The End of Ignorance (John Mighton)

 

John Mighton is the creator of the JUMP program - a math program we use in our school. I have read other books he has written and am confident that he is on to a good thing. Reading this has made me want to re-dedicate myself to digging deeper into the lessons I teach each day in math. 

When I am reading this book, I'm always thinking of other areas of life I could apply these concepts...like Come Follow Me or seminary lessons. 

Goodreads says:

A revolutionary call for a new understanding of how people learn.

The End of Ignorance conceives of a world in which no child is left behind – a world based on the assumption that each child has the potential to be successful in every subject. John Mighton argues that by recognizing the barriers that we have experienced in our own educational development, by identifying the moment that we became disenchanted with a certain subject and forever closed ourselves off to it, we will be able to eliminate these same barriers from standing in the way of our children.

A passionate examination of our present education system, The End of Ignorance shows how we all can work together to reinvent the way that we are taught.

John Mighton, the author of The Myth of Ability, is the founder of JUMP Math, a system of learning based on the fostering of emergent intelligence. The program has proved so successful an entire class of Grade 3 students, including so-called slow learners, scored over 90% on a Grade 6 math test. A group of British children who had effectively been written off as too unruly responded so enthusiastically and had such impressive results using the JUMP method that the school board has adopted the program. Inspired by the work he has done with thousands of students, Mighton shows us why we must not underestimate how much ground can be covered one small step at a time, and challenges us to re-examine the assumptions underlying current educational theory. He pays attention to how kids pay attention, chronicles what captures their imaginations, and explains why their sense of self-confidence and ability to focus are as important to their academic success at school as the content of their lessons.

Favorite quotes:

p. 98 Adults think that repetition is tedious, so they fail to give children the practice they need to consolidate their understanding of skills and concepts. Adults think that familiar facts are boring, so they seldom ever give children enough time to explore those facts. Adults think that extending an obvious pattern is pointless, so they don't allow children to test that a pattern goes on forever, nor do they allow them to demonstrate their amazing ability to handle more and more complex variations on a simple theme. Adults rarely raise the bar for children very effectively or capture their attention in mathematics, because they don't know how to see the world through the eyes of children.

A Boy Called Christmas (Matt Haig)

 

I loved this book so much! It was a really good read aloud for December. I didn't quite start it soon enough and so we had a large number of pages to read every day. We didn't quite meet our daily goal so on the very last day while they were finishing the illustrations on the calendars made for parents, I was reading to them. While they were doing their craft, I was reading to them. It made for a really wonderful last day of school! We also watched the movie, which we also really enjoyed. There was a lot of chatter about things that were different in the movie and comments like, 'oh....this or that is coming next!'. The movie ends quite differently than the book. This prompted a great discussion (initiated by one of my students) about movies versus books. When he said, "I think I like the book better then the movie" my heart leapt for joy!! A Christmas miracle! :) 

Quotes and Signposts:

I haven't taught my class about sign posts so I wasn't really actively looking for them, but this book could be a great one for discovering them. 

p. 93 Father Topo: An impossibility is just a possibility you don't understand yet. 

p. 135 "A drimwick is a hope spell. If you have been drimwicked it gives you powers, even if you are only a reindeer,' said the Truth Pixie.

"What kind of powers?"
"It takes all that is good in you, and makes it stronger. It makes it magical. If you wish for something good, the magic will help. It is a very boring kind of magic. Because being good is boring.'

Nikolas thought about Aunt Carlotta throwing Miika out the door. "No', he gold the grubby-faced pixie. "You're wrong. The whole world - or the world I come from, the world of the humans, is full of bad things. There's misery and greed and sadness and hunger and unkindness all over the place. There are many, many children who never get any presents, and who are lucky to get anything more than just a few spoonfuls of mushroom soup for dinner. They have no toys to play with and they will go to bed hungry. Children who don't have parents. Children who have to live with horrible people like my Aunt Carlotta. In a world like that it's very easy to be bad. So when someone is good, or kind, it's a magic in itself. It gives people hope. And hope is the most wonderful things there is.'

p. 143 Memory Moment:
Nikolas is in jail, thinking of how he wants to escape because the troll plans to kill him and the truth fairy wants to see his head explode.

