5/6/13 It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

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Joining Teach Mentor Texts for their weekly kidlit blogger roundup! I also entered their great giveaway for The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle. I have not read the first in this series, so I put that one on hold at the library!

What have I read this week?

After attending the nonfiction narrative picture books authors' discussion panel with Shana Corey, Tanya Lee Stone, Doreen Rappaport, Melissa Sweet, and Candace Fleming. I was inspired to read some of their books that I haven't read and reread one or two of my favorites.



The panel talked about how they approach subjects that have already been the subject of many books, and Doreen Rappaport said that her research into a biography for The Statue of Liberty led her to write from the perspective of the many people who played roles in bringing Lady Liberty to the US. She includes the many players such as sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, poet Emma Lazarus, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, and many more. Each page has large, sweeping illustrations by Matt Tavares and short free verse poems by Rappaport. This approach definitely brings a fresh and unique perspective to an American icon.

Next up, Shana Corey...

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When I attended the panel discussion, I had already read Here Come the Girl Scouts and knew it was amazing. Then I listened to Shana Corey talk about how she is drawn to strong women who made history but whose paths were not always straight to their goals. They made mistakes. They had setbacks. These women stood on the shoulders of other women, and then other women eventually advanced their causes further. Corey writes about the women who made huge changes that might now seem small (bathing suits? bloomers? girls forming an outdoor club?), but now we see how these seemingly tiny causes are the stuff from which equal rights are born.

All the illustrators here are phenomenal artists. I can't really do these three illustrators justice in a paragraph. They deserve a post of their own. I am always instantly drawn to any illustrations by Fotheringham.

And then Corey said during the discussion that she is in the midst of raising two boys and trying to find great literature to which they can connect. She had a fan for life at that point. :)

And, finally, a narrative NF picture book by Tanya Lee Stone.



When I was in high school, I took a great art history class. I can still remember the day that the teacher showed the slide (yes, from a slide reel) of a mobile by Alexander Calder. I was inspired and awed by the majesty of this simple sculpture suspended in midair. Before this panel, I am ashamed to say that I had not read the any of Stone's nonfiction! I also did not know about this book on Calder! It is a beautiful book that conveys the depth of Calder's devotion to his craft and the dichotomy of this large man creating this delicate circus made from wire that attracted the attention of millions. Kulikov's colorful and detailed illustrations pull the reader into Calder's creative process as he works to make his vision a reality.

What am I reading now?

I was just so impressed with the discussions of the depth of research that goes into these books. It made me want to read the books because I know that every fact has been triple checked...and then checked one more time. It made me realize, once again, how important it is to connect kids with authors because hearing about their process is important for becoming both a writer and a reader.



I am listening to Almost Astronauts when I run and also when I do the household drudgery.



I am reading Beyond Courage by Rappaport.



Also reading a little fiction.....

On deck....
Still more NF from the panel.

Padlet and Lino - Web Based Bulletin Boards

My week of practicing what I learned at TLA continues!

One site that I heard about in many sessions was Padlet. (Padlet used to be called Wallwisher.) I tried it out today by creating a bulletin board about three of my favorite narrative nonfiction picture books about strong women. This site is so user friendly and visually appealing. Elements are easy to add, easy to move, and offer several interactive options. The wall/bulletin board can also be shared so that group members can add their own posts, votes, thoughts, etc. Users are also given a QR code for their wall that can be shared. Padlet would be great for showing what they know, voting, discussing, and it's just a fun way to share learning.

Created with Padlet

Padlet reminds me a lot of Lino. I created a Lino board last year about Wonder by Palacio. Again, this has the option for sharing with a group so that others can contribute, but it does not want to work well with Blogger, so I've had trouble sharing it here. Lino is  very user friendly, and could be used for the same types of activities as Padlet. And it's just plain fun to use colored "sticky notes" on the computer screen!

There are other web based wall/BB tools available. I found this list that seems to have several options (and several things in the list that don't really apply, of course. An example of why we have to think critically when we Google and find info on the Internet! Great teaching opportunity.).

http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/edge.cfm?sort=recent&page=1&c=19

iBuildApp - Making Your Own App

This is a screenshot of the App that Henry and I created today! Here is THE LINK to our app where the buttons actually work!

