Picture Book favourites shared by my book loving daughter!

Posted on August 11, 2013 by carriegelson

My lovely daughter Beatrice (who is almost eleven) was inspired by my excitement over all of the wonderful picture book 10 for 10 blog posts and decided that she wanted to share hers! She raced downstairs and selected her favourite titles from our bookshelf and wrote her reviews.

This is the very first guest blog post on my blog and I couldn’t be prouder!

Hi everyone I’m Beatrice and these are my top ten picture books!!! I hope you enjoy my reviews and read these amazing books. Thanks!

The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child captured by Polly Borland

This book is GREAT because it’s a funny twist of a fairy tale. And it has amazing art!!! My favourite part is when they are telling about the other princesses. It’s really funny!!!

The Gypsy Princess by Phoebe Gilman

I really enjoyed this story because it has a moral. The moral is be who you are because somebody else might seem better, happier and cooler but it’s better to be you!!!

The Quiltmaker’s Gift written by Jeff Brumbeau and illustrated by Gail de Marcken

I think this book is important because it tells you that even if you have the best of everything you aren’t going to be happy because it’s better to give than receive!!!

Who’s that Knocking on Christmas Eve by Jan Brett

This book is a fave because it has beautiful illustrations and the story is relatable to
your life (even though it is also a fantasy) I definitely recommend this book TO BE READ ON CHRISTMAS!!!!

Chester by Melanie Watt

This book is HILARIOUS. Seriously, it’s a riot. It has humour spread like jam on every page!!! There are Chester replacements, poetry, lines and so much more!!! (Most of this you will only understand if you READ THE BOOK!)

Chester’s Back by Melanie Watt

This is the (also) HILARIOUS sequel to Chester. If you like the first one, GO TO A BOOK
STORE NEAR YOU AND BUY THIS! Chester would insist.

Who is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel

What a funny book! We hear many people’s perspectives on who Melvin Bubble is – some of them are not very nice. I would be nervous to ask a whole bunch of people to write about me like this!

Playhouse by Robert Munsch illustrated by Michael Martchenko

This book is about a girl whose parents give her whatever she wants. When I was little and my Mom read this to me, I thought I never would have wanted a Play Mommy and Play Daddy. I liked the real ones!!

Ribbon Rescue by Robert Munsch illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

In this book people are forgetting things for a wedding they are going to. A little girl gives them what they need no matter what! This book shows that it doesn’t matter what you have, you can still help.

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson illustrated by E.B.Lewis

This is a sad but important book. People can be really mean by not speaking up or ignoring others. This book shows us that you will probably regret if you aren’t kind and also if you just stand back and don’t help.

** Thanks to Cathy from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy from Enjoy and Embrace Learning for hosting this picture book event!

My Picture Book 10 for 10 for 2013

Posted on August 10, 2013 by carriegelson

I am thrilled to be participating in the Picture Book 10 for 10 event for the second time. This celebration of picture books is hosted by Cathy from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy from Enjoy and Embrace Learning. What are the picture books that you just can not live without?

Last year I shared many of my all time favourite picture books. This year, I thought I would focus on what has become a beloved theme: picture books that feature a connection between generations – whether it is a child and a grandparent or a child and a grandparent like figure.

These stories remind us that time is a gift, memories have big meaning and wisdom shared always enhances what we know.

My top ten favourites on this theme: Connections across the generations

Mr. Zinger’s Hat written by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Dusan Petricic

A wonderful story about the power of storytelling and how it meanders this way and that between the narrator and the “creatively involved” listener. Young Leo and Mr. Zinger collectively “create” a story. And then the storytelling continues once Leo has been “bit” by the writing/narrating bug. Just lovely.

The Friend written by Sarah Stewart and illustrated by David Small

A beautiful friendship and love exist between little Belle and her devoted housekeeper Beatrice. Bea is little Belle’s daily companion as her parents race off here and there, too “busy” to give their child time. Reminds us that spending time with a child is everything even when doing the most mundane chores. Connection, warmth, love . . . What makes this story even more special is that it is inspired by a similar relationship in the author’s childhood. I wish I owned this book but sadly it is out of print. As always Small and Stewart create a treasured story together.

The Imaginary Garden written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Irene Luxbacher

The Imaginary Garden tells a story of grandfather and granddaughter who paint a lush garden mural when a real garden is no longer possible in Poppa’s new apartment. I used this book as inspiration for some beautiful garden art with my students.

