A Birthday for Cow!

B and I are continuing our discovery of Jan Thomas books and we love them so much I just had to blog about them, incase they are new to you too. A Birthday for Cow! is the return of the characters Pig and Mouse who are preparing for Cow's birthday. Duck wants to add turnips to the cake with much objection from his friends. The decisions Jan Thomas made with the print makes this book so enjoyable. The bold print and use of punctuation marks has B and I reading with such inflection we both just giggle through the whole text. The use of speech bubbles is also key in connecting the characters with their responses as the story goes along. Today we are going to pick up a turnip at the grocery to see if we agree with Duck.

Diary of a Wombat

by Jackie French was another book I picked up on vacation several reasons. I was intrigued by the title and cover illustration. What is a wombat I kept asking B? Together we thought maybe a bear, maybe a rodent, and maybe something just made up. It made me think about other books with a diary type format and title. The book has great acrylic painted illustrations against a white background. The positions of the wombat throughout the books and expressions are a perfect match to the text and show the reader more about the wombat's personality. I thought the book would be a great role model for writing about what one does each day and discussing the passage of time.

B and I learned our predictions were right. A wombat is a little bit like a bear and lives underground as rodent might. It mostly comes out at night and sleeps during the day. It lives in Australia. In this story the wombat sleeps and eats a lot while waking to meet the new neighbors. The new neighbors and this wombat learn to coexist together but it's the journey they take getting to this coexistence that all readers will enjoy.

This book, Diary of a Wombat, was published in 2003, while I just discovered a new book How to Scratch a Wombat was released this year.

Recycle This Book

Recycle This Book, 100 Top Children's Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green, edited by Dan Gutman was a book I couldn't resist buying while on vacation. I actually left the store without the book because it didn't seem to be the just right book for kindergarten but returned because I was so intrigued by the title and bought it. Recently published in 2009, Dan Gutman has collected thoughts from 100 children's authors about being green. Authors share their thinking and their personal actions to improve our planet. I was amazed to read what Jane Yolen eats for breakfast, "compost casserole". She mixes her leftovers and tops them with corn bread batter, baking it until the corn bread is done. She doesn't believe in throwing food out. Ralph Fletcher got me really excited about the possibility of composting with red worms. He made it sound rather easy and his enjoyment was evident in his voice. David Adler talks about doing all of his writing, revising, editing, and submitting his books via the computer in hopes of saving a tree. These are just three examples but there are 97 more. I think this book would be great to accompany any author study, it provides insight into an author's life and provides thinking for actions children could take to improve our planet.

I'm always on the look out for a great bookstore and each trip to NH visit Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith. This is an independent store with a nice collection of books for all ages and a great collection of quality toys

Organizational Tip

As I read professional books I underline.

I underline things that are new learning.
I underline things I want to remember.
I underline things to help me reflect.
I underline things to help me plan.

This past spring I participated in The Literacy Connections course work for the year with Carl Anderson and his book Assessing Writers. I had things I had underlined but also charts of information I wanted to easily locate. I decided to color code a post it note system to help me locate information. I was hoping to make using the book and returning to my initial thinking much easier. It did and my friends in the class really liked the idea so I thought I would share my latest adventure with organization.

As I've been reading my new professional books about early literacy and blogging about them I began thinking how can I connect these three books together to easily relocate information during the upcoming school year. On our long drive to NH, I decided to color code a post it note system again keeping it consistent between the three books.

Each category has it's own color and I'm finding the things I underline fall into five categories: Getting Started, Quotes, Planning, Conferencing, and Assessment. I think it could be a success.

Vacation and Reading

Yes, this was our view while on vacation in New Hampshire. We were on Lake Winnipesaukee for eight days. Eight days filled with friendship, food, rest, exercise, sun, water, rain, wildlife, and plenty of time to read. I saw my first porcupine, my husband took photos of a mother black bear and her cub from a kayak while they were on an island in the middle of the lake, and I kept hoping to see a moose near one of the moose crossing signs.


My reading. What joy I found in reading books of my adult reading preferences. I began planning my trip reading before school was out and reserved two titles I wanted to read from our local library. The first book I read was Cross Country by James Patterson. I really enjoy reading mysteries and Alex Cross is my favorite detective, I've now read them all. I was surprised how fast I read this book and was just so excited to be reading something for pure fun. When I started my second book The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks I knew I would be reading something realistic fiction but was surprised with my initial pace. This got me thinking about my own reading life and how it was just like the students I have worked with over the past few years.


Alex Cross is a series of books I have read written by James Patterson. Reading the same character over and over builds fluency and comprehension. I'm very familiar with the writing style for these books, I can do a little predicting about the story elements and couldn't wait to read what Nana, the grandmother in the story would have to say to Alex. I like the twist and turns these books take while Alex is trying to solve awful crimes. I even noticed these books have shorter chapters, I could read one while cooking dinner. What was more interesting was the ease in reading this book with more white space between the lines.


As I switched to The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks the chapters were longer, the lines of text were closer together and I was finding myself concentrating a bit more. For a brief moment I thought about abandoning it and then realized I could work through these text-writing changes to enjoy a great book. I can always count on Nicholas Sparks for a good realistic fiction, taking place in North Carolina, a love story with a twist or two. I have now read all of his books and feel I have accomplished something. I think this is how my students felt when they were on a mission to read all the Geronimo Stilton books in the classroom and beyond.


Then I read the Element, How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson, Ph. D. I bought this book because fellow bloggers had reviewed it and thought it was great. You can find one by Franki, here. This book is a must read for everyone. I felt this book was thought provoking personally, professionally, and as a parent. This book made me think about creativity, balance, learning styles, connections with others and curriculum. I was thankful while reading this book to have begun blogging and connecting with a "tribe" of people who share the same thinking and passion for teaching.


This type of thinking about my three books I read would be a conversation I would modify and share with a group of transitional readers. We all need mentors and this would help them learn and think about their own reading lives.


Another note about reading. I so enjoyed hearing my oldest N share a book she was reading with her Dad and offering this advice. "As you read this, you will need to pay attention as the chapters change because two people are telling the story." Thanks Sally Oddi for the book which was an ARC from my trip to Cover to Cover.

Photo - compliments of my husband.

Blogging Vacation

I'll be gone for bit with a family vacation to beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. A week of no techonology but lots of reading, games, hiking, loons, good friends, and peace. Be back in a bit.

Introduced to Jan Thomas

As I mentioned earlier part of my 48 Hour Challenge was spent shopping at Cover to Cover with the Central Ohio Kidlitosphere Bloggers. We need the support of our colleagues for teaching but also for shopping. To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed making the transition from shopping for transtional readers to emergent readers. So, when Katie and Franki both told me I needed to get to know the author Jan Thomas I listened and am now thrilled.

Her books are fantastic for kindergarten readers! What Will Fat Cat Sit On? is a story about a group of animals; a cow, a mouse, a pig, a chicken, and a dog who are worried about the cat and where he might sit. The mouse comes up with a great idea that spares the animals from being sat upon. Jan Thomas' illustrations support the text and allows the reader to partcipate from the initial reading. The repetitive nature of the text also encourages our youngest readers to partcipate in the reading.

When thinking about how to use this book with children, I can see discussing word familes, recognizing sight words, and reading the pictures all things that will come in a classroom discussion. This books also lends itself to thinking about punctuation and inflection while reading. I am so glad to have been introduced to Jan Thomas.