Nonfiction Wednesday - #nf10for10

On my regular blog, I participate in Nonfiction Wednesday, so I am going to start posting it here, too.  Good nonfiction books are coming out all the time!  I know you'll love a lot of these books.  Feel free to visit other blogs that participate.  Also, I'd love for you to comment!

I'm excited that Alyson Beecher, at Kid Lit Frenzy, is continuing her Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge for the third year in a row.

 

 

Today, my Nonfiction Wednesday is going to be a little different.  First, I'll include my regular, weekly review on a nonfiction picture book:

 

 

 

The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpre

 

2014-book, art, bebrave, biography, creative-nonfiction, creativity, mock-caldecott-2015, music, nonfiction, nonfiction-challenge-2014, picture-book   This is the fascinating story of Vasya Kandinsky, one of the pioneers of abstract art. He was a proper boy in Russia, studying math, science, and history (the illustrations show him as bored and uninspired while doing so) until he was given a box of paints. When he mixed the colors together, he heard a hiss that turned into a symphony. Now he was motivated and inspired! The music he heard in the colors drove him to paint wildly, not properly like his teachers wanted him to. He tried to conform a...more This is the fascinating story of Vasya Kandinsky, one of the pioneers of abstract art. He was a proper boy in Russia, studying math, science, and history (the illustrations show him as bored and uninspired while doing so) until he was given a box of paints. When he mixed the colors together, he heard a hiss that turned into a symphony. Now he was motivated and inspired! The music he heard in the colors drove him to paint wildly, not properly like his teachers wanted him to. He tried to conform again and went to law school and then art school. Even at art school, he tried to paint what his art teachers wanted, but he wasn't happy. Only when he abandoned landscapes and still lifes and painted to the music he heard was he happy. When he finally chose his true passion, abstract art was born, and people came to appreciate it. It wasn't about what people saw, it was about what it made them FEEL. The author's note in the back is fascinating - we know now that he probably had synesthesia (read this book as a companion book to A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass). Photographs of his gorgeous paintings follow the author's note. Great story and illustrations!  Read Mr. Schu's wonderful interview with Barb Rosenstock: http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2014/01/author-barb-rosenstock.html   Now on to the second part of my post today...

 

I'm participating in this fantastic #nf10for10 event,  hosted by Cathy Mere, Mandy Robek, and Julie Balen!  Oh my, it's so hard to narrow any favorites list down to ten, and I had to think about how I wanted to do that.  I decided to go with a theme topic, and when I read The Noisy Paint Box, I thought about all the wonderful nonfiction picture books I've read about art and artists!  I knew I had my theme topic!  My Top Ten Nonfiction Picture Books about Art and Artists (in no particular order):

 

1. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier

 

