By Laura Cooper
Whew, the last few weekends have been a whirlwind. I had the opportunity to attend the NCTE 15 annual conference with my colleague, Julie Colando. We had the BEST weekend in Minneapolis listening to some inspiring speakers, attending sessions by our favorite kid-lit authors, and talking with each other about books. We gleaned some great ideas for our students, and found so many wonderful new books to read and share. I'll be posting some of my new reads today and in the weeks to come.
Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
All Ages
This book was generously given to attendees at the Scholastic booth at NCTE, and I'm so happy to have a copy! I had the opportunity to attend a session where Tom Lichtenheld talked about the process of creating Friendshape. This is a clever, important book about friendship that would be enjoyed by all ages. Please visit Tom's awesome pinterest page which is full of ideas/activities centered around the book. And please come borrow my copy if you want to check it out.
All Ages
This book was generously given to attendees at the Scholastic booth at NCTE, and I'm so happy to have a copy! I had the opportunity to attend a session where Tom Lichtenheld talked about the process of creating Friendshape. This is a clever, important book about friendship that would be enjoyed by all ages. Please visit Tom's awesome pinterest page which is full of ideas/activities centered around the book. And please come borrow my copy if you want to check it out.
Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins
All Ages
Toys Meet Snow is a picture book sequel to the short chapter book series Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party. The author gives distinct voices to three different toys experiencing snow for the first time. A great mentor text for looking at voice, character traits, and metaphor. I fell in love with these unique, quirky little "characters".
All Ages
Toys Meet Snow is a picture book sequel to the short chapter book series Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party. The author gives distinct voices to three different toys experiencing snow for the first time. A great mentor text for looking at voice, character traits, and metaphor. I fell in love with these unique, quirky little "characters".
Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
Grades 4-7
Pax is by far the most coveted book I received at NCTE. It will be released in April 2016, and is already getting much book love from teachers on twitter. It's a beautiful, heart wrenching story of a boy, his pet fox, how they get separated, and their journey of returning to each other. Sigh...just beautifully written. I don't often reread books, but Pax is one I will be revisiting. I will also be purchasing this book in April. The advance copy doesn't include all of the illustrations, so masterfully done by Jon Klassen.
Grades 4-7
Pax is by far the most coveted book I received at NCTE. It will be released in April 2016, and is already getting much book love from teachers on twitter. It's a beautiful, heart wrenching story of a boy, his pet fox, how they get separated, and their journey of returning to each other. Sigh...just beautifully written. I don't often reread books, but Pax is one I will be revisiting. I will also be purchasing this book in April. The advance copy doesn't include all of the illustrations, so masterfully done by Jon Klassen.
On Tuesday, all QAE students will be participating in the Day of Code. In honor of this day, here are three books that focus on coding.
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark, is a fascinating picture book biography about the first woman to conceive of the idea of computer programming, long before computers were ever invented. Loved it!
Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang, is a graphic mystery that introduces readers to the concept of computer programming. A cliffhanger ending leaves you wanting more!
Lauren Ipsum: A Story about Computer Science and other Impossible Things by Carlos Bueno. Lauren is an adventurer lost in Userland who needs to find her way home by solving a series of puzzles. Julie Colando recently showed me this book--a perfect choice for this week's Day of Code and anyone interested in this subject. I especially appreciate that in all of these "coding" books, the main characters are girls, who are often overlooked in this subject area.
Lastly, I had the chance to read two adult novels over Thanksgiving break. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkns, and Crooked River by Valerie Geary. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these mysteries. What have you read this week?
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark, is a fascinating picture book biography about the first woman to conceive of the idea of computer programming, long before computers were ever invented. Loved it!
Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang, is a graphic mystery that introduces readers to the concept of computer programming. A cliffhanger ending leaves you wanting more!
Lauren Ipsum: A Story about Computer Science and other Impossible Things by Carlos Bueno. Lauren is an adventurer lost in Userland who needs to find her way home by solving a series of puzzles. Julie Colando recently showed me this book--a perfect choice for this week's Day of Code and anyone interested in this subject. I especially appreciate that in all of these "coding" books, the main characters are girls, who are often overlooked in this subject area.
Lastly, I had the chance to read two adult novels over Thanksgiving break. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkns, and Crooked River by Valerie Geary. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these mysteries. What have you read this week?