I learned so many wonderful things at the TLA convention last week, and I am spending some time practicing them so that I will really know how to use them!

One of the web based tools that I heard about was iBuildApp.com. This is a site that lets a user create their very own tablet or phone app for free! Henry, my kindergartener, is home sick from school today, so we gave it a try. He chose to make an app about one of his favorite presidents, George Washington, that lists facts, fun facts, and his favorite books about GW. Yes, I realize that "facts" and "fun facts" are very similar, but he insisted that these be the buttons. I think he really means "facts" and "fun trivia," but we will definitely go with his word choice.

We worked together on this, and I don't think most kindergarteners could do it completely alone. Older elementary students could do this with minimal help. There are a few problems in the WYSIWYG editor. I could not get the background color to change, although I found the button for this. When I changed the text size, it did not show in the editor, but it did show on the preview screen. I think this tool still has a few glitches, but I'm sure these will be worked out. Some of our issues could have been user error. That is always a possibility! I think that the ability to create their own apps will be very appealing to students as a way to show what they've learned.

Students could use this to create ebooks of their own writing, for any school project, to classify books that they've read and show them to friends....the possibilities are endless. These apps can also be changed and updated when necessary. GREAT tool!

Poetry Booktalks with Avatars

Today is the last day of Poetry Month, so I thought I'd create a couple of booktalks for poetry books using avatars I made at Voki, a website that I heard about at one of the sessions I attended last week at the TLA convention. 

First up, Step Gently Out written by Helen Frost & pictures by Rick Lieder. For this one, I called in and recorded my own voice for the avatar's words.








Next up is Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Coombs and illustrated by Meilo So. I chose to type in my text and use a fish with an animated ocean background (fun!) and an Australian accent (even more fun!) for this one.






My review of Voki: This website is easy to use for creating avatars, and I think children will enjoy the multitude of options available. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to change the basic characters because the different categories are on a very small sliding bar under the "Head" option. Once I understood how to get to all the choices, the rest of it was very simple. My audio is not perfect on the avatar where I called in, but I think that is probably more a function of my phone than the website, and also it could possibly be affected by my LouisiTexas accent! When I entered my text for Water Sings Blue, I hit a character limit that would not let me include everything I wanted to say. 

Final thoughts: I think kids will jump at the chance to use these, and it's also a great way to let them include themselves in a project without using their actual picture when there are privacy concerns. These could be used in conjunction with many other applications to add interest and variation, and I know students will come up with so many more ideas than I ever could!

April 29 - It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Joining in with Teach Mentor Texts!

I've read a few books this week! One because I worked hard to get it read during TLA, and the others occurred during bedtime routines and a date night to Barnes and Noble with my handsome/amazing husband.



The Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure. Ill. by Timothy Basil Ering
Which readers? 3rd and up

This little book reads like a novel, but the research and careful attention to detail tell the reader the real-life story of the Savage of Aveyron from France in the late 1700s/early 1800s. Losure's obviously meticulous research shows through in the many varied sources that she uses to anchor this story as much as possible. There are many times when she has to make suppositions as the story of this boy's life moves forward, but these are clearly noted. Losure's story follows "Victor" from the forests of France to unhappy institutions and eventually to people who genuinely love him and become family. Losure's afterword also show how the efforts to help this boy affect modern educational pedagogy (i.e., Maria Montessori's methods).



Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. Ill. by Tony Fucile
Which readers? K and up

Henry (our kindergartener, age 6) and I have a special place in our heart for the Bink & Gollie series. It's smart, precocious, and just so witty. I'll come straight to the point. This one just really didn't get the same amazed reaction from either of us. I had to explain a lot of things to him. He didn't understand Gollie's brush with royalty in the first chapter at all. The book didn't hold his attention, and he thought it was really very strange that Bink smeared peanut butter on her sculpture made from her recycled Stretch-O-Matic machine. As we progressed through the book, the word that kept flitting through my head was "disjointed." We are still hardcore B&G fans. We will be the first in line for the next installment. But this third in the series is just no Two for One.


