Fun way to introduce scientific method! Marsha's mom is getting ready for a party. Marsha, who seems to be a little bit like Amelia Bedelia who takes things very literally, has her own way of getting ready and it involves science!
Goodreads says:
It turns out that the best way to draw others to you is by being yourself.
Marsha is a scientist who has never met a problem she couldn't solve. But when it comes to making friends to invite to her birthday party, she is stumped.
Luckily, Marsha knows the solution to being stumped: the scientific method.
With creativity, determination, and humor, Marsha sets out to attract as many friends as she can—what could possibly go wrong?
There are actually many many authors of this book:
Oana Branzei Kim Cameron Jane E Dutton Karen Golden-Biddle Adam M Grant Erika Hayes James Shirli Kopelman Ramaswami Mahalingam David M Mayer Christine Porath Robert E Quinn Gretchen Preitzer Laura Morgan Roberts Scott Soneshein Anjan V Thakor Lynn Perry Wooten Amy Wrzesniewski
They authors are all PhDs and leaders in business and leadership research. The forward is by Shawn Anchor, who is well known for writing The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness
They're all really great and wise people!! I can see that this could be a group book study to do over a year and work on implementing many of their suggestions. I can see how the organization I work for has many of these things in place. There are things I could do though to make my work life better. I decided first to focus on high quality connections. I'm tracking my efforts each day in May.
II. Unlock Resources From Within 4. Enable Thriving at Work 5. Cultivate Positive Identifies 6. Engage in Job Crafting
III. Tap Into The Good
7. Activate Virtuousness 8. Lead an Ethical Organization 9. Imbue the Organization with a Higher Purpose
IV. Create Resourceful Change
10. Cultivate Hope: Found, Not Lost 11. Create Micro-moves for Organizational Changes 12. Treat Employees as Resources, Not Resisters 13. Create Opportunity From Crisis
Goodreads says:
Positive leaders are able to dramatically expand their people’s—and their own—capacity for excellence. And they accomplish this without enormous expenditures or huge heroic gestures. Here leading scholars—including Adam Grant, author of the bestselling Give and Take ; positive organizational scholarship movement cofounders Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn; and thirteen more—describe how this is being done at companies such as Wells Fargo, Ford, Kelly Services, Burt’s Bees, Connecticut’s Griffin Hospital, the Michigan-based Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, and many others. They show that, like the butterfly in Brazil whose flapping wings create a typhoon in Texas, you can create profound positive change in your organization through simple actions and attitude shifts.
I feel like the title of this is kind of click bait. It wasn't a real pig. Someone had a good luck pig that made music. It is a true story...and it's a cute story, especially for Titanic aficionados!
Goodreads says:
A pig on a passenger liner?
Impossible! No! No! It's me ... Maxixe, the music box pig! Everyone knows the story of the night the great ship Titanic sank. But few know the story of Maxixe, one of the unsung heroes of that night, and how this small musical pig soothed the fears of a lifeboat full of children. Based on true events, this dramatic story by author Gary Crew is told through the charming and compassionate voice of Maxixe, and is brought to life by the stunning artwork of illustrator Bruce Whatley.
Good story for introducing medication and seeking personal peace.
Goodreads says;
A young child tells us about the different times when he feels peaceful, as well as how he copes when he needs to find a peaceful state again.
Acclaimed picture-book creators Sandra V. Feder and Rahele Jomepour Bell have teamed up once again to create a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated exploration of peacefulness.
“I like feeling peaceful,” the young narrator tells us, then describes the times when he is filled with this emotion. When he is playing with a friend, he feels “free peaceful”; when he is having family dinner, “yummy peaceful”; when he is outside gazing up at the sky, “fluffy clouds peaceful". But, of course, he doesn’t always feel peaceful, and we hear about his strategies for coping during those times, such as taking deep breaths, imagining his favorite things, and finding a quiet refuge or a hug.
Peaceful Me is the perfect companion to Angry Me ― together, they encourage readers to let anger come and go, while inviting peace to come and stay.
The dragons in this story are the planes that fly overhead. The main character imagines herself as a princess. In time, it's time to board one of those dragons and immigrate to a new country. She is brave.
