Monday Reading

          Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who link up. I'm still in the midst of reading for the Cybils poetry, round one. I reviewed a few this week, and some picture books. My favorite PBs are below.

Tweet #IMWAYR

          Young Noah and his grandpa have lovely times together. Grandpa asks "What's on the docket?" every day, and Noah has plenty of things to answer. But then Grandpa stops asking, and Noah wonders about that but tries hard to do things anyway. The story deepens as we see Grandpa fading away, sadly even in the illustrations which are masterfully done by Katie Kath. As Grandpa's memory fades, so does his illustration. One day, Noah wakes him from a nap and he doesn't recognize Noah. Alzheimer's is a tricky disease and no one can show exactly what happens, but in this story, there is some happiness because Noah discovers that Grandpa remembers some of their songs. Some happy times remain, and Grandma helps out too, by asking "What's on the docket?" For those who need to talk about this heart-breaking topic with family or other young children, this story will help. It's beautifully done.

           This book was published last year in Australia. I imagine a broad range of people finding something good to carry with them from it. The metaphor lies with a young boy who must leave home, carrying only a teacup of earth from that home with him. He's floating out to sea, and it's both calm and raging as he travels. Magical good things begin to happen as his story unfolds, especially sustenance held by an apple tree growing in the boat gave him shelter and a coziness "just perfect for daydreaming". When one faces hard times, daydreams might be the only path to overcoming challenges. The illustrations fill the story with varied emotions in lovely double-page spreads. I loved the idea of the story that's filled with hope.

          It's hard to imagine every classroom not having this book and returning to it more than once, for good conversations, for making plans, for savoring the story of how to live a good life. It's the second story crafted to help us all learn about Gandhi's teaching, illustrated with the warmth of his words while showing his grandson a way of living.

         What great fun that Elephant and Piggie are introducing their favorite books. Their presence is evident in the end papers, including pigeon; and in the introduction and conclusion. They only make an appearance in those places, but the story introduces four friends with a big problem, three cookies to share. It's a funny story with a "delicious" way to introduce fractional parts and how to solve them!

Still reading:  I'm enjoying learning about the life of techie Paul  English in A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder. Among other things, he was the creator of the website, Kayak. I have The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan and hope to get to it soon!

SaveSave