The Crayon Stub (Marcus Cutler)

 

Siblings can be such a problem! This is a great story about turning a problem into an opportunity. Kids will love the grossness when the little cat throws up and the big cat makes art out of it.

Goodreads says:

A hilarious picture book about an artistic kitty’s search for inspiration—and the mischievous younger sibling who keeps getting in the way.

Big Cat has a fresh new piece of paper, a box of big, beautiful crayons, and a to create something TOTALLY SPECTACULAR and become WORLD FAMOUS! The only problem? All the crayons have gone missing except for one tiny red stub. What a disaster! And even if Big Cat could make something with the stub, what could possibly be spectacular enough to be worth drawing?

Making matters worse, Big Cat has a younger sibling who keeps getting in the way. Little Cat seems less interested in making SPECTACULAR ART and more excited about . . . food, mostly. What's a feline in search of inspiration to do?

Packed with sly humor and visual jokes in Marcus Cutler's bold, appealing artwork, The Crayon Stub tackles big questions about creativity, resourcefulness and collaboration—delivering big laughs along the way!

Loula is Leaving for Africa (Anne Villeneuve)

 

Even though my class laughed at her for pretending she was in Africa when clearly she wasn't, it was an entertaining story. Loula has a good imagination! That often helps with nasty little brothers.

Bonus: The author is Canadian!

Goodreads says:

Loula has had ENOUGH of her TERRIBLE triplet brothers. She's leaving home and going to Africa! Though her quirky parents are too distracted to pay much attention to her plans, Loula has a good friend in the family chauffeur, Gilbert, who gently inquires, ?Mademoiselle, may I ask, why Africa?? ?Because!? Loula explains. ?Africa is far away, very far away, the farthest away I can get from my MEAN, HORRIBLE, STINKY brothers. Plus they are scared of snakes. And if they come, piranhas will eat them.? ?Well then,? says Gilbert, ?I think Africa is the best destination.? So together, with the help of their imaginations, Loula and Gilbert travel over the sand, through the air and across the water to reach their own special island of Africa. Which, Loula happily discovers at the end of the day, is ?not so far away? from home.

Award-winning Anne Villeneuve has created a lovable and memorable character in the irrepressible Loula, who enchants and inspires with her spunk and the unique way she approaches the challenges in her life. Villeneuve's artwork, loosely drawn and painted warmly with watercolors, is both witty and charming, just like her character. This is a wonderful story about independence and adventure that also offers a heartwarming example of the important role a caring adult can play in a child's life. It provides a terrific opportunity to discuss dealing with feelings and how to be resourceful when faced with things that are out of your control. 

Sadie and Ratz (Sonya Hartnett)

 

Kind of dark....her hands misbehave and she doesn't seem to take responsibility for what happens. Also, a lot of sibling rivalry stuff. Kind of a weird story. People I admire that I'm connected to on Goodreads gave it a pretty high rating. I don't really get it.

Goodreads says:

Award-winning Sonya Hartnett spins a tale for younger readers about mischief, siblings, and taking matters into your own hands.

Sadie and Ratz are the names of Hannah's hands. They aren't animals, but they behave like wild beasts, says Dad. For one thing, they're always after four-year-old Baby Boy (whom Sadie wishes were a dog). They jump onto his head and try to rub his ears off. Baby Boy knows how to turn the tables, though, and when he spills milk on the carpet, he tells Grandma that Sadie and Ratz pushed him. But when Baby Boy goes too far, Hannah may have to send Sadie and Ratz on vacation to prove their innocence. Multi-award-winning author Sonya Hartnett brings her original sensibility, wry humor, and engaging characters to a younger audience, aided by Ann James's inviting illustrations.

Middle Bear (Isern)

My class was very sympathetic with Middle Bear's feelings. Everyone has had times when they feel like they're not enough....not big enough, not small enough. Great story about how you are enough just the way you are.


Goodreads says: He was the second of three brothers. ?e was not big, but he was not small, either. Neither strong nor weak, neither tall nor short, neither a lot nor a little ... He was the middle one. Everything about life with his brothers was middle-sized. And when you're always in the middle, sometimes it's hard to feel special. But then, one day the cubs' parents fell ill, and their mother asked them to fetch some medicinal bark from a willow tree on the top of a mountain. When it turned out that this very important task could only be done by a cub of his middle size, he finally realized how special it was to be the middle one.

