For the past six days, I’ve worked with an amazing group of teachers making revisions to our writing curriculum. The dedication and passion these men and women brought to this work made my job of facilitating much easier. I feel good about what we accomplished and know that these teachers all feel prepared to launch the writing workshop in their classrooms next week.
We still have so much work to do, but thanks to the Units of Study developed by Lucy Calkins and her colleagues at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, we have a good grasp of the process and new expectations. Everyone is excited for school to start so we can begin working with students and help them become capable, confident writers.
Teachers often ask me about the purpose of the writer’s notebook. They are uncomfortable with the idea of letting kids write about a self-selected topic. They want to know what they’re supposed to do with this writing. Do they grade it? Does it have to become a story or some other kind of a polished piece. I always explain that no, this writing is not graded. It doesn’t necessarily have to become something else.
Because of these questions and the discomfort some of them have with writing itself, I began our work days by giving the teachers time to write. Some days I offered a photograph or piece of art; some days I shared one of Corbett Harrison’s Sacred Writing Time slides. It was interesting to watch how the teachers reacted to the prompts and how they worked. (I did write, also.) But the real revelations came when the teachers shared their writing.
Everyone had approached the task from a different angle, an angle that was meaningful to them. Some were surprised by the direction their writing took. Others were grateful for the opportunity to sit quietly and be reflective after a hectic morning trying to get to school by eight o’clock. We talked about the importance of giving our students choices about their writing and about the importance of feeling comfortable enough to share our work. We all agreed that going through this process ourselves would help us as we guide our students in the weeks to come.
The most valuable insight for me came from what I wrote this morning. Harrison’s slides always include whatever “National” day it is. Today happened to be National Radio Day. This made me remember a record album of old time radio programs that my mother used to listen to when I was little. Like links in a chain, this thought led to other ideas, which led me to an insight about a character in a story I’ve been writing this summer. This cascade of memories reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from Ratatouille, when Anton Ego takes his first bite of the dish Remy and Colette have lovingly prepared for him.
Why wouldn’t we want our students to have this same kind of opportunity to see where their writing takes them? Who knows what they might discover about themselves?
With the beginning of a new school year upon us, teachers around the country are making plans for a year that is sure to be filled with challenges. But right now, we aren’t thinking about those hurdles. We’re thinking about possibilities. Teachers are pros at seeing the possibilities and potential in children. We are tireless in our effort to find ways to bring out the very best in our students. One of the most important ways we do this is by sharing books that help our students see the possibilities and potential within themselves.
Artist and writer Debbie Millman recently told graduates at San Jose State University that success has nothing to do with luck. Rather, “it is really all about the strength of IMAGINATION.” This is an important message for students of all ages. Last week I came across several picture books that can help our students understand the importance of keeping their imaginations open to the wonders and possibilities all around them.
Journey (Candlewick Press, 2013) by Aaron Becker is a stunning book. It will remind readers of Harold and the Purple Crayon immediately, but Becker’s full color illustrations give this book a magical quality. There is an exotic mysteriousness to Journey that will lead to many questions and rich discussions about just exactly where the girl with the red crayon has gone. If you haven’t seen this book yet, the trailer will give you an idea of the riches within.
Jesse Klausmeier’s Open This Little Book (Chronicle Books, 2013; illustrated by Suzy Lee) is a book I would have adored when I was little. This is a book within a book within a book and so on. The story follows one pattern to the middle of the book, then follows another pattern to the next to the last page, when the pattern changes and readers are rewarded with Lee’s charming illustration depicting the endless possibilities in books. The cover of each little book hints at the animal featured within. This is just one of the clever details that will have young readers examining the illustrations over and over again.
If you want to see a whale (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Book Press, 2013; illustrated by Erin E. Stead) by Julie Fogliano is a lovely, quiet book. According to Fogliano, in order to see a whale, “you will need…time for waiting and time for looking and time for wondering…” This is an important reminder to children (and their parents!) in today’s busy world.
