Quote of the Month

When love and skill work together, expect a miracle. John Ruskin




Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Picture Book Month 2014, Then, And Now, 2017

It's day two of Picture Book Month.  Each year in November this international action highlights the print picture book.  For each date of the month an author, illustrator or author/illustrator will post an essay on the importance of picture books.

A page is devoted to ideas on how to participate and celebrate Picture Book Month.  There is a Picture Book Month Teacher's Guide along with certificates of participation.  On the promo kit page is a short video to view or give you ideas about creating one with your children or students.

Each year a theme is assigned to each day with Picture Book Month founder, Dianne de las Casas, sending out tweets asking for titles.  As I did last year I am setting up an online format, Padlet, listing two or three books around the daily themes.  Most of the titles will be fairly new with reviews attached to the title or at least a summary.  I have included a copy of the calendar below so you can see the themes.  I will start with the first six days adding two or three at a time.  Have fun and celebrate Picture Book Month.  I've also included a Popplet of books suggestions for 2013 on this Padlet. (Here is a link to take you directly to the created Padlet.)




Created with Padlet


It's been great fun to work on creating a collection of picture books around the themes selected for 2017.  I might be adding to the list as I discover more books before November 30, 2017.  It is my sincere hope you will find all three lists of benefit to you and your children.  The direct link to the Padlet is here.








Made with Padlet
Posted by Xena's Mom at 9:22 PM 2 comments
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Sunday, July 20, 2014

One Saturday Morning-Peter Brown

Just a little over twenty-four hours ago, I made a thirty-minute trip to a nearby town.  It is the beginning of the annual Venetian Festival in downtown Charlevoix, Michigan.  As I drove down Bridge Street (the main street) old and antique cars lined the parking spots and were scattered across the green bordering the marina.  It was also the yearly Art in the Park in the city of Petoskey, my destination.

After parking my car, walking several blocks and up a hill, I found myself standing in front of the Carnegie Building, site of the former public library. McLean & Eakin Booksellers, my favorite independent book store, had a display at the base of the steps announcing the visit of author illustrator Peter Brown.  Stepping inside this lovely old building was like going back in time.  A large open area held seating for all the guests with a spot for the children near where Peter Brown would address his readers.

Peter Brown began his session by telling us about his childhood love of drawing and writing showing us examples.  His presentation was filled with the wit and charm found in his books.  His focus was on his newest title, My Teacher Is A Monster! (No I Am Not.).  He explained his inspiration for creating this particular book before reading it to his guests.  It's a wonderful experience to hear an author illustrator read their own book aloud, giving emphasis to those parts they feel are most important.  Ms. Kirby's voice could not have been better.


Finishing up his session Peter Brown demonstrated how Ms. Kirby came to life drawing her in stages so we all could see the combination of shapes and lines.  I was the final person to have my books signed.  Listening to Peter Brown interact with his readers was a true joy.  He loves what he does and it shows.










Posted by Xena's Mom at 2:13 PM 4 comments
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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Twitterville Talk Hiatus

On Monday past I sent out a tweet stating I was signing off Twitter for the remainder of the week.  This would mean there would be no Twitterville Talk on Saturday.  It occurred to me I might have a number of readers who do not hold accounts on Twitter.

 In order for me to put together the best post each Saturday (my Mom drilled into me...anything worth doing is worth doing right) is to make sure I don't miss any tweets which appear in my feed.  I begin every morning going back to the last tweet I read before signing off at the end of my day.  If several hours pass during the day without access to my Twitter account, my goal is reading as many earlier tweets as possible to close the gap.

For the past twelve days four or more hours of my time have been needed in another direction.  At this juncture it appears as though this is going to continue for several more weeks.  With that kind of time commitment, maintaining Twitterville Talk is not an option.  If only I could tweet and read tweets in my sleep.

I think most of you who follow my blog know the value I place on Twitter.  Initially it was a forum for connecting with professionals in the field of education growing to connecting with authors and illustrators.  To say it is a life-changer would be an understatement.

I have met incredible people virtually first and then in person at conferences and during Skype contacts. It is a support group like none other I have ever encountered.  I definitely miss being a part of the daily conversations but I look forward to joining again soon.  It is my hope for Twitterville Talk to return with gusto.  Thanks to all of you.
Posted by Xena's Mom at 7:02 PM 6 comments
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Saturday, March 22, 2014

Twitterville Talk #144

Winter will not release its grip on northern Michigan.  Today the wind chills are in the single digits again with the temperatures dropping down to one or two above zero tonight and tomorrow night.  Brrr...  This makes it hard for the piles of snow to disappear.  It's a great thing so many people are heading to conferences in sunnier places tweeting about all they're learning.  Reading articles and watching book trailers about the new releases coming in the spring and summer really helps too.  I hope everyone had a good week.  Take time to relax this weekend and read...read...and read some more.  I finished A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd at 2AM this morning.  I can honestly say this book saved me this week.  Good luck with the giveaways.


