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| "Reading" before my nap - August, 1963. I still have my collection of Little Golden Books. |
I've always loved books. Always.
Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in my Granny's lap and hearing her read to me.
I wanted to read so badly. I have a vivid memory of being about three or four years old and writing a string of random letters, asking my mother what they spelled. Oh - the disappointment when she let me know I had not spelled a thing. Back in the day, parents didn't really sit down with flashcards to teach their children letter sounds. Basically, we learned to read when we went to school. However, Mama and Granny read to me. They read to me a lot and I developed a love of books very early in life. A trip to Woolworth's meant I got a new Little Golden Book.
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| Reading to Phil - Circa 1968 (ignore my home perm!) |
Soon after beginning first grade, I became a reading machine. In fact, the summer after second grade Mama enrolled my brother, Phil, and me in the summer reading program at the Bonham Public Library. At the time, the town library was nothing more than one room located City Hal. I still remember the distinct smell of that library. The smell of books. Not only was I a book-lovin' kid, I was a competitive one. The annual reading contest was announced and I was determined to win my age division. Since I was only allowed to check out five books at a time, Mama had to take me to the library almost every day. I do remember a conversation she had with the librarian wondering if I was reading books to challenge and improve my reading. No! I was not. I didn't care about developing my reading skills. I cared about winning the transistor radio at the end. So, I checked out books that were below my reading level and whipped through them as quickly as possible. Guess what? I won! In more ways than one. As an educator, I now know my reading fluency improved and I was at a good place to begin diving into chapter books
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| Mr. Peppermint from WFAA came to Bonham for the library's award presentation! A highlight of my life - 1969 |
By the third grade, I was devouring chapter books. The first chapter book I ever read on my own was Charlotte's Web. I remember going up to my teacher's desk to tell her I was reading "Char' lot ees Web." Hey, I was a total phonics kid! She let me know I was reading
"Shar' lets Web"...Oh - well! I loved it and cried at the end.
"Shar' lets Web"...Oh - well! I loved it and cried at the end.
After Charlotte's Web, I discovered Beverly Cleary's Henry Huggins series. I read them all. How cool that our children have been introduced to this amazing book series through the movie, Ramona and Beezus. Parents would be wise to take the opportunity and introduce their kids to other Beverly Cleary's books. Check out Beverly Cleary's very interactive webiste: http://www.beverlycleary.com/about.aspx. You will find information about each book as well as really great games and activities.
Ok...I'm going to TRY to compile a list of my favorite children's books. This is only difficult because there are SO many I want to include. I'm going to try to list my favorite of my favorite! Please note: This list is mine - not reproduced from another site. There are plenty of notable sites with children's book lists. Here are two:
Parenthood.com's list -
http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/the_100_best_childrens_books.html/full-view
American Library Association - Notable Books of 2014
Parenthood.com's list -
http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/the_100_best_childrens_books.html/full-view
American Library Association - Notable Books of 2014
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Survey of Recommended Reading
OK...HERE GOES!
PICTURE BOOKS
Favorite Picture Books Appropriate for Preschoolers:
Favorite Picture Books Appropriate for Preschoolers:
(Note: Picture books are not just for babies and preschoolers; they often contain lovely art, beautiful language, and layers of meaning great to discuss at ALL ages!)
- Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown - My favorite goodnight book when I had babies at home. I recently purchased Goodnight OKC, a wonderful book modeled after Goodnight Moon, but showing points of interest in Oklahoma City. This made the think how fun it would be to use this as a premise for writing a goodnight book for other cities or towns. Students would have fun researching significant points of interest and illustrating their book.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle - Predictable patterns - learn days of week and counting
- Caps for Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina - A folk tale brought to life teaches predictable patterns and colors
- Swimmy - Leo Lionni - A definite classic - A beautiful book about both individuality and teamwork
- The Important Book - Margaret Wise Brown - A book to discuss attributes and each person's value
- Where the Wild Things Are - Marice Sendak - (Caldecott Award - 1964) - Best line ever..."Let the wild rumpus start!" Discuss imagination, obedience, fears
Now, some picture books for early elementary grade students:
(And - PLEASE - read these books to older children, too! The categories are merely MY subjective opinion.)
- Make Way for Ducklings - Robert McCloskey - (Caldecott Award - 1942) Discuss families sticking together and the meaning of home. If you are passing through Memphis, you MUST see the duck march at the Peabody Hotel. http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody_ducks/
- Stephanie's Ponytail - Robert Munsch - This book cracks me up every time! Great book about individuality
- Amazing Grace - Mary Hoffman - Encourages children to be who God made them to be
- Leo the Late Bloomer - Robert Kraus - Great book to discuss individual strengths and rates of development
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst - Discuss bad days and positive attitudes
- Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday - Judith Viorst - Discuss spending and saving habits
- Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move - Judith Viorst - Discuss that where your family is - there your home is also
- A House Is a House for Me - Mary Ann Hoberman - Fantastic discussion starter...Can you think of things that house other things? My favorite from a student: "A picture is a house for a memory." Ideas can be as concrete or as abstract, depending upon developmental stage of child
- The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka - Discuss everyone has a point of view...even the wolf!