Yesterday, Donalyn Miller asked readers of the Nerdy Book Club blog what books they were looking forward to sharing with students this year. These are three titles I will be sharing with children again and again to encourage them to unleash the power of their imaginations.
Be sure to visit Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers to find out what other people have been reading lately. Thanks, Jen and Kellee, for hosting!
With my mother and sister before I marched in the parade for the first time.
Every August, my town is transformed by the Bridgewater Country Fair. Sponsored by the volunteer fire department, this annual event was one of the highlights of my childhood. The fair was a magical place with a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel, farm animals, flowers, and vegetables. All summer, I looked forward to eating all the food I could only get at the fair.
The fair where Wilbur and Charlotte have their final triumph has always reminded me of our fair. As a matter of fact, I think one of the reasons I loved Charlotte’s Web so much the first time I read it was because White’s description of the fair resonated so deeply with me. (I still love it, but for many other reasons.) I’ve often tried to write something about the Bridgewater Fair, but have never been happy with the results. So this year, inspired by Margaret, I decided to create a found poem using White’s own words. Drawn from chapters XVI, XVII, XVIII, and chapter XIX, this poem uses White’s language to capture my memories of the fair of my childhood.
“Off to the Fair”
The Fair only comes once a year.
Balloons aloft.
Clean straw,
new pigpen,
cattle barn,
sheep blatting,
first prize.
“Can I have some money?”
Have some fun on the midway:
Ferris wheel turning,
round and round in the sky.
Music of the merry-go-round,
steer a jet plane.
“Hold on tight!”
Spin a wheel, win a doll.
Many fine smells in the air:
Hamburgers frying,
popcorn,
candied apples,
lollypops.
Wonderful excitement!
Wonderful adventure!
~from the words of Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
Happy Friday, everyone! I’m “off to the fair!”
Thank you to Lisa at Steps and Staircases for hosting the Poetry Friday Round Up today. Be sure to head over and read more wonderful poetry!
School doesn’t officially begin until August 26th, but today I worked with first grade teachers on revisions to our writing curriculum. We had honest conversations about their concerns, productive conversations about our expectations, and began laying out their first unit. We were all pleased with what we accomplished and hope to get even more done tomorrow.
We also looked at several books, considering them as possible mentor texts. We all loved the book included in with the TCRWP Units of Study, Night of the Veggie Monster, by George McClements, and they wished they had Ralph Tells a Story, by Abby Hanlon last year. Everyone felt that we should choose at least one more book before school starts. I mentioned I was pretty sure I had a book at home that would fit the bill.
When I got home this evening, I went into my office and started looking through the stack of picture books where I thought the missing book was. I didn’t find it, but I did uncover this, buried for so long I didn’t even know I had it.
Earrings, by Judith Viorst
Barbara featured this book on her Picture Book 10 for 10 post on Saturday. I even commented that I didn’t know the book! So thank you, Barbara, for highlighting this wonderful book, so that I would know what a treasure I had found. Who knows what else is hiding in that pile?
More Jane Yolen, of course! After highlighting just 10 (well, maybe a few more than 10) picture books by one of the most prolific authors ever for Picture Book 10 for 10, I can’t stop reading (and rereading) books by Yolen.
One of her more recent volumes is a book of poetry, co-written with Rebecca Kai Dotlich. In Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist (Wordsong, An Imprint of Highlights, 2013; illustrated by Matt Mahurin), Yolen and Dotlich use fifteen well-known fairy tales as a spring board for pairs of poems that let the characters speak for themselves. Snow White has her say, as do Gretel and Goldilocks. There are also poems that give voice to supporting characters, such as the the Wicked Fairy from Sleeping Beauty, who admits she “should’ve read/that page on tips.” While some of the poems do have a humorous tone, others reveal the dark side of the fairy tale. Beauty’s isolation is tinged with sadness as she wonders “what sounds children/might have made/running across the marble halls…”
These poems are naturals for reading after reading the original tale. Anchor Standard 9 of the CCSS states that students will “analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to compare the approaches the authors take.” At many grade levels, students are expected to use fairy tales, myths, and legends for this purpose.
