Throwback Thursday: The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg

Published in 1977, Steven Kellogg's The Mysterious Tadpole is a delightful tale about a boy whose uncle (from Scotland) gives him a tadpole for his birthday. He takes the tadpole to school for show and tell, but it grows so big that soon, there isn't a place big enough for him.

Louis works hard to find a place for his tadpole (named Alphonse) that isn't a tadpole at all. He moves from a jar, to the sink, to a tub, and finally to a swimming pool, but the swimming pool is for the junior high, and when school resumes in the fall, he will have to find a new home for his pet.

I like this book because it shows a responsible pet owner. He doesn't just get rid of his pet; he tries to find a solution that works.  He gets a job delivering papers to pay for Alphonse's cheeseburgers. Toward the end of the book when he can't figure out a way to keep his pet, he goes to the librarian for help because everyone should know that librarians are the ones to turn to for answers.

He finds a solution for a home for Alphonse, but you'll have to read the book to find out what he does with the the librarian's help.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Yes, another book by Kevin Henkes has made the book blog. His well illustrated stories are wonderful for children and the problems they face. He has a gift for choosing the perfect words for his stories and building the vocabulary of children with words they may not normally encounter.

Published in 1991, Chrysanthemum is the story of a little mouse who loves her name, which is Chrysanthemum. Her parents think it is the perfect most beautiful name, but when she starts school, the other children tease and torment her about her name.

"'Chrysanthemum's a daisy! Chrysanthemum's a daisy!' Jo, Rita, and Victoria chanted, thinking it was wildly funny."

"Chrysanthemum wilted. She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. She thought it was absolutely dreadful."

The teasing goes on, but their teacher doesn't address the hurtful words. One day a music teacher comes to class, and she is also named after a flower - Delphinium. She helps Chrysanthemum find the beauty of her name once again.

Henkes portrays so much emotion in his art. Any child who has been teased will be able to relate to Chrysanthemum. This book would work well to show kids what bullying looks like and that words can hurt.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.

The Sin Eater by Gary D. Schmidt

The Sin Eater was Gary D. Schmidt's first novel. Published in 1996, this book has a lexile of 1020L.

While reading, I was reminded of why I enjoy Schmidt's writing. He makes his stories come alive. You can see, hear, taste, and feel what is happening in the story. He makes you want to linger on descriptions - the funny becomes funnier, and the sad becomes sadder.

I enjoyed the character development and friendships. I liked how the town pulled together, but I hated how Cole's depressed father seemed to be ignored. I'm sure they didn't know how to help him, but it seemed that they didn't even try.

I struggled to get into this book, but once I did, I enjoyed it. This story deals with some hard truths: death of a parent, suicide, the ability of one person to pay another to go to war for them, guilt, anger, sadness, depression, judging, grace, and more. With a mature group of students the discussions and debates generated would be life changing.

Blurb from Goodreads.com: After Cole's mother dies, he and his father go to live with his mother's parents in tiny Albion, New Hampshire. The Emersons make it easier for Cole to cope -- but he is helpless in the face of his father's depression. So Cole turns to Albion itself, and its history. Can the old stories help him handle the present? "Infused with feeling, and shot through with sobering, hilarious, startling, lovely, always well-told incidents...A haunting, thoroughly admirable debut."-- School Library Journal

This book is out of print, but good prices are still available on used copies at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Switch by Ingrid Law

Matt and I finished another breakfast book. A breakfast book is the book you read to your children as they are eating breakfast. It helps get their minds ready to learn before they head to school. It keeps you from being annoyed with them as they dawdle because they are excited for the morning story, so they get dressed and get seated so the reading can commence.

Switch is the third book in the Savvy Series by Ingrid Law. As we read the last page, Matt said, "I hope she writes another one."

Switch is about Gypsy. It starts with showing us Gypsy's savvy, which is the ability to see the future and the past, but something happens, and everyone who lives at Gypsy's house has their savvy switch to a different one.

Many times throughout the story, we imagined what a scene would look like on a movie screen. The special effects would be amazing. We also hypothesized how each character's savvy could grow or change as they learned to scumble their abilities.

We enjoyed getting to know the Beaumont family better, and yes, Sampson is a big player in this story. The supporting characters are fleshed out, so it is easy to imagine being friends with them or not liking them at all. This is a series that is safe to read and perfect for middle grade readers and up. The book is short and fat, so each page has plenty of white space and only a few paragraphs, which helps those with reading disabilities, seizure disorders, or brain injuries. The content is age appropriate, so middle school students won't feel they are reading a baby book, and yet your younger readers won't encounter anything inappropriate either.

