Make Way for Ducklings in THE PIT

I've been trying to work in some classic picture books this year in THE PIT. I found through my discussions with the kids about Caldecott books that they aren't familiar with some of my favorites. I haven't done nearly as well with this as I had originally intended but I still have half a year to go.

Last week I introduced one of my all time favorites, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard making their way to Boston, one of my favorite cities, looking for a place free of foxes and turtles to raise their family. They settle on one of the islands in the Charles River in view of the "Salt and Pepper" bridge where the eggs are hatched and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack join the family.

I find it a little funny that at this point in the story, Mr. Mallard decides he needs a little time away and goes exploring further up the river promising to meet the family back in Boston Public Garden. I think maybe it's a duck version of a business trip.

When Mrs. Mallard leads the ducklings back to the garden, I'm able to point out sites in Boston that I pass every summer with my student groups. The kids all ask questions about the places and if the story is true, especially when I point out where the duck statues are right inside the gate of the public garden.

Even though this book is 69 years old, it still works today. It just goes to show that when a book is good, it's good no matter when it was written.
I haven't tried one of these in a while so I was glad to see I still remembered the steps to making a book mosaic!

Looking for Newbery: Day 10 & Predicting Caldecott

I'm giving you a link to my review of Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Stories Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino from July. This is a book that has grown on me over time. I really enjoyed the mixture of humor and real life. It may appear at a Grand Discussion in the near future!

Other Reviews:
Bermudaonion
Kiss the Book
Fuse #8

...and now for my Caldecott predictions:

I have around 40 books on display for the staff and students of Bailey to vote on next week. I pulled the titles from the Allen County list and some other well known blog sites and threw in a few that probably have no chance but I love them any way. I read over at 100 Scope Notes where he interviewed Ed Spicer, a former Caldecott selection committee member, that the Caldecotts are much harder to predict than the Newbery. I agree, and I think it's probably because the field is so wide open! But enough chit chat, here are my choices. I'd love to hear yours, so leave a comment and let me know.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
All the World Illustrated by Marla Frazee
The Goblin and the Empty Chair Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes Illustrated by Barry Moser
14 Cows for America Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

I'll be sure to post the results for our voting here at school and anxiously await the official announcements on January 18.

Finn Has a Fit in THE PIT

My friend Beth at the best little bookstore I know, Cover to Cover on High Street in Columbus, put this one in my hands on my last visit. She knew how much I liked Necks Out for Adventure by Timothy Basil Ering and thought I might like this one too. Boy was she right, I LOVE IT! I have moved it right to the top of my Caldecott short list.

Finn is a toddler having a VERY bad day! Usually he is happy and likes peaches, but not on this day, on this day he is CRANKY! Something sets him off and we never really find out what it is. The kids, all ages, get this, it never fails, when the short read aloud is over, someone asks, "What was wrong with him, anyway!?" which leads to a discussion of little ones having temper tantrums for no apparent reason. Of course, none of them have ever done this, ohhhhhh, noooooo!

David Elliot's simple words that compare Finn's actions to various natural disasters, blizzards, floods, earthquakes, avalanches, match perfectly with Timothy Basil Ering's Weeble like Finn. I love the way that the pictures and words build together to a crescendo of a fit, and then, just like a real toddler tantrum calm, just like that. The really cool effect between the words an pictures is right at the height of the action, Finn calms on one page while right next to it his parents are still holding on for dear life. A perfect depiction of what happens when a toddler loses control for no obvious reason. I LOVE THIS BOOK!Every kid in THE PIT has laughed and commented on the pictures, it has been a fun week of read aloud. I would definitely add this to Franki's list of books I could read over and over and over.

Tsunami! Beautiful!!

What an incredibly beautiful book this is! The pictures are amazing and the story is simple and so well written. It may be early in 2009, but I'm starting my Caldecott short list with Tsunami by Kimiko Kajikawa and illustrations by Ed Young.