In a note to their readers, Yolen and Dotlich also urge their audience to “try writing a fairy tale poem yourself [and] make a little magic.” By “juggling different perspectives,” students will develop a deeper understanding of characters who, in many retellings, are often no more than stereotypes.
Of course, there are numerous versions of these tales that do adopt the point of view of a character who doesn’t usually have a voice. Since the huge success of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka (Viking Press, 1989; illustrated by Lane Smith) these “fractured fairy-tales” have become their own sub-genre. There are also other poets who have given a voice to favorite fairy tale characters. Marilyn Singer has written two books of reversos, pairs of poems which use the same words in reversed order to present the perspective of two different characters. Singer’s poems in Mirror, Mirror (Duttons Children’s Books, 2010; illustrated by Josee Masse) and Follow, Follow (Dial Books, 2013; also illustrated by Josee Masse) are similar to Yolen and Dotlich’s as they have humor but don’t shy away from the hard lessons these characters have learned. Masse amazingly repeats this feat in her illustrations.
Grumbles from the Forest and both of Singer’s books will be best understood by students in third grade and up. Why should they have all the fun? Mary Ann Hoberman’s You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You series has a collection devoted to fairly tales, Mother Goose, and Aesop’s fables that are perfect for sharing with younger readers.
Sadly, I’m no longer surprised when students arrive at school not knowing these classic stories. My library, though, is well-stocked with classic versions of these stories, as well as many of the fractured variety. I share them with students every chance I get. I believe Yolen is absolutely correct when she wrote in Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie and Folklore in the Literature of Childhood, (August House, 2000) “that culture begins in the cradle…to do without tales and stories and books is to lose humanity’s past, is to have no map for our future.”
Be sure to visit Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers to find out what other people have been reading lately. Thanks, Jen and Kellee, for hosting!
Picture Book 10 for 10 is the brainchild of Cathy Mere of Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy Robeck of Enjoy and Embrace Learning. During this annual event, now in its fourth year, teachers, librarians, and book lovers create lists of 10 essential picture books. Cathy and Mandy collect and share these lists, and everyone is richer because of their efforts. Be sure to visit their blogs to see their lists, and check out links to other lists. Thank you, Cathy and Mandy, for organizing this celebration of children’s literature!
Jane Yolen, who has been called the Hans Christian Anderson of our time, is one of my favorite authors and I’ve always used her books in my classroom. Her books are filled with humor, compassion, and a deep desire to ensure that children continue to have quality literature that preserves our cultural heritage. She has written over 300 books, including fantasy and fairy tales, historical fiction, poetry, rhyming picture books, non-fiction picture books, novels and more. Needless to say, trying to choose just ten of her books turned out to be quite a challenge! I tried to include one book from each genre Yolen has written in and I admit my choices are very subjective. Many of these are older works that I read to my children when they were small. These, of course, are my favorites.
Photo by Jason Stemple, via wired.com
One of the most generous and inspiring writers working today, Yolen speaks at conferences of teachers and writers often, sharing her wisdom about books and writing. I have been fortunate to hear her speak twice, and a smarter, funnier, kinder advocate for children’s literature is not to be found. Yolen’s website is a treasure-trove of information about anything to do with her life and work.
Commander Toad in Space (CowardMcCann, 1980; illustrated by Bruce Degen) On her website, Jane explains that she got the idea for this series (which are really early readers) when she read an article in her local newspaper about a boy whose frog, “Star Warts”… “had just won a jumping frog contest.” Yolen goes on to point out that “every book is riddled with puns,” which today’s beginning readers are certain to understand, given the popularity of Star Wars. Not all the puns are related to Star Wars, though. Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes (CowardMcCann, 1982) gives a nod to another Hollywood classic, and Mr. Hop is suspiciously Spock-like. Even if they don’t get all the allusions, these books (there are seven titles altogether) are tried and true favorites of first and second grade readers.
Encounter (Harcourt Brace, 1992; illustrated by David Shannon) Kirkus described this book as “a poignent account of Columbus’s landfall in the Americas, from a Taino’s point of view.” An important counterpoint to “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” this book belongs in every classroom. Yolen’s subtle prose and Shannon’s luminous illustrations ensure that this vanished culture won’t be forgotten.
