ReedALOUD: Barbed Wire Baseball

My fifth graders and I read Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Yuko Shimizu.

Here's a synopsis from Abrams: "As a boy, Kenichi “Zeni” Zenimura dreams of playing professional baseball, but everyone tells him he is too small. Yet he grows up to be a successful player, playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941, Zeni and his family are sent to one of ten internment camps where more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry are imprisoned without trials. Zeni brings the game of baseball to the camp, along with a sense of hope.

This true story, set in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, introduces children to a little-discussed part of American history through Marissa Moss’s rich text and Yuko Shimizu’s beautiful illustrations. The book includes author and illustrator notes, archival photographs, and a bibliography."

Moss deftly delivers any subject matter and here she does not disappoint. This is a readable, moving, and in-depth look at one man's story.  Shimizu's illustrations are powerful and resonant. Her depiction of of setting, expressive faces, and use of color ensure that the story will be remembered after the book is closed.

The fifth graders are in the midst of a unit on resilience. They are learning about how characters demonstrate social, emotional and physical resilience. The book gave ample opportunities to talk about resilience. In addition, one of the books they read is Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida, a fictionalized account of a family's experience in a Japanese internment camp in WWII. Having a few students who have read about the internment camps helped deepen the conversation. 

An unexpected bonus in reading the excellent author and illustrator notes at the back was hearing both of these people refer to their intensive and extensive research. My students are also in the midst of a Colonial America research project where they are developing their own thick questions and trying to find the answers. This is hard work and to be able to show them this real-world example was powerful.

ReedALOUD: Interstellar Cinderella

This week, I read Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Meg Hunt. 

I have had such a fun week reading with my students. I put aside other lessons and carved out this one week during which I read a picture book with every grade level. It's a significant departure from our normal weeks that involve projects, author visits, and collaborative units at some grade levels.  

I chose each book carefully as I will only see these classes about four more times after this week. Yikes!  Interstellar Cinderella was a perfect fit for the second graders who have been exploring folk literature. These students also do a comparative study of their lives compared to those of children in China, Ghana, and Mexico. 

We began the lesson by activating background knowledge about folk literature and then closing in on Cinderella stories.

I asked the students to share what they know about Cinderella stories (not retell it). They came up with the big ideas: young girl, wicked stepsisters and step mother, prince, fairy godmother, big event, midnight timeline, item left behind, and marriage.

I asked the students what messages they have heard in the versions they have read. They responded with: dreams do come true and good prevails.

I then asked them to describe Cinderella, to share one adjective. They responded with: kind, nice, caring, pretty, and hardworking.

With all of this information freshly in their minds, I introduced Interstellar Cinderella. This book is so much fun to read aloud. I confess that my urban upbringing had me half rapping the narrative. Meg Hunt's illustrator bring celebrate this Cinderella's interests.

This Cinderella is no passive girl. She's a dreamer and a learner.

She's a reader!

But everyone can use a little help sometimes, and when she is stranded with a broken rocket, her fairy god robot provides some needed tools. I love that it is Cinderella that fixes the rocket!

Yes, she meets the prince (but you'll have to read the book to find out how) and they share a passion for rockets and get to talking. This Cinderella is still time bound and in her rush leaves something behind - her all-important sonic socket wrench.

Sorry for the spoiler alert, but after some trials and tribulations, Cinderella and the prince are reunited and a marriage proposal follows, but this girl is smart and sensible. She'll pass on that proposal, but become his mechanic. How refreshing!

The end papers are filled with examples of her many cool and functional tools.

After reading the book, I asked my last two questions again. The students answers were very different.

What message do you hear in this version of Cinderella? They responded with: follow your dreams and be true to yourself.

How would you describe Cinderella? They responded with: smart, tinkerer, independent, nice, brave, active, and creative.

This is a Cinderella that I can relate to! It pleases me that we have this version to add to the children's understanding of Cinderella. 

ReedALOUD: Pool

The third graders and I read Pool by JiHyeon Lee, published by Chronicle Books.  This wordless picture book is beautifully-rendered and powerful.

"What happens when two shy children meet at a very crowded pool? Dive in to find out! Deceptively simple, this masterful book tells a story of quiet moments and surprising encounters, and reminds us that friendship and imagination have no bounds."

I have enjoyed sharing new picture books with the third grade students. Having spent three years as a Mock Caldecott Committee, they are careful readers and well-versed in how to explore and talk about books.

Reading a wordless picture book with students is always a powerful experience. In the absence of a voice reading the story, the quietness and gets filled with the students' reactions - gasps, murmurs, giggles, and sighs.    

JiHyeon quickly engages the reader with endpapers filled with bodies floating freely through water.

We are introduced to our young protagonist. 

JiHyeon deftly conveys not only the story, but also the protagonists personality. Our young friend is not quite sure of these surroundings.  He goes unnoticed.

Despite an uninviting pool scene, he dives in, pushing past doubt and discomfort.

Someone in the full and noisy pool has noticed him! 

A new friendship emerges and imaginative adventures unfold. What was once dull becomes vibrant.

After closing the book, the reader is left with these encouraging words:

You know its a good book when the students want to talk about it. Their conversation is a testament to the power of art to convey a message.

The illustrations prompted some impressive fan art!

This is an impressive showing by a debut author/illustrator. I am excited to share POOL with all of my students.

"The visit with Mike Curato was..."

I love these first graders'

 Little Elliot Big City fan art.

I expect to see many elephants and cupcakes in future first- and second-grade students' work. Our visit with Mike Curato was incredibly successful.  I heard such positive comments from parents, teachers, and students today. It feels great to get stopped in the hallways to be told by parents how much their child enjoyed an author and/or illustrator visit.

I visited each of the second grade classrooms today and asked each student to give me one adjective to describe the visit. Here's what they said:

If you are unfamiliar with Wordle, the more times a word is mentioned the bigger it gets.  I did not lead the students. I went quietly from table to table and collected words. There are many powerful adjectives here, such as: informative, constructive, inspiring and creative. Thanks again, Mike!

ReedALOUD: by mouse and frog

"you got to have friends..."

I can hear Bette Midler singing this...  

Deborah Freedman knows the ins and outs of friendship well. She also knows how to convey the emotions of those friends well, her character's expressions and body language are wonderful.

In The Story of Fish and Snail, we meet two friends at a divergent moment in their friendship, one of them ready to make a big leap into something new while the other is not quite ready. 

Trust prevails as both Fish and Snail journey forth into new worlds with the safety and comfort of a familiar friend.

 

In By Mouse and Frog, two friends embark on an different kind of journey - a creative journey.

"Fastidious Mouse has one idea about how to tell a story. Free-spirited Frog has another. What happens when Frog crashes into Mouse's story with some wild ideas? Chaos!...followed by the discovery that working together means being willing to compromise—and that listening to one another can lead to the most beautiful stories of all." `from Deborah's web page

Creative genius is challenged and usurped when Mouse's quiet story about having tea at home turns into a rollicking adventure - - replete with a dragon and  king -- when taken over by Frog's exuberance. 

These two friends have to learn the creative boundaries around friendship. 

Whose story is it? How can all the creative voices be heard? What does it mean to compromise? 

This illustration tugs at my heart as Frog tries to undo the "damage" to Mouse's story. The words make it even more powerful.

All ends well as the two friends begin again with a common vision for their storytelling. 

In by Mouse and Frog, two creative heads are better than one!

Don't open or close this book too quickly, or you will miss more good things! The jacket flaps and publication information are a continuation of the story. #somuchfun