PASTA! PASTA!

Everyday I watch Governor Cuomo. It's my one set routine.  My daughter sits with me when she can. My friends and I text each other. "He just made me laugh," I type. "And cry," one replies.  It's one daily routine we can have in this upside down world.  Yesterday, he talked about being with his Italian family every Sunday.  They would get together for an early dinner and eat spaghetti and meatballs.  I bet it was awesome. He then shared how he attempted to continue this tradition with his own girls.  Knowing he wasn't a good cook, he would go to an Italian shop, buy the meatballs and sauce but cook it on the stove.  His daughters were skeptical (as they should be if he wasn't a good cook) and would just pick around them not aware they store bought. Joke's on them now.

Today's bipartisan post is dedicated to Governor Cuomo and the theme is pasta.

Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti

Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti  by Anna Grossnickle Hines was a "book on tape" my daughter frequently checked out of the library.  It started with a catchy tune that my husband and I still sing. 🎶 Daddy makes the best spaghetti...🎶 The book was published in 1986 so some things about it are dated. For one, not all families look like the one in this book. In fact, mine in 1986 didn't look like it. But, after hearing Cuomo's story about his not making the spaghetti, I just had to kick off the post with it.

The author's website has some ideas you can do related to the book.  Here are a few that can be done together whether you read (or sing) the book:

• Ask people: "What is your favorite food?"  Make a graph to show the results.
• Ask people "What is your least favorite chore?" Make a graph to show the results.
• Make placemats: Use paper that is about 12 x 18" and decorate them (color, paint, collage). Maybe make a special one for each person that you live with. If you happen to have contact paper around, you can cover the front and back with it so they can be wiped off and used over and over again.
• Make a recipe book: Fill in the blanks of this sentence-My _____ makes the best _____. Get the recipe, write it down and then draw a picture to go with it. Do this with different people and foods. Put them together and now you have a cookbook!

Strega Nona

Another favorite of Tari's and her parents 😉 was Caldecott honor winning Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola.  It also has a song we still sing.

You can find a ton of activities online to pair with this book.   Scholastic has a bunch including some great discussion questions (Was Strega Nona's punishment for Big Anthony fair? Why or why not? What punishment would you give him? Why do you think Big Anthony disobeyed Strega Nona? Do you think he would do it again? What does it mean that "the punishment must fit the crime"? What is the theme or message of the book?

If you have play dough around, you can make figures of Strega Nona, Big Anthony, the pasta pot or all three.  Don't have play dough? Most homemade recipes call for cream of tartar, not an ingredient we usually have in the house.  I found this one that doesn't call for it.

This activity guide from Storylineonline has many more ideas including making stained glass pasta, how to have a "pasta party", a pizza recipe and ideas for virtual field trips to Calabria.

Noodleheads

Who doesn't love the Noodlehead books?  These are perfect for our emerging readers.  One even won a Geisel honor.  They are hilarious.  I love using them for choral read alouds with first grade. Even if you can't get the books on Sora, you can still check out this great document filled with activities--bookmarks, coloring pages, word find, games...It should keep you busy for a while.

This is a picture of my friend, Amy from Denver, and I when we were together at ALA in New Orleans in 2018.  FUN!

Noodlemania: 50 Playful Pasta Recipes

Every Friday the fifth grade Reading Ambassadors and I have a lunch meeting.  I've been trying to keep it up virtually.  The past two weeks a strong but small group has been attending.  I shared my screen and we read this cookbook together. It was fun! The use of food coloring in some of the recipes make them look less than appetizing. Ha! I  will definitely be purchasing the print book for the library. It has easy pasta recipes and small facts throughout.  Check it out on Sora and get cooking!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Who doesn't love this one?  There is an overabundance of ideas of things you can do with this book.  Want to make a "Delicious Wacky Weather Forecast"? Check out this link for tips on how to do it!  I found a couple of different versions of read aloud for the book.

