#road2reading - 2018 Mock Geisel selections 11.14.17

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.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

One of my favorite times of the school year is the Mock season.  Our school participates in Mock Geisel, Caldecott and Newbery.  I even do a Sibert Smackdown with some groups.  I think participating in these are a perfect example of the way close reading is supposed to look like - digging in deeper, reading with a purpose and questions in mind.  Of course the best part is the book voting and assembly.  Each grade level votes for the book they see having the best criteria for that particular award and then we have an assembly to see our school winners and compare them to what the real committee chooses.  It's quite the celebration of books!

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing our school's choices for Mock books.  Today it's our Mock Geisel books!

I'll be honest.  We have not had a good track record picking out possible Geisel selections.  I always try and tell students when we see books announced that we haven't read, it's ok... we have great new books to read now!  After every Mock Geisel season, we've always had several new books to read!  

I think one of the reasons it's so hard to pick possible contenders for this award is because it's still a pretty new award.  If I look at what won at the beginning, you would find some longer chapter books, but perhaps books filled with vocabulary that may be difficult for a beginning reader to figure out and understand.  Now, we still see longer books being selected (hello The Infamous Ratsos), but they are starting to select these longer books that do support beginning readers.

The other reason I think this award is hard to guess is many of the winners and honorees are from series that are not as mainstream as others.  Some of the recent books have come from the early reader line from Penguin and from Simon and Schuster and I have not read many of them, nor are they as touted on social media.

We'll continue to do our best guessing the contenders, but in the mean time, our kindergarten and first grade students will just have to settle for reading some really great books.... even if they're not recognized by the actual Geisel committee!

Here are our 2018 Mock Geisel titles:


Egg
by Kevin Henkes


It's Shoe Time!
by Mo Willems and Bryan Collier


Ballet Cat What's Your Favorite Favorite?
by Bob Shea


King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats
written by Dori Hillestad Butler
illustrated by Nancy Meyers


Charlie and Mouse and Grumpy
written by Laurel Snyder
illustrated by Emily Hughes


My Kite is Stuck! And Other Stories
by Salina Yoon


Now
by Antoinette Portis


Triangle 
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Jon Klassen


Frankie
by Mary Sullivan


There's a Pest in the Garden!
by Jan Thomas


Snail and Worm Again
by Tina Kügler


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


There you have it.  Are you doing a Mock Geisel?  What books would you add?  What am I missing?  What books do you think the Geisel committee are talking about?

Visit Alyson's blog to read about some more upcoming books.


I'm so excited because some of my favorite weeks of the year are coming up!  This week is is NCTE week and I'm so happy to be catching up with friends I don't often get to see!  NCTE is a conference that rejuvenates me and gets me excited to start the next half of the year.  I can't wait to find some new book titles and talk books with friends!  Are you going to be at NCTE this year?  I hope we run into each other!  I'll be presenting on Friday from 12:30-1:45 in Rooms 120/121.  I'll be presenting along with some of the authors I've been currently spotlighting:  Jennifer Ziegler, J. Anderson Coats, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Joan Paquette and Lisa Yee.  Stop by!
And then the week after is Thanksgiving Week!  It's one of my favorite weeks because it's filled with family and tradition!
I'll be taking off next week from blogging while I enjoy some family time.  I'll be back the following week with some end of the year posts, including My Favorites from 2017 and what to look forward to in 2018!

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11.13.17

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts

 and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  

It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Last Week's Adventures

I love this time of year when everyone's Mock lists and groups start!  I shared our school's Mock Caldecott list last week.

Needing more nonfiction picture books for your #classroombookaday? Then check out what the favorites are from this 4th grade class.   I also asked students about their opinions and biases of nonfiction reading are.

I hope you've enjoyed the "If You Like This, Try These" series for kids who are on the #road2reading.  Last week was the final post, have you read these transitional chapter books?

Picture Books


Three Balls of Wool (Can Change the World)
written by Henriqueta Cristina
illustrated by Yara Kono
translated by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
If you've been collecting titles about refugees, this will be another one you want to add.  Written generally, but through the notes in the back, you'll see this is a story about Portuguese refugees who fled the country during the late 1960s to find freedom.  It was a hard time to find freedom anywhere, as depicted by this book.  Families had to try and find their own ways to show any kind of individuality.
This book was published in partnership with Amnesty International and has some interesting  letters and notes included in the book.


Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galápagos Tortoise
written by Eva Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli
illustrated by Laurel Molk
I'm glad a fellow blogger shared this book because it really is lovely.  I related to this book so much as I rush to try and get everything done.  It all gets done quickly and I feel like I rarely do anything as well as I want, or enjoy what I'm doing to the fullest.
Harriet likes to enjoy life and do things slowly, yet with purpose.  Her friends tell her she is missing all the fast things in life so with some help, Harriet tries a few.  Great discussions about trying new things yet staying true to yourself can be had with this picture book!  Beautiful illustrations by Laurel Molk!


