Monday May 2nd, 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a reading photo of the week. Last week we did some buddy reading outside in the spring sunshine with the grade 3/4 class. It was delightful watching students so engaged in their books together.

For our #classroombookaday, we had a bit of a pet theme going on!

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.

On the blog:

I have been a little absent from blogging. In two weeks, I just published this Slice of Life piece: I am every age

Books I enjoyed:

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by R. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell with illustrations by Rafael López

This is such an inspiring book based on actual events in San Diego – how a neighborhood can be changed and strengthened by art. Illustrator Rafael López is more than the illustrator here – he is the inspiration for the character of the muralist. I am so excited to share this title with my students – it was one I had to purchase.

The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi

A storm can make an eagerly anticipated beach day seem impossible. But storms roll in and storms roll out . . .

The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield

There is something especially charming and endearing about this title.

Fetch by Jorey Hurley

Hurley conveys so much with simple text and beautiful illustrations. A must have for dog lovers!

I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings with pictures by Shelagh McNicholas

I was excited to read this picture book about the real Jazz Jennings, trans teen and reality star. Very accessible for young children.

On the Farm, At the Market by G. Brian Karas

From farm, to market, to table. Celebrates healthy eating and community.

Dorothea’s Eyes by Barb Rosenstock with illustrations by Gérard DuBois

This was a must have for my biography collection. A fantastic biography of photographer Dorothea Lange.

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook by Leslie Connor

A beautiful middle grade read, a title that celebrates family, community, resilience and strength of character. I didn’t want this book to end. Perry is a very memorable character. I would love to read this title aloud with a class of students (Grade 3/4 and up)

Reading Progress updates:

2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 16/75 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 127/400 books read

#MustReadin2016: 14/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 18/100 titles

Diverse Books in 2016: 16/50 books read

Up next? I am reading Booked! by Kwame Alexander

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Some beginning read alouds

Posted on September 16, 2015 by carriegelson

I have a brand new class: a busy group of seven and eight year olds. Many of them are not used to the nonfiction read aloud. But, they love to be read to and they are fascinated when I share facts with them about the world. Nonfiction books are stories of their world and I know they will be hooked. I wandered through my collection yesterday and pulled some titles to start reading aloud.

I needed titles that are not too long. They have to have engaging photos or illustrations. Ideally, there will be some humour or an interactive element (guessing and checking). The language needs to fit and if it can be lyrical and lovely, all the better. Or punchy and action packed!

Here are the ten titles I selected as beginning nonfiction read alouds:

Nest by Jorey Hurley

A series of words and beautiful images to explore birds and their nests.

A Bird Is a Bird by Lizzy Rockwell

What makes a bird a bird exactly? A title to explore all the qualities of a bird.

Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons written by Sara Levine with illustrations by T.S. Spookytooth

A fun interactive style. What kind of animal would you be if . . . ?

Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg by Mia Posada

Clues and images lead us to the next page where we find the answer. Perfect to read a few pages at a time.

I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

Humour, spiders and some splatting. Learning as you laugh! Perfect.

Eat Like a Bear written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Follow a bear over seasons – how and what does a bear eat?

Weeds Find a Way written by Cindy Jenson-Elliott and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

Lyrical and visually stunning. Appreciate weeds for their beauty and persistence.

A Leaf Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Violeta Dabija

Beautiful nonfiction describing and hinting at all of the roles leaves can play – from “rain stopper” to “shade spiller” and many more.

Best Foot Forward: Exploring Feet, Flippers, and Claws by Ingo Arndt

Marvel at the various interesting animal feet that different animals use to walk, climb, dig, paddle, etc. There is a guessing from a photograph aspect to this book.

Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

The format is engaging – each animal is introduced with a mini letter/question and answer.

Thanks to Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for the inspiration to read and share more nonfiction picture books in 2015. Follow the link to Alyson’s blog to read about more nonfiction books you need to read!

Swoon Worthy Nonfiction Picture Books

Posted on July 23, 2014 by carriegelson

I am a huge fan of nonfiction picture books in our Elementary classrooms. They are the jumping off point into deep, deep learning. But it is not just the learning that infuses these pages, it is also the beauty of the images that helps lure readers in.

Reasons for nonfiction read alouds? There are many: opportunity for rich discussion, shared learning experiences, new information conveyed, etc. But there is also the visual treat that so many titles provide. The inspiration to wonder, to marvel and to be in awe of our world.

For some students, just the lure of new knowledge is the gateway to reading fantastic nonfiction titles, others need a little nudge. Something beautiful . . .

I have a few students who resist picking up nonfiction titles without some persuasion. I try to entice them with the amazing facts that they might learn. Thinking of a few students in particular, I realize I have been approaching it all wrong. With these children, I should be starting with the images and let them work their magic. Many of our visual learners begin with the illustrations. They become lost in the pictures and then begin reading to answer the questions that start to form.

Do I have enough nonfiction picture books in my collection (or on my wish lists) for these readers?

I started a list. And then I thought I should share . . . .

