September 2011

Different And The Same

Sometimes accepting one another’s “differentness” begins at the exact intersection of our sameness. This month’s final BOOK ROOM post includes books that are about those children who know the uncomfortable feeling of being “different” yet find a way to turn negative perceptions into positives. MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine (Philomel Books, 2010) MOCKINGBIRD is a beautifully… Read more »

Following My Paint Brush by Dulari Devi

FOLLOWING MY PAINT BRUSH is the true story of Dulari Devi, a domestic worker who became an artist in the Mithila style of folk painting from Bihar, in eastern India. Her childhood was doomed to be a life of unchanging hard work and no education – not one day of school.  But Dulari refused to… Read more »

Home Reading Strategies

Beyond the Reading Log by Bruce Frost Teaching and sharing of reading is not the sole territory of teachers and librarians. In fact, home reading is integral to the process of becoming a stronger, lifelong reader. When parents hear the term “home reading”, many picture the daily reading logs sent home each week. The only… Read more »

Nowhere Girl by A. J. Paquette

Paquette’s Nowhere Girl compliments this month’s ReaderKidZ theme of accepting differences perfectly – for in her differences, the protagonist discovers her strength. This is a story about a young girl’s tenacious, heart-wrenching  journey across the globe to find a place of belonging for herself and exoneration of her deceased mother’s integrity. Protagonist Luchi Ann is… Read more »

How to Handle a Bully

This week’s Book Room post looks at bullying, from several different perspectives, and what to do about it. CRASH by Jerry Spinelli Just about everybody has called John Coogan by the name Crash since he put on his first football helmet, charged into his cousin, and knocked her clear back out the open doorway. Everyone,… Read more »

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

In regards to THE RECESS QUEEN, the Canadian Teacher Magazine states, “Meeting new people, establishing friendships, and settling into new routines is a big part of the first few weeks in an elementary school. Classes traditionally spend time developing social skills, building relationships and a spirit of co-operation amongst the children. Establishing expectations for playground… Read more »

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Bake a pie especially for an enemy? Think of the most ridiculously gruesome ingredients and then throw them in a pan? Oh, how deviously delicious! Derek Munson’s masterful ENEMY PIE serves as a tasty tease to lure kids into the joy of reading. On his website is a lengthy list of lesson plans devised for… Read more »