The Frank Show, a David Mackintosh title

This title is all about a young boy who thinks his Grandad Frank is not going to be an interesting share at Show and Tell. But, watch out for the older generation! Boy do they pull out all the stops. A great book to share to highlight how wonderful it is to get to know our grandparents. (My own Dad who happens to be a “Papa Frank” loved this title and read it to my nieces :-))

Oma’s Quilt written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

Emily’s Oma (grandmother) has to move to a retirement home and she is very reluctant to do so. What about her precious things? Her neighbours? Cooking apple strudel? Even the bowling alley at the home doesn’t change her mind (smelly shoes!) While Emily and her mother are sorting through Oma’s possessions, Emily has a wonderful idea. Why not make a memory quilt for Oma!?

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

This book has so much of what I love- adoration for a Grandfather (a Great Grandfather in this case!), nostalgia for sick days and lots of reading, gardens, and the love of family history shared between generations. Exquisite!

Mr. George Baker written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Jon J Muth

What a special story that celebrates friendship, literacy and the sentiment that it is never too late to learn something new. Young Harry waits for the school bus every morning with his friend and neighbour Mr. George Baker. Mr. Baker, a spry and charming man is a hundred years old and has never learned how to read. “That must be corrected,” says George. Lyrical. Simple. Inspirational. A book to share with new learners of every age.

The Wednesday Surprise written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Donald Carrick

Anna spends every evening with her Grandma. After dinner and dishes, Grandma and Anna work on a surprise for Dad’s birthday. The surprise is all about books and reading and it makes me cry no matter how many times I read this story. Special. Special. Special.

The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

When Mary Ellen confesses that she is tired of reading, Grandpa leads her (and half the community!) on an adventure that involves racing over fields and country roads in search of a bee tree. Along with the reward of baking powder biscuits and sweet honey, Mary Ellen receives some of Grandpa’s wisdom:

“There is sweetness inside of that book too! Such things . . . adventure, knowledge and wisdom. But these things do not come easily. You have to pursue them.”

William’s Doll written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Pene Du Bois

A classic and consistently important story that shakes up thinking that is based in stereotypes. Brothers, neighbours and Dad send William the message that wanting a doll is wrong, something for a “sissy” and certainly not for a boy. But Grandma arrives, and in her wise and quiet way manages to get William the doll he covets and give the message to Dad that William wants a doll to love, but also to “play” at being a father – learning to do all of the things he will need to do one day for his own child. More than forty years old, this book is still relevant. I used it with a class last year and it was powerful.

Last year, my list featured two more favourites on this theme. Stories that remain favourites.

(Knew I would find a way to “be creative” (a.k.a. cheat) with the 10 book guideline :-))

Not only do I love books that celebrate connections between the generations, I also love the magic that happens when books are shared during reading experiences. I shared that in this post: The Grandparent Effect

Please share if you have other titles that fit with this theme of connections across generations.

Happy Reading!

Some new wordless favourites

Posted on July 27, 2013 by carriegelson

I am always pleased when I uncover new wordless (or nearly wordless) titles to share with my students. These books are ideal for allowing us to sit back and let our imagination follow the author/illustrator to wonderful places. I use wordless books to build storytelling skills, enhance visual literacy, practice inferring and asking questions and for amazing oral language opportunities.

This post elaborates on why I think wordless books are so important in the classroom and how I use them.

Here are a handful of words about some new wordless favourites:

The Night Riders by Matt Furie

An adventure with real and fantastical nocturnal creatures. Oh what can happen by the light of the moon!

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

Making a friend, being both graceful and wonderfully clumsy. Perfectly not perfect.

Red Hat by Lita Judge What can we get up to with a knitted red hat? Playful. Full of joy.

Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert Chase a storm through farm country and notice every little detail. Brilliant.

Kitty and Dino and Sara Richard What happens when the new pet is a dinosaur who has come to share the house with Kitty (who is really having none of it)? Wild antics.

Bear Despair by Gaetan Doremus You upset me? I eat you! My students responded best: “This bear is ruled by his amygdala!”

Unspoken by Henry Cole Haunting. Multi-layered. A springboard to discussions about slavery and the Underground Railroad.

