The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Rachel Joyce)

 

This is a book that follows The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry. You can't really read Queenie's story without having first read Harold's story, I think. I found Harold's book pretty slow, but I was taken by his journey and his reflection on his life. This is Queenie's side of the story - a woman that he worked with, that it seems, was in love with him. I'm uncomfortable with stories of infidelity - but in this one there is no relationship and no physical intimacy - just love from a distance. It's kind of odd. Harold's son is also friends with Queenie, and, actually, a total jerk. Queenie is dying. In many spots it felt like maybe morpheme was speaking. It was very slow moving as well but I felt like I couldn't quit on her as she lay dying. It's a strange story. I'm sure someone smarter than me can find some great symbolism and meaning in it. 

Goodreads says:

https://ihaveabookyoushouldread.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-unlikely-pilgrimage-of-harold-fry.html

Great Joy (Kate DiCamillo)

 

This makes me think how we all need to become as loving and caring as children are. It reminds me of how I've learned that the real feeling of Christmas comes in loving and sharing with others.

The illustrations are haunting and beautiful. The illustrator (Bagram Ibatoulline) is the same one who illustrated The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. He is Russian...and there is great feeling in his illustrations.chris

Goodreads says:

In her first picture book, America’s beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo reunites with Bagram Ibatoulline to offer readers an unforgettable holiday gift.

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on the street corner outside Frances’s apartment. Frances can see them from her window and, sometimes, when it’s quiet, she can hear their music. In fact, Frances can’t stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. When the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, and it’s Frances’s turn to speak, everyone waits silently. But all Frances can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes — until, just in time, she finds the perfect words to share. Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo pairs once again with acclaimed artist Bagram Ibatoulline as she presents a timeless story of compassion and joy.

Caveboy Crush (Beth Ferry)

 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.
 

The Puppets of Spelhorst (Kate DiCamillo)

 

This is a quick read, but I'm not sure it'll be a hit with students. It could make for a good study though because it appears there is some amazing symbolism in there somewhere where I haven't quite gone yet. It's subtitled, A Norendy Tale, and in the bookjacket it references two more books....so maybe there is more to come to help me understand this story? In the beginning of the story the puppets are bought by the sea captain who spends all his time, and eventually dies in bed. In the end, Jane Twiddum takes the puppets to go find her lost love. Was her lost love the sea captain? Was he writing to someone else (she did have the letter) or did we just go full circle?

I need someone with more time than me to help me discuss this book and figure it out. Candlewick press has a bunch of really interesting questions. Perhaps this is meant as a middle school novel, similar to The Little Prince. 

Goodreads says:

From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale—with enchanting illustrations by Julie Morstad—in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning, and high spirits.

Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends—a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl—bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart’s mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined. A beloved author of modern classics draws on her most moving themes with humor, heart, and wisdom in the first of the Norendy Tales, a projected trio of novellas linked by place and mood, each illustrated in black and white by a different virtuoso illustrator. A magical and beautifully packaged gift volume designed to be read aloud and shared, The Puppets of Spelhorst is a tale that soothes and strengthens us on our journey, leading us through whatever dark forest we find ourselves in.

For Laika (Kai Chng Thom)

 

This story tugs on the heart strings. I guess there was a stray dog that a Russian scientist adopted for an experiment on Sputnik 2. It burst into flames when it returned to earth and Laika, of course, died. The author says it is part fable, part dog story and part history lesson. It is not surprising that a transgender person who is often ostricized and forgotten would have the empathy to write a story about this dog. Oh my heart! 

If I were to read this to a class, it would definitely have to be on a day when there is time to discuss it after.

Goodreads says: 

The heart-rending story of Laika, the brave space traveler, by the co-authors of From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea.

By two of the co-authors of the acclaimed children’s book From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea: the moving beautifully told story of Laika, the dog who learned the names of the stars. Laika is an orphaned stray dog who lives in the streets of Moscow in the then Soviet Union. Although she is loved by her pack, Laika longs one day to learn the names of the stars, since she knows that all dogs become stars when they die—including her parents. One day, a Russian scientist named Vlad offers Laika the chance to travel to the stars by helping him with an important experiment, an event that will change the entire world.

Part fable, part dog story, part history lesson, young and older readers alike will find themselves captivated by Laika’s brave and loving heart, and by her story, which holds important lessons about world peace, science, and the deep bonds between humans and every other creature with whom we share the planet.

So Good they Can't Ignore You (Cal Newport)

 

I love this book. Surprisingly, the title of this book comes from a quote of Steve Martin, of all people!  It gives you ideas of something you can actually do! Forget about finding your passion.  Adopt the craftsmanship mindset. If you work on your skills and become a master, passion becomes one of the results. 