If you are looking for a good, clean, exciting series, this is a great one.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Summer Stinks by Marty Kelley

I have a thing for ABC books, but they can't be boring and just show words that start with the letter. I like them to be fun and have a story. Kayana told me she didn't like ABC books for this very reason - most are boring. I collect fun ABC books, and she has learned Grandma's ABC books are very cool.

Summer Stinks by Marty Kelley is told in rhyme and has all the things that are yucky about summer. I personally love summer, but you have to admit, there are things, like bugs, that make summer tricky.

The pictures are fun and the entire book is about the same theme. "A is for Ants that ate my whole snack. B is for Bug that crawled down my back. C is for Castles the tide washed away. D is for Dog-doo I stepped in today."

The rhymes make this a fun read. In a classroom, you could share this book, and then have students create their own alphabet book based on an emotion about any thing. They could write about the positive aspects of summer instead of the negative aspects. Everything I love about. . . Everything that scares me . . . ABCs of anger, happiness, etc.

I have a large collection of ABC books, and always read through new ones to see if they are worthy of my collection.

Here is a recording of Summer Stinks.

My friend and neighbor, Michelle, brought more books for the NICU. Without her help, we would not be able to give as many babies the gift of literacy. Michelle, I appreciate you more than you know. I am thankful you are my friend and that you live next door. 

If you'd like to contribute to our book drive for NICU babies, here is how you can help:

1. You can order books for your own children from our online Usborne book party and the proceeds will go to purchase books for the NICU. I've received over $350.00 in free books for the NICU from people buying books for their own families through this web link. Usborne is really good to their hostesses, and they have great board books for babies. Click on the link: Usborne book sale to benefit NICU The books you order will be shipped directly to your home. You can then give them to your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews. The free books from the hostess benefits go to the NICU. Books make a great addition to your child's Easter basket. 

2. We have set up a baby registry at Amazon.com with many books listed for the NICU babies. Some of these books only cost $2.50. Many of these are classics that all children should have. Click on this link if you'd like to help provide books for the NICU: Catherine Crosby Building Lifelong Readers Book Registry. If you order books for us, they will be shipped to me, and I will package and send them to the NICU. 


Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Throwback Thursday: A Dark Dark Tale by Ruth Brown

My friend Michelle recommended A Dark Dark Tale to me. Written and illustrated by Ruth Brown, this cute treasure was published in 1981.

Each illustration has incredible detail. The words are sparse, and the lexile measure is 400L. This book appears to be scary because of the dark illustrations, but it is just right for a young child. Your child will be able to memorize this one and "read" it along with you. This book is a great way to introduce setting because the illustrations do that well. Your child could make up the rest of the story because this book ends with the exposition. I was reminded of Creepy Castle by John S. Goodall while viewing the pictures.

I recorded a reading of A Dark Dark Tale because it is such a fun book. You could use this in a creative writing lesson by covering up the words and having your students create a new story using the illustrations, or they could tell the story of an item in the illustrations.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Midnight for Charlie Bone was recommended to me by my daughter, Caitie. The lexile of 630L and the larger font and double spaced lines make this book perfect for middle grade (4th to 7th grade) students who enjoy fantasy.

Blurb from the back of the book: "Charlie doesn't want to believe it when he discovers that he can hear the thoughts of people in photographs. But his horrible aunts are delighted - it means that he is one of the chosen and must attend Bloor's Academy for gifted children. Once there, Charlie realizes that some of  his classmates have equally mysterious powers, and soon Charlie is involved in uncovering the mysterious past of one of them."

The children with powers are called endowed, which means that my middle-school mind giggled about it and that if it was read in a middle school classroom, the kids would be snickering like crazy.

I loved Benjamin's dog, Runner Bean. He is the best, and the three flame cats are awesome, too.

This book was interesting enough to make me want to see if my predictions were correct (they were). I found the characters a bit flat and the book lacks some transitions, but overall, I think the age group this book is intended for will enjoy it. There are British words that young American students may not recognize. I enjoyed it enough that I plan on reading book two.

Throwback Thursday: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Nadine Bernard Westcott

In 1980, the year my first child was born, Nadine Bernard Westcott's version of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly was published. All of my children loved this book, so my copy is a bent and tattered, but it is out of print, so I can't replace it for a decent price.

I took this book with me when I visited my little grandson in Hawaii last summer. He hadn't seen me for eighteen months, so I knew I needed to bring in the big guns to win him over. After one reading of this book, he was on my lap wanting me to read it again. Books have magic, and this one is one of my favorites.