Fly Free

Posted on May 25, 2013 by carriegelson

We love making art in our classroom. It seems always to be more powerful when it is a response to a book we have read. I don’t think it is hard to figure out why – books inspire us to think and feel and reflect and respond. Art is all about responding creatively to what we are thinking about. So the picture book/art connection is a powerful one.

There is a bit of a story to how my Grade 2/3s happened to create these pictures:

It started with the wonderful book The Secret Message that author Mina Javaherbin sent to our class after we had made a connection with her when we reviewed her book Goal! This book, based on an ancient Persian poem by Rumi, tells the story of a wealthy merchant and his parrot. The beautiful bird sings of longing and dreams of freedom and yet, his only reward is a larger cage. When the merchant travels to India, the parrot asks him to tell his wild parrot friends of his captivity and how he misses flying in the forest. The birds manage to send a secret message back to their parrot friend in Persia, ensuring his route to freedom. This story inspired many questions and lots of discussion. Big themes of course involved freedom and the merchant’s right to keep a wild bird captive.

Students were not impressed by the larger cage that the merchant bought the parrot. They felt it didn’t come close to measuring up to the beautiful forest where wild birds flew free. This got me thinking about an art project I had pinned to my art boards on Pinterest. It was from the wonderful art blog Mrs. Picasso’s Art Room. This project also looked at birds and cages and questioned captivity. Inspired by this project, I decided to have the students draw their own bird cages that they could have birds perch upon. We also incorporated the message from Mina when she signed her book for us: Fly Free!

Students began by drawing an elaborate bird cage with black crayon and oil pastel. We thought about a door to the cage and making it stand out as firmly closed. Some students began with mock up sketches to think about shape and design.

Finished cages were elaborate and beautiful. We talked about how we liked the idea of these cages for decoration but not for keeping a bird inside!

We then made our birds after looking at many picture books and nonfiction books that featured parrots but also other exotic and beautiful birds with interesting colouring and decorative bills. A favourite was a book that celebrated being observant about the details of different birds: Puffin Peter by Petr Horacek. Simply gorgeous! The striped beak of this little puffin made its way onto many finished birds! We loved the layered colours and the loose lines that outlined this beautiful bird.

Drawings started with crayon. Some looked very puffinesque (thanks Petr!)

Other birds came in different shapes.

Some students were very excited to make their birds multicoloured using layers of crayon and oil pastels.

Two colours on the beaks were very popular

Big theme? Pride!

And smiles!

Students then cut out their birds and the signs they had made that expressed either: Freedom of Fly Free. They positioned them on the page so it was clear that the birds were perched outside the cages and voila – beautiful art projects with a message!

The great thing about this project? As we worked on it over multiple days, our discussions continued. As students worked, they talked about blending colours, interesting birds and what it means to be free. What could be better?

Thanks to Mina Javaherbin for such an important book!

The Snow Day

Posted on December 11, 2012 by carriegelson

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai was our inspiration for some reflective writing today. It is getting cold and blustery outside and forecasts of snow are hinted at in the weather reports and imagined by eager snow enthusiasts who sense those chilly mornings. This book let us explore those images of when a very snowy day seems to stop the world.

What is it like to wait for a chance to explore the snow? Better yet, what does it feel like to walk out into a snowy world with nobody else around?

Little Rabbit observes, “Mommy, we are all alone in the world.” Some snow days do feel that way.

We loved the image of Little Rabbit getting to step into that big expanse of white and did some brainstorming about what snow looks like when it is covering the landscape. Some students included these images in their writing.

This book was certainly about anticipation. And excitement. But also about the quiet, the calm and the wonder of snow.

Some Monday afternoon writing shared:

Gracie: I like making snowmen. It’s fun! And after I play outside, I like having hot chocolate. It’s gooooood! 🙂 Snow looks like white cotton candy.

Ava: I like when you are the first one to step in the snow.

Heman: I like it when it is snowing because I can have snowball fights with my brother. I dress up warm in the snow. The snow looks like clouds. It is quiet in the snow. It feels calm in the snow. Snow is so slippery!

Arianne: I love snow because I like to make snow angels and snow bunnies. when it snows, it is like white paint everwhere. We dress up in warm clothes. I throw snow!

Shereese: I like the snow because we could make a snowman and a snowball fight. It feels so cold. When we are cold, we ask for hot chocolate. I like when my Mom makes hot chocolate and whip cream on it.

