Oh, Those Chickens...

Another candidate in the 2012 Children's Choice Book Award list for K-2nd grade voters takes readers down on the farm.  Three Hens and a Peacock (Peachtree Publishers) written by Lester L. Laminack, illustrated by Henry Cole, is a classic tale of the-grass-is-not-always-greener-on-the-other-side.  Role reversals nearly ruin the ignorant participants.

Down on Tucker's farm all was as it should be; cows grazing, hens laying, dog dozing and vegetable stand waiting.  But when the back doors on a red delivery door fly open, an oversized box crashing open on the road, the quiet is about to be interrupted.  A prancing, preening peacock fans out his feathers shrieking; he has never known life on a farm.

As the misplaced newest member of the barnyard gang swaggers along the roadside, cars halt, cameras and wallets at the ready.  Better than a billboard this fowl is a blessing to business as each day passes.  But all is not blatantly blissful, the hens are in a tizzy.

Why should the peacock get the easy job when they do all the work of producing the eggs?  Peacock's feelings of usefulness crumble.  Remember the dog lounging on the porch?  He's got a plan.

Dressed to the nines in dazzling jewels those cluckers strut their stuff and puff and whew...they're pooped.  And let's face it, that door to the hen house was not made for a peacock.  Puzzled, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker watch these changes remarking on what they really want.

Luckily their conversation is overheard by one frustrated bird who gladly wishes to resume his rightful position.  All's well that ends well, until another truck goes by.  Oh...oh...

Laminack tells a tale laced with laughter.  His conversational tone about business not so usual sets the stage for consummate comedy.  His timing is im-peck-able.

Spirited, vivid illustrations created by Henry Cole in watercolor, ink and colored pencil pop off the pages.  His jacket and cover art when opened indeed show the three bugged-eyed beauties poking through peacock feathers but also the rear view, six spindly legs and three feathery behinds.  Front endpapers awash in a spray of peacock prettiness are not mirrored on the closing endpapers.  Instead we see the foursome fearfully watching from the right edge, watching what has fallen into their midst.

Whether angry, exasperated, inquiring, pleased or exhausted his fowl's features, eyes, beaks, wings and legs, say it all.  Not to be missed are the eyes on the contented cows following the comings and goings nor the expression on the knowing, observant canine's mouth.  Cole must have giggle goo mixed in with his media. 

Lester L. Laminack and Henry Cole have partnered to present a funny, farm frolic, Three Hens and a Peacock, destined to be a story time favorite.

Discovering More Poetry Fun

Checking all my sources for awakening the inner poet in my students to help us all celebrate National Poetry Month, I have discovered new sites to add to some old favorites.  Follow the link to the official website for numerous resources listed under the For Educators tab.   One of the most remembered activities is Put A Poem in Your Pocket Day which will be celebrated on April 26, 2012. 

Writers seeking to generate a rhyming poem might want to use a website called Write Rhymes.  Simply type in your lines of poetry until you come to a word that you wish to rhyme.  Press down the "alt" key on your keyboard as you click on the word for which you seek a rhyming word.  On the right of the screen a very complete list appears, one, two and three syllable rhyming words.  When your poem is complete it can be saved to your computer, copied to your clipboard or printed.

Instant Poetry Forms is a website originally designed by Alysa Cummings, a certified poetry therapist.  Not many of the informative web pages are still available but nearly eighty templates for poems are.  Select from a list on the left and the form appears on the right ready for an author to begin.  First are blank lines to fill in according to the prompts.  To see what a finished poem might look like, go to the bottom. 

The official Shel Silverstein  website is tailor made for students and educators.  Tabs for users include:  For Kids Only-Let's Have Some Fun, What's New, Shel's Books, About Shel and Ideas for Teachers & Parents.  There are six games and puzzles for kids to try, screensavers and wallpapers to download, three different printable kits and e-cards to send within the For Kids Only tab.  Under the Ideas for Teachers & Parents tab are lessons and activities, event kits and drawing & activity booklets.

ReadWriteThink hosts many interactive poetry generators.  Past favorites of students are: diamante poems, shape poems, acrostic poems, or riddle poems. 

Giggle Poetry, a site designed and maintained by author, Bruce Lansky, is one that my students continue to enjoy each year.  They can read, listen and write.


A blog, Poetry for Children:  About finding and sharing poetry with young people, written and maintained by Sylvia Vardell is fantastic.  I have downloaded all three of the electronic only anthologies which she and Janet Wong co-edited/authored highlighting the work of some of poetry's best known names for children and young adults.

