One Plastic Bag

Thanksgiving provides a time for reflection. Family. Job. Friends. Health. Seat-warmers in my van. Coke Zero. A microwave. Electricity. Clean water. I am sure you could add more to the list.

Having lived in a third-world country for two years, I learned to be thankful for the everyday conveniences we have on a daily, hourly, minute basis. Trash pick-up is one of those conveniences I am thankful for. When the heavy rains came in the Dominican Republic, trash flooded the streets. Daily, I would notice garbage lying around. And the smell. The foul aroma clogged my plugged nostrils and I could hardly breathe.

A swelling of thanks rose within me as I read One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. Miranda Paul shares the story of change, illustrated beautifully by Elizabeth Zunon. Plastic bags have many uses, and I am thankful. But living in a condition with no garbage system poses a problem. Isatou noticed the growing problems the piles of plastic bag garbage was causing. Goats and other livestock were dying. Gardens were affected. Something needed to change. As in Ada’s Violin, the creativity of one person sparked hope and an answer.

View the book trailer (1.34 min.) and be drawn into the story of change, of hope, of making a difference.

Learn more about how the women of Gambia create the bags from the founder, Isatou Ceesay.  Information on how to help this organization is also listed on this video. (9.27 min.).

 

Savorings for reading and writing for One Plastic Bag:

• Repeating Structure
• Making a Difference
• Believing in Yourself
• Persevering
• Varied sentences
• Author’s Note and Timeline

The Bear and The Piano

Delightful story, The Bear and The Piano by David Litchfield! I am drawn to the beauty of the setting, the internal conflict, the story. I have been savoring this book over several days. The words linger. The dream lingers. The question of acceptance, friendship, and love lingers with me. You just need to read it and fall in love with the bear, his music, and the family waiting for him.

The Power of 3 is used often as a craft in this text.

“He missed the forrest. He missed his old friends. He missed his home.”

“No piano, no bears, no anything.”

View the reading of The Bear and the Piano (5.5 minutes).

 

Savorings for reading and writing for The Bear and The Piano:

• One day
• Adverbs – shyly, eventually
• Onomatopoeia – Plonk!
• Power of 3 – several forms
• Frienship
• Teaching ideas – click on this link

Ada’s Violin

Philanthropy. Defined by Merriam-Webster, philanthropy is “1 : goodwill to fellow members of the human race especially : active effort to promote human welfare. 2a : an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes.”  Other words associated with it: generosity, social conscience, brotherly love, compassion. 

My parents taught me from an early age to notice the needs of others, to be thankful for what I have, to care. Living in the Dominican Republic for two years, I saw first hand the needs of people in struggle. Teaching for thirty years, I see first hand the needs of children in need too. It’s all around us. Fourth graders at our PES school featured Socktober, raising funds and donations for wool socks for veterans. Read more about it at Mrs. Clark’s Twitter. The level of energy was raised and kindness prevailed. So thankful!

Favio Chavez, with the help of local carpenters, brought hope to the children of Cateura, Paraguay. The town grew beside the dump. Families made their livelihood from the trash. Señor Chavez created hope. He taught his students to respect, to listen, and be in tune with each other. Ada’s Violin: the Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport, demonstrates philanthropy in action. (Click on this link to hear the book read.) Instruments were made from items found in the dump. Ada’s father had sparked her interest in  music, listing carefully to the individual instrument sounds from the radio. Grandma sang.  Ada learned to play violin from an old paint can, wooden crates, trays and a fork. A priceless piece of art.

See the book trailer below.

See Senor Chavez and his orchestra on this YouTube video. Ada Rios is featured along with her grandmother, who first signed her up for the free violin lessons. Heartwarming philanthropy at it’s finest. Talk to your kids about how they can help others in their community, their country, and around the world.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Ada’s Violin:

• Hope
• Transitions
• Setting
• Wonderings
• Varied sentences

Instagram

Did you know Booksavors is also on Instagram?

I love reading children’s picture books. Some books, I linger in the words and begin to comb the text for many mini-lesson possibilities. Sometimes, I read a book and think how engaging and fun it will be to read to a certain class. All texts are crafted and have potential to be used as a mentor text. I just don’t have time to cultivate every text.

I have found that many teachers are using Instagram and Twitter as their PD. I sure do. I love reading short, quick snippets of learning to use with my kids. Thus, I began the Instagram account, Booksavors. Not all of the books on the Instagram account are featured on this blog. It’s just another way to connect you with books to connect with kids. And in the process, maybe you’ll find a great mentor text!

Happy Reading!

The Web Files

Margie Palatini is one of my favorite authors. Words are fun. She brings a delightful humor to her texts that hook her readers. On her website, she has an index of literacy skills linked to her books.

The Web Files is a book full of idioms and alliteration that challenges her readers to think, to connect, to visualize. This text would be a fun readers theater to challenge the rolling tongue. Enjoy a fun activity from her website.

So you’re saying that you were robbed, is that right ma’am? What exactly is missing from the nest, ma’am? Eggs, Ma’am? Chicks, ma’am?”