In the book, he gives four great rules:

Rules #1 Don't follow your passions. That's dangerous, Career passions are rare. Passions take time and is a side affect of mastery. Seek autonomy. competence and relatedness. Traits that define great work are creativity, impact (find a way to make a difference) and control (keep it!).

Rule #2 Be so good they can't ignore you. Develop your skills. Become a fanatic! 

Rule #3 Turn down a promotion. Stay in control of your life

Rule #4 Think Small, Act Big. Have a mission. Misions require capital and marketing. Make small steps in the right direction and success will be the natural result.

Goodreads says:

In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice.

Not only is the cliché flawed—preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work—but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers.

Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter, he reveals. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.

With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love.

So Good They Can't Ignore You will change the way we think about our careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

A Box of Butterflies (Jo Rooks)

 

Talking about emotions can be tricky. The idea of having a child teach a robot is actually brilliant. Simple definitions and explanations are required and that works well for children. 

Goodreads says:

With colorful metaphors and vibrant imagery, A Box of Butterflies takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery and emotional reflection, identifying not just love, but jealousy, anger, worry, and a host of other emotions.

When Ruby asks Robot if he loved the story as much as she did, he tells her that he doesn’t know what love is. If it’s not something he can see, then what could it be?

Ruby describes emotions to her Robot. She teaches him what each feels like (“love feels like a box of butterflies!”) and when she feels them (“I sometimes feel that way when I’m told no more TV!”). 

Included is a Note to Parents and Caregivers by Elizabeth McCallum, PhD, that further explores the importance of learning about emotions.

​ "I love that story," said Ruby. "Did you love it too?"
"Robot is just a machine. Robot cannot feel love."
Robot paused for a moment and said, " What does love feel like?"

Love is (Diane Adams)

 

I chose this book for our last day of school. The main character has a little duckling that she loves. As I read the words about how much she loved the little duckling and then read about how he grew and learned and was ready for a new pond, I couldn't quite read the words. I had to get the kids to read the different pages. They were a little confused about why I was teary and I explained how it reminded me that they are like my little ducklings and now they're ready for a new pond. We went back and read it again to grasp the emotion of it all. It was beautiful and I felt good about expressing my love to my students this way. 

Goodreads says:
Perfect for Valentine's Day—or any tender moment—this story of a girl and a duckling who share a touching year together will melt hearts old and young. In this tenderly funny book, girl and duckling grow in their understanding of what it is to care for each other, discovering that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding tight. Children and parents together will adore this fond exploration of growing up while learning about the joys of love offered and love returned.

The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein)

 

I don't know why I read this book to my class. It isn't because it's heart warming or a wonderful lesson. Mostly, I'm curious about what my students think about the dysfunction and I enjoy the discussions about what they notice. There are always a few kids who really get it but they're not always the ones who speak up first. Most kids have read it before and feel smart because they already know a book I'm reading for story but the great discussions come when someone says, "I think that story is kind of weird."

Goodreads says:

Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy."

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

Our Darkest Night (Jennifer Robson)

 

I'm a big Jennifer Robson fan and again, I'm not disappointed. This book had me hooked. I loved it and I'll probably read it again. Jennifer Robson usually has happy endings and I really figured this one was not going to have a happy ending...the twists were good and she had me tricked. I've read a lot of World War II books and I thought the question on her website was good: There seems to be a lot of these books the past few years. Why are they so popular? .....great question for book club!  I read it in just two days....two work days....so I did find it quite compelling and hard to put down.

Goodreads says:

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.

It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive—to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family’s farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico’s provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow—and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart . . .

My Dog Mouse (Eva Lindstrom)

 

Turns out mouse isn't her dog.

This is for anyone that loves dogs. 

I love dogs.

Goodreads says:

My Dog Mouse offers friendship, humor, and gentle heartache in one dog walk. This is a book for anyone who knows what it is to love an old, slow dog with ears as thin as pancakes.

Spectacularly Beautiful: A Refugee's Story (Lisa Lucas)

 

This is an amazingly simple book with a beautiful and true principle. Everyone is beautiful even though we all have scars from things we have experienced. Most of all, God loves us no matter what.

I'm curious about the style of the illustrations. It has realistic pictures as background and the characters are blobs of color. Maybe it is so that the people could be anyone? No skin colors or height or styles to get in the way. These characters could be any of us.

The author is a teacher who has taught children from difficult circumstances and clearly loves them as teachers do.

