That Book Woman and More

Books about books are always a favorite and they seem to come in all different flavors and reading levels for that matter!  This summer, we happened upon a new one that somehow was the perfect complement to our family stay in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the adult book I just finished reading in said mountains about a woman who sheds her to-be executive self and starts a year round CSA farm (The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball).

In "That Book Woman" by Heather Henson a young boy with all sorts of twang in his voice tells his story about becoming a reader.   He is perplexed at first by anyone's interest in books, so his transformation may mirror that of other reluctant readers out there.

The book was inspired by the real "Pack Horse Librarians," AKA the "Book Women," who roamed the Appalachian Mountains in the 1930s as part of FDR's effort to bring books to remote areas.  If the subject interests you, you may want to check out "Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky" by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer.

For other children's books about books, "Alfred Zector, Book Collector" by Kelly DiPucchio or "The Librarian of Basra: A Story from Iraq" by Jeanette Winter.

Be sure to be friends with LP Reads on Goodreads.com so you can check the bookshelf "Books about Books" for more titles.

Summer Reading at LP

Hello Summer Readers!
Here are all of the details you've been eagerly awaiting about LP's Summer Reading Program.

Los Perales Elementary School

SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2013

The LP Summer Reading Program encourages children to read books over the summer and earn a $5 or $10 gift certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair, simply by following these easy steps:

1.        READ this summer! Read books, journals, magazines, even newspapers and record them online at Biblionasium.com. Students may read on their own or with a parent or caregiver. The reading goal for each grade is:

Grade	# Of Pages To Read
Completed K - entering 1st	20 books
Completed 1st  – entering 2nd	300
Completed 2nd – entering 3rd	600
Completed 3rd  – entering 4th	900
Completed 4th  – entering 5th	1,200
Completed 5th  – entering 6th	1,500

     

2. COMPLETE YOUR READING LOG New this year: Students will be asked to log their reading on Biblionasium, which can be accessed online either from home or the Moraga library. See below for detailed instructions about signing up for Biblionasium.  In addition, all parents/children will be asked to complete an online confirmation form at the end of summer in order to collect their gift certificates.

3.        COLLECT your $5 Gift Certificate for the Scholastic Book Fair in November 2013! 
*Students entering 6th grade will receive a $5 gift certificate to use at the Scholastic Book Fair or online.

4.        READ 5 CATEGORIES AND GET AN EXTRA PRIZE! Read at least one book in ALL of the following categories and get another $5 gift certificate ($10 total):  Non-fiction, Biography/Autobiography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Poetry.  

How To Sign Up for Bibionasium

• Create a parent account at Biblionasium.  You will be asked if your child has a username and password assigned from an instructor.  Please click “No.”  
• Next, you will be prompted to set up an account for your child.  During this step, you will create your child’s log in and password as well as enter the Classroom Code “LPRead060,” which is case sensitive (note: It is not LPReads060, but LPRead060).  This classroom code will link all LP Summer Readers together in a summer “class” of sorts, making it possible to send out reading challenges and to create mid-summer and end of summer reports about our collective page number progress.  On this same sign in screen, you will be asked your child’s reading level.  If you know it (either from your child’s teacher or from assessments done in the computer lab), you may enter it here.  This is optional.  You can learn more about Reading Levels on Biblionasium and look to this equivalency chart to roughly convert amongst the various leveling systems (Lexile, DRA, etc.). If you find yourself out and about and wondering about a certain book’s reading level, check out the app called Level It Books.
• Once you have set up your accounts, your child can log in using their unique username and password to log their reading.  First, they must add their current book selection to their bookshelf by clicking on “My Books.”  Once a book is placed on the bookshelf, it can be logged in the “Reading Log,” which is accessed via the left side column.  For the LP Reads Program, we are asking students to meet page number requirements (noted above) in order to earn their $5 Gift Certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair.  Incoming first graders can also track their page count; however, their requirement is to read 20 books.  Students who are participating in the local library summer reading programs may want to also log their time using Biblionasium.
• Lastly, be sure to have your children include the genre of each book they read in the comment section of their Reading Log.  Students who read from all of the following genres will earn an additional $5 gift certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair: Non-Fiction, Biography/Autobiography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Poetry.

Why Biblionasium.com?

