ALA Awards

The ALA Awards were announced Monday and I was happy to see two books I really loved on the list:
Elijah of Buxton - Newbery Honor
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Caldecott
Here's the complete list.

Orange Pear Apple Bear

WOW! It's already 2008!

I am trying to get back into the blogging mode for this New Year but having a slow start. I hope to read and discuss many books this year which will encourage more children to read. There are several Best of Lists in the blog world and I just wanted to mention one book I enjoy.



Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett has been mentioned on several "best of 2007" lists for picture books. It's soft and muted illustrations are just right for the simple text of five words throughout the story! The illustrations express the joy and fun of this book which is appealing to young children. It's a winner!

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!