Be careful what you ask for. I handed out this Tech Needs survey and this is what I got back. There's one in every group. (In mine there are 3!)
September 29, 2011
September 27, 2011
Let Them Eat Cake (or Brownies!)
Would you look at this face? What a face! What a guy! This is Brady. He is in the second grade here at Lemme School. Last week during library, he asked me to show him where the cookbooks were. He mentioned that he would love one that had yummy desserts in it and that he was planning to bake with his mom over the weekend. He checked out
2001 Taste of Home Annual Recipes and this morning he presented me with this:
2001 Taste of Home Annual Recipes and this morning he presented me with this:
Readers can do anything!
September 26, 2011
Book Talk Tuesday
I have been searching the web for a great place to post book reviews for
librarians and teachers to use in the classroom. Well, I am going to
try hosting my own Book Talk Tuesday! I invite teachers and librarians
to link to a recent book talk or book review that can be used by others-
to help purchase new books, learn about new books and to help give us
book talk ideas.
My rules?
My rules?
1. All content must be appropriate for children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
NEW 2. Please link to your original content, not the content of others.
3. Websites that you link to must be child friendly since lots of kids
visit this site and if they click on your link, I want it to be
appropriate for them.
4. Positive reviews only, please... we only spread love here at The Lemme Library!
5. Books must be available in The US. (you are welcome to link to ARC reviews)
6. I reserve the right to remove any reviews that don't meet criteria 1-5.
In the link title field, be sure to include the title of the book you
are reviewing and your site name. In the URL field, please link to this
specific post that contains the book review (That way people don't have
to scour your blog looking for it!)
***
For newcomers & visitors: Definition of "Book Talk" from Wikipedia:
"A booktalk in the broadest terms is what is spoken with the intent to
convince someone to read a book. The booktalker gives the audience a
glimpse of the setting, the characters, and/or the major conflict
without providing the resolution or denouement. Booktalks make listeners
care enough about the content of the book to want to read it. A long
booktalk is usually about five to seven minutes long and a short
booktalk is generally thirty seconds to two minutes long.
Use it or Lose It!
With a very new, very expensive Smartboard in the middle of my teaching space, I feel very obligated to use it and make sure that other people see me use it. I admit that I haven't mastered the art of creation, but I long ago mastered the art of downloading and linking. Here are a few games I will be using with grades three through six to introduce, review and practice shelf order and call number.
Leave a comment and share your favorite rsources!
Alphaorder: Very simple presentation, it allows kids to put words in order by first letter.
Order in the Library: Great game that has various levels for shelving, sorting and reordering books.
The Book Game: Students click on a book spine to place it in order on a shelf. 1st letter alphabetizing, very simple.
SmartExchange File: Putting Fiction Books in Order. Several screens that you can customize for putting books in order, photos of actual books and 1st, 2nd and 3rd letter alphabetizing.
SmartExchange File: Library Skills. Alphabetizing by author's name, reading spine labels, and understanding library organization.
September 25, 2011
Blogiversary Round Up!
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| My Mugshot |
September 14 marked my 1 Year Bogiversary. I was lucky enough to have a great line up of guest bloggers help me celebrate! This is a recap of the fabulous posts for you to enjoy!
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Why Children's Books? by The1stdaughter of There's a Book. Her
site is a wonderful resource for parents who are looking for fabulous
books to share with their children. Danielle knows how vital books are
in the lives of kids and she is able to write about them in a way that
lets parents know exactly what to be reading. Danielle has been a very
loyal follower and contributor to Book Talk Tuesday. We share links and
resources regularly on Twitter and Pinterest. Danielle has been an
important part on my virtual learning community! Thank you for writing
this post for me... I can think back to all of the pivotal times on my
life and I know exactly which book I was reading. Books have shaped my
life and I am a better person for all of the times spent devouring
books.
