So it's no surprise that when a good day comes to an end, my tissues are close by. The sun sets and it's hard for me to imagine that another one is in the wings. And yet, there always is. Elisha Cooper's new book, yes & no brings up all these kind of feels and I have to say after several reads, I still get choked up at the ending.
Paired with the good feels, this book also brings in a bit of that frustration I've definitely expressed many times early in my parental career. "Grrrr...Get outside and play. Now."
In the end, this book of few words and even fewer varied text, is a true winner. It's gorgeous. Fun. Funny. Sad. Gets your heart rate going. Offers a breath of fresh air and scenery. Wraps up so perfectly and honestly. Because I agree with the playful dog. "The day was good but now it's done." Sigh. yes...
So skip or run or leap to hilltop and scream, "YES. YES. YES. YES. yes. YES!" because this one is definitely a winner.
By the way, my kindergartners love it. They're riveted. And bonus, now they know what an ampersand is.
My son Zack, the Z in the YouTube channel, RTWJAZ, and his best friend, John (the "J") decided in the late summer that they wanted to attempt the 46 Adirondack high peaks and document each hike through their videos. I was thrilled with the idea because since they will need adult accompaniment I happily volunteered to join the challenge as well.
As of late September, we got two down. Woohoo! Only 44 to go. I'm not afraid of the road more or less travelled and excited for this new adventure ahead of us. Video #1 below 👇
Warning: This video will get you singing Imagine Dragons and craving to be on top of the world, too.
Hike
In the very early days of lockdown, I heard about this new book, Hike by Pete Oswald. His book birthday was approaching (March 17) so, I sent him an email and asked if we could virtually celebrate together. He graciously declined since he was very busy (remote teaching, deadlines, etc) but appreciated the support. So here we are nearly eight months later and I'm still celebrating and thinking about this gorgeous, wordless picture book. It would be the perfect gift for anyone looking to embrace a walk in the woods, not necessarily the high peaks, with someone special.
Zack, John and I each have a scratch off map of the high peaks. It was satisfying to take that penny and scratch off Cascade and Porter. Here are the photos from my leap log. Goal: 46 leaps on 46 peaks. #46leaps46peaks
Cascade Mountain: Peak Leap 1 of 46
Porter Mountain: Peak Leap 2 of 46
Notice the sneakers and old backpack. Yes, I'm still a novice. Any guesses on what's on my Chanukah list?
See you on the other side of March. We've decided that as much as the boys might think they could hike now, it's probably not too smart to make #3 a winter hike. But if we get a bunch scratched off by this time next year. Maybe?
PS:
Do you follow Kate Messner on Twitter or Instagram? She posts so many beautiful Adirondack photos. She was also a recent guest on the new video show Steve Sheinkin and I host, Author Fan Face-Off, answering questions on Breakout, a book that is set in those awesome mountains.
I have never been prouder of my mom. Every day and when I say every day, I mean EVERY SINGLE DAY (what weekends?) she has been making calls all over the country for her party and candidates. And if you know my mom, she's not like me leaping all over the globe, and yet she feels so passionate about this election and her causes, that as much as talking to strangers every.single.day is out of her comfort zone, she is still doing it.
My daughter's 18th birthday is today. Boy is she glad to have made it to 18 in time. We recently got the text that her absentee ballot was mailed with two stamps on the envelope.#proudparents
The early voting lines have been crazy. Honestly though, when we waited last night I really didn't mind. No civil unrest as people patiently waited over an hour to participate in their civil duty. I was the 2000th voter in our polling place. Wouldn't it have been cool to be two people behind and get Tari's birth year?
I've been sprinkling some Election Day talk into my lessons with K/1. One of my very favorite voting books is Vote for Me by Ben Clanton. A donkey and elephant are vying for your vote and it even gets a bit nasty. When I was in kindergarten I'm sure I couldn't tell you who was president. But these kids are in the know. "We're voting for president and it's Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden," exclaimed one little girl. "Vote for Joe Biden because he tells you to wear a mask," exclaimed another. Ohhh-kay, I nodded and quickly moved the conversation back to being nonpartisan.
