Elijah of Buxton

It was refreshing to read Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Refreshing in that the depth of the character development of Elijah was superb. The desciption of the events and the characters pulls you into the story as if you are there with Elijah, fishing, going to the carnival, riding to Michigan to help a friend, or holding a small baby in your arms. Curtis makes you feel as Elijah feels. That's refreshing! Was it a nice, no brainer story to read? No, because it causes you to ponder on events of the past and what decisions you would make in Elijah's place. This is a realistic story with much to say, yet filled with some light hearted moments to make you smile. I would recommed it for mature fourth graders and older.
Elijah is a 12 year old boy living in Buxton, Canada in the 1840s. He is the first child born free in the settlement of former slaves. He deals with growing up wanting to be older, yet so tender hearted he's know as being fragile. He is a boy of good character and faces some difficult decisions. He sees first hand the sadness of slavery and the love of a family and community.
I really loved this book!

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean is one of my favorite Christmas books. It is a beautiful story revealing Joseph's thoughts on being the earthly father of Jesus! I am touched each time I read it. This book expresses the true meaning of Christmas. May you all have a Merry Christmas!!

Farley Found It!

My kindergarten students loved this book, Farley Found It! It's a cute story about a sheep, Farley, who can't get a good night's sleep except when he finds Edna's doghouse to sleep in. Unfortunately, Edna loves her doghouse and tries to hide it from Farley. But of course, Farley finds it! There in lies the problem which is resolved at the end of the story. What an easy way to teach problem and solution to younger students by sharing this fun book! The repetition in the story is predictable and perfect for emergent readers. The illustrations are filled with pictures of Farley spying on Edna which the kids love to discover. This is just a fun read for younger kid! See if you can find it!!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I think this book could be one of the best "hook" books around. I just showed the first few pages to some students and read the first page of text and they were hooked! They all wanted to check it out. How creative of Brian Selznick to design a new type of book. It's a cross between a graphic novel, fiction, and picture book. He tells the story through illustrations and words. It's uniqueness is attractive to reluctant readers and inspiring to avid readers alike. The thickness of it might scare some readers but they will definitely be won over as they open the first page. The art work is amazing and I love how he tells the story through the pictures and doesn't just illustrate the text. What a great way to build inferencing skills than by "reading" the story through pictures. I am excited to be able to share this book with my students and happy to see it on the Texas Bluebonnet Book list for 2007-2008.

Not A Box

What a great book to encourage imagination! This book, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, is a simple story about how a rabbit can imagine an ordinary box as a mountain peak, burning building, a race car, and much more. All along the rabbit insists that it's not a box but all those objects.
Isn't this a beautiful demonstration of a child's need for play and imagination? I remember when my girls were toddlers and they had more fun with boxes and wrapping paper then the toys in them. They would play for hours creating stories and adventures. Sometimes I wonder if we hinder our children from developing their imagination and joy for simple things. We try to fit them into the "school mold" spitting out the right answers and not developing thinking. This simple book is a great reminder for me to stimulate my students imagination with books!
Happy Children's Book Week!

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

This Monday I will be leading a workshop. I will be discussing poetry books and how they can be used to teach reading and writing fluency. Poetry is fun and kids love it! The newest book by Mary Ann Hoberman, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together, is quite appropriate for this time of year. This is a perfect book for shared reading or buddy reading. The poems are about mummies, skeletons, zombies, and trick or treat. What a great way to get kids to read without really realizing it is a learning experience. So try this book with your class or with your own children to build their reading fluency. Just try not to be scared!

No Talking

Most teachers have had a class like the fifth grade class of "Unshushables" in Andrew Clements new book No Talking. This is a book that teachers and students alike can relate to. Kids love to talk and teachers want silence in class. A contest between the boys and girls begins with the main characters, Dave and Lynsey, because both believe that each talk way too much. So, all the fifth graders can't talk for two days. When at school, they may only respond to teachers with three word sentences. The teachers wonder what is going on with these students. So who do you think talks the most? Who wins the contest? Kids will enjoy reading this book to find out.
I think it would be fun for some brave teachers to try this for one day in their class. It would be a challenge to respond with just three words. Students would learn the value of good communication. What learning possibilities!

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

I just love Moxy Maxwell! She is assigned to read Stuart Little for her summer reading and she's out of time. She does everything else but read the book before the first day of school. She loves to read but not what others tell her to read. She reminds me a little of myself! I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to things I don't want to do, so I understand Moxy's thinking. The voice and character development in this story draw you in as Moxy thinks of every excuse (some quite creative and funny) for not reading the book. Students will love this story with it humorous events. I would highly recommend it!

Dead Guys Talk

I just finished reading Dead Guys Talk by Barbara Joosse. A group of kids called the Scarface Detectives want to solve crimes. They get a mysterious note asking for help which leads them to a graveyard that is about to be replaced by a shopping mall.
Someone, possibly a dead neighbor, has asked them to help stop this event from happening. It is a nice shorter fiction book for second or third grade students wanting a mystery or ghost story. The dialogue is somewhat typical of kids with an occasional use of words such as pervert and scumbag which might make some adults uneasy. This would be a nice option for this season instead of a traditional Halloween or ghost story.

Move Over, Rover!

Move Over, Rover by Karen Beaumont is a great picture book about a dog expecting to get out of a storm by moving into his doghouse all alone. Little did he know he wouldn't be alone! As the the story unfolds, he is joined one by one by other animals. Then, the skunk comes and they all leave the doghouse finding the storm has gone away. Now Rover may enjoy the peacefulness of being alone in his home! As I was reading this book, I immediately thought of my kindergarten teachers and knew they would love the predictablity and rhythm of the language. They use Jan Brett's book The Mitten in their winter unit and were excited to see how well this book complimented that story. It's a fun book that young children will want to read over and over. So..Move Over and let's read!!

On the Road

On the Road by Lucy Nolan is a fun story about a dog and her owner which is told from the perspective of the dog, Down Girl. She describes her life with her owner, Rruff, and her dog friend, Sit. Down Girl especially loves to ride in the car to go on different adventures. This is a beginning chapter book that would be perfect for second grade students and even some third graders. I love the humor and just getting to see the world from a dog's point of view. Any dog lover will certainly understand and enjoy it. It could also be a great teaching tool in the classroom. On the Road is filled with opportunities to teach inferencing skills and point of view. Kids will love it. I would highly recommend it. This book is on the 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet List.

Buzzing About Books

It is quite exciting to create a blog focused on children's literature. I have been blogging for a few years but not about kids' books! I want this blog to be a reflection and resource for those interested in children's literature. I hope this blog will help teachers, librarians, parents, and students learn more about the awesome world of books! My desire is that this blog might inspire a student to pick up a book, or a parent to read aloud a book to his/her child, or help a teacher/librarian to find that just right book to turn a student on to reading. What a powerful force books are. Join me with your comments or suggestions as I "buzz" about books!