Never Too Busy to Read by 11 year old Addy Smith. Of all the famous, published and
well-known guest bloggers I have been lucky enough to host this week,
none of them hold a candle to my next guest. Addy Smith is a sixth
grader at Lemme School, but she could be a freshman in college. She is
an amazing young lady. She reads like crazy, and reads all sorts of
great books. We have been known to have 45 minute conversations about
which faction we would choose if we were Tris. We have gotten caught up
in our discussions of why we think Gale is so much better for Katniss
than Peeta. And these conversations are some of the best I have ever had
about books. Addy knows her stuff and can articulate her opinion better
than girls 10 years her senior. But she isn't only good at reading- she
is a whiz at math too and she is tech savvy. She is a caring big sister
and someone I trust to look after the little tykes in the library when I
need her. She is dependable and has a good head on her shoulders. She
is funny and witty and I truly love spending time talking with her. You
would think that a kid that has all of this and a bag of chips going for
her would let it go to her head- and be smug and snooty. No. Not Addy.
She is down to earth and she knows where she is going in life. I adore
this girl and I know she will do big things with her life. I know she
has her heart set on being a obstetrician (she told me that 6 years ago
when I first met her in kindergarten), but don't be surprised if she is
President of The united States one day. Don't be surprised at all. Thank
you Addy for taking the time out of your very busy life to write a
great blog post for this old lady. : )
The Golden Age of Children's Literature by Colby Sharp of Sharpread
My next guest blogger was nervous when he learned that he would be
following Tom Angleberger & John Auxier. He shouldn't be. Colby
Sharp of Sharpread has
rocketed to the top of the kidlit blogosphere. I don't know how he does
it- he reads everything, he tweets, he blogs, he teaches and he has a family. Does he ever sleep? Is he a droid? Is he crazy? Yes, he is crazy. I offer proof:
What to do When You Hate a Classic by Tom Angleberger and Jonathan Auxier. I might be dreaming up this next post... I can't even
believe it is real. Somebody pinch me! Today's post is a tag team piece
written by Tom Angleberger and Jonathan Auxier. It's like having Captain
Kirk AND Han Solo piloting the same intergalactic spacecraft.
Seriously! Do you see how a blog can create new connections?
In January, I awarded Tom's book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda with the prestigious Bizzaro Newbery Award. Tom took the time to contact me to thank me for the award. I think I actually squealed when I opened THAT email! Betsy Bird picked up my post on her amazing blog Fuse8. I think my blog got over 500 hits in a 3 hour period! Tom and I share links and ideas (but mostly funny Star Wars pictures) on Twitter and last Spring he even Skyped with my kids! (I just counted and there are 18 posts on this blog tagged with Tom Angleberger... stalker?)
In January, I awarded Tom's book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda with the prestigious Bizzaro Newbery Award. Tom took the time to contact me to thank me for the award. I think I actually squealed when I opened THAT email! Betsy Bird picked up my post on her amazing blog Fuse8. I think my blog got over 500 hits in a 3 hour period! Tom and I share links and ideas (but mostly funny Star Wars pictures) on Twitter and last Spring he even Skyped with my kids! (I just counted and there are 18 posts on this blog tagged with Tom Angleberger... stalker?)
This summer I read Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. In 80 years, that will be hailed as a classic, I guarantee you that! Anyway, I follow John on Twitter and he has been kind enough to follow me and visit my blog... even leaving comments! I have upped my status as a Rock Star Librarian because of these two guys- and my blog has been better for it. I write posts to leave an impression and get them to keep coming back. I am so completely blown away to have these 2 chaps blogging together today.
Follow up to this post at Jonathan's site, The Scop.
Real men read... did you know that? The
really-real men read to their kids. Do you know how I know that? My dad
read to me- every single night until I was in fifth grade and #2, The
Dad from ReadAloudDad.com says
so. He is the father of twins, so he does double the reading that most
dads do! He reviews books on his website- have you ever read one of his
reviews? They are written with the utmost attention to detail. I can
only imagine that it takes him hours to produce a single review... for
example: My Father's Dragon.
By the time you finished reading his review, you know that you best get
up, get in the car and go to the nearest book store and buy every book
he mentioned. And then, you better read them to your kids. The Dad is a
fabulous advocate for getting dads involved in the lives of their
children. He gives statistics, shares articles, gives tips and just
encourages men to read to their children. He has been the most loyal
follower of Book Talk Tuesday. His words of encouragement and support
have helped me continue to put out my very best work. He is a vital part
of my online learning community... thank you for your wisdom and
support.
