Why I Picked It Up: Simple: Eve Bunting. Any time I’m looking for an approachable book for elementary students with great content, I go to Eve Bunting. This book did not disappoint. Why I Finished It: This is a beautiful story of a family having a yard sale because they must move into a tiny […]
Characterization
Book Review: Zero, by Kathryn Otoshi
Why I Picked It Up: It’s one of those picture books that kept coming up on blogs and in stores, but I never picked it up. Mostly because it’s a math book and my concentration has always been ELA/R and Social Studies. I finally saw it at the local library and had to check it […]
Book Review: Just My Luck (Zack Delacruz, book 2), by Jeff Anderson
Why I Picked It Up: I received this book as an ARC and immediately started reading. Truth is, I had the first book and wanted to read that one first, but my son grabbed it from me. One thing my kids know is that I will never take a book away from them, so I […]
Thematic Unit: Picture Books about Perseverance
Theme: In order to teach a thematic unit, students must first understand the theme being studied. Define perseverance for the students. I chose to explain it as continuing to do something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. I illustrated the definition for students by explaining how my youngest son has persevered through guitar lessons. […]
Book Review: Violet the Pilot, by Steve Breen
Why I Picked It Up: This was a recommendation from a librarian in one of our sessions last summer, and it took me entirely too long to actually pick it up! With a two-year-old that loves everything airplanes, we rediscovered it at the public library as we were browsing one day a few weeks ago. We’ve read […]
Book Review: Awkward, by Svetlana Chmakova
Why I Picked It Up:
Sherry and I have been busy bulking up our graphic novel library, as our session on graphic novels has been in high demand. In the process of enhancing our library, I was on the hunt for a strong middle school graphic novel that had depth, but would speak to the average student. Based on the cover and book reviews, this seemed to fit that bill.