He remembered the day his mother died. Hiding from the brown bear, in the well, holding onto the chain holding the bucket, then losing her grip. The wail, as she fell, while Nikolas watched in horror from the cottage. 
On that day, and for a lot of days after (let's say one thousand and ninety-eight) he had believed that things could only get worse and that he would wake up in tears for the rest of his life, feeling guilty that he hadn't stayed with her, even though he thought she was running too.
He prayed, somehow, for her to come back.
Joel kept on telling him he looked like his mother but his cheeks weren't as red so sometimes Nikolas used to grab some berries and crush them on his cheeks and look at his reflection in the lake. And in the blurry water he could also imagine it was her, looking back from a dream.
"It's funny, Papa," he once said, as his father chopped a tree. "But I could probably have filled that well with tears the amount I have cried."
"She wouldn't want you to cry. She'd want you to be happy. Jolly. She was the happiest person I ever met."
And so the next morning Nikolas woke up and didn't cry. He was determined not to. And nor had he had his usual nightmare about his mother falling, falling, falling down that well. So he knew that terrible things - even the most terrible things - couldn't stop the world from turning. Life went on. and he made a promise to himself that, when he was older, he'd try and be like his mother. Colorful and happy and kind and full of joy.
That was how he was going to keep her alive.

p. 145 That was the point of magic, wasn't it? To do the impossible. 
(reference back to quote at front of book: Impossible - and old elf swear word)

How Civil Wars Start (Barbara F Walter)

 

American politics isn't in such a good place right now and Canadians love to follow American thought. This book certainly gave me reason to pause and think about politics in our world today. This should be required reading for everyone....especially if you want to be an informed voter.   

Using information civil wars that have occurred in many countries, she makes a strong argument for everyone to sit up and pay attention to this issue. 

Goodreads says:

Civil wars are the biggest danger to world peace today - this book shows us why they happen, and how to avoid them.

Most of us don't know it, but we are living in the world's greatest era of civil wars. While violence has declined worldwide, civil wars have increased. This is a new phenomenon. With the exception of a handful of cases - the American and English civil wars, the French Revolution - historically it has been rare for people to organise and fight their governments.

This has changed. Since 1946, over 250 armed conflicts have broken out around the world, a number that continues to rise. Major civil wars are now being fought in countries including Iraq, Syria and Libya. Smaller civil wars are being fought in Ukraine, India, and Malaysia. Even countries we thought could never experience another civil war - such as the USA, Sweden and Ireland - are showing signs of unrest.

In How Civil Wars Start, acclaimed expert Barbara F. Walter, who has advised on political violence everywhere from the CIA to the U.S. Senate to the United Nations, explains the rise of civil war and the conditions that create it. As democracies across the world backslide and citizens become more polarised, civil wars will become even more widespread and last longer than they have in the past. This urgent and important book shows us a path back toward peace.

Cold Paws, Warm Heart (Madeleine Floyd)

 

Cute story! It led to a good discussion about why sometimes people have cold hearts. Usually, they have been hurt or have some reason for not having a loving heart. Sometimes a little understanding is all it takes. 

Goodreads says:

A kindhearted girl seeks out a solitary polar bear in a tender story of an unlikely friendship that is sure to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Far away in the land of snow and ice lives Cold Paws, a lonely polar bear. With only his silver flute for company, Cold Paws shivers and wonders why he always feels cold inside. But when young Hannah from the nearby village makes friends with him, that chilliness inside Cold Paws begins to melt away. A woolly scarf, a game of jumping jacks, a mug of steaming hot chocolate — what warm gesture will finally take the polar bear's icy feeling away for good?

Beatrice and Croc Harry (Lawrence Hill)

 

There were things I loved about this book and things I did not like at all. He works with some difficult themes (racism, friendship, etc.) in a magical and brilliant way.

I thought it could have been way shorter. It's too long for kids. Maybe it should be a series?? I don't know. I also thought the use of fancy words was at times, pretentious and too much.

p. 34: The writing, in perfect purple calligraphy, indicated exactly what to do. It even instructed her to find, hanging from a nail in the pantry, a giant spoon with a three-foot-long handle. Beatrice lowered her rope ladder, carried the glue fixings and the spoon to the pit near the river, set a fire, hung a pot over the burning embers and followed the instructions. Easy as pie. She did not know why people said easy as pie, because good pie was surely hard ot make. Making glue would be easier.

p. 118  "It must be awfu to not know what you did, but to still feel bad about it," she said.
"It feels like I am trapped," Croc Harry said.

A flight flicked on in Beatrice's brain. Now she understood that crocodiles also had deep, unexpressed feelings.

p. 123 Beatrice read the message aloud. "Cue number 3. Crocodiles are social reptiles, so why does Croc Harry fail to fraterize? Why does he never swim, hunt or eat with other crocodiles? Is Croc Harry who he says he is? Is he worthy of your friendship? Find clue number 5 on Croc Harry's belly.

