When given the opportunity to shine...

...children (and people) will do just that.

Picture this, fourth graders, mainly nine and ten year olds, sitting on the rug, reading and discussing Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, and not just reading and discussing, but closely reading and discussing the words and pictures.

It would have been easy for them to be less engaged with only two days left before winter break and the fact that six inches of snow fell yesterday and that they can sled on the hill during recess, but these students have taken on the role of a Mock Caldecott Committee.  They are taking their role seriously.

Nothing new here.

The shining part is the depth of their comments, the connections they made, and the small details they noticed.

One of the "aha!" moments came when a student pointed out that the ways in which Mr. Tiger initially goes wild in the city are mimicked in the wilderness.

The students commented on:

++ facial expressions (that Mr. Tiger sure does look bored and disgruntled);

++shifting emotions; 

++the shift in tone about three quarters of the way through the book; 

++the effect of the color palate; 

++the use of white space; and,

++the impact of the direction in which Mr. Tiger was facing at one point.

They loved:

++the end papers;

++the tiger-striped and textured cover;

++the color palate;

++the shapes and textures in the wilderness;and,

++both the humor and seriousness of the message - not being "wild" as in crazy, but "wild" as in finding ways to be true to oneself.

Their reaction at Mr. Tiger's wildest move was perfect and caused quite a spirited debate!

The conversations through all four classes were so animated that I had to cut them off for lack of time. If my students grades 2-5 had any choice, Mr. Tiger would have a significant amount of company in the wilderness. They love this two-page spread as much as I do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fourth graders are reading and discussing the books and they are filling out an evaluation on Google Forms. At the end of five weeks, they will review the books, look over their evaluations, participate in discussions, and place their votes. 

My Mock Caldecott Lists

Without further ado....The Short List:

1.  Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
Written and illustrated by Peter Brown

Author and Illustrator Peter Brown On His Process from School Library Journal on Vimeo.

Peter Brown's TeachingBooks.net page.
Read my review!

2.  Journey 
Written and illustrated by Aaron Becker

Aaron Becker's TeachingBooks.net page.

3.  Flora and the Flamingo

Written and illustrated by Molly Idle 

Molly Idle's TeachingBooks.net page.

4.  Little Red Writing
Written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet's TeachingBooks.net page.

Read my review!

5.  Building Our House
Written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean

Jonathan Bean's TeachingBooks.net page.

6. Bluebird
Written and illustrated by Bob Staake

Bob Staake's TeachingBooks.net page.

7. Locomotive

Written and illustrated by Brian Floca

8. The Story of Fish and Snail

Written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman

9. The Dark

Written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen's TeachingBooks.net page.

10. Inside Outside

Written and illustrated by Lizi Boyd

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~
The long list...the above titles plus
(in no particular order)

A Splash of Red
Brave Girl
Sophie's Squash
The Boy Who Loved Math
Mr. Wuffles
Steam Train, Dream Train
Exclamation Mark
Night Song
Train
Warning: Do Not Open This Book
Hello, My Name is Ruby
Matchbox Diary
The Day the Crayons Quit
The Boy and the Airplane
Daisy Gets Lost
Nelson
Stardines
Mighty Lalouche
Frog Song
Round is a Tortilla
Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom
Beginners Guide to Running Away from Home
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?
Red Hat
This is Not a Good Idea
On a Beam of Light
A Long Way Away
Tortoise and the Hare
This is the Rope
Open this Little Book


What are you waiting for? Get Reading!

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild and so do some of my students

Today we read 

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown! 

Today is the start of Picture Book Month.  I normally feel pressure with things like this.  What book do I choose to kick off the celebration?  This time, it was actually easy. I have been holding onto Mr. Tiger Goes Wild for just this month.  I love this book.  You can check out my review and my post for the book blog tour. 

It was incredibly fun to share this book with my second graders. They quickly feel into Mr. Tiger's court. One of the classes even started a "Mr. Tiger" chant to support his wild side.  Another class was so taken with the "naked" Mr. Tiger that when the final spread opens and other animals are taking a walk on the wild side, they gasped at all the "naked" animals.  Ha!  Thank you Peter Brown, for showing us how quickly something like animals in proper clothes with proper behavior can be the norm and animals running around in the forest with no clothes becomes wild and risky!

