To Understand What Loving a Dog Means

Recommended for Grades 3-6

I’m just going to come straight out and say that I almost stopped listening to the audio book of Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles right in the middle of the story.  Reason being is that if I think an animal in a story is dead or is going to die, I can’t handle the story—I shutdown.  I have an overwhelming emotional pull when it comes to dogs and I can’t even walk through the Humane Society without crying. 

Wiles’ protagonist, Comfort, has a dog named Dismay, who is all love and loyalty.  The climax in the story is when there is a flash flood that Comfort, her cousin Peach, and Dismay get caught in.  Dismay is swept away in the flood waters, but Comfort has this eternal hope for him that kept me listening to the book.  And yes, I yelled at the book when that suspenseful scene ended—“Did she just kill off the dog?!  I CAN’T believe she would do that!  I will never read another Wiles book.  Well, maybe she didn’t…. (denial with a false sense of hope, oh goody…)

Comfort’s family owns the town’s funeral home and so she has grown up surrounded by death, but it hasn’t created a dysfunctional family, if anything it bonded her family.  The family’s motto is, “We live to serve,” and that they do.  Each family member acted as a team player.  Comfort has to face loss that she wasn’t expecting in the beginning of the story, when her Uncle Edisto and Aunt Florentine pass away.

I love all of Wiles' characters, but Comfort Snowberger steals the show and rightfully so—she writes her own “life notices” (her version of obituaries), her spot to ponder the world is her closet, she has to live with and accept that her best friend has become a ‘mean girl’, be annoyed by her little cousin Peach, and work through her grief. 

She becomes lost in a world unfamiliar to her without the ones she loves, even if her mother, father, and brother are still there for her.  She ends up taking her grief out on Peach, who is so innocent (even if whiny and over-dramatic), that he still chooses to adore and be Comfort’s shadow whenever he can.  And when I say over-dramatic, I mean in the ‘have to stop Aunt Florentine’s viewing because Peach decided to attach himself to her IN her casket and bawl the words, “Come back!”’

The search for Dismay changed both Comfort and Peach.  And I have to say that Wiles has written an endearing tribute to dogs and their humans, as well as family.  I’m very satisfied that I finished the story.

Wiles, d. (2005). Each little bird that sings. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.

"Thunderclap Laughter"

Recommended for grades 2-5

     This month at school, my students will be studying Black History in some fashion.  I’ve decided that my 2^nd and 3^rd graders will be studying Black poets before they create their own original poems.  The Black figure I have them basing their study around is Langston Hughes, a Missouri born poet.  The students began the study by listing the first words that come to mind when they think of poetry (which I had to emphasize doesn’t mean writing a poem).  We shared these and then we moved on to looking up Langston Hughes on World Book Student.  I used the text to speech feature and asked students to listen and write down one thing they learned about Hughes. 

     The book I’m using to connect it all is Langston’s Train Ride by Robert Burleigh.  The story focuses on when Hughes wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and at one point I asked my students to write down all the words they could to describe a river without using the word river.  I began by reading the ‘Author’s Note’ in which Burleigh says he wanted to describe the moment where Hughes realized he was a writer.  Burleigh does a beautiful job emulating Hughes’ poetic form; the words come alive in first person narration.  I liked that I was able to focus my student’s attention on certain parts: 

     At one point, the main character states that he drifts back and this allows me to question my students if the story will stay in the present. 

     One of my favorite lines, “No matter what, I’ll keep on going,” allowed for my students to mention character traits—such as being brave, strong, having courage and allowed me to contribute a new word—perseverance. 

     Another point I enjoyed was when the protagonist mentions Illinois and in turn I am able to not only ask my students what it is, but show them the state on the ‘Interactive Maps & More’ feature on World Book Kids. 

     The book ends with the complete poem and I will be using Nikki Giovanni’s CD from Hip Hop Speaks to Children that has Hughes reading his poem.  The illustrations are gorgeous mixed-media, rich in color, sometimes covering a two page spread and other times opposite a page of text, which has the background of wood cuts against a solid color. 

