Yeah for snow!
Yeah for Snow Day Reading!
I’m reading A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata, Newbery award winning author for Kira-Kira
Those boxes can just wait.
Snow Day Reading February 9, 2010
Yeah-a book give-away July 5, 2009
Check out the Sluggers Giveaway at The Children’s Book Review! I found it in a Tweet-
I LOVE Loren Long’s books, especially the redone The Little Engine That Could.
You have until July 12th to enter.
Hotel for Dogs-A Childhood Favorite that didn’t disappoint March 2, 2009
I loved the book Hotel for Dogs as a child and read everything by Lois Duncan. I was a little worried the movie would be a big bore, but the kids could hardly wait to see it. They haven’t both wanted to go to the same movie in a long time.
Not only was the movie entertaining, but from a parenthood standpoint, it was very touching to look over to see both my son and daughter snuffling when the siblings were separated through foster care. See they do love each other!
I’m not a big fan of books turned into movies, but this one is worth seeing with your kiddos!
New Books to blast me out of the blahs February 16, 2009
Ron’s Big Mission by Rosa Blue and Corinne J. Naden
Illustrated by Dan Tate
The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers
Bye-Bye Crib by Alison McGhee, Illlustrated by Ross MacDonald
Inkheart October 27, 2008
Seems like it’s a year of making books into movies. I found this preview of Inkheart, another book I’ve enjoyed that I hope they don’t mess up by making a book that is not true to the original story.
How does a hurricane hit Ohio? September 16, 2008
Here we are in central Ohio. Day 3 of no power, no water, and no great news from AEP. I’m not a pessimist but I do not think we’ll get it back until after the weekend. I’ve never actually seen anything like it even with that big ice storm several years ago. I think part of it was that it wasn’t expected. I certainly would not have let my daughter go horseback riding in dangerous winds or have set out to take a friend’s son to choir practice. It seemed a little windy but when we got into the village, there was already a huge tree down in town and the power was out. No school again tomorrow as there are electric lines down all over near the elementary school and no power to much of the county. No ice or bottled water or D batteries to be had. I’m going to try to upload a photo and have figured out how to type one-fingered on my husband’s iphone.
Helping children or friends with grief September 11, 2008
Griefwatch has a website that goes along with the book Tear Soup. It is definitely worth checking out. A video for Tear Soup was also just released.
Hospice of Central Ohio and Tear Soup
I’ve always associated Hospice with death and nurses that help people and families with death. I didn’t know they did much more than provide medical care for people in their homes. This week I had the opportunity to learn they do so much more. I wish I’d known earlier what wonderful things they do to support the community within which they work. Two wonderful ladies from Hospice of Central Ohio came out today to meet with staff members who wanted to get together to talk about how to best support our friend and colleague while her child is so gravely ill. They brought books, resources, and wonderful listening ears. They shared a little about their programs and services. Just having their reassuring presence in the building helped people feel a little bit better about not saying the wrong to our friend. Hopsice leads support groups, one on one counseling, community outreach programs, children programming. I wish I had known about them my first year of teaching when I had a child whose terminally ill father died and then had an uncle die in a car accident a few weeks later. I had never felt so inadequate to help. I think if I’d had their resources, workshops, and support, I would have been a much better teacher. They recommended a beautiful book called Tear Soup
by Pat Schweibert. Not even Ebenezer will be able to get through this book with a dry eye. It talks about sorrow and grief from the smallest up through “more than you can bear” and also explores how people all express sorrow differently. This would be a good book for families with or without children and also a good book for those who try to support the people doing the grieving. I need to get a copy to be able to read more slowly and thoughtfully and also to share with my own children.
The Underneath-The next Newbery winner? I think so! September 4, 2008
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt is an amazing story! As soon as I felt that book in my hands, it FELT like a Newbery. I can’t really explain what that means, but sometimes you can just tell. I have thought that a few other times in the past and been right (kind of) with Elijah of Buxton (runner up) and wrong (Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane).
Currently it is the Best Book I Have Read (at least in a while). I put off reading it at first after seeing the animals under the porch in the cover illustration and reading some review that mentioned The Yearling. I don’t particularly like books that make me cry, and this one did that all right. What a story! I love books that have interwoven stories (Walk Two Moons, Pictures of Hollis Woods) and I was so focused at first on trying to figure out what was going to be sad, that I didn’t pay enough attention to the second story of “the underneath”. I found the story of Grandmother Moccasin and the Alligator King fascinating and well done. I do think it would make a good read aloud so that a teacher can “think aloud” about the two different story lines. Pictures of Hollis Woodswould appear to be a pretty easy read for good fourth grade readers, but the two different story lines confused many a student over the years, and it even has the two different typefaces as a visual hint to get ready for the next part of the story. Gar Face is one disturbed human that is creepy and evil. It doesn’t allow much room for sympathy for GarFace. I’m guessing that there are some readers who will object to the allusion to GarFace being such an evil person, even as a youth, that his mother left.
What an amazing book!
You can read other reviews of The Underneath at:
