The book is beautiful. I was participating in a writing retreat and we jigsawed our introduction to the book. I read the last section - Reintegrating with Where You've Come From, Lessons from Butterflies. Each section of the book starts with a page that begins with What We Learn From followed by a collection of poem with uplifting illustrations. Each section ends with a list - a list of signs based on the reading and poetry just read.
I usually consider poetry a slow red for me and have it on my what can I read for a short amount of time list and fill my bucket. I came home and poured through the first two sections; Beginning a New Adventure; Lessons from Sunlight and Finding Your People; Lessons from Elephants.
It's been raining here a lot lately and I'm hoping for one more rainstorm tonight so I can grab a cup of tea and this gem of a book. Her website is filled with so much information about her and places her work is. She has a podcast, a storyteller app, and much more.
Thank you Jen at Teach Mentor Texts for co-hosting this event
with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers.
I'm literally just starting it because I had to finish my book from last week, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. I started this book and then put it down for some professional reading. I found it hard to keep track of the characters at first and my space on and off reading pace probably aided my confusion. I almost abandoned it and I never abandon books. I have seriously only abandoned 1 in my life. I stuck with it yesterday and I'm happy I did. I think for me it was a book that needed daily progress or maybe some annotating to help my focus and comprehension. I enjoyed it and wonder if I would have loved it.
Thank you Jen at Teach Mentor Texts for co-hosting this event
with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers.
The intended audience for this book is 6 - 12 educators, curriculum directors and library media specialist. I almost passed this book along to a friend and since I won it at a third grade meeting I thought there might be something in here for me to learn. I'm really glad I didn't pass it along.
I remember when digital citizenship was all the buzz and students received a lot of safety messages with don't do within the idea. This book nudges us to help students become "participatory citizens." Participatory citizens engage with others in meaningful ways that foster relationships to collaborate, share ideas, foster understandings, and make changes. Each chapter highlights a story showing the ideas in action and then offers suggestions for you to give something a try in your classroom.
I took ideas away from each chapter so I would expand the intended audience to include grades 3 - 5.
When I read professional books, I look for nudges I can try in my own classroom.
- modify the "Getting to Know You" Digital Citizen Survey
- involve the students in an expectations and norms discussion
- discuss the difference between consuming and contributing - modify activity
- anchor chart for effective and ineffective online discussions, sample provided
- mentor students as they navigate and connection in discussion boards
You will find my favorite quotes on my instagram account - mandyrobek_edu
I'm about a quarter of the way through this book and am feeling less frustrated. The beginning had a rhythm and then I felt lost. I'm still not sure if there was a change in time with a flashback. I did some rereading and couldn't quite figure out what was causing my comprehension confusion.
I decided to keep going and I think my understanding is back on track and the story is moving forward.
I read three professional books while traveling last week and have to work hard to keep reading adult for fun books. I also find it hard to stick with a book I'm a little uncertain about when two from the public library are waiting to be read and let's not discuss my TBR pile.
Thank you Jen at Teach Mentor Texts for co-hosting this event
Amy shows readers we can hear kindness through questioning, encouragement, empathy, understanding, invitations, walking, teamwork, and validating. This book encourages us to slow down and be aware of things going around of us. There's another message encouraging us to listen to the language of kindness; reminding us our words matter.
Teresa Martinez is the illustrator and she did a very interesting illustration move that I didn't notice until I read it a third time. There are several people on each two page spread. The faces of the people not engaged in the kindness conversation are shown with muted colors. They blend in with the setting. The people engaged with the kindness conversation are natural skin tones and are wearing brighter clothing. I'm excited to see if my students notice this in the fall.
Here's an example.
I reached out to Amy and asked if this was one poem spread across the entire book, like she did with Every Day Birds and she said yes. I hope she shares the full version on her blog when it's released. I know my students are curious when they learn a poem is one picture book and they want to know what it looks like together on a page. I think it adds a layer to their understanding/comprehension for the text.
