April 14-18 Rowland Hall will celebrate Screen Free Week and hopefully everyone will read lots of books to celebrate National Library Week at the same time. Then April 28-May 2 we will celebrate Dia de lo Ninos y Dia de los Libros (or rather we should name ours Semana since we’ll honor it all week in the Spanish classes). The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.We will have a half hour of DEARS (Drop Everything and Read Spanish) on April 30, and we will have a multicultural lunch served in the dining hall that day. Please celebrate along with us.
Summer Reading List at Rowland Hall School
Picture Books:
Barnett, Mac. Chloe and the Lion. Mac, the author, fires Adam, the illustrator, over their artistic differences about Chloe, the main character of their book, until Mac realizes both of their talents are needed and they must work together or their story about Chloe will never be finished.
Bingham, Kelly. Z is for Moose. Moose, terribly eager to play his part in the alphabet book his friend Zebra is putting together, then awfully disappointed when his letter passes, behaves rather badly until Zebra finds a spot for him.
Bowen, Anne. Scooter in the Outside. Every day, when Lucy takes Scooter for a walk, the dog hopes to go around the corner to see what is there, but when he finally gets his chance to explore on his own, he learns that he is not ready to go around the corner alone. The latest book from one of Rowland Hall’s favorite authors.
Cannon, A.E. Sophie’s Fish. Sophie asks her friend Jake to care for her fish for the weekend. How hard could that be? Just imagine! Local King’s English employee and author.
Graham, Bob. A Bus called Heaven. An abandoned bus appears in front of Stella’s house one day, with a sign on front marked “Heaven”, and it brings positive changes in the outlook of Stella and all who pass by in the community.
Gravett, Emily. Wolf Won’t Bite! Three little circus pigs capture a wild wolf and make him do outrageous tricks, safe in the belief that he would never bite them.
Hobbie, Holly. Gem . Through her watercolor paintings, the author vividly depicts the journey of a toad in its natural habitat, from early springtime mud to the lily pads of summer, in this nearly wordless book about survival and renewal.
Knudsen, Michelle. Argus. Sallie’s class is supposed to be raising chicks as a science project, but although Argus, the large, green, scaly creature that hatches from her egg, causes her all sorts of trouble, she worries about him when he disappears.
Mason, Margaret H. These Hands. An African American man tells his grandson about a time when, despite all the wonderful things his hands could do, they could not touch bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Based on stories of bakery union workers; includes historical note.
Ogburn, Jacqueline K. Little Treasures. Shares terms of endearment for children in fourteen languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi.
Ormerod, Jan. Maudie and Bear. Five stories about a playful, sometimes bossy, little girl and her dependable bear friend. I love these illustrations.
Park, Linda Sue. The Third Gift. After harvesting an especially large “tear” of a resin known as myrrh, a young boy and his father visit a spice merchant whose three customers are seeking a special gift to bring to a baby. Includes biblical references and historical information about the Magi and myrrh. A beautifully executed new point of view on an old story.
Raschka, Chris. A Ball for Daisy. A wordless picture book about all the fun a dog can have with her ball. A fun way to engage in storytelling with your young child.
Reagan, Jean. How to Babysit a Grandpa. A little boy provides instructions for properly babysitting one’s grandfather, such as offering him tasty treats and entertaining him with special games. Fun and funny-from a fabulous local author.
Rocco, John. Blackout. When a busy family’s activities come to a halt because of a blackout, they find they enjoy spending time together and not being too busy for once. A 2012 Caldecott Honor winner.
Van Dunsen, Chris. Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit. Randy Riley, a science genius who loves baseball but is not very good at it, needs to use both his interests to save his town from a giant fireball that is heading their way.
Wild, Margaret. Harry and Hopper. One day when Harry comes home from school, his faithful companion Hopper isn’t there to greet him, in a touching story about the process of healing after losing a beloved pet.
Early Chapters/Transitional Readers Series:
DiCamillo, Kate. Bink and Gollie. Two roller-skating best friends–one tiny, one tall–share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. Two for One. Three new stories about this odd couple friendship that take place at the state fair. Due out in June.
Greene, Stephanie. Princess Posey and the Next-door Dog. After hearing about her classmate’s new puppy, Posey wants a dog of her own even though she’s a little bit scared of dogs. When a new neighbor moves in with a dog that has a very big bark, Posey tries not to be afraid. Will her special pink tutu give her the courage to befriend the next-door dog?