I love of all of Jane’s poetry, so it was difficult to choose a single book. She and her son, Jason Stemple, have teamed up to create a number of books like Fine Feathered Friends (Boyds Mills, 2004). Yolen uses Stemple’s stunning “photographs as a jumping off place for poetry.” (About.com interview) A masterful poet, Yolen’s poems are full of imagery, humor, and facts about each bird. Haikus, quatrains, and other forms are paired with facts about each bird, including its genus, species, and habitat.
The Girl in the Golden Bower (Little Brown, 1994; illustrated by Jane Dyer) is an original fairy tale that my third graders always loved. Indeed, Book List states that “the lyrical language Yolen employs makes this an excellent choice for reading aloud.” The story contains many elements for the genre, including an evil sorceress, magical objects, spells, and people who are who are transformed into animals.
Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry (Candlewick and Walker UK; with Andrew Fusek Peters; illustrated by Polly Dunbar) Jane edited this anthology with British author Andrew Fusek Peters. It is one of my favorite collections, full of poems about the everyday lives of young children. My favorite poem in this collection will always and forever be “The No-No Bird,” by Peters. It begins “I’m the no-no bird/that’s right, that’s me/I live up in/the Tantrum Tree.” One year I had a student who said no to everything I tried to read with him until we got to this. I think he suddenly realized that he wasn’t alone in his negativity! He still remembers this poem, and he’s now a passionate reader who’s about to start fifth grade.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (Scholastic, 2000; illustrated by Mark Teague) This rhyming picture book is probably one of Ms. Yolen’s best known recent works. It has won numerous awards and is the first book in a series which now includes seven titles. These dinosaurs have daily lives exactly like those of their young fans. And while not always the models of appropriate behavior, in the end, they do what’s right and turn out the light. (Sorry, I’ve read this too many times today!)
Letting Swift River Go (Little Brown, 1992; illustrated by Barbara Cooney) My grandmother grew up in Athol, one of the towns near the Quabbin Reservoir, so I was immediately drawn to this book when it was published. It tells the story of how four towns along the Swift River in central Massachusetts were flooded to create a source of drinking water for Boston. Yolen’s text explains this process in a child-friendly way. Indeed, the Los Angeles Times Book Review wrote that “…the words convey the poignancy of change, as well as the healing effects of accepting change and moving on.” Both the town where I live and the town where I teach are bordered by lakes that were created by flooding sections of our river communities. I have shared this book with students many times to give them a better understanding of our towns’ history.
Off We Go! (Little Brown, 2000; illustrated by Laurel Molk) In this rhyming picture book for the preschool set, all the animals are off to Grandma’s house. Told in quatrains, each animal’s stanza begins with an action: the mouse goes “tip-toe, tippity toe,” while the frog goes “hip-hop, hippity hop.” I can envision students acting out these stanzas as the story is read.
Perhaps Ms. Yolen’s best known book, Owl Moon (Philomel, 1987) was awarded the Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr’s gorgeous illustrations. This story of a little girl going owling with her father was a particular favorite of my adventurous boys when they were little. They took great delight in finding the woodland animals Schoenherr hid in the shadows of his woodland scenes. The Horn Book called the text “quiet and reflective,” (Vol. 62, No. 6, p. 790) and Yolen herself considers the text “an unrhymed picture book poem.”
Piggins (Harcourt, 1987; illustrated by Jane Dyer) is the story of Piggins, a very proper British butler, who keeps everything running smoothly at 47 The Meadows, the very proper Edwardian home of Mr. and Mrs. Reynard. Small mishaps have happened around the house, and Mrs. Reynard’s cursed diamond lavalier is blamed. The Reynards invite their close friends to a dinner party, hoping that they will be able to sell the necklace. A mystery ensues and Piggins saves the day. Humorous allusions abound and although the original readers (i.e. parents) found similarities to Upstairs, Downstairs, today’s parents are more likely to be reminded of Gosford Park. The fun continues in Picnic with Piggins (Harcourt Brace, 1988) and Piggins and the Royal Wedding (Harcourt Brace, 1988). Both are also illustrated with Jane Dyer’s charming watercolors.
