I’m excited. The movie “The City of Ember” will be out in October, and the studio released a trailer from the movie today. The City of Ember is a children’s book, and I read it for the first time just a couple months ago. I started reading it and didn’t put it down until I was finished. It was fascinating.

Click this link to go to The City of Ember website where you can read about it and see the trailer.

the City of Ember is about a city that was built deep underground. The book never tells us why the city was built underground and why there would be no way to leave it for over two hundred years. However those hundreds of years have passed, and Ember’s powerful generator is old and it is getting close to being beyond repair. Now, two young people are in a race against time, and they search the city of Ember for clues that will solve the mystery of Ember’s existence and allow them to leave ember - before the lights go out forever.

Today is Earth Day, and many folks are looking for books that they can share with their children to help them learn the importance of caring for our earth. Here are three great book selections for children on Earth Day:

The Wump World by Bill Peet
Ibis: A True Whale Story by John Himmelman
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

There are many other books, but these are three that I can personally recommend.

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems in one of my favorite children’s books. It was a Caldecott winner a few years ago - and it very much deserved to win. Absolutely wonderful illustrations. The background of each page is an old black and white photograph. However, there are illustrations of Trixie, the little girl who loves her Knuffle Bunny, and Trixie’s family on the old photographs. Very clever. The story is also very heart-warming. It’s a story most children can easily connect with. Trixie and her dad goes to the laundromat (great lesson on that vocabulary word), and accidentally leave Trixie’s Knuffle Bunny there. I believe this is a book that every early reader should have in his/her personal library.

Willems has just published a follow-up book called Knuffle Bunny Too in which Trixie goes to school only to find that another child has a Knuffle Bunny, too.

Here’s another favorite quote about reading.  This one is from Dr. Seuss.

“The more that you read,

The more things you will know.

The more that you learn,

The more places you’ll go!”

~Dr. Seuss~

It’s time to start shopping for Christmas gifts for the grandgirls.  I was thinking about what they like and use the most, and I immediately thought of the personalized duffle bags I bought each of them when they were babies.  Sunshine is 4-years old and Sweet Stuff is 6-years old, and they are still using those personalized duffle bags frequently. 

I’ve always liked personalized gifts.  In the past I’ve bought personalized pencils, name pads, memo cubes, t-shirts and other items for gifts.  My sister gave me a personalized garment bag a few years ago, and I still use it whenever I travel. 

So now I’m looking for Personalized Gifts for Children.  Identity Direct has hundreds of personalized items for children.  There are personalized bean bags, toiletry bags, artist kits, lunch bags, pencils, memo cubes, children’s picture books, Disney character items . . . and so much more.  They even have personalized rain coats. 

Whew!  Today was Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and I was in charge of the week-long celebration at my school.  I’ve read Dr. Seuss books until I’m ready to give them up for awhile.  I’ve worn a Cat in the Hat hat until I couldn’t stand it anymore.  Wearing a hat makes one’s head VERY hot and sweaty.  Then this morning at 7:30 I was at a local grocery store picking up FIFTY dozen cookies to take to school (in lieu of birthday cake) so that all the children, teachers, and support staff could have a treat to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

This afternoon, I came home and found one of the best posts on Dr. Seuss that I’ve read.  It was at Something . . . and Half of Something.  Linda has included some political cartoons that Dr. Seuss drew, along with some history of his children’s books. 

I read a new book to two preschool classes recently: Don’t Be Silly, Mrs. Millie, written by Judy Cox and illustrated by Joe Mathieu. It’s a great read-aloud for young children, from preschool all the way through second or third grade.

Don’t Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!

Mrs. Millie is a teacher who teasingly uses the wrong (but similar) words.  Her students must supply the right ones. For example:

“It’s nine o’clock. Time to write, ” Mrs. Millie says. “Get out your paper and penguins.”
“Don’t be silly, Mrs. Millie! You mean our paper and pencils!”

The illustrations go along with the malaprops, and the children with whom I’ve shared the books have enjoyed many laughs over the pictures.

This would be a great book to use in discussing word choice in writing.  It will also help children learn to look at words more carefully and notice the differences in similar words.

Part of my job as a reading specialist is to teach demonstration lessons on reading strategies.  It’s one of my favorite parts of my job because I get to work in classrooms with children and teachers.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox is an excellent book to use for teaching children to make connections as they read.

Prior to reading the book aloud to the children, I remind them of what it means to make a connection.  Then I introduce the three kinds of connections:  text to self, text to text, and text to world.  I give each child three sticky notes and ask them to write down any connections they make as I read the story.

