Passionately Curious

Lookybook

Lookybook allows you to view entire picture books as you would in a bookstore, except this time it's digital.  Unlike Amazon's "Search Inside," you can browse from cover to cover before you decide to purchase. You can't find every picture book here, but new ones are added each week and the list is growing.  You can add comments,  put your favorites on a "bookshelf", or even embed a book to share with others.  While books with larger print are easy to read (I've read several with my 5 year old!), others are better at just giving you a sense of the book before you buy it.  Lookybooky is worth a look!  Tip: Click on the eyeballs of the embed to view a larger version.

I Have Heard of a Land

I was recently reminded me of this wonderful picture book by Joyce Carol Thomas that fits in perfectly with our study of the American pioneers.  I Have Heard of a Land is a poetic portrait of brave Americans, including many black settlers freed from slavery, who sought a new life in the west.  This story is inspired by Thomas' own family's journey to the Oklahoma Territory during the 1893 land run.  Thomas writes from the perspective of a strong and determined black, woman pioneer.  Below are some of the phrases that create the most powerful feelings and images for me. 

I have heard of a land where...

the earth is red with promises
a woman can plant her crop and walk all day and never come to the end of it
the imagination has no fences
what is dreamed one night is accomplished the next day
flapjacks spread out big as wagon wheels
butter is the color of melted sun
her possibilities reach as far as her eyes can see

It must have been wonderful to imagine such possibilities.  As Thomas writes in her Author's Note, "I Have Heard of A Land is one story of the journey of African Americans to a place of hope, a hope connected to the yearning for land - when land was another word for freedom."

Although limited, I have found a few other children's books (suitable for second grade readers) that document the African-American experience during Westward Expansion.  I'd love to know of others. 

Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer by Linda Lowery
This is a biography of a a freed slave who travel to Colorado to find her daughter. 

Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner
A story of an African American family traveling to Kansas in 1878 to claim free land.

Black Cowboy Wild Horses by Julius Lester
Based on the true story of cowboy Bob Lemmons.

Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heros in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel
Includes black and white photographs dating from 1852-1948

On Top of the World

Idiom of the Week is another great resource from Primary Concepts that presents language in a playful way.  Using the adventures of the Wordly Family, ideas for discussion and practice are organized into a small spiral-bound book that are perfect for filling those extra 5-10 minutes between activities.    

Here's an example:

on top of the world
©Primary Concepts

Word Story
The little Wordly boy was on top of the world! Summer vacation was coming up soon. He couldn’t wait to swim, play with his friends all day, and read in the sun.
When you’re on top of the world, you’re feeling extremely happy.

Talk About It
✪ How would you feel if you could really be sitting on top of the world?
✪ When is the last time you felt as if you were on top of the world?

Picture It Materials: a globe
Draw a circle to represent the world; then draw a picture of yourself on top of the world. Fill in the sentence frame:
I am on top of the world because______.

My kids can't seem to get enough of idioms.  They are using them at home and whenever they discover a new one, we are the first to know!  Here are some other books that we can't keep on the shelves in our classroom library:

There's a Frog in My Throat! 440 Animals Sayings a Little Bird Told Me
by Loreen Leedy & Pat Street

Monkey Business
by Wallace Edwards

White is For Blueberry

When I taught first grade, I loved using Gerorge Shannon's Tomorrow's Alphabet with my students.  After looking at several kinds of alphabet books, this one offered a new twist.  The children really had to think about and guess the picture that matched each letter.  It was an engaging alphabet puzzle.  The first few lines read:

A is for seed..., tomorrow's apple.
B is for eggs..., tomorrow's birds.
C is for milk..., tomorrow's cheese.

Yesterday my son recieved this beautiful picture book for his second birthday.  I didn't immediately recognize George Shannon as the author, but as soon as we started reading White is for Blueberry , I was reminded of Tomorrow's Alphabet.  Each page is a color riddle accompanied by the rich, colorful illustrations of Laura Dronzek.  The first pages reads, " PINK is for crow...when it has just hatched from it's egg."  One of my favorite pages is," PURPLE is for snow...when the snow is the shadow of us."  Earlier this winter, my four-year old daughter noticed her own purple shadow on the snow.  This was a great connection for her.  I will definitely read this book to my second graders and see if they can solve each clever riddle before we turn the page. 