October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Leslea Newman
Which readers? Older Middle school +

One of my favorite literature professors from TWU, Dr. Sylvia Vardell, writes a wonderful poetry blog. Every January, she publishes her "Best Of" poetry list for the previous year. I try to read as many of these as I can. This week, I read this beautiful book of poetry telling the story of the death of Matthew Shepard from many different viewpoints, such as the bartender who was the last friendly person he talked to, the police officers, his family, the killers, and even the fence post to which he was tied. Newman's poetry is sparse, haunting, and most definitely thought provoking.



National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry ed. by J. Patrick Lewis
Which readers? Preschool and up

This is another great selection highlighted on Dr. Vardell's list. This delightful collection is wonderful because of both the poems and the pictures. For some reason, I put off picking up this book for the longest time because it had that National Geographic logo on it. I guess that is because that logo makes it seem a bit like a manufactured series to me, but this is definitely a gem of a poetry collection.





A Long Way Away: A Two Way Story by Frank Viva
Which readers? Preschool and up

I picked up this little picture book last night, and I was immediately grabbed by the unique illustrations that have a nostalgic, retro feel. I gave it four stars on GoodReads....probably influenced by the fact that it has an average of 3.64 stars. (hanging head in shame. Must not let my personal opinion be swayed by GoodReads averages!!!). I have thought of this lovely little book several times today. The colors are so striking, and the unique nature of the book (you can read it forwards...or backwards for a different story!). Then I noticed a  7-Imp blog post via The Niblings on FB about this author and his upcoming book about Frank Lloyd Wright! If you write about FLW, you have my full attention. Frank Viva is now officially on my watch list! High honors. haha.

What am I reading next? Oh, I just don't know! Too tired after TLA and a family visit this weekend! Will decide tomorrow (writing this on Sunday night). I have The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop and  The Quilt Walk among about 10 others in my book bag.

TLA Convention 2013 Wrap Up

I was ecstatic to get to go to the Texas Library Association Annual Convention this year! It was held in Fort Worth, and of course that was very convenient for me. I drove down to the airport every day and parked at the TRE Station, and then I rode the train into downtown Fort Worth and walked the couple of blocks to the convention.

It has been a few years since I've been able to attend a convention. Actually, the last time I went, I kept feeling strange waves of nausea during the sessions. It turned out those waves of nausea were the beginnings of Leo. It was basically impossible to attend with a child in preschool (9am-2pm), a child in elementary school, a full-time working/commuting husband, and the travel that would have been involved because the convention was not local. So when I say that I was ecstatic in my first sentence, you can picture me beaming on the train to Fort Worth and then floating down the sidewalk to the convention center. It was a very big deal to me. It was something I was doing just for my career, and a symbol that we have entered a new stage in our family's development. Same as when I went back to work in the fall.

Oh, and I saw lots of great authors! I ran into Blue Balliett in the bathroom, and I exclaimed "Oh! I've read your books!" before I could stifle myself. I could possibly be on her stalker list now. Hopefully not. :)

OK, enough introspection! Listed below are the sessions I attended. It's fun just to look back at what I learned, and I also want to have the list to refer to in the future.


WEDNESDAY
12pm - 50 Years of Librarianship: Trends from the Texas Library Journal. During this session, I realized that I was sitting in front of my supervisor from my school librarian practicum (think student teaching for librarians), and we had a lovely chat after the session.

1pm - Bytes of Technology: Fill Your  Plate with 21st Century Learning tools in the School Library. I picked up so many great new apps, websites, etc. during this! Now I need to go and try each one so that I really understand them.

2pm - Connecting the Caldecott Award Books to the Science TEKS. An Irving ISD school librarian gave examples of how he uses Caldecott Books to teach the science TEKS. Great ideas and lots of inspiration here.

4pm - Guys Listen with Jon Scieszka. Jon Scieszka presented his new endeavor to get boys reading through audiobooks they will love. We are all avid audiobookers at my house, so all the research about how beneficial audiobooks are was not news to me. I'm so glad someone is focusing on the unique needs of boys. I have listened to SweetFarts twice in my car now. It's definitely NOT my favorite, but the boys love it.