This one is the actual book:

This one is a little longer and goes along more with the movie:

Read the book, watch the movies and compare.  Then maybe you can write the script for movie #3?

Finally...

For my older friends, want to watch a video on how a chef tries to invent new pasta shapes?
She goes on a wacky scavenger hunt (maybe you can make one throughout your house and backyard) and then gets to work in the test kitchen.

Are you hungry yet?  Craving pasta for lunch or dinner? Sorry!  But, don't blame me.  Blame Governor Cuomo 😁 BON APPETITE!

Get ready to LOL!

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
By Jessica Kim

An aspiring comedian myself (no joke, a secret of apsiration of mine for sure!), I definitely want to read this one. Fifth grade Reading Ambassador, Jess, grabbed it when it came in a box of arcs and here's what she had to say about it:

Have you ever dreamed of being a stand up comedian? Have you ever done something your parents wouldn't allow you to do? Well, then you can relate to Yumi Chung. 

Yumi loves comedy and wants to figure out a way to do it without her parents figuring out. Her parents always brag about her sister's accomplishments because she goes to medical school but Yumi doesn't really have any accomplishments so her mom sometimes makes them up. Yumi also feels overruled by her parents like they tell her how she should wear her hair and that she can't do comedy.

Every morning in the summer, Yumi's parents pay for her to go to Hagwan, an educational program.  It ends at noon and Yumi is expected to go to the library afterward to study.  Instead, she sneaks into the HaHa Club, conveniently located across the street from the library. Yumi's favorite YouTuber also happens to be the counselor of the camp there so Yumi goes there every day instead of the library.

On top on everything else, a new steakhouse opens down the street from Chung's Steakhouse, the restaurant owned by Yumi's parents. Workers from Chung's quit because they would get paid more at the new restaurant.  Money starts getting tight for the Chung family and they can't pay the rent. Yumi has an idea to to save the day! How does she do it? Will Yumi's parents find out she's not going to the library? Will Yumi finally make her parents proud of her? You'll have to read this book to find out!

This book was really good! Yumi's jokes made me laugh and sometimes even giggle out loud. It even inspired me to learn some jokes and write my own. Put it on your TBR list for March 2020!

The Big Break

Time for another book review!
This one by fifth grade Reading Ambassador, Will.

The Big Break by Mark Tatulli
Due out March 2020

Last year my cousins and I went camping. We left the adults at the campsite by the fire and went exploring. First we crossed a tilted bridge. Then we took a grown in path into the woods. We saw some geckos and salamanders.  After we finished the path, we popped out into the other end of our campground. It was an adventure.

Russ and Andrew, the two main characters of The Big Break, also like adventures. In this graphic novel, they like to go monster hunting after school. They are searching for the Jersey Devil. But as the hunt goes on and they can't find it, Russ gets angry at Andrew. Russ starts to think monsters aren't real and this whole thing is stupid. Will the boys find the monster and become friends again?

I thought this was a great book because in real life it's normal to get angry at your friends. It's worth it to work through the aggravation of disagreements.  I read this book in two days and it was hard to put down. I would read it every morning and night. I would rate this book five stars!  

A review of NORMAL:

One Kids's Extraordinary Journey

By Magdalena & Nathaniel Newman

Review by Emma

Fifth grade Reading Ambassador, Emma, came in this morning to give me this review of NORMAL.  It comes out in January. Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Kids, we received an advanced copy and Emma was the first one to read it.  Here are her thoughts in her words.  Looks like we should all purchase it for our libraries.

This is a true story.

Nathaniel wasn't what you called "normal." He was born with Treacher Collins, a deformity where bones aren't where they should be and where they should be but aren't there. The surgeries he had to have were so expensive that his family almost had no money for groceries. Before the age of 16, he had 67 surgeries.

Nathaniel had a passion for swimming but he couldn't swim because he had a tracheostomy, a whole in his throat, so if he got water in him, he would choke. He couldn't breathe through his mouth because he a bone behind his nose and his jaw was too small. He tongue would take up his whole entire mouth. 