Goodreads says:
A beautifully tender story touching on the range of emotions immigrants may feel when leaving their home countries – excitement and sorrow, fear and courage. Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures? A Barnes & Noble Bookseller Favorite. A BookTrust Book of the Month. A Love Reading For Schools Book of the Month.
“A gorgeous story about the love of one’s homeland and the courage it takes to emigrate”― Kirkus Reviews , STARRED “Anita's courage as she flies off with the dragons to a new land will linger long after the final page”― Girls Read The World “What a punch this book packs. Hannah Carmona’s lyrical narrative is paired with THE dreamiest artwork by Anna Cunha – I’m obsessed with the color palette, and the gentle simplicity of her spreads is calming, yet full of energy”― The Little Literary Society
This could be a fun read on Valentine's Day....maybe. Mostly I avoid love stories. LOL
Goodreads says;
Neander is a young caveboy. He spends his days doodling on cave walls, chasing mammoth butterflies, and playing with his pet rock, Rock. But one day, he meets Neanne—and he’s CRUSHED! She’s short, she’s hairy, she’s perfect! Neander does everything he can think of to get Neanne’s attention. He picks a bouquet for her from the Field of the Bees. He fetches a conch shell for her from the Waves of Salt. As Neander’s gestures get grander and grander, Neanne remains unimpressed. But then Neander hatches the grandest gesture of all, and it’s Neanne’s turn to do some crushing. From Beth Ferry and Joseph Kuefler comes this sweet celebration of first love—perfect for Valentine’s Day and read-alouds all year long.
I think it takes some practice to read this well. I kept trying to get into a rhythm but I kind of limped along.
The story is hilarious and the kids totally got the terror of seeing the parents eat the left over stew at the end. Beware if you ever have a pirate babysit!
Goodreads says:
Long John has a whole crew of wild pirates in tow, and - for two intrepid children - he's about to transform a perfectly ordinary evening into a riotous adventure beneath a pirate moon. It's time to make some PIRATE STEW.
Marvellously silly and gloriously entertaining, this tale of pirates, flying ships, donut feasts and some rather magical stew is perfect for all pirates, both young and old. With a deliciously rhyming text from master storyteller Neil Gaiman, and spellbinding illustrations by the supremely talented Chris Riddell, three-times-winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, this is the picture book of the year! Joyful, quirky and action-packed, it makes a spectacular and magical gift.
This one was okay. Sadly, my students don't really understand the idea of gathering up the eggs, milking the cow, going to the shed where dry good are kept, etc. to prepare to bake a cake. They didn't really get too excited about this story.
Summary: A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse. "This is Thunder Cake baking weather," calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives.
These stories are uncomfortable to me to read, especially when we have black children in our class. However, they're important stories. The children gasped when the box he was in fell. It's quite a story!
Goodreads says:
An award-winning author and illustrator join forces in a stirring and emotional rich telling of Henry “Box” Brown’s famed escape from slavery—a feat he achieved by mailing himself to freedom. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children. Honoring Henry’s determination and courage, Sibert Medal–winning author Sally M. Walker weaves a lyrical, moving story of the human spirit. And in nuanced illustrations, Sean Qualls captures the moments of strength, despair, and gratitude that highlight the remarkable story of a man determined to be free.
Today it was raining and there were HUGE rooms in our courtyard. I gave my students buckets and they went out and gathered up the worms who were trying to move to a new home to help them out. This book seemed like the perfect way to end the day.
Best line was when he tells his sister to quit looking in the mirror because her face looks just like her butt. LOL
We also watched this video to learn some more about worms:
Goodreads says:
This is the diary . . . of a worm. Surprisingly, a worm not that different from you or me: He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey -- no matter how hard he tries. Oh, and his head looks a lot like his rear end.
Doreen Cronin, the New York Times best-selling author of Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack, teams up with illustrator Harry Bliss for this hysterical journal about the daily doings and the hidden world of a lovable underground dweller.
This is super cute! It is the same other that writes the hilarious Splat the Cat. There were some gut-busting laughs right from the first few pages with this one. I love the style of illustrations. Every page seemed to have something amusing to look at. My students thought Russell's body looks like a pillow - which makes sense.
I noticed my library has two more Russell the Sheep books. I'm in!