THURSDAY
10:15 am - You're Not Bilingual - So What? Three practicing librarians gave tips, ideas, and many online resources for planning storytimes, ordering materials, etc. when you are a non-bilingual librarian working in a bilingual or multilingual school. Fabulous!

1pm - Free Technology for Teachers: Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration. The famous (in teacher circles, anyway!) Richard Byrne who writes Free Technology for Teachers presented many many MANY fabulous ideas for using technology. Mind. Blown.

2pm - Best of Both: Nonfiction Picture Book Author Discussion Panel. Wow, I was so excited about this one, and it more than lived up to my expectations. I have a special interest in NF lit for kids, and this was a panel discussion among some of my favorite authors and the great author/illustrator Melissa Sweet. I have discussed several of them on my blog - Sweet, Shana Corey from Here Come the Girl Scouts and Candace Fleming who wrote The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. The incomparable Doreen Rappaport and Tanya Lee Stone were also on the panel.

3pm - Tell It! A Storytelling Crash Course. I got to hear some great storytelling, and I heard some great tips for becoming a better storyteller.

FRIDAY
10:15am - School Library 101 or 911. This was an information session for new librarians or librarians who walk into a new job where the library needs a lot of work. There were so many GREAT and PRACTICAL tips here, and lots of real world stories. The librarians were great presenters, and they had my rapt attention. I thought maybe this would be a good session, and I spent most of the weekend telling my husband interesting things that I learned in this one.

11:30am - Lights, Camera, Libraries! Act 1: Using Windows Live Movie Maker (Hands On) - This was a ticketed event that I purchased when I registered. It was just a quick class, but it whet my appetite enough that I am going to give Movie Maker a try soon. And, I actually thought I was going to an iMovie class. I was in a conference daze by this point.

1pm - Copyright - Don't Panic!!! - Two attorneys/librarians presented on copyright. This is always a hot topic for librarians. It was a big room that was full, and most of the attendees were school librarians.

2pm - I started a session, but I found that my brain was just on OVERLOAD! I went to look at the vendors. I got Henry an Elephant and Piggie shirt. No big kid character shirts for Leo, though. I got a coffee and took a break!!!

4pm - Lights, Cameras, Libraries! Act 2: Video Strategies that Work - I attended the second half of the Movie Maker class. Got some Do's and Don't's for making good videos.

And then I caught the train home! Happy Librarian! Great conference.

It's Monday, What are You Reading? (my first time to join in!)

Joining in for the first time on the "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" fun at Teach Mentor Texts.

I am "not working" today, so here is how I spent my morning!



Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff
Which readers? 8 and up

Two-time Newbery Honor winner Giff gives us this lovely novel about home, family, and finding a place to belong. Since the death of her parents when she was a baby, Jayna has been bounced around from foster home to foster home. After a brief and happy stay with her brother, she is forced to live with their landlady when her brother must ship out to serve in the Pacific Theater in WWII. Jayna remembers that her brother mentioned that there was a box on a high shelf that might hold some secrets about their family When news comes that her brother might not return, she decides to take her destiny in her own hands and find out if there is a place where she might really belong.

This is a fast read, and it involves a little bit of a ghost story. The ghost is friendly, and there is nothing here that will scare young readers. There are several little mysteries wrapped up in this story, and readers will enjoy unwrapping all the little puzzle pieces to find the whole picture. I think third grade and up, especially girls, will enjoy this heartwarming tale.


Unwholly by Neal Shusterman
Which readers? middle school and up

Eek, this awful picture after that sweet little title above! With only one John Green title left that I haven't read, I am waiting to read An Abundance of Katherines. I listened to Unwind by Shusterman last week, so this week I am reading Unwholly on the Ipad. I am enjoying it, so far, but I'm not devouring it as quickly as I did the first in the series. Perhaps the difference is because I am not listening to it. I also listened to Bruiser by Shusterman in the last couple of weeks. Although I had mixed feelings about the ending and some aspects of the story troubled me, I fell in love with Bruiser in spite of myself.

What's on deck? This is what's in my cart on Amazon and on hold at the library: (And I can't WAIT to read the next Bink and Gollie with my very favorite kindergartener!)