So Loud! (Sahar Golshan)

 

Cute story about a girl who has a strong voice. Reminds me of some of my students! 
Lesson: it's okay to be yourself! 

Goodreads says:

A fun and touching debut that explores the power of finding your voice.

Rudābeh (Rudy for short) loves to talk, sing, jump and shout. There’s just one problem: the adults in her life are always telling her that she is SO LOUD. When her grandmother (Māmān Bozorg) visits from Iran for the first time, Rudy worries that she might be too loud for her. But as she tries to be quieter, Rudy starts to feel less and less like herself. Listening closely to the many sounds in her world—from husky howls and streetcar chimes to Māmān Bozorg’s roaring sneezes—Rudy tries to figure out the full range of her own voice, discovering along the way the joy in being loud.

With exuberant illustrations by Shiva Delsooz, this charming story will resonate with readers who love to make noise and are still learning where and when to take up space.

The Noisy Paintbox

 

Amazing story about a boy whose senses seem to merge. This blew my class' mind! We know a lot about the senses, about sound and about colors and how to mix them. We did not know that they can have such a connection! 

Goodreads says:

In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors--and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.

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.

Boy (Phil Cummings)

 

This is a fabulous story. My students loved telling me about signs they know in sign language and they laughed at the silliness of all the fighting with the king, the knights and the dragon attempt to justify their actions. Sometimes not listening to people has its advantages.

"He showed them how their days could be without fighting and fear."

Goodreads says:

The kings battles with the dragon were always mighty and loud... CLING CLANG CLONG! ROAR!

Boy lived in a silent world and couldn't hear the fighting. But Boy could see the fear around him... and how everyone would be much happier.

Ada's Violin (Susan Hood)

 

This would be a great story to read during our Hearing and Sound unit when we make instruments. It is about children in Uruguay, but it would be interesting to read when we learn about the children in Peru that live in ghettos as well. It's a great perspective on great things that can be accomplished even though people live in difficult situations. The info at the back talks about some of the challenges they've had to being able to share their music (people who live in slums don't even always have ID papers that allow them to travel). Amazing story!

The video below is super inspiring too!

Goodreads says:

From award-winning author Susan Hood and illustrator Sally Wern Comport comes the extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash.

Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.

Trumpet of the Swan (EB White)

I read Trumpet of the Swan years ago and loved it. I can't remember exactly when it was: university? when I was younger? I always have wanted to read it with my students and always encourage them to read it. However, I don't think I had re-read it until now. Now that I've re-read it, it may be one that I don't recommend. The father swan (cob) says weird things about having a son with a disability. They may be things that were more acceptable "back in the day" but now, it is kind of shocking. However, I do love Louis' stick-to-itness and problem solving. 

Re-read June 2022: One of my students had read this book aloud with his brother and mom and really wanted to have it as a read-aloud in class and he persuaded the others to vote for it. I would have never chosen it, but it was a good experience. I skipped through some of the long descriptive and repetitive language (oh EB, you can go on and on!)  and changed some words (First Nation's boy instead of indian, happy instead of gay, strange instead of queer, etc.). Since we were doing animal life cycles right now and our Open Court unit, City Wildlife, it fit in quite well!

We also watched the movie and it wasn't a big hit. The kids said it's old-style animation (sheesh!)


Goodreads says:

Like the rest of his family, Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can't trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can't even make a sound. And since he can't trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.

Louis tries everything he can think of to win Serena's affection—he even goes to school to learn to read and write. But nothing seems to work. Then his father steals him a real brass trumpet. Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love? 

Timeless Thomas (Gene Baretta)

The sub-title for this book is "How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives". The author does a really good job of showing things we use today and connecting things Thomas Edison did to help bring that tool or item to fruition. Lots of interesting facts and great illustrations. This would be a good book to have during our Hearing and Sound unit as there are many things like the phonograph and the telephone.

It mentions how Thomas Edison changed our quality of life.

Originally read August 2012
Read again December 2019

Goodreads says:

What do record players, batteries, and movie cameras have in common?
All these devices were created by the man known as The Wizard of Menlo Park: Thomas Edison.
Edison is most famous for inventing the incandescent lightbulb, but at his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park & West Orange, New Jersey, he also developed many other staples of modern technology.  Despite many failures, Edison persevered. And good for that, because it would be very difficult to go through a day without using one of his life-changing inventions. In this enlightening book, Gene Barretta enters the laboratories of one of America’s most important inventors.

The Man With The Violin (Kathy Stinson)

My class was familiar with this one as there is a tumble book about this story. They were amazed that it is a real story and proud when I told them that kids often notice things that adults don't because they haven't lost their sense of curiosity.

Wonderful story!

