Tag Archives: Kara Lareau

Monday October 2nd, 2017

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a  reading photo of the week. Well, honestly each week I share some photos from the week. It’s hard to pick just one!

Princess in Black titles are VERY popular in our room!

While the “people” are resting, we should probably read them The Story of Diva and Flea. I love that books are pulled out even during play opportunities.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.

Our #classroombookaday titles have continued to explore relationships.

These titles are all about friendships and choices and allowed us to talk about the way we treat each other.

We don’t always write about our #classroombookaday titles but I am already excited by the thoughtful responses students are sharing.

Then we explored a variety of ways kindness can manifest. Hank Finds and Egg is the first “tell aloud” (wordless book) I have shared with this group. They fell in love!

I wrote a post about some minor changes coming on my blog: Dear Blog Readers – sharing more of what is happening in my classroom. So each week I will share a few photos of classroom highlights here.

Classroom Highlights

We began working with Maggie, our Artist in Residence in the Art and Discovery Studio. Up first? Self portraits!

I was supposed to be away for a day but then in the end, didn’t have to be absent. Part of the preparation was to have the students write Dear Guest Teacher letters. They are pretty wonderful I think! I encourage writers to be fearless – to write in pen and cross out and give mistakes a hug for helping us to learn!

Books I enjoyed:

It Takes a Village by Hilary Rodham Clinton and illustrated by Marla Frazee

Frazee brings so much to this title. A simple and powerful book.

If I Had a Little Dream written by Nina Laden and illustrated by Melissa Castrillo

A celebration of possibilities from a child’s perspective. Beautiful.

Love the dreaming this little bunny did on her bed fashioned out of Keva Planks! My class loves to play with these!

That’s Me Loving You written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Teagan White

Such a lovely little book to support children with many things: connection, loss, attachment.

Away written by Emil Sher and illustrated by Qin Leng

I really like this title. A story shared through notes between a busy Mom and daughter. Illustrations by Leng are superb.

One of my students wrote a great note to her Mom this week. After hearing some students tell me that my all black outfit made me look like I was going to a funeral, she thought about her Mom’s wardrobe choices and made this note! 🙂

Secrets I Know by Kallie George and Paola Zakimi

A poetic, lyrical title about the wonders of the world: big and small.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors written by Drew Daywalt with pictures by Adam Rex

Absolutely hilarious and entertaining! I am going to need to get a copy of this book for my classroom. Students will love this imagined backstory that inspired the game Rock Paper Scissors.

Dough Knights and Dragons written by Dee Leone and illustrated by George Ermos

Lots of rhymes, lots of cute and a wonderful example for young readers about coming up with creative solutions to a problem.

The Antlered Ship written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by The Fan Brothers

Mock Caldecott? Yes! Gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed the sense of wonder and questioning in this book.

Isadora Moon Goes to School by Harriet Muncaster

The first book in a cute little series about a girl who is half-vampire and half-fairy and trying to find the perfect place for her school setting.

The Infamous Ratsos by Kara Lareau and illustrated by Matt Myers

Such a fun little title about two brothers who work very hard to be bad but just aren’t!

Pie Girl (Piper Green, #5) written by Ellen Potter and illustrated by Qin Leng

I love Piper Green. I read every new title and enjoy each of them. This one did not disappoint. Piper wants to be Pie Girl but things just don’t seem to go her way.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Oh my goodness me. This book is fantastic. Creepy. Gruesome. Lots of blood and gore but lots of suspense and great story telling (and retelling) Despite the creepy and violent parts, this is definite middle grade material! Fairy tale sharing at its finest.

Reading Progress updates:

2017 Chapter Book Challenge: 50/75 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 223/365 books read

Progress on challenge: 50 books behind schedule.  Nice even number that is too large for my liking! Yikes.

#MustReadin2017: 23/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 28/50 titles

Diverse Books in 2016: 33/50 books read

Up Next? I am starting Zinnia and the Bees by Danielle Davis

Monday July 10th, 2017

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Each week I share a  reading photo of the week. I have no students to celebrate during the summer so I searched back through the archives to find a buddy reading moment. A room full of reading together is always my favourite!

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.

Books I enjoyed:

Little One by Jo Weaver

Gentle with amazing illustrations. A mama bear shows her cub the world and then they find their den to hibernate for the winter. Seasons. Nature. Connection.

World Pizza by Cece Meng with illustrations by Ellen Shi

Don’t wish for world peace when you might sneeze! What happens when everyone in the world shares the gift of food? (in the form of tasty pizza) Great conversation starter in the classroom. How do we connect? What makes us happy? How can we share?