Later she finds out his belly is soft and lovely....quite the opposite of his scutes you normally see.

p. 217 Friends are like books. You carry them with you forever, regardless of mundane impediments like geography.

p. 241 Horace to Beatrice: Sometimes you anno me, but even then I don't stop liking you.


Goodreads says:

One of Canada's most celebrated author's debut novel for young readers

Beatrice, a young girl of uncertain age, wakes up all alone in a tree house in the forest. How did she arrive in this cozy dwelling, stocked carefully with bookshelves and oatmeal accoutrements? And who has been leaving a trail of clues, composed in delicate purple handwriting?

So begins the adventure of a brave and resilient Black girl's search for identity and healing in bestselling author Lawrence Hill's middle-grade debut. Though Beatrice cannot recall how or why she arrived in the magical forest of Argilia--where every conceivable fish, bird, mammal and reptile coexist, and any creature with a beating heart can communicate with any other--something within tells her that beyond this forest is a family that is waiting anxiously for her return.

Just outside her tree-house door lives Beatrice's most unlikely ally, the enormous and mercurial King Crocodile Croc Harry, who just may have a secret of his own. As they form an unusual truce and work toward their common goal, Beatrice and Croc Harry will learn more about their forest home than they ever could have imagined. And what they learn about themselves may destroy Beatrice's chances of returning home forever.

Say Something (Peter Reynolds)

 

I bought this book quite a while ago and was waiting for just the right time to use it. 

This week our admin is doing a "book tour". They pick a book they want to share as part of a character theme and go around and read it to all the classes. This was the book. 

It has a great way of talking about how we can speak up in many different ways. 

Goodreads says:

The world needs your voice.
If you have a brilliant idea...say something!
If you see an injustice...say something!

In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are...what you are thinking...and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING! 

Even Superheroes Make Mistakes (Shelly Becker)

 

This is a super cute and simple story with a great message. Kids love superheroes and so this is a great way to teach character traits we want to devleop. 

Goodreads says:

What do young superheroes do when they’ve blundered and bungled? They don’t get mad; they get SMART! This fun follow-up to Even Superheroes Have Bad Days teaches kids another humorous lesson in overcoming adversity.
 
Even superheroes sometimes slip up and err. And when that happens, do they say, “It’s not FAIR?” or give up in despair? NO! “Ashamed Superheroes who goofed up somehow . . . First STOP . . . then CONSIDER what’s best to do now.”  Whether they’ve nabbed the wrong guy by mistake or bashed into a planet while zooming through space, all superheroes ‘fess up their mess-up, get on with their day, and keep on saving the world in the most super way!

The Gardener of Alcatraz (Emma Bland Smith)

 

The illustrations in this story are detailed and really held everyone's attention. My class was totally silent as I read it. I think they were struck by the idea of a story about criminal. One of our students had visited Alcatraz and so she told us a bit about it to start, which was really great. This is a great story of how people can change and the value of nature. 

Goodreads says:

A prisoner gardens his way to freedom in this inspiring picture-book biography.

When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. Thoughts of escape were replaced with new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.

Told with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion. 

Harriett's Ruffled Feathers

 

This is the true story of a lady who had an awakening about how they were using feathers as fashion and she changed her ways and got all her friends to change their ways....even Queen Elizabeth! 

My class wasn't totally enamored with this story. There was a lot of play on words that they didn't catch on to. If I read it again, I'd take the time to talk about those things so they can catch the double-meanings.

Goodreads says:
This picture book tells the story of Harriet Hemenway's boycott of fashionable feathered hats, which saved millions of birds and led to the founding of the Audubon Society. 

The Rise (And Falls) of Jackie Chan (Kristen Mai Giang)

 

The boys in my class LOVED reading about Jackie Chan. It was a good reminder to read about all his foibles in school and see how successful he became by being true to himself. We had a serendipitious moment in that another student brought in a biography of Bruce Lee, which is also mentioned in this book. Jackie Chan met Bruce Lee, starred in many of his movies, and seemed to use Bruce Lee as a role model. 

Goodreads says:

An action-packed picture book biography about Hollywood actor, stuntman, and beloved superstar Jackie Chan! A great read for Chan fans hoping to share their love of Rush Hour, Supercop, and Jackie's original brand of martial arts with their ready-to-tumble tyke.

Pow! Bam! Wow!