Westcott's pictures are hilarious. The facial expressions of the old woman and the animals will make you laugh, and each pictures has many fun details. I'll record it later this week so you can see the fun pictures.

NICU Book Project:
My neighbor, Michelle, brought nine more books for the NICU. She is an angel to contribute so many books to our little fighters.

If you'd like to contribute to our book drive for NICU babies, here is how you can help:

1. You can order books for your own children from our online Usborne book party and the proceeds will go to purchase books for the NICU. I've received over $350.00 in free books for the NICU from people buying books for their own families through this web link. Usborne is really good to their hostesses, and they have great board books for babies. Click on the link: Usborne book sale to benefit NICU The books you order will be shipped directly to your home. You can then give them to your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews. The free books from the hostess benefits go to the NICU. Books make a great addition to your child's Easter basket. 

2. We have set up a baby registry at Amazon.com with many books listed for the NICU babies. Some of these books only cost $2.50. Many of these are classics that all children should have. Click on this link if you'd like to help provide books for the NICU: Catherine Crosby Building Lifelong Readers Book Registry. If you order books for us, they will be shipped to me, and I will package and send them to the NICU. 


Read to a child today even if that child is you.

The Cat Barked? by Lydia Monks

Kayana, my granddaughter in kindergarten, came over today to read a book for my Youtube channel.

She chose The Cat Barked? by Lydia Monks. This fun book is about a cat that thinks it might be better to be a dog, but her owner shows the cat how important it is to be yourself.

Published in 1998, this book has brightly colored illustrations and upbeat text that rhymes. This book is currently out of print but readily available online for decent prices.

Blurb from Barnes and Noble: A charming carrot-colored cat wants to walk on the wild side-as a dog. But do dogs really have the upper paw? This confused kitty thinks so, at least until her helpful owner proves that life as a feline really is the cat's pajamas. Lydia Monks' bouncy rhymes and inventive collage illustrations are purr-fect for young pups and kittens.

Kayana reading the story. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you.

A Great Week for the NICU Book Project

This week has been great for the NICU book project. On Saturday, I found 20 like new books at a yard sale for only $9. At another yard sale, the kind gentleman running it gave me 7 like new books when I told him what I do with them.

I love Go, Dog, Go! There are trees like the dog party tree in Hawaii. I was so excited when I first saw them. My two oldest children loved The Cat in the Hat so much that I had it memorized.

My neighbor, Michelle, brought 24 books for the NICU. Look at these great titles; they are sure to be read over, and over, and over. If you haven't read Caps for Sale, you should. It is such a fun story with some very naughty monkeys. She is wonderful to include Spanish and board books. It is so important for babies to be read to in their home language, and board books allow babies to handle the books without danger of damaging them.

Susan Walton, one of Angie's co-workers, donated 3 new books - two of them are board books. I love when we get board books. I would love to get enough of them to include two in each packet. She picked great titles that will be treasured by the little ones. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was one I read to my grandson, Isaac, when he was in the NICU, and it is a classic for good reason.

I appreciate people giving to this project. Angie texted today to tell me the difference having these books in the NICU is making for these parents. Being able to read to their babies helps calm newborns and parents who are trying to deal with the stress of being in intensive care. They help build the brains of these little fighters, and allow them peaceful bonding time that will become a lifelong habit of literacy mastery.

Thank you all again. Your kindness brings tears of happiness to this grown up book nerd.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.

If you'd like to contribute to our book drive for NICU babies, here is how you can help:

1. You can order books for your own children from our online Usborne book party and the proceeds will go to purchase books for the NICU. I've received over $350.00 in free books for the NICU from people buying books for their own families through this web link. Usborne is really good to their hostesses, and they have great board books for babies. Click on the link: Usborne book sale to benefit NICU The books you order will be shipped directly to your home. You can then give them to your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews. The free books from the hostess benefits go to the NICU. Books make a great addition to your child's Easter basket. 

2. We have set up a baby registry at Amazon.com with many books listed for the NICU babies. Some of these books only cost $2.50. Many of these are classics that all children should have. Click on this link if you'd like to help provide books for the NICU: Catherine Crosby Building Lifelong Readers Book Registry. If you order books for us, they will be shipped to me, and I will package and send them to the NICU. 

My Little Readers

As soon as my grandchildren enter my house, they are greeted by our reading room. I keep it well stocked with books for kids up to age six. I have a huge library downstairs with books for the older kids. I use an app called Book Buddy (best five dollars ever spent) to organize my library. This app even allows me to sign books out to people, so the kids are able to check out books from Grandma's library.

