Experts on Demand: Twitter Delivers

LP Reads is quite a fan of Donalyn Miller (aka, The Book Whisperer) and Twitter, so when the two converge, it is true children's literature bliss.  Perhaps the greatest thing is that on Twitter, the Book Whisperer keeps some like-minded colleagues as her tweeps and their thoughts and discussions and title recommendations are on display for all of us outsiders (um, parents) to learn from and enjoy.

Leveraging social media, these book-loving teachers and librarians are reaching beyond their individual classrooms, libraries, schools, districts, counties, states ... you get the idea ... to share their expertise and passion.  The group convenes both formally and informally on Twitter, hosting their standing date night chat (#titletalk) on the last Sunday of the month from 8-9pm EST.  If you miss it, however, the chats are archived for your reading pleasure. Check out the November 25th chat on this Wiki where they talked about "Best Book Lists and Using Them with Students."


If you spend even a short amount of time perusing hashtags like #tlchat, #titletalk, or #nerdybookclub, you'll be sure to happen upon a whole host of inspiring folks, including K-5 Teacher-Librarian John Schu (@MrSchuReads), 4th Grade Teacher Colby Sharp (@colbysharp), Teacher Librarian/Tech Integrationist Shannon Miller (@shannonmmiller), Elementary Librarian Travis Jonkers (@100scopenotes), and Pennsylvania Teacher-Librarian Joyce Valenza (@joycevalenza).

Unlike the library, which closes daily and has limited hours, Twitter is always open and these inspirational educators can be at your fingertips in the click of a mouse.

So if you are looking for your child's next great read, don't leave it to chance.  Head over to Twitter to see what the experts have to say.

Here are a few of their recommendations from this week's chat:

• Mr. Schu's 2012 Best Book Lists
• Donalyn Miller recommends the 2012 Notable Children's Books from the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of the Teachers of English
• Joyce Valenza recommends The Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2012

Happy exploring and reading!

A Caldecott Fall

Can you feel it?  Fall is definitely finding its way here ...  finally!

And there is nothing like the hint of chill in the air to conjure up images of snuggling under a blanket by the fire with a good book, but what book?  Sometimes the sheer number of choices at the library can be a bit too overwhelming, so this fall, we've decided to check out the best of the best -- year by year.

Reading is Fundamental offers a great place to start: Their handy lists of 10 years of Caldecott Winners and 10 Years of Newbery Winners.  Each of the lists includes the winners for the year as well as the three books that received honors mention.

There are plenty of books we've heard of before, but in reviewing the lists, there are tons that will be brand new.  We can't wait to dig in and see how long it will take us to make our way through ten years of excellence in children's literature.

If you're feeling even more ambitious, check out Librarian Laura's Caldecott Challenge 1938 - present or Mr. Schu's Newbery Medal Challenge 1922 - present.

Lots of fantastic books to read.  Join us, won't you?

More Polacco, More!

When you find a writer you love, you hope they will keep writing and writing.  Luckily for us, Patricia Polacco keeps doing just that.

In April, she released "The Art of Miss Chew," and on September 13th, her latest book will hit the bookshelves.  It is called "Bully," and I can't wait to see how she has treated the topic.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of Polacco's books, check them out.  Some LP Reads favorites are:

"The Bee Tree"
"Thank you, Mr. Falker"
"Junkyard Wonders"

Build It - They'll Come

Apologies for the blogging hiatus (understatement), but now that we're in to the depths of summer, it is impossible not to be blissfully swept away into the world of children's literature yet again.  With the lists from The Storyteller's Summer Reading Club in the house, we are all surrounded by new and wonderful finds and I am reminded again that yes, there is a limit to the number of books that public libraries let you check out.

When it comes to summer reading and book borrowing, more is always better and the maxim "Everything in moderation" goes out the window for a solid three months around here.  Following the advice of children's literature aficionado Donalyn Miller (aka, The Book Whisperer), books are literally everywhere in our house and we are back to consistently listening to Books on CD in the car as well.  We've adopted one of Miller's suggestions for teachers and created a spot in the house to showcase new books for the week, and much to my surprise, even my somewhat-reluctant-to-be-second-grader-who-only-likes-sports-books has been spotted plucking a book or two from the window ledge to give them a read.

I believe Miller, if you build a culture of books, the reading will come.

Here's our current crop:

Family read aloud:  The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Recent favorite book on CD: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Picture Ogler/Pre-Reader's current selection: Pete's Party by Jon Scieszka, David Shannon, David Gordon, and Loren Long
Reluctant-to-be-Second-Grader's current selection: The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden
Avid-Upper-Elementary's current selection:  No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve

Other summer dabblings that we've enjoyed:
Weird But True by National Geographic
Willoughby & the Lion by Greg E. Foley
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

So what are you reading and loving this summer?

March Madness for Books

This one is for the parent readers out there!   This morning I learned about a fun event to follow that is run by The Morning News.  The event is called The Tournament of Books and it begins tomorrow.  Over the next month, 16 of this year's best books will be pitted against one another March Madness style.  Literary reviewers will read the contending books and write up their take on who should advance to the next round.  While you may not be up for the gauntlet of reading that such an endeavor might entail, this is at least a good list of books to peruse if you're looking for your next good read.  Check it out!

LP's All Ears Favorite Honors Girl Scouts with a New Book

Be sure not to miss seeing Ginger Wadsworth (who some of you may know from your child reading to her beautiful dog Willa at the LP Library) this coming Saturday, March 10th at 1pm at Orinda Books.  She'll be introducing her new book, "First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low."   This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, so her book is well-timed.

According to Orinda Books,

Ginger Wadsworth is the author of many nonfiction titles for young readers, including, for Clarion, Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers, which was named a nonfiction Honor Book by VOYA and received the Western Writers of America Spur Award. She lives in Orinda, California. You can learn more about her at: www.gingerwadsworth.com

 If you miss seeing her at Orinda Books, please contact Dustie Robeson at dustie @ spiffychicks.com to schedule a time to read with her and Willa in April or May during the All Ears program at the LP Library.

Literature and Global Citizenship

You often hear adults talk about literature in a way that makes it clear that they are connecting what they read to their lives in meaningful ways.

This past week, I had an opportunity to see how second graders can also make very profound text-to-world connections.  While attending a Technology Symposium for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, I joined a break out session hosted by the district's literacy coaches.  They shared about their work with teachers across the district to both teach and inspire young readers.

One of the ideas they touched on was using "text sets" to help children create real world connections through literature. Poking around a bit, I discovered that a "text set" (a collection of books based on the same theme - fiction and/or non-fiction) can be an inspiring way to launch a myriad of associated learning opportunities.

In the video shared below, these second grade teachers and coaches created a moving, long-term project with the following books:

• The Librarian of Basra
• Beatrice's Goat
• Listen to the Wind
• Ruby's Wish
• Nasreen's Secret School
• Four Feet, Two Sandals
• Fly Away Home

To round out the set, they also included a video ("Story of Ruby Bridges") and a song ("We Shall Overcome").

The below video summarizing their work speaks volumes and for the few friends who have previewed it, some tissues have been required.

Leave it to literature to touch so deeply -- and leave it to skilled professionals (teachers) to make that connection happen for children.  Thank you authors and thank you teachers!

Books and Math!

Looking for ways to boost your child's exposure to mathematical concepts without whipping out the worksheets?  Head on over to the Living Math Book List Blog and you'll find a host of books about topics like multiplication, measurement, symmetry, proportions, ordinal numbers, fractions, probability ... and the list goes on.   Just another great resource that was shared by a middle school math teacher on Twitter today!