Jackie Chan has been making movies and amazing audiences with his original and comedic stunts for decades.

Pow! Bam! Ow!

But before he was an international star, Jackie grew up in relative poverty in China, studied martial arts at the grueling China Drama Academy, and worked for years trying to find his way in film.

Pow! Bam! How?

Twist, tumble, and train alongside martial arts hero Jackie Chan in this picture book biography from lauded author Kristen Mai Giang and illustrator and Hong Kong native Alina Chau. Discover how Jackie used his goofball acrobatics to make a name and a style all his own. 

Viola Desmond Will Not Be Budged (Jody Nyasha Warner, Richard Rudnicki)

 

I love this story. She is the lady on the $10 bill that is vertical. We are reading the story of Jackie Robinson and knowing similar things were happening in Canada is always a good reality check. 

My husband works with someone whose mother used to get her hair done by Viola Desmond. This is recent history!

Goodreads says:

In 1946, Viola Desmond bought a movie ticket at the Roseland Theatre in Nova Scotia. After settling into a main floor seat, an usher came by and told her to move, because her ticket was only good for the balcony. She offered to pay the difference in price but was refused: “You people have to sit in the upstairs section.” Viola refused to move. She was hauled off to jail, but her actions gave strength and inspiration to Canada’s black community. Vibrant illustrations and oral-style prose tell Viola’s story with sympathy and historical accuracy. 

Neil Armstrong (Little People, Big Dreams series) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

 

I was surprised how many of my students knew who Neil Armstrong was. They really liked learning about how he became an astronaut. Great discussion!

Goodreads says:

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.
 
Little Neil’s dreams took flight when he rode on his first airplane as a child. After studying aeronautical engineering and time spent in the Navy, he became a pilot. From there, he was selected to take a trip to where no human had gone before—the moon! Along with his team, Buzz and Mike, he was the captain of the Apollo 11. And Neil took a giant step for humankind as the first person to ever step onto the surface of the moon.This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the legendary astronaut.

​Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS! 

It's Impossible (Tracey Corderoy)

 

Amazing illustrations and a get illustration of how possibility thinking can help you get somewhere you originally thought you couldn't go. 

Goodreads says:

An imaginative, hilarious, and fun story that teaches children that nothing is impossible!

Dog longs to visit the ocean, but it is MILES away. “Impossible!” he sighs. After using a new laundry soap called “Ocean Magic” a crab appears and needs help getting home. Will Dog take this chance to make his dream come true?

Stay Out Of The Basement (R.L. Stine)

 

I like to read a book from a series to introduce my students to it....and once I started reading this one I saw them reading all sorts of Goosebumps books in the classroom. I have to say though, it was pretty scary!! I'm not entirely sure it's okay for 8 year olds! I decided to read it at Halloween time because it would be a quick read and maybe kind of fun. Sheesh! One girl told me that when she gets scared her teeth hurt - and they hurt a lot during this book! 

Goodreads says:

Dr. Brewer is doing a little plant-testing in his basement. Nothing to worry about. Harmless, really.

But Margaret and Casey Brewer are worried about their father. Especially when they... meet... some of the plants he is growing down there.

Then they notice that their father is developing plantlike tendencies. In fact, he is becoming distinctly weedy- and seedy. Is it just part of their father's 'harmless' experiment? Or has the basement turned into another little shop of horrors? 

The Great Fuzz Frenzy (Janet Stevens, Susan Stevens Crummel)

 

Short summary: This story is about a tennis ball that gets dumped down a gopher hole by a dog. 

But it's so much more than that!! It's about friendship, community and problem solving...and it's hilarious.

I love picture books where you have to turn the page and there are fold outs to make it huge....like when the ball goes down down down down a gopher hole! 


Goodreads says:

Deep, deep down in their underground town, the prairie dogs live in harmony - until a mysterious, fluorescent, very fuzzy thing (otherwise known as a tennis ball) rolls down their hole. When the prairie dogs discover that they can pluck and pull the fuzz into fabulous fashions, their fear quickly turns to curiosity, then delight, then pure greed.
The frenzy that erupts threatens to tear apart the prairie-dog town forever. But when mean ol' Big Bark is kidnapped after taking all the fuzz for himself, the prairie dogs come to the rescue and remember the true meaning of community.

Shapes, Lines, and Light (Katie Yamasaki)

 

This is an amazing story! My students had no idea about the racism towards Japanese people during World War II in the USA. The author's grandfather was a famous architect. The story mentions 9/11 and says how sad he would have felt....ironic considering the racism he faced. However, destroying a building he designed because of racism would have hurt his heart. He wasn't alive during 9/11, however. 
The story does a good job of showing parts of his life he loved and the warmth and light despite the hurdles he faced.