There are some notes in the back for readers describing a kindness walk with variations. I can't wait to find kindness discoveries in the fall in our classroom and our school community.
Thank you Buffy Silverman for hosting Poetry Friday this week.
The first page sets readers up for success with a very concrete, right there question. Readers are asked to count the number of animals on the page. The girls looked at me with a puzzled look and I felt a hesitation with a quiet so....... shared.
Then the second page spread completely changes the readers thinking with an open ended question. "Which of these ladies just robbed a bank?" We each picked a different lady and could justify why we picked her. The justifications were varied and believable.
The book continues in this format; a two page spread illustration and a question to ponder. As we stood in line waiting for ice cream we kept reading through the pages and discussing our answers. Some of them were realistic and some were not. Even if the justification wasn't realistic it could be possible with we used our imagination and asked why not.
This book has entry points for all readers. It sparks inquiry and conversation. It invites multiple perspectives and accepting different ideas than your own. I can't wait to use it this coming school year. It's a book you can start and then revisit one two page spread at a time. It's a book to start and revisit during the year because we grow as thinkers.
Part One goes over boundary beginnings and guidance for using the book. Part Two is organized by different settings we need boundaries for; work, balance, parents, neighbors, friends, partners - that's how far I am and I'm about half way through the book.
My biggest love so far is the different scenarios described and Melissa's scripts for setting a boundary. I never imagined levels for boundary setting. Melissa offers three suggestions for each scenario and they are color coded by green, yellow, and red. Some boundaries can be simply shared in generally positive manner and some need to be pretty direct.
I'm finding I can read a scenario - see if it applies to my life now or maybe in the future and breeze through a few pages at a time.
Thank you Jen at Teach Mentor Texts for co-hosting this event
This book takes readers on a journey with a girl and fox. As this friendship pair begins walking the reader senses they are leaving something behind. The author gives great examples of things that were and what they can be offering readers - a feeling of forward movement. For example, "Night before daybreak. The old day is done."
I love the encouragement I felt about the hardships we all face. "Dark days may shake us and worries creep in, with dragons to duel and battles to win." Girl and fox discover friends who are helpful and kind. I just wanted to say YES! friends are a rope to hold on to especially when it's so easy to keep things to ourselves when life gets hard. The story ends with the reminder that morning is bright.
Illustrator David Litchfield used ink and paint and then rendered the images digitally and all I can say is WOW! The shading and intentional use of light brings softness to each page. This softness on the pages of darkness makes the darkness seem natural. We all have mountains to climb.
As I opened the book Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls something caught my eye in the small print section with all the publishing and copyright information. "Inspired by Psalm 30:5 - "Weeping my tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." I hope to find an interview with Sriti Prasadam. I'd love to know more about this.
My Bibliotherapy moment -
"Rain before rainbows, clouds before sun, night before daybreak - a new day's begun."
Elba and Norris meet in the park and we watch Norris try to engage Elba with a picnic. Norris wants to know what is inside Elba's block. They have tea in the rain and Norris keeps trying to find out what is in the box with no luck. As they walk to the ocean, Elba shares she misses Little Bird and is sad. Elba tells Norris all about Little Bird. The block starts to shrink and get lighter.
Elba and Norris model what friendship filled with kindness and empathy can do to bring comfort to a sadness. Sometimes we all need a little encouragement and checking to try the next tomorrow.
My bibliotherapy moment -
"How?" whispered Elba.
She'd love for Henry to slow down and tries to show him how to be still. Henry is all over the tree and the yard while she is sharing how to pause and breathe. Then she shares an idea of riding an elephant and Henry can sit and breathe with Emma.
I love hearing about the emotions and journey a sibling has while trying to share strategies for an overactive family member.
The author's note shares an analogy for mindfulness and meditation to a glass of lemonade. A great visual to use with readers. She also shares strategies for practicing mindfulness and meditation.