Goodreads says:
There must be a way to get a sheep to sleep! All the sheep are falling asleep—except Russell. What's a sheep to do? Count stars… Count feet… Perfect for naptime or bedtime, this New York Times bestselling picture book is from Splat the Cat author-artist Rob Scotton. Your sheep will giggle, and you will agree with the New York Times Book Review : “A hilarious woolly insomniac. Adorably funny. A runaway hit.” And don't miss the other funny picture books about
The little hares think they've found a good way to get out of trouble...until they run into a rabbit named Alex! My class gasped when he was introduced :)
Goodreads says: Three boisterous little hares come up with what they think is a clever way to make all kinds of mischief without getting into trouble with the other animals. They just blame their misdeeds on an imaginary hare named Alex. Then one day a new hare arrives in the forest-a hare named Alex! What are the three little hares going to do now?
Books like this make me want to make a better effort to gather up some ideas about how to teach with wordless books.
Goodreads says:
A series of exuberant read-aloud sound effects perfectly capture the whimsy and joy of a springtime frolic in this companion to Red Sled. In this almost wordless springtime picture book, an adorable crew of baby animals borrows a familiar-looking red hat (last seen on the head of Red Sled’s unsuspecting protagonist) and embarks on a joy-filled escapade—until all that is left is a long piece of red string! Their playful romp is gorgeously depicted in bold watercolor and complemented by humorous expressions and pitch-perfect sound effects. With a timeless tone and classic characters, Red Hat promises to be an instant favorite.
A wordless book that starts from a tall tree growing in the forest - to the checkout counter at the grocery store - one brown bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school.
And so begins the journey of one brown bag that is used and re-used and re-used again.
In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved brown bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.
An oldie, but a good book! My students were a little taken back by the illustrations. They thought they were weird....but we ended up having a good discussion about the style and why the illustrator chose to illustrate it the way they did.
Goodreads says:
"A shy mountain boy in Japan leaves his home at dawn and returns at sunset to go to the village school. Pictures and text of moving and harmonious simplicity". - Saturday Review.
Love this story!! Nothing like having stories come to life and having the characters come right out of the book!
Goodreads says:
When Zack meets his second-grade teacher, Miss Smith, he can tell right away that her class will be different. However, he has no idea just how different it will be.
Zack can't wait for Mrs. Smith to read out loud again from her incredible book. The first story fills the classroom with dueling pirates and the sound of their clashing swords. The second story transports Zack's class to the shady forest of the Big Bad Wolf. At the end of each spellbinding tale the characters slip quietly back into the book. But one day Mrs. Smith is late for school, and the principal takes charge. When he runs away in terror from a fire-breathing dragon, Zack and his classmates set free the rest of the story-book characters and have a morning of high-spirited fun... until they notice that the pirates have hoisted their Jolly Roger on the roof of the school.
Although I felt like this book certainly wasn't a great work of literature, I really loved the story. I'm shocked at the things we have done in our past to people because of racism. People in Japanese internment camps were amazingly generous with their response to these camps during World War II.
This was a book club book and we had a great discussion on it.
In this story a Chinese boy named Henry falls in love with a Japanese girl.
Favorite quotes: All Henry could do was sigh and nod. He knew that the concept all too well. Painfully well. Obedience as a sign of loyalty as an expression of honor, even as an act of love, was a well-worn theme in his household. Especially between him and his father. but that wasn't the case now, was it? Did I cause my father's stroke? Was it brought on by my disobedience? As much as Henry reasoned otherwise, he ahd a hard time convincing himself the answer was no. His guilt remained.
p. 233 "How long will you wait ofr me, Henry?" "As long as it takes, I don't care what my father says." "What if I'm an old woman?" Keiko said, laughing. "What if I'm in here until I'm old and my ahir is gray - " "Then I'll bring you a cane." "You'd wait for me?" Henry smiled, nodded, and took Keiko's hand. He didn't even look, their two hands just seemed to fall together. They spend the better part of the day beneath that cloudy sky. Henry looked up expecting rain, but the wind, which kept them a little chilly, blew the clouds south of the camp. There would be no more rain.
...spoiler alert....he did!
Goodreads says:
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s—Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.