Technically, Nathaniel was deaf. He had no ear on the outside of his face. This hurt his mom, Magdalena because she was a pianist. 

In kindergarten, Nathaniel's dad wrote a note to his class and the community saying that Nathaniel was different but the same.  His dad wrote that Nathaniel is still a kindergartener and has dreams to go after just like everyone else. Even though his dad did this ahead of time, Nathaniel still got bullied and asked why he looked so scary.  

Fast forward to when Nathaniel was 12. He had to have screws in his head to help get his skull form the proper way. This took four months. His mouth and eyes were sewn shut during this time. 

Now Nathaniel is 16 and during the filming of the movie, Wonder, the crew of 20/20 followed him around. Word got out to Christina Aguilera. Nathaniel visited her at her mansion and she sang, "Beautiful" to him.  The message they hoped others would receive is "No one is facially alike, but they are all beautiful."

Nathaniel and his mom were inspired to share their story--anything is possible even if you have a disorder.

I like how Nathaniel kept persevering.  He taught me to persevere because even though he was always sick he fought through the pain. He taught me to be thankful for the small things because not everyone is gifted with things like hearing and breathing. He also taught me that things don't always work out the way you want but keep pushing to achieve your goals and follow your dreams. 

I give this book 4 and half stars. I really couldn't put it down. I stayed up for like 2-3 hours reading the last hundred pages. I just wanted to know how Nathaniel dealt with the pain, the bullying and life. I would love to meet Nathaniel now. He seems like a really cool guy and he's a role model to me.

We Made a Difference Today

Nine 6th graders plus

Assemblyman Breslin with students from Albany HS, too!

Two 7th graders plus
Three 11th graders plus
Two 12th graders plus
A principal plus
Two librarians plus
A dedicated library volunteer
EQUALS the Schodack Central School District contingent to the New York Library Association Advocacy Day 2019 (#NYLAAD19).

Their powerful young voices shared how important it is to them to have a certified school librarian at the elementary school (not mandated in New York State).  And, in the high school, to help prepare them for college and beyond.
They enthusiastically shared how the library is their safe and happy place for readers at all levels.
They listened and nodded and agreed and screamed "LIBRARIES" at the conclusion of each visit.
And even if they didn't understand all that we were advocating for, they nodded and participated and were eager to speak to up and let their voices be heard.
At the rally, they found legislators that they connected to ("the guy from Brooklyn"), clapped often and proudly waved their homemade signs advocating for libraries and school librarians.

Meeting in Assemblyman Tague's office

Meeting in Senator Jordan's office

They could have said it was boring. They could have complained about the sitting around and waiting and yet, they knew it was worth it.  It was fun and they felt good inside. They made a difference today. WE made a difference today.

Meeting with Assemblyman Ashby

Some Middle Grade Reviews by Middle Grade Readers

Sixth grade Reading Ambassadors are hungry for brand new books and I love that I can feed that desire.  Here are some reviews of books that came out last year or about to come out.  All positive stars!

Coming in February to a library (bookstore, Overdrive account) near you...

Eventown 

By Corey Ann Haydu

(Katherine Tegen Books)

Elodee has to move to a new town called Eventown.  She loves it, but there is something odd.  Everything is perfect.  Her twin sister starts to drift away. Elodee asks about the town.  No one can give a good answer.  

I think that this book deserves five stars.  It is fun to read and I could not put it down. It is a combination of sad and fun.

And a couple overdue reviews on books that came out last year that we missed...

Frederick Sandwich and the Earthquake that Couldn't Possibly Be 

By Kevin John Scott
(Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky)

Frederick Sandwich gets teased by other kids all the time.  One night the town shakes.  It is an earthquake but they are not in a place where the earthquakes happen. The mayor forces the town to believe there was no earthquake.  Frederick and a girl, Pernille, try to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I really like this book because it is fun to read.  I could not put it down.  Anybody who likes mysteries should read this book.