Little known fact, The Dad and I are
Blogging Twins! He started his blog 1 year ago this month as well!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY READALOUD DAD!
Portrait of a Librarian as a Young Reader by by Laura Given (aka liblaura5) This post sent chills up my spine. You don't know how many times I
have heard teachers say "Comic books (graphic novels) don't count as a
good fit books. Magazines can't be used for SSR. No you can't check out
that Ripley's Believe it Or Not. I know you like nonfiction, but check
out a chapter book." After reading this, I think there might be a few
interventions at Lemme School next week. I know how important it is for
kids to get good fit books, but we need to put more value on interest
and purpose in order to validate our kids as readers. They get good fit
books all day... what they need a little love from Laura. Laura is a
librarian, book blogger and fellow Twitter Rock Star. She participates
in Book Talk Tuesday and visits this blog and shares her thoughts and
ideas with me on Twitter. I had a good feeling about her... read on, I
know you will agree.
Thank you, Laura for this post. It should be required reading for all teachers.
Reading in Technicolor I have said on this blog time and again,
how blogging has broadened my PLC (professional learning community). I
have learned more from this circle of people in the last year than I
have in 8 years of professional development. Angie Oliverson (MsO or
@SenioritaO) at MsOReadsBooks
has become part of my PLC. She participates in Book Talk Tuesday,
comments on this blog, gives me great ideas on Pinterest and shares
great links and conversation on Twitter. It was only fitting that I ask
her to be a part of my 1 Year Blogiversary Guest Blogger Line Up! She
has helped me shape my blog and my instruction and I wanted my readers
to get to know her! Thank you Angie for this great post! Angie put much
thought into this post and I can tell how hard she worked because she
had to find each picture, save it and attach it... little things that
bloggers notice! : ) I am a very visual person myself, so this post is right up my alley! Enjoy, everyone... Reading in Technicolor!
Books Were My Salvation by Laurel Snyder Before I entered the blog world, I had
read Laurel's books and once I entered the blog world, I continued to
read Laurel's books. I mentioned Any Which Wall in a post, and
Laurel was nice enough to leave a comment on my post. I learned that
Laurel spent part of her life in Iowa City, and actually married a boy
(man now!) that graduated with my husband. The world is so small... And
this summer, I was able to see Laurel at The Hamburg Inn and listen to
her read Inside The Slidy Diner (which my 3 year old LOVES and
now wants to go see the REAL Slidy Diner). I love that Laurel is so in
tune with schools and libraries, but most of all with kids. She gets
them. If you've ever read her books, you know that. If you read this
post, you will know why. Thank you Laurel.
Librarians and Chocolate Cake! by Kirby Larson. Kirby won The
Newbery Honor Award for Hattie Big Sky. Her newest book is The
Friendship Doll. Thank you Kirby for your post, and thank you for your
online friendship! I am so glad that cyber-fate brought us together!
September 23, 2011
September 22, 2011
Why Children's Books?
It is the last night of my 1 Year Blogiversary Blowout. I am amazed and overwhelmed by the fabulous posts, comments and number of visitors. I think I should just host other bloggers all the time because I have had a blast! Thank you to all of the people who have dropped by to say hi and enjoy a great post or two. Today, my final post comes from Danielle Smith, who I first met as The1stdaughter of There's a Book. Her site is a wonderful resource for parents who are looking for fabulous books to share with their children. Danielle knows how vital books are in the lives of kids and she is able to write about them in a way that lets parents know exactly what to be reading. Danielle has been a very loyal follower and contributor to Book Talk Tuesday. We share links and resources regularly on Twitter and Pinterest. Danielle has been an important part on my virtual learning community! Thank you for writing this post for me... I can think back to all of the pivotal times on my life and I know exactly which book I was reading. Books have shaped my life and I am a better person for all of the times spent devouring books.
First of all, Happy 1st Blogiversary
Kelly! The Lemme Library has quickly become one of my regular haunting grounds,
and I say that because I'm unfortunately guilty of the crime of lurking. That
being said, I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kelly through her wonderful
reviews, Book Talk Tuesday, on Twitter and absolutely on her often quirky fun
pins on Pinterest. It's been a fantastic time getting to know you and I can't
wait to see what comes in the next year for you!
