyond.
At First Book we’re eager to learn from the success of the Thea Foundation and we hope to work with Linda, Paul and others to help bring the arts to life for all students, regardless of their economic situations, including the hundreds of thousands of children in First Book’s national network of low-income classrooms and programs.
Thea Kay Leopoulos (photo from theafoundation.org)
We know that it can make a profound difference. Paul and Linda shared Thea’s story — a typical one for many 17-year-old girls, making C’s and D’s and disliking school.
But by the end of her junior year, Thea was making A’s and B’s in difficult subjects (an A in Trigonometry!) and loving school. As they came to terms with losing their daughter, Linda and Paul sought to understand what happened in Thea’s life that caused such a drastic academic transformation.
The answer: her new involvement in visual art, dance, drama and creative writing. This made all the difference for Thea; an idea strongly supported by research.
Chandler Arnold, Bill Clinton & Kyle Zimmer celebrating the Thea Foundation
Among the educators, entrepreneurs, and arts supporters that night was President Bill Clinton, a longtime supporter of the powerful organization. Over dinner Kyle and I were able to speak with the President about a range of topics, from Thea (who the president knew well) to the Clinton Global Initiative.
The thing I’ll remember most? The President’s advice to an eight-year-old over dinner: “If you can do one thing to prepare yourself for the future… you should spend as much time as you can with people who are different than you”.
Wise advice for all of us; eight-year-olds and grown-ups alike.
Kyle also asked him if Hillary would be running for President in a few years, but we’ll keep his answer to ourselves.
NOTE: We are grateful for the generosity of Dr. Martha Bernadett of the Molina Foundation for making our participation in this event possible.
Chandler Arnold is First Book’s executive vice president.
The post What I Learned from Bill Clinton: How to Prepare Yourself for the Future appeared first on First Book Blog.
By:
Becky Laney,
on 3/25/2013
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Clementine and the Spring Trip. Sara Pennypacker. 2013. Hyperion. 160 pages.
Clementine has to be one of my favorite heroines. I just LOVE spending time with her. I love reading about her family life AND I love reading about her school days too. She always has an opinion, and she's always got something on her mind! In this book, Clementine is excited but nervous about an upcoming field trip to Plimoth Plantation. At first she felt comfortable about going because she was going to partner with fourth grader, Margaret. (Clementine is in third grade.) Clementine was going to help Margaret by doing all the "dirty" work, and Margaret was going to help Clementine by teaching her to eat quietly. The "rule" of the fourth graders being that no noisy foods are ever allowed. But when a new student arrives, a girl named Olive, well, plans change. The teacher assigns Olive to Clementine, and with the teacher and the principal telling Clementine that this will be a GOOD thing, she has to accept her disappointment. But noisy eating isn't the only thing worrying Clementine and her classmates, no, there is the dreaded bus number seven with "the cloud." This is the SMELLIEST bus ever, a thing of nightmares. And oh how the kids like to make comparisons as to what it smells like and why!!!
The novel is great fun focusing on Clementine at school and home. I would definitely recommend this series.
Read Clementine and the Spring Trip
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Today, Mom and I are counting down about a author visits. She’s going to visit a school on Friday, so she can talk about being a writer, and read her book to the kids there.
Why I don’t like author visits.
3. Staying by myself. Mom will go away in the car for a long time. That means, no walking at the park, no jumping through my hula hoop, no treats in my IQ puzzles, and no bowling practice. Boring.
2. Bags. Mom will pack up tons of things to show the kids, and she will also put her laptop and LCD projector into bags. Bags are usually a LOT of fun. My head fits in there perfectly, and sometimes bags have treats in them. Or bacon. Or cake.
But school visit bags are off limits. Mom says the word, “Get your bony little head out of there.” No fun.
1. Kids. Mom will talk to tons and tons of kids at her school visit. I love kids. And they love me. Whenever kids see me, they pet me and hug me and say how cute I am. Plus, kids taste delicious, like candy. And sweat. And dirt. Yum.
What Mom likes about author visits.
3. Driving. Taking a road trip is always fun. Of course it would be more fun if I went along, but….
2. Reading. Mom loves reading stories. Story time was her favorite time of the day when she was a little girl at school, and it was her favorite time of the day when she was a teacher. Of course, I also love story time, but….
1. Kids. Mom has talked to hundreds and hundreds of kids in her careers as a teacher and an author. Thousands, maybe. She predicts that the kids at this school will ask her some of the same things kids at other schools have asked, “Are you rich?” and “Did you draw the pictures?” and “One time my dad got his finger stuck in the car door…” which is not a question, but….
By: Stacy Dillon,
on 3/10/2013
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I first read about this book over at
Ms. Yingling's blog. Romance is always a bit of a tricky thing in that I tend to find them super girly or super sexy. Farrar has hit the mark with
A Song for Bijou in that it offers a boy's point of view without going into the realm of YA.
