Ruth Ayres has
a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations
about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.
This picture makes me smile.
I'm in an strange mood today. I've had alternating moments of peace and grumpiness for no apparent reason. I'm here celebrating anyway. Here are some of the things I can celebrate:
-my son is home for a few days
-senior year (high school) for our youngest is almost complete
-things are winding down at school & my list of things to do is getting shorter
-it's cold outside, but I'm snug inside
-I have hot tea
-senior announcements have all been mailed
-my husband is doing the grocery shopping today
I still have the urge to growl about a few things, but fortunately this is a celebration post so you all don't have to listen my grumbles. I'll continue to focus on the positives and wish you a wonderful weekend.
Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts
a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I
love the encouragement to explore more nonfiction. My plan is to read at least 100 nonfiction picture books this year. So far, I've read 58 this year.
Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico! America's Sproutings by Pat Mora
illustrated by Rafael López
Smear nutty butter,
then jelly. Gooey party,
my sandwich and me.
Peanuts, blueberries, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more-here is a luscious collection of haiku celebrating foods native to the Americas. Brimming with imagination and fun, these poems capture the tasty essence of foods that have delighted, united, and enriched our lives for centuries. Exuberant illustrations bring to life the delicious spirit of the haiku, making Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico! America's Sproutings an eye-popping, mouth-watering treat. Open it and dig in!
An interview with Pat Mora about this book in particular and the need for diverse books.
My thoughts: This is a beautiful book combining two things I really enjoy - food and poety. The haiku are fun and I really appreciated learning the history of these indigenous foods. The artwork is vibrant and gorgeous. I look forward to sharing this with students.
Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmers' Market by Irene Latham
illustrated by Mique Moriuchi
Goodreads summary: In these vivid poems, blueberries are “flavor-filled fireworks,” cucumbers are “a fleet of green submarines in a wicker sea,” lettuce tastes like “butter and pepper and salt,” but sometimes “I crunch into a leaf the very same flavor as rain.” The unexpected, ingenious imagery and enticing artwork in this collection will inspire the imaginations of young readers, and show how poetry can be as fresh and delicious as the farmers’ market produce it celebrates.
My thoughts: Fresh delicious is another wonderful pairing of food and poetry. The poems and illustrations are playful and full of life. The addition of adorable animals is also a plus. I think this book is a great way to get young readers excited about fruits and veggies. I appreciated the inclusion of recipes.
It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided
to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an
interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then
visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three
participant blogs and comment to spread the love. If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
I read quite a few books last week, but those I've included above were the best of the best. I think I could say "My heart fills with happiness" when I think of these books.
The Coming Week: I'm still listening to How to Be Compassionate and I've just started to read Saving Montgomery Sole. I'll be reading an ARC of The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee too. I have ten books checked out, but I'm not sure what I want to start next. I wish you a wonderful week filled with reading.
Ruth Ayres has
a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations
about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.
We were celebrating robots this week. My fifth graders are involved in a project with our makerspace materials so I had the Sphero and Ozobots out for them when I realized that they would make a great addition to my kindergarten lesson.
I shared some information from a few nonfiction robot books before reading Ame Dyckman's fabulous picture book Boy + Bot, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Then, students were able to use art supplies to create a robot they would enjoy playing with for a day. While they created, I took the ozobots around to each table to show them the sensors and let them see how they worked. I love my job. Watching their eyes light up as the little robots zoomed around was super fun. We all got to enjoy a story and learn a little bit about robots too. Our robot day was amazing.
Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts
a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I
love the encouragement to explore more nonfiction. My plan is to read at least 100 nonfiction picture books this year.
Goodreads summary: In the icy waters of the Pacific, a massive humpback whale unexpectedly finds herself tangled in a net abandoned by fishermen. When a rescue boat and a convoy of divers arrive to help the struggling humpback, a realistic and moving encounter bridges the human and aquatic worlds.
