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. :)

Snuggling with Knuffle Bunny

     I am so glad that today is today because I will tell you right now I am in love with the author I am about to tell you about. Today I am going to be talking about MO WILLEMS.

 

I adore everything that this man has ever done or thought about doing. He is so talented and children respond in an insanely positive way to his stories. For those of you who have not discovered that magic of Mo I will give you a little back ground by showing you some of his books.

http://www.amazon.com/Mo-Willems/e/B001JRXJX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

    Those are just a few of his amazing books. I recently fell in love with a series or trilogy if you will of his when I read them to the little boy that I babysit. This little boy means the world to me and when he loves a book it always becomes very special to me. He LOVES Knuffle Bunny. I had to give it to him for his birthday he loves it so much. 

     Today, with my preschool girls, I read the first book in the series. It is called "Knuffle Bunny, A Cautionary Tale". Each of these books are about Mo and his daughter, Trixie and the adventures that she has with Knuffle Bunny. 

    For our project I wanted each of my girls to have a piece of Knuffle Bunny to take home with them. I think that the stories are very comforting, especially to children that are around preschool to first grade. 

    For the project I only needed a few things. I got tinkerbell green paper, white paper, four large pieces of paper in any color, black paper, pink paper, scissors, a black sharpie and glue sticks.

I did all the hard work at home by drawing and cutting out the pieces. They were just responsible for gluing and placing each piece.

AND THE FINISH PRODUCT...

     I think that this project came out so well. I love that it looks like the character, but I can still see the personality of the child who made it in each bunny. All of the little girls told me that I was their Knuffle Bunny today. 

     After we made them, as a treat the girls were able to watch a movie version of the story. These are great and kids love them so much that it is hard to resist them. I barrow them from a woman I work with but I think that soon I am going to have to buy my own copies. This is what they look like....

This is where you can buy these and I highly recommend these for things like car rides and I love them for classroom use. The link has a video clip as well. http://www.newkideo.com/scholastic/the-pigeon-finds-a-hot-dog/

     In case you need even Mo fun you can check out his blog. It has a lot of fun interactive things for kids to do and hopefully those things will inspire them to want to read the books. http://www.mowillems.com/. Right now Mo is in France and he does a daily doodle. Parents you may want to check these out. He is very funny and these show a more adult side to him. http://www.gocomics.com/mo-willems-paris-doodles. He is also celebrating "10 years of Pigeon" at the Eric Carle Museum. I would do anything to go see it so if you by chance go and way to take me just let me know. Heres a link to their website so that you can start planning a family adventure with picture books, http://www.carlemuseum.org/home.

     I hope you enjoyed today's blog. I know I did. I always love sharing my love with you and especially my love for Mo. I would love to hear some comments or recommendations from my wonderful reader. I am so thankful to know someone is out there reading my crazy thought.

As always have a wonderful weekend and enjoy a good book or two.

                                                                                       Happy Reading, 

                                                                                            Ms. Cara 

A Wonderful Reading Experience

     One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail," starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This movie is about a woman who owns a small children's bookstore in New York and is fighting to keep it open while the man is opening a large chain store just around the corning. I really love the fact that she owns just a children's book store, and this has been a dream of mine since I first saw this movie. One of my favorite things said in this movie is when Meg Ryan's character says something along the lines of, "Children's books shape the person the child becomes." I fully agree with this. I know that I am who I am based on what I have read in my life as a reader. I am still seeing that children's literature is shaping the kind of person that I want to become.

I wanted to share these just in case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing the movie.

     This week, I had a book really touch me and I think that as a future teacher it will help me be more understanding of my students. For my children's literature class I was asked to read the book, "Mockingbird," by Kathryn Erskine. This is the story of a girl with aspergers syndrome. Her brother is killed in a middle school shooting and she and her father are working to find closure in this time of tragedy.

http://www.amazon.com/Mockingbird-Kathryn-Erskine/dp/0142417750/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378945825&sr=8-1&keywords=mockingbird

     For me, this book looked at aspergers in a way I never have. I know people who have this, but I never have really understood how it effects a person. This book had me crying because it really takes you into the main character, Caitlin's, mind and makes you see how different her life is compared to other kids. I went through a lot of emotional ups and downs with this book. There were times that I was smiling and laughing and then by the end I was crying about how much Caitlin had grown. This book taught me to always have faith that my students can reach their full potential, even if they have to do so in a different way.

