This Biographer and Her Living Subject
I wonder how often a picture book biographer has been friends with her subject for several decades and then worked closely with that person to get her manuscript just right.
Reading
Library Girl
I eagerly waited for this book. I wasn’t prepared to fall in love, which I most definitely have.
Doorways to the Wild and Wondrous
Today, writing about nature and outdoor play just feels as natural and right to me as breathing. All my happy memories of chasing frogs, climbing trees, and splashing in summer lakes easily inform the stories I write.
Mélina Mangal
Mélina Mangal’s Self on the Shelf
I looked on my shelves, wondering which books to highlight. I have several shelves, scattered around the house. Though I am a school librarian, my home shelves are quite fluid, as in, they’re not strictly organized. Books are loosely grouped by format and size, sometimes by genre. I really don’t have that many books (I love to visit the library!),
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
February 2021
Reading teams do read together, and my Reading Team(s) and I have been doing just that. However, as you view the photos of the twins, Hayes and Myles, now seventeen months, you see them reading by themselves.
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
February 2021
Our Raising Star Readers contributor Ann Angel always has a unique take on selecting books for her Reading Team. Here, Ann talks about books that encourage what she calls “mindfulness moments” — titles that help kids (and adults) slow down and focus during our current “wild” times:
Our house is home to three generations. So husband Jeff and I live with Teddy, a rather rambunctious five-year-old, and his mom.… more
Tracy Sue Walker
This month we welcome Tracy Sue Walker, author, public librarian, and professional storyteller.
She’s recently been revealing “the truth about” a series of mystical creatures, so far including dragons, Bigfoot, and unicorns, for Scholastic Book Clubs.
Tracy describes herself this way, “A booklover, daydreamer, and goofball, I’m pretty quiet unless I’m telling a story, then I’m pretty loud.”
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
November 2020
Raising Star Readers is delighted to drop in again on Deb Andries and her Reading Team as they celebrate diverse new offerings from Deb’s local library. Here’s how Deb describes the books that are helping to bring her joy:
Reading remains a joy. Reading remains a treasured moment and a teachable moment. Reading is shared.
Joyful reading occurs when the twins, Myles and Hayes, now 14 months, make every attempt to “sit” and “eat” the book!
Candice Ransom
One green thing I wish everyone would do:
Give up plastic bags. It’s hard, I know, to remember to carry a bag into a store. I wish we could give up other forms of plastic, like the blister packs encasing everything from Barbie dolls to Bic pens. Back in the days of five and ten stores, it was so nice to simply pick an item out of a bin or off a shelf, pay for it, and not wrestle with tin snips to get it open.
Brenda Sederberg and Her Reading Team
October 2020
Raising Star Readers is delighted to hear that Brenda Sederberg’s Reading Team has added to its membership: welcome, Baby Phoebe! Brenda is also focusing on adding something else—she is expanding on the list of her Team’s old favorites by intentionally looking for books that are diverse and inclusive
Little Engines:
A Simple but Impactful Early Literacy Initiative
In early fall of 2019, I completed a grant application through our local early childhood board. I proposed a new early literacy program called Little Engines. Each month, we will have an early childhood professional provide a storytime program with activities. These include literacy, nutrition, childcare, school readiness, music/recreation, creativity/arts, and STEAM. The library provides families a tote bag that includes various activities and a book to enjoy at home together.… more
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
April 2019
We’re especially delighted to celebrate with Deb Andries (a.k.a. Grammy) this month as she launches her newest Reading Team. Here’s how Deb describes the experience:
My heart has always felt this “explosion of love” when we’ve welcomed a grandchild into our family. I vividly remember when our grandson Parker, now 14, was born, and the pure and elevated joy I felt.… more
Knowing Your Past to Make Peace
Welcome to Peace-ology. We are two children’s authors teaming up to review children’s books with peace in mind.
Ellie: The other day, I looked over the shoulder of my five-year-old to see what he was drawing. There was the Ireland flag on the left, the Norway flag on the right, and he was finishing the United States flag in the middle.… more
Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
Such a charming book! From Nikki Grimes, we hear the story of a young boy stalling his bedtime, all the while collecting a menagerie of imaginary creatures. This is a child who has well-practiced ploys for avoiding bedtime. His parents respond with playfulness and good humor. Mom and dad are patient but, finally, the child is too sleepy to stay awake.… more
Melanie Heuiser Hill
This stack is largely the Self-On-The-Shelf stack of my childhood. There would be stacks of others, as well, you understand. I was surprised how many were missing when I went to pull books for this column, actually. Where were all the Judy Blume books? Where was How To Eat Fried Worms? And, I suppose if I’m really honest, I would need to include a small stack of Guinness Book of World Records from the late seventies…I wore the covers off those books.… more
Reading Books Through the Lens of Peace
Welcome to Peace-ology. We are two children’s authors teaming up to review children’s books with peace in mind.