My thoughts: The story was compelling. I was amazed at the size and strength of this creature and the courage of those people attempting to help save the whale. Working so closely with such an enormous wild animal has to be intimidating. I appreciated the very thorough collection of online and print resources. This is a beautiful book packed with more information than I anticipated.
It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided
to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an
interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then
visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three
participant blogs and comment to spread the love. If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
My favorite picture book this week was Don't Call Me Grandma. It's great to see a grandchild/grandmother relationship of a unique sort. Grandmother is very particular and is a little prickly, but she loves her grandchild. Not all grandmas are cozy and cuddly and that's the truth.
Pope Francis and Rhyolite: The True Story of a Ghost Town were both interesting nonfiction picture books. I didn't know that Pope Francis was Jorge as a child. I also found it fun to learn that he enjoyed soccer and dancing when he was younger. This was a very simple biography, but covered the basic facts. Many students have checked this book out along with Dear Pope Francis: The Pope Answers Letters from Children Around the World. I want to read that one too, but it's usually checked out. Rhyolite is such an interesting tale. The city was a boomtown during a gold rush, but it was a ghost town in a very short time.
There were two middle grade books in my pile this week. The Truth About Twinkie Pie made me want to do some cooking. I especially want to try the pie. I watched the Kid Lit TV video with Kat Yeh last year and have been wanting to read the book since then.
The other middle grade was Lily and Dunkin. Again with the food, but this time Dunkin Donuts. I got this as an ARC from John Schumacher at WEMTA last month and am glad. This is one you will likely hear a lot about. The main characters are Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin who is dealing with bipolar disorder and other issues readers discover later in the novel. In addition, they are fumbling along with their own new friendship. Readers who have ever felt different or have struggled with friendships will definitely be able to relate to Lily and Dunkin's feelings. It's an emotional read and will be perfect for those readers who like books that make you cry or books where characters are facing tough realistic situations.
I'm still a little conflicted about The Porcupine of Truth. There were things I appreciated like the humor, but there were other things that bothered me. The last part of the novel was definitely stronger or at least I enjoyed it more. It's one that I would maybe recommend, but I'm still not sure. I didn't give it a star rating on Goodreads because I just couldn't decide. The Coming Week: The Human Body Theater is on my stack along with an ARC of The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee. Otherwise, I'm not sure what will come my way. Oh, I have the audiobook How to Be Compassionate by the Dalai Lama and a few others from my #MustReadin2016 on their way to my holdshelf so I will probably start working on that list again. Have a great week!
Ruth Ayres has
a link-up on weekends where people link to posts that are celebrations
about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.
Music, music, music. This was a week filled with music. Last Sunday afternoon, the La Crosse Chamber Chorale sang at the public library. Their selections were mostly works inspired by Shakespeare. The concert was spectacular.
On Wednesday, I joined a ukelele band. They meet every Wednesday evening to practice and welcome new players anytime. I've been using Youtube videos and a book to learn on my own since late January, but it was fantastic to get to play along with other people for a change.
On Thursday, Mr. Schu posted the new Emily Arrow video of Louise Loves Art, so of course, we watched it in class. It's great because our students are all getting ready for our district art show in May.
Yesterday, I attended the Three Rivers Powwow and had the opportunity to hear the drum circles while watching the many people, young and old, dance to that heartbeat.
Today my child and I went to see the Winona Symphony Orchestra. My favorite piece was the Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings by Dmitri Shostakovich. That man sure pushed boundaries. The piece did so much to laugh in the face of traditional symphony arrangements. This piece was done in his twenties. The pianist, Eric Brisson, was fantastic too. I couldn't help but think about the book I read last year, Symphony for the City of the Deadsince that was my introduction to Shostakovich.
Music is a huge part of our lives. I listen to Putumayo Kids CDs at my library desk and the Hamilton soundtrack in my car. We have many instruments in our home: acoustic, electric and bass guitars, a cello, a trumpet, a trombone, a flute, three different sizes of recorders, a piano, and a drumset. Over the years we have attended well over 200 middle and high school performances of our children. I'm so thankful that music speaks to our hearts and can let our hearts speak.