      When I was reading this book, I was learning how to make text-to-self connections in my teaching reading class. I had not expected to have such a profound connection with this particular book, but something about it really touched my heart. For those of you reading this and don't know aspergers sometimes makes it hard for a person to recognize or read emotion. All through out the book Caitlin is working to find how she can make friends and understand how these people around her are feeling. 

     There is a common theme in the book involving "To Kill a Mockingbird." The family in the story has a love for this movie and they all compare themselves to the different characters in it. Caitlin is Scout and her brother calls her that. Her brother, Devon, who is killed in the school shooting is closely connected to Scouts brother Jem. Although as a reader we never know Devon alive we still feel closely connected to him because of the way the author as developed the character. 

     At the end of the book Caitlin is beginning to really understand the feelings of others. When She does she asks her father if he is like Atticus, who is the father in "To Kill A Mockingbird." After they discuss it some Caitlin looks at her father and says that he is brave like Atticus. This is a real turning point in the book and it is a moment that really touched me.

     For me, "To Kill a Mockingbird," has always played a big part in my life. I saw the movie at a pretty young age and it really played a role in how I grew up. I spent almost every day of my childhood with my Grammy. "To Kill a Mockingbird, " is her favorite book and movie. She even named her dog after Scout Finch. 

      Lately, Grammy and I have been talking a lot about her parents. She calls them Mother and Daddy so of course I do too. On Sunday, we were talking about Daddy as we road to church. She was saying that he was a strong, smart, and handsome man. When she was talking I was forming a very clear image of this man whom I have never met. After she spoke, she was quiet for a few minutes. I said, "Grammy, I think that Daddy must have been just like Atticus Finch. He must have been a strong brave man." When I said this I could see that it made her so happy.

      When I later read about Caitlin and her father having a similar conversation it made me cry. Not just cry... it made me ugly cry. I was so glad that Atticus meant so much to someone else as well. I have never had a connection to a book in this way. It made me want to reread the book and understand the charachers even more. The book is now one that I am recommending to everyone. So of course I recommend it to you dear readers. 

      As always thank you for reading. If you have any books that you have had deeps connections to I would love to hear about them. Please leave comments. I hope you enjoyed today. Friday I will be giving to a preview of how much I love Mo Willems. The Preschoolers and I will be reading Knuffle Bunny which is one of my favorites right now. Have a great week. 

                                                                                          Happy Reading,

                                                                                              Ms. Cara

Buttons come and Buttons go

     If you are looking to read a fun book about a real laid back cat that causes singing every where he goes, have I got a book for you. In the classroom I work in, we love love love Pete the Cat. We all live by these words, "Did Pete cry? Goodness no!" and " Because it's all good."
     For those of you who don't know, Pete the Cat is a series of popular picture books by James Dean and Eric Litwin. I featured one of his books last week in my blog about back to school books. Kids love these book. They are fun to read to the class or to a child one on one, but the very best part is that kids LOVE them. Kids laugh all through out the story and they will beg you to read them over and over again. Each book has a little song that goes to it and it will be stuck in your head all day.
     Today we read "Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons." This book is about Pete wanting to wear his favorite jacket but it is getting to small. His buttons pop off during the book making it a good example of math in children's literature. I read it with my little girls and they were thrilled. I love bringing excitement into the classroom through books.

    For the art project I decided to go with something more simple than usual. We just colored and had the kids practice gluing without making a huge mess. Here are the few things things you will need.
                                                       - Pete templat

Here is the web site that I get this from! Check it out. 

http://www.makinglearningfun.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.makinglearningfun.com/Activities/pets/PetetheCat/PetetheCat-Buttons-FeltBoard/PetetheCatButtons-FeltBoard-bw.gif

                                                       - crayons
        (anything really you can color with lets face it kids love to make a mess)
                                                      - glue sticks
                                                      - scissors
(personally, I cut the pieces out for the children so that they wouldn't get upset. mastering scissors                                                is not as easy as you think.)

                                                     -colored paper to stick it too
                   - a copy of the book because reading makes everything more fun!!!!
      Once we had all of the materials, we got to work. I think things came out pretty nicely. Simple, fun, and it took awhile because the kids wanted to get it just right.

Three year olds are rocking in their art shoes

These were made by a group of four year olds yesterday. They had some issues with the scissors.

       Well, that is it for the day. Please leave your thoughts. I would love to hear if you used it with you children or if you had any other fun with Pete craft ideas. I would love to hear from you! As always, You all are amazing. Keep reading. Make every day an adventure. Have a great weekend!
                                                                                              Happy Reading,
                                                                                                  Ms. Cara