The Secret Shortcut, by Mark Teague

Published September 20, 2015 by Dagmar

Have you ever been late for school or work and no one believed your excuse? Wendell and Floyd have the worst luck. The first day they go to school, they are nearly captured by space creatures. Their teacher doesn’t believe them. The second day, pirates are loose in the neighborhood. The teacher does not believe them again. On the third day, there is a plague of frogs.

Determined to finally get to school on time, they leave extra early one day and take Wendell’s secret shortcut. This shortcut goes through a thick jungle, quick sand, sleeping crocodiles, a deep gorge and finally a big mud puddle. It’s amazing, but they actually get to school on time, if a little muddy. Their teacher, happy that they’re finally at school on time, decides that maybe she doesn’t really want to know why the boys are all muddy.

This is a fun read aloud that my second graders really loved. It was a CA Young Readers’ Medal nominee in 2000.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming

Published September 19, 2015 by Dagmar

Have you ever really wanted to do something and then had the chance to do it? Well, Mr. McGreely had just such a moment. He’d wanted a garden so that he could plant vegetables and then gobble them all up. Unfortunately for Mr. McGreely, there are very cute little bunnies who want nothing more than to gobble all those vegetables, too. (Muncha, Muncha, Muncha). Mr. McGreely does NOT want bunnies eating his vegetables. So, he builds a small fence around his garden. “And the sun went down. And the moon came up. And- Tippy-tippy-tippy, Pat! Spring-hurdle, Dash! Dash! Dash! Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!” Those bunnies ate those vegetables again. Each day Mr. McGreely improves the fortifications around his garden. And each day, “…the sun went down. And the moon came up,” and those bunnies got into the garden. Finally, Mr. McGreely builds a wall that no bunny, no matter how clever, could ever defeat. Mr. McGreely is happy. Little does he know that those little bunnies crawled into his basket when he wasn’t looking! When it’s time for Mr. McGreely to pick his vegetables, he picks up the basket and climbs a big ladder to get to his garden. He picks his vegetables and places them in his basket. As he reaches into the basket, “Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!” Oh no!

Thanks to a friend and volunteer at my school who recommended this book to me as a great read aloud for spring. She was right! My students loved it.

Going Places, by Peter and Paul Reynolds

Published September 17, 2015 by Dagmar

I’m a rule follower, excellent at following directions and getting things done on time, but I’ve always admired people that take a different path – who have minds so creative, ingenious and unafraid that they feel comfortable completely departing from the norm to create something new. I think the best projects take a combination of rule followers and dreamers to be successful.

In Going Places, Rafael is just like me. He is so excited when his class receives go-cart kits. All the students are to build the kit and then have a race. Rafael goes home and builds the kit, following the directions to the letter. His go-cart looks exactly like the picture. He decides to check on his friend and next door neighbor, Maya to see how she is progressing. He sees her sitting in her yard staring at a bird on a tree and then at a bird flying. When she builds her go cart, it doesn’t look at all like the picture on the kit. It looks more like an awkward flying machine. When Rafael asks Maya why she didn’t building a go-cart, she says that no one said she had to build a go-cart. Rafael sees where Maya is going with her project and asks if they can team up. Nothing in the rules says that they can’t team up.

The result? A plane! As they roll up to the start line, other kids laugh. It’s clear that everyone else in the class has followed the directions exactly, just as Rafael had. When the race starts, the go-carts take off. The plane doesn’t move; but, then it does move…past all those go-carts. Rafael and Maya fly to the finish line well ahead of their competitors. As they roll to a stop, Maya sees a frog jumping off a rock in the lake. She turns to Rafael and smiles. He smiles back. Guess what they build next? 🙂

This is a wonderful book that makes you cheer for all your dreamers and the rule followers can spot a great idea and help bring it to reality.

Wangari’s Trees of Peace, by Jeanette Winter

Published April 20, 2015 by Dagmar

In celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd, I highly recommend Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa. I shared this book with my s wangari tudents from first grade to fourth grade. We started our discussion with things we could do to protect the earth. We talked a lot about litter clean up and the 4 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot). This book gave me the opportunity to introduce the importance of trees.

Each page in Wangari’s Trees of Peace has just a sentence or two accompanied by a colorful, simple picture. The book’s simple format makes it accessible to students of all ages and leaves time for questions. The story shows students how deforestation hurt Wangari’s country of Kenya and the value of trees. Trees not only provide oxygen for us to breathe, but also provide fertile soil, protected from erosion, firewood, and habitat for birds.

My favorite part of the book is the way it shows my students that one person can take action and make change. Wangari’s determination, even going to jail to protect the trees, made a big impression on my students. At the end of each class, students clapped for Wangari’s Trees of Peace.

Wangari Maathai was born in 1940 in Kenya. After seeing the cost of deforestation in Kenya, she enlisted women to plant indigenous trees. Her Green Belt Movement resulted in the planting of over 30 million trees by 2004. Maathai won the Nobel Peace Price in 2004.

Happy Earth Day, everyone. I hope we can all make an impression on children that the Earth needs our protection not only on Earth Day but everyday.