As I read, I stop frequently to share my own connections (modeling).  In the “memories make you cry” part, I tell about my father’s death.  In the “memories are warm” part, I tell about the time when I was a child and we had an ice storm. The electricity was off for a few days, and my entire family slept around the fireplace.  It was cold outside, but inside we were all warm and safe.  As I read I also stop occasionally and let the children share the connections they’ve written.

As I read and share my own connections, I stress how my connections help me understand the story and the characters better.  When Miss Nancy remembers her brother who went off to war and never returned, I can understand how she feels because I remember the last time I saw my father before he died - waving bye to him and not knowing he’d never return.  Be prepared at this point in the book to have some children share heart-rending stories.  It’s sad, but it’s a part of their lives, and they’re eager to share them. 

And immediately afterwards you’ll get to the part about “memories make us laugh.”  Then the children can share their funny connections.

“Memories are more precious than gold” makes me think of the memories I would never give up for any amount of money.  Even young children have such memories.

At the end of the lesson we talk more about the purpose of making connections.  I always tell the children they can keep their sticky notes with their connections, or they can just throw them away.  They almost always choose to keep the records of those connections/memories.

There is no better gift for a young child than a book.  It’s a gift that can provide many hours of lasting enjoyment. Recently, I’ve read two books that were just published this year, and they both would make WONDERFUL gifts for a young child - preschool through third grade.  I’ve read both to groups of preschool and elementary children, and they loved them!  Here they are:

Don’t Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!

Move Over, Rover!

Here are some other children’s picture books that I highly recommend.  You can click on any of the books to get more information about them.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Ruby the Copycat

No, David! 

Tops & Bottoms

Later I will post my recommendations for easy and more difficult chapter books for older children.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I spent awhile at the bookstore yesterday, and ended up buying Kate DiCamillo’s newest book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  I read the entire book this afternoon, and what a wonderful book it is!  The story is about Edward Tulane, a 3-ft high rabbit made almost entirely of china.  It’s a tale of Edward’s life and adventures as he grows a heart capable of embracing love and all the hurts and joys that come with it. 

The story reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit who wanted to be “real.”  Initially Edward is content being self-involved and vain.  He learns to love, but he also learns that love isn’t always wonderful.  It involves pain and sadness, too. After many mishaps he decides not to open his heart again. The ending is predictable but still touching.

One could make a unit of study on quotes from the book.  Some examples:

Whom the whiskers had belonged to initially - what unsavory animal - was a question that Edward could not bear to consider for too long.  And so he did not.  He preferred, as a rule, not to think of unpleasant thoughts.

She leaned close to him.  She whispered, “You disappoint me.”

Edward felt something damp in his ears.  Abilene’s tears, he supposed.  He wished that she would not hold him so tight.  To be clutched so fiercely often resulted in wrinkled clothing.

Edward, for lack of anything better to do, began to think. He thought about the stars . . . . Never in my life, he thought, have I been farther away from the stars than I am now.

“Perhaps,” said the man, “you would like to be lost with us.  I have found it much more agreeable to be lost in the company of others.”

Edward knew what it was like to say over and over again the names of those you had left behind.  He knew what it was like to miss someone.  And so he lsitened. And in his listening, his heart opened wide and then wider still.

You are down there alone, the stars seemed to say to him.  And we are up here, in our constellations, together.

I have been loved, Edward told the stars.

So? said the stairs.  What difference does that make when you are all alone now?

Look at me, he said to her.  His arms and legs jerked.  Look at me.  You got your wish.  I have learned how to love.  And it’s a terrible thing.  I’m broken. My heart is broken.  Help me.

“Two options only,” he said.  “And your friend chose option two.  He gave you up so that you could be healed.  Extraordinary, really.”

“I have already been loved,” said Edward.  “I have been loved by a girl named Abilene.  I have been loved by a fisherman and his wife and a hobo and his dog.  I have been loved by a boy who played the harmonica and by a girl who died.  Don’t talk to me about love,” he said.  “I have known love.”

He prided himself on not hoping, on not allowing his heart to lift inside of him.  He prided himself on keeping his heart silent, immobile, closed tight.

I am done with hope, thought Edward Tulane.

The old doll said, “I wonder who will come for me this time.  Someone will come.  Someone always comes.  Who will it be?”

“You disappoint me greatly.  If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless.”

I got carried away with quotes.  There are so many good ones.  If you want a book that will make you think, that will show both the good and bad of life, then this would be an excellent choice for you.