Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken (Kate DiCamillo)

Oh how I love Kate DiCamillo! She weaves magical tales! Who could make any sense out of the idea of an adventurous chicken?! The story works beautifully.

I don't relate to Louise. She likes adventures. (I like to read about adventures). I did relate to how she needs to go home and tuck herself in and have a good sleep!!

I could totally relate to the other chickens. Their heart races when she tells them of their adventures...and they feel like they've been on the adventure too. And that is good enough for them! I often feel that way. I don't need to go out and do all the seemingly crazy things everyone else does....I'm okay to hear about it/read about it! I guess I'm a minimalist adventurer.

I loved the words in this book. They're beautiful woven. This story was a big hit!

Goodreads Summary:

She longed for adventure.

So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world.

The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful: marauding pirates on the majestic seas, a ferocious lion under the bright lights of the big top, a mysterious stranger in an exotic and bustling bazaar.

Yet in the face of such daunting danger, our heroine . . .

She was brave.

She was fearless.

She was feathered.

She was a chicken.

A not-so-chicken chicken.

Her name? 

If I Built a Car (Chris Van Dusen)

My students loved this book. There was a lot of shouts of: 

• Cool! 
• As if! 
• I would totally do that!
• That's a great idea!

The illustrations are great. We are doing 'elaborative detail' in writing right now and this book is a great example of ways to describe an object. I'll use it again!

Goodreads Summary:

Young Jack is giving an eye-opening tour of the car he'd like to build. There's a snack bar, a pool, and even a robot named Robert to act as chauffeur. With Jack's soaring imagination in the driver's seat, we're deep-sea diving one minute and flying high above traffic the next in this whimsical, tantalizing take on the car of the future. Illustrations packed with witty detail, bright colors, and chrome recall the fabulous fifties and an era of classic American automobiles. Infectious rhythm and clever invention make this wonderful read-aloud a launch pad for imaginative fun. 

Danny Champion of the World (Roald Dahl)

This book was recommended by one of the male teachers at my school (we don't have many male teachers...and they don't often give book recommendations....so I paid attention when this one did!) He says it is his favourite book of all time. I hadn't read it, so I decided I should. I think it'd be a great book for boys and dads, especially. I love Danny's admiration for his dad in this story. 

“I was glad my father was an eye-smiler. It meant he never gave me a fake smile because it's impossible to make your eyes twinkle if you aren't feeling twinkly yourself. A mouth-smile is different. You can fake a mouth-smile any time you want, simply by moving your lips. I've also learned that a real mouth-smile always has an eye-smile to go with it. So watch out, I say, when someone smiles at you but his eyes stay the same. It's sure to be a phony.”

Danny's dad teaches him to fix cars, teaches him cool facts about animals, lets Danny take days off school for fake sicknesses, and takes him on great hunting adventures. There is no one Danny would rather spend time with.

This little bit made me laugh out loud:

“On this Thursday, on this particular walk to school, there was an old frog croaking in the stream behind the hedge as we went by.

'Can you hear him, Danny?'

'Yes,' I said,

'That is a bullfrog calling to his wife. He does it by blowing out his dewlap and letting it go with a burp.'

'What is a dewlap?' I asked.

'It's the loose skin on his throat. He can blow it up just like a balloon.'

'What happens when his wife hears him?'

'She goes hopping over to him. She is very happy to have been invited. But I'll tell you something very funny about the old bullfrog. He often becomes so pleased with the sound of his own voice that his wife has to nudge him several times before he'll stop his burping and turn round to hug her.'

That made me laugh.

'Dont laugh too loud,' he said, twinkling at me with his eyes. 'We men are not so very different from the bullfrog.” 

The more Roald Dahl books I read, the more I see overlaps in his stories. This one refers to the BFG, a bed-time story that Danny's dad tells. It doesn't go anywhere though. It is a minor part of this story.  The sergeant at the end of the story is a funny character. He puts h's at the front of words where they don't belong and removes them from words where they should be. It reminded me of how fun it is to read The Witches out loud. I wonder if Sargeant Samway shows up in any other books? 

One bothersome thing about this story is how doing something mean/dishonest/tricky to someone who is not nice is totally justifiable. This theme pops up in other Roald Dahl books like The Twits and Matilda.  ....maybe I am being too dull.....not sparky enough.

“A stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY” 

Goodreads summary:

Danny has a life any boy would love—his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be the champion of the world. 

Controlling People (Patricia Evans)

Interesting perspective on why some people feel the need to be controllers. Would have liked more insight on how to deal with people who treat you poorly and are controlling. This book was a good one to start on this topic. 