The wise old rice farmer called Ojiisan, grandfather, by the villagers lives in a simple house on a hill overlooking a village. Well respected by the villagers due to his humility and success, Ojiisan chooses not to attend the festival of the rice harvest because, "something does not feel right." When earthquakes begin during the festival, Ojiisan knows that a tsunami is on the way. He observes the movements of the ocean, and even though he has never seen a tsunami, he remembers the way his grandfather described the sea running away from the shore as a sign of a coming monster wave.

In order to draw the villagers to safety, Ojiisan sets his own rice fields on fire. When the villagers begin to arrive to battle the fire, Ojiisan demands that they let it burn until all are safe on the hill. The dreaded tsunami hits, destroying the village totally and Ojiisan invites the villagers to stay with him until they can safely return home.

In the end, a temple is built to honor Ojiisan and unselfish act.

Ed Young, Caldecott winner for Lon PoPo, has created incredibly detailed collages of torn paper and other materials that bring the village and it's destruction to life. The cover alone is a work of art and the following pages get better with every turn.

I can't wait to share this gorgeous creation in THE PIT.

Caldecott Picks

Last year I held a Mock Caldecott vote in the library. The kids seemed to get into it and the books we included on our ballot didn't stay on the shelves for the rest of the year. In fact, some of them still had waiting lists in June when school closed. We voted again this year the ballot included 54 titles, all on display during the voting. The Top 5 of the Bailey Caldecott voting are as follows:

1. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
2. Twelve Terrible Things
3. Not a Stick
4. Big Plans
5. Woolbur

I'm pretty sure the vote was influenced by THE PIT since Dinosaur vs. Bedtime was the last read aloud before the voting and it was LOUD! I think my throat is just now recovering. I didn't do as much research into what the experts' favorites were this year I just went with what was read and enjoyed in the library.

My predictions are as follows, again, I didn't pay as much attention to what the favorites were this year, so I don't expect much success, but I highly recommend all of these fabulous books.

1. Twelve Terrible Things: I reviewed it here. The perspective on these pictures is amazing and I still laugh out loud every time I look at it, I'm only afraid it came out too late in the year to get much attention.

2. Woolbur: I love this book. The sheep refusing to follow the flock makes me smile. I reviewed it here. Sort of opposite of Twelve Terrible Things, this book got a lot of love in the beginning, but I'm afraid people may have forgotten it came out in 2008. I know I did.

3. Friday My Radio Flyer Flew: Look at that kid's face! I love the two page illustrations. My review is here.

4. Abe's Honest Words: Kadir Nelson, 'nuf said. I regret that I forgot to put this one out for the kids to vote on.

5. The Little Yellow Leaf: Ok, this one is making an appearance on some lists of favorites. I never paid much attention to it until recently when I shared it with the kids in THE PIT as an example of what the "experts" are saying may win. The more I read it, the more I liked it.

Looking for Newbery - Day 10-With a Caldecott Thrown In

This countdown thing has sort of forced me to finish books that normally I would put aside because they are not age appropriate for our library. Ringside, 1925 is one of those books. Written in one of my favorite formats, free verse, by Jen Bryant, the book follows 9 characters as they witness the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. I'll admit I know very little about the trial, just the basics, but that really didn't matter when reading this novel. Jen Bryant does an outstanding job of presenting a picture of life in 1925 Tennessee.

The story is told from the perspective of a teen age girl who wants more from life than keeping house and raising a family. We see the trial through the eyes of two teen age boys who are best friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the evolution argument. A poor African American boy who is self taught, intelligent and hard working watches the trial while he works setting up chairs and fans and tables, and dreams of life as a lawyer, pretty far fetched in 1925 Tennessee. All of these characters, in addition to the adults that inhabit Dayton, Tennessee bring the famous trial alive in a way that middle school readers will understand.

Although it's not written for the students I teach, the writing is well done, and, in my opinion, worthy of an award. I will not be disappointed if Rinsgide, 1925 is chosen.