Today a first grader asked me who I voted for. "That's very private. You don't have to share that information with anyone." I said. We read Vote for Our Future by Magaret McNamara and illustrated by Micah Player. I had just enough time to hand out, fold and color these thank you cards.
But wait there's more: This summer the YA romcom, The Voting Booth, by Brandy Colbert was released. I rushed listened to it in one day in preparation for a Crowdcast event she was in. Waiting in line to vote and hearing my mom's stories about how she asks people about their plans to vote, I can't help to think back to July when I read this book. It's my kind of romance mixed up with advocacy. Thinking about it now makes me realize I miss my YA character crushes. Who you got for me, Alicia?
A blast into the past: Two years ago, the 4th grade Social Studies teacher and I worked for weeks on an Election Day/Voting project. We researched the Constitution, met elected officials, handed out postcards and made a short video encouraging our community to vote. I found the video and still love it today:
Let your voice be heard. Vote on or before Tuesday. Oh, and if you happen to get a call from a lovely woman asking you for your voting plan, please tell my mom I said hello and I love her. Thanks 😉
My great great grandmother sent five of her nine children in the middle of the night to the US knowing full well, she would never see them again. She believed the gift of a better life for them was worth more than anything else.
I cannot even imagine. Sending my daughter to college in August was painful enough. I am barely surviving with frequent FaceTime calls and daily texts. Yet without my immigrant family working hard for their American dream, Croine's dream for them, we wouldn't all be here today. My admiration for her strength and forethought is overflowing.
Happy Book Birthday to Oscar's American Dream
By Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell
Oscar's American Dream follows one storefront over a century of time. In 1899, Oscar sets foot o Ellis Island from Poland ready to make a dream come true. I wonder, did his mother do the same thing my great great grandmother? He opens a barbershop on the corner of Front and Second and never looks back. Throughout the years, the story follows the property, not the family (with a twist and lemon drop at the end) as the barbershop becomes a clothing store, a soup kitchen, an army recruitment office, a bodega and more. Oh, what stories those walls could tell.
This book has a special place in my heart right at this moment. My mom just finished a wiki type website dedicated to our family history. So cool! I love reading in print how I am connected to all of my cousins (who, yes, I know and love the dozens and dozens of my first, second, third cousins removed and all). Oscar's American Dream is a story of immigrants finding their way in a new land. Like Oscar and the others, my family sought the American dream. They, too, worked hard in their own way as merchants, watchmakers, jewelers and more. (no barbers though).
This week we filmed Ruth Behar against an amazing challenger from Virginia on Ruth's book, Lucky Broken Girl for our Author Fan Face Off. It was great to see Ruth again (remember we have that PS 117/Briarwood, Queens connection). Her latest book, Letters to Cuba, is another immigrant story, which could be paired well with Oscar's American Dream.
You will be inspired to pull out your history books, seek primary documents, explore maps, and dig out old family photos with this one. Think about your own family, home or town. How it has changed over the years? How has it stayed the same? What were your grandparents' or great grandparents' dreams? What are yours? Grab some lemon drops, read Oscar's American Dream and let it take you the next level, whatever that may be. And don't forget, "Immigrants. They get the job done." 🎵 My family, this book, and most likely your family, too, is proof.
Today's post is dedicated to two amazing artists: Laurie Keller and Misty Copeland. Hmmm....competitive me wonders, could I have been the first one to put those two talented women in the same sentence? 🤞
Hello, Arnie!: An Arnie the Doughnut Story by Laurie Keller
It was almost like it was MY birthday last week when this mysterious package arrived. It was Laurie's new book AND a current leaping doughnut of me! Current because I'm in braids. (so yeah, when I rode my bike to Windy Hill Orchards on Sunday to pick up some apple cider doughnuts I made sure to get out my hair tiess. A bunch of my former students work there and I don't think any of them recognized me behind my mask and braids.)