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Say What? When their parents begin saying the wrong thing every time six-year-old Sukie and her older brothers misbehave, the children discover that it is a plot and fight back with their own wrong phrases.
Henkes, Kevin. Penny and Her Song. Penny comes home from school eager to share her very own song, but must wait until the time is right to teach it to her parents and the babies.
Meisel, Paul. See Me Run. A dog has a fun-filled day at the dog park, in this easy-to-read story.
Salisbury, Graham. Calvin Coconut: Man Trip. Fourth-grader Calvin flies from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii to go on a deep-sea fishing trip with Ledward, his mother’s boyfriend, and learns to appreciate other living creatures– especially one enormous marlin.
Schneider, Josh. Tales for Very Picky Eaters. A father tells outlandish stories while trying to get his young son, who is a very picky eater, to eat foods he thinks he will not like.
Willems, Mo. I Broke My Trunk. Gerald the elephant tells his best friend Piggie a long, crazy story about how he broke his trunk.
Fiction:
Child, Lauren. Ruby Redfort Look in to my Eyes. Thirteen-year-old Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, gets an anonymous call setting a challenge that leads her to Spectrum, a highly secret anti-crime agency. Finally we can read Clarice Bean’s favorite series.
Engle, Margarita. The Wild Book. In early twentieth-century Cuba, bandits terrorize the countryside as a young farm girl struggles with dyslexia. Based on the life of the author’s grandmother. A novel in verse.
Fitzmaurice, Kathryn. A Diamond in the Desert. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thirteen-year-old Tetsu and his family are sent to the Gila River Relocation Center in Arizona where a fellow prisoner starts a baseball team, but when Tetsu’s sister becomes ill and he feels responsible, he stops playing.
Gantos, Jack. Dead End in Norvelt. In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses. The 2012 Newbery Award winner and Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. So funny you’ll cry!
Gibbs, Stuart. Belly Up. Twelve-year-old Teddy investigates when a popular Texas zoo’s star attraction–Henry the hippopotamus–is murdered. Two more great books by this author are The Last Musketeer and Spy School. Try them all.
Ibbotson, Eva. One Dog and his Boy. When lonely, ten-year-old Hal learns that his wealthy but neglectful parents only rented Fleck, the dog he always wanted, he and new friend Pippa take Fleck and four other dogs from the rental agency on a trek from London to Scotland, where Hal’s grandparents live. Dog lovers have to read this!
Lewis, Gill. Wild Wings. Callum becomes friends with Iona, a practically wild classmate who has discovered an osprey, thought to be gone from Scotland, on Callum’s family farm, and they eventually share the secret with others, including Jeneba who encounters the same bird at her home in Gambia.
Messner, Kate. Eye of the Storm. Jaden’s summer visit with her meteorologist father, who has just returned from spending four years in Russia conducting weather experiments not permitted in the United States, fills her with apprehension and fear as she discovers that living at her father’s planned community, Placid Meadows, is anything but placid. Exciting and fast paced.
Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince. In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king’s long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war. This Utah author wrote the popular book Elliot and the Goblin Wars.
Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student. This will be a classic. It’s tender, funny, sad, horrifying, touching!
Pennypacker, Sara. Summer of the Gypsy Moths. Stella is staying with her Great-aunt Louise on Cape Cod for the summer, but the foster girl Angel is living there too. The girls do not get along. In fact, they are opposites. But when tragedy unexpectedly strikes, Stella and Angel are forced to rely on each other, and they learn that they are stronger together than they could have imagined. Soon they discover the one thing they do have in common: dreams of finally belonging to a real family.
Rex, Adam. Cold Cereal. Unashamedly silly and fun, this is a strange mish mash of magic and reality. Set in the fictional town of Goodborough, NJ, home of Goodco Cereal, the story follows Scottish Play Doe (Scott) and his friends Erno and Emily Utz as they discover the true evil nature of the cereal factory.
Rose, Caroline Starr. May B. When a failed wheat crop nearly bankrupts the Betterly family, Pa pulls twelve-year-old May from school and hires her out to a couple new to the Kansas frontier.
Santat, Dan. Sidekicks. Superhero Captain Amazing has been too busy to notice his pets. When they overhear him say he needs a sidekick to help him keep the peace, they all decide to apply- and compete with one another. And when archvillain Dr. Havoc returns, Captain Amazing really needs their help. A graphic novel.
