It's Monday - Book Love

        

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

          I placed this in the 'adult' category, too, hoping that many adults will read this heartfelt story of young Will Chambers, along with children or alone. Jarrett Lerner slams us into Will's story starting with a word, one word, yelled by another at Will in fourth grade, a word that colors his life for three years, and he says, a few more months, too. The struggles in his life because of the feelings ignited by that one word will touch everyone, whether it's past memories or current events happening right now, the journey is one that made me worry about Will's, and others', ability to survive. The moments of hope are short-lived until they aren't by the blessing of an interaction with another boy. Will's story has all the emotions, perhaps will be a mirror for many kids who can recognize the "work in progress" they are living. Don't miss reading Will's story!

     Cori Doerrfeld (A Rabbit Listened) shows us in her story that earning to look for the positive is a great way to be. Cooper, on the bicycle, hurries to get ready to welcome new neighbors in the village. As he moves along, He is excited and prepares a "welcome wagon" but as others join him along the way, he realizes that others are not so excited. Bobbi the bunny asks: "What if they don't want to meet us? What if we don't get along?" Cooper smiles and says, "Just come with me and see!" All along the path, other animals voice worries which Cooper continues to answer with positive words. 

      What a terrific way to show varied thoughts about something, or someone, new. And the best way to handle it. Full-page illustrations of all the residents and activities of Cubby Hill, adding more as Cooper moves along, create a delightful story of looking for the positive in something new instead of finding things to worry about.  

         Cooking up a great story with all the smells and trickery is something Bridget Magee does so well when she tells Antonio's story. Actually, Antonio tells his story; Bridget is the expert director. Oh, Antonio loves the sizzle of the skillet! He says "I'm perfect. . . Let the good times roll!" What he doesn't understand is when he hears the word "bite", but escape happens, at least for a while! Imagine reading this and choosing still another item, food, or something else, and telling that story. Bridget uses real photos accompanied by text and speech bubbles with great pizzazz to tell Antonio's story. It holds lots of emotion with thoughts of "Oh, no!" and "What will happen next?" all for a meatball Great fun!            

       Nearly thirty years ago, Ruby Bridges walked into her new school. She was escorted by U.S. Marshals, entered the school, and was the only one in her first-grade class. No other black children had been ordered to go there; the other three ordered to a white school attended a different one. Robert Coles tells the story, including the kindness of the teacher along with the courage of Ruby. It seems like the thing that gave her strength was a prayer, to pray for God to forgive those people who say bad things. "They don't know what they're doing." Beautiful illustrations show resolute and calm Ruby walking through an angry mob all those days!

It's Poetry Friday - About Memorial Day

 

             It's Poetry Friday! Thanks, Patricia Franz at Reverie here, for hosting. She and her husband are celebrating a special wedding anniversary and she celebrates with a beautiful cento. 

The #poetrypals are writing ghazals today yet I chose to write about Memorial Day, a day important to me this time. But I did write a ghazal in April for poetry month if you'd like to see it! You can find it here! It certainly wasn't an easy form so I'm really looking forward to these newly crafted ones, imagining they will be terrific.

          Memorial Day is special to me. My father died in World War II, was a pilot shot down in the Pacific theater, never found. Other family members were in combat during that war and those since. Thankfully all survived. Every year, the memories return when I see the iris blooming and the peonies popping up. Those were the flowers we took to the cemetery, for remembrance of those we held in our hearts always. 

It's Monday - Old Favorites and Special New Ones!

       

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

Thanks to Candlewick Press
for this copy!

          I've loved M.T. Anderson's books every time there's another. This one is another new world to sit back, read, and wonder at the adventure, wonder at Anderson's imaginative world-building that includes magic, but also family love and challenges, friendships that strengthen with challenges, no matter the diversity, and the true love from a dog. In this plot, a global plague is keeping Clay, his younger and older sister, and the parents at home. They're pretty tired of each other and yearn for, well, the usual lives they had been living. When a mysterious dog appears, Clay names him Elphinore and the magic begins. They live in the woods and paths Elphinore shows Clay are ones he never had seen before, villages he didn't know existed, along with "Owl-Heads", a clan with strict rules Clay and his new friend break, out of want and need. Intriguing creatures come into Clay's world just as it seemed he needed them, most especially, a sweet and loving dog. It's a terrific book, just out last month.

         Friends Laura Shovan and Michael Rothenberg, had a final special visit together in January 2020. Like all of us, they didn't know that the usual way of living would change like no other time in their lives very soon.  Both were grieving losses and in need of support. You can read more about that in Laura's Author's note but it serves as their stepping stone into this special collaboration. Michael was starting some art therapy and sent Laura a funny picture of a monster; Laura responded with a poem. 

           Life is marvelous when one is able to see children running, jumping, tumbling, and laughing with friends or even alone. Yet, as adults, we all must know there are monsters of emotions including laughter but also beyond the laughter, sometimes strange bursts of crying happen, and sometimes angry words. Laura's poems and Michael's drawings, whimsical though they seem, show a down-deep look and acceptance of what is. There's "Bubblegum Head" that seems very "out there", saying rude things, sometimes what all of us want to shout, like "Flooey! Bagookie!" and "Carrumple! Dipthingle!" (There's more!) And also found in the pages is a monster who yearns for the "Green Cave" where "Sometimes I get so mad, the feelings can't stay inside./Before I know what I'm doing, my feet run for the back door." (There's more!) Poems about crying and laughing, monsters who are houses, and go out walking and play hopscotch all make one smile and whisper to oneself, "That's right. I know about that." Sixteen poems fill up the world with Laura's and Michael's monsters.