Goodreads says:

Who is playing that beautiful music in the subway? And why is nobody listening? This gorgeous picture book is based on the true story of Joshua Bell, the renowned American violinist who famously took his instrument down into the Washington D.C. subway for a free concert. More than a thousand commuters rushed by him, but only seven stopped to listen for more than a minute. In The Man with the Violin, bestselling author Kathy Stinson has woven a heart-warming story that reminds us all to stop and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. Dylan is someone who notices things. His mom is someone who doesn’t. So try as he might, Dylan can’t get his mom to listen to the man playing the violin in the subway station. With the beautiful music in his head all day long, Dylan can’t forget the violinist, and finally succeeds in making his mother stop and listen, too. Vividly imagined text combined with illustrations that pulse with energy expertly demonstrate the transformative power of music. With a postscript explaining Joshua Bell’s story, and afterword by Joshua Bell himself. 

Hector and the Hummingbord (Nicholas John Frith)

Good story about different personality types and solving friendship problems. Hector just needs a little quiet time. Perhaps Hector is an introvert? Hummingbird certainly isn't! Fun way to talk about introversion.

Fun fact: The author is British and grew up near where Roald Dahl lived.

Goodreads says:

Hector the bear has a big problem: His friend Hummingbird just won't be quiet! Whether Hector's trying to enjoy a snack, get a good scratch against a tree, or take a nap, Hummingbird's always buzzing around, asking too many questions. The pair have always been best friends, but will Hector ever find peace and quiet with Hummingbird around?

El Deafo (CeceBell)

This is our grade 3 book club book this month. It's perfect timing because in science we are doing a unit on Hearing and Sound.

I appreciate being able to read books like this and hear about things from someone's perspective. I hope I'm not as insensitive as people she knew growing up!


Goodreads summary:

Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school--in the hallway...in the teacher's lounge...in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it's just another way of feeling different... and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

This funny perceptive graphic novel memoir about growing up hearing impaired is also an unforgettable book about growing up, and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way. 

Wonderstruck (Brian Selznick)

I read this book years ago with my class. We did it again as an end of year novel study. Once again, it did not disappoint. This is a fantastic story. Brian Selznick seems to have a keen interest in theatre. Both this book and The Invention of Hugo Cabret involve cinema. Apparently his third book, The Marvels, does as well.

Goodreads Summary:


Reading it with my class this year was a really great experience. I got 9 copies of the book from the public library (thank you Calgary Public Library!) and we shared. I was so impressed with all the details we got this time around thanks to very observant students. Brian Selznick says that everything in his pictures is purposeful. I believe it!



Traditionally, when we do novel studies, it is paired with a workbook full of all sorts of comprehension questions, crossword puzzles, games and activities. I really simplified for this novel, and instead of a big booklet like that I usually use, we had a page where we wrote down cool vocabulary, some pages where we wrote summaries for each part of the book (it is divided into three parts) and then a page with finger spelling. At first, we'd stop when we came across cool words and write them down, but there was a lot of moaning and groaning. Eventually, I decided that isn't what real readers do. Instead, I gave them some sticky notes and had them put a sticky when they came across a word they thought was cool or didn't understand. The next day we'd start off our reading time by writing down 4 or 5 of these cool words and their definitions. Usually, we could get the meaning from the context. I encouraged kids, when they're reading other books, to use stickies to mark spots they want to remember to tell someone about or write about or have questions about.


Activity ideas:

• Pair this book with Matchbox Diary and make our own boxes of wonder
• Make a diorama about something we have been studying (pair with life cycle unit?)

Sunwing (Kenneth Oppel)

Earlier this year I read Silverwing with my Grade 3 Book Club. I was surprised at how good it was. I decided I wanted to read the rest of the books in the series. It's taken me a while to get at it, but I finally did: this past week I read Sunwing. It's equally as good as Silverwing. There are lots of good twists and gripping moments that keep you on your toes, and adds in a touch of romance (don't worry....not too much).

In this book Shade is trying to find his father, who he fears is dead. There are still a number of characters from the first book: Marina, his friend who he invites into his clan, the elders (who are actually female bats....love that!), Goth, the terrible giant jungle bat who eats other bats (is a bat who eats other bats a cannibal?), Shade's mother, Chinook, and more. The characters in this book are very memorable.

I keep telling my own kids that they should read these books, and they look at me like I'm crazy, "Mom. It's about bats. How weird is that?" I felt the same way when I heard about this series...but it's well worth the read! I actually ran into a picture book while I was marking PATs that was about bats, and I was surprised at how drawn I was to it. I have a real affinity for bats now!

On to the next one! Firewing!

Little Black Book of Colors (Menena Cottin)

Book summary from Good Reads:

Living with the use of one's eyes can make imagining blindness difficult, but this innovative title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers. This extraordinary title gives young readers the ability to experience the world in a new way.

This book would be great to use with our Hearing and Sound unit in science. We had two presentations during that unit and each time the kids had a lot of questions not only about the deaf world, but about blindness too.

This book is simple and very beautiful and really gives you a lot to think about.