Alex knows the moment he lays eyes on Bijou that she is something special. Time seems to slow down so that he notices every detail about her: from the way that she unwraps her straw at Peas 'n Pickles, to her stiff new uniform and the butterfly purple beads that end her braids. The girl is with motor mouth Mary Agnes and Alex can she that she's not able to get a word in edgewise. Alex asks his friend Nomura who the girl is, but he doesn't know either.
It doesn't take Alex too long to find out. Bijou goes to St. Catherine's along with Mary Agnes and Ira's sister Maricel, and the boys attend St. Christopher's which is the brother school. Alex cannot wait to get to know Bijou, which shouldn't be too hard as they have a school dance coming up.
There are, however, a couple of obstacles that Alex has to get around before he can see what the possibilities are with Bijou. First of, she is living with her Aunt and Uncle who are super strict about her hanging out with non-Haitians let alone with boys. Then there are Rocky and Trevor - two tough guys who seem to have some interest in Bijou as well. Lastly, there is the fact that Alex doesn't exactly know what to do in order to get Bijou to notice him! He's been stuck at an all boys school forever, and hasn't had practice talking to girls aside from his mom and his sister Dolly.
Mary Agnes starts to hatch some plans that will allow not only Alex and Bijou to get to know one another, but herself and Nomura as well. What follows is a story filled with age appropriate angst, first love, cultural clashes and misunderstandings. Farrar gifts readers with the bitter sweet dance of first crushes from both Alex and Bijou's points of view. Cultural and racial differences are not shied away from and Alex and Bijou must both face prejudice in their quest to get to know each other. A breath of fresh air!
By:
Mayra Calvani,
on 3/4/2013
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Mrs. Burgess worked as an elementary teacher and school counselor for a total of seven years. She has a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University. Starr is busy working on her second children’s book: Counselor Dynamite Befuddles the Bullyville Crew. She currently resides with her husband, Clyde, and their daughter in Pflugerville, TX.
Thank you for this interview, Starr. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
I am a former elementary school teacher and school counselor. I live with my husband, Clyde, and our daughter in Pflugerville, TX. I have been working on writing books for five years and finally created the main character, Counselor Dynamite, whom I lovingly refer to as the pioneer super hero of schools.
Can you tell us briefly what your book is about?
This book is about Counselor Dynamite, who is the superhero of schools. The story takes place the day before Christmas break. Teachers and staff members are tired and running low on patience and the students are full of unbridled energy. Counselor Dynamite notices that something is amiss and quickly jumps into action knowing that if something isn't done soon, students, teachers and staff will never be the same once chaos is unleashed.
Why did you choose your particular genre?
I choose this genre because I worked as an elementary school counselor and had the wonderful opportunity to work with a diverse group of students. I learned that a lot of students had difficulty in the areas of conflict/resolution, problem solving, and boundaries. As a result I began writing stories that are amusing but instilled and reinforced positive character traits. I know that many children connect with and hold superheroes in high regard so I decided to create the first superhero of schools, Counselor Dynamite.
Where do you write? Do you have a favorite place?
I write in areas of my home where there is an abundance of natural light. My most favorite place to write is in my living room by the window.
What was your greatest challenge writing this book?
My greatest challenge was not in the writing of the book but in how to market the book.
Are you a disciplined writer?
I am somewhat of a disciplined writer, however most times I prefer the spontaneity of being in the moment.
Are you published by a traditional house, small press or are you self-published?
I am self-published.
Was it the right choice for you?
Absolutely! I appreciate the fact that I retain control of the creativity and direction of the writing and how Counselor Dynamite is portrayed.
How are you promoting your book thus far?
I am a vendor at the Texas Counseling Association conferences; I participate in author readings/book signings in book stores and private schools; I utilize social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and I work with an online book promotion company, Author & Book Promotions.
How is that going for you?
It’s going very well; I really enjoy meeting people with inspiring feedback and hearing about their ministry and journey.
Do you have another job besides writing?
Yes, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. My private practice is LifeMenders Counseling.
Have you ever gotten an inspirational book-related moment at work and had to go run and write and it down?
No those moments usually come in the middle of the night.
Do your co-workers know they have a star among them? What has their reactions been? I don’t know if my co-workers think I’m necessarily a star but I do believe they think I am a visionary and a go getter. My colleagues have been a great source of support; they have given me words of encouragement, purchased my book and supplemental guide, and promotional products from my product line.
If you could give one book promotion tip to new authors, what would that be?
Utilize as much social media as possible, in addition to an online book promotion service company such as Author & Book Promotion.
What’s next for you?
My next book will focus on bullying and will be available in the fall along with a supplemental guide which contains lessons plans and activities for children. In the near future I will be publishing more Counselor Dynamite books, I would love to go on a book tour, be a regular on a talk and/or radio show discussing challenges children face and parent resources, and eventually partner with companies and build the Counselor Dynamite brand, maybe one day turning the adventures of Counselor Dynamite into a cartoon for children.
By: Genevieve Petrillo,
on 2/4/2013
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Last week, we reached 10,000 views on our blog. I’m not much with the math, but 10,000 seems like a lot, seeing as how Mom only lets me post once or twice a week. I am excited that so many people and pets wanted to see what we were up to.
