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!

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?