Dodsworth and His Amazing Travels

  Today, while cleaning a came across some books that I love dearly. These books are in a series that I will simply call the Dodsworth series. These are books by Tim Egan and if you have a young traveler on your hands these are the books for you. These books follow the character of Dodsworth and his companion duck as they adventure around the world. The books take it readers to places like New York, Pairs, London, Rome, and most recently Tokyo.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Tim+Egan&search-alias=books&text=Tim+Egan&sort=relevancerank (This is the link to the authors amazon page if you are interested)

   My personal favorite part of the story is the character of Duck in the story. He always ends up "accidentally" coming on trips with Dodsworth and serves as the comedic relief of the story. He helps Dodsworth see the city in a new way and make everything seem exciting and adventurous. I personally also like Duck because he reminds me of Mo Willems' Pigeon which makes these books even better if you ask me.   

  I have known these books for years, but for some reason as I was going through my books today it struck me how special and wonderful these books really as. I know several children that these books would interest and I know one in particular that I think would really enjoy this journey into the world of reading. Dodsworth has a way of taking his reader to special places and making a child learn about what makes this place so special. He talks about landmarks and culture. He is everything that I wish I would have had as a child.
     When I have a classroom I plan on using Dodsworth to introduce my young students to the world around them by showing them some of the most amazing cities in a fun, silly, and exciting way. I love how Tim Egan looks at the world and writes a story that children can really connect too. I can't wait to introduce children to this world.
    I hope everyone has a fantastic new year. Be ready for lots of post in 2014. My resolution is to post twice a week if not more. I can't wait to find out what this next year will bring.
                                                                              Happy Reading,
                                                                                Ms. Cara

Ps. For anyone that is interested I recently got an instagram and I normally just post pictures of my books I am reading and things like that. You can follow me by looking up mscarafarmer . I would love to get some more followers :)

Merry Christmas I hope it is Merry and Bright!

     Merry Christmas everyone! I love Christmas... the whole Christmas season. I love how happy people are and the pure joy that fills everyone's heart. Yesterday to get in the Christmas mood I read a beautiful book. This book is not new, but it is new to me. My dear friend Sara let me barrow her copy. She is a 6th grade teacher where I work and we have become very dear friends. She is a blessing in my life.
     The book that she let me barrow is called "Great Joy". I was drawn to this book not only because of the beautiful cover because lets face it the cover is amazing and it invites the reader to read on. I chose to read this book because it is by Kate DiCamillo. She is clearly an author that I love and I believe that this is truly a special book.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Joy-midi-Kate-DiCamillo/dp/0763649961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387994799&sr=8-1&keywords=great+joy

     This is the story about a young girl that watches an old man and his performing monkey out her window. As the weather grows cold she worries about him and where he will go. The girl has a sweet innocence about her and she truly cares about this homeless man. While her mother continues to tell her not to worry about him she does and ends up inviting him to her Christmas pageant. The end of the story brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. Sometimes it takes a children's book to teach adults the true meaning of Christmas.

     Merry Christmas everyone. Have a wonderful and blessed day.

                                                                           Keep reading and let me know if you got and                                                                              books for Christmas I would love,

                                                                                         Ms. Cara

I really love a good fox!

I recently had the pleasure of reading the most peculiar little book. This book has also turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. The book is called "Jane, the fox and me" by Fanny Britt.

http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Fox-Me-Fanny-Britt/dp/1554983606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386807186&sr=1-1

I was at first drawn to the cover because of the illustrations and the fact that there is a fox on the front. I love few things more than  a fox. I had forgotten about it and then heard that it has been named one of the best illustrated books of the year. After I heard that I knew that I had to read it. 

     

 The story is about an 11 year old girl that is dealing with being bullied by the girls that used to be her best friends. First of all, you have a best seller right there. Almost every young girl can relate to this happening and dealing with how harsh girls can be growing up. I personally found it very relatable and funny way. She deals with this by reading Jane Eyre and drowning her self in the world of amazing literature. Sounds like a girl after my own heart.