Goodreads says:

A young refugee living in America learns to see herself as beautiful, in spite of physical and emotional scars from her troubled homeland, thanks to a gifted teacher.

Spectacularly Beautiful tells the story of Shahad, a refugee who has moved to a new country and started at a new school with her new teacher, Ms. Truong. Shahad comes to school every day with perfectly braided hair tied in ribbons. But her hair can't hide the scars on her face and leg that are painful reminders of the country she fled, making her feel less than beautiful, and different from her peers. When a class project proves difficult for Shahad, Ms. Truong helps her come to see that her scars are only part of her story, and that she is not just beautiful...she is spectacularly beautiful. Little by little Shahad's confidence is renewed and she is able to return the same kindness to Ms. Truong.

Live Oak With Moss (Walt Whitman, illustrated by Brian Selznick)

 

I picked this up because I love everything Brian Selznick does. I really don't know much about Walt Whitman and I'm really not good at poetry...but this book is beautiful. The story of his poem is fascinating. I can't imagine what drives someone to play with words to that extent until they get it to exactly what they want. It's a special kind of brilliance. Apparently, he wrote this, then cut it up and hid it amongst other poetry....and then someone who studies Walt Whitman uncovered it! Amazing!

Brian Selznick tells the story of how he got to know Maurice Sendak (imagine?!) The book is dedicated to Maurice Sendak. He was originally asked to illustrate the poem but felt like poems didn't need illustrations. I hope Brian Selznick will illustrate more famous poems. It helped me  increase my understanding, that's for sure! I'm sure there are more people like me out there who need a little help with their poetry comprehension. 

Goodreads says:

As he was turning forty, Walt Whitman wrote twelve poems in a small handmade book he entitled “Live Oak, With Moss.” The poems were intensely private reflections on his attraction to and affection for other men. They were also Whitman’s most adventurous explorations of the theme of same-sex love, composed decades before the word “homosexual” came into use. This revolutionary, extraordinarily beautiful and passionate cluster of poems was never published by Whitman and has remained unknown to the general public—until now. New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Award–winning illustrator Brian Selznick offers a provocative visual narrative of “Live Oak, With Moss,” and Whitman scholar Karen Karbiener reconstructs the story of the poetic cluster’s creation and destruction. Walt Whitman’s reassembled, reinterpreted Live Oak, With Moss serves as a source of inspiration and a cause for celebration. 
 

The Tale of Desperaux (Kate diCamillo)

 

This is one of those books I should have read years ago. I have often heard it talked about but hadn't read it until now. I did get to hear Timothy Basil Eyring speak once though (maybe in 2012?? It was a Kaleidoscope Conference....a conference I still fondly remember!) and he totally sold me on the book. 

There are some beautiful themes in this book: forgiveness, redemption, dreaming, love, and of course light...and more.

I read this aloud to my class. I was so struck by the beautiful words. I kept a sticky note pad nearby and mastered the art of reading while grabbing a sticky note and depositing it on the page. These are some of my noted spots:

p. 55 The dungeon! The rats! Desperaux's small heart sank all the way to the tip of his tail. There would be no light in the dungeon. No stained-glass windows. No library and no books. There would be no Princess Pea.   

p. 81 Gregory: "...Stories are Light. Light is precious in a world so dark."

p. 181 He dreamt of the stained-glass windows and the dark of the dungeon. In Despereaux's dream, the light came to life, brilliant and glorious, in the shape of a knowing swinging a sword. The knight fought the dark.

And the dark took many shapes. First the dark was his mother, uttering phrases in French. And then the dark became his father beating the drum. The dark was Furlough wearing a black hoot and shaking his head no. After the dark became a huge rat smiling a smile that was evil and sharp.
(Writing assignment: What is your dark and your light?)

p. 186 No one would ever, not for one blind minute, mistake Mig for the princess or the princess for Mig. But Miggery Sow, as I pointed out to you before, was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. And read, too, she wanted so desperately to become a princess. She wanted, oh, how she wanted. And it was because of this terrible wanting that she was able to believe in Roscuro's plan with every ounce of her heart.

p. 207 Forgiveness, reader, is, I think, something very much like hope and love, a powerful, wonderful thing.

p. 208 But still, here are the words Desperaux Tilling spoke to his father. He said, "I forgive you, Pa."
And he said those words because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking in two. Despereaux, reader, spoke those words to save himself.

p. 217 "Thread," said the threadmaster. He shrugged and took another loud bite of celery. "Nothing more. Nothing less.  But I pretend, friend, I pretend, And what, May I ask, do you intend to do with the thread?"
"Save the princess."
"Ah yes, the princess. The beautiful princess. That's how this whole story started, isn't it."
I have to save her. There is no one but me to do it."
"It seems to be that way with most things. No one to do the really disagreeable jobs except oneself. And how exactly, will you use a spook of thread to save a princess?"
"A rat has taken her and hidden her in the dungeon, so I have to go back to the dungeon, and it is full of twists and turns and hidden chambers." 