After greeting all his sweet friends, "Hi, Plain!", "Top of the morning, Jelly!" Arnie is confused because there is a new pastry in the bakery. This would be a good time to note, that I have to give Laurie Keller all the credit for naming my morning book club, "Pastries and Prose." What could be this new big pastry, who doesn't even know which try to sit on? Not to worry, though! Our dearly beloved, every-single-if-I-remember-correctly-36-sprinkled chocolate frosted doughnut to the rescue!
I can't wait to share with my students this week! We're going to have fun with it! How long will it take them to figure out who this new delicacy is? Message me later with your guesses! The closest one wins a doughnut!
Meanwhile, I still love this reading of the original Arnie:
Bunheads by Misty Copeland and illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey
I never imagined I would miss driving to dance every day. But boy do I. The time in the car to catch up, laugh, listen to music. Inevitably, with only a few minutes to spare would my daughter take out her bobby pins to start her bun. Why didn't she ever start it sooner? Sigh. Maybe I don't miss that part?
The upside is I'm still a dance mom. Yes! Our daughter is a dance major and happy! We look forward to post-Covid times when we can watch her perform again. Missing her last recital was just as hard for me as it was for her.
But I digress. I'm excited for the book birthday of Bunheads today! It's already received two starred reviews. Woohoo! A beautiful, inspiring story of a young Misty auditioning for the ballet Coppelia. I'm not usually a picture book audio book listener, but Misty Copeland is the narrator of this one and I was already hooked from the 30 second clip I heard.
Will you join me at Politics and Prose Friday night for this event with Misty? The tickets are free with an option to add on a book. Of course, I got one. Do you think my bunhead would like it for her 18th birthday? Maybe if it came with ticket to Coppelia.
Today is a premium book birthday day! AND my first day back in the building! May I request chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting with a side of a whole bunch of candles?
Here's what I've been waiting to celebrate today. Some I've read. Some I haven't. All are worth adding to your TBR list and your next book order.
Before the EverAfter by Jacqueline Woodson
I read this back in June and I am still thinking about it and not just because I listen to football podcasts with my son. In my mind, Jacqueline Woodson's verse can do no wrong and this book is no exception. It's 1999-2000 and ZJs dad, a tight end for an unnamed football team (I think the Giants) is not his hero but his "every single thing."When his dad's head is just "not right anymore" ZJ's world as he knows it comes to an end. I really haven't read a book like this before. The topic is unique and so important. It's easily accessible and will spark many conversations among the young and not so young. My husband always says that football will not look the same in our 14 year old Giants fan lifetime. This book will get us all talking while Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" plays in the background and Sugar Hill Gang is queued up next.
I am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
I have been waiting for this book for months! I would check back on Netgalley and Edelweiss impatiently refreshing hoping the arc would be loaded up in the time I hit the curved arrow but alas it never happened. Today is my day! I look forward to cozying up and escaping into this graphic young adult novel memoir asap.
Millionaires for a Month by Stacy McAnulty
Even though Stacy lives in North Carolina now, I still consider her a local girl having grown up in a zip code only a few miles from Castleton. She likes her numbers and writing about math. I'm excited for this one and to attend this crowdcast event this evening. Stacy has already agreed to be a part of our #AuthorFanFaceOff on her book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Yay!
Punching the Air by Ibi Zboi and Yusef Salaam
This book almost makes me want to teach high school. The discussions we could have. The documentaries we could watch. The poems we could write. The artwork and artists we could analyze. The difference we could make. Read. Share. Talk. Check out Salaam's website. Ken Burns's documentary. Ava Duvernay's miniseries. (Check out my friend Alicia's blog post about the book here.) As an aside, it was definitely cool to read about Picasso's Guernica after just seeing it in person while I was in Madrid.
Plus a new one by David Wiesner (Robobaby) and one I'm excited to share with my music teacher, Wild Symphony by Dan Brown.
So, yeah, worth getting the candles out for sure. I'll be having my cake (and cake and cake) and eating (and eating and eating) it, too. It's a book birthday bonanza! 🎂
I wish many of us didn't need to be reminded often of the message of Christian Robinson's newest book, but we do. We all matter. In his signature fun style, he gets the point across so well. The small ones, the ones who are first to go and the last to go, old and young ones, lost ones, alone ones. We all matter.