Goodreads says:

Minoru Yamasaki described the feeling he sought to create in his buildings as “serenity, surprise, and delight.” Here, Katie Yamasaki charts his life and work: his childhood in Seattle’s Japanese immigrant community, paying his way through college working in Alaska’s notorious salmon canneries, his success in architectural school, and the transformative structures he imagined and built. A Japanese American man who faced brutal anti-Asian racism in post–World War II America and an outsider to the architectural establishment, he nonetheless left his mark on the world, from the American Midwest to New York City, Asia, and the Middle East.


This striking picture book renders one artist’s work through the eyes of another, and tells a story of a man whose vision, hard work, and humanity led him to the pinnacle of his field. 

Bittersweet (Susan Cain)

 

Susan Cain has done it again. This is another brilliant book. It has gospel truths in it focused on how life cannot be wonderful without the terrible and sad parts. I remember when Destiny was born silently how people tried to cheer me up and tell me how grateful I must be <insert a number of different things....have two healthy children.....know that we will have our children with us in the eternities....etc> but I didn't find my solace in those things, even though I did realize how important they were. I needed that time for sadness and grief. Sometimes I still do.  Too often people in North America (and in my religion) are far too uncomfortable with sadness. We are kind of expected to see the bright side and simply be happy. There is a place for the sadness, sorrow and longing though. I need this sorrow and sadness and longing for many things, perhaps most of all, to remind me that life is fragile and to appreciate it. This book reminds me again that it is okay to get what I need. It's okay to long for something that is lost or just simply never was.

There's a lot to this book. I'd definitely find it worthwhile to read it again.


Goodreads says:

In her new masterpiece, the author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet reveals the power of a bittersweet outlook on life, and why we’ve been so blind to its value.

With Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now she employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and the surprising lessons these states of mind teach us about creativity, compassion, leadership, spirituality, mortality, and love.

Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy when beholding beauty. It recognizes that light and dark, birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired. A song in a minor key, an elegiac poem, or even a touching television commercial all can bring us to this sublime, even holy, state of mind—and, ultimately, to greater kinship with our fellow humans.

But bittersweetness is not, as we tend to think, just a momentary feeling or event. It’s also a way of being, a storied heritage. Our artistic and spiritual traditions—amplified by recent scientific and management research—teach us its power.

Cain shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force that helps us transcend our personal and collective pain. If we don’t acknowledge our own sorrows and longings, she says, we can end up inflicting them on others via abuse, domination, or neglect. But if we realize that all humans know—or will know—loss and suffering, we can turn toward each other. And we can learn to transform our own pain into creativity, transcendence, and connection.

At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety, Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways.

Between Two Kingdoms (Suleika Jaouad)

 

The more I read this book, the more I loved it. Having gone through cancer (and death) with two close family members, her journey through cancer touched my heart. I also really loved the way the book ended - with her travling around and meeting up with all the people she had connected with through her writing and with the lessons she learned from them as she worked to return to a healthy life after cancer. There were a lot of great lessons. Cancer took a lot from the author....and in the end, she said she would not reverse her diagnosis and would not take back the suffering to learn the lessons she gained. I'd say the same thing for the experiences of grief that I've experienced. In the moment, I was not grateful for the experiences, but time is a great healer and gref is a great teacher.

Goodreads says:

A searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from diagnosis to remission and, ultimately, a road trip of healing and self-discovery.

In the summer after graduating from college, Suleika Jaouad was preparing, as they say in commencement speeches, to enter “the real world”. She had fallen in love and moved to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a war correspondent. The real world she found, however, would take her into a very different kind of conflict zone.

It started with an itch—first on her feet, then up her legs, like a thousand invisible mosquito bites. Next came the exhaustion, and the six-hour naps that only deepened her fatigue. Then a trip to the doctor and, a few weeks shy of her twenty-third birthday, a diagnosis: leukemia, with a 35 percent chance of survival. Just like that, the life she had imagined for herself had gone up in flames. By the time Jaouad flew home to New York, she had lost her job, her apartment, and her independence. She would spend much of the next four years in a hospital bed, fighting for her life and chronicling the saga in a column for The New York Times.

