tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80928324949313672522024-03-06T23:47:53.739-08:00Maeve Visser KnothA blog about childrens books, both for families and for teachers.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-23097932287012610962009-12-12T10:57:00.001-08:002010-01-30T14:11:46.327-08:00Re: Books for a 9 year old girlHi, Maeve,<br /><blockquote cite="mid:a23d3fc30912120949p6109bbd0ka5c63eb7416a22c2@mail.gmail.com" type="cite"><br />Can you help me? Our church provides gifts for kids of local parents who are in jail and unable to shop for/provide for their children. We provide the gifts and wrapping paper so the parent can wrap the present and know what the parent is giving. Anyway, I can handle the 2 year old who wants books, but I also have a 9 year old girl who wants books. We are not supposed to spend more than $25 per child. I'd love your suggestions for "my" 9 year old girl.<br /> <br />Thanks.<br />A friend </blockquote><br /><br />Here are a few titles...<br /><br /><u>Roxie and the Hooligans</u> by Naylor<br /><u>Clementine</u> by Pennypacker<br /><u>Anastasia Krupnik</u> by Lowry<br /><u>Poppy</u> by Avi<br /><br />and any of the Babymouse books by Jennifer Holm.<br /><br /><br />- MaeveMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-2771218824316815862009-09-29T17:06:00.001-07:002009-09-29T17:10:48.905-07:00Books relating to Asperger's and Autism <meta content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16890" name="GENERATOR"> <div id="idOWAReplyText7769" dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >There has been a recent spate of books in which a central character has either Asperger's Syndrome or autism. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Try the following novels for rare and often beautifully written insight into the minds of these children and young adults.</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Are You Alone on Purpose? by Nancy Werlin (young adult)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Boy Who Ate Stars by Kochka</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Clay by Colby Rodowsky</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon (young adult)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork (young adult)</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Rules by Cynthia Lord</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous by Suzanne Crowley</span></div> <div dir="ltr">
<br />I have really enjoyed getting into the heads of these characters- some have Asperger's but others experience Asperger's from the outside as a sibling or close friend. All the books leave me with a better understanding and much more empathy for those living with this ever-more-prevalent disorder.
<br /></div> </div> Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-5409449038502859302009-09-29T17:05:00.001-07:002009-09-29T17:12:26.259-07:00Some recommendations for an 8 year old who loves Harry Potter and Mysterious Benedict Society<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <meta content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16890" name="GENERATOR"> <div id="idOWAReplyText85355" dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >I was asked to come up with some suggestions for an 8-year-old who loves <u>Harry Potter</u> and <u>The Mysterious Benedict Society</u> but is not too fond of the Chronicles of Narnia. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Such a reader might try:</span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>Wizard's Hall</u> by Jane Yolen</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>The Secret of Platform 13</u> by Eve Ibbotson</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat</u> by Lynne Jonnell</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >the mystery/horror stories of John Bellair</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>The Earthsea Trilogy</u> by Ursula LeGuin</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>The Dark is Rising</u> series by Susan Cooper</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>Half Magic</u> by Edward Eager</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>Redwall</u> by Brian Jacques</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>So You Want to Be a Wizard</u> by Diane Duane</span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><u>Dragon Rider</u> by Cornelia Funke</span></div> <div id="idSignature4864" dir="ltr"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >This should keep him busy for a week or so.</span><div> </div> </div> </div> Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-86961940332271293822009-02-22T06:14:00.000-08:002009-02-22T07:11:29.371-08:00After Twilight: Romantic stories for tweensSeveral times in recent weeks, I have had the same question. It starts something like this; my daughter finished Stephanie Meyer's <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span> series and wants more love stories. What can I give her?<br /><br />Most of the young adult romances shelved near <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span> in the library are indeed much too steamy for middle school girls. What appeals to most of these readers is the idea of romance, lots of sentimentality and a little glimpse into the more adult world. There are a couple of different directions to point your nine, ten or eleven year old. My recommendations fall into three broad categories. Try her with some old-fashioned realistic fiction, some more contemporary fiction about middle school crushes, or some romantic fantasy.<br /><br />Old-fashioned realistic fiction can be a life-saver when your reader is reading well past her chronological age. In these books she'll meet lively characters who grow up, fall in love and often get married. Try:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Daddy-Long Legs</span> by Jean Webster<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Anne of Green Gables</span> by L.M. Montgomery<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Eight Cousins</span> by Louisa May Alcott<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Freckles</span> by Gene Stratton-Porter<br />Even the novels about Betsy and Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace might suit. They are extremely dated- they read like historical fiction now- but Betsy's struggles with identity and independence are universal.<br /><br />There are some contemporary realistic novels that might just appeal to your <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span> reader. Try:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Ring of Endless Light</span> by Madeline L'Engle (Madeline L'Engle's books about the Austin family have recently been reissued. They are very thoughtful, and in some cases, very romantic.)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Candle in Her Room</span> by Ruth M. Arthur (This is the only one of Arthur's books readily available but if you find others, they will fit the bill too. Arthur's novels walk the border between realistic fiction and fantasy.)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Romeo and Juliet, Together (and Alive) at Last</span> by Avi<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Beetle and Me; A Love Story</span> by Karen Young<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Jacob Have I Loved</span> by Katherine Paterson (This is not a love story, but it has a rather romantic feel and might just lead your reader into reading more by Paterson. She could do worse!)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Bingo Brown and the Language of Love</span> by Betsy Byars<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Flipped</span> by Wendelin Van Draanen<br /><br />Romantic fantasies are the easiest to find. Many of these novels are based on familiar fairy tales with the "fall in love with a prince" plot developed into something of substance. Again, if the novels are not overtly about a love interest, they have a strong romantic tone. The other benefit is that most of these authors have many, many books on the library shelves. Get your reader started and she'll have a lot to choose from.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Bagpiper's Ghost</span> by Jane Yolen<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast</span> by Robin McKinley<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Owl in Love</span> by Patricia Kindl<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Goose Girl</span> by Shannon Hale<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Frog Princess</span> by E.D. Baker<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ella Enchanted</span> by Gail Carson Levine<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Once Upon a Marigold</span> by Jean Ferris<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Searching For Dragons </span> by Patricia WredeMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-68046701766817842902008-12-13T05:11:00.000-08:002008-12-17T10:18:09.586-08:00So You're Moving to the White HouseLetter to the Obama daughters:<br /><br />Dear Malia and Sasha,<br /><br />You have a big move ahead of you. In January your dad will start a new job and you and your parents will move to a new house. And what a famous house it is! Over the years other children have lived in that same house and had lots of adventures. Millions of people have taken tours of your new house and many of us fellow Americans consider that our hopes and dreams for our country will live in the White House with you too.