This page may make you chuckle and squeeze in a science lesson, too:
"Even if you are really gassy. You matter." I love the multiple meanings.
We squeezed in a belated celebration for the book today. As always, we read the book, sang "Happy Birthday", blew out the candle and had a drawing for a copy of the book. I changed it up and stuck the candle in an ice cream sandwich. I wasn't too upset that I had to eat it when the party was over. Just sorry I couldn't share it with all my friends who matter.
Here are some activity pages to pair with the book. One of the kindergarteners sent one back this afternoon. Five reasons why she matters? She has a family, she's nice, she's generous (spelled jenerise), she loves her family and
xoxo
(Don't you love the girl on the bottom left who is "blowing" out the candle?)
Don't miss the dedication in the book:
💗
"For anyone who isn't sure if they matter. You do."
I'll try not to forget that and neither should you. xo
Don't you wish you could fly?
Where would you go?
The Pacific Ocean? The Sahara? Antartica?
Wherever it is, I imagine it would be more peaceful than it is here right now.
I heard the news today, oh boy. The uglier it gets the sadder and madder I become. I know I am not alone. I get frustrated, too, because how can whatever little I do really make a difference? Hence the parties. A little sunshine to poke out of the dark clouds for my students and me.
Lucky for us, we got to celebrate a book birthday today, a Monday! All the Birds in the World by David Opie (pronounced Oh-pee, in case you were wondering) is a perfect book for right now. The little kiwi bird is trying to figure out where he fits in the big bird family. He's a tiny New Zealand bird that doesn't fly. I wanted to learn more about this rare bird so I checked PebbleGo. Bummer. No entry for it 😢 I'll check other databases, or, just wait to read more about it when the book comes in.
I love the message. Who knew there were so many different kinds of birds with so many differences in beak size, number of toes, whether they fly or not, egg size, song, etc. Did you know the ostrich egg is as big as a cantaloupe? And the hummingbird's is as big as a jellybean? And yet, these animals are beautiful and special and, most importantly, all classified as birds. As educators and parents, we could do a lot with that. Inclusivity. I can't wait to share this book with my students in the fall and champion it during our 2021 Sibert Smackdown.
It's always great to have the author or illustrator (or both in this case) join us for our celebrations. The singing of Happy Birthday has got to be a hoot on their end.
Woohoo! I made a new friend today! Next up, David says is All the Fish in the World. I'll start planning the party now--Goldfish and Swedish fish for sure. In the meantime, I wonder, where would you go if you could swim endlessly?
Thanks to Day of Dialog, Chronicle and Edelweiss, I was able to read and share the digital F&G of Sophie's newest fabulousness, If You Come to Earth, with a few of my 5th grade Reading Ambassadors today. It was my first time looking at it as well and together we dropped our jaws, examined the beautiful masterpiece and yeah, even got a little teary. The colors. The message. The inclusivity. The details. No beat was missed. She even tipped her hat to her beloved lighthouse and sea.
But don't listen to me. This is what the kids had to say:
"This should be read to the whole school. It's beautiful. The wording is very nice. Even kindergarteners will understand what it means and what the main thing that it is all about. I think teachers will like it, too...The message is that people on Earth can do lots of things together and apart...working together is always better instead of hurting each other."-MH
"The message is that we should take care of our planet and cherish it more than we do."-SS
Here's a simple but to the point review,
"👍👍👍Great book."-NR
"Accept who you are and what you are are. People can be sick and cured and then climb mountains. Some things are hard but nothing can be impossible."-MH (She is reading All the Impossible Things right now by Lindsay Lackey. Lindsay and Sophie inspired her to say this.)
I know what I will be doing on September 15th. Getting out my birthday candle for a party with blue "Earth" cupcakes, of course. That celebration cannot come soon enough.
Today was PACMAN's 40th birthday. Wow. Like other birthdays, this meant I was thinking about him and the MS all day long.