The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid written by Kara Lareau and illustrated by Matt Myers

Perfect transitional reader. I want to get this series for my Grade 3 classroom this fall. Themes of friendship, bravery and taking responsibility.Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt

This novel has so many elements I love – a connection between the generations, interesting family dynamics, introspective musings. Well written, emotional realistic fiction for MG readers.
The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming by J. Anderson Coats

Fantastic historical fiction set in the Pacific Northwest. The Mercer expedition brings war widows and young women west and Jane comes along with her father’s young widow and her younger brother. Washington is vastly different than what was expected. Adventure, a strong female character and lots of interesting history!

the-many-reflections-of-miss-jane-deming

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

Based on the author’s childhood. One of the best MG titles I have read this year! Ruthie Mizrahi and her family have come to New York from Cuba and slowly Ruthie is adjusting. Then a car accident lands her in a body cast and isolates her from her new world. Full of poetry, art and beautiful relationships.Highly recommended.

lucky-broken-girl

I read One Crazy Summer when it first came out and was delighted to read the next two books in the trilogy back to back. I adore Delphine, Vonetta and Fern and learning more about their family was an absolute treat. I loved both books!

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

Reading Progress updates:

2017 Chapter Book Challenge: 37/75 complete

Goodreads Challenge: 150/365 books read

Progress on challenge: 39 books behind schedule (This hasn’t changed in a week! But it hasn’t got worse. All the novel reading means no picture books!)

#MustReadin2017: 18/30 complete

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 21/50 titles

Diverse Books in 2016: 27/50 books read

Up next? I am reading What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein

Monday November 19th, 2012

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It’s Monday! What are you Reading? Join Jen and Kellee’s meme to share all of the reading you are doing from picture books to young adult novels. This is one of the best ways to build your knowledge of new book titles and to be part of a fantastic reading community.

This week I was happy to start The One and Only Ivan with our student book club! Our first book of the year – Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper was a huge hit! So much so that we had Moms, Dads and siblings joining us and reading along! Some even commented on the blog! 🙂

Weird but True 4 by National Geographic Kids was a fun read aloud to share with my own children as an alternative to reading our novel each night. (Although we are almost finished The Search for Wondla!) What we thought would be a few quick pages read together became a big chunk of time discussing our connections, questions and background knowledge about the different information we read.

My daughter’s favourite fact: The world’s largest outdoor swimming pool (at that height) is an 150 meter pool atop a 55 story hotel in Singapore. “I definitely want to go there,” she exclaimed. My son’s highlight from the book: There are twice as many chickens on Earth as people. “That’s cool. And I don’t want to eat them so there might be even more soon!” Hmm . . .?

Let’s Go for a Drive by Mo Willems I love the extra being prepared nature of Gerald and the chanting together of certain words. I experienced this book when two girls in my class read it to me, one reading Piggie’s part and the other Gerald’s. They read with great expression and I giggled quietly.

Those Darn Squirrels Fly South written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri was shared by a guest reader in my class this week. I enjoyed it so much I brought it home to share with my own children. My son gave it a 6/5 rating! He is normally pretty stingy with his high scores but if it makes him laugh out loud, it fast becomes a favourite. Read about how my class enjoyed this story here. This is the third book featuring Old Man Fookwire and “those darn squirrels.” This title has some extremely humourous parts. I adored the squirrel hug, the creative flying contraptions the squirrels fashioned and as always Fookwire’s exceptionally grumpy ways (he berates the clouds for being too fluffy!)

Food Chain by M.P. Robertson. I’ve had my eye out for M.P. Robertson titles new to me since I was reminded last week of how talented he is after reading Frank ‘n’ Stan. This book follows a little goldfish after he is flushed down the toilet by a boy whose curiosities turn thoughtless. The little fish ends up in the big ocean and we begin to see who eats who. Bigger seems better that’s for sure. Our little boy from the beginning of the story gets a few doses of what my students quickly recognize as “karma.” Gorgeous illustrations and few words on each page leave a lot of space to infer and discuss.

Keeping with the who eats who in the water world theme, I read Ugly Fish by Kara Lareau and illustrated by Scott Magoon to the primary gathering this week. It definitely was a crowd pleaser from K to Grade 3! Ugly Fish is nasty to every visitor to his tank. So nasty in fact that after exchanging a few unpleasantries with each new fish, he gobbles them up. Eventually, he realizes that he may be King of his Tank but he is very alone. When a new fish arrives, and Ugly Fish has decided to change his ways, this new (bigger) visitor isn’t exactly ready to make nice. Spoiler: more karma. You can imagine what happens . . .

Binky Takes Charge by Ashley Spires. Very hard not to adore Binky! I love what my  daughter says about Binky: “I love Binky because he has all of these adventures but really he isn’t having them. But you wouldn’t want to tell him that. He’s too cute.” We loved meeting Gordon and laughed at how his eager puppy energy conflicted with Binky’s frequently scheduled naps.

The novel I finished this week was Sharon Creech‘s The Great Unexpected. I loved the lyrical and mysterious flow of this book. I’m hesitant to write about it in detail because I am still savouring the perfect mix of simplicity and complicated, reality and fantasy, memory and now. This story is many stories all shaken up into one, it becomes more powerful as bits and pieces intertwine with one another. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if it all makes sense. The journey and possibilities were divine.