It is interactive

• Students will have the opportunity to take part in reading challenges sent out by LP Reads throughout the summer (e.g., Read a Poetry Book this week).
• Students can share their favorite reads with schoolmates and friends.  
• It connects kids to book list resources and can help them find books that are at their right reading level.

It Offers Reading Incentives

• Children who log their reading five times a week, earn the chance to win gift cards from Amazon, iTunes, or Gamestop.  
• Students earn real-time acknowledgement throughout the summer for their reading accomplishments. Via Biblionasium’s badges/awards system, students earn accolades for doing things like reading five books or reading a book from a specific genre.    
• Parents and students can create their own challenges or earn awards by completing challenges initiated by LP Reads.

It Streamlines the Program’s Accounting

• We are reducing paper consumption this year while automating the process of logging each student’s pages read and gift certificates earned.  Less time processing paperwork translates into more time helping kids find their next great book!  
  
  Be sure to keep an eye on the LP Reads Blog for book recommendations and hopefully guest posts from students (Have your child submit any blog contributions to dustie@spiffychicks.com).

LP Kinders Change the World

"I’m showing love coming from the whole world.  It is important to help people.”

Last spring, LP Reads wrote about the power of a text set to spark an inquiry-based project with international implications in a post called “Literature and Global Citizenship."  We were so moved by what second graders could both learn and do in the real world.  This year, with inspiration from a new text set and a compassionate steward, LP’s own Mrs. Miller, our kindergartners are setting out to change the world too.

Armed with a powerful group of picture books, Mrs. Miller launched a project-based, student-led inquiry unit built around her long-standing classroom themes: kindness and spreading sunshine.  Together, Mrs. Miller and her class explored the following books:

• The Chicken and The Worm by Page McBrier
• Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier and Lori Lohstoeter (hear Patrick Ruthfuss read Beatrice’s Goat and hear from Beatrice in her own words)
• One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Eugenie Fernandes
• Faith the Cow by Susan Bame Hoover and Maggie Sykora
• Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together by Herb Shoveller
• Give a Goat by Jane West Schrock and Aileen Darragh
• Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson and Fumi Kosaka
• How Dalia Put a Big Yellow Comforter Inside a Tiny Blue Box by Linda Heller and Stacey Dressen MeQueen
• Once There Was and Was Not by Page McBrier and Stefano Vitale

Centered around the concept of sustainable giving (ala, teach a man to fish) and the idea that small gestures can net big results, this text set inspired Mrs. Miller’s kinders to wonder about their place in the world and ultimately, how they could make a difference.

They brainstormed what they could do and ultimately decided to use their newly acquired skills as readers to raise money through a Read-a-Thon to donate a goat to a less fortunate family.  

With deep thought and concern, they put themselves to work to kick off a Read-a-Thon by first writing about their new learnings, perspectives, opinions, and intentions.  To be sure that their families and friends could share in this new knowledge, the class then used their writing to create their first kindergarten movie (6:46 minutes):

Certainly, this project is replete with oodles of learning objectives around the to-be-expected academic measures of things like fluency, expression, accuracy, reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, and writing, not to mention social studies (yes, of course there is a song to help learn about continents in kindergarten!).  It was also packed with those softer, yet harder to measure competencies that we hear so much about as our district embraces 21st Century learning: creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and global citizenship.   Beyond these academic essentials; however, Mrs. Miller hopes that through this project and other things she does throughout the year (like having her class sing to absent students to wish them a speedy recovery), that she is sowing the seeds her students need to become “radically empathetic” and compassionate -- two things that can’t be measured on a test or taught in just one unit.

Through this rich and moving project, Mrs. Miller has enabled our five and six year olds to engage in a project-based learning experience that touches all of the below areas in an age appropriate way while keeping a constant eye on the qualities that seem so essential in a time when bombs explode at marathons.  One of the children’s words can’t help but echo, “Some people in the world aren’t kind. We want to give the world kindness.  We believe we can do it.”

Image from The Buck Institute for Education (www.bie.org)

There is something so touching about authentic learning experiences that allow children, through their own volition, to engage with the local and global community to solve real-world problems and concerns --- and all the while, being given the chance to experience learning in a new way.  With this simple movie, Mrs. Miller enabled her students to reflect on their own learning by letting them hear themselves read.  Imagine the retakes this short film required once students heard themselves and knew that their movie was going public.  There is certainly a reason that classrooms like those in Escondido have seen such success with simple things like voice recording and podcasting.  It not only makes the work real for students, but it motivates them to do their best and it gives them the opportunity to learn from both their successes and struggles.