My Year in the Middle

By Lila Quintero Weaver

(Candlewick)

By Ailie.

#WhalesForACause

Dear Vineyard Vines, Simon and Schuster and First Book,
     Last week my 6th grade Reading Ambassadors worked hard on designing these #WhalesForACause. I especially like Evan's (see above), who chose to include the titles of many of his most recent favorite books written by authors he loves.  And Izzy's creation who went above and beyond to glue a horn on her whale.  Her favorite author is Adam Gidwitz.  Is it a coincidence that his new series is called The Unicorn Rescue Society?
     Thank you for donating books to kids in need. If you ever need recommendations, now you know who you could turn to.
Sincerely,
Stacey Rattner, Leaping Librarian and her Reading Ambassadors
Castleton Elementary School
Castleton, New York

\

 

This is Zach's.  Can you tell he's a dairy farmer?

 

Books and authors in Evan's whale: Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King, The Vanderbeekers of 141 St by Karina Yan Glaser, Slider by Peter Haut, The Someday Birds by Sally J Pal and Booked, The Crossover and Rebound all by Kwame Alexander.

Winnie's Great War

I'm starting to recruit a new batch of reviewers. 5th grade Reading Ambassador, Ayla, came in this morning eager to share her thoughts on Winnie's Great War by Lindsay Mattick & Josh Greenhut with art by Sophie Blackall which she read over the weekend.

"I cried at the end of the book because it was a really touching, good story. This book is the story of how Winnie, a bear, became 'Winnie-the-Pooh.'

"Harry is a soldier who bought Winnie for $20 in 1914. Harry had to bring Winnie to the zoo while the War was going on because he didn't want to risk Winnie's life. Winnie was really sad without Harry. The zookeeper had special guests visit her to try and make her happier. When Harry came to visit Winnie for the first time at the zoo, she jumped on him. I felt happy for Winnie. But then Harry had to leave Winnie to go back to the war.

"I would rate the book 10 out of 10 stars. I liked learning about Winnie's story throughout the book. I would recommend this book to a friend.  I would say to them if you want to read a book about a funny and outgoing bear, this is the one! And even if you don't, read it anyway!

"Winnie was my favorite character because she was funny. Before Harry had to drop her off at the zoo, they were at the campsite and Winnie always liked to roll around in the mud and play games with Harry and the other soldiers. One time the soldiers hid a sock and Winnie had to find it. It was funny because she went wandering in a cave to find it. It may not sound funny, but the way it was described in the book made me giggle and smile.

"So how did this Winnie become the most famous bear?  You'll just have to read the book to find out! It comes out in September!  Be patient! It's worth it!"

Thank you, Ayla and welcome to the world of leaping book reviews.

All in a day's work...

From sunrise to sunset and beyond, this was a full day if I ever had one.

World Feast

Mrs. Yager's third graders have been working for weeks in preparation for our World Feast on Tuesday night.  They have researched and taken notes on a country using Culturegrams, Britannica, World Book and print books.  This week I am interviewing them as an 8 year old from that country in the library and in the classroom they are designing displays with information and pictures.  At home they are working with their parents in finding a food to share from their country.  I love this project!

Gala Kickoff

In less than two months, Caldecott medalist Matthew Cordell, will be walking through our Castleton Elementary hallways. What?!  I still can't believe it's happening!  It is very unlike me to do the same project two years in a row but we are.  It's our #PictureAPoem Gala collaboration between fifth grade ELA, art and library.  Today we kicked it off by talking about how illustrators and authors don't usually get together to discuss the book and how our students will be illustrating someone else's poem for our gala in May.  I collected poems without names on them. Tomorrow they will "shop" for a poem that speaks to them written by a student from a different class.  It will be glued into their sketchbook and the rest of the work will be completed in art. Mark your calendars--May 9 will be here before you know it! I can only hope we don't have to worry about the threat of snow then.