Beautifully illustrated book about a slave in South Carolina in the 1800s who would make pottery and carve poems into them. I can't wait to meet the illustrator of this beautiful book,  Bryan Collier, at the Dublin Literacy Conference this Saturday!  My potter friend, Karan Witham-Walsh, uses this book in her high school ceramics classroom.       2. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan   Since this biography won the Sibert Honor medal at the 2014 Youth Media Awards, and it was the only one I hadn't read in that category, I remedied that as soon as I could! George E. Ohr was indeed an eccentric genius. I love how he held on to his imaginative artistic ideals even in the face of the Industrial Revolution. The photographs throughout of him and his handlebar mustache and his beautiful pottery are wonderful. I bought this book for the classroom library!           3. Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate   Another Sibert Honor medal winner this year!  I LOVED this book! This book is about birds, but there is definitely an art element.  I am a bird geek, and I spent many hours as a child drawing birds (why did I stop?) and raising chickens and ducks. I still love watching birds come to the feeders, especially on a snowy day. This book reminded me about why I love them so much! It's a very "busy" book - lots of information, drawing tips, even comics and humor. My daughter gave me drawing pencils and a sketch journal for my birthday after I read this.                         4. Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing by Leonard S. Marcus   I was fascinated by this book about Randolph Caldecott.  I love the many illustrations included by Caldecott, his story of fulfilling his life's dream, and the design of this book. I was also interested in the people he rubbed shoulders with and inspired: John Tenniel (illustrator of Lewis Carroll's Alice), George du Maurier, George Eliot, and Beatrix Potter. We also learn about the evolution of the picture book and inner workings of this famous man.       5. Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter I love books about artists and how they get their inspiration. This is an interesting biography of Henri Matisse and how his art developed over time. Late in life, Matisse was confined to a wheelchair, and that's where he started creating his famous paper cutouts.         6. Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People by Susan Goldman Rubin   This is a good account of Diego Rivera's life and development as an artist. His romantic life was a bit of a soap opera; he was married to artist Frida Kahlo twice. The paintings and photographs throughout the biography are wonderful, and there is a note about Mexican history and Rivera's artistic influences in the back.         7. A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet   A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award An ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book Winner of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children   Horace Pippin was the personification of passion and determination. He overcame his disability, an injury to his right arm sustained during WWI, to continue making art.   I loved the real photograph of him at the end.          8. Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose: Growing Up On Mt. Rushmore by Tina Nichols Coury, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport   Lincoln Borglum was the son of the sculptor of Mt. Rushmore and took over the gargantuan task of finishing the massive sculpture. It's unbelievable how a work of art like that can be imagined and executed. This is a great book  about art, determination, and human ingenuity.                          9. Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor   This biography is told in poem form and contains quotes by Audubon. This would be a good companion book to A Nest for Celeste and Okay for Now because those books have Audubon in them.          10. Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet   2012 Sibert Medal   I loved this one! This is the story of Tony Sarg, the inventor of the Macy's parade puppets/balloons. The illustrations are whimsical and fascinating, and I love the problem-solving process Sarg went through to figure out how to make the puppets/balloons in the parade. Great stuff! I think kids would love this book and be inspired to figure out how things work and make their passions a job! I can't wait to share this book with my 4th graders next year! Thanks, Megan, for alerting me to this book...more   This is the story of Tony Sarg, the inventor of the Macy's parade puppets/balloons. The illustrations are whimsical and fascinating, and I love the problem-solving process Sarg went through to figure out how to make the puppets/balloons in the parade. Great stuff! You'll be inspired to figure out how things work and make your passions into vocations!    I couldn't help it - once I got to school, I had to check in my book crate labeled "Art" to see if I forgot any titles, and sure enough!  Here are three bonus books that I have in my classroom but haven't read yet - I'm going to take them home tonight!        Do any of these books interest you?  Tell me which ones!

Mock Newbery Club 2015

The ALA Youth Media Awards, the day I look forward to all year, happened January 27th!

I say I look forward to it all year because my Mock Newbery Club starts meeting early - in February, and we start reading new books right away, talk about the characteristics of award winners, and begin making predictions.  We meet over the summer at our local library to continue the conversations, and reconvene in the fall.  In December we make our predictions and talk about our favorites.  Then we anxiously await the announcements.  I sometimes do a short Mock Caldecott unit, also, in November or December.  My students know I love picture books, and they do, too, so we choose our favorites for that.  They knew that Journey was my pick for the Caldecott. 

                                                              

Mock Newbery Club  Favorite

Mock Newbery Club's Honor Picks

                                                                                                        WINNER!

   

Other Mock Newbery Club Favorites

                                                                                                     HONOR

   

                                                      HONOR 

   

  PRINTZ HONOR                                                                           HONOR YALSA
   

Favorites for Caldecott

                                      HONOR               HONOR

     

Favorites for Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award

              HONOR       HONOR FOR

                                 SIBERT, CALDECOTT

                                         WINNER

     

Favorite for YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

HONOR

We did pretty well predicting!!  My fifth graders know I love the awards because they've known me for a year and a half, so we watched it together.