   

  What is very special about this book is that it is written in the form of a  graphic novel. I have never seen anything like this. The illustrations are beautiful black and white pictures until the fox enters the story. The fox, though his row is small, is a turning point in the story and makes a big difference in the girls life. 

      

     While I do not have the pleasure of owning this book yet I plan on it very soon. It touched my heart and I believe that any girl this age could enjoy this book. It takes a deep look into the life a girl being bullied and this could bring up a conversation about why this is happening and how it can be stopped. 

    As always, I hope that you have enjoyed reading this.I know I personally can not wait to own this book ( I am hoping to receive it for Christmas) I am officially on Christmas break, so if you have any book recommendations let me know in the comments section. I would love some new things to read. Also feel free to follow me on twitter at @cara_farmer. I tweet about books usually or things to do with education. I can be funny sometimes. You can also feel free to tweet comments there about your favorite children's books.

                                                                      Happy reading and happy holidays!

                                                                                 Ms. Cara

I miss you all

Hello everyone!
I have been missing talking about my books dearly so I will be back next week after finals. I am sure the internet really missed me.
until the STAY...

                                                                                Happy reading

                                                                                   Ms.Cara

There are no two alike.

     Yesterday I was walking through the book store at the mall. I do this like three times a week and honestly I think that it is a miracle that they do not know me by name. Any way so I was walking and they are putting out all of their christmas books so I am of course just so excited I could scream. I love Christmas, books, presents, winter, and snow. All of these favorite things of mine were laid nicely on a table for me to read and touch and of course buy.
   
     I looked thoughtfully through the books not looking for anything particular and then I found something. Hidden behind old classics the was a book that I have been waiting for for a couple of months. This book is called "Snowflakes Fall" by Patricia Maclachlan. I was drawn to the beautiful cover, it looks like a scene that any child would just want to fall into. I also love that it is by Patricia Maclachlan. I always fine her writing to be mesmerizing and the words just make me drift away.
  

http://www.amazon.com/Snowflakes-Fall-Patricia-Maclachlan/dp/0385376936/ref=la_B000AQ1O3Q_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383700287&sr=1-1

     The book focuses on the them that no two snowflakes are alike and with that it says that no two children are exactly alike. It shows how special we all are in this world. As someone who works with small children I found this message to be very heartwarming. I always urge children to be who they are and not want to be something else. They were made that way for a reason. After I finished this book I just had a strange need to hug it and keep it close to me forever. 

     After I finished obsessing over it and how much I must have it for my future classroom, I laid it down and began to study the cover. On the cover there was something that I had not previously noticed. There was a sticker on the front that stated that some of the money from this book would go to help the families who have been so deeply effected by the Sandy Hook shooting last year. After seeing that I go chills. That was such a terrible tragedy. Even now just writing this tears are beginning to fill my eyes. I love that there is a chance for this one little book to make a difference. I know I will be buying at least five copies if not more. I hope that after reading this many of you all will too. I would make a wonderful Christmas present for anyone you love. Just  by buying a book you can make a difference.

     Well that is it for today. I hope that you will all pick up this book and that it will mean something to you all. As always I urge you to share this with your friends. I would also love some nice comments or feed back. I would love to know what you all are thinking out there. Have a great night.

                                                                                Happy Reading,
                                                                                  Ms.Cara 

Happy Halloween

     I love Halloween and I can't wait to celebrate this fun holiday in my future classroom. I thought that this would be a great time to talk about some fun books that could be read during Halloween.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

I love this book. I bought it the day that it came out. I am such a big fan of his work and I love sharing this book with every one that I know. Today I read it to a little girl and she was so excited that the story has the dark as a character. The pictures are amazing and there is talk of this book winning some major book awards this year. Great for kids of any age.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Lemony-Snicket/dp/0316187488/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383167126&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dark