Of course, this also reminded me of Erin Entrada Kelly's We Dream of Space. Yes, I am still thinking about that book. Fitch is really into pinball in 1986 and pinball machines were definitely losing their momentum by then. Probably Pacman and the Ms had something to do with that.
We all know kids who love video games whether they are our own (not mine surprisingly), our students, our kids' friends. You know who they are. How are they spending their time now since school is virtual? More video playing time? Less? Do they want to read books about video games or something entirely different? I know I want to just plain read. Doesn't matter what it is as long as it grabs me and I can escape for a bit. I'm SO looking forward to an extra day to attack my TBR pile this weekend!
Speaking of the weekend, a few of my students and I went to a bedtime story hour tonight with Angela DiTterlizzi compliments of Wellesley Books. It was great! SHE was great! I want her to come to CES! She read her brand new book, The Magical Yet. I can't wait to share this book with all my students.
"There's a place beyond where we are now."
-Angela Diterlizzi
(I want to print that out and hang on my wall of inspiration.)
Then, we got a bonus read aloud of her book, Just Add Glitter.
I am thinking of sending some glitter to the three kids who attended tonight. Their parents won't mind too much, right? I mean, we could all use a little glittering up these days. If you have some around, break it out and sprinkle it as your leap. Just blame Pacman. Birthdays always deserve glitter.
Back in the spring of 2014, I was at the NYS School Library conference and a guy threw M&Ms at me. I know. I know. Maybe not the best introduction for all, but certainly a good one for me. I'll take free chocolate, especially M&Ms any day! They were muted yellow, white and that blueish-grey M&Ms specifically in the colors of his debut book, Cat Says Meow: And Other Animalopoeia. The guy was Michael Arndt, who crazily lived in Castleton for some time and all of his siblings attended CES before they moved to Columbia County.
Today he has his second book birthday! I'm excited to celebrate it with my K/1 students and be the first ones to wish him a happy virtual book birthday. Can you believe we were his first school visit way back when! And after today, Michael tells me he has THREE new books coming out in the next TWO months!
(another die cut board book on counting and colors)
And next Spring a picture book, Thoughts are Air written in verse by Michael and illustrated by Irena Freitas. Wow!
How exciting!
Michael is a graphic designer by training so he would be great inspiration for older kids, too. How do you do that? Where do you get your ideas? How can that shape become something else? Michael is also a big proponent of school librarians (who isn't lol?). A few years ago, he made a wonderful poster about his love for librarians that we still have hanging behind our circulation desk.
So...Introducing Michael Arndt! Tell everyone you heard about him first here! Oh, and come to the book birthday party at 12:30. It's not too late!
I gave my husband a haircut last weekend. Since then he's been wearing a hat to the grocery store. My son has beautiful curly locks. He could use a trim but won't let me near him with the clippers. I don't think I'd let myself near him. The thickest hair my hairdresser has ever cut is my daughter's. We thought it couldn't get any thicker. We were wrong. And my hair? Well, it's just getting long with "highlights."
I was looking for a read aloud from my bookshelf and came across local author celeb, Matthew McElligott's Even Monsters Need Haircuts. Perfect!
Every full moon, the barber's young son gets out of bed to work the "midnight shift" at his dad's barber shop. In his slippers and PJs, he treats the monsters to something we are all craving right now.
Thanks to the Indiana Library Federation (and me), here are a few questions to think about that pair with the book (and today):
Which monster hair would you cut? Or not cut?
How long does hair grow in one month?
Research the superstitions behind a full moon.
My own addition--find a picture of you close to or at the beginning of quarantine. Compare your hair to the way it is now. Draw or describe how you think it will look right before you end up in the barber or hairdresser chair.
I went to check out Matt's website and it's filled with activities for kids and what?! A brand new book that just came out, Do Not Eat this Game! Matt's website is a dream for parents and teachers--games, videos, lesson plans, STEM related projects and more.