I was sad when Journey didn't win the top prize, but Locomotive is absolutely deserved of it, and I was happy for Brian Floca.  I was very happy for Aaron Becker that Journey won an Honor, though, and I know the committee does the best job possible!  Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle is such a sweet book.  Interesting that two of the Honors books were wordless.  I loved that my students and I had read so many of the winners!  Lots of us loved Flora and Ulysses, and how perfect was it that our new Ambassador of Children's Literature, Kate DiCamillo won the top award!!  Lots of us loved Doll Bones by Holly Black and Paperboy by Vince Vawter, too!   I wrote about Flora and Ulysses on a Celebration Saturday post not too long ago:

We celebrated Kate DiCamillo at our Mock Newbery Club meeting in December because I finished Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures and LOVED it!  After book talking it, we watched this video and all enjoyed it:

I also wrote about it in a It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  post:

"Holy bagumba!" I loved this book! Kate DiCamillo is a magician with words and stories. I love how she combines fantasy, friendship, and quirkiness in all her books to make unforgettable characters. This one involves a squirrel who gains superhero powers after being sucked into the Ulysses 2000X vacuum cleaner (weird, I know, but somehow this story element works) and captures the heart of Flora who names him Ulysses, of course. He is a poet and valiant friend, keeping Flora company in her self-professed cynical world. Flora's mother is a romance writer who seems more attached to her tacky lamp than Flora, and William Spiver is the temporarily blinded nephew of the lovable neighbor, Tootie. Flora's parents are divorced, thus her cynicism, but she still believes in superheroes and becomes Ulysses's mentor, giving him his "wings." Even though this book seems suitable for younger elementary kids, it is not for the faint of heart - lots of incredibly challenging vocabulary words are imbedded into life philosophies and sophisticated themes. Here's a smattering of some of the words: malfeasance, vanquish, eradicate, obfuscation, nefarious, euphemism, unremitting - see what I mean? I loved the ending and can't wait to share this with my Mock Newbery Club. Will they like it? I hope so! I feel about Kate's books the way Flora feels about Ulysses when he flies: "It was as if some small peace descended.  The world became dreamy, beautiful, slow."

And yes, my Mock Newbery Club loved it! :-)

I hung up my personalized "The Journey Never Ends" print in my classroom, but first I snapped a picture:

 Congratulations to all the award winners!  Thank you for doing what you do. 

Here's to 2013 books! 

Now for 2014.  Let the reading begin!  Our 2015 Mock Newbery Club meets for the first time on February 4th (postponed because of snow to Feb. 11th).  The journey never ends!!

There was an NPR segment on the winners:

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/28/267488655/the-annual-awards-for-childrens-books-are-out

Full list of Award Winners:

http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/01/american-library-association-announces-2014-youth-media-award-winners

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I need to do better with updating blog posts on the classroom site!  BOTH parents and students, please leave a comment about what you're reading, too!

This is a meme started by Teach Mentor Texts , and I participate every week, along with many other bloggers, in reviewing kids' books I read the previous week. 
  

 

PICTURE BOOK

 

 