Of course, about 9,000 of the views were probably Mom, looking for mistakes and reading comments and stuff. She is my biggest fan. I am her biggest fan, too!
A long time ago, Mom got a fan letter from a little girl who read one of her poems in Spider Magazine. The little girl said that Mom’s poem made her laugh.
I’d like to say Mom was excited about the fan letter, but excited doesn’t even begin to express how she felt. That letter was her favorite piece of mail of her life, until she got the contract for her first book years and years later.
Even though Mom’s book had a ton of good reviews and won The Moonbeam Award, she has never received a fan letter from any of her readers. She has lots of thank you letters from the kids at the schools she visited…
….but no fan letters.
If I could write, I’d send her one, but paws aren’t much good with a pencil.
Thanks to all my fans for visiting Cupcake Speaks. Every Visit, every Comment, and every Like feels like a fan letter to me!! xoxo
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By: Zoe,
on 2/1/2013
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If you were invited to design a school library launch, how would you go about it? What events would you want to facilitate? Who would you want to involve?
These questions have been very much on my mind since the start of the year, for designing and delivering a school library launch is exactly what I have been asked to do by a local infant school. Can you imagine how excited I feel?
It’s an honour to be asked and trusted by the school to design a whole day of activities and I’ve loved every minute of it so far. Library Launch day is February 12th and now we’re counting down the days…
With apologies to NASA, whose original image I’ve modified.
Having got to the stage where I’ve everything prepped and in place, I wanted to share my plans and resources with you as many of them are easily replicable in families, in classrooms, in clubs, anywhere would you might like to help young children and their families get excited about books. And with World Book Day coming up next month, you could take any of these ideas and use them to celebrate perhaps my favourite day of the year 
Today I’ll share the activities the 3-5 year olds will be getting up to, and next week I’ll share the session plans for Year 1 (5-6 year olds) and Year 2 (6-7 year olds), although I believe many of the activities could be adapted to work with children of any age.
We were keen to get as many children into the new library during the day as possible so each class of 3-5 year olds will spend one session going on a treasure hunt for book characters in the library. The basis of this session with be Katie Cleminson’s Otto the Book Bear, in which a bear in a book steps off the pages and into real life. Having read the book, kids (in pairs) will be given a treasure card to identify which books and book characters they need to find in the library.
Some of the sheets of cards kids will be given so they know which characters to hunt for in the library
No doubt 30 kids hunting 30 soft toys is going to be quite chaotic! Once all the characters are found, the session will finish with a reading of one of the books found by the kids during the session.
A couple of trips to charity shops resulted in a good number of soft toys that either were actual book characters (for example I found Paddington Bear, Pooh, and Poppy Cat without even really looking), then I raided my kids’ soft toys and chose ones which matched (near enough) great books. So, for example, I am borrowing a soft toy squirrel and teaming it up with A First Book of Nature, by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Hearld.
I supplemented these with a few extra official character soft toys (who wouldn’t love the excuse to get a Mog cat or Tiger who came tea toy?). Castlemere Books, based in the US, is the most comprehensive site I found for official book character soft toys, though I didn’t end up using them because of shipping costs to the UK.
Some of the characters kids will be searching for in the library!
On returning to their classrooms the kids will paint/colour their own bookshelves and Otto the bear. You can download the shelves here and the bear here.
The second session will be based around Lulu loves Stories by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw (follow the link to read it for free online). This is a gentle story about a child who is taken to the library every Saturday by her father. Each book they read together inspires different sorts of play, from being on a farm (having read about Old Macdonald) to making a pretend aeroplane (having read a story about going on an adventure).
Each table in the classroom will be set up with a different activity taken from Lulu Loves Stories: there will be one with princess dressing up, one with farm animals and one with construction toys. A fourth table will be set up for each child to create their own library to take home, by selecting and gluing lots of images of children’s book covers onto these shelves.
I’ve spent a fair few evenings cutting up old publishers’ catalogues to create enough “library stock”, but other than time in preparation, this activity has been very cheap to prepare with many publishers willing to send catalogues upon request. (If you were working with older kids you could simply give them the catalogues and ask them to do some fantasy shopping – seeing what books they themselves would chose for their library would no doubt be very informative.)
On a fifth table children will be able to cut out Lulu bookplates. These are available as part of an activity guide on the US publisher’s website. Don’t be confused by the name change – Lulu (in the UK) becomes known as Lola (in the US), but this doesn’t affect the bookplates.
This session will be rounded off by reading Lulu reads to Zeki also by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw, which is a simply delightful (and funny) window into a later stage in Lulu’s life;she now has a younger brother, and is passing on the love of books her father instilled in her to little Zeki, reading to him whenever possible.
The third session for the 3-5 year olds will open with a reading of I Love My Little Story Book by Anita Jeram, which is all about the delights you can find inside different books, and the various places they can transport you to.
Each child will have the opportunity to make their own bunny which comes with a hidden story book of its own. It’s a simple collage activity to make the bunny out of an envelope, a pompom, some dried spaghetti, googly eyes and cardboard ears, all stuck on to an envelope, inside which each child will find a blank mini book (blue to match the one in the story). Kids will be encouraged to make the story book their own with whatever mark-making they like.