Scattergood, Augusta. Glory Be. In the summer of 1964 as she is about to turn twelve, Glory’s town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi, is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved public pool rather than desegregating it.
Shaw, Murray. Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of Black Peter. Presents two adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson each accompanied by a section identifying the clues mentioned in the story and explaining the reasoning used by Holmes to put the clues together and come up with a solution. Also includes a map highlighting the sites of the mysteries. Also read Sherlock Holmes and the Cardboard Box by Murray Shaw.
TenNapel, Doug. Bad Island. When Reese is forced to go on a boating vacation with his family, the last thing he expects is to be shipwrecked on an island- especially one swarming with weird plants and animals. How can they dodge the island’s lethal inhabitants and escape? A graphic novel.
Yelchin, Eugene. Breaking Stalin’s Nose. In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs. This was a 2012 Newbery Honor winner.
Non-Fiction:
Bragg, Georgia. How They Croaked. A look at the deaths of several famous people throughout history and the circumstances surrounding those deaths.
Brown, Don. America is Under Attack. Narrates the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, from the plane hijackings to the collapse of the World Trade Center.
Buchholz, Rachel. How to Survive Anything. Focusing on surviving the halls of middle school or the jungles of South America, this title helps you learn what you wanted to know about conquering any obstacle, whether it threatens your life or your social status…. which oftentimes seem to be one and the same.
Jenkins, Steve. Just a Second. This non-fiction picture book explores time and how we think about it in a different way – as a series of events in the natural world (some of them directly observable, others not) that take place in a given unit of time. Steve Jenkins’ extraordinary illustrations accompany this engaging look at time.
Johnston, Tony. Levi Strauss gets a Bright Idea. Retells, in tall-tale fashion, how Levi Strauss went to California during the Gold Rush, saw the need for a sturdier kind of trouser, and invented jeans.
Lyon, George Ella. All the Water in the World. Introduces young children to the water cycle with simple text and illustrations
McDonnell, Patrick. Me…Jane. Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books, and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical information on the prominent zoologist. It won a 2012 Caldecott Honor Award.
Moss, Marissa. The Bravest Woman in America. Describes the life of Ida Lewis and how her father taught her to be the official keeper of Lime Rock Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island.
Nelson, Kadir. Heart and Soul. An simple introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama.
Spielman, Gloria. Marcel Marceau Master of Mime. From the age of 5, little Marcel Marceau knew he wanted to be a silent actor, just like Charlie Chaplin; when World War II intervened, he joined the Resistance, helping to save Jewish children during this dangerous time, but Marcel never forgot his dream of being a mime artist and went on to become one of the most renowned entertainers of the 20th century.
Sweet, Melissa. Balloons Over Broadway. Award-winning artist Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America–the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Yoo, Taeeun. You are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses. Children pretend to be many different animals as they do various yoga poses.
Poetry:
Andrews, Julie. Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies. Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, selected a mix of cherished poems, songs, and lullabies in this rich and diverse poetry collection.
Coombs, Kate. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. Come down to the shore with this rich and vivid celebration of the ocean! Here are gorgeous watercolors by award-winning artist Meilo So and playful, moving poems by Kate Coombs.
Dakos, Kalli. A Funeral in the Bathroom. A collection of poems about what goes on inside the school bathroom.
Florian, Douglas. UnBEElievables. “Come inside the honeycomb–a busy, buzzy, bee-filled home–and learn about the unexpected wonders of these tiny insects’ lifestyles, families, and communities. In fourteen funny, fact-filled honeybee poems and paintings, Douglas Florian explores the natural history of these often-unappreciated creatures.”
Hoberman, Mary Ann. Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart. Hoberman presents a collection of poems, from both classic and contemporary poets, which are especially suited for learning by heart and reciting aloud.
Katz, Alan. Oops! Puns and parodies are part of the raucous wordplay in these nonsense rhymes, with sly, black-and-white drawings by New Yorker cartoonist Koren adding to the fun.
Katz, Susan. The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub, Poems about the Presidents. Forty-three poems about the presidents with some little known facts to educate and entertain readers.
Stockdale, Susan. Bring on the Birds. Rhyming text and illustrations provide an introduction to exotic and familiar birds.
The Summer Reading List is coming soon..
Until then, I have a book to share. I was swept away by it…Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
It is tender, sad, uplifting. It is about Middle School: bullies and friends and a facial deformity. It includes a loving family, wise teachers, and downright human reactions to things people don’t understand. It’s about growing up, understanding others, and reaching out. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It will be used in book clubs and classrooms for years to come. People are going to be talking about this book, maybe even awarding it some honors. It will be a classic.