How to Hide a Lion, Helen Stephens

Published February 5, 2015 by Dagmar

I love it when I find a great book for my preschool and TK students. How to Hide a Lion is a sweet book with endearing illustrations.

Lion comes to town looking for a hat. Everyone is scared of him, so he runs away. He ends up in the backyard of a strong and very brave girl named Iris. Iris finds Lion in her playhouse. Lion is much too big to hide in her playhouse. So, Iris takes him inside her house. First, she grooms him and puts a bandage on his hurt paw. Then, she tries to hide him. Iris succeeds for a while, but while reading a story to Lion, he falls fast asleep. It happens that lions are very hard to wake up. Lions that are hard to wake up are unable to hide quickly. Needless to say, disaster strikes. Iris’ mom discovers Lion, screams, and Lion is on the run again. He decides to hide in plain site, sitting still, between two statues next to the Town Hall. Unfortunately for two crooks, and fortunately for Iris’ town, Lion’s hiding place is the perfect place to catch crooks leaving the Town Hall with the mayor’s candlesticks. The towns people, no longer scared of Lion, honor him and present him with a …hat. Of course.

I was charmed by this book as were my students. Please enjoy.

The Book with No Pictures, by B. J. Novak

Published January 3, 2015 by Dagmar

There have been a few books in my library that have made students laugh and roll on the floor. Not polite little “I’m using my library voice” laughing and rolling on the floor…happy, loud laughing and rolling on the floor. And, really, why not? If you can make your usually quiet librarian say things like, “My best friend is a hippo named Boo Boo Butt,” just by asking her to read this book, wouldn’t you do the same? Not since their favorite “Pigeon” books, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems have my students found a book that is SO funny. I wasn’t planning to read this book a second week in a row, but my students insisted. 🙂

Why is this book such a success? Like Mo Willems Pigeon books, this book puts kids in control. They get to tell you what to do, and they really love it.

I loved reading this book and seeing my students have a great time.

Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, by Kimberly and James Dean

Published December 22, 2014 by Dagmar

Pete the Cat is one very cool dude. He is a blue cat, and in this book, he is a blue cat with some “cool, blue, magic sunglasses”. Wait and see what magic they can do.

Pete is blue, and not just in color. He’s a blue cat who is feeling blue. Pete has “the blue cat blues”. Walking down the street, he runs into Grumpy Toad, a toad that was never happy. Bummer…not the kind of guy you want to run into when you’re feeling blue, yourself. Today, though, Grumpy Toad has a smile on his face. Why? Grumpy Toad has a pair of “cool, blue, magic sunglasses,” that help him “see things in a whole new way.” He gives the glasses to Pete. When Pete puts on the glasses, all of a sudden he sees that, “The birds are singing. The sky is bright. The sun is shining. I’m feeling ALRIGHT!” Pete takes his trusty skateboard and continues on his way in a sunnier mood.

Pete runs into Squirrel, Turtle and Alligator. All of them are having terrible days until Pete shares his cool, blue, magic sunglasses with them. Once they put on the magic sunglasses, they see what Pete saw and are feeling ALRIGHT!” Pete keeps cruising on his skateboard when ACK! …he falls off his skateboard and the cool sunglasses crack. Luckily, a wise old owl is nearby and tells Pete that he actually doesn’t need those sunglasses. He just needs to remember to “look for the good in every day.”

What a cool way to talk about times when you’re feeling grumpy, angry, frustrated or just plain blue. I loved it; my kids loved it, and we’re feeling ALRIGHT! So, be cool, and read this great book, too.

Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper

Published December 21, 2014 by Dagmar

Of all the books my students read in our 4th and 5th grade book club this fall, Out of My Mind was their favorite. Sharon Draper, who has a disabled daughter herself, tells a story of a disabled girl who is constantly underestimated and misunderstood but who is extraordinarily smart and determined.

Melody is 10 years old and has cerebral palsy. Her disability affects her in many ways. Melody is unable to walk and cannot balance when she sits up. She sits, strapped into a wheel chair. She can’t feed herself, cloth herself or go the bathroom by herself. Sometimes, she can’t control her body movements. Far more frustrating for Melody, though, is the fact that she can’t talk. But, don’t feel sorry for Melody. Melody is brilliant. In fact, she has a photographic memory. If people knew how smart she was, they might not underestimate her so much.

Imagine knowing what’s happening around you and wanting to speak, but being unable to speak. No one around her, not even her parents, fully understand how much Melody knows or what she thinks about. It might make you go out of your mind, like a fish in a tiny fish bowl who just can’t stand those glass walls anymore.

At school, Melody is placed in a room for children with disabilities. Unfortunately, there, having disabilities means that people also think you’re stupid and try to teach you the alphabet in third grade.

Luckily, Melody has champions who fight for her. Her parents are constantly trying to explain that Melody is an intelligent child who needs people to teach her. Ms. V., Melody’s neighbor who has taken care of her since she was a baby, while Melody’s parents work, needs no convincing about Melody’s intelligence. She works with Melody, developing word cards so that Melody can communicate. Catherine, Melody’s aide at school, works with Melody to find a machine that can help her speak.