“P-p-peppers,” she said with a flap.

“Peppers?” I asked.

“My perfect purple peppers that were just about ready to be pickled.”

“About how many perfect purple almost-pickled peppers would you say were pilfered, pinched, and picked? A bushel?”

“P’awk! Pawk!” she squawked. “No—a peck! A peck, I tell you! A whole purple- pepper-pickin’ peck!”  pg. 10-11

Savorings for The Web Files:

• Humor – idioms and play on words (interweaves fairy tales and Dragnet TV series)
• Alliteration
• Higher level of punctuation – apostrophe with slang (horsin’ around)
• Inference
• Magic of 3
• Word Choice

Life on Mars

Kids often wonder about life on the moon or other galaxies. Movies bring outer-space beings into a seemingly possible reality. Is there life on other planets? Jon Agee allows a child to explore the possibilities in his book, Life on Mars.

The astronaut believes there is life. He begins to explore. Time passes. Doubt begins to set in. The reader hears the character’s internal dialogue. Alongside the meandering astronaut, a silent story parallels his feelings.

This text lends itself to teaching kids life lessons of perseverance, confidence, affect, trial/error, discovery, celebration.

View the book trailer here.

View the book read aloud at this link. I think your kids will enjoy the sound effects.

Savorings for Life on Mars:

• Internal Thinking
• Silent parallel story
• Two characters
• Wonderings
• Life lessons
• Surprise Ending

Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems

Observing nature quiets a soul and calms our fast-paced lives. Children need time to process their learning, time to explore and think.

Old Elm Speaks, by Kristine O’Connell George, invites you to interact with the world around you. Trees have personalities and beckon us to tell a story. Can you hear the stories the stories they can write? Climbing. Tree houses. Mushroom hunting. On her website, Kristine O’Connell George shares some writing and science activities that go along with this book. Other poetry ideas are on her website as well.  Celebrate Poetry Month by including these poems that will connect with children’s hearts. Take a nature walk around the school and notice nature. What tree speaks to you?

Trees.

Ordinary yet unique.

Inaudible yet whispering.

Life.

by MHGensch

Savorings for Old Elm Speaks Tree Poems:

• Personification
• Everyday life – gathering stories/ poetry from around us
• Figurative Language – “a tiny velveteen satchel“
• Description – using comparisons, figurative language, rich language
• Science Link
• Class book idea – create a photo book of trees with the students’ poems, memories

 

 

Come With Me

Pay it forward. Smile. Say “Hello”. Draw a picture.

Make a change.

Be brave. Ask others to join you adding sunshine to the world.

Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaitre bring hope through the example of one family, one child. Learning begins in the home, but in our classrooms, we have opportunities to model and show how to bring happiness in this world. Listen to the story told through children’s voices

Colby Sharp gives a book talk about Come With Me and the discussion he had with his students.

View an interview of author Holly M. McGhee. She shares about writing her middle grade novel, Matylda, Bright and Tender. I think it’s important for kids to see the author in “real life”, to hear how she works through hard parts. I also pushing kids to see that they can write anything – a picture book or a novel. The ending question is powerful.

Savorings for Come With Me:

• Pay It Forward – make the world a better place
• Show kindness; care for others
• Be Brave
• Repeating structure
• Show not Tell
• Community Building

Is There a Dog In This Book?

Fun. Creative. Interactive. Viviane Schwarz engages her readers by interacting with the characters in Is There a Dog in This Book? I just love how the characters chit-chat with you: “Oh, hello! You opened our book!” Andre’ sniffs and wonders if someone else is in their book. The hide-and-seek game begins between the cats and the dog. The reader engages in the hunt by lifting flaps in the book, seeking and adding to the story.

Author/ illustrator, Viviane Schwarz, shares her story about writing books in this 8-minute video. I love how she wants to inspire children to draw and write, creating their own books.

On this YouTube clip, the author reads her story to you. I think the kids will enjoy hearing her read this delightful tale. View her blog for more behind the scenes tidbits of her work. You will be introduced to other books by Viviane Schwarz.

Savorings for Is There a Dog in This Book?

• Voice
• Second Person Narrative – interaction with the characters
• Power of 3
• Speech bubbles
• Character Description / change
• Everyday Happening – children can relate to the topic; create stories using their pets
• Setting – helps young children see the importance of the setting

Everywhere, Wonder

Writer, Matthew Swanson, and illustrator, Robbi Behr, collaborate to create books. Read their story here or Google their YouTube video of what it’s like to collaborate together.

In Everywhere, Wonder, emphasis is placed on children noticing the world around them. Reading books brings new lands and climates alive. The information we gather can then be used to create our own stories to share. Matthew and Robbi created a printable book for kids to share their stories. I would love for each classroom to read and discuss this book. It’s a wonderful mentor text for sharing at the beginning of collecting ideas in notebooks for narratives and nonfiction possibilities.

Savorings for Everywhere, Wonder:

• Story to share
• Noticing. Observing the world around you.
• Sensory detail
• Geography. Climates
• Visualizing
• Wondering – how to ask questions about what you notice