Pi Day

I love this day, 3.14...probably because it's an excuse to throw a party in the library, a place of many numbers.  And boy did we party.  Between PI cookies, pie, cookies and more, it was quite the dessert feast.  We did watch the Brainpop video on "Pi" and started a 3.14 scavenger hunt.  One thing I learned today:  I want to visit Garden City, Georgia.  They are home to the PI zip code.

Book Exchanges

Sadly, I don't have a library assistant and haven't for many years.  But I more than manage with my three grandmother volunteers.  Until one of them goes on vacation or calls in sick.  That's what happened today.  Fortunately, teachers are flexible and classes came in when I was able to help them. I do love book exchange.  I love when kids find books by people we love.

Note: Both of these books are illustrated by Matt Cordell!

The Wild Robot Escapes

My third grade book WILD ROBOT group is chomping at the bit to begin a part II book group with the sequel.  Arletta and I preordered the book so we are READY!  Of course, I already have three books going on right now and adding a fourth might send me a little over the edge...

ReadOver/SleepOver Prep

Second and third graders were invited to sleep over at school Friday night.  FUN!  I got involved in this PTO event a few years ago and now invite an author or illustrator to be a part of it. No, they don't (and neither do I) have to sleep over.  This year we are doing a Jigsaw Jones mystery themed evening starring our own local author, James Preller.  Dewey Duty and Reading Ambassadors began working on welcome signs for Jimmy this morning.  

Here's Mrs. Charsky checking out a Jigsaw Jones book to read aloud to her class.

NYLA Conference Call

Wait? What?  This was a fun sight to see.  I promise I was listening, just multitasking.  I carried my phone around with me in the library as I picked up to get ready to go and listened in on our Continuing Education Committee meeting call.  Don't worry! It was on mute when the custodian asked me if there was any pie left.

Music in Our Schools

This is a national month celebration, right?  Anyway, our whole community comes out for an evening of performances by students from the elementary school, middle school and high school.  We had second graders singing, middle schoolers rockin' out and high schoolers jammin'.  It really was awesome.  Yes, I had two performers in it but I did say more than once, you'll see me there in 2025 when I don't anymore.  But that's getting just a little ahead of myself...

When the day was happening, I didn't think I would ever get horizontal tonight.  But finally I see the light (or the dark if you want to be literal).  All in all, a great day with so much going on. This isn't even all of it!  Looking forward to see what tomorrow brings...

How to Be an Elephant

As Picture Book Month wraps up, I wanted to share another guest blog post by Leah and Izzy. If you have not seen or read this new book by Katherine Roy, you really need to.  It very well could medal Sibert and Caldecott.  It's gorgeous.  But enough from me, here is their review:

Have you ever wondered what elephants need to know to survive in the wild? In How To Be An Elephant: Growing up to be an Elephant in the African Wild by Katherine Roy, you learn everything you ever wanted to know about elephants from what an elephant needs to learn, to facts about the elephant family to how much space an elephant needs to live.

The illustrations are SPECTACULAR and detailed. Our favorite is the last page. All the illustrations are the best we have seen in our life. They all look realistic.  

“Every time I see an elephant on this page and all the pages, I just think about how elephants are my favorite animal.  I always liked them a lot but it kind of taught me more than I already knew.”-Leah

Reading the book makes learning about elephants fun. It teaches everyone about elephants. There are so many facts in the book that we didn’t know about elephants! Did you know herds only have female elephants (besides the young male elephants)? Also, did you know that young elephants use their trunks to smell things to figure out what they are because they don't have very good vision?

Want to learn more about elephants? If so then How To Be An Elephant is the perfect book for you!

Leah and Izzy chose to read this book to Mrs. Golden's first graders in honor of Picture Book Month. Here are a few extra facts they shared:

1. Elephants need food to live. They eat many things. Their six sets of of molars help them chew food.
2. The sound an elephant makes goes really far--2 - 6 miles!
3. Elephants keep at the right temperature all the time. They use their ears to cool off and heat up.
4. Elephants help change the land. They grow plants, strip bark and dig places for water.