Each of these titles has made me stop and stare. Here are 25 of the most gorgeous nonfiction titles out there – absolutely swoon worthy, in my opinion 🙂

Learn more about the Natural World:

An Egg is Quiet written by Dianna Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long

Over and Under the Snow written by the Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. (Note: This title is actually fiction but offers a beautiful invitation to begin learning more about the world under the snow)

Feathers Not Just for Flying written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen

Bird, Butterfly, Eel with story and paintings by James Prosek

The Long, Long Journey: The Godwit’s Amazing Migration written by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Mia Posada

Nest by Jorey Hurley

Weeds Find a Way written by Cindy Jenson-Elliott and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

Books about Creatures: Small to Gigantic, and all sizes in between:

Eye to Eye: How Animals See The World by Steve Jenkins

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth

Mama Built a Little Nest written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Big Blue Whale written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Nick Maland

Jumping Penguins illustrated by Marije Tolman with text by Jesse Goossens

See What a Seal Can Do written by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Kate Nelms

Information/Concept titles:

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals’ Lives written by Lola Schaefer and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

Swirl by Swirl (Spirals in Nature) written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes

Gravity by Jason Chin

Locomotive by Brian Floca

Biographies/Memoir:

The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins and illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Orani My Father’s Village by Claire A. Nivola

Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill

Dare the Wind written by Tracey Fern and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

Grandfather Gandhi written by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus and illustrated by Evan Turk

The Boy who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos written by Deborah Heiligman and illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

(I featured a few of these titles in this post last year: Wonder Inducing Nonfiction Read Alouds Some are clearly my favourites!)

What beautiful nonfiction picture books make you swoon? Please share them in the comments.

Thanks to Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for the inspiration to read and share more nonfiction picture books in 2014! Follow the link to Alyson’s blog to read about more nonfiction titles.

Monday June 2nd, 2014

Posted on June 1, 2014 by carriegelson

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. You are guaranteed to find something new to add to your list.

My favourite picture books of the week? Most seem to be perfect story time books for little readers 🙂

I Hatched! written by Jill Esbaum and illustrated by Jen Corace

Little baby chick hatches and sets off with gusto to explore the world and his ability to move so wonderfully within it. Full of energy and charm. Text is rhyming and full of action.

Run-run-run-run!

Hurry-scurry!

Bet my little legs are blurry.

Nest by Jorey Hurley

I want some of these pages framed on my wall. All that is simple – nature, seasonal rhythms, family. Just a beautiful book. One word a page and no more are necessary.

The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar

How stunning is this cover? The entire book is a visual treat. Reissued in 2008 (originally published in 1969) What does cat see on these nighttime adventures? Allows children to understand about night vision and why cats are so sleepy during the day!

When Elephant met Giraffe by Paul Gude

Three little stories about being a friend. Perfect for younger listeners. Giraffe is quiet while Elephant tends towards bossy and insensitive. Together they work it all out with lots of learning along the way.

Peek-A-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice

I absolutely adored the illustrations in this sweet little book. Perfect for a preschool story time or for your own little listeners. I can imagine this one would be a read often book. Adorable hide and seek with bunny and his forest friends.

Duck, Duck, Moose! written by Sudipta Bardham-Quallen and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Ducks. A moose. Lots of silly, clumsy and disasters. You can’t help but laugh and find moose, in all of his awkwardness, purely endearing.

A featured read aloud:

I’ve decided to sometimes feature a powerful read aloud in this Monday post with some student reactions. It may be a book I have featured before (this week it is) and often a title I have already read multiple times (again, yes). But usually sharing a book in detail with students is an entire other experience. And sometimes I want to share!

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore created Libraries for Children written by Jan Pinborough and illustrated by Debby Atwell

What a story of how one woman acted as a champion for children’s access to books, libraries and beautiful spaces. A book you must have in your nonfiction picture book biography collection if you love children and children’s books! Learn how Miss Moore opened the children’s room at the New York City Public Library and inspired others all over the world to create library spaces suited for children.

We were certainly inspired by Miss Moore! Some student responses from their written reviews:

“She went to each library and saw kids books locked up in a shelf, telling the kids don’t touch books, silence signs hanged up on the wall and shushing kids.”

“My favourite part was when Ms. Moore made kids lives better and the kids from all over loved her very much. She’s a hero. When she saw some libraries, it was like just a nightmare to the kids.”

“Ms. Moore was an important librarian. She made a kids section and it had pink tiles from England on the floor. She made a nature center and comfortable seats for children. When she retired, she went all over the world to teach other people to make good libraries. Because of Miss Moore, we now have kids sections in libraries.”

“She wanted kids to have fun with books and to learn. In New York, the government let her be the boss of a bunch of libraries. But when she saw the kids’ section she was sad and disappointed because the librarians didn’t even let the kids touch books. She changed everything.”

I didn’t finish reading any novels this week as I am reading two and reading lots to my children – we are almost finished Jinx’s Magic by Sage Blackwood. I have been exhausted with all of the horribleness that is BC Education right now (mentioned it a little here) and just falling into bed at night. It has cut into my reading. Next week I plan to take back my life from all that is ridiculous and finish both A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher. I certainly need the escape that books offer!

Reading Goal updates:

2014 Chapter Book Challenge: 40/100 novels complete

Goodeads Challenge: 274/650 books read

#MustReadin2014: 16/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 67/65 complete