<br /><br />Have you ever moved before? Do you know your way around Washington D.C.? Have you changed schools and made new friends? You might want to get ready for this big change by reading a few of the best children's books written about the White House and your new city, Washington D.C. Here is a list of some of my favorites:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out</span> created by the National Children's Book Alliance. There is so much to read and look at in this new collection of stories and reminiscences. This is one book you should put on your Christmas list, since you'll want to have it next to your bed to read again and again. Many different writers have contributed stories and illustrations. This book is a real treasure. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">What to Do About Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!</span> by Barbara Kerley. Alice Roosevelt wasn't much for paying attention to her father's rules. She was a spunky, opinionated young woman and you'll have fun reading about her.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">My Senator and Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington D.C.</span> by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. You'll be meeting lots of senators who work with your father. What do they do all day? Follow Splash around and to get an idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World</span> by Christine King Farris. So many important events have taken place just outside your new front door. You'll want to read this beautiful book to learn about one of them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Inside Outside Book of Washington D.C.</span><br />by Roxie Munro. This is a wordless book that shows some of the most famous buildings in Washington D.C. from both the outside and the inside. You'll definitely want to look through this before and after you take a tour of your new city.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House</span> by Jane O'Connor. Did you know that one president and his wife liked to eat dinner while watching "his and hers" television sets? This browsable book is full of cartoons and quirky facts about presidents and their families. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ghosts of the White House</span> by Cheryl Harness. Don't worry, this is not a scary story. Although since you, Malia, like Harry Potter, you might not mind a little suspense. This is a good overview of the presidents who have lived in the White House before your dad. I think you'll like poring over the details in Harness' illustrations.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Christmas Tree at the White House</span> by Gary Hines. And if you like that one, try <span style="font-style:italic;">Thanksgiving in the White House</span> by Gary Hines too. Meet Lincoln's son Tad and Teddy Roosevelt's sons as the celebrate holidays with their families.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">How the White House Really Works</span> by George Sullivan. This book is a little longer than some of the others on the list, so Sasha might prefer just to browse through the great photographs. Sullivan explains how both the public and private sides of the White House work and his pictures and anecdotes will help you feel right at home.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Mr. Lincoln's Boys: Being the Mostly True Adventures of Abraham Lincoln's Trouble-making Sons, Tad and Willie</span> by Staton Rabin. Wow were the Lincoln boys pranksters! Don't get any ideas, but get to know some of the famous children who lived in your new house before you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wackiest White House Pets</span> by Gibbs Davis. I read in the newspaper that you are going to get a new dog when you move to Washington. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have a miniature horse or maybe an alligator?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Visit to Washington D.C.</span> by Jill Krementz. This book has been around longer than you have, but it is still a great way to get to know your new hometown. Krementz' photographs and crisp and beautiful.<br /><br />Have fun with these books and, of course, your new adventure.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-27416021936716504422008-05-15T13:42:00.000-07:002008-05-15T14:34:36.784-07:00Picture Books Featuring AnimalsSo you know a preschooler who is in love with animals? There are plenty of books starring animals but I would separate them into a few different categories. First there are books in which animals behave and dress like people. I won't include those on this list. Certainly <span style="font-style:italic;">Curious George</span></span> is a great book, as are Kevin Henkes' <span style="font-style:italic;">Chester's Way</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Sheila Rae the Brave</span> but I don't really think of those as animal stories.<br /><br />A child who loves animals will find a lot to like in the folklore collection at the library. Try some of Verna Aardema's stories and books by Mwene Hadithi. These are long stories for a child with a good attention span for picture books. The language is beautiful (reflecting the oral origins of the folk tales) and there is often a lot of humor.<br /><br />The following is a list of books that feature animals in one way or another. Some, like the stories of Beatrix Potter, have animals dressed in human dress, but her detailed illustrations (drawn from live animals) express the spirit of the animals. Others, like the books of Joanne Ryder, bring the reader deeply into the natural world.<br /><br />Enjoy:<br /><br />Aardema, Verna Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion<br /> Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears<br />Anno Anno's Animals<br />Aruego, Jose We Hide, You Seek<br />Barrett, Judi Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing<br />Baylor, Byrd Desert Voices<br />Brown, Marcia Once a Mouse<br />Brown, Margaret Wise The Big Red Barn<br />Burningham, John Mr. Gumpy's Outing<br />Cole, Joanna My Puppy is Born (this is in non-fiction)<br />Fleming, Denise In the Small Small Pond<br />Geisert,Arthur Oink<br />Gibbons, Gail Zoo (she has many other simple non-fiction books about animals)<br />Ginsburg, Mirra The Fox and the Hare<br />Graham, Bob "Let's Get a Pup", Said Kate<br />Griffith, Helen Grandaddy's Place<br />Grimm Bremen Town Musicians (there are many good versions)<br />Hadithi, Mwenye Tricky Tortoise<br />Heller, Ruth Animals Born Alive and Well<br />Herriot, James Only One Woof<br />Hirschi, Ron Forest<br />Jonas, Ann Aardvarks Disembark<br />Kuskin, Karla Roar and More<br />Lindbergh, Reeve Johnny Appleseed (not about animals, but there are many wonderful animals hidden in the illustrations)<br />Lindbergh, Reeve The Day The goose Got Loose<br />Lobel, Arnold Fables<br />Machotka, Hana Breathtaking Noses<br />Marris, Ron In My Garden<br />Martin, Rafe Will's Mammoth<br />Parnall, Peter Winter Barn<br />Potter, Beatrix Tale of Two Bad Mice<br />Provensen, Alice The Year at Maple Hill Farm<br />Simont, Marc The Stray<br />Tafuri, Nancy Do Not Disturb<br /><br />This list, I realize, is woefully unsatisfying. When my daughter went through her gorilla stage, we read picture books about gorillas and pored through the non-fiction shelves for books with information about gorillas. We read about Koko, the sing-language speaking gorilla and we read about Peggy Rathmann's ingenious animal who is able to sneak the zookeeper's key and get out for the night in <span style="font-style:italic;">Goodnight Gorilla</span>. The books on this list are just a starting point. Browse the shelves, look for other books by these authors. What else do you want? Ask.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-36047523673011163322007-12-02T14:45:00.000-08:002007-12-02T14:48:59.505-08:00A few new books, some for children and some for adultsHere is some advice I sent to shoppers at our school's book fair last week...<br /><br />So.. look at COWBOY AND OCTOPUS by John Scieszka. This is a hilarious picture book (perfect for emerging readers too) about an unusual pair of friends. Who knew that a cowboy and octopus could get along so well? We all know that there are bumps along the road to friendship. Jon Scieszka does a great job reflecting the very universal truths about friendship into this understated package.<br /><br />Anne Fine's new book JAMIE AND ANGUS TOGETHER is another gem. This is a collection of stories perfect for both reading aloud to kinders and for reading alone by k-3rd graders about a young boy and his dear companion, a stuffed Highland Cow.<br /><br />Older readers (not old like me, but old like a 4th grader) will pore over THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. This is part novel, part flip book, part "movie-squashed-between-two-covers". This book is not easy to describe so you will have to hold it and get involved in the illustrations yourself.<br /><br />My children have just devoured THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY over this last week. This novel is an adventure, a mystery and a fantasy about four gifted children who must infiltrate a strange boarding school and find a way to save the world.<br /><br />I read several interesting non-fiction books for adults this year and hope you'll take a look at STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS by Gilbert. This is an unusual look, by a Harvard University psychologist, at what we think makes us happy, and what the research shows really makes people happy. It is a funny, very well-written book with a lot to say. I also enjoyed THE ECONOMIC NATURALIST, a book that explores the mysteries of the universe (why are milk cartons square but juice bottles round? Why are buttons on men's shorts on the opposite side from buttons on women's shirts?) through the lense of basic economics. I had fun reading it and it certainly gave me some new things to think about.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-33226257415845092212007-11-14T15:50:00.000-08:002007-11-14T15:59:15.515-08:00Some books for holiday giftsWhich books are you thinking of giving this year? I'll start with picture books and continue the list tomorrow. <br /><br />Picture books <br />A Good Day by Henkes,Kevin <br />This is a sweet book, just right for toddlers who are learning what makes a good day.<br /><br />Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors by Root,Phyllis <br />Aunt Nancy has one bothersome visitor after another in this series of funny stories. The stories have been published as individual picture books, but this collection makes a great gift.<br /><br />Cowboy and Octopus by Scieszka, Jon <br />Can a cowboy and an octopus become friends? These hilarious simple stories get better with each reading. I read this aloud to a first/second grade class and the first time through they all listened seriously but the second time through they were holding their sides as they understood the humor.<br /><br />Dogs and Cats by Jenkins, Steve <br />Children who enjoy animals will like this simple, informative, and beautiful book. Jenkins uses his signature torn and cut paper collage illustrations. <br /><br />Knuffle Bunny, Too by Willems, Mo <br />When Trixie goes to school a classmate has the very same Knuffle Bunny! This is a shocking state of affairs to a small child attached to her own special stuffed toy.<br /><br />Pictures From Our Vacation by Perkins, Lynne <br />This thoughtful family story describes both the large and small events in a family vacation. I love the way Perkins shows how vacations feel.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-58615291594262648682007-10-17T11:42:00.000-07:002007-10-17T12:05:26.079-07:00Some novels I've been readingI haven't stopped reading but I have had trouble finding time to write about it. For months I have had a couple of books sitting next to the desk waiting for their moment in the spotlight. So, here goes.<br /><br />WHEN I CROSSED NO-BOB by Margaret McCullen is a great one. The novel is set in the post-Civil War South and deals with racism, family loyalty and (of course) growing into one's own. I haven't read McCullen's HOW I FOUND THE STRONG but I know the two books are related. Maybe companion novels, maybe NO-BOB is a sequel, but certainly WHEN I CROSSED NO-BOB stands strongly on its own. Addy is a great character who has to stand up against her own father to see justice done. She loves her father, in spite of his very-real flaws, and it is a wrenching choice to turn him in to the law. I love McCullen's language and her very clear picture of life for Addy.<br /><br />A very different kind of novel is DON'T CALL ME ISHMAEL by Michael Gerard Bauer. This is a very funny novel about a high school student who sees himself as a huge loser. Most of what he touches fails or so it seems to Ishmael. A new classmate, James Scobie, takes over the role of "target" that Ishmael has occupied his whole school career and Ishmael has to change. The first-person narration is perfect for the feel of the novel. This is a book about spending way too much time suffering over one's own weaknesses so Ishmael's self-centeredness is just right. When Ishmael begins to see the world beyond his own bellybutton, he transforms his own school experience. Bauer's writing can be hilarious and he has a very sharp eye with which he uncovers the lives of high school students.<br /><br />Christopher Paul Curtis' newest novel ELIJAH OF BUXTON is set in a time and place which as far as I know have not been the setting for any previous children's novels. Buxton is a Canadian community right over the American border, which was founded as a haven for escaped slaves. The history is good. Curtis has researched the community and does an excellent job making it feel real. Elijah, on the other hand, does not feel quite so real. Elijah, the first free child born in Buxton, represents the ideals of the community so it is not much of a surprise that he feels a bit more like an ideal than like a real child. Even so, he is engaging and his adventures make for good reading. Curtis is a good storyteller and the supporting characters help drive the story.<br /><br />Enjoy.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-15681377949756686692007-08-07T14:18:00.000-07:002007-08-07T14:42:07.049-07:00J. K. Rowling- good and evil is defined by hair length?When the seventh and final Harry Potter book, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, came out I had to wait until my son had finished to get my hands on the book. To tell the truth, I was curious about how she would handle the ending but not terribly worried for Harry.<br /><br />I have many more years experience with reading than many of the kids reading the Harry Potter books so I came to the seventh with some very adult expectations. I doubted that she would let evil win in the end- children's books may include strong forces of evil but rarely does the book end without a strong sense of hope for the future. As soon as I read Rowling's opening quote from Aeschylus I knew that Harry survived and the children would "triumph". The second quote, from William Penn, led me to believe that the children would pay a high price for their win. Yes, some beloved characters would die so good could be restored.<br /><br />I read quickly through the book and enjoyed much of the novel. I particularly enjoy Rowling's wordplay. She gives characters names that recall ancient mythologies. She makes intriguing references throughout and she can make me laugh out loud. <br /><br />I do have criticisms that I do not hear from young readers. Rowling spends much too much time explaining details of plot and emotion. When Harry is embarrassed or ashamed, she tells her reader exactly what he is feeling instead of letting the reader deduce from Harry's words or actions. Rowling does not trust the reader to figure out much on her own. <br /><br />The biggest failure, from my perspective, is Harry's conversation with Dumbledore in the waiting room outside the afterlife. In real life we never get to hear from our heroes once they are dead. They don't get a chance to explain their warts and bad decisions. Of course Rowling is not writing realistic fiction but I don't think she needs to spell out every last moral complexity for her reader. It weakens the book. I would love to know what F.D.R. was thinking when he signed the order to imprison Japanese-American citizens during WWII but since I can't I have to use what I know about humans to come to my own conclusions. I have to accept my own relatives' mistakes. They are no longer here to explain their actions. I can not forgive myself until I can forgive others their mistakes and in the world I inhabit, I have to forgive without full knowledge. I wish Harry were required to do the same.<br /><br />So what's this about hair length? When I was reading the final book I noticed that Rowling is obsessed with hair. She often describes the color, texture, length and cleanliness of a character's hair when introducing him or her. Good characters, those we grow to love because Rowling loves them, have clean, well trimmed hair. Evil characters show signs of neglect and those signs often translate into stringy, overly-long, dirty hair. Snape starts his Hogwarts career with dirty hair. James Potter starts school with a tidy cut. Sure Harry's hair is unruly but he keeps it cut and clean. <br /><br />When I pointed out Rowling's connection between cleanliness and godliness to my son, he mused..."are you telling me something? Do I need another haircut?" If this blog were a research paper I would have to go back and quote the many examples throughout which prove my thesis. Luckily I don't have to. I just leave you to go back and find out if my impressions are right. Is J.K. Rowling really an advocate for attractive, clean hair?Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-61293453397817188472007-08-01T06:22:00.000-07:002007-08-01T06:56:17.726-07:00What To Read if You Are Not Reading HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWSLast week on our family vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, our 12-year-old was immersed in the newest and last Harry Potter adventure. While he read it three times, he left the rest of us to find other things on the shelf to amuse us. Graciously, the Curtis Public Library allowed our family to have a visitor library card for the week we were in the area. We checked out books on Monday, read until the library re-opened on Thursday, checked out a couple more and returned the lot in the book drop on Saturday as we drove out of town towards the Marquette airport.<br /><br />What did the rest of us read? I searched the shelves in the Curtis Library for things that I can't find easily at our local library. I have found that when I am using a small town library, I can find some gems that are no longer in print. Maybe with the lower circulation books last longer, but some of the titles I was looking for have long ago fallen apart from the San Carlos Library. <br /><br />While in Curtis my 9-year-old and I read KATIE JOHN by Mary Calhoun (something I remembered from my childhood that still holds up). We borrowed several books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. We reread EMIL'S PRANKS and EMIL AND THE SOUP TUREEN. These read particularly well out loud since each chapter is a discreet episode and 4, 5 and 6 year olds so delight in reading about mischievous children who do the outrageous things they wish they could do. Our nine-year old read Anna Sewell's BLACK BEAUTY for the first time and loved the romantic, tense story. e both also read BLUE RIBBONS FOR MEG by Adele de Leeuw, a novel from 1950 about a little girl moving from Boston to a frontier fort to live with cousins. I was disappointed with the stereotypes in this one but the main themes- about becoming comfortable in a new community and getting a horse of one's own- were thrilling to my daughter. Now that we are home she is snatching up every book with a horse on the cover, tearing through it and begging that we move to a farm. <br /><br />We managed to read a few new books as well as the older things. I read THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick. I had read a lot about this book that is a novel, a picture book, a graphic novel all wrapped up in 550 beautifully designed pages. I am a sucker for book design so I loved holding this book on my lap (yes, it is large enough that I wanted to rest it on my knees rather than hold it up). The paper is lovely, the book designed with details that help set the novel in the Paris of the 1930's. Once my son was finished with Harry Potter he read HUGO CABRET twice himself. I would be curious to know what others think of this illustrated novel. Did you turn the pages quickly for a cinematic experience or did you pore over them in case there were clues hidden in the art? <br /><br />Lest you think our children are readers above the ordinary, I must admit that they pored over old MAD MAGAZINE comic collections during the week as well. The Curtis Library has a phenomenal collection of MAD comics from the 1970's. Wow was the material dated!Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-33813942673287198422007-07-07T12:11:00.000-07:002007-07-13T19:44:53.333-07:00Advice to parents of a reluctant reader<b>Here's a request I got from one of the staff at our school...</b><br /><br />I am wondering if you could do a "book talk" with Julian (a second grader). He likes to read series, and was trying to read Eragon with his parents, but it was too detailed for him. <br /><br /><b>Here's my follow-up email to Julian's parents:</b><br /><br />Julian and I had a good meeting yesterday and below are some of my thoughts and suggestions:<br /><br />Julian seems interested in lots of different topics and was intrigued by both fiction and non-fiction. Yes, he likes fantasy but it seems as if he also likes long thick books. We talked about this a bit. He is attracted to the longest books on the shelf but admits that he doesn't finish them because it is too hard to keep track of the story. I explained to him that it is often easier to remember details of a story when it is read aloud- he agreed. Maybe the thing to do for a while is read him some long books (not necessarily terribly complex, just long) and encourage him to read more short books so he can get through a lot. One other possibility is to borrow collections- several books or stories bound as one longer book.<br /><br />The following books should be accessible to him on his own:<br /><br />Ink Drinkers<br />Jeremy Thatcher, <u>Dragon Hatcher</u><br /><u>Owen Foote Soccer Star</u> (and the other books in the series)<br />The Magic Treehouse series<br /><u>Half Magic</u> (and the other books by Edward Eager)<br /><u>Catwings</u> (several very slim books- excellent!)<br />books by Jamie Gilson<br /><u>Rats on the Range</u><br /><u>Pippi Longstocking</u><br /><u>Matilda</u> or other Roald Dahl<br />biographies by Jean Fritz such as <u>Can't You Make them Behave King George?</u><br />books by Seymour Simen (he has read the ones about the human body, but there are many other on non-fiction topics)<br />poetry by Jack Prelutsky<br /><u>Tales of Blueland</u>- the three volumes in the My Father's Dragon series are published together in one longer book<br /><br />I am also putting several booklists in your family folder. I have highlighted things that he might like.<br /><br />When a child is reluctant to try a new book, I often read aloud the first chapter and leave the book out in a prominent place. If the book sounds at all intriguing, and if the level is reasonable, he will often pick it up and finish it on his own.<br /><br />Let me know which books are a hit and I'll go from there with more suggestions.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-22382028492471611752007-06-02T09:32:00.000-07:002007-06-02T10:35:39.639-07:00The Montmorency novels- old-fashioned Victorian thrillersThere are so many children's novels that I have to read for one purpose or another that it is easy to miss a great novel if I learn about it at a time when I have a huge pile already collected on my bedside. That is what happened with Eleanor Updale's trio of novels about Montmorency. The first book <u>Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?</u> came out to great reviews but I missed it. By the time the second and third novels arrived, <u>Montmorency On the Rocks: Docton, Aristocrat, Murderer?</u> and <u>Montmorency and the Assassins: Master, Criminal, Spy?</u> I put off reading them because I had not read the first. Finally, this spring all three books were available in the library and neither my 11 year old or I had anything that we needed to read. My son raced through them first. He had finished the hefty books in just two days and insisted I get started so we could talk about them. Well he, and the reviewers were right. The novels are terrific. They are Victorian thrillers that pull the reader right in and don't let up until the bitter end. <br /><br />In the first novel, the reader meets Montmorency when he is living in a London prison recovering from terrible injuries. A smart young doctor has decided that they way to showw off his surgical skills is to physically remake this criminal. As Montmorency recovers, he absorbs everything he sees around him. He learns important skills from other criminals and emerges from prison ready to remake himself. Montmorency succeeds, through the exciting and richly detailed novel, in creating two personas. As Scarp her travels the sewers of London stealing valuables from London's wealthy. As Montmorency, he uses these ill-gotten-gains to become a gentleman. <br /><br />The second and third novels continue Montmorency's story but in these he has left his life of crime and is using his formidable skills to help the British government and solve crimes. The tension no longer comes from wondering if the gifted criminal will be discovered for what he is, but now comes from the more external political and social events that Montmorency becomes involved in. <br /><br />There is much to draw a reader into the novels. There is London's seedy underside, carefully described and contrasted with the life of the upper class. There is a cast of characters all beautifully developed and complex. The bombers may have noble motivations, Montmorency becomes an honorable citizen but is seduced by opium addiction, the clever young doctor is as kind as he is blinded by his ambition. <br /><br />Middle school and high school students will enjoy these novels as much as adults will. Luckily the covers don't sell these books short. I can easily hand them to readers who enjoy Agatha Christie but also to a child who has just finished <u>The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle</u> by Avi. <br /><br />When you finish reading Updale's novels, curl up with Phillip Pullman's <u>The Ruby in the Smoke</u>.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-23450017050423650742007-04-18T06:25:00.000-07:002007-04-18T06:27:40.381-07:00What should the 5th and 6th graders read this summer?Here's an email I sent to our school's 5/6 teachers about books the students could read this summer...<br /><br />Here is my short list of possible summer reading titles. Of course there are millions of other choices out there. Think about what you want out of the book; do you want a fun 'beach read"? A book you can use to launch SEL studies? Something that ties into an academic theme? Something that will draw in some of the more reluctant readers? <br /><br />LOSER by Spinelli (well-written, realistic fiction, good SEL content)<br />HATCHET by Paulsen (survival story about a boy who survives in the arctic tundra with a hatchet- he figures out how to make fire by recalling a PBS special...)<br />THE THIEF by Turner (a well-written, engrossing high fantasy that engages kids who are not fantasy readers too)<br />THE PENDERWICKS by Bridsall (an old-fashioned family story. Lots of characters, lots of small adventures and a good main story about a boy who is misunderstood by his mother- national Book Award winner)<br />AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Choldenko (historical ficiton, based on truth, about a boy who lives on Alcatraz since his dad is a guard. Sister is autistic.)<br />BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE by DiCamillo (a great dog story that will make you cry. Lots to talk about, many kids will knwo the movie.)<br />THE BOGGART by Cooper (contemporary fantasy- ancient mythology meets computer technology.)<br />THE NUMBER DEVIL by Enzenberger (Fran already refers to this all the time- a math fantasy)<br />JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY by Gantos (brilliantly written novel about a boy with ADHD. Good writing, good SEL content, funny, school story.)Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-8818472475457433622007-03-15T11:55:00.000-07:002007-03-15T12:35:09.261-07:00"Girl Books": contemporary middle grade fiction for girlsOne of the blog readers has asked for a list of good humorous fiction aimed at middle grade girls. In coming up with the list I realized that the books I consider humorous often deal with very heavy issues, but have a light touch. On this list you'll find books you might share with good second grade readers, and some books that would be better suited to seventh grade girls. Enjoy!<br /><br />In no particular order...<br /><br />The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (I love this choice. The book is contemporary but has a little bit of an old-fashioned feel to it. It works well as a read-aloud too.)<br /><br />Makeovers by Marcia by Claudia Mills (Mills has many realistic stories. She has a light touch and a good sense of the dynamics of friendship.)<br /><br />Agnes Parker...Girl in Rpogress by Kathleen O'Dell (There are several stories about this spunky character.)<br /><br />Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer (The main character is in high school, working at a shoe store and discovering herself.)<br /><br />If We Kiss by Rachel Vail (Middle school readers won't think this is as funny as their mothers will but Rachel Vail has a tremendous ability to capture the self-centered internal monologues of middle school girls.)<br /><br />Ida B...And her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan (Hard to believe that I am recommending a book about in which the narrator's mother is facing cancer, but my recollection of this book is that Hannigan includes wonderfully light moments in a serious book.)<br /><br />Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Okay, this book has only a few humorous moments, but Perkins does such a wonderful job expressing the ways in which the small events of everyday life are monumental to the young people living through them.)<br /><br />Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (Read Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time too- the companion novel)<br /><br />Rosy Cole's Memoir Explosion by Sheila Greenwald (Greeenwald has written many light, thoughtful and often very funny adventures of Rosy Cole.)<br /><br />Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (More tall tale than traditional realistic novel, the story of Roxie will have kids laughing out loud.)<br /><br />Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look (This funny, short book takes readers into the life of a Chinese American girl.)<br /><br />Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary (I don't want to forget Cleary's important series- the Ramona books are the gold standard for contemporary realistic fiction.)<br /><br />The Quigleys by Simon Mason (We love reading aloud the stories about the Quigley family. Each chapter is a complete adventure about one of the four members of the Quigley family. This is less a 'girl book' than a funny family story that deserves a large audience.)<br /><br />Queen Sophie Hartley by Stephanie Greene (Sophie Hartley is the middle child in a big family and the two short novels about her center on the small issues of daily life.)<br /><br />Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise (The story is told through letters, memos and newspaper articles in this funny book. If you enjoy this one, there are several books about the same characters.)<br /><br />Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry<br />Alice in Rapture by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Both Anastasia and Alice have long series devoted to the minutae of their lives. Both girls are spunky and likeable. Both grow and change in realistic ways. The Alice books follow her into high school and the issues become much more sophisticated.)<br /><br />Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (Horvath is a master at seeing humor and absurdity in even saddest situations.)<br /><br />Caddy Ever After by Hilary McKay (This is the last book in a series about a wonderful, talented famil. The stories are quite funny but also quite moving.)<br /><br />This is a bit of an ecclectic list. I have probably left off your favorite contemporary fiction because I am not typing in front of the library shelves. Let me know what else I should add.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-58759263810962938292007-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:002007-03-05T20:13:28.515-08:00Novels in First Person for 5th and 6th Grade StudentsA local teacher, who teaches a mixed 5th and 6th grade class, asked me for a list of novels written in the first person suitable for her students. Here is the list I passed on to her:<br /><br />GETTING NEAR TO BABY Couloumbis<br />BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE DiCamillo<br />CHICKEN BOY Dowell<br />OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA Holm<br />HOW I FOUND THE STRONG McMullan<br />BLACK DUCK Lisle<br />ALL ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE Perkins<br />MISSING MAY Rylant<br />STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG TIME Yee<br />MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS Yee<br />WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN Holt<br />A YEAR WITH BUTCH AND SPIKE Gauthier<br />JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY Gantos<br />MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN George<br />THE BARN Avi<br />THE LOUD SILENCE OF FRANCINE GREEN Cushman<br />NORY RYAN'S SONG Giff<br />DAVE AT NIGHT Levine<br />BELLLE PRATER'S BOY WhiteMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-42108270848828894232007-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:002007-02-21T20:39:51.276-08:00Higher Power of Lucky- what a controversyI read the 2006 Newbery winner, Susan Patron's THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY with great anticipation. The book was published in the late fall, I believe, so I don't know many folks who had already read it by the time the Newbery Award was announced in January. Luckily, I had ordered copies for the library, so I had to only wait a couple of weeks for the book to be on the library shelves.<br /><br />Something from the reviews I first read had me expecting a book for young readers, something I would shelve alongside OWEN FOOTE, FRONTIERSMAN and recommend to good first through third grade readers. When the book arrived and I looked at it, I decided that I had been wrong. The book belongs in the general fiction section where kids all the way from 2nd-6th grade (and sometimes older) find their books.<br /><br />I didn't know there was controversy surrounding the book until after I had finished it and my husband noticed an article about the book. He let me know that some school librarians are nervous about the presence of the word "scrotum" on the first page of the book. Some librarians seem to be more than nervous and are not purchasing the book for their libraries. There seem to be several important issues here. <br /><br />First, is the book a good one? Does the word fit into the book as Patron has written it?<br /><br />I like THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY very much, but is it the best book of the year? I have long since given up the belief that the Newbery Award winner is the best book of the year. It is certainly one of the top books. I like many other novels published in 2006 and another group of 15 librarians would have come up with a different title. <br /><br />Rarely is there a book that most professional children's librarians agree upon for the awards. Patron writes beautifully. She peppers a very serious book with some humor and lovely details taht make the setting and the protagonist vivid to the reader. The book made me want to go out and buy a special tool for chopping parsley and I did buy a bunch of parsley this week so my family will have the special touch that Brigitte adds to all her meals. <br /><br />Are there things about the novel which I wish to shield my children from? No. Not a single thing. If we had a world in which no fathers ever deserted their children, no mothers ever died tragically, no children ever worried without explaining their fears to the adults who care for them, then maybe I would hate to introduce these new ideas to 3rd graders. But we do have dead-beat fathers, alcoholics attending twelve-step programs, and mothers who can't raise their children. My children know this, but even if they did not already know it, I would rather they learn from Susan Patron's gentle novel than from the newspaper.<br /><br />Second, how should librarians respond when they worry in advance that selecting a book will come back to haunt them? A parent might stride in and demand to know why her darling 3rd grader had to learn the word "scrotum" at school. It is easy to say that librarians should always stand on the side of freedom for children to access anything they desire in the library, but it is not really that simple. An elementary school serving 1st-4th graders will not buy Walter Dean Myers' novels, even if some of the fourth graders have the reading skill to understand the novels. Most professional librarians do make choices based on age and suitability. That said, I do NOT believe that THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY falls into the category of books that are not suitable for elementary school age children. I personally would rather have a child know the word "scrotum" than forever rely on schoolyard slang. Think of the power we are giving children when we give them the correct words. And think of how much less exciting a scrotum is once we give it a medical name just the way we name every other unexciting body part. <br /><br />There are things in children's books that make me squirm. I hate gratitutious vulgar language or violence that is meant to be funny. There are even times I suggest to my children that they wait a bit, grow up a bit, before reading a particular book. But we plan to start reading THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY aloud this week, and I am looking forward to it.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-33026082575307358322007-02-11T11:47:00.000-08:002007-02-02T12:03:52.256-08:00Helping Students Find the Theme of a BookHow is it that a teacher can help his students come to an understanding of the theme of a book? In my experience, even first and second graders can begin to understand THEME if they are asked the right questions. Once a group of children have finished a book, they will have things they want to discuss but many of these naturally tie into an understanding of theme. Before tackling THEME, make sure that the students have talked about setting, tone, character developemnt and the other literary elements. These will all fit together to build the theme. When a book is well-written and successful, all parts work together to leave the reader with the something. A well-constructed theme is not a moral, but a general truth about life, something larger than the story, that the author wants her reader to take away from the book. I help the learners stay away from generalizations by asking them to use some qualifier when constructing a theme. They may use "Oftentimes..." or something of this sort.<br /><br />I usually ask the learners to brainstorm a few general topics that might be related to the theme...They come up with things like "friendship, bravery, becoming an adult," From there, I ask them what the author might be saying /about/ bravery, friendship etc... It might work well to have students write a complete sentence as a starting point and use these sentences as the beginning of the discussion. Sometimes there are threads in several sentences that can be woven together into a theme. Since students learn differently, I try to use both writing and discussion to come up with a theme.<br /><br />If your group read CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY the learners might come to theme this way:<br /><br />I'll ask, "What is the book about?"<br /><br />The children might answer:<br />Bad kids get punished.<br />Charlie gets what he deserves.<br />Charlie is the best of the kids.<br />Charlie loves his parents and grandparents and thinks about others before himself.<br />The Chocolate Factory is some kind of "dream come true".<br /><br />So, I prompt,....Dahl might be saying what?<br /><br />Oftentimes bad kids are punished.<br />Oftentimes good kids get rewards.<br /><br />Let's refine that a bit more. How does the story end? Is it more about Charlie or more about the other kids? How is Charlie good? Can we put that in the theme?<br /><br />"Oftentimes someone who thinks more about others than himself, may be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams."<br /><br />This is of course not the only theme they might come up with, but if you press them to look at the book, how it ends and what the author really puts in the story (rather than what the kids read into the book or bring from their own experience) they are likely to be on the right track.<br /><br />I must credit Aiden Chamber, British writer, critic and teacher, for his brilliant scaffolding for creating meaningful book discussion with elementary school children. Take a look at the book TELL ME to read more about his work.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-74392852436995908702007-01-20T11:18:00.000-08:002007-01-26T11:25:44.504-08:00Recommendations for a 2nd Grader who needs a nudgeI had such a good time meeting with Leon yesterday. Below are some of my thoughts about his reading, and some specific author and title suggestions.<br /><br />Leon and I talked about fiction and non-fiction choices. He much prefers reading non-fiction and was interested most in fiction if I found him something with a historical context. For example, he was not interested in reading <u>Lionel in the Spring</u> by Stephen Krensky but was very interested in <u>Sam the Minuteman</u> by Benchley. The books are at about the same level but the first book did not seem worth the effort to him. I would suggest that he read a lot of books that are on level or a little bit easy for him. For the next several months if he works hard to read a lot- quantity over "challenging material"- he will really strengthen his skills. <br /><br />I asked Leon to read aloud to me from several different books. He seemed pleased when I told him that he has good "word attack skills". He asked what that meant and I told him that I noticed that he broke long words into parts and figured out each part before putting them together. I am also delighted that his family is reading aloud <u>Eragon</u> and that he receives "Ranger Rick" in the mail. Both of these are so appropriate for him right now. He needs to hear stories that are much more complex than he can read himself. He may want to read a history magazine as well as "Ranger Rick". I would recommend either "Appleseeds" or "Ask" magazines, both published by Carus. His family can check these out in the library. <br /><br />I suggested that Leon read aloud to his mom when she makes dinner. This is often a terrific time to practice skills because the parent can't look over the child's shoulder and correct the child or jump in with a word while the child is still working. Also, the child can have his mom's attention without cutting into bedtime reading. I really want his family to consider the read-aloud time "sacred" and to add new times for Leon to read to them. Maybe he wants to read aloud while they drive here and there? Borrow joke and simple poetry books from the library for this reading aloud. Leon can regale his parents with jokes and silly poems for the next several months. <br /><br />Jokes and poetry: <br /><br /><u>Snakey Riddles</u> and the rest of the books in this Dial-easy-to-read joke series <br /><u>I Saw You in the Bathtub</u> by Alvin Schwartz (Schwartz has other very appealing easy-to-read books) <br />Any books by Douglas Florian <br /><u>New Kid on the Block</u> by Jack Prelutsky <br /><u>Ready, Set Read and Laugh</u> compiled by J. Cole <br /><br />All of these books will be easy for Leon and that will be great for his sense of accomplishment and fluency. <br /><br />Other books I recommend: <br /><br />The "Inside and Outside..." series by Sandra Markle (Leon got so interested in <u>Inside and Outside Snakes</u> that he wanted to stop talking and read.) <br />Candlewick Press has a series called Read and Wonder that includes <u>Fly Trap! Plants that Bite Back</u> and <u>A Piece of String is a Wonderful Thing</u> <br />Everything by Gail Gibbons and much by Bruce McMillan <br /><u>Sponges are Skeletons</u> by Esbensen <br /><u>Our Wet World</u> by Sneed Collard III <br />Books by Steve Jenkins <br /><br />Some fiction: <br /><u>The Cat Who Got Carried Away</u> by Alan Ahlberg This is just on the top edge of what Leon is comfortable with. <br /><u>Lady Lollipop</u> by Dick King-Smith <br /><u>McBroom's Ghost</u> by Sid Fleischman <br />books by Nathaniel Benchley (easy reading books with hisorical settings) <br /><br /><br />When you reserve books at the San Mateo County Library web site, you can place holds from home or any computer. If you place a hold for a children's book using a childs library card, the reserve will be free. The computer will still tell you that there is a 75 cent charge on each book, but when you go pick up the books, anyone working at the front desk will waive all the reserve fees. You can sit at home and reserve 15 Gail Gibbons books and go to the library a week later and pick them up. <br /><br />Let me know how things go with these suggestions. I have more ideas when you have used up all of these. <br /><br />Good luck, <br />MaeveMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-47577263527900627082007-01-16T15:54:00.000-08:002007-01-16T19:17:02.882-08:00Christmas Stories for MinistersOkay, that is a funny title. Ministers already have a Christmas story, don't they? They have the big one, the Christmas Story that gives us Christmas. Yes, that is true. But now and again I get asked for suggestions of additional stories, stories that might work in a church or a Sunday School to bring help children, and adults in a congregation think about Christmas in a new way. <br /><br />So, now well into January, I would like to suggest some stories that might work next year. These are great family read-alouds and all suitable for a wide age range. <br /><br />Cynthia Rylant's <u>Children of Christmas</u> is a lovely collection of six short stories that work well read aloud. Rylant wears her heart on her sleeve in all her writing. You know just where she stands and where her emotions lie. These stories are gentle and sensitive without becoming maudlin.<br /><br />Two poetry books stand out for me. <u>The Beasts of Bethlehem</u> by X. J. Kennedy is a collection of poems in which the author imagines what nineteen animals might have said if they really could speak on the night Jesus was born.<br /><br /><u> At Christmastime</u> by Valerie Worth has poems about all different aspects of the season- the tree lot, wreaths, the creche, the Wise Men, and Santa Claus. The poems are quite simple but very wise.<br /><br /><u>A Certain Small Shepard</u> by Rebecca Caudill, is a novella (maybe really a short story) published as a book with illustrations by William Pene du Bois. Jamie, a boy who has been mute since birth, wishes that he could sing in the annual Christmas pageant. This is a miracle story in its own right.<br /><br />I am generally much more tolerant of sentimentality in Christmas stories than I am any other time of the year. Still, I want the emotions to ring true and I want the story to be more than just sentiment. When it comes to Christmas stories, Katherine Paterson is the writer for me. Paterson has published two collections of Christmas stories for families. Both collections are made up of stories she wrote to be read at the church where her husband was minister. Of course this makes them eminently suitable for ministers and Sunday School teachers looking for new ways to talk about miracles, love, sacrifice and humanity. <u> Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories</u> was first published in 1979 and <u>A Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season</u> was published in 1995. Both are full of stories that will leave adults and children thinking a bit more deeply about the Christmas season. <br /><br />Tuck this list away for most of the year, but when you need something new to read aloud come December, try one of these titles.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-20998385718108978202007-01-14T11:15:00.000-08:002007-01-14T11:17:01.135-08:00Chapter Books- Are you ready for something longer than Dr. Seuss?What is a chapter book? Lots of books have chapters of course so this is a designation that makes little sense to parents. Most often, children and their teachers refer to a book as a chapter book if it is a short novel, a book that suits many 2nd and 3rd graders. Of course 2nd and 3rd graders are themselves as diverse as the 'chapter books" that they like to read. I would not call HENRY AND MUDGE a chapter book even though the book is divided into several short chapters. The following list is of books that might appeal to young readers, children who are accomplished enough to face books that don't have art on every page. Children who can keep track of a story that continues thorugh several chpaters. Some of the books on this list will also appeal to older children (For example, THE HUNDRED DRESSES deals with such universal and important themes that I would happily share it with 6th graders if they had not already read the book!)<br /><br /><u>Mr Popper’s Penguins</u> by Atwater<br /><u>The Search For Delicious</u> by Babbitt<br /><u>Twenty and Ten</u> by Bishop<br /><u>A Lion to Guard Us</u> by Bulla<br /><u>The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk</u> by Burgess<br /><u>Katie John</u> by Calhoun<br /><u>Julia’s Magic</u> by Cameron<br /><u>The Stories Julian Tells</u> by Cameron<br /><u>The Family Under the Bridge</u> by Carlson<br /><u>Ramona the Pest</u> by Cleary<br /><u>Muggie Maggie</u> by Cleary<br /><u>Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes</u> by Coerr<br /><u>A Case For Jenny Archer</u> by Conford<br /><u>No Dogs Allowed</u> by Cutler<br /><u>The Courage of Sarah Noble</u> by Dagliesh<br /><u>Amber Brown is Not a Crayon</u> by Danziger<br /><u>Thee, Hannah</u> by DeAngeli<br /><u>The Twenty-One Balloons</u> by DuBois<br /><u>Half Magic</u> by Eager<br /><u>The Hundred Dresses</u> by Estes<br /><u>Understood Betsy</u> by Fisher<br /><u>McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm</u> by Fleishman<br /><u>My Father’s Dragon</u> by Gannett<br /><u>Stone Fox</u> by Gardiner<br /><u>The Doll’s House</u> by Godden<br /><u>Love You, Soldier</u> by Hest<br /><u>Sophie’s Snail</u> by King-Smith<br /><u>Rasmus and the Vagabond</u> by Lindgren<br /><u>In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson</u> by Lord<br /><u>Mrs Piggywiggle</u> by MacDonald<br /><u>Sarah Plain and Tall</u> by MacLachlan<br /><u>Seven Kisses in a Row</u> by MacLachlan<br /><u>Rats on the Roof</u> by Marshall<br /><u>Grandmother Bryant’s Pocket</u> by Martin<br /><u>Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe</u> by Patron<br /><u>The Littles</u> by Peterson<br /><u>Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha and the Boys</u> by Porte<br /><u>The Best School Year Ever</u> by Robinson<br /><u>Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves</u> by Roop<br /><u>Keep the Lights Burning Abbie</u> by Roop<br /><u>A Cricket in Times Square</u> by Selden<br /><u>The Song of the Giraffe</u> by Shannon<br /><u>The Real Thief</u> by Steig<br /><u>Go Fish</u> by Stolz<br /><u>Gemma and Her Sisters</u> by Streatfield<br /><u>All-of-a-Kind Family</u> by Taylor<br /><u>Hugh Pine</u> by Van de Wetering<br /><u>Stuart Little</u> by White<br /><u>Little House in the Bog Woods</u> by Wilder<br /><u>Scooter</u> by WilliamsMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-9441863142145793252007-01-02T09:53:00.000-08:002007-01-02T10:51:40.327-08:00Leisure Reading over the school holidaysThe children and I have had two weeks off from school and work and with so much time to lounge around, we have done a lot of reading. So, what is lying around out living room floor?<br /><br />Our eleven-year-old has been reading a pretty wide range of stuff this past week. He re-read Christopher Paolini's ERAGON since he went to see the new movie with a friend. His assessment of the movie was that it "should have been about six hours longer" to fit in everything from the book. He read an Anthony Horowitz thriller- PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER TWO and a Chet Gecko mystery by Burce Hale, THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE. He received the book and CD MOUTHSOUNDS: HOW TO WHISTLE, POP, BOING, AND HONK FOR ALL OCCASSIONS AND THEN SOME by Fred Newman as a Christmas gift and reads sections of that as he practices his new skills. As I type, he is reading THE ANYBODIES by N. E. Bode. He received a beautiful edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND as a gift and is in the middle of that now. He said, after reading the first hundred pages, "I think this might be my new favorite book." <br /><br />Both he and his eight-year-old sister have read NICHOLAS AGAIN and NICHOLAS ON VACATION by Goscinny and Sempe. These new American editions of books first published in France in the 1950's feature a winsome little boy who gets into one scrape after another. The books are more collections of short stories than true novels. Each episode is illustrated with Sempe's (known for his Asterix comics)lively and very funny cartoon sketches. The stories definitely reflect an earlier time period- parents and teachers dish our punishments that are unpopular, and sometimes illegal today. Still, the stories are very funny, the children delightfully exaggerated and it is fun to read about children who do the daring things that I would never have the nerve to do. I read the first book about Nicholas aloud to the children and they moved on to the others.<br /><br />Our eight-year-old daughter has been re-reading the Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She owns the entire series and has read each volume probably eight times already. She finds them exciting and comforting. Most of all she loves the details of everyday life. This vacation she has read at least five of the Little House books. She has also read ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M. Montgomery. She first read it this past summer in a paperback edition and the small dense print and old-fashioned language gave her a bit of a struggle. Still she got through the book and laughed aloud when she read about Anne dying her hair green. For Christmas, she received a large hardcover edition and the easier format, and of course her familiarity with the story meant that she could get through the novel in just two days. She also read THE GREAT PIRATICAL RUMBUSTIFICATION & THE LIBRARIAN AND THE ROBBERS by Margaret Mahy. These two stories are very funny and very absurd. She picked up this book because we had been reading a different Margaret Mahy novel aloud.