Barefoot Books

During a visit to Boston a few years ago, one of my dearest friends took me to Barefoot Books.  I soon found out that this charming and inviting book shop wasn't any ordinary independent children's bookseller.   I was drawn immediately to the beautiful, vibrant artwork on nearly every book cover. I even considered purchasing a print by one of their talented illustrators, such as Sophie Fatus or Niamh Sharkey.  As I looked further, I soon found many titles that I could use in the classroom - books that celebrated diversity, culture, art and storytelling.  As their mission states,

At Barefoot Books, we celebrate art and story that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts. Taking our inspiration from many different cultures, we focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and sharing of the world’s diversity. Interactive, playful and beautiful, our products combine the best of the present with the best of the past to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow.

Explore Barefoot Books.  You won't be disappointed!

 

Sugarbush Spring

After weeks of below normal temperatures and snow, we are longing for a Chicago spring. A fieldtrip to the sugarbush makes it seem not so far away.  Each year, we travel south to the Indiana State Dunes and Chellburg Farm to learn how the native Potowatmi, the pioneers, and the Chellburg Family of the late 1800s harvested sap to make maple syrup.   

Sugarbush Spring is one of the several stories we share before this field trip.  This story is about a young girl who learns from her grandfather the method of tapping the trees, gathering the sap, and boiling it down to a golden syrup.  Beautifully written, this fictional story is filled with important facts that make our trip to the sugarbush more meaningful.  Thank you to author Marsha Wilson Chall for allowing me to quote a few passages here:

The taps leaves scars in the trees.
    Let's find two holes in a maple, one on each side, like front and back belly buttons.

Wide trees are too old to tap, skinny ones are too young.
    "Let's tap this one!" I shout, and try to reach around a trunk as wide as Rosie [the horse].
    "Too old," says Grandpa. "See all the taps? She's given and given till she's nearly given out."
    "How about this one?" I ask, wrapping my hands around another tree.
    "Too young," Grandpa answers.  "She needs all the sugar she makes this year.
She'll be ready when she fills up your arms."
    All around the sugarbush, I measure who's ready, filling up my arms with trees.

The sap begins to run when warm days alternate with freezing nights.
We drill and tap and hang pail after pail until my feet are freezing and the drip-drip-dripple of a hundred trees has stopped.
    "Grandpa, the trees are empty!," I shout.
    Grandpa laughs. "They're just too cold," he tells me.  "We'll have a freeze tonight.
They'll rest up and run hard again tomorrow. Time to head back."

The syrup is ready when it reaches 219 degrees Fahrenheit.
    Already the sugarhouse smells like pancakes.
    "Is it syrup, yet?" I ask Jim.
    "Too soon," he says, and taps the thermometer. "Should be two hundred nineteen degrees. Seven degrees to go."
    I keep my eye on that thermometer: two hundred fifteen...two hundred sixteen...The bubbles creep higher, swelling to the top of the pan. "There she blows!" I yell.
    Jim flicks in a drop of cream, and the sap settles right back down, dark and gleaming. "A watched pot never boils over," he tells me.
    The silver needle jumps-two hundred eighteen degrees.  The sap boils to fine, golden bubbles...Two hundred nineteen! Jim pours a caramel bubble from his long tin scoop. "We've got syrup!" he shouts.

Wish for a Snowy Chicago Winter

With rain and temperatures in the 40s, it's hard to imagine that a Chicago winter is right around the corner.   The city is an amazing and beautiful site after a fresh layer of snow, but the wind can be bitter, the snow piles eventually get icy and dirty, and the sun hides away for what seems like months.   Then,  there are the challenges of parking after everyone in the neighborhood has claimed their spot with a lawn chair, milk crate or spare tire ( a practice endorsed by our mayor).