Windows

Today my blog was taken over by fifth grade Reading Ambassadors, Macy and Brianna, to review the beautiful new picture book by Julia Denos and E.B. Goodale in honor of Picture Book Month.  This gorgeous book is definitely a Caldecott contender! And they didn't mention it, but there's a surprise under the case that you don't want to miss!

Windows by Julia Denos

Illustrated by E.B. Goodale

If you like creative, colorful and fun books this book is for you!  This book title is ‘Windows’. It has beautiful illustrations and color.  This book is great for people who like picture books and not a lot of words, but the words explain a lot.  I think it is a book for everyone.  There aren’t a lot of hard words so younger kids can read it.  This book is about a boy who looks out his window and notices people doing chores or learning how to do something. This book is Great!

-Macy L. and Brianna E.

Personally, the little details on every page are remarkable: the dog's leash, the screen door, the clothes on the line, a light switch, a bellybutton, a sewing machine, a grocery cart.  A story about a warm walk through the neighborhood and a final cozy cuddle comes alive with completely breathtaking illustrations .

-Ms. Rattner

Relationships, Stephen Savage, and Twitter! Oh my!

A few weeks ago I attended a Binghamton University (SUNY-Binghamton when I was there) alumni event.  The school is trying to relaunch the club since 3000 alumni live here in the Albany area.  I was curious, especially since my daughter is a rising HS sophomore, and went with my cousin, class of '08.  There was a guy from the class of '77, me (class of '91), a guy from '98 and then more people from the 2000's and later.  I spent the most amount of time chatting with Rodell, '16. Rodell was there alone and had been living and working in Albany since November.  Maybe he came to make friends? Network? See old friends? Find a date?  Whatever it was, I was impressed.  An elementary school librarian may not be the person he was hoping of meeting that night and I might not be the most helpful in his engineering career but it did get me thinking about...

...relationships.  Personal connections and relationships.  I don't doubt we live in a world of high tech, instant contact, social media explosions, however, it got me thinking that when those tools are used wisely and with heart, you can move mountains. Or at least make a difference in the lives of some kids.

It's been a long time since I blogged.  June seems to have come and gone in a flash.  Now it is the end and summer has finally begun.  This summer not only am I hoping to read a #bookaday (chapter books, if possible) but to blog more (daily may be impossible), run so I can enjoy my sweets and lattes and forge more personal relationships with book creators.

My last of seven illustrator/author visits of the year was with, I think I can now confidently say, my friend, Stephen Savage. And even though we had Skyped a few months earlier, I believe that friendship became solidified with a tweet that got his school visit rolling:

From that one tweet, Rachel Person from the Northshire Bookstore, sent out an email and five months later Steve was walking my red carpet runway celebrating the book birthday of Little Plane Learns to Write. So, I will never knock social media but I will say, during that time he and I actually chatted on the phone twice, sent many emails back and forth to each other and I convinced him to have "dinner at Doe's" the night before his visit so we could form a 20th century friendship beyond social media.

Here are some snapshots from our great day with Steve. 
BTW--friend or foe, I highly recommend him for a school visit. Start knocking at his door today like I did...

Welcoming Steve the night before at Dinner at Doe's (far left)

Skywriting Like Little Plane at the Reading Ambassador Breakfast Little Plane Birthday Party

 

With the fifth grade Reading Ambassadors

Assemblies

 

More Birthday Celebrating with Dewey Duty Helpers

Flying out (and leaping) on our Runway

Until next time--Looking forward to you landing and leaping in Castleton again soon!

Thanks to Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Spring, NY and Macmillian for making this possible.  Saratoga is a great place to visit and the bookstore is a lovely spot right there on Broadway.  What a great way to end our school year!

Endnote:

I have to throw this in here while we are talking about the positive power of social media.  Here's another friendship that was forged, again, just from one tweet on August 14, 2014: