Friday, June 30, 2017

Spotlight Friday - my Mock Caldecott long list... so far! 6.30.17


Time to get ready for the weekend!
Kick up your feet and find a good place to read.
Sharing #booklove for your classroom or library.
Spotlighting a book or two because these books deserve the spotlight!

We're about halfway through the year and before we know it the season of "Mock" will be here!  You know, when we read the current year's best of the best titles with students to try and figure out what will be presented at the Youth Media Awards next February!  I love sharing new titles with students, getting them to understand the award criteria and look deeper into these stories.

Today I'm sharing my Mock Caldecott long list... so far!

Wolf in the Snow
Wolf in the Snow
by Matthew Cordell

Tony
Tony 
written by Ed Galing
illustrated by Erin Stead

Little Fox in the Forest
Little Fox in the Forest
by Stephanie Graegin

The Book of Mistakes
The Book of Mistakes
by Corinna Luyken

A Perfect Day
A Perfect Day 
by Lane Smith

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!
The Rooster Who Would Not be Quiet
written by Carmen Agra Deedy
illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

This House, Once
This House, Once
by Deborah Freedman

Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon 
by Jason Chin

That Neighbor Kid
That Neighbor Kid
by Daniel Miyares

Claymates
Claymates
written by Dev Petty
illustrated by Lauren Eldridge

La La La: A Story of Hope
La La La
written by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Jaime Kim












Flashlight Night
written by Matt Forrest Esenwine 
illustrated by Fred Koehler

Life
Life
written by Cynthia Rylant
illustrated by Brendan Wenzel

After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
After the Fall
by Dan Santat

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse
The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse
written by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Jon Klassen


Are you thinking about Mock Caldecott yet?  What books would you include on your long list?  Did I miss any titles - add them in the comments or tweet me (@knott_michele) of any missed titles!

Don't miss my other Mock posts!
Mock Newbery
Mock Sibert
Mock Geisel


Thursday, June 29, 2017

My Mock Newbery long list... so far 6.29.17

We're about halfway through the year and before we know it the season of "Mock" will be here!  You know, when we read the current year's best of the best titles with students to try and figure out what will be presented at the Youth Media Awards next February!  I love sharing new titles with students, getting them to understand the award criteria and look deeper into these stories.

Mock Newbery is always so fun for me to do because it's the first time at our school that students choose to participate.  All of the grade levels participate in a Mock Geisel or Caldecott, but 4th graders choose to be in the Mock Newbery club.  They choose to read the books, they choose to meet with the group after lunch time.  Our club has grown but we've had over half of our 4th graders participate almost every year.

I always get excited to start reading books in the early half of the year, wondering what will be chosen by the actual Newbery committee.  When I look at books that make up our Mock Newbery list, I try to balance it with books that I think have a chance of winning the award (that are appropriate for 4th graders to read, since the Newbery Award is for literature that is appropriate for readers up to 14 years of age) and books that I think 4th graders will love (even if I'm pretty sure it won't win an award).  I believe the purpose of a Mock Newbery club is to expose students to amazing literature that will expand their love of reading while having in depth conversations about the books.  You'll also notice I include graphic novels and picture books, going with the trend of recent Newbery awards and honors.  Based off this list, it's going to be hard to come up with my final list this fall!  Here's my 2018 long list... so far...

The Ethan I Was Before
The Ethan I Was Before
by Ali Standish

Amina's Voice
Amina's Voice
by Hena Khan

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!
The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet
by Carmen Agra Deedy

The Shadow Cipher (York, #1)
York: The Shadow Cipher
by Laura Ruby

A Boy Called Bat
A Boy Called Bat
by Elana K. Arnold

Real Friends
Real Friends
by Shannon Hale

Three Pennies
Three Pennies
by Melanie Crowder

Beyond the Bright Sea
Beyond the Bright Sea 
by Lauren Wolk


The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street
by Lindsay Currie

Wishtree
Wishtree
by Katherine Applegate

After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
After the Fall
by Dan Santat

Lucky Broken Girl
Lucky Broken Girl 
by Ruth Behar

Walking with Miss Millie
Walking With Miss Millie
by Tamara Bundy


Orphan Island
Orphan Island 
by Laurel Snyder

Moon Shadow
Moon Shadow
by Erin Downing

Are you thinking about Mock Newbery yet?  What books would you include on your long list?  Did I miss any titles - add them in the comments or tweet me (@knott_michele) of any missed titles!