Why Children's Books?
Truthfully, I agonized over
this post. I simply could not narrow down what to talk about, but that's very
typically me. I'm a bit all over the place, what with chasing after two
toddlers all day and attempting to manage the schedule of a very busy new
attorney (my hubby). That being said, you'd think it would be a given that I'd
choose to blog about children's books seeing that both my kiddos read non-stop
but it's not that simple.
See, much like Jonathan and
Tom I was a bit damaged by reading and re-reading "Children's
Classics" in school and subsequently stopped reading until close to the
time my children were born. I know, it's a tragedy. Not that I stopped
entirely, but certainly I wasn't eager to pick up The Scarlett Letter again (and probably never will). Then, my children happened.
It began with books like Trucks Trucks Trucks by Peter Sis and Trucks by Byron Barton. Yes, there was a
definite "truck" theme in our home the first two years of the
Turkeybird's life. During which I suddenly felt the need to explore beyond my
prejudices and his obsessions. What began as a need to discover more books for
my son to devour, as he was already reading at eighteen months, quickly became
a venture into the "ghost of children's books past".
What I quickly discovered
was that children's books have influenced my life from the start and I never
let them go, literally. In a box my mother keeps for me there's a worn copy of Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish that is
actually the one and only theft of my lifetime. Yes, I "borrowed" it
from the library and never returned it. I'm sure the librarians out there are
shaking their heads at this point, but I do apologize and would add that I have
paid for a replacement since then. The point is though that I loved this book
enough to hide it under my pillow at night, to read it during every spare
moment & potentially get into "big" trouble for not returning it.
Whichever book burns
brightest for my children are the books that matter. The books we read under a
blanket with flashlight in tow. The characters that rescue us from a hard day
at school or home. The journeys that help us to remember we are children. Those
are the ones that count and will forever have a place in our hearts. And
that...is why I choose children's books.
No, No! Never, Never!
I have a beautiful SmartBoard in my library but I have utilized it to its fullest potential. I need a full day to sit and play with the software and try to integrate the board into my existing lessons. Well, I didn't have a full day, but I had 30 minutes and this is what I came up with! In Kindergarten, we always talk about book care. I usually use pictures of good or bad things to do with books and the kids have to put them into a "yes" box or a "no" box. This time, I found images on the internet and put them into a Smartboard image sort template and viola! Instant lesson! The kids were engaged and did a great job! You can download the file here, I uploaded it to SmartExchange!
September 21, 2011
Never Too Busy To Read!
Of all the famous, published and well-known guest bloggers I have been lucky enough to host this week, none of them hold a candle to my next guest. Addy Smith is a sixth grader at Lemme School, but she could be a freshman in college. She is an amazing young lady. She reads like crazy, and reads all sorts of great books. We have been known to have 45 minute conversations about which faction we would choose if we were Tris. We have gotten caught up in our discussions of why we think Gale is so much better for Katniss than Peeta. And these conversations are some of the best I have ever had about books. Addy knows her stuff and can articulate her opinion better than girls 10 years her senior. But she isn't only good at reading- she is a whiz at math too and she is tech savvy. She is a caring big sister and someone I trust to look after the little tykes in the library when I need her. She is dependable and has a good head on her shoulders. She is funny and witty and I truly love spending time talking with her. You would think that a kid that has all of this and a bag of chips going for her would let it go to her head- and be smug and snooty. No. Not Addy. She is down to earth and she knows where she is going in life. I adore this girl and I know she will do big things with her life. I know she has her heart set on being a obstetrician (she told me that 6 years ago when I first met her in kindergarten), but don't be surprised if she is President of The united States one day. Don't be surprised at all. Thank you Addy for taking the time out of your very busy life to write a great blog post for this old lady. : )
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Are people too busy for reading these days?
I know I've got trumpet, piano, guitar, chores, sports, plays and school. (Don't forget pestering your siblings it's a big part in your day!) But I ALWAYS make time for reading!