Burliegh, R. (2004). Langston's train ride. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Giovanni, N. (2008). Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat. Naperville: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

A Reverend and a Rabbi march together…

Recommended for 2^nd-5^th grade

     On MLK, Jr. Day, I never really understood why more places weren’t closed to commemorate him.  Here is this amazing man, who started off simple enough, with a loving family that taught him values.  This amazing man, who knew even when he was little that he was going “to turn this world upside down.”  He had a drive that is rare, but if encouraged, produces wonderful outcomes.  He made such a powerful impact during his life, that even the bullet that would take his life, couldn’t stop others from continuing to dream his dream.

     This week at school, all I read to my students were books related to Martin Luther King, Jr.  My favorite read for my 4^th and 5^th graders is As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson.  I like that it provides students with not only one person’s fight for freedom and equality, but two.  The text makes connections between the two figures.  The striking idea behind this, is that these figures were on opposites sides of the globe growing up—Martin in Alabama and Abraham in Poland. 

     The narrative is smooth—it doesn’t jump back and forth.  Martin’s life is explained up through the ten years of protesting and in the book it says that Martin put out a call for all G-d’s children to join the fight against prejudice.  This provides the transition to Abraham’s life, which begins by saying that Abraham answered Martin’s call, and then continues to give biographical information about his life.  The similarities between Martin and Abraham is what will help students develop strong skills in making connections—they are both told that they are “as good as anybody,” they both ran into issues (ex. “WHITES ONLY” or “NO JEWS” and jeering from the KKK), they both believed prejudice was wrong and that they should help stand up for others, they also both followed in the footsteps of their fathers—a Reverend and a Rabbi. 

     I also took this opportunity to show my students how to use an encyclopedia to search for more information—the book mentions Rosa Parks, so I looked up Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old, who did the exact same thing Mrs. Parks did, but 9 months earlier.  We also looked up Poland, where Rabbi Heschel was born, and Adolf Hitler, who affected Heschel’s life. 

     The end of the book talks about Martin and Abraham marching together and how they were very good friends.  I find this a strong point to be made, since they were of two different races and religions.

Michelson, R. (2008). As good as anybody. New York, NY: A.A. Knopf.

It’s a Bloody War

Recommended for grades 3-6

     My sister asked me what books I had managed to read over winter break and I was proud to rattle off at least six titles. It surprised me that the title I went to town explaining was The Civil War, the first book in the Profiles series.  This colorful nonfiction series with photos and illustrations takes six people from a particular part of U.S. history and gives 10-15 page biographies on them.  There is more in-depth detail pertaining to the specific event, in this case—The Civil War—the individuals were all connected with.  The end of the book contains an index and websites for further studies.  The figures profiled in The Civil War are Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, George McClellan, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, and Matthew Brady. 

     I will readily admit I’m not the best when it comes to history (but, a lot better than I used to be).  My sister made a point the other day when she asked my mom and me if we knew anything about history that didn’t have to do with the Jews and the Holocaust.  That’s why I like reading children’s books about certain periods of history—the majority of authors know how to make it intriguing enough to absorb.

     I knew some things about Abraham Lincoln and Matthew Brady since I studied some photography in college.  I did like the little facts that I learned about the rest of the figures.  For instance, I didn’t know that Robert E. Lee was originally asked to lead the Union army, but he felt great loyalty to his state of birth, Virginia, and decided to serve the Confederate army (and later, people would want him tried as a traitor).  I also can’t believe how many generals Lincoln went through during the Civil War; McClellan was just one of several. 

     An easy to swallow version of the war is explained, too.  The smart thing about this novel is that it takes prior information from the beginning of the novel and intertwines with each individual’s profile, making for a deeper connection.  At the end, there are two pages that give cause and effect relationships for the actions taken by each figure and how they affected the Civil War and each other.

     I will be looking for the others in this series to read.

Rosenberg, A. (2011). The Civil War. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Do you know what goes bump in the night?