I listened to the audio book.

Goodreads summary:

Learn how to 'break the spell' of control with Patricia Evans' new bestseller. Already hailed by Oprah Winfrey, "Controlling People" deals with issues big and small - revealing the thought processes of those who seek to control in order to provide a 'spell-breaking' mind-set for those who suffer this insidious manipulation. Invaluable insight and advice for those who seek support. (less)

Flora and Ulysses (Kate DiCamillo)

I have read this book before and blogged about it here.

This time when I read it I kept wondering what the meaning of all the craziness was. There seems like there must be some meaning behind the crazy lamp, the crazy kid who is blind, the crazy parents, the other crazy adults, and of course, the crazy idea that a squirrel can be a superhero!

So many questions:

• Why a superhero squirrel? Does the squirrel represent something? And how does that relate to the mundane superhero Flora loves? What is the connection with The Amazing Incandesto? And what is with Dr. Meescham's ability to fix everything? ...on her horse hair couch?? Is she/it also a superhero?
• There's a theme of love happening here somewhere...Flora wanting love from her mom...her mom seeming to love the lamp more...but in the end we find out she really does love Flora more than the lamp...William goes blind after his mom remarries a man who doesn't respect William Spiver and calls him Billy (interesting that it's important to him to be called by his first AND last name...the name his father would have given him) For his step-father to disrespect that was the ultimate betrayal and of course, justifies putting his vehicle in a pond...and it isn't until William Spiver finally talks about this episode that he can see again. He can "see" again. Then there's the love Dr Meescham feels for her dead husband. And Flora's love for Ulysses, and Ulysses' love for Flora....it's easy and instant. I think all these people really need to read The Five Love Languages!
• Words! Words are very important in this book. Malfeasance. Treacle. Incandesto. Poetry. William Spiver helping Phyllis Buckman find just the right words. Words floating above people's heads.
• Fitting in. Being a misfit. Introversion....so many funny people in this book. Flora's mother is concerned she's a misfit. Flora's father is odd. Flora's mother is odd. Their relationship is broken. Then there is the squid in the picture...lonely...ugly....naturally the way he is.
• Good versus evil. Physllis Buckman = arch nemesis. William Spiver's step-father seems evil to William. Ulysses brings about good. Then there's the squid in the picture....\
• Are Flora and her father, and maybe even William Spiver austic??
• Is it called Illuminated Adventures because all these crazy escapades actually bring light to their lives? Flora finds out her mother does love her. William is able to deal with his mother's remarriage. Anyone else see the light??

Mercy Watson Fights Crime (Kate DiCamillo)

Re-read February 10, 2016

My class hasn't read Leroy Ninker yet this year - but I plan to get it from the public library ASAP!

They were totally taken by the story. They are starting to see the common threads in these stories: the toast, the firefighters, the cranky old ladies next door, etc. Love Mercy Watson!!

Originally read: January 13, 2015

We laughed and laughed at this book in our class. We had already read Leroy Ninker, so to find out he had been involved with Mercy Watson was a real delight.


Goodreads Summary:

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter — screeeeeech — and drops it into his bag — clannngggg — little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a new tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.

Mercy Watson To The Rescue (Kate DiCamillo)

Re read Feb 9, 2016: This is a perfect book for kids not quite ready for bigger chapter books. My students were totally taken by the story. They laughed at the right spots and they listened intensely. Seemed just right for many. I plan to get them all out of the library for them!

Originally read: December 9, 2014:

I love how Kate DiCamillo is able to romanticize the simplest of things. In this book it is toast with lots of butter. She dedicates the book to someone who loves toast with lots of butter. In the 'about the author' she says she had the idea for the story in her head but didn't know how to tell its until she was listening to a friend one day go on about the virtues of toast. 

Mercy Watson is a pig that lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They treat him just like he was their child. In this story there is an emergency and Mercy saves them with the help of a cantankerous neighbor. I loved the pictures of Mercy chasing around with Eugenia Lincoln from next door. It reminds me of how our dog likes to let you chase him.

Tags:

Animals - of course, because there is a pig

Communication - Mercy is able to get Eugenia and Babe to call the fire department without actually talking

Early Chapter Books - Less than 100 pages and easy to read

Humor - How can you not smile when you look at Mercy's enthusiastic face?!

love - Mr and Mrs Watson love Mercy and Mercy reciprocates that love by saving them

Silly Stories - a pet pic is a little silly. I would have to agree with Eugenia