Click, Clack, Boo by Doreen Cronin

This book goes with the popular Click, Clack, Moo series. I like this story because it is funny and the children really get into it. I have probably read this 10 times in the past two days. Kids are quiet during the story, but they want to talk about it when it is over. Its entertaining and has somewhat of a pattern so that it becomes predictable. I would say this is great for kid up to second grade.

http://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Boo-Tricky-Treat/dp/1442465530/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383164394&sr=8-1&keywords=click+clack+boo

Five Little Monkeys: Trick or Treat by Eileen Christelow

For any one who has read Five Little Monkeys will love this. Its a simple story about the silly monkeys that everyone loves. I personally was glad to see this. My preschoolers loved it and ask me to read it over and over again. I think this would be fun to make into a play in a second grade classroom.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Monkeys-Trick---Treat-Story/dp/0547858930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383165623&sr=8-1&keywords=five+little+monkeys+trick+or+treat

     I hope you have a Happy Halloween and enjoy these books. I would love to hear your favorites for the Halloween season. I have a lot more than what is listed above.

                                                                                                     Happy Reading, 

                                                                                                      Ms. Cara

Melody will always be in my heart

      I have never read a book where I have connected to a character so quickly. In the book "Out of My Mind," the character of Melody tells her story in the way that really captures your heart. Melody is a girl that has a disability. She is unable to talk and communicate her thoughts. Everyone judges her for her physical disabilities, but no one gives her a chance to show how very intelligent she is.
      This book has had a huge impact on me and how I will teach very greatly. I will never let a child come into my classroom that has a disability and let them feel uncomfortable. This book showed me how important it is for a classroom to have a community so that all the students feel safe and comfortable.

http://www.amazon.com/Out-My-Mind-Sharon-Draper/dp/1416971718/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381953976&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+my+mind

     My uncle has special needs and this book reminded me of him so much. So many people think that because he has a disability he isn't smart and that he can't learn. Even when he was in school his teachers underestimated him. The thing with my uncle is that no one ever took the time to teach him in school. They never tried to teach him to read. When he graduated high school he taught him self how to read. He teaches himself new things all the time. My uncle is someone that I look up to and really admired. He never lets other people get him down.
     I would love to read this book aloud to a fifth grade class. I feel very deeply that all students should contact with students with special needs. For me I have had my uncle in my life and he has taught me so much. I think that for students it could teach them the true meaning of friendship. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. I hope that you all will read it and enjoy it. Please leave your comments I would love to hear what you all think. Here is the authors web page if you would like to learn more http://sharondraper.com/

                                                                                        Happy Reading
                                                                                           Ms. Cara

Three year olds are the best Artist!

     I has been a little while since my last post and I will say that things have been wild for me lately. I will tell you a secret.... becoming a teacher takes a whole lot of time and effort. Recently I wrote a paper that if I didn't pass I would not continue on in my program. Lucky for me I received a 94% which I think is pretty darn good. Also since we last spoke I have started visiting a new school where I will begin teaching reading and phonics lessons for the rest of my semester. Also my internet was out for a bit so needless to say things have been a little crazy at Ms. Cara's house.
     For the past few weeks I have been doing some great art with my three year olds and I can not wait to share this with you.
     First we read, "This is Not My Hat" by Jon Klesson. This book won the Caldicott award for 2013 and I personally think it is an amazing book. This is the story of a little bitty fish that takes a hat from a great big fish. He thinks he will get away with it, but the big fish is hot on his trail. I love this book for predictions because the kids just say the funniest things about it.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Not-My-Hat/dp/0763655996/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381713562&sr=8-1&keywords=This+is+not+my+Hat

      For our project, we made hats and fish. The hat is just a drawing that I did and the children colored it in with markers. The fish is a fish that I drew and then we glued pieces of construction paper. I love how each child's art work shows their own personality.