I was surprised that it was difficult for about half the students to identify a time they went a little wild.  Interesting and informative for me.  Happily, a few had no trouble sharing some wild times. 

**I used this opportunity to have the students recall what they know about the Caldecott Award and to read the book with that in mind.  Their vote?  A big thumbs up!

And the Mr. Tiger giveaway winners are...

Wait. This is the first time I have ever announced winners, of anything.  I have to tell you that it is a strange feeling.  My excitement is tinged with a little sadness for the people that did not win.  I wish I could send Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! to each person that entered my giveaway because I think this book is both a visual and emotional treat and I want EVERYONE to read it.  I also really hate disappointing people. Enough about me!  Winners and winners not there must be, so without further ado, the three winners of the Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! giveaway are:

Donna Macdonald

Allison Jackson

Sherry Gick

I would like to thank...

*Peter Brown for creating a book that is beautifully crafted in both writing and illustration.  Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! is deeply appealing and engaging and just makes my heart happy! I cannot wait to share the book with my students.

*Jen at Teach Mentor Texts who came up with this great idea.

*My blog scavenger hunt friends, Aly at Kid Lit Frenzy, Franki at A Year of Reading, Katherine at Read, Write, Reflect, Laura at LibLaura5, and Colby at SharpRead. I loved reading their stories and seeing the different ways we each connected with Mr. Tiger Goes Wild!

*Little, Brown Books for providing the books for the giveaway.

*You, the reader of this blog, and everyone else who played along. You made my week special. Thanks for playing!

...and now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Going Wild with Mr. Tiger

I am so excited to be writing about 

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown! 

I love this book and want everyone to read it.

I think it deserves a shiny sticker (hint, hint).

****

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is a book you should not miss.  Not only is it well-written and beautifully-illustrated, it is a book that reminds each of us to find our own path and also carries the message that going a little wild (in the right time and place) is not such a bad thing (more on this later). I am not here to review the book today (here's my review). I am here to tell you a story, a story that Mr. Tiger would appreciate. 

I have been in his shoes and I have a motto he would love: Don't Worry. Dress Happy. Here's how I came about creating my motto, it all started back in... 

~~~~~

Kindergarten in 1968. It was 

Professions' Day! Dress like the thing you want to be when you grow up! This was exciting stuff. I wanted to be a nurse. I needed something white (this was 1968) so I wore my slip to school, granted it was a thick white cotton slip with a cool eyelet pattern along the top and an extra bit of fabric along them hem, but it was a slip. Demure for today's standards, my slip was a bit against the grain even then. Some of my classmates did not appreciate my outfit. I might have even seen disdain, had I been able to identify that emotion then.  The day was a bit awkward, but I maintained my composure and my belief that I had done the right thing.