When Matt visited CES oh so many years ago, I was not a seasoned author host. But I still decorated the Dewey Section with tablecloths to match the colors in Bean Thirteen (maybe one of my favorites of his-so much so that the cover is framed and hanging in my foyer). He came back at night and did a program with parents using his special illustrating tools and we still have his creation hanging in the library. It was a great author visit. I have a self made rule of always having new authors and illustrators visit. Hmmm...Rules are meant to be broken, right?
I found three of Matt's books here at home, all signed to Zack but sadly not dated. These days I always ask for a date stamp. I probably didn't think about that back then.
And just speaking of hair. I'm sure most people have already seen Hair Love, but I do love the Academy Award winning animated short and the book it was based on.
Here's a read aloud and the video. Which do you like better?
Back in February, after we read the book we made our own hair love project. Check out these first graders:
Can you believe tomorrow is May? Where did April go? In normal times, we would be putting the finishing touches on our Gala planning. Fifth graders would be finishing up their artwork. First graders would be sharing the timeline with older students. Third graders would be helping me transform the library into an event space. Kindergartners would be proudly gluing the last pieces onto their research boards. Every day a fact about Loren Long would be mentioned on the morning announcements. All I would be thinking about would be May 14. The only thing I wouldn't be worrying about yet would be my dress. Too soon for last-minute-me. The earliest I would begin my desperate search would be next weekend.
Not all is lost, though. Stay tuned. I have many ideas to make that day still special.
An Old Friend
But speaking of Loren, check this out 👇
Tonight on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, she read Loren's There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake. How cool is that?!
I met Loren back in 2015. Today I "met" well, they didn't really meet me but I fell hard for them via Facebook and Instagram live events.
At 10:30, Raul the Third read his Vamos! Let's Go Eat! He was so much fun and made us all hungry! I took copious notes of the places he recommended in the Boston area since my cousins live out that way. First there was Tenoch and the Painted Burro both in Somerville, MA. There was some other place in Medford, MA that I didn't catch and Bowie Bakery in El Paso, TX. Si! I was paying attention! Oh, you didn't know? Today's post is part restaurant recommendations compliments of Raul the Third lol.
Speaking of the restaurants, check out this mural by Raul at the Painted Burro. Now I want to go there even more. Hmmm...I think Raul needs to come to Castleton and inspire some wall painting like Rafael Lopez did last year....
Raul was so great. He read his book. Played with a tortilla 👉and drew for us. I even followed along and I am not an artist one bit.
This activity guide from Versify is amazing! It has a recipe, coloring page, hand puppet cutouts and even a matching game with Spanish vocabulary. I'm hooked! Will you be my friend, Raul? If you say yes, I'll promise to treat you to a taco of your choice!
Since it's all about the food in this post, here's the recipe for Mexican corn (which I personally love!)
At 11:15 (and this is embarrassing to say), an unfamiliar author, read two of her books aloud on Instagram Live. If you read this in time, maybe you can watch it. She was so sweet and I want her to be my friend asap! She mentioned she has at least one teenager so we can definitely swap stories about that over coffee (or something stronger lol).
Smriti Halls was so genuine and real. First she read her book, Elephant in my Kitchen! Who knew it would be a book we could have read last week to celebrate Earth Day! What a clever surprise at the end! Definite purchase!
Then she read us the best seller, I Love You Night and Day. Good thing she did. Up till then, I hadn't cried yet today. I couldn't help myself. The kids and I all agreed that we want to read more of Smriti's books. I am putting them on my to purchase list.
Next week she is having a book birthday for I'm Sticking with You. This one also sounds perfect for today's times. I wrote in my notes, "Bear wants a bit more space." Period. As much as we love all the people we live with, I think we can all relate.
So I'm ready to get tacos with Raul the Third and coffee (or?) and sweets with Smriti. Wine and dine them so speak so they can't say no to Castleton and of course, tons of leaps. Hey! Loren has taken many leaps and promises he will come to Castleton when it is safe. So, please, Raul and Smriti, won't you come into my world, too! xo
Ever since I can remember, I've been a crier. As soon as the first tear would fall, my parents would run to get the bucket(s). No joke. These days I cry at least once a day. This morning I wasn't even out of bed before I needed my first of many, many Kleenex for the day.