Goodreads says:

A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal–winning tale.

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

Stillness Is The Key (Ryan Holiday)

 

Books like this are changing my life. Love it! I've been trying to meditate daily since March and I believe it is making a difference in how I handle the back to school stress of school during a pandemic. 

Quotes and notes:

Page xiv

To Seneca and his fellow adherents of stoic philosophy, if a person could develop peace within themselves - if they could achieve apatheia, as they called it-then the whole world could be at war, and they could still think well, work well, and be well. "You may be sure that you are at peace with yourself, "Seneca wrote, "when no noise reaches you, when no word shakes you out of yourself, whether it be flattery or a threat, or merely an empty sound buzzing about you with unmeaning sin." In this state, nothing could touch them (not even a deranged emperor), no emotion could disturb them, no threat could interrupt them, and every beat of the present moment would be theirs for living.

A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention - Herbert Simon

p. 31 Napolean was content with being behind on his mail, even if it upset some people or if he missed  out on some gossip, because it meant that trivial problems had to resolve themselves without him. We need to cultivate a similar attitude - give things a little space, don't consume news in real time, be a season or two behind on the latest trend or cultural phenomenon, don't let your inbox lord over your life.

p. 32 In her diary in 1942, Dorothy Day, the Catholic nun and social activist, admonished herself...."Turn off your radio," she wrote, "put away your daily paper. Read one review of events and spend time reading." Books, spending time reading books - that's what she meant. Books full of wisdom.

(Stillness is the Key, Ryan Holiday, p. 32)

April 2025: There are so many sections of this book that I love. The "Take a Walk" chapter really struck me this time. I need to get walking back into my daily life.

Take a Walk (p. 192) A cantankerous Danish philosopher, Soren Kirkegaard, was particularly eloquent in his writing about walking, but he was by no means alone in his dedication to the practice - nor alone in reaping the benefits. Nietzsche said that the ideas in Thus Spoke Zarathustra came to him on a long walk. Nikola Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field, one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time on a walk through a city ark in Budapest in 1882. When he lived in Paris, Ermest Hemingway would take long walks along the quais whenever he was stuck in his writing and needed to clarify his thinking. Charles Darwin's daily scheduled included several walks, as did those of Steve Jobs and the groundbreaking psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, the latter of whom wrote that "I did the best thinking of my life on leisurely walks with Amos. It was the physical activity in the body, Kahneman said, that got his brain going.

p. 196 Consider who may have walked in this very spot before you. Consider the person who paved the asphalt you are standing on. What was going on with them? Where are they now? What did they believe/ what problems did they have?

When you feel the tug of your responsibilities or the desire to check in with the outside world, push yourself a bit further. If you're on a path you have trod before, take a sudden turn down a street or up a hill where you haven't been before. Feel the unfamiliarity and the newness of these surroundings, drink in what you have not yet tasted.

Get lost. Be unreachable. Go slowly.

It's an affordable luxury available to us all. Even the poorest pauper can go for a nice walk - in a national park or an empty parking lot. Goodreads says: In The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, bestselling author Ryan Holiday made ancient wisdom wildly popular with a new generation of leaders in sports, politics, and technology. In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.

All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness--to be steady while the world spins around you.

In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history's greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus.

Holiday also examines figures who exemplified the power of stillness: baseball player Sadaharu Oh, whose study of Zen made him the greatest home run hitter of all time; Winston Churchill, who in balancing his busy public life with time spent laying bricks and painting at his Chartwell estate managed to save the world from annihilation in the process; Fred Rogers, who taught generations of children to see what was invisible to the eye; Anne Frank, whose journaling and love of nature guided her through unimaginable adversity.

More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever. 

A Heart Like His (Virginia Pearce)

This book actually belongs to my sister-in-law. She lent it to me. I read it a few years ago and came across it again. It is a beautiful story of a group of women working together to learn how to feel and share God's love. I had forgotten that she is Marjorie Pay's daughter. She seems as real and genuine as her mother. It was a short but wonderful read. It's a topic that I could do well to visit again and again.