Let's kick off this post with this article on a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, Turns out most engaged library users are also biggest tech users

 What do you think of this?  Book snatching, the most violent act in the history of reading

 Thanks to Joyce Valenza, librarian, teacher, learner and blogger at NeverEnding Search for this tweet.






Last weekend the Michigan Reading Association continued their annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Part of the activities and learning were captured in a Storify, Saturday at MRA14.


Thanks to Colby Sharp, educator, co-host of the monthly #titletalk, co-host of the monthly #SharpSchu Book Club, co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club and blogger at sharpread for this post and tweet.





Across the board are we designing lessons following this thinking? Why It's Imperative to Teach Students to Question as the Ultimate Survival Skill 

 On The New York Times Sunday Review|Opinion page a timely question is asked by former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Walter Dean Myers, Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?

 Biographies for Women's History Month is a great list with many resources.


Thanks to teacher librarian and blogger at Reederama, Jennifer Reed, for these tweets and her post.







Have you registered for the Andy Griffiths Book Talk|Free Livestream Webcast?

Don't miss the additional thank you video by Aaron Becker entered this week at ALA Youth Media Awards.

 Are you ready for the book trailers?  Are you ready for the author/illustrator videos?  Are you ready for books-made-into-a-movie trailers? Well, get ready because here they are!




















The 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Shortlist Announced features an author from the United States. 

 Get out your list!




This is a huge event, the 95th annual Children's Book Week!
Here it is!  The Official trailer for the movie, The Giver.
Thanks to John Schumacher, teacher librarian, co-host of the monthly #SharpSchu Book Club, 2011 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, 2014 Newbery Medal Committee member, and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. for these tweets.






As a presenter at the recent Michigan Reading Association conference, Donalyn Miller is making available the contents of her session, Bring On The Books 2014.

 Thanks to Donalyn Miller, teacher, author of The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child and Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits, co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club and blogger at Donalyn Miller for this tweet.







Two thought-provoking articles, Always Bridesmaids, Never Brides: Caldecott Almosts and Newbery/Caldecott 2015: Spring Prediction Edition are just the ticket to initiate discussions about the awards in your classrooms and book groups.


Thanks to Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collections Specialist and blogger at A Fuse #8 Production, for these tweets.








Yahoo!  The Carnegie medal and Kate Greenaway shortlists announced!

 Thanks to Carnegie Greenaway for this tweet.





Lucky us!  Guess who has the guest spot on Let's Get Busy this week?  It's author illustrator Dan Santat.

 Thanks to Matthew C. Winner, elementary teacher librarian, founder of #slmshelfchallenge, co-founder of #geniuscon, a 2013 Library Journal Tech Leader Movers & Shakers and blogger at The Busy Librarian, for this tweet.







In case you need more fuel for the fire, The Real Cost of Cutting School Libraries.


Thanks to Debbie Alvarez, teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian, for this tweet.









It's never too early to plan How to Create a Knockout Summer Literacy Program.
Thanks to educator and blogger at Zone 114: The Next Chapter, SheskeyS, for this tweet.








It's Time To Vote-First Round of Picks for #GRA14  The Global Read Aloud is an amazing opportunity to create worldwide community.


Thanks to author Kate Messner (Wake Up Missing) for this tweet.











These are excellent sources, 3 Great Websites For Free Public Domain Pictures To Use In Class.

 Have you see A New Fantastic Bloom's Taxonomy Wheel For IPad Apps? 
Thanks for these tweets goes to Kate Hamilton, traveling teacher librarian.








Do not miss this wonderful article, Neil Gaiman on Why Scary Stories Appeal to Us, the Art of Fear in Children's Books, and the Most Terrifying Ghosts Haunting Society.

 Thanks to Brain Pickings for this post and this tweet.







It's been an even more exciting week at School Library Journal's 2014 Battle of the Kids' Books.  Several other rounds have been decided, Round 1, Match 5: Hokey Pokey vs March: Book One, Round 1, Match 6: Midwinter Blood vs P. S. Be Eleven, Round 1, Match 7:Rose Under Fire vs The Thing About Luck and Round 1, Match 8:True Blue Scouts vs What The Heart Knows.

Thanks to the Battle Commander for these tweets.





2014 Indies Choice/E. B. White Read-Aloud Book Award Finalist have been announced.


Thanks to Children's Bookshelf of Publishers Weekly for this tweet.







Here are some great technology items you might want to consider if you are on spring break this week, Google Alert A Great Tool To Help Student Researchers, A Simple and Helpful Google Search Strategy for Students, and 39 Tools To Your Students Into Makers From edshelf.  

 Thanks for these tweets go to Jennifer LaGarde, teacher librarian, 2012 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, ALA/NYT I Love My Librarian winner, co-founder of #levelupbc, and blogger at The Adventures of Library Girl.