Author Susanna Isern's lovely, melodic picture book tale --- with a delightful use of repetition throughout --- offers an upbeat and positive message to middle children everywhere. It's a subject that is not often addressed in this format. With its hero's quest theme, the story has the feel of a modern-day fairy tale. Manon Gauthier's spare artwork and understated palette perfectly capture the poignancy of the bear cub's emotional journey. Though the book focuses on the role of middle children, it really celebrates every child's efforts toward self-discovery, as they seek out their own special place in the world. It also offers a wonderful opportunity to highlight the character education subject of perseverance or a lesson on empathy. 

Hold Tight (Harlan Coben)

This was a book club pick for me. It took me a little while to get into it. I was fascinated by the premise of parents concerned about their teenager and monitoring his on-line activity - but I was also a little afraid to get too into it and find out what was going on. I think partially, I know I don't monitor my teenager's online activity very well and I was afraid to read about awful stuff happening and having to wonder if that could happen to my kid. Once I got into the story though, it was hard to put down. It was definitely a page turner.

I had trouble keeping all the characters straight. There are A LOT of characters in this book. I should have written them all down. Instead I kept them in this loose net in my mind, with some slipping through.

It made for a great discussion at book club. There were so many difficult and controversial topics: perfectionism, teenage suicide, teenage privacy versus monitoring, family secrets, etc.

I should probably read it again and see if I see hints dropped here and there that I didn't see the first time around.


Goodreads says:

Harlan Coben delivers a #1 New York Times bestseller that asks how well parents really know their children—and puts them on a technological roller coaster of their worst fears.

“We’re losing him.” With those words, Mike and Tia Baye decide to spy on their sixteen-year-old son Adam, who has become increasingly moody and withdrawn since the suicide of his best friend. The software they install on his computer shows them every Web site visited, every e-mail sent or received, every instant message. And each keystroke draws them deeper and deeper into a maze of mayhem and violence that could destroy them all... 

Gaston (Kely DiPucchio)

I know someone that this book would be perfect for. She doesn't look like her family and so sometimes she thinks she doesn't fit in her family....but she does.

Goodreads says:

This is the story of four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. Gaston works the hardest at his lessons on how to be a proper pooch. He sips - never slobbers! He yips - never yaps! And he walks with grace - never races! Gaston fits right in with his poodle sisters.But a chance encounter with a bulldog family in the park-Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette-reveals there's been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch places. The new families look right...but they don't feel right. Can these puppies follow their noses-and their hearts-to find where they belong?

In The Tree House (Andrew Larsen)

This is a perfect summer book. It is also a great book on friendship with siblings. Who doesn't love the idea of having their own treehouse?!


This is definitely one to read at the beginning of the school year to coincide with a Magic Treehouse unit and friendship unit.

Goodreads says:

An evocative story about two brothers who are growing up (one faster than the other), an unusual summer night and a special tree house that proves childhood is not just a time but also a place.

A Boy Called BAT (Elana K Arnold)

This is the book for our first book club meeting in September. I'm super proud that we even picked a book for kids to read over the summer! I made a padlet for kids to post pictures of where in the world they are reading....but so far it's pretty quiet. Some ideas for our book club meeting:

- Since BAT is very sensitive to sounds, we could play a game where kids have to identify sounds
- We could have a vet visit and tell us some cool animal stories
- We could skype a vet
- We could skype the author (but that costs a big chunk of change)
- We could learn about autism

This is one of the books for the Global Read Aloud this year. There are a number of resources available. Here is one from Walden.

When I was growing up, my cousin had a pet skunk! I know that having a skunk as a pet isn't impossible.

Added June 26, 2020

We just finished doing this book as a novel study during the time we're learning at home because of Covid-19. I love this book even more. We did it after doing our unit on City Wildlife. It was a perfect ending to that unit. 

Goodreads says:

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.

But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

The Four Tendencies (Gretchen Rubin)

I'm really enjoying Gretchen Rubin's books. I'm starting to realize I don't have to fit in other people's pigeon holes. Learning more about myself and what works best for me is liberating! It also helps me understand relationships I have. I have close family who are definitely obligers. They do things and then complain about having to do them. I have never understood why they do things and then feel so put upon.....just don't do it! I understand now that they are obligers. I've learned that I'm an upholder/questioner. I especially appreciated her chapters about how to get along with different profiles of the tendencies. Brilliant read!

I would love a book on tendencies focused on children.


Goodreads says:
In this groundbreaking analysis of personality type, bestselling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you do at home, at work, and in life.

During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.

More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change.

The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...

· People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.
· How can I help someone to follow good advice?
· People say I ask too many questions.
· How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you. 