The mini books are each made from a sheet of A4 paper, using this technique, my favourite way of making small paper books as it requires no sticking or stapling.
As well as there being tables set up with fairy tale activities (castles and knights to play with, dressing up, plastic animals in a forest play scene) kids will also be able to colour in and cut out several book plates designed by Anita Jeram.
These are all available to freely download (as long as you’re not using them for commercial purposes) from this brilliant website, http://www.myhomelibrary.org/, created by former Children’s Laureate, Anne Fine.
If time allows a reading of I like books by Anthony Browne will finish off this session. This is a very simple introduction to different types of books with just one sentence on each page. It’s a great reminder that there are all different sorts of books you can enjoy reading, not just story books.
The fourth session of the day will be based around an all time classic, Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Once the story has been shared, each child will be given their own cardboard treasure chest to embellish with sticky jewels. I sourced some great treasure chests (from http://www.littlecraftybugs.co.uk/) so large that kids will be able to store favourite books inside them.
Elsewhere in the classroom during this session kids will have the opportunity to dig for buried treasure in a sandpit, make aliens out of green playdough, and play with plastic dragons, as well as the chance to colour in this Charlie Cook sheet which you can download from the official Gruffalo website, or to draw their favourite book on this Charlie Cook activity sheet from the US Scholastic website.
This session will be wrapped up with a reading of We are in a book by Mo Willems – a perfect book for this age range where the oldest kids may well be able to join in with reading this funny story about what characters in a book think about their readers.
And as well as all of this, all classes will have a session with the award winning author who is coming to join the school for the day… but more about this in a later post!
Last week (luckily, before the worst of the snow) I opened a library: I cut a ribbon and everything, just like a proper celeb! It was the sensational, new, sea-themed library at St Benedict's Catholic Primary School in Garforth, near Leeds.
I was there all day, working with the children. The school was a really warm and friendly place. The atmosphere felt very optimistic (a hard thing to pull off in these tricky times) and every class displayed just the right level of interest - really enthusiastic and keen to learn, but not over-excited and silly.
The highlight of the day was the unveiling of the new library (they used to have just a few shelves in the thoroughfare by the main doors). None of the children had been allowed in, so they (like me) were knocked sideways when they finally got to see how wonderful it is. Yes, it really does have a palm tree in the middle for them to read under!
I particularly love the blue boat, which serves as a desk and computer station, but also has hidden talents: beneath the fabric sail is concealed the projection screen. When it's pulled down, it looks exactly like a full sail - how simple but clever is that?
Designing the library was a very hands-on project, involving the staff and children at every stage. The children chose the theme and came up with the ideas for the various things featured in the space. They helped vet the professional designs and even wrote all the inspiration text around the walls. Leeds School Library Service gave advice (and paid for me to spend the day - thanks Pauline!), the PTA raised £4000 to help fund the project and parents in various trades were also heavily involved in the design, construction and printing. Truly a team effort.
At the end of the day I signed lots of books, including a set for the new library of course, then I braved the increasingly heavy snow at Garforth station (where they lock the waiting room, but leave the lights on, so people can see what they are missing, as they huddle against the closed doors in a blizzard!!).
Thanks so much to everyone I met during my visit, for making me feel so welcome and to Patrick Sice for letting me use his great photos. How lovely to have a good-news story to brighten the gloom and doom (especially in these depressing times for pubic libraries). Well done guys - enjoy your super new library!
What are the standards and which states have adopted them?
http://www.corestandards.org/
I finished off a very busy year of author visits on Tuesday, with a really positive session at Farnborough secondary school in Nottingham (their art department is brilliant!). It was nothing to do with all the primary school visits I've been doing in Nottingham - just a coincidence.
This is a follow-up to a project I did in half a dozen Nottingham secondary schools a while ago, running illustration workshops with Y7 children. I was invited to go back to see a book the students had created as a result of the work we did together, and to give prizes to those involved.
While I was there, I did another illustration workshop. Trouble was, because it was a mixed group, some of whom had been part of the previous project, I had to do something completely new. I also had the added challenge that some children were with me all morning, whilst others had to come and go, because of other lesson commitments - tricky.
I decided to adapt a Giddy Goat idea that has worked well in primaries. We briefly recapped about how to use facial expressions and body-language, then they all created their own character balancing at the top of an A3 sheet, suitable terrified or show-offy. They were then challenged to balance as many different and interesting objects as possible beneath, creating a surreal tower spanning 2 or 3 sheets of paper. They really got the message and we had some lovely ideas, where different elements of the towers interacted with one another and with their environment.
I was chatting to the teacher afterwards and complimenting her on the inspirational environment she had created: wonderful artwork by the students everywhere. The current art rooms are in temporary buildings in the playground, because next year they move to their new build. BUT, it turns out they will not be allowed to attach anything to the walls in the new art room, no children's paintings pinned up, not even a staple to attach a line to peg work up. Formal display frames only, because the new-build funding involves private investment, so it won't belong to the school. How crazy is that?