I can't remember a time in my life when I
didn't make time for reading! I always have a HUGE list of books that I want to read (thanks to Mrs. Butcher and goodreads) and I often find myself wondering "why can't I read faster?" Well that's because there are TOO many books out there that I have yet to read!
As a younger child I had people in my life that always made time for helping me read and boy am I
glad that they did!
Here is a video of me reading to my grandma when I was 5!
Make sure that YOU find time to foster the love of reading for those special
people in your life.
And that to-read list won't
be getting any shorter by me sitting around on the computer!
So, Happy
#1 to the #1 blog!
Guest Post Follow Up
Jonathan Auxier and Tom Angleberger wrote a most excellent post for me earlier this week... it was so intense, that Mr. Auxier continued the discussion on his blog, TheScop. (Please notice the image at the top of this post! So cool!): Great Books That Turned Me Off From Reading
September 20, 2011
Take 3 Books & Call Me In The Morning!
If you've got a fever, the prescription you need is not for more cowbell. Indeed, you need a prescription for books. One of my all time favorite students, Rachel moved on to Jr. High this year. She recently had her tonsils out and is home from school recuperating. Her mom happens to work at Lemme School. Today she asked if I would pick some books out for Rachel... not a hurry, when I have time. Knowing Rachel and her passion for reading, and to save her from her father's endless requests to play Scrabble, I ran to the shelf and handed Jennie:
Tonight when I checked Facebook, I find this kind post from the patient's mommy:
Oh, and if you don't know about cowbell, you will after you watch this:
The Magic of Books
When I told Camden that the book would soon be a movie, his eyes almost popped out of his head! I've invited him to write a review for the blog... watch for it!
The Golden Age of Kid Lit
My next guest blogger was nervous when he learned that he would be following Tom Angleberger & John Auxier. He shouldn't be. Colby Sharp of Sharpread has rocketed to the top of the kidlit blogosphere. I don't know how he does it- he reads everything, he tweets, he blogs, he teaches and he has a family. Does he ever sleep? Is he a droid? Is he crazy? Yes, he is crazy. I offer proof:
He is my kind of crazy. He is passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable. He is funny and kind. It doesn't hurt that he likes the same books that I do. We are both obsessed with Mr. Angleberger and his paper dolls to the point of stalker status. (Colby, does Tom have a restraining order out on you yet? No? Give it time.) I was thrilled when Colby said he'd post today. I agree with Colby Sharp- there is no better time to be involved in the world of children's literature. It is a scary time too- tiny budgets, closing libraries, e-books, internet, video games, crazy book banners, the dwindling test scores... When that all adds up, you should thank your lucky stars that Mr. Sharp is your child's teacher. Thanks, Colby!
********
The
Golden Age of baseball took place from about 1945-1960. This was when
baseball was at it’s best. World War II was over, and people were
starving for America’s pastime. The league was littered with future
hall-of-famers, and war heroes. It is hard for me to imagine any
players today going to war and being a fighter pilot.
In
my opinion we are in the “Golden Age” of being a kid reader. There has
been no better time to be a young reader. Here are my top 5 reasons
why it is the best time ever to be a kid reader:
1. Book Trailers
Book
trailers grab young readers, suck them in, and leave them begging to
read the book. Every morning in my class we watch one book trailer
after morning announcements, and I hear kids talking about it throughout
the day. After the trailer I walk to the front of the room, and hands
shoot up like crazy. We are only in the second week of school, and they
already anticipate what I am going to say. “Anyone interested in
reading ___________?” I could book talk that book till the cows come
home, but nothing hooks them in like a book trailer.
A big thank you to readers like Mr. Schu for making book trailers accessible to young readers.
2. Kid Lit Blogs
As
a kid, I wanted to learn more about what was out there to read, my
options were limited to: 100 year old librarian, teacher that makes me
read basal, and other kids in my class that didn’t read. Now kids have
tons of amazing: teachers, book lovers, librarians, and authors out
their blogging about books. Not only do kids have tons of opportunities
out there to read book blogs from adults, but more and more kids are
starting their own blogs both in and out of the classroom.
I
would include a bunch of links here to great kid lit blogs, but I
figured that you could just check out the links down the left side of
the Lemme blog.