Caren: After all our interviews for our book Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story, I asked the book’s inspiration, peace educator Sachiko Yasui, if she had any last words she would like to share with children.
Sachiko’s response was to think about this:
What is peace?… more
Skinny Dip with Marsha Wilson Chall
One of my all-time favorite books is Up North at the Cabin. There is something quintessential about the cabin experience for many people who live in the Upper Midwest. This book, by our Skinny Dippin’ author Marsha Wilson Chall, has engaged readers and listeners for 27 years! Marsha has created many picture books that showcase her storytelling talents, including Bonaparte, One Pup’s Up, and The Secret Life of Figgy Mustardo.… more
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
October 2019
Raising Star Readers is delighted to introduce a new Reading Team centered around YA author and Wisconsin resident Ann Angel. Ann says: “One of my greatest pleasures as a grandparent is sharing a book with my grandkids that was a favorite with my kids when they were growing up. Another great pleasure is seeing my grown kids pull out a book they loved and read to it their children with the knowledge that they’re sharing a great love of story and reading.… more
Pass the Ps Please – an Evening with Dav Pilkey
Positivity, practice and persistence… a powerful approach to overcoming a multitude of challenges and unbelievably bad school experiences. The one and only, Dav Pilkey, shared several heartfelt stories to inspire kids (and adults) during his recent stop in St. Paul as part of his “Dog Man, Do Good Tour.”
With humor and vulnerability, Dav explained that as a kid with both ADHD and dyslexia, reading was anything but pleasant.… more
Brenda Sederberg and Her Reading Team
September 2019
Bookology readers first met Brenda Sederberg’s Reading Team partner Sylvie when she was only two days old. At that time the two were sharing one of their very first read-alouds. Now Gram and Sylvie have had the chance to share a whole wonderful year of reading together!
To celebrate Sylvie’s first birthday, Brenda is highlighting the three books that have become Sylvie’s favorites over that special year.… more
Ask Me About … My Amazing Students!
New year. New grade level. Same classroom filled with same amazing kids from last year (along with several lovely new additions). Just wrapped up the seventh day of school and the same question keeps running through my mind… how did I get so lucky? “Looping” (moving up a grade level) with a class that you absolutely adore from the year before is pretty much like winning the “teacher lottery.”… more
Deb Andries and Her Off-to-School Reading Team
September 2019
Starting kindergarten is a special time, and it’s really special when you get to read books with Grammy to get you ready! For this addition to our Raising Star Readers feature, we’re delighted to once again be showcasing Deb Andries, a National Literacy Consultant who lives in Wisconsin, and two of her grandchildren, who are both starting kindergarten this fall.… more
Deb Andries and Her Reading Teams
May 2019
For this addition to our Raising Star Readers feature, we’re delighted to once again be showcasing Deb Andries, a National Literacy Consultant who lives in Wisconsin, and her grandchildren: Finley and Grayson, who live in Cumberland, Wisconsin, and Emmersyn, who lives in Sartell, Minnesota. Grammy and her Reading Teams recently shared Guess How Much I Love You, written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram, while enjoying milestone read-togethers during their Mother’s Day celebrations.… more
Successful
Success. Thesaurus.com offers more than fifty synonyms for the word “success”… accomplishment, fame, happiness, progress, triumph, and victory all have a place on the list. With testing hysteria making the rounds in schools and classrooms everywhere, the definition of success as it relates to reading, has likely weighed heavily on the minds and hearts of many teachers.… more
The Arrow of Time
When you walk into our house, you know immediately my husband and I are readers. The dining room is designated as the library, but there are bookcases and books in every single room, including the bathrooms. We subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and the Sunday New York Times, as well as Smithsonian, Audubon, and Sky and Telescope.… more
Brenda Sederberg and Her Reading Team
February 2019
For this addition to our new Raising Star Readers feature, we’re honored to be showcasing a brand-new Star Reader: Baby Sylvie was only two days old when this photo was taken! She’s pictured with Gram (Brenda Sederberg), as the two of them share Debra Frasier’s classic picture book On the Day You Were Born at Sylvie’s home in Duluth, Minnesota.… more
Deb Andries and Her Reading Teams
January 2019
We’re delighted to feature Bookology follower Deb Andries and her grandchildren to kick off our new Raising Star Readers column! The column’s goal is to showcase different Reading Teams as they read together during milestone celebrations.