Recommended for grades 4-8

I would always walk past The Last Apprentice series books’ by Joseph Delaney while working at Borders, with the thought that it was just some Harry Potter wannabe.  Then, I noticed that the newer titles in the series picked up in popularity toward the last few years I was working.  A tiny seed had planted itself on my “to-read” shelf.  Finally, this past December, I decided to check out the audio book from the library to listen to on the way to and from work.  I should be on the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production committee because I manage to listen to so many children’s books on tape.  And I fancy myself doing pretty well judging a book on its quality.  It’s really a simple piece of criteria I judge with…is the audio book fascinating enough that I want to listen to it before AND after work.  Will I trade my relaxing, music-filled, yet traffic-bound drive home for an audio book, which requires some concentration? 

I wasn’t even through the first disc of Revenge of the Witch and I wanted to write this post, which lands the book in another rare category I have for my blog (it’s under very rare circumstances that I post about a book before finishing).  Delaney is an incredible writer!  One reviewer said The Last Apprentice series was a step above Goosebumps.  I disagree.  Delaney’s old world setting mixed with descriptive language about the things that go bump in the night—such as boggarts, witch’s and ghouls—is more than a step above Goosebumps (and I love Goosebumps).  It almost reminds me of a younger version of The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. 

The job of the Spook is to take care of all that gives others nightmares—it’s a lonely and tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.  Thomas Ward, the twelve-year-old protagonist, who is the Spook’s newest apprentice, has a strong voice in this book.  The reader feels for him throughout the first book.  Tom and the Spook complement each other in this book and make for intriguing interactions.  The sense of adventure and suspense is palpable as Tom is tricked and befriended by a young witch, who comes from a family of highly malevolent witches.  Scenes throughout this book are creepy enough to keep even the most ardent scary story readers on their toes. 

I ordered this book for my library because I knew my 4^th and 5^th graders would eat this story up.

Delaney, J. (2005). Revenge of the witch. New York, NY: Harper Children's Audio.

“LIM” Like You’ve Never LIM-med Before (Oh Wait, You Haven’t!)

Recommended for grades 7-12

I had to reread Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell—it’s one of those books that I plan on rereading every few years.  It was a book club pick at my work and I’m thrilled with just how much I enjoyed the book.  I bet you’re wondering what “LIM” stands for…well, I’ll tell you later.

Here is the general gist of the book: Vassar Spore has planned life out for herself, almost as if it was a science.  Some of her goals include, “Graduate valedictorian from Seattle Academy of Academic Excellence (with a minimum 5.3 GPA).”, “Publish the definitive book on (TBD) by age 37”, “Receive Pulitzer prize.”  Vassar is what you would call an overachiever (and I wonder why I like the book so much).  But, you come to realize she is a bit overprotected and sheltered…that is until her Grandma Gerd blackmails her parents (something to do with “The Big Secret”) into letting Vassar fly to Malaysia to trek around looking for “found art”. 

The novel only gets better…Vassar’s three girlfriends won’t let her escape the summer without arranging how she can pull off being valedictorian instead of Wendy Stupacker (the resident popular girl).  It is decided that Vassar will write a novel about her adventures in Southeast Asia—she has no idea just how unbelievable her novel will be! 

Vassar flies half-way across the world and meets Grandma Gerd, who is aloof, a non-planner, and artsy—the opposite of Vassar.  Grandma Gerd leads Vassar through several regions of Southeast Asia—Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos.  If you don’t read the book for the humor (and it’s RIPE with humor), adventure, and the personal journey Vassar goes through (if I used the word “on”, I feel like it’s implied she wanted to go through it), then please, PLEASE read it for the setting—Cornwell outdoes herself, from the dirt streets with the outdoor make-shift cafes and tiny-market vendors to the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat—she definitely earns the title “travel junkie”.

Cornwell does a great job developing the main characters, as well—Vassar, who is so preposterous at points that even when her friends read about “Sarah” (the protagonist Vassar secretly pins herself as), they think she’s a “goody-goody”, which puts Vassar out a little, especially since they all LOVE Aunt Aurora (Grandma Gerd), and Wayne (Hanks)—Vassar’s guide turned love interest, who also happens to be a Chinese Malay cowboy (with chops and Godlings)!  Even as I’m thinking about what else I want to write about the book, it has me smiling and chuckling…

….I suppose I can let you know what “LIM” stands for now—its Grandma Gerd’s acronym for “Live In the Moment!” 

Cornwell, A. (2007). Carpe diem. New York, NY: Square Fish.