Welcome

Hi-

I'm glad you are here! This is a blog for us lovers of literacy. This is a place that we can share what we are reading, the brilliant and the boring. Our blog will also be a digital home for the works that we are writing.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing your additions!

Fondly,

Mrs. N.

p.s. don't forget to feed the fish :)

Top Ten Picture Books

Realistically, this list could be my top 100 favorite picture books, but I forced myself to narrow it to top-10. (You should see the book shelves in this home! I can't walk away from a bookstore empty handed!)

So, in no particular order, some of my go-to-favorites.

They range from sarcastic to sentimental, witty to whimsical.

Love the illustrations. Simply multi-media beautiful. I can remember rocking my newborn and reading this with tears in my eyes.

On the night you were born,
The moon smiled with such wonder
That the stars peeked in to see you
And the night wind whispered,
“Life will never be the same.”

Let's talk Doreen Cronin, shall we? All the Click Clack books are great and I love The Diary of... (insert worm, fly, spider)

How funny is it that "Duck is a neutral party."

Oh, and the last illustration with duck's tail feathers high up in the air as he leaps off his new diving board. So great!

Simple, yet perfect.

"Goodnight Moon. Goodnight air. Goodnight noises everywhere."

David Shannon does a remarkable job of capturing the sneakiness of preschoolers. I still laugh out loud at David's shenanigans.

I think that this David might live at my house under the name of B-boy.

Whimsical, charming, and a love story that can't be beat.

I love it right up to the moon and back.

Gorgeous books- vintage, trendy designs and fabulous word play. These three stories charm the socks right off me! (Is that a made-up idiom?) I like the twist of the pea disliking candy, the pig who enjoys cleanliness, and the owlet who wants to go to bed early. These tales are constantly recreated in my classroom. No one has the eloquence of Amy Krouse Rosenthal...

"And they all lived hap-pea-ly ever after."

"And they all lived hap-pig-ly ever after."

"And the OWL lived happily ever after."

pssst...if you like these, don't forget to check out Spoon

I had never seen anything like this one- you just have to see it to understand.

The pictures move.

The movements are magical.

The text is simple.

Very cool.

I love you so much I could eat you up.

I wish the movie could have been a quarter as great as this book.

Maurice Sendak is brilliant.

Finally,

Leonardo.

Leonardo. How I love thee. Let me count the ways.

You are funny, cute, lovable, everything I want in a children's book.

Though the littlest member at my house thinks you are a robot rather than a monster,

I think you are sweet little guy who might just scare the tuna salad out of me!

So, what are your favorite children's books?

Do you still read them?

One favorite in particular?

Please share! Maybe there are more that needed to be added to the little-boy-bookshelf at my house.

Reading away the weekend,

Mrs. N.

I think I may love Mo Willems. I love his choice of words, the story line, and especially the illustrations. He captures expressions in children that make me laugh out loud. I have enjoyed watching his Trixie grow through the Knuffle Bunny trilogy.

This is my favorite page. "She went boneless." This IS your life with a toddler at home!

Mockingbird

This award winning novel, Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, received high praise through the literary magazines and the blogworld. Here's a brief synopsis:

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

This is a beautiful book with the unique point of view of a child with Asperger's. The novel layers many issues: violence, disability, and loss. Though these themes sound like heavy issues, the book is light and uplifting. The protagonist, Caitlin, is charming, endearing and very believable. So believable in fact, that I found myself reading this novel in an afternoon. Erskine seamlessly weaves references from To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorites. Though these references are likely lost on the young adult readers, adults reading it will appreciate the nostalgia of Scout, Boo Radley, Jem and Atticus.

I anxiously await student reviews on this text. I surely will be adding this to my collection.

Regards,

Mrs. Nelson

Turtle in Paradise Review

Turtle In Paradise

We talked about this Newbery honor in class--we watched the trailer (which was WEAK) and discussed that I wasn't exactly anxious to get reading this book.  Well, I picked it up on Sunday and managed to finish it that same evening.  Needless to say, it was a quick read.  I neither loved nor disliked the book. Overall, here's what I thought:

The plot had a fast pace which I enjoyed.  The characters were interesting and entertaining.  I always like a historical fiction, and this book was unique being set in the Great Depression in Key West.  

After reading, I did wonder what did all of the "experts" find so marvelous that deemed this novel Newbery material.  It turns out they all raved about the characterization and beautiful prose.  

My thoughts-B+

That being said, I am very curious what you all will think.  Remember, I am some old lady reading it ;)

You hip youngsters might have a whole new perspective.

Pick it up and let me know what you think.

Fondly,

Mrs. N.