     We also read a book that is called "About a Bear". This is the story of a bear and he is getting ready for the winter. While this is a book that I am less wild about it is a great book for a preschool classroom or for early readers. The words are simple and the story is easy to follow. 

http://www.amazon.com/About-Bear-Holly-Surplice/dp/1589251121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381714770&sr=8-1&keywords=about+a+bear

      For our art project, I wanted to do something very fall so I decided to make a fall scene snow globe. For this, I took a plastic sandwich bag and filled it with hole punches of all different fall colors to make the leaves. I drew a fall scene with trees for the children to color. After the children color all of this is stapled to a blue piece of paper to create the sky. I personally think they turned out amazingly well. 

    It was good to catch up with you all. I will be back Wednesday with a new book to talk about. Have a great week!

                                                                                         Have fun reading this week

                                                                                                  Ms. Cara

Like being reunited with an old friend

     This week I was able to spend some quality time reading a lovely book. I read "The Boy on the Porch" By Sharon Creech.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boy-Porch-Sharon-Creech/dp/0061892351/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381101647&sr=8-1&keywords=the+boy+on+the+porch

 Growing up I always loved the way that Creech wrote. She always had a way of sweeping me up in her words and making every event seem real. This did not change as I got older and I have bought every book she has put out since I was 12 ( I am now 22). 

     This book tells the story of a boy that is left on the front porch and the couple that takes him in. I love the story line and it touched something in my heart. Later in the story, the couple become foster parents. This is something that I have been thinking about recently and I was excited to read about it in a book. It made me feel like if one day in my future I did want to do that that this is a book I could share with the children to show how much they mean to me.

     I would love to hear this story read out loud. I think it would take a special class to read this to, but I would like to put out the effort to find them. This book is a beautiful piece of writing and one that I think most would enjoy. I will always feel a little comfort reading a book by Sharon Creech. It's like being reunited with an old friend.

    I hope you all had a great weekend. I have a lot of post to catch up with so expect some fun art projects and great reads in the next few days. Have a wonderful October week.

                                                                                                   Happy Reading.

                                                                                                     Ms. Cara 

This is Possibly the Sweetest thing ever!!!!

     Last Wednesday was my birthday. I turned 22. For my birthday a dear friend of mine bought me this and all I have to say is this person knows me pretty well.

     Two of my favorite things in the whole world are Pride and Prejudice and children's books of course. I was shocked that I got this book and I am so glad to be able to add it to my collection. I know that this is a book that I would want for my future children. 

     I like it because it is a great way to introduce children to the world of classic literature. This book is a counting book. It says things like "2 gentlemen" and "5 sisters." The pictures are amazing and I love the simplicity of it. There are many more books in the series and they all help young children develop different skills. 

      Here is a link that can help you find more books if you are interested. http://www.gibbs-smith.com/BabyLit--C1347.aspx 

     Have a great night. I hope that some of you find this book helpful. I know that I will love it forever.

                                                                                Happy Reading

                                                                             Ms. Cara

I Bought A Few Too Many Books in September Part 1

     I received this huge box on Monday, and I could not be more excited. What you all don't know about me or maybe you do by now is that I love books and I especially love children's books. When I was a little, my family read to me all the time. My cousin, who I looked up to very much as a reader, read to me all the time and I loved that. My dad often took me to the book store and would let me pick out one new book each time. About twice a month, we would go to Holly Cook Book Store in Louisville and that was a special time. As I got older, he would take me to Borders and now we try to go to a book store every month and just talk. Books are something that keep us close. All of my friends know that books mean the world to me and boys whom I date know that they have to deal with that part of me. Just this week I was with a boy at the book store and I will confess that I like him very much. I found out that he has never read "Where the Wild Things Are". This of course would not work for me. He let me read it to him there and didn't even laugh when I got chills when I read "and it was still hot." That boy is getting some brownie points. :)

     Any way, so I received this huge box of books and I could not be more excited about that. It was filled to the top with amazing books. There was 47 in total. The wild thing is that this box is just the beginning of the books that I have bought this September. 