Kevin: I like when snow is calm. I like to make a snow castle to play in it. Snow looks like white paper. You have to dress warm for a snowy day,

The Girl who Never Made Mistakes

Posted on October 3, 2012 by carriegelson

Our morning read aloud was an important one. We shared The Girl who Never Made Mistakes written by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein and illustrated by Mark Pett. We have some extra doses of anxious feelings in our classroom. Just who we are. So I thought this would be an ideal book to help us talk about making mistakes and how it is absolutely okay. Even good.

Initial reactions to the cover of this book were a little awe inspired. “Wow! Is she perfect?” And then one student aptly pointed out, “I think that at the end she might make a mistake because people who make books – well that’s what they do. That’s how books happen.” (I love when students share their knowledge of how books and authors work like this!)

This book is about a little girl named Beatrice Bottomwell, who, as the cover clearly states, never makes mistakes. Never. Not ever. So impressively perfect that she actually has fans waiting for her outside her door every morning who regularly quiz her about her error free habits. Her little brother, Carl, ironically is nothing like his big sister. He makes lots of mistakes and delights in this fact. Funny little guy (our class named him “Backwards boy”) does things like play the piano with his toes and draw with green beans while eating his crayons!

One day, Beatrice almost made a mistake. She slipped in cooking class and four eggs went flying into the air! “Oh my!” I exclaimed as I read. “I can’t breathe. I wonder what will happen?” One of the little boys at my feet reached up with his teddy (we have class stuffies that listen along with us – helps with secure feelings. Remember we are an anxious bunch!) “Here Ms. Gelson. You can hug my teddy.” Cute. And then some.

We turned the page and all was okay. Beatrice had managed to land on the floor and catch each egg using a very creative two hands, one foot, one mouth retrieval system. But her “almost mistake” plagued her. Students noticed that she was feeling lots of pressure. While her little brother balanced his plate on his head and held his spoon with his toes, she barely touched her dinner. Beatrice had a talent contest that evening and she was anxious she would mess up.”Not you, ” her Dad assured.

Beatrice prepared for her juggling routine by grabbing her hamster, a salt shaker and a water balloon. She went up on stage to cries of “That’s her! The girl who never makes mistakes!” She started to juggle. She always performed this routing flawlessly. Then Beatrice noticed that the flecks coming out of the salt shaker were not white . . . Uh. Oh. We caught on pretty quickly! “It’s pepper!” “The hamster will sneeze!” “She is about to make a mistake!” The sneeze is humongous! “Just how hard can a hamster sneeze?” asked one student. And, if you are thinking about this little scene, you can imagine what happens. The haster sneezes, his claws scratch the balloon and KABLOOIE (we practiced saying this a bunch of times. It is pretty fun!) Beatrice is drenched and a hamster is perched precariously atop her head. Everything and everyone was still. Students observed that she must be feeling sad that she had made a mistake. Some also noted that it really isn’t possible to be perfect.

But then . . . Beatrice began to giggle. Eventually she was laugh out loud laughing and it was contagious. The audience laughed along with her. That night, Beatrice had her best sleep ever. The next day she began to do things without perfection in mind. Skating and slipping. Messy lunches. Lots of laughter. And not so many worries.

What was our response?

“At first she made no mistakes. Now, she likes making mistakes. People aren’t mad at her. It can be funny when you make mistakes and everyone can laugh together.”

“If you think you have to be perfect, it is hard to make friends because everyone else seems normal and you can’t be happy.”

An important read for our class. An important read for any class. Mistakes are how we grow. They make us human. They give us the freedom to relax and try new things. This little book is a great reminder of all of that!

First Few Read Alouds

Posted on September 8, 2012 by carriegelson

Oh, how I have missed reading aloud to a classroom of children! We didn’t switch classes until the end of this week so I had the pleasure of reading some books to our class from last year. Here were our first three reads:

Chloe and the Lion written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Adam Rex (although his artistic contributions to this book were impacted when he was fired by the author and during the time he was inside the lion’s belly!)