This post is dedicated and in memory of, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a children's book author who we lost way too early. Ten days before Amy died, this Modern Love essay was published. I don't usually read on the treadmill, but that day I happened to be and tears were flying to the people left and right of me. Warning: It's not for the faint of heart. If you prefer audio, Debra Winger read it for the ML podcast here.
Why Amy? Well, today is her birthday making it the perfect day to share her books, especially Duck! Rabbit! with Tom Lichtenheld. My first real introduction to her work was in graduate school. I was doing my student teaching and my cooperating teacher librarian gave me Duck! Rabbit! as a gift. Talk about a timely book--although all of Amy's books are--looking at the world through different perspectives. Should we unpause? If so, when? How? What does that look like for you? Or me? My mom? My friend in California? My brother in Vermont? My cousins in Boston? Is it a duck or a rabbit?
We have so many of Amy's books in our library and fortuanately, many are available right now on Sora.
Like Spoon (with Scott Magoon). At some point in our lives, we all get that inadequate feeling when we compare ourselves to others. (Stay away from Pinterest!). Kids do, too. Read this book together and talk about what makes us all unique and awesome. Then celebrate with a spoon party! Take out as many different spoons you have in your house and eat as many different spoon-worthy foods with them. I might even try that=FUN!
Or the books where Amy played with numbers like Wumbers with Tom Lichtenheld?
And equations, like This Plus That:Life's Little Equations with Jen Corace:
I loved having kids come up with their own equations and putting them together for a class book. My life equation for today: taking a walk + students waving from me from afar = smiles to my face (oh and tears, but we won't tell them that!)
Or friends + shapes = Friendshape with Tom Lichtenheld?
How can you make stories out of shapes? Can you try it 3D with legos?
Amy's birthday will be over by the time I finish this post if I shout out every fabulous book of hers. I will conclude with Exclamation Mark with Tom Lichtenheld since it's another one with a message I love (I know. I know. I really love the message in all of them.) Check out this Reader's Theatre script. Send the link to friends and family and you can act it out together virtually! (Exclamation mark typed on purpose, of course!)
And what's a birthday without a present. Here's a bookmark PDF from Tom Lichtenheld.
So go ahead. Whether you are a parent, a kid, a teacher remember you are unique and special however way you view things and you are making your mark on someone's life every.single.day. Thanks for the reminder, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. You definitely made your mark in our lives. xo
PS-Check out this post from 2017 when I pulled out Wumbers for Pi Day.
When we are in school in the building, the best days are when I have lunch with kids. I can actually sit down and eat without inhaling my unmicrowaved leftovers in record time. When I eat with kids it is usually around 12:30.
These days the time is 11:30. I do manage to sit down, although nothing to write home about since I've been sitting most of the morning already. (I have clocked in 106 steps today, which is better than my usual 34.) My companion is Governor Cuomo. I like him, like he likes "the boyfriend" but only a fraction of how much I like my students.
Everyday Governor Cuomo talks about the facts. "Just the facts, Ma'am," he'll remind us. Many days at the end of his presentation he will share his personal opinion. Today's facts were "ugly and disturbing" and his opinions, although not shown in a slide, were clear.
Need a reminder about facts vs. opinions? Michael Rex's book couldn't be more succinct.
Fact: I'm going to share a reading of the book on class Seesaws, Dojos and Google Classrooms.
Fact: I'm not very good at Screencastify and moving the arrow from left to right to get into the screenshot is a challenge.
Fact: My hair is a mess of wildness. Just ask Mrs. Golden.
Opinion: This is a great book and kids from K--??? will love it.
Not a proven fact but I'm guessing your kids will giggle, call out to the book (I did that--Look! His name is Bubba!) and learn in a simple and fun way the difference between facts vs. opinions (and you can even throw in a lesson in there about fake news.)
What facts do you know about the world we are living in today?
What are your opinions? What are the opinions of the adults in your life
Jot them down. Write your own book. Quiz your friends and family and share your results.