I could go on and on, and shudder to think of some of the books I left off this list. What is your favorite Jane Yolen picture book?
Thank you, Ms. Yolen, for your tireless efforts to create this wonderful body of work that will continue to enrich the lives of children and adults alike for years to come.
TeachersWrite, the summer writing camp for teachers organized by Kate Messner, Gae Polisner, Jo Knowles, and Jen Vincent, ends Monday. While I’m sad that the structured lessons, quick-writes, and feedback opportunities will be ending, I’m very excited about the writing I’ve done this summer. I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to get back to school to share these insights with my colleagues and students.
Today’s poem was inspired by this photo, which a friend shared on Facebook a few weeks ago. I was amazed by the uniqueness of each individual grain, and it got me thinking. This is the current draft of the resulting poem:
Sometimes in our busy lives,
we brush others aside
as carelessly as we brush
the sand off our feet
after a day at the beach.
But what if we stopped,
took a moment
for a closer look?
What wonders might be revealed to us?
The geologist, turning
her microscope to those few
grains of sand,
is rewarded with
an astonishing menagerie:
a crystal jack, broken in half
translucent beads, flecked with whirls of milky white
Many, many thanks to Kate, Gae, Jo, and Jen, for a wonderful, rewarding summer of writing. I’m looking forward to being back next summer! (And maybe meeting some of you at NCTE in Boston?)
There are more incredible photos of magnified sand at InspirationGreen. I think this would be a perfect quick-write to share with students of any age.
Thanks also to Renee at No Water River for hosting the Poetry Friday Round Up. Be sure to visit her and all the other Poetry Friday folks.
“There are no good books which are only for children.” W.H. Auden
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me or reads this blog that I love children’s literature. I have always loved to read, but it wasn’t until my first son was born that I truly understood the importance of sharing books and reading with children. I’ve written about this before, but I’ve been thinking about it again after visiting the outstanding exhibit at the New York Public Library, The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter, curated by Leonard S. Marcus, one of the most respected scholars of children’s literature today.
When I was little, people cared about me enough to read to me and to see that I had books to read to myself. How sad it was for me to realize that this is not true for every child. My love of books and my passion to share them with children is what led me to teaching and is what drives me still.
And yet, there are always new discoveries to be made. Earlier this summer I was at a local library’s book sale. I love going to these sales; they’re like treasure hunts to me. What unappreciated book has someone casually discarded? What long lost favorite of childhood is waiting for me to discover it among the many copies of yesterday’s fad? Among other treasures, I found The Quiet Noisy Book, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. The bright, bold illustrations are distinctly mid-century, but I was captivated by Brown’s text.
It was a very quiet noise.
Such a quiet noise.
As quiet as quietness.
It was a very quiet noise.
As quiet as someone eating currant jelly.
As quiet as a little kitten lapping milk.
The teacher in me was very excited at all the possibilities for using this as a mentor text for writing. In an instant, this book was in my bag and I felt a rush of excitement that I had rescued it from oblivion. I also had a new Margaret Wise Brown book to add to my collection.
So last Saturday at the New York Public Library, I was surprised to see this in the section of the exhibit devoted to Lucy Sprague Mitchell, the Bank Street Writers Laboratory and it’s impact on children’s literature.
I recognized the style of the illustration right away, but didn’t think it was the same book. When I got home, I checked on-line and discovered that Brown and Weisgard had created a series of Noisy books. How had I never heard of them?
Another section of the exhibit highlighted Alice in Wonderland. Among the items on display here are a photo of Alice Liddell, her own copy of Carroll’s book, and a charming carving of Tweedledee and Tweedledum that was used as a parasol handle. The highlight for me, though, was this Alice, whose neck would lengthen and then shrink back to it’s normal size.