3. Skyping With Authors
Skype
is awesome. Skype can be used in so many ways to promote reading, but I
am going to just focus on Skyping with authors. Budgets are tight.
Schools can’t just go out and schedule a bunch of author visits, and
when they do, they often have to pick authors that live close to their
school to save on travel costs. In comes Skype. Many authors offer
free Skype video chats to classrooms. In-house author visits can’t be
replaced, but author Skypes have their advantages. Usually author
visits include one author and 300 or so kids. When Skyping with an
author it can be one classroom with around 25 kids, giving the kids a
chance to have a much more intimate conversation with their favorite
author. Another reason why Skyping with authors is so great is because
you are not limited to the authors in your home area. Last year we
Skyped with Tom Angleberger (Virginia), Adam and Jay from The Familiars
(California), Kate Messner (Lake Champlain), and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (New York). Total cost $0. Effect on my readers: priceless (sorry, that was corny).
4. Reading Workshop
Teachers
like Donalyn Miller and Nancie Atwell are spreading the gospel of
reading workshop. If you have not read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn
Miller you need to buy it RIGHT NOW.
One
of the biggest reason why reading workshop makes it a great time to be a
kid reader is because it allows kids the freedom to read what they
want. Reading workshop is a shift from a teacher controlling a
classroom full of reluctant readers, to a teacher managing a classroom
full of engaged readers.
At
the end of the school year I interview my readers and they say again
and again the reason they loved being a reader in my classroom is
because they got to pick what they read. Many kids love to watch
television. Do you think they would love it as much if we made them all
watch the same shows every night. “Okay kids, time to watch CNN.” That
wold totally turn them off from television. The same way with books.
“Okay kids, everyone get out the Scarlett Letter.”
5. Graphic Novels
If
you haven’t witnessed the power of the Amulet series in the hands of a
middle grade student you are missing out. If you haven’t seen Smile
float around the classroom from student to student, without ever making
it back to the classroom library, you are missing out. Graphic novels
are fun to read, and the quality of a lot of them can be just as high
as traditional texts. It seems like when kids get to third grade they
often get books with pictures ripped out of their hands. This is
criminal, especially for reluctant readers that need that picture
support.
It
is a great time to be a reader, and also a great time to be a teacher,
librarian, author, illustrator, and principal. We get to share the
gospel of kid lit! I love my job.
September 19, 2011
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HATE A CLASSIC
This has been some 1 Year Blogiversary Bash so far!! I might be dreaming up this next post... I can't even believe it is real. Somebody pinch me! Today's post is a tag team piece written by Tom Angleberger and Jonathan Auxier. It's like having Captain Kirk AND Han Solo piloting the same intergalactic spacecraft. Seriously! Do you see how a blog can create new connections?
In January, I awarded Tom's book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda with the prestigious Bizzaro Newbery Award. Tom took the time to contact me to thank me for the award. I think I actually squealed when I opened THAT email! Betsy Bird picked up my post on her amazing blog Fuse8. I think my blog got over 500 hits in a 3 hour period! Tom and I share links and ideas (but mostly funny Star Wars pictures) on Twitter and last Spring he even Skyped with my kids! (I just counted and there are 18 posts on this blog tagged with Tom Angleberger... stalker?)
This summer I read Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. In 80 years, that will be hailed as a classic, I guarantee you that! Anyway, I follow John on Twitter and he has been kind enough to follow me and visit my blog... even leaving comments! I have upped my status as a Rock Star Librarian because of these two guys- and my blog has been better for it. I write posts to leave an impression and get them to keep coming back. I am so completely blown away to have these 2 chaps blogging together today.
In January, I awarded Tom's book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda with the prestigious Bizzaro Newbery Award. Tom took the time to contact me to thank me for the award. I think I actually squealed when I opened THAT email! Betsy Bird picked up my post on her amazing blog Fuse8. I think my blog got over 500 hits in a 3 hour period! Tom and I share links and ideas (but mostly funny Star Wars pictures) on Twitter and last Spring he even Skyped with my kids! (I just counted and there are 18 posts on this blog tagged with Tom Angleberger... stalker?)