Deb, a.k.a. “Grammy,” was able to enjoy two milestone read-togethers to kick off her Christmas season. In the photo above, Grammy shares The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg, with grandsons Grayson (5) and Finley (3) in Wisconsin.… more
Serendipity
I love the word “serendipity.” I also love when I actually experience the feeling of serendipity. It shows up unexpectedly in moments when I feel a surprising connection or happy coincidence between two seemingly separate things. It makes me believe in the power of the universe and often leaves me questioning whether these occurrences are more than a fluke. I especially love when serendipity shows up in my teaching, learning, and literacy life.… more
Summer Reading
When I say “summer reading,” you think about … a good novel, right? I have a couple of suggestions.
Every kid should have these two books tucked in their beach bags, ready for a car trip, or packed for summer camp. Seriously.
In between the reading out loud of those novels you’ve been saving up all year, or the listening to an audio book on the car radio, or the flashlight reading in the pitched tent in your backyard, I hope you will share these books.… more
The Coolest Fact
Reports about animals are boring, and they usually go like this: Honeybees are insects. Honeybees eat nectar. Honeybees live in a hive. See? BORING!
Skinny Dip with Lester Laminack
Lester Laminack is sought after as a speaker in school districts all over the country. A retired professor, actively involved in literacy on many levels, he’s thoughtful, articulate, and has a sparkling sense of humor. We’re pleased that this very busy author and speaker took time to share his thoughts with Bookology’s readers this month.
What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever read a book? … more
Skinny Dip with DeDe Small
DeDe Small shares her enthusiasm about books, reading, and literacy with her students at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. We invited DeDe to Skinny Dip with us, our first interview in the New Year.
When did you first start reading books?
I don’t actually remember learning to read but I do always remember having books. I even came up with my own cataloging system in the later elementary grades.… more
True Story
Recently I attended a writer’s conference mainly to hear one speaker. His award-winning books remind me that the very best writing is found in children’s literature. When he delivered the keynote, I jotted down bits of his sparkling wisdom.
At one point he said that we live in a broken world, but one that’s also filled with beauty. My pen slowed.… more
The Sameness of Sheep
Once, when I discussed my work-in-progress, middle-grade novel with my agent, I told her the character was eleven. “Make her twelve,” she said. “But eleven-year-olds aren’t the same as twelve-year-olds,” I protested. “Those are different ages.” “Make her twelve,” she insisted. “The editor will ask you to change it anyway.”
I didn’t finish the book (don’t have that agent anymore, either).… more
Skinny Dip with Patti Lapp
A dedicated educator in Pennsylvania, we invited Patti Lapp to answer our twenty Skinny Dip questions.
Who was your favorite teacher in grades K-7 and why?
Mr. Jordan was my favorite teacher who taught 7th grade. He was funny and straightforward; all of us students respected him, and he certainly kept everyone in line. I attended a Catholic school, and he was unique in that setting.… more
The Book Box
For a fiction workshop, I asked participants to bring in childhood books that influenced them to become a writer. Naturally, I did the assignment myself. Choosing the books was easy, but they felt insubstantial in my hands, vintage hardbacks that lacked the heft of, say, the last Harry Potter. When it came my turn to talk, I figured I’d stammer excuses for their shabby, old-fashioned, stamped jackets.… more
Food for Thought
As the first month of a new school year comes to a close, I offer some food for thought about nourishing our teachers. Literally and figuratively. Years ago when I was working on my administrator’s license I discovered a gem of a book called If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers by Neila Connors.… more
No Pigs in Space?
Some of my readers know that the very first story I wrote (in second grade) was Pigs in Space. I still have it. I still wonder whatever prompted me to write it. This was before the Muppets launched their pigs into space. And it was definitely before Kim T. Griswell and Valeri Gorbachev launched their pig into space in Rufus Blasts Off!… more
Describe 10 Things in Your Perfect World
Money that grows on trees. Free houses, free cars, free food, and free phones. More books, more pets and more medicine for sick people. Clean water. Parents who don’t fight.
These are the wishes of JD, a sincere and striving eleven-year-old reader I am tutoring this summer. The prompt that produced his wish list (which perfectly outlines the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) was “Describe ten things that would be present in a perfect world.”… more
Knowing My Own Mind
There are times when I don’t know my own mind. Worse, there are times when I think I know my mind perfectly well and then find an entirely different mind on a later visit to my opinions.
