Fresh Start, New Books

Over at Choice Literacy last week, they featured an article by LiteracyHead about books that could be used  to kick off the new school year called "Books with Overlooked Potential for Launching the School Year (And Ideas for Using Them with Students)."  As with so much of what LP Reads comes across, what can happen in the classroom around reading can also very easily happen in our homes.  Be sure to check out the article for the full description of each title, but here's a quick glimpse at a few of our favorites:


Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee


The Three Questions by John Muth


and I Know Here by Laurel Croza


As noted in the article, this triumvirate is a rich grouping for talking with your kids about what they love about their life now and what they want to be doing in the future.  Muth's book (a retelling of a Tolstoy short story) asks how do we make sure that we are being a good person and that the life we are leading is a good one?  How do we know we are making the right decisions?  Couple these question with some amazing illustrations (art really) and you've got a a powerhouse way to start the new year ala children's literature.   I never cease to be amazed at how children's authors and illustrators so gracefully tackle some of life's great questions in a simple 32 pages.

Be sure to head over to Choice Literacy to see their additional recommendations and if you aren't able to find these titles in our local libraries (I know Here and Giant Steps to Change the World are not there), I am certain that The Storyteller in Lafayette has or can get them for you.

Welcome to the new school year -- enjoy this fresh start!

Eureka! Trelease's Read Aloud Treasury

Summer has me in the perpetual hunt for book recommendations and I was very excited to learn about Jim Trelease's book, "The Read Aloud Handbook."*  Originally published in 1979 and in its sixth edition as of 2006, "The Read Aloud Handbook" has chapters dedicated to:

• Why reading aloud is important
• When to begin reading aloud
• The stages of reading aloud
• The do's and don'ts of reading aloud
• Sustained silent reading
• Libraries
• Television, and 
• What Oprah, Harry, and the Internet have gotten right

As you might imagine, Trelease is a passionate advocate for reading to your children early, often, and forever!

Following his informational chapters about the importance of reading aloud, he includes a "Read Aloud Treasury," which lists 113 pages of book recommendations (with short reviews) broken down by genre and age group.  This list of more than 1,000 books is complemented by his website, which showcases his more current recommendations for books that have been published since the handbook's 2006 printing.  Eureka!

In addition to his own treasury, Trelease also recommends these resources (among others) for finding out about quality new children's books:

• "Worth a Thousand Words: An Annotated Guide to Picture Books for Older Readers" by Bette D. Ammon
• The American Library Association parent resource pages as well as their book lists for award winning books like the Caldecott, Newbery, and many others
• Children's Choices and Teacher's Choices from the International Reading Association

This book is a tremendous resource and serves as a perfect starting place for anyone trying to find that next great read.

*I read the 5th edition, so there is likely new material in the 6th edition that isn't covered in this post.