This summer I read Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. In 80 years, that will be hailed as a classic, I guarantee you that! Anyway, I follow John on Twitter and he has been kind enough to follow me and visit my blog... even leaving comments! I have upped my status as a Rock Star Librarian because of these two guys- and my blog has been better for it. I write posts to leave an impression and get them to keep coming back. I am so completely blown away to have these 2 chaps blogging together today.
Howdy,
Lemme Leopards! Tom Angleberger
and Jonathan Auxier here to talk about books! Specifically, what to do when you
read a “beloved classic” that you can’t stand! The good news is that you’re not alone -- even book-addicted
authors like us have classics that we hated ...
JONATHAN: This is something I have felt a lot in my life, especially when I was
younger. My favorite metaphor for
this feeling has to be "The Emperor's
New Clothes." Sometimes I
read a classic book and feel like the kid from that story -- looking around the
adoring crowd of adults and saying, “Seriously?
Am I the only one that sees that this guy is naked?!”
TOM: I would never, never publicly say that I hate a book by a living author. But the authors of yore are fair game …
JONATHAN: Agreed! Nor am I actually looking to mindlessly tear down beloved classics. But I think there's a conversation to be had about how some people will disagree about classic ... and that's okay. For me, the books that did more damage than good were The Yearling, Romeo & Juliet, and A Tale of Two Cities. I hated these (assigned) books with a passion, and that frustration was part of what turned me off of reading for many years. I remember thinking: “If these are what ‘good’ books look like, count me out!”
TOM: That's why I can quite openly say that Peter Pan is one of the worst pieces of dreck I've ever read. That condescending Barrie wrung any and all possible fun out of the pirates and fairies and he left his only interesting and/or fantastic character (Nana the sentient dog) behind.
JONATHAN: That doesn't cut it for me. Hate on Barrie all you want, but I need a few in-text examples of what you mean by condescending. And condescending to whom? The characters? The reader? Children in general? (To me, Peter Pan seems much more guilty of sentimentalism, which is sort of the opposite of condescension ... but that's a different conversation for a different day!)
TOM: I would never, never publicly say that I hate a book by a living author. But the authors of yore are fair game …
JONATHAN: Agreed! Nor am I actually looking to mindlessly tear down beloved classics. But I think there's a conversation to be had about how some people will disagree about classic ... and that's okay. For me, the books that did more damage than good were The Yearling, Romeo & Juliet, and A Tale of Two Cities. I hated these (assigned) books with a passion, and that frustration was part of what turned me off of reading for many years. I remember thinking: “If these are what ‘good’ books look like, count me out!”
TOM: That's why I can quite openly say that Peter Pan is one of the worst pieces of dreck I've ever read. That condescending Barrie wrung any and all possible fun out of the pirates and fairies and he left his only interesting and/or fantastic character (Nana the sentient dog) behind.
JONATHAN: That doesn't cut it for me. Hate on Barrie all you want, but I need a few in-text examples of what you mean by condescending. And condescending to whom? The characters? The reader? Children in general? (To me, Peter Pan seems much more guilty of sentimentalism, which is sort of the opposite of condescension ... but that's a different conversation for a different day!)
TOM: You want an example? “If you could keep awake (but of course you can't) you would
see …”
JONATHAN: We might have to agree to disagree on this one! But this is actually one of the main things I would love for people to take away from this conversation: It's okay to hate a beloved classic ... so long as you make an effort to explain why you didn't like it. Knowing why is what marks the difference between a humbug and a critic.
TOM: Which leads to this question: Why would something so bad become a “classic”? Is it because there was so little to choose from back then? Did people read it and say, “If you liked Pilgrim's Progress, you'll love Peter Pan!”? If that's the case, do we need to re-evaluate all the classics?
JONATHAN: I would argue that we are constantly re-evaluating the canon; some of the most popular books of the past are now forgotten. Frances Hodgson Burnett's biggest work was (by far) Little Lord Fauntleroy ... which pretty much nobody today has read. Or consider Davy & the Goblin, which was hailed by many to be the American Alice in Wonderland -- this hugely successful book is completely forgotten today.
TOM: Does Five Children and It really need to be held up as a classic when there are 50 much more fantastic fantasies published every day?
JONATHAN: Now I'm just starting to think you hate the Edwardians!
