Familiar Author, Different Story - Joy Cowley, Agapanthus Hum

                                             

I've been excited to find authors I know from a series and discover they have other titles and stories to share with readers.  Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses is by Joy Cowley.  Joy Cowley has been a big part of my literacy career through the Wright Group Sunshine titles from years back or the ever popular Mrs. Wishy Washy character. 

Agapanthus Hum is a spunky girl who loves to hum and creates tunes for all the little things she does.  Her dad actually refers to her as a "whizzer and rusher."  These two words alone provide a great visual for how much movement Agapanthus is engaged in during her day.  Agapanthus Hum has one problem.  While trying handstands day after day her glasses fall off each time.  Her parents warn her, they fix them, they encourage her to give them to her mom but she keeps wearing them.  She does come up with her own solution which is quite funny!  We all need mentors and luckily for Agapanthus Hum there is an acrobat show in town and not only does she get inspiration she finds a solution for what to do with her glasses while doing handstands.

This early chapter book is filled with rich language phrases, dialogue and some supportive illustrations.  Joy Cowley doesn't disappoint the beginning reader nor treat them as a novice reader.

Here are three lines I love from this story and hope you find, if you pick this book up.

"You are just like a music box."

"Clean glasses made the garden look as sharp as a tune played on a fiddle."

"Her hum puffed out like a birthday candle, and her head went quiet."

PS - All 3 Agapanthus Hum books can be found at the link above for a penny plus shipping!  Yes, I got all three!

Familiar Authors Different Story - The Chicken Squad

I've been excited to find authors I know from a series or just a single book and discover they have other titles and stories to share with readers.  The Chicken Squad is by Doreen Cronin who I know as a picture book author.  Doreen Cronin makes me laugh.  She makes my students laugh and this laughter makes all of us enjoy reading.  The Chicken Squad brought many smiles and much laughter as I read it aloud to my seconders this past month.  

I love how the four chicken characters are introduced!  Each character has their own self portrait and information on a page.  The reader learns their nickname, reads a short physical description of each and then learns their real name.  Each character has speciality which is important within the story.  This support was wonderful in helping my readers keep track of several characters. 

The quick version of this story is squirrel has been scared by something in the yard and the four chickens are great at figuring out mysteries.  I love the sequence of questions they use to gather information.  I enjoyed how precise they are in describing colors.  I enjoyed math vocabulary was used in figuring out what was scaring squirrel in the yard.  

Here are three lines I love from this story and hope you find, if you pick this book up.

"Big is not a shape," sighed Sugar.

"Brave squirrels are not afraid of diamonds!"

"Don't get your feathers in a bunch, Poppy," said Sugar.  

Familiar Authors, Different Story – Bean Dog and Nugget

I’ve been excited to find authors I know from a series and discover they have other titles and stories to share with readers.  I recently found, Bean Dog and Nugget written by Charise Mericle Harper who I’ve loved for her Just Grace character and books.  When I saw Bean Dog and Nugget I thought about the little boy who is revisiting lots picture books during reading workshop and is a huge Mo Wilhems fan.  I personally love the clean, crisp, and clear layout/illustrations.  Sometimes graphic novels overwhelm me and I think this format will be perfect for students trying a graphic novel format for the first time. 

Bean Dog is tall and skinny while Nugget is a small circle.   Nugget has a new ball and plays catch with Nugget until it disappears into a bush.  While this may not seem like a big problem to an adult reader, this could be for young children.  Together Bean Dog and Nugget brainstorm ideas that aren’t very feasible for getting the ball back.  Then they use their imagination, get dressed to conquer the bush as Super Dog and Ninja Nugget with success. 

The storyline in this title and The Cookie are simple and sweet.  Real life problems young children have.  I really think these books are perfect as an introduction to a graphic novel format.  The reader can easily navigate the smaller boxes of text while using the illustrations to help tell the story and add to their comprehension.  The characters are also fun and humorous which some readers need to get hooked on reading.

Here are two lines I love from this story and hope you find, if you pick this book up.

“Somebody took my shiny new green ball that was special to me!!!”

“SUPER DOG!  NINJA NUGGET!” – the diagram really enhances this line.

Familiar Authors, Different Story - Mostly Monty

I've been excited to find authors I know from a series and discover they have other titles and stories to share with readers.  Mostly Monty is by Johanna Hurwitz.  I picked this book up thinking about needing more boy/guy characters in my classroom.  I fell in love with Monty right from the start.  I love how Johanna introduces Monty in the first chapter.  Within the first two pages the reader learns about Montgomery; his nickname, his birthdate, asthma, inhaler, and a few things he doesn't have.  Monty is an only child at home and sometimes in the classroom.  Monty does get recognized for being a good lost and found friend at school.  Monty appreciates helping others and receiving praise.  When his good fortune for finding things dries up, he turns in his own lunch box which creates twists in his daily plans.  Monty is a thinker.  He writes a pet report on a dinosaur because he can't have any.  He is satisfied with a pet caterpillar.  He doesn't have a hobby so he studies kangaroos and creates a kangaroo club.  This book would be a great first grade first read aloud and could also work in second grade.

Here are three lines I love from this story and hope you find, if you pick this book up.

"Reading was one thing he could do without worrying about his breathing."

"If hair gives me an asthma attack, how come I'm not allergic to you or Dad?" asked Monty.

"He could go days without anyone noticing him.  It wasn't often that someone at school praised him."

Familiar Authors, Different Story - Dance with Rosie

I've been excited to find authors I know from a series and discover they have other titles and stories to share with readers.  Dance with Rosie is one I discovered by Patricia Reilly Giff.  I was drawn to this book because I know many of my students will be or have taken dance lessons.  Rosie has great aspirations to be just like her Grandma Genevieve.  However, life doesn't always go as smooth as one would like.  Rosie's neighbor Amy has been taking dance for quite some time and she practices every day on her porch.  Her best friend Murphy is mad at her.  The ballet class she wants to take fills up very quickly and she doesn't get a spot.  Her solution is to take the class out in the alley by looking through the window with Karen, a different friend.  Things start to turn around for Rosie.  She and Karen get a spot in the ballet class and things start to look up until even that has some glitches.  Rosie is a real kid, with real kid problems and learns to work through them and grow from them.  There are a few other titles with Rosie as the main character.  

Here are two lines I love from this story and hope you find, if you pick this book up.

"I could feel the syrup of happiness in my chest, honey-colored, sweet, and smooth."

"It means it took a long time for Jenny to become a dancer - for her to become Genevieve," he said.  "It means that all we know about people are little bits of things.  And it means we have to use our heads to figure out the rest."