I told the students that this book was a little different than most picture books and asked them to predict how just by looking at the cover. We looked carefully. What was different? We saw cover art, the author’s name, the illustrator’s name . . . Everything seemed normal. Pictures of the author and illustrator? Hmm . . . We didn’t always see that. Well author and illustrator featured hugely in this book. In fact story line, author issues, illustrator perspectives were all intertwined. We bore witness to the creative process, the discussion (often heated) between author and illustrator and even watched the character have impact on how the story unfolded. How did we like it? There were laughs. There was shouting. There was opinion expressed from my very involved audience. If everyone was in on this, why not us?! A delightful read aloud experience. Mrs. Morden, our principal, walked in during the story and nobody even gave her a glance. All of our attention was on this story! (We later sent this book home with Mrs. Morden to read to her children so she wouldn’t miss out! :-))

You’re Finally Here written and illustrated by Melanie Watt

This is not the first time I have read this book aloud to this group. Last spring I brought it in to share after finding it at the public library. Sergio must have asked me every week to read this book again and I never saw it again at the library. So when I found this title at the end of August, I tucked it on my school bag to share this first week back. This book is just as fun on the second read. So many giggles – especially at the contract the bunny wants us to sign to promise to not leave him and make him our highest priority! This book made its rounds during quiet reading and the next day was still being shared – often one student reading it to another and giggling a lot! A delightful book to share when everyone needs a smile. (First week anxiety means creating lots of opportunities to laugh and smile together)

Bink and Gollie Two for One written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile.

Having just read this book myself last week, I realized it was the perfect book to bring in since so many students had visited Playland/the PNE this summer and this book is set at the State Fair. We related to the delight of rides, the games and booths, the sweet treats and the fortune teller tent. Needless to say, students were delighted by the antics of Bink and Gollie and appreciated the subtle and not so subtle humour (poor Mr. Whack the Duck man!)

My picture book 10 for 10 for 2012

Posted on August 10, 2012 by carriegelson

Picture Book Love!!

This is the first year I am participating in the Picture Book 10 for 10 event hosted by Cathy from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy from Enjoy and Embrace Learning.

Any opportunity to celebrate a love for picture books, count me in!

Of course I could have listed hundreds but I tried to select the first ten that came to me. My list for 2012:

Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed. Oh how I love this book that celebrates love! I gushed about it here . This book is quite possibly my favourite picture book ever. And that is really saying something!

The Giant Seed by Arthur Geisert. Geisert is a master at telling a beautiful and whimsical fantastical story through a wordless book. How the pigs happen to be saved from volcanic disaster is a reason to share this story many times. Gorgeous.

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. I really liked this book on first read. But after sharing it with my class I quickly grew to love it. My students went crazy for this book! Read more here . This book read aloud in a classroom of book lovers is a force to be reckoned with.

All the World written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee. This book could be read daily and one would never tire of it. I have blogged about it before: “The images are comforting, saturated with details and evoke our own memories attached to the experiences suggested by each picture. These pictures are so easy to connect to, I felt like I had taken a journey through some of my own most happiest of memories.”

Hunwick’s Egg written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Pamela Lofts. I have blogged about this book before as it is one of my favourites: “Hunwick’s egg never hatched although it provided him with companionship, faith and an important secret. Yes, he realized his egg was not an egg at all but a perfectly shaped stone and he loved it all the more. This book is beyond endearing and my heart lifts just pulling it off the shelf.”

The Gardener written by Sarah Stewart and illustrated by David Small. It is wonderful to have historical fiction wrapped up so beautifully in this illustrated book. My own children wanted to study this book again and again.

House Held up by Trees written by Ted Kooser and illustrated by Jon Klassen. This book celebrates the power of nature and how we are naturally drawn to it. Efforts to keep it at bay are often futile. Nature finds its way. This book is stunning.

Leaf by Stephen Michael King. A story of the friendship between a boy, a dog and a plant. Simple, sweet, endearing. The best thing about this book? It is nearly wordless – the only text – sound effects – Whooosh, Boing, Sploosh, Glurg glurg .

Hello Goodbye Window written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. The vibrant colours in this book are pure joy! I love the celebration of the relationship between grandchild and grandparents. “Hello World! What have you got for us today?” We still quote this line frequently in our house!

Wilfred Gordon Macdonald Partridge written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas. A favourite of mine for years. Every time I read it aloud to a new group of students I sit back and enjoy their discussions of all the special kinds of memories. A book every house and classroom should own.