Goodreads says:

The ability to feel God's love doesn't just make life nicer or more comfortable-it changes everything. When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we cannot do and see and understand on our own. As our own hearts are softened by these blessings, our overriding desire becomes to help others experience this joy also. But how do we do that in the normal course of our everyday lives? Presented in the form of an experiment undertaken by eight friends, this step-by-step guide helps us discover the one change we can make within ourselves that will automatically increase our ability to feel the love of God and to extend that love to others.

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? 

Dinosaur Bob And His Adventure With the Family Lazardo (William Joyce)

October 12, 2018: After we read this book, one of my students had put on his Special Student poster that the pet he would most like to have is a whale! It was totally plausible to everyone because we knew of Dinosaur Bob.

Re-read Feb 10, 2020: My class LOVED this story. It is a great example of use of imagination and entertaining. Who wouldn't want a dinosaur for a pet?!

Goodreads comments:
" it’s a charming little tale totally for young readers out there who want to travel to exotic places, love baseball, and wishfully dream of a dinosaur for a pet."
 - Apokripos

 I like this story because it is different from most children's stories because there is not a moral at the end of the story, it is a story for the sake of a story. No grand lesson to be learned. I think this book would be wonderful in the elementary grades. It could be included in a unit on love, the love the Lazardo family has for Bob and the fact that they are ready to walk away from their home rather than be separated from him. 
- Melissa



Goodreads says:
Proclaimed "the most adorable of dinos" by The New York Times, Bob is grander and greener than ever in a definitive new edition of modern picture book classic. This deluxe volume features seven new illustrations, an additional adventure, and a song ("The Ballad of Dinosaur Bob"), with easy-to-play arrangements.

Big Bear Hug (Nicholas Oldland)

When you are good natured and loving, it is shocking to see people be destructive! This bear finds a good way to solve the problem. Love always wins!

Goodreads says:

A huge bear is wandering through the forest - but wait a minute! Who's that he's hugging? A beaver? And a moose? And a bird? And a tree?

Welcome to the world of Big Bear Hug, a contemporary fable about a bear who has an appetite for hugging everything in sight - even creatures that bears have been known to eat. One day, the benevolent bear meets up with a human. This human proceeds to do something the bear cannot understand: he raises his axe and begins to cut down a tree. Suddenly the bear doesn't feel like hugging anymore and must make a difficult decision on how to stop this destruction in his forest.

The environmental message of Big Bear Hug is both funny and powerful, while simple enough to engage very young children and show them the awesome power of a hug.

The Wild Robot Escapes (Peter Brown)

Who would think a J fiction book could pull such emotions out and be so entertaining! This book is a beauty. After I finished The Wild Robot, I went to the library that day and got the second book. I had to find out what happened to Roz. I think there could even be a third book. I hope there will be! In this book, Roz meets her maker (like her real maker...the person who made her) and they are very different from each other. Roz is soft hearted and loves her child (a goose), but her maker has spent her entire life alone. I loved how Roz got to know her and didn't judge her.

The author's story of writing the book is a thrill to read as well.

March 2, 2020:

I read The Wild Robot to my class this year and really didn't intend on reading book two. I thought I'd inspire them to go off and find the book themselves - but no. There was no talking them out of it. We HAD to read The Wild Robot Escapes together. 

This really is an amazing book and reading it aloud brought all sorts of new emotions (who cries in a robot book?! Me!) and they loved it. This book would make a GREAT movie and we sure would LOVE to read a book three. 

Roz on how she survived: p. 240 "Although I could speak to the animals, they still do not trust me," said Roz. "So I tried to win them over with kindness. Animals ran frm me and laughed at me and attacked me, and I always responded with kindness. It was a good strategy. But the real key to my survival came in the form of a gosling. When I adopted Brightbull everything changed. I was finally accepted by the animals. I was surrounded by friends and families. I was home."

p. 241: "Every problem has a peaceful solution. Violence is unnecessary."

p. 242: While talking to Dr Molovo, Roz discusses her purpose:
..."I have to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong. But all my decisions are guided by a single question: What is the robot's purpose?"
Quietly, Roz asked her Designer, "What is my purpose?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Roz, but you don't have some grand purpose. Like all the other ROZZUM robots, you were designed to work for robots. That's it."
The robot thought for a moment, then she said, "I once suggested to a group of wild animals that my purpose might simply be to help others."
The Designer thought for a moment. Then she said, "When you put it that way, your purpose does sound rather grand, doesn't it?"

Reread October 2023

p. 243 The robot thought for a moment. Then she said, "I once suggested to a group of wild animals that my purpose might simply be to help others."

If only everyone realized that that is perhaps everyone's purpose! 

Goodreads says:

Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings--but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island?