Max's Words (Kate Banks)

This book was recommended by our literacy expert trainer, Patti. It really is a cute book and great for writing and talking about planning words we use in our writing.

Goodreads summary:

Max’s brothers have grand collections that everyone makes a big fuss over. Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He’s going to collect words. He starts with small words that he cuts out of newspapers and magazines, but soon his collection has spilled out into the hall. All the while, his brothers are watching. Benjamin brags that he has one thousand stamps. Karl is just a few coins short of five hundred. But a thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.

Bright, bold pictures incorporating clever wordplay accompany this highly original tale about a younger brother’s ingenuity.


Max's Words is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. 

Jacob Have I Loved (Katherine Paterson)

I got this book out after reading Bridge to Terabithia (again) for my grade three book club. Katherine Paterson is quite a renound author, but I haven't really read anything else of hers. I decided I should. I was interested in seeing what she did with the Jacob and Esau reference. 

Is the Jacob and Esau story a foundation for a meta narrative? I had no idea. Seemed intriguing though. She certainly does weave plenty of biblical reference through this entire story. 

As I read, I wondered if this would be a good story to do for grade three book club. There were enough odd moments (huge crush on someone who could be her grandpa? Her senile grandmother accusing her mother endlessly of being a harlot?!) that made me realize it wouldn't be appropriate. As a matter of fact, as I read I started to hate the main character. I wondered how in the world the book became a Caldecott winner. However, as I kept on, I realized there really is beauty in the story. She touches on some themes in an amazing way.

Main themes seem to be finding yourself and sibling rivalry. Sara Louise hates her twin sister. She seems justified. Her sister smart quite unaware of the rivalry. She just goes about doing what she does...totally irritating Sarah Louise, who never resolves the problems with her sister. It makes it so that their sisterhood isn't at all one of those wonderful friendships. Not at all. Actually, Sarah Louise's negativity and loathing really began to wear on me. At the part where she is complaining to her mother about her mother's choices in life, I realized that she  really needed to quit projecting her unhappiness on to everyone else! Happily, she does seem to figure this out for herself. She finally realizes that she needs to do what makes her happy and goes away to school. She's wants to become a doctor, but it is a time when women are really only expected to be nurses. She ends up in a small mountainous community, being the only medical professional, and ends up marrying. In her new life, she leaves her family behind, even unable to return fo funerals. Frankly, I knew if she did go back, she would go straight back to her miserableness.....so I understood her not going.

The story comes full circle when she delivers twins, spending her energy saving the life of one while the other waits in a basket.....just like when she was born. I feel like she would have made the connection and perhaps had some healing as a result of the experience.

There is magic and wisdom in this story. It would be great to read it with middle school students or even with adults....especially my church friends.

Goodreads summary:

Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . . With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.

Stella Queen of the Snow (Marie-Louise Gay)

We have recently been talking about similes and this book had a lot of great examples.


Loved the questions in this book. Some of them are questions many people wonder about. Others were questions that my students had never even thought to ask. They were quite captured by this story, which surprised me, since it is quite a simple story. Often the best ones are the simplest.

These two characters reminded my students of Max and Ruby. Me too!

I got to hear Marie-Louise Gay speak one time at Kaleidoscope. After listening to her talk about how she creates her illustrations, I was totally sold on her books. Love her!

Goodreads Summary:

In their second adventure, Stella and her little brother, Sam, spend the day discovering the wonders of winter together. Playing in the snow, they explore the white-draped forest, pelt each other with snowballs, and wave their arms while lying down in the snow to make snow angels. Marie-Louise Gay's evocative watercolors bring alive the magic of a winter day, as Sam asks a million questions and Stella patiently answers them in a big sister kind of way. 

Wolfie the Bunny (Ame Dyckman)

We started off, before we read this book, by talking about funny names our parents call us. I told them that when our daughter is cranky, we call her Jillzilla (her name is Jill). This story was written because the author had a daughter that they called Wolfie when she was cranky. We had a good laugh about it.

There were a few pictures in here that are quite interesting that my students pointed out (they're so good at that!). On one page, the shadow of the wolf looks much more ferocious than what it is reflecting. We talked about whether or not it's a real shadow or if it is reflecting what the illustrator and author thought the main character was seeing.

Goodreads summary:

The Bunny family has adopted a wolf son, and daughter Dot is the only one who realizes Wolfie can--and might--eat them all up! Dot tries to get through to her parents, but they are too smitten to listen. A new brother takes getting used to, and when (in a twist of fate) it's Wolfie who's threatened, can Dot save the day?