Think of me the next time you are having lunch. I really don't mind my current daily lunch date but I'd much rather be with my students. Now that's a FACT.
A little more...
There's a great video on "Fact & Opinion" on Brainpop (check site for login) and/or you can also watch this short video:
It's Tuesday so you know what that means! Yep! My kitchen became a bakery last night because it is BOOK BIRTHDAY DAY! Yay!
Ok...So we're fudging it a tad for the picture book category. We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade was released awhile ago but it deserves to be celebrated. Since tomorrow is Earth Day I'm making this a duo party. Perfect excuse for cake. This book is poetic, gorgeous and I hope will motivate kids of all ages to protect our water and environment so it will still be here for many, many future generations.
I bought the ebook to read aloud later at our party but you can watch the author read it right here. Enjoy!
Thanks Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press for this discussion guide. Here are a couple of activities you can do together for Earth Day and beyond.
Will you take the pledge?
How will YOU be a water protector?
To my Schodack friends: Why don't you share your answers on our Flipgrid? Our code is: castletonelementary. You'll need a Schodack account to login.
Happy VERY Belated Book Birthday We are Water Protectors and Happy ALMOST Earth Day! (although EVERY day is really Earth Day!) Protect water! Protect our planet! xo
I love road trips. Period. There is nothing better than packing up your car, pulling out of the driveway and heading to a destination multiple states and hundreds of miles away from your zipcode. For years, I would drive my kids from upstate New York to North Carolina for some cousin time. We termed it "Road Camp." The first year we read about this place called Wright's Dairy-Rite off of Exit 222 on I81 in Virginia in "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives." We had to stop. Moving forward, we couldn't drive south without pulling up and ordering lunch in Staunton, VA.
Ahhh...I am so looking forward to more long car rides in the future. Until then, I will have to be happy with reading about them.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Dan Gemeinhart's adventure of 12 year old Coyote, her dad, Rodeo, on the ultimate road trip from Florida to Boise in their bus, Yager, was a favorite of so many of us last year. Since we've been quarantined, Dan started sharing Coyote's story aloud. Here is chapter 1 but you can find more chapters as part of Dan's Coyote Sunrise Book Club on YouTube.
Thanks to Henry Holt for posting this guide on how to make a memory box/treasure chest. Not only does it pair well with Coyote Sunrise and is perfect for today's world, it is also is a great segue into the next road trip book I am loving right now.
Clean Getaway
I listened to the audio of Nic Stone's book this week and loved it. It made me want to grab my 95 year old Super Bubby in New Jersey and drive. Somewhere. She always talks about living in Missouri before my grandfather went oversees. That's where she learned to drive. Or we could stay close take a short drive to the Jersey shore. And then make a treasure chest. And drink hot chocolate.
Scoob and his G'ma are on the ultimate road trip through the south trying to retrace her steps with his grandfather back in the 60s when it wasn't even legal for the two of them to be together. Even now dark skinned Scoob with his white grandmother get some looks. This book will inspire you to do some research when you are finished-Medgar Evans, Loving vs. Virginia, Emmett Till, the Green Book--are just a few. Here's a full discussion guide. And finally, you may even want to watch the 2018 movie (PG-13) "Green Book."
PS-Dion Graham has many accolades for his audio books. This one is going to get him another one.
Sign Off
Seriously, you will never be able to look at a road sign the same way after reading this book. It is so good with a great surprising ending and I promise I would say all these wonderful things about this book even if Steve and I weren't friends. Today, as we are quarantined to walks around our own neighborhoods, go on a hunt and check out the signs. What do you notice? What stories can you make up about the figures on the signs? Is there something about a sign that you never saw before? I'll be completely honest, there is a sign I passed all the time that I never knew was there until I saw it in Sign Off. And the school sign?! We can discuss that for hours. Well, hours is what we have now so go check it out and let me know your thoughts!
Until then, I will continue to be positive and dream of my next road trip. We're not putting many miles on our vehicles these days so an extra 1500+ this summer or fall won't hurt. xo