And now for the thrown in Caldecott. Once again the kids at my school will be voting for their choices, and in compiling my list, I've run across some titles I had forgotten came out in 2008. One such title is Woolbur, one of the big hits in THE PIT last year. Here is my review.

Twelve Terrible Things Makes Me Laugh Out Loud!

I'm not sure words can do this book justice! I was literally LAUGHING OUT LOUD on my couch as I read this HILARIOUS book. It is by far the funniest thing I've seen this year. I can't wait to share it with the students in THE PIT! WOW THAT WAS A LOT OF UPPER CASE LETTERS!

Told from the eyes of a child, the Marty Kelley's book is a list of just what it says, 12 terrible things ranging from dropping your ice cream to scary things under the bed to the elderly aunt pinching your cheeks to flushing the goldfish to the lunch lady dishing out the gravy, all very terrible things in the life of a child. It's too bad that I can't show the illustrations here because they are done from the child's viewpoint as well, and they make this book LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY! no really
LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY!! Can you tell I enjoyed it?

More reviews at A Patchwork of Books, The Well-Read Child, Provo City Library.

A Radio Flyer Flies Into the Pit

I am now safely back from my second student trip to Boston, and after a night's sleep in my own bed, I'm ready to get back into it, at least until I leave for a golf trip to Michigan on Thursday. My friend Karen did an awesome job of keeping us "current" even while riding a bus full of kids to and from Beantown, and she'll probably do the same while I'm gone golfin'. Isn't it great to be part of a team?

I included Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen. I loved the pictures and simple short story in this book. A young boy finds his father's Radio Flyer red wagon, and, because of the name Flyer, he dreams of making it fly. Each two page picture spread shows the boy working on the wagon. The detail in these illustrations is amazing. The artist includes such emotion in the young boy's face that the reader can feel the hope and imagination going into making the wagon fly.

What kid hasn't dreamed of making their bike, wagon, sled, lawn chair fly. Zachary Pullen brings it to life with incredible pictures that actually could stand alone. The text is simple and well written and compliments the art work wonderfully.

Although most of my PICKS FROM THE PIT are books that are noisy or that include lots of different voices, this one will be read so that we can enjoy the art work together.

Newbery/Caldecott Short Lists

Since looking for the Newbery before it was announced played such a huge role in me moving to the library and starting this blog, I thought I'd join the growing number of bloggers posting short lists for Newbery and Caldecott worthy books. We are half way to the announcement of the winners, so the timing seems right. My Newbery list is considerably shorter than my Caldecott which means I need to pick up my reading pace this summer!

First a short list of books that should win something, I'm just not sure which award fits best.

We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson: Such a beautiful book, well written, incredible artwork. It could go either way for the awards and would be deserving of either.

My very short-short list of Newbery contenders.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor: Probably my favorite so far for 2008. I reviewed it earlier in the year.
Greetings From Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor: Some of the best character development for kids that I've read. Read Karen's review here at Literate Lives.
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell: Great Viet Nam era military family drama that is accessible to kids.

That's it, I told you it was short. My Caldecott list is longer, but it's easier to get through the picture books.

Scoot by Cathryn Falwell: Similar to Deep in the Swamp or Over in the Jungle, outstanding illustrations and fun text make this a book that can be read over and over.
Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale: A very funny take off of Sleeping Beauty with even funnier pictures, look at that dragon's lips! I reviewed this book earlier.
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen: Short story highlighted by two page paintings on every turn. The detailed on the boy's face make the story.
Necks Out for Adventure by Timothy Basil Ering: A hit from THE PIT this year. Read my review here.
The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater: My second grade friend Vince found this for me. Very fun read in THE PIT and the kids loved the pictures.
Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski: Fun story of being an individual. "Isn't it great!" Yes, it is. More reviews here, here, and here.

That's it for now. I need to go read and catch up on my Newbery search!