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 »
Debbie Gonzales
True (…Sort Of) by Katherine Hannigan
Click HERE to enjoy a video in which author Katherine Hannigan talks about crafting characters that she cares about. Endearing characters rich with complexity, creativity, and heart. She describes them as owning distinctive troublesome traits and unique gifts that ultimately save the day. For example, Hannigan’s protagonist Delly devises her own language of solidarity – words that describe emotions and events… Read more »
Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller
Click HERE and get set to enjoy a Reader’s Theatre rendition of Keller’s Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners created by the CYRM Committee Members of 2009. Shoot, while you’re at it, plan to enjoy the series of darling vignettes included in the .pdf document such as Drachman’s A Frog Thing, Steffensmeier’s Millie Waits for the Mail, Kelly’s My… Read more »
Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
Included as a part of Rosanne Parry’s website is a trailer promoting her incredible Heart of a Shepherd. The trailer ends with a poignant question: “Have you ever made a promise you couldn’t keep?” Have you? Have you ever vowed to take on a task that was well beyond your capability to complete? Have family members depended upon your… Read more »
Leah’s Pony
This timeless, remarkable book can be incorporated into your classroom activities in a number of ways. The links below are packed with cross-curricular lessons which not only enhance the teach-ability of LEAH’S PONY, but will help keep the life lessons learned a part of the child’s memory for a long, long time. To access a website created by… Read more »
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything
Among many of the instructional and insightful activities such as writing fan letters, dancing Bollywood steps, and baking yummy curry puffs described in The Grand Plan to Fix Everything Activity Kit, young readers are asked to consider the statement “How I Want to Change the World.” Like Dini, readers are encouraged to think about the world as… Read more »
A Series for Summer Sharing
Because of my father’s business, as a child, I was repeatedly transferred to various elementary schools all over the US. I remember being asked if my dad was in ‘the service’. At the time I didn’t know what they we asking. But, prolific author Kimberly Willis Holt certainly does, as is revealed in her absolutely charming Piper Reed series. Every one of the… Read more »