When Jaouad finally walked out of the cancer ward—after three and a half years of chemo, a clinical trial, and a bone marrow transplant—she was, according to the doctors, cured. But as she would soon learn, a cure is not where the work of healing ends; it’s where it begins. She had spent the past 1,500 days in desperate pursuit of one goal—to survive. And now that she’d done so, she realized that she had no idea how to live.

How would she reenter the world and live again? How could she reclaim what had been lost? Jaouad embarked—with her new best friend, Oscar, a scruffy terrier mutt—on a 100-day, 15,000-mile road trip across the country. She set out to meet some of the strangers who had written to her during her years in the hospital: a teenage girl in Florida also recovering from cancer; a teacher in California grieving the death of her son; a death-row inmate in Texas who’d spent his own years confined to a room. What she learned on this trip is that the divide between sick and well is porous, that the vast majority of us will travel back and forth between these realms throughout our lives. Between Two Kingdoms is a profound chronicle of survivorship and a fierce, tender, and inspiring exploration of what it means to begin again. 

An Ordinary Day (Elena K Arnold)

 

Well, I should have read this one ahead of reading it to my class.  

We recently put our family dog down. This was a tough one to read! 

It is a beautiful story though. 

Goodreads says:

An ordinary day in an ordinary neighborhood turns out to be quite extraordinary in this story about the circle of life.

It’s an average day in the neighborhood—children play, roses are watered, and a crow watches over it all. But then two visitors arrive at two houses, one to help a family say hello to a new baby and one to help a family say goodbye to a beloved pet.

Odder (Katherine Applegate)

 

The more I read, the more I loved this book. Somehow the internet's magic of hearing what I'm talking about started coming in to play and videos of otters would show up in various feeds...and how could I not love Odder even more?

Interestingly, this story was based on some real otters who were looked after by people who help injured wildlife.

Katherine Applegate has a magical ability to help endear a love of animals in her readers. True to her style, there is a lot of white space on the pages, which makes it a really quick read. This would be a great book for students who are working on their confidence to read chapter books.

Goodreads says:

Now a #1 New York Times bestseller! A touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, from Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, author of Wishtree.

Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:

Nobody has her moves.
She doesn’t just swim to the bottom,
she dive-bombs.
She doesn’t just somersault,
she triple-doughnuts.
She doesn’t just ride the waves,
she makes them.

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and about the humans who hope to save her.

Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.

One More Mountain (Debra Ellis)

 

I loved the Breadwinner series and so I was very excited to hear that Debra Ellis had written an additional book in the series....30 years later when the Taliban return to Afghanistan. 

I should have re-read The Breadwinner series again though because I found myself grappling to remember all the characters.

Despite that, I loved this book. 

This summary was written by another reader on Goodreads (Ivonne ):

Parvana oversees a safe house in Afghanistan when the Taliban once again take over the country. Parvana is supported by her husband, Asif, and her best friend, policewoman Shauzia. The three of them met as children 20 years ago when the Taliban triumphed the first time, and they scramble to fly Parvana’s sister and her 11-year-old son Rafi out of the country and to relocate the young girls from the safe house to a safer part of the country. Nothing goes as planned, and the shocking twists will keep you turning pages.

The Innocents (Michael Crummey)

 

Honestly, I didn't finish reading this. I found it depressing and cold and even though I kept hoping something would happen that would compel me to read more....I finally just gave up. This book was for my book club and I was hoping when I went to the meeting I could get some inspiration to finish it. No luck. 

I did admire their ability to survive while alone and in such a brutal climate. I think there's an interesting connection in there somewhere between these children and the story of Adam and Eve (even their names....Ada and Evered). Ada's apple was a relic found and taken that she shouldn't take. 

There are too many good books in the world to continue reading ones I don't love.

Goodreads says:

From prizewinning author Michael Crummey comes a spellbinding story of survival in which a brother and sister confront the limits of human endurance and their own capacity for loyalty and forgiveness.

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.
Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.
The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves. 

Albert's Quiet Quest (Isabelle Arsenault)

 This reminds me of one time when I was at the pool waiting for my kids to finish swim practice and I was reading. Someone came up to me because they were looking for someone to attend a Swim AB meeting. He said, "Are you doing anything?" My thought was, "Um....ya. I'm reading. Can't you tell?" I could also add in: go away! LOL

Sometimes life gets that way too. So much gets packed in that there's no time to just sit and be quiet and read. 

We need more of that.

Goodreads says:

Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . why won't his friends give him some quiet? A delightful picture book about finding alone time from an internationally acclaimed illustrator.