For years I have used several of the teacher's guides found at the website of poet, Kristine O'Connell George.  A student favorite are the lessons using her book, Fold Me A Poem.  

Do not forget the memorable Gotta Book blog maintained by Greg Pincus.  Once again he is hosting 30 Poets/30 Days.

Author Kate Messner has penned a new poem, In Honor of National Poetry Month..."Poetry Speaks".    It is written as if poetry is a character speaking before a group of listeners/readers.  This would be a wonderful way to start a discussion about poetry.

Three Pigs and One Wary Wolf

As far as I can tell the three little pigs and the wolf have been entwined together since 1849 when they were printed on the pages of Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales by James Orchard Halliwell.  He is later given credit by Joseph Jacobs when his version appears in the English Fairy Tales of 1898.  It is this variant with which most readers are familiar. 

Each author/illustrator brings their own particular slant to the tale choosing to either remain faithful to the original plot or by creating an entirely different scenario for readers.  Author/illustrator Emily Gravett in Wolf Won't Bite! (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, March 20, 2012) stages a production unlike any other.  Her troupe of trotters has managed to soothe the savage beast, a listless lupine.

ROLL UP!
ROLL UP!
ROLL UP!
We have caught a WILD WOLF!

Three pigs clothed in circus attire, one in a white fluffy tutu, another in the coat, shirt and tie of a ringmaster and the third in a one piece weightlifter tight, shout out news as a woebegone wolf peers from the openings of a covered carnival wagon.  Each of these porcine performers can make the wolf do unimaginable feats:  stand on a stool, dress him in a bow, ride him like a horse, jump through hoops or dance a jig.  Throughout all these antics WOLF WON'T BITE!

As each act escalates, the three attempting to outshine one another while in collaboration, wolf barely maintains his sanity.  When the daring, darling trio gloriously proclaim they can even put their heads in his mouth, readers are treated to a funny, flip-flop finale.  Instinct intact wolf prevails as porkers panic.

Emily Gravett's use of watercolor and water-based pencil to render the illustrations for this book is as always flawless.  The front and back cover create a full page picture of the three pigs arms raised in triumph string attached to a less-gleeful wolf growling...Grrr. The front endpapers visualize the chase as one pulls the carnival cart, another carries a huge net with the ringmaster leading in hot pursuit of their quarry.

Staying true to her theme the two page title spread is adorned with the trio pasting up a proclamation announcing the upcoming show.  Thick white pages provide an impeccable canvas for her hand-lettered text employing a variety of font styles accentuating each new wolfish exploit.  A small palette of hues, reds, grays and golds highlights Gravett's gift of detail and expression.

It is the wolf's eyes, at times wide and fearful, as the inattentive pigs playfully prance, that draws in readers.  Careful readers will sense the shift in his emotion before the text tells the tale.  Closing endpapers portray a harried hunt once again.

Wolf Won't Bite! written and illustrated by Emily Gravett, winner of the Kate Greenway Medal for Wolves, is a celebration of misguided jubilance coupled with a polished, classic turnabout.

Whether focusing on pigs, the role of wolves in stories, teaching about fairy tale variants or just for fun this title is a stellar addition.  Follow this link for a SpicyNodes creation about stories with some form of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf.  I could not resist adding a link to the YouTube video of the Disney version with the famous song.

Pull the Lever, Flick the Switch

An engaging, interactive instrument for igniting those creative writing fires can be found at the Scholastic website section for Teachers.   In addition to this application known as Story Starters  on site educators will find:  an introduction, learning objectives, activity ideas and several reproducibles.  Story starter sentences by professionals in the field are included as well.

Designed like a magical machine, at the initial screen users are invited to type in their name and select the appropriate grade level.  When the grade level button has been clicked, a new page directs users to spin the wheel with a mouse click to get their story starter.  By combining the four results found in the columns, left to right, a story starter appears in the line above.

If any of the four results do not suit the user, the individual buttons can be click to change only that column.  When satisfied with the story starter pick the Next button at the base of the machine.  The next screen asks users to choose a format:  notebook, letter, newspaper or postcard. 

Users can decide whether they wish to include a drawing or not before proceeding to the next screen.  Depending on the chosen format this next screen is where the real work of writing and/or drawing takes place.  The option buttons to the right of the work space allow the user to:  print the format (blank or completed), start with an all new story starter, shift to another format, add extra pages or by clicking the help icon watch a short tutorial.

To add an image,  a pencil tool is provided for drawing, giving the user a choice of line width, color and the ability to erase. 