I've been back and forth to Nottingham on the same train so many times recently that I've begun to feel like a real commuter. I even started to recognise the same people in the mornings.
These are some sketches from last week. I've filled half a sketchbook during this project (I was especially prolific on my wrong train adventure) and my favourite colours have been worn down to stumps.
It's been good fun (Y3 children are my favourite) and it's made a really nice change to work with the same group of children for a whole day at a time. Still, I can't say I'm not pleased to be back in the studio again after such a long stretch of nothing but school visits, interspersed with odd days of mad catch-up at the computer...
Which is what I have mostly been doing with the end of this week, though John has been great, holding the fort for me over the last few weeks, fielding enquiries, ordering books and writing all the invoices.
I am really looking forward to getting back to doing some actual writing and illustration on Monday morning (but not too bright and early...)
These are the sketches from my last couple of days of Nottingham story-workshop trips. That's it now. Just as well, as I started to go down with a cold last night. I dosed myself up with Paracetamols this morning and managed to get through the day without too much trouble, though I'm beginning to feel a bit iffy now, so I should probably get off the computer and go and slump in front of the TV...
Since my various bouts of laryngitis, I'm always a bit nervous about straining my voice on school visits when I soldier on through a cold. Luckily the Y3 children at Whitemoor Academy were lovely and I didn't need to raise my voice at all. Both the teachers were fantastic too. I got some lovely feedback from them at the end of my 2 days there, and left feeling very loved. A perfect visit to end on.
By:
TCBR,
on 8/20/2012
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He won’t read it. He hates everything. #3
By David Teague, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 20, 2012
Of course, every boy isn’t a reluctant reader. A lot of boys love books. All we’re trying to do is get as many as possible to strike their pup-tents in camp #1 and pitch them in Camp #2.
To quote the great Jon Scieszka (which is something I do quite frequently and with stellar results):
“Boys aren’t believing that ‘Reading is wonderful.’ Reading is often difficult and boring for them. Let’s start with “Here is one book . . . you might like”
Not to name names, but a certain boy I know, who needs to clean up his room right now, used to be a bona fide reluctant reader when he was in first grade. These days, I have to order his light off at 10:30 so he can get some sleep, and usually I find him lying in bed reading BEFORE it’s time to get up on Saturdays.
What happened? Like the great Mr. Scieszka said, one book:
What’s so special about Sideways Stories from Wayside School?
Ask any boy who has read it, and he’ll tell you:
- It’s hilarious.
- It has short, easy chapters.
Which means:
- It’s a lot of fun, and it’s not intimidating.
Ask me, and I’ll tell you those three things, plus one more:
- It’s really sophisticated.
Sure, the scenarios are wacky. As you probably know, Wayside School was supposed to be thirty classrooms wide and one story high, but by mistake got built thirty stories high and one classroom wide. Among its many students are Bebe Gunn, Eric Bacon, Eric Fry, and Eric Ovens. In the first chapter, Mrs. Gorf, a colossally mean teacher, turns all her pupils into apples when they make her mad, until Jenny holds up a mirror in front of Mrs. Gorf and turns her into an apple, whereupon Louis the Yard Teacher eats her.
Louis, by the way, is based on the author himself, who used to be a playground monitor. Louis is nice to all the children and has a multicolored mustache. When Mrs. Drazil makes him shave, he becomes very by-the-book and makes the kids call him Mr. Louis. When the mustache grows back, he reverts to his much cooler self.
There are at least fifty characters in this book, all drawn very clearly in terms young readers can grasp quickly, and Sachar does not dumb down his humor. The intricate web of relationships he creates among characters and the comic conflicts he engineers between them would make Charles Dickens proud.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School proved to be a gateway book for my reluctant reader. He loved the jokes and adored the characters and read it again and again until he started to see far deeper into the complexity of fiction than he’d ever seen—than he’d ever imagined. He inhabited that book, he owned that book, he memorized that book, and it gave him the enthusiasm and
By:
Luisa LaFleur,
on 8/21/2012
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How do we teach compassion?
By Luisa LaFleur, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February , 2012
Kids can be mean. Sometimes our kids are on the receiving end of the taunts and name-calling and that’s hard to deal with. But other times our kids are on the giving end and that’s even harder to deal with. Teaching children to be compassionate—to understand someone else’s suffering and to try and alleviate that suffering—is not easy. A key first step is to get children to understand that mean actions—teasing, name-calling and the like—can be hurtful. Here are a few books that can help impart the message that being kind to one another is essential and that the golden rule is paramount.
By Eleanor Estes; Illustrated by Helena Estes and Louis Slobodkin
Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Paperback: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
What to expect: Lessons about friendship; allusions to poverty and immigration; harships
In The Hundred Dresses, which takes place around the time of World War I, Wanda wears the same faded blue dress to school every day. One day, in the midst of playful banter, Wanda tells her classmates that she has one hundred beautiful dresses at home, all lined up and that she wears the dresses on special occasions. The other girls don’t believe her and begin to tease her about it daily. One girl, Maddie, feels bad about the teasing but doesn’t speak up for fear the teasing will turn to her. But as time passes, she comes to see the error of her ways and learns how important it is to stand up for your friends.