My bibliotherapy moment -
"When I sit I can feel the ground beneath me. I can hear the birds chirping. I can smell the grass."
Eva reminds us sadness surprises us. Sadness lingers. We can try to hide it. Then she writes giving readers ideas for living with sadness. We need to name it, listen to it, understand where it comes from and what it needs. We don't have to understand it and we need to sit with it.
Sadness can want us to sit and not do very much. This is okay and we need to do opposite action activities - things that we don't really want to do so we get engaged and moving. Eva shares ideas like drawing or listening to music to name a few. Reminding us that tomorrow is a new day.
A great follow up is a writer's notebook entry about things that make you sad.
On Eva's website she has teaching notes to guide our work with her book.
My bibliotherapy moment -
"If you don't understand each other, just sit together and be quiet for a while."
As the page is turned, readers automatically think then what is it. The descriptive language and the power of seeing beyond the obviously really made me soak in the illustrations. Imagine this - "It's deep soft brown, and shining blue, and silver splashes on bright yellow."
The girls walk more following the pattern of a negative thought with a positive reflection. Then they come inside and it continues for a bit more until they settle down to a warm fire and both agree it is cozy. Which helps our negative thinker find some reflective descriptive thinking about a blanket, and hot cocoa, and the sunset outside.
Sometimes it's easier to see, feel, and experience the gray. The sad and negative; pausing to live in these for a moment can be necessary and it's helpful to learn to see beyond.
I think this book would be a great springboard for looking at a piece of art with a gray hue and writing down what else we see.
There's a winter scavenger hunt on Marie's website that might be nice to do with your students or share with families as a follow up the book.
My bibliotherapy moment -
"And we are cozy, too, on this day what was so much more than gray!"
Navigating people can be hard when someone is working on their mental wellness and yet connections have been proven to be necessary to help our mental health. This book reminds us connections are needed and our circles can change, grow, and shift.
My bibliotherapy moment - shifted from the first time I read this book.
First read - "So let us create bigger circles all around us for the rest of our days."
Second read - "It doesn't mean the circle is easy. It can get harder the more we share."
As the story grows the each child returns and this time they are able to share ways they independently find something different to change their feelings to an opposite emotion. For example a little girl is afraid of monsters and the dark. She tells funny stories to help her feel brave.
There's a fabulous two page spread at the end with a note to parents and caregivers with advice and suggestions for helping children and the many emotions they can feel. These tips also apply to our classrooms where children spend a great deal of their day during the school year.
My favorite bibliotherapy moment -
"Inside you, your Strong is a light that shines like the sun."
A class trip to the aquarium is coming up and Camila's worries grow and her classmates are aware of them. Sadly, she's teased and her worries increase. The field trip day comes. The class arrives and Camila makes a plan to hide only to discover Kai behind the same plant she wanted to use to hide.
Kai loves reading about animals and isn't thrilled with visiting them in person. Camila and Kai connect over their worry and support each other to use the phrase, I'll try.
I'll try are such important words as we navigate each day and might just be the encouragement someone needs while experiencing worries.
This book has a recommended reading for kids list about worries and anxiety. The author also offers a list of questions to guide discussions before, during, or after reading this text.
My bibliotherapy moment -
"Seeing Kai so nervous makes Camila realize her heart is bigger than her fears."
She comes home deflated and her family expands the meaning of strong for her. "My family says being strong get you through life. When hard times happen and things don't go as planned."
She sets out wondering how can she be strong. What follows is just beautiful in text and the illustrations as she notices and learns from her community.
Strong is...
showing up
speaking up
not giving up
sticking to a promise
giving up a would like to
make things happen
turn nothing into something
moving forward
care
cry
help others and receive help
When we expand the layers of meaning for strong, I think we all use one of these each day. I've been trying to have a read aloud on Mondays related to emotions and then always collect ideas in our writer's notebooks. I can't wait to see how my student's interpret they are strong after hearing this book.