When Melody gets her machine, she finds her voice. It is an amazing gift. Everyone learns just how incredibly bright Melody is. Melody has opportunities that she couldn’t have dreamed of the year before, including joining mainstream classrooms.

This book does such a wonderful job of explaining Melody’s condition and limitations in away that doesn’t let you feel sorry for Melody. Draper’s writing gives Melody an authentic voice that really speaks to students. Melody’s disappointments and frustrations are easy to imagine. Her victories make you feel great.

With great characters and plot twists right until the end, this book will really draw you in. Don’t miss it! For more information, please check out this interview with Sharon Draper about this book on her web-site. http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35

The Land of Stories, by Chris Colfer

Published December 14, 2014 by Dagmar

My niece is a big reader. One of my favorite things to do is to talk about books with her. The Land of Stories might be the most enthusiastic recommendation she’s ever made to me. She went on about how much she loved the book, and she was so excited that there were sequels to the story. A few weeks later I was in a hotel in San Francisco, when I overheard a girl, about the same age as Emma, telling her grandmother about a great book she was reading. She was so enthusiastic that I couldn’t help interrupting and asking her what book she was talking about. You’ve got it. It was The Land of Stories.

I ordered the book for my kindle the next night and began reading the book. I see what they saw in the book. The Land of Stories falls in the fairy tale fantasy genre for middle readers. There have been a lot of these books published lately. Luckily, they are not cookie cutter. Each is clever and has its own merits. My particular favorites are this book, A Tale Dark and Grimm, A Hero’s Guide to Saving the Kingdom and Rump. I’m terribly behind on reading the Sisters Grimm (incredibly behind, really, given that the series now has 9 books) but plan to read that book as well. After reading it, I put it on my 4th and 5th Grade Fiction Book Club list. My students raved about this book as well.

The Land of Stories is terrific. Two great characters go on a quest – but not just any quest. This quest combines humor, mystery, adventure and lots of familiar fairy tale characters who are probably quite a bit different than you might remember.

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell pulls you right in. It begins as Queen Snow White enters a dark dungeon to speak with her step-mother, the Evil Queen. Snow White begs the former queen to tell her why she never loved Snow White. The Evil Queen tells Snow White that “a villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told.”

The book then turns to two characters, Alex and Conner Bailey, 12 year old twins who live with their mother. They live in a small house, having had to sell their old house after their father passes away in a car accident. Life is difficult for the twins. Their mother, trying to pay the bills, has to work double shifts as a nurse. They rarely see their mother, and Conner is struggling in school. Their grandmother is a light in their life. When she arrives for the twins’ birthday, she leaves them with her most prized possession, an old story book called, The Land of Stories.

The old story book turns out to be more than just a book of stories. It vibrates and hums. It keeps Alex, normally a top student, up at night. While not many people would think to try to drop a book into the pages of a humming storybook, Alex is just the kind of kid that does. She drops in several books and a pencil and then, a little predictably, is sucked into the book herself. Her twin, Conner, horrified as he watches her disappear, jumps right in after his sister. What do you do when you fall into a book? You meet a magical creature – not a faun, as might happen if you’ve fallen through the back of a wardrobe – but a big frog who offers you tea with flies (if you like). The only way to leave the enchanted land? Fulfill the requirements of the Wishing Spell.

I don’t want to give away too much, because this book is truly worth your time. You’ll learn the truth about Goldilocks (a villain on the run), Little Red Riding Hood, Jack in the Beanstalk and that Evil Queen and whether she actually is a victim. You’ll also learn whether Alex and Conner ever find their way home.

Honestly, it would not surprise me if this book won an award. Please don’t miss this wonderful book. I’m launching a fantasy book club, and my students have already asked me to put book two of this series on the list. Hmmm. They might have to just borrow that book from my library shelves – so many more great fantasy books and series to explore!

4th and 5th grade fiction book club

Published December 12, 2014 by Dagmar

We just wrapped our 4th and 5th grade fiction book club last week. Last school year, I hosted a California Young Readers’ Medal book club. I loved seeing our best readers bond as a group. When I say these students are our best clients, I’m serious. These kids really read.

I chose five books for my students. I started with these books: Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko; The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer; The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman; Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper; and What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World, by Henry Clark. I chose The Land of Stories, because my niece, a fifth grader, told me the Land of Stories was one of the best books she’d read. I loved it, myself.

Not only did most of my students finish all five of the books I chose, they added books to my list and managed to finish most of those books, too – all while checking out library books to read each week. Wow.

Here’s what my students added to our reading list: A Stone in My Hand, by Cathryn Clinton; Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis; Island of Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell; Almost Home, by Joan Bauer. Great choices. I loved every one of these books myself.

At our party, I polled all my students on their favorite books. Out of My Mind won by a mile. My niece Face Timed me last week to tell me that she’d just read another great book…Out of My Mind. 🙂 I wish she could join my book club!

Look for reviews of these books soon.

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