              Having worked and written with middle-school students for years, I know that drawing monsters and writing personal poems about the drawings, perhaps trading the art, would be a terrific thing to do. 

Thanks to Charlesbridge

for this copy!

          I have this book, too, just out a couple of weeks ago, about still another monster, well, from the title, evidently "Not A Monster", by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, filled with the description of how they live their life on gorgeous double-page spreads by Laura González. It is a salamander, an asolotl, but onw that will never lose its gills or fins. Glaudia includes Spanish words as readers watch the growing from egg to full-grown, hiding from a predator and explains the Aztec origin myth of this unusual amphibian. It is endangered in its native waters and some clean-up of the story is shown, too. There is more information added in the backmatter, an intriguing, compelling story of one animal among many we do not want to lose!

A couple of pictures of the axolotl

It's Poetry Friday, And "Spring-ish"

             It's Poetry Friday! Thanks, Janice Scully at Salt City Verse here, for hosting, where she's sharing a post titled "Clouds, Rain, and Thunder". We may have been having similar thoughts!

          In most of May, our weather, and over the continent, has been what might be called very moody. It is not gradually moved into spring, but dipping up and down, near 80 Wednesday, then dipping down to low forties overnight. Last week we had a freeze warning and there is one for last night in the northeast as the northwest is breaking records with high temperatures.

Instead of 'fire and ice', it's 'flowers and ice'!

 

         Spring-ish

 

My fire’s lit this frosty night;

it wasn’t planned for May.

Jack didn’t check the calendar;

he’s been at work all day.

 

There he sneaks behind a tree

to find a place to sleep,

no fall leaves to snug himself,

just seedlings take a peek.

 

Giving plants a frosty tip;

I spied him launch a chill.

The radiators whistle tunes–

worlds divided by a windowsill.

 

                             Linda Baie ©

 

It's Monday - Wonderful Books - Don't Miss

      

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

      

            I suspect all adults should be reading this, too, especially because if you don't know how middle kids are, you should. And if you don't understand the racism Jordan and his friends fight against daily, you should. Finally, after teaching middle school kids for many years, you adults should read to see how smart, yet vulnerable, and tender, yet hardheaded already by eighth grade. Here are all the kids around Jordan, despised and loved, on their way out the middle school door but first, the school trip. This one is to Paris where they learn to push others to do the right thing, or else! Like the first two, Jerry Craft has Jordan giving some tips about life. On this Mother's Day, one early one is "My Mom's Tips for Being Safe "NOT Shaking", super for celebrating his mom. One theme throughout the book is teasing others, enough for a lifetime of worry. Jordan shows his advice in "Samira's Guide to Insulting People (And Having Them Stay Your Friend)." It may be something for all ages to understand. Teachers on the trip are vulnerable, too. You may find yourself remembering if you've taken kids on trips, or if you had some sad times in eighth grade. Number three, hoping not the last, and perhaps we'll see these wonderful and thoughtful kids in high school? Thanks for another special book, Jerry Craft! I cannot understand why anyone would think this book should be banned and not read widely!

            It's a marvelous introduction and explanation of how rainforests work, what happens to fruit seeds, why animals aren't easily seen, and much, much more. Black and white artwork by Vicky White punctuates the questions that Martin Jenkins asks as readers travel one a rainforest. This time it's the ecosystem of Malaysia's Taman Negara. While traveling, gorgeous full-color, double-page spreads made me go "Wow!" and imagine the sounds of insects and birds especially. Some animals seen are ants and elephants, leopards and hornbills, gibbons, and bats. There is a small quiz at the back showing small pics of animals that may have been missed and a list of further places to learn more. If you want to start a study of this ecosystem, start with this book!

          Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

         There is a letter from Eoin Colfer at the beginning explaining a bit about this story and how it is a good thing to try to understand when a child is spending a long time or several long times in the hospital. Chris Judge explains that his story's illustrations come from personal family experiences with illness. All her life, young Erin saw "pictures" in the clouds (I do, too!) and called them her "cloud babies". As a young girl, she became very ill and needed to be in the hospital for a long time. The children's ward actually was fun and all the kids played together and liked Erin's "cloud babies", too. But when she returned to school, she gave them up, deciding they were too babyish. She was sad and felt as if she didn't belong to either group. And, she missed those "cloud babies". What happens next shows a plan that helped Erin, and may help others understand what it's like to feel apart. It's a loving book that shows another point of view that's good to know!

            Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

   Cathy Ballou Mealey tells a story in rhyme showing Roscoe the raccoon prepping a fire and toasting a marshmallow that's just right for making s-mores! Yum! However, then Grizzly Bear comes along, wanting a treat, too. Yum, again! Roscoe might grumble a bit ("Is that for me? asks Grizzly Bear.,  Roscoe shrugs, "Bon Appetit!".)  but he keeps making these camping favorites, and as two bear cubs, then Mama, show up, too, he shares. Illustrations by Ariel Landy show the emotions well as the scene becomes more crowded. Pure satisfaction at the end, maybe especially when Roscoe gets that final treat. "Toasty, creamy, sweet, and gooey. Crispy, crunchy, slightly chewy." It's simply a fun book for reading aloud, perhaps with s'mores?