This is an intricate story that offers many opportunities for discussion. Wanda is poor. She’s an immigrant from another country at a time when there were no social networks to provide support. She speaks with an accent that automatically sets her apart from the other girls. But in essence, she’s just a little girl who wants to fit in and have friends.
Add this book to your collection: The Hundred Dresses
By Lane Fredrickson; Illustrated by Jon Davis
Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Hardcover: 22 pages
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
What to expect: Rude behavior and its aftermath
Cecily is a ghastly child. She’s rude, impertinent, ungrateful and can be downright mean. She doesn’t say please or thank you, she doesn’t share, and she sticks her tongue out at her classmates and teachers. But one day, her tongue gets stuck and she can’t put it back in her mouth. She has a hard lesson to learn about kindness and it takes some time but eventually Cecily realizes that she’s not been very nice to anybody.
This simple story has a strong message—sometimes we don’t realize how hurtful we c
I was inspired this week by Trisha and her Monday Poetry Stretch at The Miss Rumphius Effect blog. She always comes up with fun poetic forms to try out, many of which I have never even heard of before. I used to be such a "free verse" girl LOL. Since getting so involved with the kidlitosphere and Friday Poetry I have rubbed up against many new challenges; one of which is the Monday Poetry Stretch
Today’s five words are about back-to-school.
1. Kids – Mom and I both like kids a lot. Mom liked working with them when she was a teacher. I like to lick them. They taste delicious.
2. Learning – Soon, Mom will go to a writing class to learn about writing picture books. She says, “Learning is fun.” and “There’s always something new to learn.” and “When are you going to learn to fetch?” Ugh. This is embarrassing!
3. Books – At school, kids read lots of books. Mom reads lots of books too. I like to lick books. They taste delicious.
4. Recess – Mom liked recess when she was a teacher. It was one hour to do whatever she wanted (mostly eat peanut butter and jelly and talk to her friends). Recess is all day for her, now, except for one hour when she works on writing stories. It’s like things have turned upside down.
5. Paper, Pencils, Crayons, Markers, and Colored Pencils – New school supplies are fun. And they taste delicious.
About 3 years ago, I re-jigged my website. I kept most of the content, but got someone to make it far more user-friendly and to update all the admin behind the scenes. It works SO much better these days.
But it's a pretty big site (I keep getting new ideas for extra stuff to add...) so, instead of paying for it all to be done at once (gulp), I left the Kids FunClub area to come back to another time.
Well, that time is now, only I had a bit of a re-think: instead of aiming it at kids, I thought it would probably be of more use generally, if instead I aimed it at adults working with kids, like teachers, librarians, parents etc
So, the site now has a brand new Learning Resources area, which still has all the fun puzzles and quizzes from the old FunClub...
...and all the bookplates, bookmarks, colouring sheets etc to print out, but now also has a whole lot of new stuff.
The illustrated work-sheets, which analyse specific aspects of some of my illustrations or books, are designed to work with either children or students (or just be extra info for interested adults).
The story-machine (much improved since the Funclub version) should be of help to teachers of reluctant writers, as well as providing inspiration for those kids who simply love making up stories.
A brand new feature for kids (and some grown-ups?), is the how-to-draw series of animations, which guide you step-by-step through the creation of my book characters. There are just 3 at the moment, but I can build that up.
I've also pulled together links to some of what I think are the most useful articles I have written here on the blog for aspiring, or new, illustrators or authors, dealing with how to build a folio, how to approach publishers, self-promotion, authors looking for illustrators, doing school visits etc. Plus there's an updated film page, which again should work with most age groups.
I'm thinking too, that these resources will make a perfect build-up to my school visits: a way to really get the kids prepared and excited, as well as a great way to assist follow-up activities after a visit.
Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think and what's most useful, so I know what to add to the most. If there's anything not working, or anything you'd like to see that isn't there, do please let me know!
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KidLitReviews,
on 10/5/2012
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5 Stars
Song for Papa Crow
Marit Menzin
Schiffer Publishing
No. Pages: 32 Ages: 4 to 8
………………
From inside jacket: Little Crow loves to sing, and Papa Crow loves his song. But when Little Crow shares his crow songs with the other birds at the big old tree, they laugh and scatter. Maybe the Amazing Mockingbird can teach him to sing songs with the finches, flycatchers, and cardinals—and help him make some friends. But Little Crow should be careful what he wishes for . . .
Using Mockingbird’s tip, Little Crow becomes the most popular bird on the block. But, in a moment of danger, he learns that singing someone else’s song can have terrible consequences and that his own voice—and his father’s love—is of the greatest value.
Little Crow so desperately wants a friend he will do most anything to get one, even if that means fitting in to the point of losing his own identity. When he begins to sing like the other birds, he is welcomed, becomes part of the group. What Little Crow does not realize is the cost one incurs when making a major change to fit in with the crowd.