Read the Book, Lemmings!
written by Ame Dyckman
illustrated by Zachariah OHora
This is one of those books that is funnier when you read it out loud.  It's the reactions of the audience that makes you love the book even more.  Silly, illiterate lemmings, who even once  they are taught, find a way to continue to be exasperating!


Middle Grade


R is for Rebel
by J. Anderson Coats
You'll want to have this book on your radar this February.  A historical fantasy, the world building in this book is amazing.  While you can see pieces of history within this book - regimes rising up and taking over, groups being silenced and punished - Coats has created new ruling governments, traditions and cultures.  A book about rising up, staying true to yourself and new leadership.  Will be an interesting read for older middle grade readers.


Wonder Woman at Super Hero High
by Lisa Yee
I've had this book for awhile and the students have seen it in my pile and have grown antsy that I hadn't read it yet.  Any time the characters are in high school I grow a little leary about giving it to 3rd and 4th grade readers.  Never fear, this is a perfect middle grade novel, especially for those who love their Super Heroes!  As someone who does not know a lot about the DC Comics, there were certainly characters I was unfamiliar with, but it didn't stop my understanding of the story.  I really liked this first book in the series and am looking forward to reading and sharing the others!

Currently Reading


Princess Juniper of the Hourglass
by Ammi-Joan Paquette
I'm excited to get back into this one because I've heard such wonderful things about this series.  I got this book as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and started it, but deadlines came up for other things and I never got back to it.  Now it's time!


I'm so excited because some of my favorite weeks of the year are coming up!  This week is is NCTE week and I'm so happy to be catching up with friends I don't often get to see!  NCTE is a conference that rejuvenates me and gets me excited to start the next half of the year.  I can't wait to find some new book titles and talk books with friends!  Are you going to be at NCTE this year?  I hope we run into each other!  I'll be presenting on Friday from 12:30-1:45 in Rooms 120/121.  I'll be presenting along with some of the authors I've been currently spotlighting:  Jennifer Ziegler, J. Anderson Coats, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Joan Paquette and Lisa Yee.  Stop by!
And then the week after is Thanksgiving Week!  It's one of my favorite weeks because it's filled with family and tradition!
I'll be taking off next week from blogging while I enjoy some family time.  I'll be back the following week with some end of the year posts, including My Favorites from 2017 and what to look forward to in 2018!

Spotlight Friday - our Mock Caldecott selections 11.10.17

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!

One of my favorite times of the school year is the Mock season.  Our school participates in Mock Geisel, Caldecott and Newbery.  I even do a Sibert Smackdown with some groups.  I think participating in these are a perfect example of the way close reading is supposed to look like - digging in deeper, reading with a purpose and questions in mind.  Of course the best part is the book voting and assembly.  Each grade level votes for the book they see having the best criteria for that particular award and then we have an assembly to see our school winners and compare them to what the real committee chooses.  It's quite the celebration of books!

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing our school's choices for Mock books.  Today it's our Mock Caldecott books!


Little Fox in the Forest
by Stephanie Graegin


Life 
written by Cynthia Rylant
illustrated by Brendan Wenzel


Claymates
written by Dev Petty
illustrated by Lauren Eldridge


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


A Boy, A Mouse, and a Spider
written by Barbara Herkert
illustrated by Lauren Castillo


Blue Sky, White Stars
written by Sarvinder Naberhaus
illustrated by Kadir Nelson


The Book of Mistakes
by Corinna Luyken


La La La
written by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Jamie Kim


After the Fall
by Dan Santat


Red and Lulu
by Matt Tavares


Flashlight Night
written by Matt Forrest Esenwine
illustrated by Fred Koehler


All the Way to Havana
written by Margarita Engle
illustrated by Mike Curato


Wolf in the Snow
by Matthew Cordell


Windows
written by Julia Denos
illustrated by E.B. Goodall


The Antlered Ship
by Dashka Slater
illustrated by The Fan Brothers


Grand Canyon
by Jason Chin


Muddy: the Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters
written by Michael Mahin
illustrated by Evan Turk


How to Be an Elephant
by Katherine Roy


There you have it.  I think our students are in for some great reading!  I'm already looking forward to February.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - 4th grade's favorite nfpb #classroombookaday - 11.08.17

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.

I am so fortunate to be doing #classroombookaday (want to know more information about #classroombookaday?  Be sure to check out Jillian Heise's post here) in two amazing classrooms.  These teachers have welcomed me into their rooms, shared their students with me and collaborate with me to make sure what we're reading matches their curriculum.  I certainly see the benefits of this and I think the teachers and their students do, too!

This week I welcome the 4th graders from Ms. Anderson's class to my blog.  They are here to let you know their favorite nonfiction #classroombookaday books... so far!  We've got lots more nonfiction reading to do this year, we're just getting started!  Maybe you'll see a book or two (or more) to add to your classroom TBR list!



This Is How We Do It
by Matt Lamothe
Oliver enjoyed this one because he "loves geography and things around the world."
Will really liked learning about "the different countries and their routines and cultures."