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - my Mock Sibert long list... so far 6.28.17


Every Wednesday I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other
kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.
The intention of today's blog post is to give professionals that work in the
education field new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 
with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.

We're about halfway through the year and before we know it the season of "Mock" will be here!  You know, when we read the current year's best of the best titles with students to try and figure out what will be presented at the Youth Media Awards next February!  I love sharing new titles with students, getting them to understand the award criteria and look deeper into these stories.

Today I'm looking at nonfiction books the Sibert committee may be taking a look at.  One thing I will say about the Sibert Award - I wish it was split into age levels.  I think sometimes the nonfiction picture books don't get the same notoriety that the longer books do.  Because of the age I work with, I usually concentrate on the picture books.  You'll see that in my list.  I'll be looking at these books and more later this fall to make my Mock Sibert list:

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
The Youngest Marcher
by Cynthia Levinson

Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive!
Two Truths and a Lie:  It's Alive!
by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code
Grace Hopper, Queen of Computer Code
by Laurie Hallmark

Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books
Balderdash!
by Michelle Markel

Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
by Jason Chin

Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War
Soldier Song
by Debbie Levy

Can an Aardvark Bark?
Can An Aardvark Bark 
by Melissa Stewart

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion
Dazzle Ships
by Chris Barton
publishes Aug. 1st


Do you have any books that you think might be on the Sibert committee's long list?  Leave your ideas in the comments or tweet me (@knott_michele) a title!


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

#road2reading Challenge - my Mock Geisel long list... so far 6.27.17


All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools 
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.

We're about halfway through the year and before we know it the season of "Mock" will be here!  You know, when we read the current year's best of the best titles with students to try and figure out what will be presented at the Youth Media Awards next February!  I love sharing new titles with students, getting them to understand the award criteria and look deeper into these stories.  

Today I'm looking at some titles that I have on my Mock Geisel long list.  These are books that the current Geisel committee may be taking a look at.  If you know anything about my past Mock Geisel history, you'll know I usually get one title right!  Not all of these titles will end up on our school's 2018 Mock Geisel list, but here are books we'll be thinking about this fall:

My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories
My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories

by Salina Yoon

Noisy Night
Noisy Night
by Mac Barnett

Egg
Egg
by Kevin Henkes

Ballet Cat What's Your Favorite Favorite? (Ballet Cat, #3)
What's Your Favorite Favorite?
by Bob Shea

Snail and Worm Again
Snail and Worm Again
by Tina Kugler

Frankie
Frankie
by Mary Sullivan

I Got a New Friend
I Got a New Friend
by Karl Newsom Edwards

A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks
A Pig, A Fox and Stinky Socks
by Jonathan Fenske

The Good for Nothing Button
The Good for Nothing Button
by Charise Mericle Harper

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats
King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats
by Dori Hillestad Butler

What This Story Needs Is a Bang and a Clang
What This Story Needs is a Clang and a Bang
by Emma Virjan

The Nuts: Keep Rolling!
The Nuts: Keep Rolling! 
by Eric Litwin

Charlie & Mouse (Charlie & Mouse, #1)
Charlie and Mouse
by Laurel Snyder

What titles do you think the Geisel committee are looking at right now?  Leave book titles in the comments below or tweet them to me (@knott_michele).

Alyson has a great post about some of the books she found at ALA.

Want to talk about books for readers who are on the #road2reading?  Link up here!