For Little Crow, singing the other bird’s songs to fit in and have friends could cost him his life when a hawk appears overhead. Little Crow is in danger and sings out, Papa Crow does not understand it is his son singing out—he no longer recognizes Little Crow’s singing.
Little Crow said, “Per-CHIC-o-ree!”—Heelllllp!
“Poor Finch,” said Papa Crow.
Little Crow sings out, “Fee-beeee!”—Help me!
“Poor Phoebe Flycatcher!” said Papa Crow.
Like Little Crow, kids do not like being different, they want to fit in with the crowd and be accepted. Those that do not dress as the others dress, speak as the others speak, or act as the other act are often shunned and ridiculed by those that do meld into one. But the group looks, speech, and actions often do not have room for individuality, originality, or creativity. That can be hard for a kid to understand when all they want to do is fit in, have friends, and not be teased.
Little Crow had lost his identity. His Papa no longer connected Little Crow’s singing to Little Crow. In a time of need, Papa Crow could not reach out. As a social worker, I love these types of books. Kids need to know it is okay to be themselves; to act, speak, dress like themselves and not anyone else. Fitting in with the crowd is not always the best idea. I have seen smart kids trade their intelligence to fit in and lose much more than they ever gained. Kids who are different for any reason will lose what may be the best part of themselves simply to fit in.
I like Song for Papa Crow because it can open up a dialogue between parent and kids. The story can help kids understand that fitting in may not always be the best thing to do.
The illustrations, also created by the author, are beautiful collages. There are many birds, depicted in their wonderfully layered shades of color, on every page. On Papa Crow’s head, the feathers are short and look soft. The feathers making up his tail are long and smooth. You can see the strength in the hawk and the sudden fear in Little Crow.
In addition to a good story about preserving one’s identity, there is a short primer on North American birds. I really like this book. Song for Papa Crow is a beautiful book, with thick pages for the younger kids, interesting bird facts, and a good story that can teach kids to stay true to themselves.
Teachers, school social workers, and others who regularly work with kids will find this book immensely helpful. Parents can use the story to open a dialogue about fitting in and being true to one’s self. Kids will like the illustrations of the birds and can use the book as a guide to the birds in their neighborhood.
Song for Papa Crow is a good story for any time or reason. For collectors, the illustrations are beautiful and this is the first complete book by now author and illustrator Marit Menzin.
Author/Illustrator: Marit Menzin website
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing website
Release Date: July 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4131-1
Number of Pages: 32
Ages: 4 to 8
Grades: Pre-K to 2
..........................
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By:
Becky Laney,
on 10/8/2012
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Liar & Spy. Rebecca Stead. 2012. Random House. 192 pages.
There's this totally false map of the human tongue. It's supposed to show where we taste different things, like salty on the side of the tongue, sweet in the front, bitter in the back. Some guy drew it a hundred years ago, and people have been forcing kids to memorize it ever since. But it's wrong--all wrong. As in, not even the slightest bit right. If you enjoy character-driven coming of age stories, then Liar & Spy could prove quite satisfying! Georges, our seventh grade hero, is being bullied at school. Readers get a chance to witness this during science class--they're studying taste--and gym class. Georges doesn't exactly like playing sports, but the teacher seems friendly enough. Georges feels all alone, but, the truth is he is slowly but surely making friends with another boy, Bob English Who Draws.
Readers also witness his home life. Georges' life is changing quickly. His dad recently lost his job, his mom started working more hours, and the family had to move from their home to an apartment. Georges had to leave behind a great bedroom--with an old fire escape built-in--to move to an apartment. But soon after the move, he meets a few kids in his apartment building: Safer (who is around his own age) and Candy (who is ten). Safer and Georges make up the spy club for the apartment building...
I loved the characterization in Liar & Spy. I enjoyed getting to know Safer and Candy. I just LOVED Candy. I loved her idea of a dream guy. She wants to grow up to marry someone who LOVES orange because she HATES the flavor and since she's candy obsessed, she wants someone to "give" all her rejects to. I loved the vulnerability of both Safer and Georges, though they aren't necessarily vulnerable in the same ways. I liked the building of friendships. And I liked how Georges came to know himself better through the novel. By the end, he's become more open, and he's ready to face some of his fears.
It is a quirky novel in some ways. But it works for me. I just loved it.
Read Liar & Spy
- If you like Rebecca Stead
- If you like reading Middle Grade novels
- If you like quiet, quirky books about family, school, and friends
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Friday's school visit to Ambleside Primary in Nottingham went really well - it was lovely to be able to take my time and get to know the children better over the course of a whole day. Plus, they've been working with their teacher on the theme of Heroes and Villains, which suited my workshops perfectly.
Teachers have told me they can get the class to come up with characters, but it's hard to find ways to get the children to weave them into a narrative. So that's what we concentrated on.
I helped them all to think up an animal hero or villain, then each child create quite a detailed A3 drawing, placing their character in an incident, with a proper background and plenty of narrative content. Then I asked them to imagine their drawing was a still frame from a film. We drew a line representing the length of the film, then I asked them to consider whereabouts on the line their frame fell: nearer the beginning or the end?
Each child had to think through the back-story or consequences arising from their drawing and come up with a plot idea.