Dory Fantasmagory (Abby Hanlon)

Abby Hanlon has done a great job of giving us a glimpse into the oh so real imagination of children around us. It was a delight!

I keep coming across blog posts about Abby Hanlon and her books. She seems to be the latest greatest thing! Here is an interview with her. Nerdy Book Club has a wonderful post by her that tells about a teaching experience she had. Travis Jonker has written about her on 100 Scope Notes. Mr. Schu listed Dory as one of the top books of 2014 (why did I not know about this until now?!) 

She has another book that was just put out in July called Dory and the Real True Friend, which I have on hold at the library as well as a delightful book called Ralph Tells a Story that I plan to use for teaching writing this year.

Not only that: She gets great reviews from kids!



(No comprehension issues with Molly, I'd say!)

Goodreads summary: 

As the youngest in her family, Dory really wants attention, and more than anything she wants her brother and sister to play with her. But she’s too much of a baby for them, so she’s left to her own devices—including her wild imagination and untiring energy. Her siblings may roll their eyes at her childish games, but Dory has lots of things to do: outsmarting the monsters all over the house, escaping from prison (aka time-out), and exacting revenge on her sister’s favorite doll. And when they really need her, daring Dory will prove her bravery, and finally get exactly what she has been looking for.

With plenty of pictures bursting with charm and character, this hilarious book about an irresistible rascal is the new must-read for the chapter book set. 

Little kid concern number one: that everyone is having a good laugh:

P. 57 I try and get Luke and Violet to laugh at me. Cereal time, I've discovered, is the best time for laughing. If I can get milk to come out of my nose, they always laugh. And if my parents sleep late, I can make them laugh by saying bathroom words.

Dory has imaginative friends (well, and enemies) that seem real...not just real to her, but real to us as we are reading. One example is where Dory us pretending to be a dog with "Mrs. Goggle Gracker" and "Mr. Nuggy", two of her imaginative acquaintances:

P. 72: "Where did that little girl go? She was just out here. And where did this stupid dog come from?" Mrs. Gobble Gracker asks Mr, Nuggy.

"You must be imagining things," says Mr, Nuggy. "There is no girl here."

"I know you're up to something, Nuggy," she says. "Your silly little tricks have never worked on me."

"Watch out," says Mr. Nuggy. "This dog bites."

I bark my head off at Mrs. Gobble Gracker.

"Somebody get this dog to shut up!" says Mrs. Gobble Gracker. She has absolutely no idea it is me.

"Woof, woof!" I say, which means, "My human days are over." And boy, do I mean it.

Mr. Nuggy says, "I have to go now, my wife needs me home for dinner." He starts to climb back up the same tree.

"Woof, woof, woof," I bark up the tree after him, which means, "Wait! What's your phone number?"

"You can call me from any banana," he calls down. "No numbers."

Now and then, to get rid of someone, poisoning seems to be the perfect thing. Dory hatches a plan with "Mr. Nuggy" to get rid of "Mrs. Gobble Gracker":

P. 107: "I've brought ingredients for a poison soup," he says. "This is how we get rid of Mrs. Gobble Gracker...permanently."

"What will happen when she eats the soup?" I ask.

"Well, first she will choke a little bit, and then feathers will come out of her ears, and then her eyeballs will turn into gloppy yogurt, and then she'll drop dead."

"Oh!" I say, hugging him. "You are the best fairy godmother in the world!"

Of course, poisoning someone isn't without its hitches:

P. 117

"Do you have a cell phone." Asks Mr. Nuggy.

"No, but I really want one," she says. "Can you get me one?"

"Umm....?" Says Mr. Nuggy, looking unsure of what to say next.

"Do you have a cat?" I interrupt.

"I ate my cat," she says. "It was an accident."

A little glimpse into why it takes kids so long to clean up (errr, or why it never gets done):

P. 127 It takes a really long time to clean up the fort because I keep forgetting that I'm cleaning up.

And there is a little humor parents will really relate to about living with a kid with a great imagination:

P. 134 "Okay, calm down, she was real, whatever you say," my dad says, dragging me down the hallway to my room. "Just go to bed."

Even my dad said she's real!

"I have to be brave," I say, clinging to him. 

"No! You have to go to bed!" he says, dropping me on my head.

"Stay. In. Bed!" he says, pointing his finger at me, then he tucks me in tight. "Because it's not safe for you to come out!" he says as he shuts my door, and I think I hear him laugh a tiny bit.

Great picture of what is going on in a kid's imagination sometimes!

P. 148: 

I love this Dory kid! She reminds me very much of some of my incredibly imaginative play talented nieces and nephews!