A Rock is Lively
by Dianna Hutts Aston
Need more rock facts, Alan says this is the book for you!


Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes
by Nicola Davies
Maya liked the "unique" way it was written.


Glow: Animals With Their Own Night-Lights
by W.H. Beck
Ethan says this book is "really good because it talked about the uses of their glow."  Several readers mentioned how unique this book is.  Jamie thought this book was great because it showed him "how amazing deep sea creatures can be."


Grand Canyon 
by Jason Chin
Colby said the "cut-outs are really intricate."


How to Be an Elephant
by Katherine Roy
Leo thought the "wording and information" read like a fiction book!


Droughts
by Melissa Stewart
Aadil really liked the experiments that were included in this nonfiction book!



I also asked the 4th graders their opinions about nonfiction reading.  Here are some of their responses:

Xavier said his opinion of nonfiction has always been "yesssss!"  But now that we've been reading it for #classroombookaday, it hasn't changed, he still thinks "it's great!"  Yay for nonfiction!

Reagan said at first she "only knew a little bit about nonfiction but now it's really cool."

Sophia said "when we first started reading nonfiction I already loved it, but now I like it even more."

Ryan said he "used to read nonfiction about animals" but now he's reading "nonfiction about other subjects."  I love to see that he's exploring new topics!

Reese said she's always been "a fiction chapter book reader" but now she "is warming up to nonfiction."

Leo said he's always "preferred fiction because it was like an adventure that kept me excited to read."  But now that we've been doing nonfiction #classroombookaday, "he LOVES nonfiction and he is enjoying it more and more."


After last week's post about the 3rd graders nonfiction reading response, author Melissa Stewart pondered why did so many students have negative opinions of nonfiction at the start of our nonfiction unit?  What did they not like about nonfiction?  I probed the 4th graders just a bit more about this....

Their reasons will probably sound familiar:

• it's boring
• it's not exciting
• it has no action
• has too many facts

Hailey tells, "they never made it too interesting."  She wanted more juicy words and a better explanation.  Luckily every nonfiction #classroombookaday is one she has loved!

 Thank you to Kallie, Ethan, Colby, and Brayan  for answering so honestly!


I think there are a few reasons for these responses.

• I don't think we expose readers to enough nonfiction, especially in read alouds.  Most of us prefer to read fiction and our preferences carry over in what we choose to share.
• Along with that, I'm not sure how many teachers choose to find nonfiction.  I actively search for engaging nonfiction.  I read blogs that give me ideas, I follow people on Twitter who suggest engaging texts, I have my go-to authors that consistently publish amazing nonfiction.  But I have to be proactive in order to find these texts.
• If I go through the stacks and stacks of nonfiction at a library, many of the books that I could randomly pick out are probably pretty dry, factual nonfiction.  However, if I go to the new section of nonfiction, that is generally not the case.  Books written in the past decade have gotten really good.  Read these books.  Find these books.  You will change readers' minds.

So, did you find any new nonfiction to use in your #classroombookaday?  Have you ever asked your students their opinions on nonfiction?  You might be surprised at what you find.

As always, happy, happy nonfiction reading!

#road2reading Challenge - If You Like These, Try series - transitional chapter books 11.07.17

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.

I can't believe we're inching closer to the end of the year.  Cybils nominations have already closed for the year and the Nerdy Book Club Award nominations will be here very soon.  As I look back at past winners, some of the same authors and series are named every year.  And while those winners are fantastic, there are some other great books out there.  Before we get to the end of the year, take some time and familiarize yourself with some other fantastic reads.  This week I'll focus on some great transitional chapter books you may want to think about for upcoming awards!

If you like...

the Dory Fantasmagory series

by Abby Hanlon

Try....

the Daisy Dreamer series
by Holly Anna
Just like Dory, Daisy has a wonderful imagination as well.  In fact, her imagination is so powerful, her imaginary friend is brought to life!


Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker
by Shelley Johannes
Another creative thinker, Beatrice will remind you of Dory with her humor and creative ways of looking at things and situations!

If you like...

the Infamous Ratsos series

by Kara LaReau

Try...

       

The Bad Guys series

by Aaron Blabley

Any book that can make an adult cry from laughing is a winner in my book!  The best part about the Ratsos series is nothing turns out the way you think it will.  Bad Guys is the same way - a shark and a piranha want to be the good guys?  Well, they try anyway!

If you like...

Weekends With Max and His Dad
by Linda Urban

Try...

the Jasmine Toguchi series
by Debbi Michiko Florence

the Jada Jones series

by Kelly Starling Lyons

Both of these series offer incidental diversity like in Max - meaning diversity is included within the story, but it's not the focus of the story.  All realistic fiction series, these kids are easy to root for - they all have challenges within their stories, but they find a way to rise to the top!

I hope you found some new books to read, or some new books to nominate this year!  I'm looking forward to seeing what your 2017 favorites were at the end of the year.

Don't miss the other posts in this series!
Early Chapter Books
Early Readers

Be sure to swing by Alyson's blog to see more #road2reading fun.

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