There are so many distractions in Albert's Mile End neighborhood, what's a book-loving introvert to do? Desperate for a quiet place to read, Albert storms out to the alley behind his house where his friends and neighbors often meet to play. Lucky him -- not only is no one around today, but he finds an old painting of a beach scene that someone's left for the trash. The painting sparks Albert's imagination, spurring him on a zen-like quest for a quiet reading break on a sunset beach, a moment to unplug and find peace. And he almost does too, except for those meddling Mile End kids . . . who just want to have some fun, as LOUDLY as possible. Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet to enjoy his book? Or could his friends be looking for a book break of their own?

Readers will love this adorably relatable story of a quiet kid, his big imagination and bringing friends together through the magic of reading.

Mrs Spitzer's Garden (Edith Pattou)

 

No children are mentioned in this book, but the connection between what the teacher does to nurture and help children grow spoke to my heart. 

This would be a great book to give someone when they graduate in education or when they retire. The author write up says that she wrote it originally to give to her daughter's kindergarten teacher.

Goodreads says:

A beautiful, moving story and the perfect teacher appreciation gift

Mrs. Spitzer is a wise teacher who knows many things. She knows about gardens. She knows about children. She knows how similar they are, and how both will flourish if tended lovingly.

There are many remarkable teachers like Mrs. Spitzer in the world, and Edith Pattou's simple, moving story along with Tricia Tusa's inspired, whimsical illustrations celebrate all they do, year after year, to help our children grow and blossom.

The Great Zapfino (Mac Barnett)

 

I love it when my students start to realize styles of an author. When I said we had read other Mac Barnet books and asked if they could recall, it made them excited about this one. They were confused as to whether the circus was a dream? Or was jumping out of the window a flash back? We never could really decide.

This book is mostly wordless. Zapfino never says anything. I had the students volunteer to tell the story on each page that was wordless. The things they notice are amazing. Not giving Zapfino any dialogue or text made it more relatable for the students, I think. They could be Zapfino.

This could make for a great discussion about how we need to face our fears eventually. 

My students are always taken by black and white illustrations and ask why the author made it look like that. Usually what they ask is why did he make it so old? 

Goodreads says:

From two Caldecott Honor–winning creators comes a sweet and inspiring picture book about a runaway circus performer who learns to face his fears and follow his heart.

When The Great Zapfino climbs to the top of the circus platform, all eyes are on him, waiting for his incredible leap. But Zapfino is afraid of heights! He can’t take the pressure and flees, boards a plane, and runs away to start a new life.

In the city, Zapfino starts work as an elevator operator in a tall building but soon learns you can never really outrun your fears. When disaster strikes, can Zapfino find the strength to be great?

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family (Ibtihaj Muhammad)

 

I loved reading this with my class. Many of my students have sisters, mothers and grandmothers who wear a hijab and they were so happy to tell us about it. They also talked about how to properly wear a hijab, why some women wear one and why some don't. There were a lot of questions form other kids. I loved how the little girl in this story thought the hijab was just so beautiful and she eagerly looks forward to wearing one. When a boy in the story teases the girl about her hijab one student in my class gasped, which was the perfect response and it started a great discussion. I found the names in the story difficult to pronounce, but nobody corrected me so I must have done good enough. We also had a good discussion about clothing people wear in other religions that is a sign of their faith and reminds them of what they believe.

Goodreads says:

A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school–and two sisters on one’s first day of hijab–by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad.

With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It’s the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it’s her older sister Asiya’s first day of hijab–a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong.

Paired with Hatem Aly’s beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S.K. Ali bring readers an uplifting, universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond between siblings, and of being proud of who you are.

The Hole Story (Kelly Canby)

 

This story has some subtleties to it that are great. The not so subtle bit is to talk about the word play of hole vs whole. The subtle part is the rabbit that appears on all the pages following the boy around. Once the boy finally decides to discard the hole because it is of no use to him, the rabbit can use it to live in. It could also be great as a story for inferencing. What could some of the people in the story do with that hole? Why do they not want it? What would happen if they did take it?

Goodreads says:

One day Charlie finds a hole. A hole of his very own! He picks it up and pops it in his pocket. But it doesn’t take Charlie long to realize that a hole in your pocket is not a good thing to have.

The Great Bear (David A Robertson)

 

I really loved book 1 and I'd have to say this book is even better. If not a novel study in many classrooms, this series is destined to be read and discussed! Having similar challenges in the real world as well as Misewa was fascinating. It made me think of how if we are connected to where we come from, we are more able to handle life's challenges. 