~~~~

Fast forward two years and I am now in...

~~~~

Grade Two in 1970 and

I was playing around the old fountain on my street. It sat within an upward-sloping concrete circle, a perfect place for a game of tag, which is what I was doing when I touched the home base section of the very-tall, wrought- iron fence. It moved. I ran from the fence only to have it land on me and according to my mother, "split my head open." This was followed by a crazy drive to the hospital (while sitting in my mother's lap), lying on a cold metal table and feeling suffocated by the plastic sheet around my head, oh, and of course, stitches.

So here I am, in second grade, with a large chunk of hair shaved from my head, a HUGE band-aid covering the stitches, and, did I fail to mention I was wearing pajamas to school.  But...They were so cool. So. Very. Cool.  Just so you understand, pajamas were so jazzy then. Case in point:

I am a child of the 60s. Be they in your formal or informal wear -- patterns and lots of them are great, colors and lots of them are great, and styles and lots of them are great. The pajamas I wore that day had polka dots on the bottom and flowers on the top, which also had a cool bib feature - similar to overalls. I wish I had a picture for you.

Here I am at my friend's birthday party.

I am on the right. You see the influence of patterns.

My day was all going swimmingly until a classmate noticed the trap door opening in the back -- for these were one piece pajamas (think very jazzy union suit).

I stayed at school that entire day.  I was embarrassed, but I also knew that I loved those pajamas and they made me happy. I am sure I was teased, but I either ignored it or found strength in my convictions. I am not one one for relying on ceremony or style. I tend to dress the way I feel each day -- funky vintage hand-me-down-from my mom one day and classic Ann Taylor slacks and sweater the next. I wear what makes me happy. My motto?

Don't worry. Dress Happy. 

(With apologies to Bob Marley and the Wailers.)

While Mr. Tiger might have temporarily eschewed clothing, we have a lot in common.  Like Mr. Tiger, I learned that my unique style has a time and a place and, like Mr. Tiger, I learned that it is good to experiment and take risks, to follow your heart and to be true to yourself.  Peter Brown has given readers a character and a message that will stay with them long after they finish reading the book, a book that they will read again and again.

My advice to you? Pick up this book and leave no page unturned. 

Well, I'm off to meet up with Mr. Tiger. 
I think he's going to love this Hawaiian dress! 

BUT WAIT!
That is not all! 

There's the Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! giveaway thanks to Little Brown Books!  To celebrate the release of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, we have a blog tour scavenger hunt for you! Visit all the blogs listed below to collect 7 letters/characters. Unscramble the letters/characters to unlock the secret phrase. Each blog is giving away three copies of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild courtesy of Little, Brown Books and Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts has a Mr. Tiger Goes Wild prize pack to give away. On your mark. Get set. Go!

My secret letter is..

Here's what you need to do:
1.  Please visit these other blogs:
Jen at Teach Mentor Texts
Aly at Kid Lit Frenzy
Franki at A Year of Reading
Katherine at Read, Write, Reflect
Laura at LibLaura5
Colby at SharpRead

2.  Collect the secret letters from each blog. 
3.  Unscramble the letters to create the secret phrase. 
4.  Enter the phrase on this form, add your contact information and submit!

This survey will be open until September 9th. Winners will be drawn at random and announced on September 10th.  Good luck!

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

I was heading to the river for a swim and picked up Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.

It seemed fitting to bring this book with me to my own wild haven.

I gave Mr. Tiger a tour.

Settled him on a rock

and went for my swim.

I then sat down to read the book.

I do not make predictions on this blog,

but this book should win something, 

something big, like say, a Medal.

I could talk about this book as I do with my students when we are learning about the Caldecott, about how the illustrations compliment and extend the text, how the execution is excellent, how the use of pencil, ink and watercolor creates an organic feel, but that would do this book a disservice. So I will tell you how I feel about this book. 

I love it. It is brilliant.

It is a book that calls you to explore each page.

The weight and feel of the paper make the page turn significant.

The page turns themselves are perfect.

The color palate, textures and patterns draw the eye to look, over and over again.

~~~

It is a book that reminds each of us to find our own path, 

and going a little wild (in the right time and place) 

is not such a bad thing.

In a society lacking ample 

unsupervised and unstructured play 

for children, 

this book reminds us of its importance 

and hopefully inspires some good, clean, wildness.  

~~~

Who hasn't experienced this moment 

of knowing you are about to do something 

that goes against the grain?

~~~

It's a celebration of the natural world!

Peter Brown's suns ignite the page.

I love the delicate and energetic tendrils that spiral out of it.

I am drawn to the the wild country.

The green hues and patterns beckon the reader 

to explore each leaf.

~~~

There's humor!  

The illustrations capture  moments of whimsy or absurdity 

and allow the reader to quickly identify 

with Mr. Tiger and his friends. 

I come from a family that frolics in the absurd. 

Ministry of Silly Walks, anyone? 

There's so much to share about this book, 

but that would spoil the pleasure of reading it for the first time. 

  This book wants to be read, 

and it wants to be read over and over again,

Which it will be, 

by children and adults alike.

Unfortunately, you will have to wait until September, when the book comes out!

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild ... by the river

I was heading to the river for a swim and picked up 

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.

It seemed fitting to bring this book with me to my own wild haven.

I gave Mr. Tiger a tour.

Settled him on a rock

and went for my swim.

I then sat down to read the book.

I. Love. This. Book.

All of it - 

-the writing, the art, the weight of the paper, the feel of it in your hands, the journey along which it takes the reader.

It's a gem, just like the ones I seek in this river.

(Stay tuned - for the full review next month.)