Five Favourites from the Week

Posted on June 18, 2012 by carriegelson

Report card writing means book blogging is a diversion I shouldn’t be taking! But we did so much great reading aloud last week, I can’t help but highlight five favourites. The power of reading aloud is always worth celebrating!

Bird, Butterfly, Eel with story and paintings by James Prosek. We shared this book in our reading group where we have been reading a variety of information storybooks and focusing on evidence that supports specific questions we pose. Right away we were curious what these three creatures on the front cover might have in common. In reading the book, we discovered that there were many things. Students summarized key points in their writing: each creature starts out on a farm near the sea, they each migrate over a large distance and they each return to the farm after a long return journey. We did note that only the bird travels south and returns and that the monarch and the eel who return are part of a new generation. Fasincating. This book prompted a lot of discussion and further investigation.

One of the books we read during our morning book sharing was not actually a book but one story from the book Tom Thumb (a collection of Grimms’ tales) illustrated and retold by Eric Carle. We read The Fisherman and his Wife and I was surprised at how instantly engaged the students were with the story. There was constant chatter and commentary and we frequently stopped the story to discuss what might happen or what we thought about the actions of a character. The Fisherman’s wife got few points; generally, we thought her quite awful and selfish! We were glad when she lost her grand homes and titles. “She’s so greedy that she can’t be trusted with all of that power,” someone aptly pointed out. Students have been asking me to read the three other stories in this collection.

I found the book Virginia Wolf written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault at the public library and asked my Reading group to give me some feedback. Should we put this book on a list of books Ms. Sheperd-Dynes should purchase for the library? Personally, I loved this book. I appreciated that it explored sadness, sibling relationships, the negative influence one child’s mood can have in a house and that it celebrated the perseverance of a sister to lift her sibling out of a dark funk. But . . . what would kid’s think? They loved it too! They told me it had a theme of “emotions” and “wrong-side-of-the-bedishness” and “being transformed.” They were fascinated to see what Virginia really did look like. Many read this book again on their own during independent reading. The verdict? It’s on the “we need this book for the library” list!

I have had Albert written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Jim LaMarche sitting on my desk for months waiting for the perfect time to read it aloud. It is rather long for a picture book and I wanted to make sure that we had time enough to read and spend time discussing the plot. When we returned from our canoe trip on Monday afternoon, students were tired and in need of a quiet activity. After a little bit of play time on the playground, we settled at the carpet for a story. In this book, Albert fears the outside world, so the author has the outside world come to Albert. It comes through a bird who nests in his outstretched hand. A truly delightful story that inspired many, many discussions. A book we savoured after a wondefully active day. I have blogged about this book before. Read here for more details.

The Tooth was another book I read with the students during our morning picture book sharing time. This book is written by Avi Slodovnick and illustrated by Manon Gauthier. We used this book to practice our prediction and inferring skills. From the title and cover picture, what might it be about? Our list was quite detailed and included many tooth possibilities- teeth that wouldn’t come out, teeth full of cavities, teeth that got lost before making it to under the pillow. We didn’t manage to capture all of the complexities of what this book contained however as this book is also about being homeless, about wanting to do something and not knowing what and about being compassionate and kind. Definitely worth reading for the rich discussion that ensues.

Row Row Your Bear

Posted on June 2, 2012 by carriegelson

We always enjoy wordless books in our class. Such a fantastic opportunity to build oral language skills, share creative ideas, practice inferring from pictures and celebrate the power of a great illustrator.

This past week we fell in love with the talented Beatrice Rodriguez and her delightful books featuring a fox, a hen, a rejected rooster and some would be rescuers.

The first book we read was The Chicken Thief

It starts off with a dramatic kidnapping. Fox steals a hen and her friends race off in pursuit. Bear, Rabbit and Rooster are determined rescuers and Fox ends up deep in the forest, sleeping up in a tree for the night to stay ahead of the animals. He keeps Hen snuggled close.

As the sun rises, the chase resumes and Fox manages to hide away deep in a burrow for night number two. He and Hen spend the evening playing checkers. Students began to suspect that Fox would not have the heart to eat his new companion. The chase continues the next day with Fox rowing Hen over the sea in a row boat and Rabbit and Rooster rowing Bear! I made a quick comment that it was not Row Row Row your Boat but Row Row Row your Bear and we had to stop reading as students began to compose songs! There is nothing like spontaneous group song writing: sharing rhymes and giggles inspired by a wonderfully creative text. Two verses that we sang all day (both composed on the spot by students):

Row Row Row your Bear, Off to catch the thief!