All of this aside; however, perhaps the best thing these children have learned is about their own agency and their ability to effect change through compassion and kindness. To hear kindergartners say, "I'm changing the world" and "I hope other people will pass on the gift" with such earnestness and expression is to know that this group of children is well on their way to learning a great life lesson: You can make a difference.

These youngsters will indeed make their mark on the world and I hope that you will help teach them, at this very tender age, that what they believe is true.  They can change the world and we need to show them how very right they are.   

If you know a kinder in Mrs. Miller's class, sponsor them as readers.  If you don’t and still want to help, you can drop a donation of any size in the office at LP, or you can send your check made payable to Heifer International to:
Los Perales Elementary

Attn: Terryl Miller’s Kindergarten

22 Wakefield Drive

Moraga, CA 94556

As Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”   These children are doing just that and I hope that we can rally some support for their cause so that they will be inspired to spread sunshine for many years to come.

For more about project-based learning:

See this Edutopia article: http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance

and this segment on The PBS News Hour clip via Larry Farlazzo’s blog: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june13/learning_04-03.html

Ignorance is Bliss

The more I read, the more I discover that there is so much I haven't read.  A friend tweeted a "List of 25 Books Every Kid Should Have on Their Bookshelf" the other day and to my delight, there were some of the usual suspects that are indeed on our bookshelves.

But to my greater delight, there were books I'd never heard of as well!  There is bliss in ignorance because it means there are always more great books to explore.

Here are a handful that were new to me:

Drop Everything and Read Day!

Reading seems like such a luxury sometimes and trying to sandwich it in between pick up for child one, drop off for child two, homework for child three, work, homework, dinner, baths, laundry  ... I'm sure everyone gets the picture.  But then along comes a day like today -- April 12th, Annual Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day-- when life gives your family full permission to push it all aside and just enjoy some good books guilt free.

D.E.A.R Day happens annually to celebrate Beverly Cleary's birthday because she popularized the idea of D.E.A.R. in her novel Ramona Quimby.  Learn more about the day here and check out Jen Robinson's suggestions for at least giving the day a nod on her blog.

For now, we've gotta run.  We have some guilt free reading to do compliments of Cornelia Funke's Inkdeath, which has us all swept up in wondering what will happen next ... but first child number two has to get from chess to baseball.

Happy reading!

Celebrate School Library Month

The month of April is School Library Month -- a chance to celebrate not just the books in those revered spaces, but the dedicated and inspired folks who staff our school libraries across the country.  Over at The Library Girl's Blog, Jennifer LaGarde (aka, Library Girl) has posted an interactive 30-day calendar as an official crowd-sourced ode to librarians everywhere.  It is fun to see how librarians (who are some of the most likely readers of the Library Girl's Blog) celebrate and recognize the work they do.   From being a school's secret weapon when it comes to implementing the Common Core to being one of the most influential mentors a child will have in becoming a lifelong reader, teacher-librarians play critical and essential roles at the very heart of every school.   A happy and well deserved applause to you all from LP Reads the April!

There's a Book for That

As with just about any topic you can think of, there's a book for that!  Women's History Month is certainly no different.  This month, The Horn Book has a few suggestions worth checking out to round out your "her-story" reading with your children, including "Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children" by Jan Pinborough and "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell" by Tanya Lee Stone.

Feeling the Love - CYBILs Announced

No award season is complete without the CYBILS - the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards!  

As the judges contend, these are the books that have the "perfect blend of kid appeal and literary awesomeness."  For a mom who simultaneously appreciates and deplores the Archie Comics that have wreaked havoc on our reading diversity for months -- I can't wait to dig in to the 2013 CYBILS award winners with my kids.

First up are:

'Tis the Season - for Winners!

February is always an exciting time in the world of Children's Literature.  For 2013, the Caldecott and Newbery went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, respectively.

A host of other books were of course given honors by the Caldecott and Newbery judges.

Wander on over to TeachingBooks.net to hear what these winning authors and others have to say about their craft.

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.