It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween!
In my job as a school librarian, I have been reading the following books to classes to rave reviews:
THE HALLOWEINER by Dav Pilkey.
This is such a fun but educational book on many levels. You can talk about the author/illustrator who also writes the Captain Underpants series (I know, adults are not big fans but kids adore them) & how his career started as a child when he won a contest to write & illustrate a book which was published as the prize. You can talk about his art schooling where he studied the masters to learn his style & then find the similarities between the skies in his work & the skies of Van Gogh's work. Then there's the whole bullying theme & the turn the other cheek theme. I'm not sure kids will see all these things without a little adult guidance, so get it & enjoy reading it with your darlings.
TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET by Diane de Groat.
Diane de Groat has written a series of semi-realistic holiday stories with Gilbert the opossom and his family but mostly set at school. All have catchy titles & all are right on for the school authenticity. But the great thing about the series is helping kids solve those everyday problems that happen & can either be catasrophies--like mixing up the bags your costumes are in with your little sister & instead of Captain Zigg you have the ballerina one--or a learning experience. I pause at the crucial parts & ask kids what do they think will happen or what would they do in the same situation. All ends well & the lesson does not hit you over the head.
GRIMERICKS by Susan Pearson.
A treat for 4th grade up who might have ever heard a limerick. I ask the kids to listen to the pattern & see if they can explain the basic form of a limerick. It doesn't take long to get it with these mildly scary poems illustrated with very cool creepy looking creatures.
Today was one of those days you live for in sharing books with kids! And, of course I should have done this long long ago. Sat. 10-27-07, I attended the AZ Reading Association conference in Casa Grande where I heard children's author Jon Scieszka speak. I have heard him speak several times in the past but not since his GUYS READ anthology came out. Here is a guy who has written some of the most quirky books in children's literature:
THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
THE STINKY CHEESE MAN
MATH CURSE
SCIENCE VERSE
The Time Warp Trio series
who refuses to rest on his laurels. He was a former teacher of elementary school students who saw what we continue to see today, that boys in about 5th-6th grade stop reading. He has started a non-profit foundation to work on this problem & has created a website: www.guysread.com
WARNING: when I typed that address in today, I got a dating service! So then I went to Google & typed in Jon Scieszka & got many choices regarding GUYS READ.
The book is a series of short stories by top children's authors & illustrators who describe their lives or an incident in their lives at about 5th -6th grade. I read Scieszka's own essay to 3 classes today & had everyone howling with laughter. Yes, 5th & 6th grade boys. GET THIS BOOK NOW if you know a 5th or 6th grade boy. It will send you to other titles, authors & suggestions.
I set up a table in the library with those titles & a sign GUYS READ & books were being literally fought over.
I do brag on the girls as we talked about all this GUYS READ stuff--that girls have it together, will read more widely than boys & enjoy reading so I decided to use Esme Codell's list of books to read before you turn 13 for another table that the girls flocked to.
What a great day!
TA TA for now--Cathy
THE HALLOWEINER by Dav Pilkey.
This is such a fun but educational book on many levels. You can talk about the author/illustrator who also writes the Captain Underpants series (I know, adults are not big fans but kids adore them) & how his career started as a child when he won a contest to write & illustrate a book which was published as the prize. You can talk about his art schooling where he studied the masters to learn his style & then find the similarities between the skies in his work & the skies of Van Gogh's work. Then there's the whole bullying theme & the turn the other cheek theme. I'm not sure kids will see all these things without a little adult guidance, so get it & enjoy reading it with your darlings.
TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET by Diane de Groat.
Diane de Groat has written a series of semi-realistic holiday stories with Gilbert the opossom and his family but mostly set at school. All have catchy titles & all are right on for the school authenticity. But the great thing about the series is helping kids solve those everyday problems that happen & can either be catasrophies--like mixing up the bags your costumes are in with your little sister & instead of Captain Zigg you have the ballerina one--or a learning experience. I pause at the crucial parts & ask kids what do they think will happen or what would they do in the same situation. All ends well & the lesson does not hit you over the head.
GRIMERICKS by Susan Pearson.
A treat for 4th grade up who might have ever heard a limerick. I ask the kids to listen to the pattern & see if they can explain the basic form of a limerick. It doesn't take long to get it with these mildly scary poems illustrated with very cool creepy looking creatures.
Today was one of those days you live for in sharing books with kids! And, of course I should have done this long long ago. Sat. 10-27-07, I attended the AZ Reading Association conference in Casa Grande where I heard children's author Jon Scieszka speak. I have heard him speak several times in the past but not since his GUYS READ anthology came out. Here is a guy who has written some of the most quirky books in children's literature:
THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
THE STINKY CHEESE MAN
MATH CURSE
SCIENCE VERSE
The Time Warp Trio series
who refuses to rest on his laurels. He was a former teacher of elementary school students who saw what we continue to see today, that boys in about 5th-6th grade stop reading. He has started a non-profit foundation to work on this problem & has created a website: www.guysread.com
WARNING: when I typed that address in today, I got a dating service! So then I went to Google & typed in Jon Scieszka & got many choices regarding GUYS READ.
The book is a series of short stories by top children's authors & illustrators who describe their lives or an incident in their lives at about 5th -6th grade. I read Scieszka's own essay to 3 classes today & had everyone howling with laughter. Yes, 5th & 6th grade boys. GET THIS BOOK NOW if you know a 5th or 6th grade boy. It will send you to other titles, authors & suggestions.
I set up a table in the library with those titles & a sign GUYS READ & books were being literally fought over.
I do brag on the girls as we talked about all this GUYS READ stuff--that girls have it together, will read more widely than boys & enjoy reading so I decided to use Esme Codell's list of books to read before you turn 13 for another table that the girls flocked to.
What a great day!
TA TA for now--Cathy