Read it.
School Presentations
We had two separate author visits at Rowland Hall in the past month: Jon and Pamela Voelkel and Doreen Cronin. They gave great presentations. If any authors read this blog, please pay attention. We do not want movie stars. We want substance. It is a big deal when we have visitors in to talk to several grades at a time. When we rearrange all the classes and some specialty teachers offer to catch up the missed classes during their own planning time, when the administration contacts teachers and convinces them to put aside a math lesson or postpone a reading group, I want it to be worth their time. As a librarian, I want the students to learn something new, to be motivated to write and to be excited about reading. Movie stars just leave the kids dazzled. A good presentation can even do that too, while it adds something to our students’ lives. Don’t waste my time with fluff!
The Voelkels(The Jaguar Stones series) spoke about the Maya with the students in grades 3-5. The authors taught them about the mammals and insects and snakes in the rain forest. They compared them to kids encountered on the playground. They even had the teachers eat some gross food from the rain forest(meal worms!) They taught about the Maya mythology and even debunked some of the common thoughts about these people. For fun Jon played his guitar and taught the kids some rock star moves. In the background they played the sounds of the rain forest. What an educational and exciting experience the kids had!
Doreen Cronin (J.J. Tully Mysteries, Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type, etc.) spoke to the younger students. She talked about what it takes to write a book. She told them where her ideas come from, how she formulates a story from an idea. And then she shared where her characters come from: her family. She showed pictures of family members and then explained how they became her characters. When the students left the hall, they begged their teachers to let them write.
This is what school presentations should be about.
Happy Picture Book Month
November is Picture Book Month. Visit this website to see what some authors say about the importance of picture books in their lives. http://picturebookmonth.com/
How did picture books affect you or your children? In our household we read for entertainment. We read books as if they were lullabies to go to sleep at night. We read as a family, sharing books on vacations. And we read to honor events like holidays or the death of pets.
As soon as Thanksgiving had passed, I brought out all of our Christmas books. We read different ones each night. We allowed ourselves one new holiday book each year and that one became the treasure of the season.
Reading was a source of comfort whether we were sad or sick or needing to cuddle. I remember when my daughter had an earache. She was in so much pain in the middle of the night that she couldn’t sleep. We had to wait until morning to see the doctor so I read to her all night long. We read Roald Dahl’s Matilda. When our dog Abby died at the age of thirteen, we all were comforted by reading Cynthia Rylant’s Dog Heaven, and when we thought we heard her dog chain clinking in the house, we knew she was there making sure we were okay. On a rainy day at the beach, we curled up and read Doctor Doolittle. We continued for the rest of the vacation. After dinner each night we would decide whose turn it was to read. Shared book joys.
Please share your picture book joy.
Happy Picture Book Month.
And Gina, thanks for reading!
Hurry for your chance at immortality
Touch immortality and go down in literary history! Several critically
acclaimed, bestselling authors are auctioning off character names to
benefit Kids Need to Read, a national nonprofit foundation that
promotes childhood literacy and addresses the crisis in library
funding that currently exists in the United States.
If you are one of the winning bidders, you will have a character named after you in an upcoming young adult novel by one of the following participating authors: Robin Brande (Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature; Doggirl), Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush; Crescendo), Shannon Hale (Princess Academy, The Goose Girl), Brandon Mull (Fablehaven, Beyonders), Janette Rallison (My Unfair Godmother, Slayers), and Kiersten White (Paranormalcy, Supernaturally).
Should you win one of the auctions, the author agrees to use your name in an upcoming book. The character that is bestowed with your name may be a secondary or minor character, may have villainous tendencies, or may die at some point in the book or series. The character may have many or very few of your actual characteristics. The author is simply using the name for a character, not transporting your personality into the book. Also, editors have veto power over any name. (So if your name is Ima Dope, you might be out of luck.) If an editor vetoes
your name, you will be entitled to a full refund from Kids Need to
Read.
The Kids Need to Read Literary Immortality Auction will take place at our eBay store began Saturday, October 29, 2011 and will end Thursday, November 3, 2011. There will be a separate auction for each author. All auctions will run concurrently. Bidders will be able to bid on multiple auctions.