     I have decided to break these books into categories of young readers and older readers. Today we will just focus on younger. All of these book, aside from the first three, can be bought on scholastic for very little money. Scholastic is a great way to start your family or classroom library for a small price. All of these books can for sure be found on Amazon, which is a place where I buy a lot of books.

    These first three books are all written by the woman that wrote Goodnight Moon. I am not sure if you know this, but all kids love that book. I was able to get these books in a bundle for only $12. All of the books are hard back and I love the illustrations. While I will most likely not use these in my classroom, I do love them for my personal library. I am going to keep these in my babysitting bag so that the kids I am with can enjoy them. I already know that they will be coming in handy this Friday.

    I read this book for the first time last year when it first came out and I love it. It is so funny and a great read aloud in a classroom. The whole thing is in speech bubble and I think that it would be so fun to read this book in a second grade classroom and allow the kids to all have different parts and preform it. The book will have everyone chuckling and the illustrations will get all young artists doodling.

     When I was reading this book, all I could think is that this book would be wonderful for cultivating a classroom community. In all of my classes right now we are learning that this is an important aspect of developing a classroom. I loved that this book has so many different races in it and shows that all people can be friends.

    This book is so easily relate able. So many children go through the experience of family coming to visit and this book truly captures that. The pictures are fun and bring the story to life. This is a wonderful story for read aloud, and also a great example of a text to self connection that the children could make.

     This is such a classic. I can remember having this read to me when I was a little girl. I would love to read this book out loud at school sometime soon.

     In  the world we live in where so many kids are living in a family that lives in poverty. This book shows how a little girl works hard to earn money so that she can buy something special for her mom. This is a great example of text to world and text to self connections.

     The illustrations in this book are amazing and I loved every one of them. This is a book that I will be reading in the preschool tomorrow. We are going to learn the song and all the different ways that it can be sang.

     I will be honest I got this book for free and it didn't exactly rock my world. It is a counting book and I can see why a teacher my want to use it in the fall, but there are better options out there. I may use this if I ever go on a field trip to a pumpkin patch.

    The illustrations in this are cute and the preschoolers will truly enjoy making all of the sounds. I am going to have to read it a few times before I feel very connected to this book.

     This book is also one that I got for free. It is about a little owl that doesn't want to start preschool. It is an okay book but I would rather read "Llama Llama Misses Mama". I think it is written better and that it basically tells the same story.

     Oh man! Mo is taking on bullying in one of my favorite Piggie and Elephant books. I am actually going to read this out loud tomorrow and I can't wait. The book is surprising and well written. I have read this book several times and I still love it every time I read it.

Great for starting school and it is a fun companion to "If You Take a Mouse to School." I love this series and I am glad to add this to my collection.

     This is a great book for the beginning of fall. It made me want to cuddle with the bear or my old stuffed bear. I am getting the audio version next month and I think that that will be fun to listen to.

     My mother used to read this to me all of the time, and I still love it. Kevin is part of the reason that I love first grade so much and want to teach it. I can't wait to uses this in a classroom.

     This is just a sweet alphabet book and a great way to introduce new animals to the children.

     I LOVE FOXES. I saw this book and I knew that I had to buy it. The illustrations are precious and I am working on a great art project to go with it. Watch out, you will be seeing this again.

     I haven't ever bought these books before, but I think that that is about to change. I got these and loved them so much. They are made by National Geographic, and seem like the perfect thing to have in the classroom for all the curious kids out there looking for answers.

     

     I will say that I haven't had a chance to read these two books. I would say that they are for a child in 2nd grade. I know that in the school that I work for, I see a lot of Flat Stanley and I am looking forward to seeing what they love so much.

     I hope to liked this set of books. Be on the look out for part two. Have a wonderful night. Read a Good Night Book. 

                                                                                       Happy Reading, 

                                                                                           Ms. Cara

PS Please feel free to comment and let me know what books you got this month. Maybe they will make next months list. :)