Having students use this individually, with a partner or as a class on a Smartboard, the results will be as varied as the imaginations of the authors.  This is yet another example of an online writing tool promoting creativity in a manner that students will enjoy.  

Seasonings...

It is said that variety is the spice of life; different experiences make life more interesting.  But change is not necessarily a good thing; a change not wanted or unexpected can alter your sense of normal so much so, nothing seems to make sense any longer.  The road to a new normal is fraught with detours, wrong turns, potholes, and yes, maybe even another accident. 

For those that are loved unconditionally by family members and one or two steadfast friends, the destination, though painful and slow, can be reached.  Author Phoebe Stone,  has scripted a story of such a journey in The Boy on Cinnamon Street (Arthur A. Levine Books).  Louise Terrace, a seventh grade student, has lost her normal.

From the Prologue we read:

My name used to be Louise but it's not anymore.  I had a T-shirt made that says across the front NO LONGER LOUISE.  I changed my name because Louise rhymes with cheese and fleas and sneeze.  So now I'm Thumbelina. 

Before this two page introduction ends our initial reaction of Thumbelina? is answered.  Louise is only four foot seven inches tall; small for a seventh grade student.  And her friend, Henderson, wise beyond his years, says one day as they are walking along the river,

"Actually everybody has a story, a fairy tale in their heart that they adhere to.  That's why Hans Christian Andersen is so awesome."

As a reader I know hardly anything about either of these characters, yet, but being too short, too tall, too anything at that age creates immediate empathy.  Henderson, by his very observations, is intriguing.  When the final two sentences mention placing an order for pizza and cosmic wheel I, as a reader, am completely hooked.

Louise lives with her maternal grandparents in a condo in South Pottsboro.  Her family home on Cinnamon Street in North Pottsboro is empty.  Selling her most prized possession, her balance beam, Louise, the star of her gymnastic team, has quit.  Her grandmother acts out-of-character when Benny McCartney, a ninth grader, delivers the pizza.  Thelma & Louise happens to be a movie that her grandparents watch repeatedly.

So many questions to be answered but the most urgent is who left the note under the mat for Louise reading:

I am your biggest fan. 

Reni, Louise's best friend, Henderson's sister, knows it must have been Benny McCartney. When a huge pink heart done in chalk appears on the front steps, Louise races over to Reni's house; a home she wishes was her own so full of warmth, vibrancy, the requisite family members.  Their plans, items left for Benny at his locker, another gift given to Louise, a dress and a special evening do not equal success.

Trying to decipher the case of the crush, Reni and Louise inadvertently unravel more than either of them are prepared to face.  Aching truths surface.  Poignant moments so tender, weeks between them, will leave readers breathless.

As the pages in this book are turned Stone weaves a web that surrounds her readers, a fabric spun with words; words describing characters so memorable readers will be unwilling to leave them even when the covers are closed.  Dialogue is true to life and in keeping with each character's personality.
The deep and abiding love her grandparents have for one another and Louise is a never wavering strength throughout this story.  These are just a few examples:

When we're walking in the door of the apartment, Grandma throws her purse on the couch and says to Grandpa, "You know what I discovered in the basement today while I was down there sweeping?"
"What?" says Grandpa.
"Asbestos," says my grandma.
Grandpa raises his eyebrows and looks over at me like he and I are a unit, like a washer and dryer set, and Grandma is a stove way on the other side of the room. "Where, baby doll?" he says, still smiling.
Grandma gives Grandpa a you-didn't-take-out-the-garbage-so-now-I'm-going-to-have-you-arrested- look.

He stands there looking tall and un-Hendersonly quiet leaning his head against the wall and staring at me like I'm a puzzle with a piece missing.

They're in their little cliques.  I know those circles and how they seal over, leaving no room to beg, steal, or borrow for an entrance.  I know.

Vivid depictions of the weather and seasons form a keen sense of the passage of time; a reflection of Louise's emotions and memories.

Outside my window, the snowstorm is whirling and raging like white anger and when I push my face against the glass, I can see millions and billions of snowflakes dancing and diving past my window.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone, a book about being lost and found, offers readers a vivid view on the value of pure friendship and the potency of unconditional love.  This is a remarkable read and one of the best of 2012.

Twitterville Talk #43

Enjoy a little bit of this and a little bit of that as National Poetry Month begins, more award winners are announced and new titles are revealed.

Winners of the 2012 Indies Choice and E. B. White Read-Aloud Awards Announced  As an educator or parent you could not go wrong with these winners or honor recipients.