We didn't actually write until well into the afternoon: the children were only around 7 years old, so the thinking and planning was just as important. When we did start to write the stories down, I got them to think of the most exciting and dramatic bit of their plot, so each story started with a bang (quite literally in a lot of cases: we had a lot of explosions!) to get the listener hooked, just like they often do in films.
They were lovely kids and I had great fun, which is just as well, as I am going back twice this week, to repeat the same workshop for the other two Y3 classes at the school.
These watercolour pencil sketches were done on the train there and back of course. There were limited easy victims around me, so I also drew the clouds out of the window - tricky, as they kept being covered over by passing trees!
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on 10/14/2012
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4 Stars We're All Different But We're All Kitty Cats Peter Goodman Nicholas Milano No. Pages: 4 Ages: 4+ ................... Inside Jacket: “My name is Carlos and I have no fur.” A kitty with no fur? How strange, thought the other cat, laughing and giggling at Carlos. Hurt and embarrassed in front of the class, [...]
Check out this video of Mrs. Bright’s second grade class in Alpharetta, GA. The students chose I Need My Monster (written by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam) for their Book Parade!
The costumes are amazing! Way to go!
It takes about an hour each way to Nottingham. On the way there yesterday, I patiently waited for it to get properly light, which unfortunately took the first 45 minutes of the journey then, once again, I quickly drew the sunrise skies through the window:
I was in a secondary school for the day this time, doing an illustration workshop with a group of Y9s (a tricky age...), but it seemed to go well. I shared lots of tips to help with their drawing and they all came away with some good work to use towards an illustration they are each creating for their art BTEC.
It was only pure coincidence that the school which invited me, out of anywhere in the country it could have been, also happened to be in Nottingham!
Travelling back on the way home it was already dark, so I drew people instead of skies:
This is my new bandana which Mom picked out at Mollie’s blog. I think I look adorable and Christmas-sy in it.
I also have a couple of awards to say thank you for today.
Thanks to Easy for the Super Sweet Award. He definitely got it right. I AM super sweet… except when I’m not…. See my super sweet answers here and help yourself to the award if you’re sweet most of the time.
Thanks to AngelsWhisper for the Seven Things About Me Award.
For this award, I need to tell 7 things about myself, which I love to do. I will also invite anyone who likes telling about themselves to take this award and tell us about yourself.
1. I am part Jack Russell and part something else. Mom thinks I might be part monkey because of my long monkey tail.
2. I love treats. My new favorite is called Gooberlicious. It’s not what you think. They look and taste like peanuts. Yum.
3. I love stuffed animals, but not the mechanical ones. I think mechanical toys are evil, and I’m pretty sure they’re trying to kill me.
4. I help Mom with her writing a lot. I take her to the park and for rides in the car so she can get ideas. I bring toys to her while she’s working, so she can get up and play with me and not sit still too long.
5. I want Mom to write a book about me so I can go to school visits with her. I know how to behave… except when I don’t…
6. After I eat my food every day, I try to eat my bowl. That’s just how delicious my food is!!
7. I love to wear dresses.
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I understand the “left alone”part, Cupcake, but you look like a teacher yourself, so why can’t you come with her. I’m sure you’ll be very brave… or do you eat kids
Bawaahhaawa you do look like a skool teacher in those glasses.. I’m not so keen on kids, they scare me.. xx00xx
Mollie and Alfie
I think you should go too cuppycake!
Gosh Cupcake….too bad you can’t go along with your Mom on that school visit – I bet you LOVE being around those kiddies and “feeling the luv”……Just remember that all of US love you – maybe you can “feel the luv” from afar????
Kitty Hugs, Sammy
I am sure your mom’s school visits would be even more fun if you got to go, Cupcake. I think you should discuss that with her. Where’s the story about Cupcake that will allow you to go along as a prop? I hope she has a great visit and you get some bacon and some cake!
It’s a shame you can’t go with her, Cupcake! It seems a bit mean to tell you to get your head out of those bags – we all know that bags always need checking.
Wow, what fun. We bet the kids will go nuts for you – and your name!
Oink oink,
Katie and Coccolino the mini pig
Poor cupcake. Hahaha.
Have a great timeGenevieve!
I am so sure mom will have fun at her school visit. If you want you can come stay with Rocky. I can’t guarantee that he won’t think your a tasty treat, though, so maybe not such a good idea. :-p
Speaking of tasty treats, tell mom not to forget we are going out to munch muffins
Take the opportunity to gaze out the window and relax.
Wow. Cupcake- you look very sophisticated with those glasses!
I like your glasses Cupcake ;o) I agree, a day without mom is a wasted day …
Thanks, AW. I don’t eat kids, I just taste them a little bit…
Love and licks,
C
Thanks, Mollie. Sometimes, kids CAN be scary. Their delicious flavor makes up for it.
Love and licks,
C
Thanks, M. If only Mom would get a story about me published, I’d be there with bells on. Or a dress….
Love and licks,
C
Thanks, Sammy. You are so cuddly. I luv your luv.
Luv and licks,
C