How fitting that her neck was made of books! To me, Alice’s extended neck represents the endless possibilities to be found in books. One book leads to another, which leads to the next, and on and on forever. It also represents how books connect us, one to another, each one leaving a piece of itself within us. Why do children’s books matter? Because, in the lovely words of Julius Lester, they “link our souls like pearls on a string, bringing us together in a shared and luminous humanity.”
On her blog, Read, Write, Reflect, Katherine Sokolowski recently wrote about her childhood impression that authors were a “chosen few” who “lived in magical worlds.”
This got me thinking about my experience with authors as a child. The town where I grew up (and am lucky enough to still live) is only about an hour and a half from New York City. When I was a kid in the sixties there were at least 10 working farms in town (3 on my road alone) and there was exactly one “development.” Needless to say, it was a pretty peaceful place. The perfect place for writers to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet close enough to go in when they had to.
Because the mother of one of my classmates was a writer, I was lucky enough to know a “real” author. I remember Mrs. Stevens bringing Where the Wild Things Are into school one day. It was still in great big sheets, just as it had come off the printing press, and she showed us how it was cut and assembled into a book. In 1969, her book, The Birth of Sunset’s Kittens, was published. I loved this book and I checked it out of the library many times. To me, Mrs. Stevens was very sophisticated and glamorous, and reading her book made me feel that way, too.
Imagine my delight, then, when I found a copy of this book at a local book sale! I scooped up this precious find and reread it on the spot. It is longer than I remember, and includes more details than I imagine our librarian was comfortable reading to us, but it’s as charming as ever. (And it smells like it’s been in a library for 35 years! Heavenly!)
This isn’t the first time I’ve found a book written by Mrs. Stevens at a book sale. One year I found a copy of Catch a Cricket, a title I wasn’t familiar with. And I’ve found several copies of Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm over the years, all of which are now in my book collection.
My husband thinks I’m nuts to keep all these books. He doesn’t understand that I keep them because of what they represent: a portal to my childhood and the person I was. I look back on that awkward, self-conscious nine-year-old and am grateful beyond words to Mrs. Stevens for writing these books, and for being such a great role model. Her books helped fan the flames of my passion for reading. A passion that helped me become the person I am today.
Last week, I was busy with lots of reading and writing. Our TCRWP Units of Study arrived, so I began reading A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop. In this overview of the series, Lucy Calkins lays out the hard work ahead. But, as always, her reassuring voice lets us know that she and her colleagues are there to guide us as we help our students learn to become the best writers they can be. My favorite nugget of wisdom so far is this:
“When you provide students with constant opportunities to write and when you actively and assertively teach into their best efforts, their development as writers will astonish you, their parents, the school administrators, and best of all, the youngsters themselves.” (p. 3)
Who can argue with that?
I also made a trip to the library to see what was new and grabbed an armful of picture books. (I did leave some for the kids, I promise!) I enjoyed them all, but one stood out for me.
I’d heard much praise for The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books, 2013), and it is well-deserved. In his first picture book, film-maker Daywalt tells the story of a boy’s crayons going on strike. Each crayon writes to Duncan to express its feelings about how it’s being used (or not). Red feels overworked, while pink thinks Duncan should be more open-minded when it comes to using this “girls’ color.”
Daywalt gives each color a distinctive voice, which often matches our expectations, and these come through loud and clear in the letters. Oliver Jeffers’ expressive illustrations reinforce these personalities, yet retain a child-like quality that kids will identify with.
I can imagine all elementary grade students loving this book, but it seems especially well suited for second or third grade. After sharing the book for fun, The Day the Crayons Quit could be used to address Anchor Standard 6: “Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.”
Children could also use the letters as models for their own writing. Narratives could be written from the point-of-view of their favorite color crayon, or some other familiar object. They could also write opinion pieces about a particular color.
This book could also be paired with collections of poems organized around colors such as Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill or Color Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen. The possibilities are endless. Which, in the end, is the point of this completely original picture book.
Be sure to visit Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers to find out what other people have been reading lately. Thanks, Jen and Kellee, for hosting!
Reading to the Core 