Hurry to this link:
Book Fair a Success
Once again Rowland Hall celebrated books in style. Our literary love fest began on Monday, October 17 when thirteen Utah authors and illustrators met ninety-one children at the Sugarhouse Barnes and Noble. The writers and artists signed “Authorgraph” books and the kids who captured all those signatures earned a free cookie. The next event was the book signing and fair opening on campus. Bobbie Pyron and Corinne Humphrey signed their beautiful books. The students were thrilled with meeting these two women after the authors had visited the school the week before. Then the sale roared on through Thursday and Friday.
The best part of the book fair is witnessing the love of reading. The students joyously entered the field house and whirled about in amazement at the transformation of their physical education facility into a HUGE bookstore. There were books for everybody and so many people showed up that we had to return to the Suagrhouse location many time to restock.
The volunteers and the B&N employees went home exhausted but exhilarated at the success of our 2011 Rowland Hall Book Fair. Thank you to everyone who participated. As a fundraiser for the Steiner Library, it is an important event. But more than that, it is so much fun. See you next year, and watch for really exciting modifications in 2012.
Apples for the fall
I discovered and then shared a sweet apple alphabet book with my four year old students last week. I loved it and so did they. Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murphy is a delicious treat. The little pup wants to eat that freshly baked, yummy smelling apple pie, but he’s not allowed. Following the letters of the alphabet kids observe him eager for it, jumping for it, kept away from it, ogling it, pining for it. And guess what happens in the end? We all loved the way the story was simple but had a nice arc to it. I highly recommend it for fall story time and for families as they pick their fruit and cook delicious apple delights.
Tagged alphabet books, apples, fall books, pie
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
I thought I was not going to like it. After all it’s a THIRD in a series– often a disappointment. I thought I wanted more action. I thought it would be too sweet. I was wrong. I loved it. There is honest emotion and yes, it was sweet, but not saccharin. It was another winner from Jeanne Birdsall. Her third book about the Penderwicks is her #1.
The younger girls go off to Maine for a vacation with Aunt Claire while their parents and baby Ben travel to England and Rosalind goes to the Jersey shore with a friend. When their aunt sprains her ankle, the fun begins. Skye must perform the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick) duties worrying every step of the way. Skye leaves Rosalind’s directions at home so she must fumble along on her own. Their old friend Jeffrey accompanies them to Point Mouette where they meet interesting next door neighbors, a girl Batty’s age who crashes her bicycle at every turn, and her skate board crazed brother Dominic who manages to attract Jane and pull her from her novel-writing. The ending is a satisfying treat that I cannot even begin to hint at. This is a wonderful summer read. I’m sorry I picked it up so late. But it’s worth reading even if you discover the book in September. It will just make you long for summer again!
Multicultural Choices for the Fall
With the school year approaching, I am reading the recent new releases. A couple multicultural titles have caught my attention: Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy and Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Both have a ring of authenticity and truth.
Words in the Dust was written after Trent Reedy was stationed in Afghanistan with the US Army in 2004-2005. He saw a young girl with a cleft lip that was so deformed her teeth were jutting almost straight out of her mouth and her nose was misshapen. She could not drink without drooling and people shunned her because of her physical challenge. Reedy was upset by the girl’s condition and the lack of medical help. He and his friends set out to provide the care she needed.
Out of this experience came Reedy’s first book that is told from the girl’s point of view. It shows Zulaikha’s overwhelming desire to be “normal” and her family’s distrust of the strange Americans who often offend her people with their lack of knowledge of the culture and religion. Along side this quest, runs her desire to learn to read the Afghan poetry her mother had so dearly loved. This is a heartwarming and informative book.
My second choice, a novel in verse, is Inside Out and Back Again. The author, Thanhha Lai, tells her own refugee story of flight from war-torn Saigon. She expresses her love of the country and her life there. The reader gets a unique insider’s view of the beauty and charm of Vietnam. Then the main character, Ha, must flee with her mother and brothers. They settle in Alabama where they have a sponsor whom Ha imagines must ride horses and have a ranch. He does not, but he does help them find a home and jobs. Ha attends school where she is bullied. Although she was at the top of her class in Vietnam, she now feels dumb, dumb, dumb. When she finally meets a neighbor, a retired teacher, who helps her navigate the pitfalls of a new and strange culture, Ha gains confidence and makes friends.
This book opens our eyes to a new point of view about our country and makes us contemplate the difficulty of being the newcomer. Through Ha’s eyes, we see what it would be like to be that stranger in this strange land.
Roaring Reads Reviews 