My six-year-old loves to read! It’s time he shares his thoughts on what he’s reading. I am always pleased when he wants to write about his reading: a budding reviewer in his own right! Rooting for You: A Moving Up Story by Susan Hood and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. This book is about a seed
My six-year-old loves to read! It’s time he shares his thoughts on what he’s reading. I am always pleased when he wants to write about his reading: a budding reviewer in his own right! Hooray for Bread by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman. This is a picture book. It is fiction. It is written in
My six-year-old loves to read! It’s time he shares his thoughts on what he’s reading. I am always pleased when he wants to write about his reading: a budding reviewer in his own right! Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jonathan Bean, is about a boy moving. In the story, the boy
I have found that since I began homeschooling (two years ago now) and since my second child has been born, I have refocused most of my reading energy to picture books and chapter books, especially those that I loved as a child. This week I revisited the family of five girls, All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney
Jumping Penguins by Marije Tolman (Lemniscaat USA, 2011) is a nonfiction book about animals with an element of fantasy in the clever illustrations. Each page of Tolman’s book provides facts about a different animal (50 animals are discussed in all). There are no connections between pages, and some pages rather randomly name a few facts
Teachers can always use more ideas for teaching reading strategies. Teacher Tanny McGregor provides clear ideas, concrete lesson plan introductions, and more for teachers in need of guidance when it comes to strategic reading (in Comprehension Connections, Heineman 2007) and introducing genre (Genre Connections, Heineman 2013).
Moonday by Adam Rex (Disney Hyperion, 2013) answers the question, “what would happen if the moon decided to stay in my backyard?” The town cannot wake up, the tide comes in to the narrator’s backyard, and they cannot hide the bright light of the moon. I really enjoy Moonday because of the ridiculous and bizarre
I have not read many middle grade or young adult books lately. I’m stuck in picture book world a lot these days. But, as it is poetry month, I have been reading about teaching poetry. One book keeps getting suggested, again and again: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.
It is always rather dangerous when the Estate of a Favorite Author decides to approve a retelling, remake, or sequel to a Favorite Series. So I was a bit apprehensive to read Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus (Dutton Children’s Books, 2009). With the Disney movie versions of Pooh, Tigger, and friends,
Since my son and I have been learning about Ancient Greece and Greek mythology over the last few weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit some familiar stories. Given my more recent lack of reading time or inclination, I determined not to attempt The Odyssey this year; but I did manage to read
Poetrees by Douglas Florian (Beach Lane Books, 2010) is a creative collection of poems about trees, seeds, and the growing cycle of plant life presented in a colorful and innovative way. The first thing to catch the reader’s attention is the layout of the book. While most picture books have a left-side binding, this one
In Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst  (Heinnemann 2012), teachers are provided with a wealth of information relating to close reading. Not only do they provide six clear “sign posts” to teach close reading, but also questions for students to ask themselves relating to close read, lesson plan
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