TOM: Must we really force kids to read Tom Sawyer Abroad -- yes, I was forced to read it in the 7th grade -- when just about any random book from the contemporary bookshelf would be better?
.
JONATHAN: I'll be honest and say I'd never even heard of Tom Sawyer Abroad … just because a book came from a famous author does not mean it’s a “classic”. But I agree with your general point. Maybe it's worth nailing down what we mean by “better”? Because it changes depending on whether we're talking about personal reading or school reading. I firmly believe that enjoyment isn't the sole purpose of reading in a school setting. As a kid, I read stuff I enjoyed on my own without the help of teachers (mostly sci-fi & comic books). Classroom curriculum, however, should be pushing readers outside of their comfort zone -- exposing them to challenging material that they wouldn't ordinarily open. That said, I REALLY hated The Yearling!
TOM: What do we mean by better? Well, a book that makes a kid love
reading is better than a book that makes a kid hate reading! And now let's end on a happy note, by
mentioning a classic that made me love reading: The Secret
Garden. Free of
condescension -- if not completely free of lessons -- this book is my idea of a
true kids' classic. Little Lord Fauntleroy, by the same
author, isn't really for kids. It's a mom's story.
Secret Garden is a kids’ story
and it remains one of the best kids' stories ever written!
JONATHAN: Now there’s a classic book we
can both agree on!
Tom Angleberger is author
of the bestselling Origami Yoda books, which you can learn all about by
visiting his awesome website. Jonathan Auxier is author of Peter Nimble & His Fantastic Eyes -- he
also runs www.TheScop.com, a website
devoted to exploring the connections between children’s books old and new.
Book Talk Tuesday
I have been searching the web for a great place to post book reviews for
librarians and teachers to use in the classroom. Well, I am going to
try hosting my own Book Talk Tuesday! I invite teachers and librarians
to link to a recent book talk or book review that can be used by others-
to help purchase new books, learn about new books and to help give us
book talk ideas.
My rules?
1. All content must be appropriate for children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
NEW 2. Please link to your original content, not the content of others.
3. Websites that you link to must be child friendly since lots of kids
visit this site and if they click on your link, I want it to be
appropriate for them.
4. Positive reviews only, please... we only spread love here at The Lemme Library!
5. Books must be available in The US. (you are welcome to link to ARC reviews)
6. I reserve the right to remove any reviews that don't meet criteria 1-5.
In the link title field, be sure to include the title of the book you
are reviewing and your site name. In the URL field, please link to this
specific post that contains the book review (That way people don't have
to scour your blog looking for it!)
***
For newcomers & visitors: Definition of "Book Talk" from Wikipedia:
"A booktalk in the broadest terms is what is spoken with the intent to
convince someone to read a book. The booktalker gives the audience a
glimpse of the setting, the characters, and/or the major conflict
without providing the resolution or denouement. Booktalks make listeners
care enough about the content of the book to want to read it. A long
booktalk is usually about five to seven minutes long and a short
booktalk is generally thirty seconds to two minutes long.
***
In the midst of all this 1 Year Blog Birthday Hoopla, I almost forgot to post Book Talk Tuesday! Have you seen the awesome guest posts so far? Check them out:
Read Aloud Dad: 10 Ways to Stick it To Your Librarian
LibLaura4 (AKA Laura Givens) Portrait of a Librarian as a Young Reader
MissOReads (AKA Angie Oliverson) Reading in Technicolor
Laurel Snyder, author of Bigger Than a Breadbox, Penny Dreadful, Any Which Wall: Books were my Salvation
Kirby Larson, author of The Friendship Doll and Newbery Award Winning Hatie Big Sky: Librarians & Chocolate Cake
Tomorrow will be Tom Angleberger & John Auxier, then Colby Sharp (AKA SharpRead), then one of my students, Addy Smith and finally The1stDaughter (AKA Danielle Smith).
This week, when you leave a comment- tell us about your experience with guest blogging. Have you ever written a guest post for another blog? How did you change your viewpoint or style... or did you? Have you had guest bloggers? How do you pick them and how do you get them? Who is your dream guest blogger? Any suggestions or questions? Let 'er rip!
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