Baby Penguins Love Their Mama by Melissa Guion

2014-book, animals, family, picture-book   Aw! Such a sweet book about the love a mother has for her children. Even when they grow up, she's still a mom! Guion's penguin illustrations are so cute! I won a signed copy from Kid Lit Frenzy.  It appeared at my front door in a pile of snow.  How apropos!  I'll share this book with my 5th graders since it will go perfectly with our family/home unit.   MIDDLE GRADE/YA BOOKS     Almost Home by Joan Bauer   2012-book, adopted-foster-child, bebrave, character-traits, character-who-writes, divorce-or-separation, dogs, family, home, homelessness, intermediate-kids-book, strong-girl-character,survival, teachers-who-inspire     (You have to read the book to know why I wrote this review as a thank you note!)   Dear Maggie, I want to thank you for lending me this book because you thought it connected to our family/home literacy contract. You were so right, and I LOVED it! Sugar Mae Cole was so brave and saw beauty in everything. She had gratitude for even the small things in life, and that saved her. Didn't you just love Shush? I loved how Shush found purpose and courage after being so afraid. I marked this line from Sugar: "I've learned something about sadness this last year. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just sit with someone who's hurting; you don't have to say anything or offer advice, you just sit there. I think dogs understand this better than people." I also thought Mr. Bennett was inspirational. I sure hope I am or can become a teacher like him. I thought the things he said and wrote to Sugar were awesome. He believed in her, and that made a huge difference in her life. Maybe I should paint one of my classroom walls red! It was so sad when Reba lost her way, but thank goodness for Lexie and Mac, and finally, Helen. I'm so happy Reba finally stood up to Mr. Leeland. Sugar's "Almost Home" poem at the end was beautiful and explained the concept of home perfectly. This book would be great to pair with Hold Fast by Blue Balliett and also reminds me of our read aloud now,  How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor.  I can also connect it to One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Thanks, again, Maggie, for introducing me to this book! Sincerely, Mrs. Mueller   Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle   2013-book, award-winner, bebrave, bullying, character-motivation, character-traits, coming-of-age, family, friendship, humor, individuality, intermediate-kids-book, journey, lgbt,performance-art, point-of-view,  theater

 

Lots of people have recommended this book, and it was an award winner at the ALA Youth Media Awards, and now I know why! The humor, courage, and resiliency of the narrator, 13-yr-old Nate Foster, make you cheer for him all the way through the story. It takes a lot of hutzpah to run away to Broadway all by yourself, but Nate chases the dream of landing a part in a musical in the Big Apple by doing just that. He tries out for E.T.: The Musical, and his best friend, Libby, always in his corner, covers for him back home. There are some mature themes, so this book isn't for everybody, but it addresses things like bullying.  He shows us how people can hurt each other, but he also shows us how people can be strong and forgiving. Beware - you'll need to go out and get Five, Six, Seven, Nate right away because it ends on a cliffhanger!  You should have seen the look on Paige's when I handed the second one to her last week.  She couldn't wait to read what happened!

 

CURRENTLY READING

 

 

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO

 

 

Now comment below to tell me what YOU'RE reading!

One Little Word

     Last week I challenged both 5th and 6th graders to choose One Little Word to focus on in 2014.  There are many studies that show that resolutions are often broken within the first couple months of the new year, so choosing one word is a more effective way to make goals. 

 

 

     My word came to me at the end of the summer.  It's JOURNEY.  I chose JOURNEY because I am experiencing a lot of journeys this year and so is my family.  I moved to Columbia Intermediate to two grade levels and began a journey there.  I am in the midst of writing a book about teaching with a former colleague that could possibly be published, and it has been and will continue to be a journey.  My parents made the journey to Florida where they bought a house and will permanently move when they sell their house in KY.  My youngest daughter, Katie, will graduate from high school and so we won't have any more kids at home.  Lots of journeys!  The great thing about a journey is that even though it could be full of obstacles, the person on the journey is transformed for the better.  Sometimes journeys also turn out differently than how they started.  I'm open to that, too.  When I discovered Aaron Becker's picture book Journey, it quickly became my favorite picture book of 2013, and I used it to develop a literacy contract around the theme topic JOURNEY for 5th graders.

 

     When I introduced the concept to all the classes, most students chose one pretty quickly.  They discussed them at their tables, wrote about them, and decorated cards with them with why they chose their words and one thing they're going to do to focus on them on the back of the card.  They turned out great!  Here are some examples.  I'll be making a bulletin board out of them so students can see what their words are all year.

 

     Parents, what would your words be?  We'd love to hear them and read about why you picked them.  Just leave a comment below.  Thanks!