About a month or two after my daughter was born, I posted several status updates on my Facebook page complaining about the quality of the board books we had. They were too short, with few if any words, and didn’t hold my attention. I know board books serve a legitimate purpose in a baby’s literacy… Continue reading An Interview with Leslie Patricelli + Giveaways
Category: reading
Words that are Speaking to Me + Something Cool
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. --- Attributed to Groucho Marx And make sure to check out these FREE SUMMER READING PRINTABLES. Don't be fooled by the word summer, I can totally envision using some of these ideas in classrooms. Check it… Continue reading Words that are Speaking to Me + Something Cool
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GUEST BLOG POST: Savor a Book: Reading like a Writer
Edited by Ruth: Pssst...today is Mary Helen's birthday! Won't you join me in leaving comments on her blog post about one of her very favorite books? Mary Helen Gensch is currently a literacy coach and Title I interventionist for Pierceton Elementary School in Indiana. Her journey as a writing coach began with the AllWrite!!! Consortium… Continue reading GUEST BLOG POST: Savor a Book: Reading like a Writer
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President Obama’s Book + the Final Giveaway of 2010
Last month President Barack Obama published a picture book, of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, which is illustrated exquisitely by Loren Long. I received a review copy of it while I was at NCTE. Since my husband was with me, I shared the book with him. We were both impressed by the… Continue reading President Obama’s Book + the Final Giveaway of 2010
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Baseball & Two December Holidays
Family. Friendship. Generosity. The great American pastime. Interracial and interfaith friendships. All of these topics are woven together artfully by Sharon Robinson in a new book, Jackie's Gift. This is a true story about Sharon Robinson's father, the great baseball player Jackie Robinson, and her family's first Christmas in Brooklyn, NY. The Satlows are a… Continue reading Baseball & Two December Holidays
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Bilingual Christmas Story + A Giveaway
I've been looking for a good story about Christmas to share for quite a few weeks. Most of the books I've received were either too religious for use in public school classrooms or didn't seem like they'd inspire students. But then, I received a review copy of Xavier Garza's Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid… Continue reading Bilingual Christmas Story + A Giveaway
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Needs vs. Wants + 2 Book Giveaways
Every morning I receive an e-mail from Zulily.com, which entices me with products for my baby, who is supposed to arrive early next month. Zulily always has fantastic merchandise (e.g., clothes, toys, accessories) at a discount price daily. I want to buy nearly everything I see. However, I realize that I don't need most of… Continue reading Needs vs. Wants + 2 Book Giveaways
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Figment: Where Social Networking and Literacy Meet
Figment.com just came out of beta and launched yesterday. This website is for teenagers to use to read other people's writing and to share their own writing. Figment allows teenagers to read and write using their computer or using their cell phone. To learn more about Figment and the possibilities that it could have for… Continue reading Figment: Where Social Networking and Literacy Meet
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Chanukah Poems + A Book Giveaway
As a practicing Jew, I'm a little perplexed about the popularity of Chanukah. Chanukah is a minor holiday. It doesn't have the same religious significance as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot. Yet, Chanukah gets more attention than the other ones since it falls around Christmastime each year. I've been searching for holiday-related… Continue reading Chanukah Poems + A Book Giveaway
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A Story About Adoption + A Book Giveaway
Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale, which is written by Karen Henry Clark and illustrated by Patrice Barton, was released last month. When I received my review copy, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group, I began reading it and felt tears well-up in my eyes. The lump in my throat stayed throughout the entire… Continue reading A Story About Adoption + A Book Giveaway
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Say Hello + Giveaway: Bullying Series
The message in Say Hello, which is written by Jack and Michael Foreman, is so simple. The message to young readers is that you should reach out to a person, who looks lonely or excluded, and extend a welcome by saying hello. Everyone needs and is deserving of friends and this book reminds us of… Continue reading Say Hello + Giveaway: Bullying Series
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Ugly Fish + Giveaway: Bullying Series
We've all dealt with people who subscribe to the philosophy of "what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine." In fact, most of us have taught those children at least once (Let's be real, MANY TIMES!) in our teaching careers. Additionally, we've all worked with students who taunt others just to get a rise… Continue reading Ugly Fish + Giveaway: Bullying Series