I added a few videos of me reading stories to Youtube. Jace, Callie, and Isaac love to listen to them, so when they came to visit a few days ago, Isaac asked if I would record them reading and put them on  my channel.

Having kids record themselves reading is a great way to build fluency. I've used this idea in my reading classroom. Most middle school students have cell phones that allow them to record themselves reading. In the classroom we use poetry or Reader's Theater. As students read and playback their recordings, they see where they stumble, when they are reading too quickly or too slowly, and find words that they aren't quite sure how to pronounce or what they mean.

Callie and Isaac went through this process in preparing to record. First they read through their selected book several times. Second we recorded. Thirdly they played back their recordings to evaluate what they thought went well and where they thought improvements could be made. Finally we repeated this process until they were happy with their recordings.

This strategy makes struggling readers strong, and strong readers even stronger. Children get to choose a book that they think is worth sharing, which gives them motivation to read well for the recording.

Isaac picked Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman. He even created a voice for the robot.

Isaac reading Boy + Bot

Callie chose Not A Box by Antoinette Portis.

Callie reading Not A Box

They did a great job preparing and reading these stories.

Read to a child today even if that child is you!

Teen Tuesday: Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

If you've read The Face on the Milk Carton, you know that Caroline B. Cooney writes a compelling story that keeps you turning pages. Published in 2005, Code Orange refers to the terrorist color levels that started after 9/11.

Blurb from the back of the book:

Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy–he didn’t worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his Advanced Bio report.
Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in–if he doesn’t, he’ll be switched out of Advanced Bio, which would be unfortunate since Olivia’s in Advanced Bio. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family’s weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the books, the report is no longer about the grade–it’s about life and death. His own.
This edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave you breathless.

What the blurb doesn't say is that the scabs are from a small-pox patient. Mitty handles them, one falls into dust, and he breathes it in. Each chapter ends with the reader wondering if he will get sick and if small-pox will be reintroduced into our world. From page 14: "Scab particles were in Mitty Blake's fingerprints, He had wiped them on his cheek and rubbed them against his nose. He had breathed them in. Every virus, although not quite alive, nevertheless has a shelf life. The shelf life of some viruses is known; the shelf life of others is uncertain. In this case, it was the shelf life of Mitchell John Blake that was uncertain."

This book also asks the question of what would be the right thing to do if you were Mitty? If he ends his life before he gets sick, the disease ends with him. He loves his country, his family, and his friends, but is he strong enough to do the right thing, and what exactly is the right thing?

Read to a child today even if that child is you. :)

A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko

I found A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko at our school book fair a few weeks ago. Published in 2015, this adorable book has pictures in black and white with the exceptions being the dog's bright yellow shoes and red leash.

Goodreads blurb: When Mini finds a small moppet of a dog, with fluffy ears, no collar, and wearing yellow booties, she understandably wants to take it home. Despite Mom's insistence that the dog probably already has a family, Mini gets attached and is awfully proud of her new pal, who can sing, sit, and give both paws. But when the pup runs off one day at the park, Mini comes to understand how someone else out there might be missing the little guy too.

This book is rated at over 4 stars on Goodreads.com, and I agree with that rating. This is a delightful story with charming illustrations.

This story shows the joy that dogs bring into our lives. The last page of the book tells how to adopt a dog from a shelter and gives websites for finding the perfect pet.

Cayli, from Nightchayde - a fashion blog, brought over two board books for the NICU book project.

Thanks, Cayli. She is my daughter-in-law and has more style in her little pinkie than I will ever possess.

If you'd like to contribute to our book drive for NICU babies, here is how you can help:

1. You can order books for your own children from our online Usborne book party and the proceeds will go to purchase books for the NICU. I've received over $350.00 in free books for the NICU from people buying books for their own families through this web link. Usborne is really good to their hostesses, and they have great board books for babies. Click on the link: Usborne book sale to benefit NICU The books you order will be shipped directly to your home. You can then give them to your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews. The free books from the hostess benefits go to the NICU. Books make a great addition to your child's Easter basket. 

2. We have set up a baby registry at Amazon.com with many books listed for the NICU babies. Some of these books only cost 2.50. Many of these are classics that all children should have. Click on this link if you'd like to help provide books for the NICU: Catherine Crosby Building Lifelong Readers Book Registry. If you order books for us, they will be shipped to me, and I will package and send them to the NICU. 

Our NICU was recently in the news when a mother delivered a set of quadruplets. Quads born at McKay-Dee Hospital

Read to a child today even if that child is you.