Merrily Merrily Merrily Merrily

We caught him! What a relief!

Row Row Row your Bear, Forgot to get an oar

Merrily Merrily Merrily Merrily

Finally, we reached the shore!

This song writing sparked many funny comments: “We’re so poetic!” “Whoever made Row Row Row your boat is fired!” “Yeah, 0 stars for Row Row Row you’re boat! We’re so much better!”

Finally, we got back to the story. Bear, Rabbit and Rooster do eventually make it to Fox’s home and here they find Hen and Fox sipping tea by the fire. In a wonderfully peculiar twist, Hen leaps up and declares her adoration for Fox and the other animals seem to accept the news and leave Fox and Chicken to a life together. Although Rooster doesn’t look very pleased . . .

We then read Fox and Hen Together which continues the story of our two curious lovebirds.

The story begins with Hen snuggling an egg that seems to be hers while Fox stands at the refrigerator in dismay. The fridge is empty. What to do? Hen takes charge passing the egg delicately to Fox and she and Crab ( a new friend it seems) head out to solve the problem of nothing to eat with determined steps and a fishing pole. As one might imagine, there is nothing typical about this fishing expedition. At one point a huge eagle snatches up the fish that Hen and Crab have caught and the two of them end up in the eagle’s nest sharing space with ravenous eaglets. Yikes! They next encounter a ferocious sea serpent and narrowly manage escape thanks to some very creative fishing line tricks and twists by Hen. When Hen and Crab race safely to shore they find a frying pan and a cracked shell on the table. Hen initially suspects the worse of her mate but is overwhlemed with joy when she realizes that her baby has hatched! Fox, Hen and Crab celebrate the birth with a toast of something bubbly and a fish roast of epic proportions (sea serpent anyone?) Students spent quite a while trying to decide what kind of creature the baby might be. A Ficken? Foxen? Chickox? Endless possibilities!

Luckily all of us “squawked” loudly and in such praise of these two books that our wonderful Teacher Librarian Ms. Sheperd-Dynes purchased these titles for our library and also picked up Rooster’s Revenge, the book that rounds out this imaginative trilogy. Of course we shared it in class the very next day!

We found this title to be much darker but in a wonderully fantastical way. We first pored over the cover noticing Rooster’s body language and expression. He looked jealous, angry, overwhelmed and dejected (this was my word, helping us stretch vocabulary) This book picks up from when Rooster, Bear and Rabbit row away in the boat, leaving Fox and Hen to themselves. They hit a storm and are washed ashore onto an island, landing on huge boulders. As we looked at the full page spread though, we realized those rocks were not really rocks but instead turtles! Turtles that escorted our shipwrecked characters into a cave.

Inside the cave, Rooster spots a glowing something. Is it a stone? An egg? Clearly he is mesmerized. He snatches it in his wings and races away from his friends with an eerily evil expression on his face. “I think that’s a bad idea,” Khai warns as we turn the page. The next few pages have Rooster, Bear and Rabbit traveling through a strange landscape. Huge mushrooms. Glowing lizards. And then it is back out onto the open sea. (We began trying out a rhyme that began Row Row Row your Mushroom but found ourselves too caught up in the story). When Rooster reaches land, his stolen egg hatches. Our seemingly possessed Rooster is quickly charmed by this little baby dragon and he shows him off proudly to the hens back home. So it seems that this little quirky clan of animals will now be down a hen but up a dragon and all will live happily ever after. Until the next adventure?

I love these books for a variety of reasons. They are quirky. They are incredibly engaging. They provoke laughter, deep thinking questions and endless discussion. And. . . . the song inspiration was pretty incredible. “And you are going to like these books Ms. Gelson because they have a strange shape,” Catriona reminded me. Very true. I do have a penchant for rectangular books. We were so intrigued by this trilogy by Rodriguez that there were many mutterings of hope for Book #4.

Amazing reviews of these books can be found on these blogs: 32 pages and books4yourkids.com.

Love wordless books? You might also enjoy: Using Wordless Books in the Classroom, Wonders of Wordless Magic and Few Words on Five Wordless Books.