I have to get book 3 right away.....but it's only in hard cover. One of my weird book idiosyncrasies is that I have to have all the books in a series be the same size. The library will have to do. Given that this book was banned though, I will definitely commit to buying the last book in the series, if not multiple copies of all of them. Book 2 ends with a cliff hanger that makes it impossible to not read book 3 right away.

Goodreads says: 


Back at home after their first adventure in the Barren Grounds, Eli and Morgan each struggle with personal issues: Eli is being bullied at school, and tries to hide it from Morgan, while Morgan has to make an important decision about her birth mother. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most, and make the journey to Misewa to visit their animal friends. This time they travel back in time and meet a young fisher that might just be their lost friend. But they discover that the village is once again in peril, and they must dig deep within themselves to find the strength to protect their beloved friends. Can they carry this strength back home to face their own challenges?

I Have A Superpower (Stephen Curry)

 

Okay. Not the most compelling by nor the most compelling illustrations....but Stephen Curry has power. My students were mesmerized by this book and talked all day about how we were reading it at the end of the day. Some of the boys tried to sneak it early to read it before everyone else and others told them to put it back because it wasn't fair if they got to read it first. There has to be something said for the draw to this book! It isn't a great read aloud because it has more than one voice, which is kind of odd - but we made it work.

It has a lovely message....your heart is your superpower so we talked about what that means in all aspects of life.

Goodreads says:

Four-time NBA champion and superstar Stephen Curry makes a splash with his picture book debut inspiring young readers to unlock their very own superpower.

A positive boost from a strong role model. --Kirkus

With accessible advice honoring commitment to craft and fortitude, this is a sporty and strong addition to growth-mindset and social-emotional-learning conversations. --Booklist


Stephen Curry's journey to the NBA wasn't easy. Coaches and recruiters repeatedly told him he was too small to make it in the big leagues. But Stephen used their doubts to shape his ever-positive attitude and fuel his own underdog success story. Now, Curry pens an original story to inspire the next generation of go-getters and big dreamers.

I Have a Superpower is the empowering story that teaches kids you don't have to be the strongest, fastest, or even tallest kid out on the court. So long as you have heart, any goal is achievable through hard work and determination--even without a cape!

There's A Ghost In This House (Oliver Jeffers)

 

All the vellum (with ghosts on it!) is amazing. Kids will love this! 

Goodreads says:

A captivating new picture book with interactive transparent pages, from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers.

Hello, come in.
Maybe you can help me?

A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She’d love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again

The Seedling That Didn't Want To Grow (Britta Teekentrup)

 

Sometimes personal growth just takes time and not everyone has to grow like everyone else.
My favorite page is the one where you have to turn the book to see how big the plant has grown.

Goodreads says:

This story about a reluctant seedling packs a powerful message about the benefits of being different.

It's early spring and below the earth's surface seeds are just starting to sprout. One by one they stretch through the dirt and towards the sun, extending their shoots and leaves and growing tall. All except for one seedling, who isn't quite ready. Each page of this gentle but powerfully evocative book demonstrates how some of us are different. As most of the seeds transform into strong flowers, they block out the sun from the one left behind. But the little seedling persists, twisting and turning until, with the help of bird and insect friends, it finds its own place to grow and blossom. In the end, this little seed turns into a flower that's just as beautiful and healthy as all the others. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as "delicate, complex, extravagant, beautiful and strong," Teckentrup's inviting and softly colored illustrations provide the perfect backdrop for this moving tale about being unique while subtly teaching kids about the life cycle of plants.

Ban This Book (Alan Gratz)

 

I love this book so much. There are a multitude of references to books I've loved (and that have been banned). I was especially excited that it was a story about a girl in Fourth Grade....quite accessible for the kids I teach! I can't wait to share this one with them. Might make a great read aloud. I don't think my students are very aware of book banning....but it's a good topic to introduce, I'd say.

Goodreads says:

-Readers, librarians, and all those books that have drawn a challenge have a brand new hero.... Stand up and cheer, book lovers. This one's for you.- --Kathi Appelt, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Underneath

An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library--by starting her own illegal locker library!

It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That's when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate's mom thought the book wasn't appropriate for kids to read.

Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.

Reminiscent of the classic novel Frindle by Andrew Clements for its inspiring message, Ban This Book is a love letter to the written word and its power to give kids a voice.

-Ban This Book is absolutely brilliant and belongs on the shelves of every library in the multiverse.---Lauren Myracle, author of the bestselling Internet Girls series, the most challenged books of 2009 and 2011