Retweeted by author Shannon Hale, these are some of the coolest book images I have ever seen, posted at the one and only extraordinary blog, Brain Pickings.

Thanks to Literacyhead for providing a link to Literature Heavyweights.  I have always known great literature makes for a strong foundation but....what didn't I think of this?

A retweet by the American Library Association Chapters branch speaks to the importance of certified librarians in an educational setting---Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.  Neil Gaiman  (Newbery award winning author, The Graveyard Book)  Thanks Mr. Gaiman for telling it like it is.

Newbery Honor Award winning author Joyce Sidman tells readers at School Library Journal:  Why I Write Poetry: A really good poem can reach kids in wondrous and unexpected ways.  This would make a wonderful introduction to bringing more poetry into classrooms and homes during National Poetry Month.

The 2012 Eisner nominations are in!  Our students feel the same way checking these out at the "speed of light".

A Fuse #8 Production blogger, Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collection Specialist, presents: Librarian Preview: Penguin Book for Young Reads-Dial & G. P. Putnam's Sons (Summer 2012) 

The Book of the Future via a tweet from Larry Ferlazzo of Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Wait Is Over...The Plot Thickens

The intrepid trio is back.  And I couldn't be happier. When we first met Willy, Bobo and Earl in I Must Have Bobo!(Atheneum Books For Young Readers) by Eileen Rosenthal, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal, I could hardly wait for this next installment.

As in the first book, it is crystal clear in I'll Save You Bobo! (Atheneum Books For Young Readers) wherever Bobo is, Earl is close at hand and wherever Willy is, Bobo is next to him or nearby.

WILLY IS HAVING A HARD TIME READING...
GO AWAY, EARL.

In typical fashion Earl is trying to weasel Bobo away from Willy.  Snuggled in a big easy chair Willy is reading a dinosaur book to Bobo eager to reach the "survival of the fittest" section boys so love, only to discover it's not what he expected.  Not to worry, he and his stuffed monkey BFF, Bobo, are going to become authors.

Crayons and paper spread across the floor Willy begins their adventure drawing as he narrates to Bobo.  Beginning in a jungle, a big green jungle, with huge trees, a snake with a red tongue, poison mushrooms and wait...stop...Bobo and Willy in the story have a tent!  Two chairs and a sheet later the story continues wild animals everywhere, especially the tiger with huge teeth climbing toward Bobo as he explores among the trees. 

Unbeknownst to Willy, Earl has been climbing up the chair bringing the precarious tent crashing down.  Completely disgusted Willy stalks away, supplies and Bobo in hand, as an equally disgusted Earl watches.  Cozily perched on his knees Willy starts over at a table. 

This jungle is more dangerous than the preceding one, filled with vines and cat-eating snakes.  Poor Earl it would seem, has been consumed by a vicious jungle snake.  Pleased as he can be, Willy concludes his story.

But is it really the end?  It's surprising what a cat tail can feel like to a bare foot.  Who saves Bobo, indeed!

Eileen Rosenthal has a knack for striking the exact emotional tone of Willy's speech to Earl as well as in his storytelling skills as a young author.  Clever word choices place Willy in control of the day's adventures, in and out of his imagination, at least from his point of view.  Concise sentences provide  the perfect opportunity for Marc Rosenthal's complimentary artwork.

Creamy, rich, golden endpapers extend to supply the backdrop for the illustrations throughout the book.  In this tale Earl is prominently pictured in the lower right hand corner of the front endpapers patiently awaiting the page turn; this cat is the Prince of patience, of perseverance.  Warm brown pencil drawings are filled in digitally with basic colors, colors from Willy's box of crayons.

Visual thought bubbles appear above Willy depicting a more mature rendition of his childlike artwork; artwork doing more than telling a story.  With his usual attention to detail Rosenthal has Earl, back arched hair standing on end mouth in a scared yowl, gazing in horror at one of those snakes with long, red, forked tongues.  On the floor earnestly at work, Willy has his tongue out also. 

You have to love Bobo, inanimate dressed in his black and yellow sweater, the object that binds these two family members together in their tug-of-war for his attention.  Author Eileen Rosenthal and illustrator Marc Rosenthal bring their delicious blend of humor to I'll Save You Bobo! endearing more readers to these charming characters.  One-on-one or as a group read aloud these two titles are story time favorites.

For more about Marc Rosenthal here is a link to an interview he gave at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on October 4, 2011.  To see other images in this newest title follow this link to the Simon & Schuster web page.