Just Like Jessie Owens (Gordon James)

 

My students really loved this story. They're quite interested in World War II stories and racism is something that shocks them. This is a great story.

Goodreads says:

Civil rights icon, Ambassador Andrew Young and his daughter, Paula Young Shelton, deliver a powerful oral history about a special day in Andrew’s childhood that changed him forever. This story of race relations in the 1930s South is illustrated by bestselling Caldecott Honor winner Gordon C. James.

As a boy, Andrew Young learned a vital lesson from his parents when a local chapter of the Nazi party instigated racial unrest in their hometown of New Orleans in the 1930s. While Hitler's teachings promoted White supremacy, Andrew's father, told him that when dealing with the sickness of racism, "Don't get mad, get smart." To drive home this idea, Andrew Young Senior took his family to the local movie house to see a newsreel of track star Jesse Owens racing toward Olympic gold, showing the world that the best way to promote equality is to focus on the finish line. The teaching of his parents, and Jesse Owens' example, would be the guiding principles that shaped Andrew's beliefs in nonviolence and built his foundation as a civil rights leader and advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The story is vividly recalled by Paula Young Shelton, Andrew's daughter.

Backcourt Battle (Rich Wallace)

Now that we are no longer at school, reading with my students, especially my struggling readers is a struggle. I've adapted by having a "Morning Warm up" activity each day where I ask them a simple questions or two or have them write something. I always ask the question, "What are you reading today?". I vary the questions:

What are you reading?
What page are you on?
What last happened in your book?
When do you think you'll finish this book?
What do you plan to read next?

I ask those questions because my training has told me that those are the things people who love to read know....they read every day, they can tell you what's happening in their book and they have a rough idea of how long it'll be before they're finished and what they're going to move on to next. 

I had a student who would tell me each and every day that he didn't like to read and didn't have a book and wasn't planning to read a book. After a few weeks of that, I told him that was no longer okay and that I expected him to read (you can do that when you teach 8 year olds....I don't recommend it for older kids LOL). I asked him to pick a book from Epic, a platform that we all have access to while schools are shut down. He picked this book. Each day we each read a chapter independently and would talk about it on Google Meet the next day. The first day he couldn't really tell me anything that happened in the first chapter and my attempt at a conversation went nowhere. We re-read the first chapter together and it was interesting the see the concepts he didn't understand about basketball. He likes to play basketball in the courtyard at recess - but that doesn't mean he knows about shot clocks and 3 point lines and more. We discussed some of those things. After that, he started to take it a little more seriously and we had some good discussions each day! 

This story has a good character lesson and is fun because you get to pick the ending. We had a good debate about which would be the best ending. I think a book like this would also be a good way to talk to students about revising that authors do with their stories. 

Goodreads says:

After the starting point guard sprains his ankle during a game, Jamere steps in until his rival teammate returns for the championship. But with both boys expecting to start in the final game, their coach asks Jamere to decide who will play. The ending is Up2U.

The Highest Number in the World (Roy MacGregor)

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It must be my Canadian roots. This picture book was difficult to read! On the last page when we decides she and her Grandmother will proudly wear the number 9, I could hardly finish it!

My class loved this story. They had plenty of stories to share about their favorite number, about hockey teams they've watched at the Saddledome, about other teams they've seen, and even about Lanny McDonald's #9 jersey that was retired here in Calgary.

Fun story! We loved it! I especially loved that it talks about the great Hayley Wickenhauser. Yea for girl hockey players!

Goodreads summary:

A riff on The Hockey Sweater for girls, an intergenerational story of the shared love of the sport, and a celebration of the storied Number 9 in hockey. 
     9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She's the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call "the Gabe," and she shares a lucky number with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser: number 22. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe's grandmother soon sets her straight, though--from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all. 

     A lovely intergenerational tale and a history of the storied number 9 in hockey, The Highest Number in the World is a must-have for any hockey fan.

Brothers At Bat (Audrey Vernick)

If my dad were still alive I'd buy him this book to read to kids!

The  Acerra family had twelve boys and four girls, and a dog named Pitch. They loved baseball. For 22 years in a row their high school baseball team had an Acerra on it! In 1938 they formed their own semi-pro team and completed against other teams in New Jersey. Their dad was the coach. It was a family game for them and they loved playing it together.

They were the longest playing all brothers baseball team ever.

I love the illustrations in this book too.