ReedALOUD: After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

"Clever. Ingenious. Amazing. Unexpected. Sad. Beautiful. Shocking. Funny. Surprising. Inspiring." 

Not my words, the words of fifth graders who read After the Fall, How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat with me this week. I second those words. It was one of those shared reading experiences where the students' hands were shooting up to point out connections and ideas both with and within this stunner of a story. 

Humpty Dumpty is an avid bird watcher. He loves being up on the wall where he can be close to them. Oh no, but this part we knew.

The initial humor works effectively here. It makes Humpty Dumpty relatable establishing a quick connection with the reader. We go from chuckling at a shared joke to serious in a flash, but the art has prepared us for this shift in mood. Those binoculars speak volumes.

A bandaged Humpty Dumpty emerges from the hospital and all appears on the mend...from the outside. 

Those eyes peering up at the bunk. That form snuggled on the ground. We readers easily empathize with Humpty.

Dan Santat once again swings our emotional pendulum back towards center as we see how the fear that Humpty Dumpty now lives with is impacting his life, in ways both big and small. We feel for him as he looks longingly at those bright and colorful cereals with their high sugar content and bonus toys while left with cereal options like "grown-up food" and "no fün." 

Humpty Dumpty is making do and then he gets an idea. He sets to work making a paper airplane. Once again readers relate to the perseverance demonstrated by Humpty Dumpty  -- the pile of paper dwindles as the caffeine consumption rises. Nothing will stop him.

And boy does all that work pay off.

But accidents happen. 

The looming shadow, the expression, no words are needed here, this is dread unfolding.

That perfect paper airplane is heading for the top of the wall. 

This white space between Humpty Dumpty and the wall is incredibly powerful. The wall is both physically and psychologically imposing. The next spread represents this chasm almost as an abyss. Dan Santat is helping the reader understand how insurmountable this fear of heights feels.

But climb the wall he does. Those fingers reaching for the next rung? I have been there. (See the end of this post)

With this act, he is finally healed and that last band aid comes away.

No more spoiler alerts here. I love that Dan does not let that band aid slip away. It's there to remind us. Healing takes time. Courage takes time. Getting back up takes time. 

Suffice to say that the eight different times I shared this book with students this week I heard gasps of surprise at the ending.

After discussions about a literal interpretation of what they had just witnessed (some Athena-like birth connections), students quickly moved to a conversation about what they thought the story really meant. We talked about finding the courage to come out of your shell and finding the courage to be the person you want to be. 

This is the kind of book that I have to actually shut down conversation because we have run out of time. It's crushing when that happens.

To offer another way for the students to reflect on the story, I connected it to our school rules. I asked the students to share what it would look like or sound like when they were being courageous and taking care of themselves, when they were making sure that they were getting what they needed to succeed in our space.

Here is some of their thinking:

And now for my funny story...

After the Fall is one of those books that I connect with both literally and figuratively. I have had to find the courage to get back up both physically and emotionally. There have been times when I required that courage in my work life or personal life, but the most frequent experience I have is physical. I am extremely afraid of heights. 

Recently, I was trying to climb up a fire tower, with the encouragement of my children - offering suggestions and help, and it turns out, a bit of humor. If I hadn't been so afraid, I might have seen the cell phone and known something was up. That thing thunking down the steps behind me? My cell phone. There would be no stopping to fix its location. (In case you are wondering, I made it up two whole flights to the first deck.)

This video was taken about a month earlier, in Lucerne, Switzerland, while walking along the Tower Wall. (You think I would learn to be aware of video footage, but apparently fear makes my mind go numb.) I try not to let my fear of heights stop me from experiencing things, but some days are really hard. I needed to get off the wall, and fast. There was too much open space. This one really makes me laugh. I look like I am being furtive! I think the humor helps. It reminds me that I can do these things, if not necessarily gracefully. 

This review and lesson is based upon an advanced reader copy. After the Fall How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again publishes in early October. I already have two copies on order. #picturebooksmatter #courage #getbackup

ReedALOUD: A Voyage in the Clouds

This week, I am reading A Voyage in the Clouds, The Mostly True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785, written by Matthew Olshan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 

"In the year and a half since the flight of the first manned balloon in 1783, an Italian has flown, a Scot has flown, a woman has flown, even a sheep has flown. But no one has flown from one country to another. John Jeffries, an Englishman, and his pilot, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a Frenchman, want to be the first. On January 7, 1785, they set out to cross the English Channel to France in a balloon. All seemed to be going fine, until Jeffries decides the balloon looks too fat and adjusts the air valve—how hard could it be? Too bad he drops the wrench over the side of the aerial car. With no way to adjust the valve, the balloon begins to sink. Jeffries and Blanchard throw as much as they can overboard—until there is nothing left, not even their clothes. Luckily, they come up with a clever (and surprising) solution that saves the day. A VOYAGE IN THE CLOUDS is a journey that will keep kids laughing the whole way."

I can't think of a better way to capture the hearts and minds...and the funny bones...of 4th and 5th graders at the start of the new school year. I had too much fun reading this, pulling out my best French accent to further enliven the story. Really, there was no need, the students were hooked from the outset. 

Written with a wry sense of humor, the lyrical narrative is wonderful to read aloud. The meticulous detail in Sophie Blackall's historically-accurate illustrations further engage the reader. The energy, emotion, and drama in both the narrative and art play off each other wonderfully.  

A Voyage in the Clouds is one of those books that the students ask, "Wait, I didn't see that, can you bring that page back?" The rug was like the wavy ocean over which Jeffries and Blanchard traveled as the bodies leaned left and right to get a better look. The students bodies mimicked the dramatic moments as the balloons dropped toward the sea by leaning their bodies back, only to fall forward in peels of laughter at what saves our two balloonists from plunging into the Channel.

The personality of Jeffries and Blanchard carries through the text and into Sophie's illustrations. We see they soften as they move from disdain and distrust to friendship. Sophie Blackall's rendering of the ocean lapping at the sides of the wicker arial car, the layers of clothes being flung from it, and the expressions and body language of our protagonists is spectacular.

The students had many questions and thoroughly enjoyed the author's note, where they learned which parts of the story are true and which part Matthew Olshan has taken some liberties with. No spoiler alerts here. Just know, it's fabulous. There's also a link to Dr. Jeffries' monograph for further reading: http://archive.org/stream/narrativeoftwoae00jeff#page/n9/mode/2up).

After sharing the story and reflecting on Jeffries' and Blanchard's journey across the Channel (la Manche), we connected to how Jeffries and Blanchard had some serious obstacles to achieving their hopes and dreams. The students and I turned our energy to thinking about our hopes and dreams related to our library program. I modeled my hope for this school year:

I hope to create a library program that allows you to expand your thinking, exercise your creativity, and try out your ideas. I also hope to use this interactive whiteboard more effectively.

You can see the results of their work on this blog post: 4th and 5th Graders Hopes and Dreams inspired by A Voyage in the Clouds. 

A Voyage in the Clouds comes out in October. It's one that should be on your shelves.

4th and 5th Grade Hopes and Dreams inspired by A Voyage in the Clouds.

This week, to begin a discussion around hopes and dreams with my fourth and fifth graders, I am reading A Voyage in the Clouds, The Mostly True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785, written by Matthew Olshan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.  

You can read about this book and my read aloud experience on this post: ReedALOUD: A Voyage in the Clouds.

Below you will find the hopes and dreams created by the fourth and fifth graders. The display mimics the book, with the fifth graders creating speech bubbles emanating from the arial car and the fourth graders created clouds. 

Pretty dreamy stuff, right?