<br /><br />As a family, these past two weeks we have been reading THE PIRATE'S MIXED-UP VOYAGE by Margaret Mahy and ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL by James Herriot. The Margaret Mahy makes a great read-aloud since she constantly plays with language. For example, towards the end of the story the beautiful police detective declares "I have had tremendous triumphs solving mysteries and bring malefactors to justice, so that I have become renowned and recognized everywhere." (p. 177). I love wrapping my tongue around Mahy's sentences. Margaret Mahy writes a crazy, convoluted plot that many a lesser author would lose track of. It is not easy to write a convincing story about pirates, encyclopedia salesmen, a rent-a-librarian service, and stubborn orphans. Somehow Mahy keeps us right with her as she unfolds her fantasy.<br /><br />I must admit that we started reading aloud ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL by James Herriot long before the winter holidays. These stories, not written for children, work for family reading if the youngest listeners have some experience with and patience for listening to complex language. Herriot's writing is full of British expressions (no surprise since he was a vet in Yorkshire) and medical terminology. Sitll, the storie about delivering calves shile lying on the floor of a stone barn as snowflakes fall on his gbare back, are colorful and engaging. We have not finished the book yet (we don't get to it every night) but the chapters are episodic enough that we can dabble in the book without losing track of the plot.<br /><br />What have you been reading over the holidays?Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-7814338748005464852006-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:002006-12-21T06:39:52.022-08:00Beginning ReadersIt is not easy to write a book that fits all the pragmatic requirements for a beginning reader and is engaging enough for that young reader to be willing to work her way through it. The following list contains stories that are funny or scary or intriguing. The characters are memorable, the themes are child-centered, AND the books are easy to read, with plenty of white space on each page, illustrations that support the text, fairly limited vocabulary, and relatively simple sentence structure. <br /><br />Many of the books on this list are the first book in a series. I have a lot to say about series...good and bad...but series books can be particularly helpful to the newest readers. Once I know Henry and Mudge, I can appraoch the next book about the boy and his dog confident that I am not going to waste my time and effort just to be disappointed. It is important for me, as an adult, to remember that reading is indeed work, especially at first. When I have a child in front of me at the library and I am offering her something to read, if I remember that reading is still tough for her, she is more likely to believe my recommendations. <br /><br />This is just a short list, but it gves you someplace to start.<br /><br /><u>Finding Providence</u> by Avi<br /><u>Lucky Days With Mr. and Mrs. Green</u> by Baker<br /><u>Wiley and the Hairy Man</u> by Bang<br /><u>The Case of the Double Cross</u> by Bonsall<br /><u>The Golly Sisters Go West</u> by Byars<br /><u>Ant Plays Bears</u> by Byars<br /><u>The Octopus</u> by Cazet<br /><u>Josefina Story Quilt</u> by Coerr<br /><u>Iris and Walter</u> by Guest<br /><u>A Bargain For Frances</u> by Hoban<br /><u>Surprises</u> by Hopkins<br /><u>Big Surprise in the Bug Tank</u> by Horowitz<br /><u>Johnny Lion’s Book</u> by Hurd<br /><u>Lionel in the Fall</u> by Krensky<br /><u>Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways</u> by Kvasnosky<br /><u>Snowshoe Thompson</u> by Levinson<br /><u>Fox on Stage</u> by Marshall<br /><u>Grandma’s At Bat</u> by McCully<br /><u>Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell</u> by Mills<br /><u>Little Bear</u> by Minarik<br /><u>The Outside Dog</u> by Pomerantz<br /><u>The Boston Coffee Party</u> by Rappaport<br /><u>Henry and Mudge</u> by Rylant<br /><u>The High-Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Desparate Duck</u> by Rylant<br /><u>Nate the Great</u> by Sharmat<br /><u>I Saw You in the Bathtub</u> by Schwartz<br /><u>Ghosts! Ghostly Tales From Folklore</u> by Schwartz<br /><u>Good Night, Good Knight</u> by Thomas<br /><u>Tales of Amanda Pig</u> by VanLeeuwenMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-24273904479650591302006-11-29T19:35:00.000-08:002006-11-29T19:42:31.630-08:00Our School's Book FairWe're in the midst of our school's book fair, so I'm posting an email I sent out to the school email list, describing some of our offerings (we use a local company to provide books and facilitate the fair, which allows us to offer great, just-published books.)<br /><br />Here's the email...<br /><br />What should you look for whan you visit the book fair?<br /><br />Do you need any gifts for new babies? Is there a toddler on your holiday gift list?<br /><br />Look for Rosemary Wells' charming <u>Max's ABC</u> or Marla Frazee's <u>Walk On!</u>, a celebration of that huge accomplishment in the life of a baby.<br /><br />Do you have a fantasy reader?<br /><br />Last year the intriguing, original novel <u>Magyk</u> was a big hit. You'll find the sequel, <u>Flyte</u> on the table this year. Of course we have the first book for those who haven't yet begun this series.<br /><br />One of the best new short novels (perfect for many of our first, second and third graders) is titled <u>Clementine</u>. Read the first page and you'll be hooked. Clementine is a spunky, creative child who finds herself in the principal's office evey day of the week.<br /><br />We sold out today on a brilliant new math puzzle/history/fun with numbers book titled <u>Go Figure: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers</u>. We have many more copies arriving. This is a book that appeals to 3rd graders as much as it appeals to 7th graders.Maeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8092832494931367252.post-84497622875464221652006-11-21T19:48:00.000-08:002006-11-21T20:46:29.457-08:00Picture Books Told in Rhyme"Where the mountains meet the prairie-<br />Where the men are wild and hairy-<br />There's a little ranch where Rosie Jones is boss."<br /><br />I don't know how many times my husband and I read aloud "Rosie and the Rustlers" by Roy Gerrard to our two children but I can still, 6 years later, recite long sections of it by heart. There is something satisfying about a book that romps along- rhyming verse that moves a story. There is a reason that college students still read "Beowulf". <br /><br />I don't pretend to know the true appeal of rhyme and rhythm in literature. Maybe we enjoy listening to words that pound like our own hearts. Whatever the reason, parents and children both request books that rhyme.<br /><br />I must say that there are way too many children's books told in rhyme. When the rhyme forces the writer to use words that don't make sense or when the rhythm determines the pace of the book rather than the story itself having control, I know a writer doesn't have control over the rhyme. <br /><br />So beware...look for stories where the rhythm contributes to the story rather than detracts from it. Look for authors who know how and when to break a driving rhythm. Look for interesting words and interesting rhythms. Try these stories:<br /><br /><u>Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain</u> by Aardema<br /><u>Black is Brown is Tan</u> by Adoff<br /><u>Each Peach Pear Plum</u> by Ahlberg<br /><u>The Jolly Postman</u> by Ahlberg<br /><u>Where's My Teddy?</u> by Alborough<br /><u>Old Black Fly</u> by Aylesworth<br /><u>The Adventures of Taxi Dog</u> by Barracca<br /><u>Everybody Needs a Rock</u> by Baylor<br /><u>Madeline</u> by Bemelmans<br /><u>All Join In</u> by Blake<br /><u>Big Red barn</u> by Brown<br /><u>Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear</u> by Carlstrom<br /><u>Who's Sick Today</u> by Cherry<br /><u>Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree</u> by Christelow<br /><u>Everett Anderson Nine Months Long</u> by Clifton<br /><u>Jamberry</u> by Degen<br /><u>Wheel Away</u> by Dodds<br /><u>Drummer Hoff</u> by Emberley<br /><u>As I was Crossing Boston Common</u> by Farber<br /><u>Shoes From Grandpa</u> by Fox<br /><u>Tailypo</u> by Galdone<br /><u>Sir Cedric Rides Agair</u> by Gerrard<br /><u>Is Your Mama a Llama?</u> by Guarino<br /><u>The Maggie B.</u> by Haas<br /><u>A House is a House for Me</u> by Hoberman<br /><u>The Duchess bakes a Cake</u> by Kahl<br /><u>Earl's Too Cool For Me</u> by Komaiko<br /><u>The Owl and the Pussy-cat</u> by Lear<br /><u>Johnny Appleseed</u> by Lindbergh<br /><u>17 Kings and 42 Elephants</u> by Mahy<br /><u>The Adventures of Isabel</u> by Nash<br /><u>Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight</u> by Nash<br /><u>Randy's Dandy Lions</u> by Peet<br /><u>The Piggy in the Puddle</u> by Pomerantz<br /><u>If I Ran the Zoo</u> by Seuss<br /><u>Sheep in a Jeep</u> by Shaw<br /><u>Possum Come a-Knocking</u> by Van Laan<br /><u>Shy Charles</u> by Wells<br /><u>The Napping House</u> by WoodMaeve Visser Knothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13516306548313458154noreply@blogger.com2