Which feels almost as though I have no mind at all.
Some time ago one of my favorite writers came out with a new novel. I had been waiting for her next book for years, so, of course, I signed up to have it pop into my electronic reader at the first opportunity.… more
Capitulate vs Conquer
As I eagerly gathered up my ideas and insights for a follow-up article about last month’s “Mystery Reader” topic, I found myself trying to negotiate two seemingly incompatible schools of thought regarding effective literacy teaching and learning. I am a huge proponent of student choice and voice (instead of teacher- or curriculum-dictated text selections), teacher expertise (instead of reliance on scripted programs), and fostering a lifelong love and motivation for reading (instead of seeking the holy grail of high test scores).… more
Skinny Dip with Suzanne Costner
We’re thrilled to Skinny Dip with outstanding educator Suzanne Costner, Thanks to Suzanne for answer our questions during her very busy end-of-the-school-year hours.
Who was your favorite teacher in grades K-7 and why?
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Hill in 4th grade. She read to us every day after lunch: Stuart Little, Where the Red Fern Grows, James and the Giant Peach.… more
Mystery Readers
In this column, I’m pleased to share a brief overview of “Nurturing the Development of Reflective Readers,” a session I attended at “Echoes of Learning,” the literacy conference at Zaharis Elementary in Mesa, AZ. Kris-Ann Florence and Megan Kypke, second and fourth grade teachers, shared how they promote reflection and enhance comprehension by using a student version of miscue analysis to help readers understand the importance of meaning-making.… more
Skinny Dip with Aimée Bissonette
We’re thrilled to Skinny Dip with Aimée Bissonette, who is the author of two acclaimed picture books so far, North Woods Girl (Minnesota Historical Society Press) and Miss Colfax’s Light (Sleeping Bear Press). Thanks to Aor taking time away from writing and work to answer Bookology’s questions!
When did you first start reading books?
My best friend, Lyn, taught me to read when I was 5 years old.… more
Spring Break 2017
I’m still relishing the memory of spring break. Surrounded by mountains and plenty of sunshine, I stumbled upon a literacy oasis that up until then, I had only visited in my dreams. Almost a month later, I am still intrigued and inspired by what I experienced. I knew instantly that this magical place would be the topic of my next Bookology contribution. In fact, I believe I have enough material for a year’s worth of articles about this very special sanctuary of learning.… more
Everything You Need to Ace Five Subjects
I’ve had this TBR pile of five very attractive, come-hither-looking books begging to be recommended for weeks now. The spines are bright primary colors so I know that even when I shelve them they will be calling to me. And I think they’ll be calling to your students as well.
I open what are for me the two scariest volumes (eat your vegetables first — oops, as an adult, I find I LOVE vegetables), Everything You Need to Know to Ace Science in One Fat Notebook: Notes Borrowed from the Smartest Kid in Class (Double-Checked by Award-Winning Teacher) and Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook: Notes Borrowed from the Smartest Kid in Class (Double-Checked by Award-Winning Teacher).… more
A Story for the Ages
For the past two years my husband and I have had the good fortune to spend the waning days of summer in Door County, Wisconsin. There we have discovered a vibrant arts community. A bounty of theatre, music, and fine arts is there for the picking.
This year, as I scanned the possibilities for our visit, I was particularly interested in the Peninsula Players’ Midwest première of a new play by Kenneth Jones called Alabama Story.… more
Books for My Grandbaby and Me
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of books and reading. I am actually an even bigger fan of babies. I am instantly smitten. I can think of nothing better than cuddling an infant, blanketed by that new baby smell, reading to an audience of one. You can imagine how thrilled I am to announce that there’s a new baby in town!… more
Books as Therapy
I confess to using books therapeutically. When my kids were little and the day had gone wonky and none of us were at our best, a pile of picture books was a sure-fire way to reset us all. It was partly the snuggles, but mostly the shared experience of reading the stories we loved. As they’ve grown, I’ve been known to read them happy books when they are sad (and sometimes sad books, just to help us lean into it) and silly books when anger and tears have had their way with us.… more
Telling a Story the Hard Way
by Vicki Palmquist
I’ve just finished reading the graphic novel Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson, with color by Dave Stewart (Graphix, 2015). I am overwhelmed by the work that went into this book. First off, it’s an engrossing, turn-the-page story with an appealing cast of characters. As readers, we care about what will happen. That’s a good start.… more