Grown-ups get grumpy and tired of the cold and the gray, but children are always excited after a snowfall. At Lab School, we go outside nearly everyday and since teachers schedule and supervise their own recess times, we must also be prepared to endure the weather. Although it takes my class at least 20 minutes to get dressed with snow pants, boots, hats, and mittens, the excitement is contagious.  Playing in the snow with my students makes winter recess bearable and fun.   We are lucky to have a great sledding hill, the Midway Plaisance, right across the street.   How many jobs let you spend an hour of your workday sledding, building snowmen, or making snow angels with a group of seven-year olds?

While browsing the school library for winter books, I came across one called Recess at 20 Below. Although the weather's in Chicago has been warm, I decided to share it with my students last week right before our winter vacation.  Cindy Lou Aiilaud, a physical education teacher from Delta Junction, Alaska, wrote and photographed this charming tale of recess in Alaska from a child's perspective. Once the snow and cold do arrive here, I know a couple of my students will complain about going outside.  I will remind them of Alaska where there are only three hours of daylight in the winter and snow is on the ground from September to April, and of the children, who despite frozen eyelashes, still play soccer, build snow forts and go outside when it's 20 below.  Maybe a Chicago winter won't seem so bad. 

 

Snowflakes

To launch an upcoming study of snow in January, my class visted the Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry yesterday.  While there,  we saw a small exhibit on the photographs of Wilson "Snowflake Bentley."  Bentley lived in Vermont in late 1800s and was the first person to take photographs of individual snowflakes.  His story is beautifully illustrated by Mary Azarain in Jacqueline Briggs Martin's Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal).  His real photographs are also available in Snowflakes in Photographs by W.A. Bentley himself. 

The exhibit, "A Snow Story," also included the stunning photography (see above) of a modern-day Snowflake Bentley, physicist Ken Libbrecht.  He has a wonderful and informative website devoted to snow crystals, snowflakes and other ice phenomena. 

Here are some interesting facts we learned from yesterday's field trip:

• Snowflakes are not white; they are clear.
• Chicago's biggest recorded snowfall of 23 inches was on Jan. 26-27, 1967.
• Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley took over 5000 photographs.

Holidays of Light

Because my students come from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, we cannot merely focus on one winter holiday, nor are we discouraged from celebrating any holidays.  Instead, we celebrate and study many.  The halls are filled with the smell of latkes and Christmas cookies; Nursery and Lower School classes make decorations for a "Hands Around the World" theme that brighten the school's main Lobby; and children, families and teachers gather before school for a seasonal sing-along. Our Lobby displays a Christmas tree, a menorah, and a kinara.  We learn about the holidays celebrated in our own class and the parents (better experts than me) plan activities, read stories, and share traditions.  We participate in food, clothing, and toy drives.  We celebrate our diversity and our community. 

Later this week, we are going on a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to see their annual holiday exhibits Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light, a look at winter celebrations that feature light and enlightenment.  Their site contains great information about holiday customs and traditions from around the world.  Here are some books that also include these holidays and celebrations of the winter solstice:

                                                    

Celebrations of Light    

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice         

Lights of Winter

Thankful for Children's Literature

Hosted by Anne-Marie of A Readable Feast, this month's Carnival of Children's Literature asks, "What Are You Thankful For in Children's Literature. Here's my list:

 

• I'm thankful for my students' love of books!  Each child, whether a beginning or fluent reader, has found something to love - the humor of Captain Underpants, the adventures of Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House series, the information from a Gail Gibbons book, the engaging photographs of Ken Robbins, the whimsical poetry of Douglas Florian, or the amazing paper illustrations of Steve Jenkins. 
• I'm thankful that there's a "just-right" book for every child.
• I'm thankful that my job as a teacher gives me the chance to read great children's literature everyday. Children's books teach me new and wonderful things!
• I'm thankful for the chance to nurture a love of books and reading in children.
• I'm thankful that children's literature has made me a better teacher. Children's books are essential to my daily curriulum. I use books to teach the strategies of decoding and comprehension, to introduce science or social studies topics, to model what good writers do, to encourage discussion, or wind-down a busy school day with a good read-aloud.
• I'm thankful for Mo Willems, Cynthia Rylant, Douglas Florian, and Mem Fox.
• I'm thankful for the time I spend with my own children each day as we snuggle together to read a book. They already love stories and books at such a young age.  Amidst a pile of books, my 16 month old can always find his favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?