Enjoy the collected quotes, announcements and links to even more book trailers.  I do believe Xena added something here too.














































Posted by Xena's Mom at 5:40 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, March 15, 2014

Twitterville Talk #143

With the switch to daylight savings time, we lost an hour of reading time.  That does not seem to have slowed down the exchange of recommendations for best books to read nor the constant professional development on Twitter.  There are many new book releases coming in 2014.  The offerings in children's literature are better and better every year.  Several more inches of snow fell here last night and the winds are howling again.  This is going to be a reading weekend.  I hope your weekend is restful, relaxing and for those at conferences, just plain fun.  Enjoy the gathered tweets.  Good luck with the giveaways.


Are you ready for the March #SharpSchu Book Club?  Get all the details here.

Settle in, grab snacks and something to drink.  Here are the book trailers and chats with authors and illustrators about their work.






















Here are some new poetry books you might want to consider using during any poetry study.  I have currently reviewed two of them on this blog.  Poems to Launch the Imagination

 There are more thank you videos from the ALA Youth Media Award winners.  Go here.

Every minute of the inauguration ceremony for Kate DiCamillo as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is worth watching.  But her speech begins at about minute 43:17.




Are you ready for School Library Month and Poem in Your Pocket Day?

 Put these new titles on your list---High-Demand Hot List For Youth

 There are some exciting winners to still be determined.  Check out the 7th Annual Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards and 

Thanks to John Schumacher, teacher librarian, co-host of the monthly #SharpSchu Book Club, 2011 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, 2014 Newbery Medal Committee member, and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. for these tweets.






A new dot appeared this week at Celebri-dots.  Check out the creation of Melissa Morse. As a reminder, it's never too early to start getting ready for the next International Dot Day.

 Thanks to Terry Shay, 5-12 vocal and computer teacher, college adjunct, FableVision Learning Ambassador and blogger at T J On a Journey,  for this tweet.







This is a great article for using digital tools with reading and writing in the classroom, Corkulous for Read Aloud.  

 Thanks to educator and blogger at A Year of Reading, Franki Sibberson for this post and tweet.





It's crucial to keep educating ourselves and our students about our online presence.  Here are 11 Tips For Students To Manage Their Digital Footprints.

 Thanks to Joyce Valenza, librarian, teacher, learner and blogger at NeverEnding Search for this tweet.








If you are gearing up for National Poetry Month in April, you might want to check out this Poetry Poetry Poetry Symbaloo filled with resources.

Here's another excellent resource for teaching students copyright, Copyright BriefNOTES for Students.


Thanks to teacher librarian, presenter, consultant, and blogger at Van Meter Library Voice, Shannon Miller for these tweets.






It's been an exciting week at School Library Journal's 2014 Battle of the Kids' Books.  Several rounds have been decided, Round 1, Match 1: All The Truth That's In Me vs The Animal Book, Round 1, Match 2: Boxers and Saints vs A Corner of White, Round 1, Match 3: Doll Bones vs Eleanor and Park, and Round 1, Match 4: Far Far Away vs Flora and Ulysses.
Thanks to the Battle Commander for these tweets.






For fans of Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday here is a four-minute sneak peek at the movie adaptation.

Thanks to author illustrator Adam Rex (Moonday) for this tweet.







File this in the food for thought category, Think We No Longer Need Libraries?  Think Again.

Thanks to Tasha Saecker, librarian and blogger at Waking Brain Cells, for this tweet.








Take note of this list of fantastic book titles; Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award: Master List 2014-2015

 Thanks to teacher librarian, technology integrationist, VSLA board member and ISTE SIGLIB President-elect, Donna Macdonald for this tweet.






Author Sarah Lean (A Dog Called Homeless) is sponsoring a contest on her website.  Is your pet a hero?  There are fabulous prizes.


Thanks to Sarah Lean for this tweet.








Are you using any of the 10 Must Have Google Chrome Extensions?


Thanks to Ben Gilpin, elementary principal and blogger at The Colorful Principal, for this tweet.






As more applications become available for using screencasts in an educational, professional or personal setting, this might be useful---The Teacher's Guide To Using Screencasts In The Classroom

Thanks to Brian C. Bailey, Learning Technologies Senior Analyst, for this tweet.








This looks like pure fun to me.  It could be used in a classroom setting too!  Children's Book Themed Birthday Parties

 Thanks to Debbie Alvarez, teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian, for this tweet.








Don't miss this chance to win all three books from the outstanding series written by Julie Sternberg with illustrations by Matthew Cordell.  Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake by Julie Sternberg|Book Series Giveaway

Thanks to The Publishing Guru for this tweet.







If you are not familiar with some or all of these web tools, you might want to check some of them out when you get a chance, The Top 10 Free Web Tools (As Chosen By You)  I have reviewed four of them here but will try to get to all of them.

Thanks to Edudemic for this tweet.





Wouldn't it be great to have one of these on every single school playground?  The Treehouse Library Or better yet...in your own backyard.

Thanks to Book Riot for this tweet and post.









Five Reasons to Read Aloud is a great post from author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (Duck, Duck, Moose!).

 Thanks to her for this tweet and post.





Have you seen this trailer?


Thanks to Schwartz & Wade Books for this tweet.




Enjoy the gathered quotes, tweets and announcements from this week.


































Posted by Xena's Mom at 11:55 AM 2 comments
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