- How My Parents Learned to Eat - Ina R. Friedman - A sweet story of an American sailor and his courtship with a girl from Japan; great book for discussing cultural differences
- A Chair for My Mother - Very B. Williams - (Caldecott Honor Book) - Fantastic book about the value of hard work, saving money, and family
- Imogene's Antlers - David Small - Funny book is also a good way to discuss taking life in stride
- Fortunately - Remy Charlip - This is a " predictable pattern book" that children love. It shows the ups and downs of life with alternating pages beginning with either "fortunately" or "unfortunately." This is a great book - not just for young students, but for older students to use as a model for writing.
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Numeroff - This book is known as a "circle book" or a book that ends where it begins. It is a great book to use as a model for helping children to write their own circle story!
Picture books for older elementary
- Junkyard Wonders - Patricia Polacco - Story of how a teacher helps a classroom of children value their unique genius. (Mrs. Bass just shared this new Polacco book with me and it quickly made its way to my favorites list.)
- Chicken Sunday - Patricia Polacco - Discuss cultures, tradition, trust, love, earning and saving money (I love ALL Patricia Polacco books!)
- The Buck Stops Here - Alice Provensen - The Presidents of the United States in rhyme! Books tells what each President is best remembered for. Illustrations have fabulous details about each term of office. The book was published in 1990 so children could "finish" the book by creating rhymes for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Just writing these ideas makes me want to grab some kids and teach a lesson! :)
- Teammates - Peter Golenbock - the baseball story of Jackie Robinson's transition from the Negro League to the Major League. His friend Pee Wee Reese showed the world what it meant to reach out in friendship.
- Round Trip - Ann Jonas - You have to see this book to believe it...The illustrations are amazing. Read the book forward and then turn around and read again - looking at the negative space of the illustrations...I'm sure I'm not explaining this very well. Trust me. Check out this book!
- Animalia - Graeme Base - An alphabet book like no other! This book is FULL of beautiful illustrations, puzzles to detect, and layers of meaning
CHAPTER BOOKS
I’m going to share something I don’t admit very often. I don’t like fantasy. I didn’t like fantasy as a child, and I don’t really enjoy reading it now. There's nothing "wrong" with it; it just isn't my favorite. Therefore, my chapter book list is a bit slanted. While I have always been a reader, even as a young girl, fantasy seemed a “waste of my time.” Give me a biography or autobiography and I was happy! Don’t get the wrong idea about me because I wasn't a brilliant little genius or anything, but I LOVED to read the World Book Encyclopedia. I loved, loved, loved reading for information. I still do. This little tidbit has been shared for parents who may be raising children with similar tastes in books. Fantasy is great, if that is your cup of tea! If your children love fantasy, there are plenty of amazing series, namely The Chronicles of Narnia. I also would recommend the Borrowers series. It is a classic, and I have seen many eager readers devour these books! In the end, children should READ! Parents should expose their children to all genres of literature, but understand that the very act of READING makes a child a better reader!
DISCLAIMER: I am giving you MY favorite books. I wouldn't recommend each of these books for each child, especially in the elementary years. Many great chapter books contain very difficult subject matter. Most strong readers are able to fluently read chapter books before they are emotionally ready for the content. Several books on my list deal with death. I recommend parents preread to determine if a book is appropriate for their young reader. Most of the books I love stimulate thinking and are springboards to great discussion. How great would it be if every child's reading discussion buddy could be a parent?!
OK...here's the list:
- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - This was the first chapter book I read on my own. I loved it then; I love it now. It is a classic tale of friendship. I know I just said I don't love fantasy, and I know this book has talking farm animals, but it seems real enough to me!
- The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes - This book has never been out of print since 1944 and I think that's saying something! I almost think it should be required reading for every middle school girl! It is a timeless message about an immigrant girl who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. In the end, it is a lesson in understanding and acceptance.
- The American Girl Book Series - I sometimes wish these books weren't tied to the American Girl dolls and had other names. These books are just GREAT historical fiction book, but because they accompany dolls, they won't be viewed as viable reading material by most boys. I read Meet Kirsten as a read aloud when I taught third grade. The book was a supplement to our westward expansion unit in social studies. Boys, as well as girls, loved this book.
- Maniac McGee by Gary Spinelli - This book is about a boy whose name and world changed when his parents died. This book would appeal to both boys and girls, though best for mature 4th graders and up. Maniac is known for his athletic feats, but is going to be most remembered for what he did to unify a community. The book is a Newberry Award winner.
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - This book was I read this book at the recommendation of my sister and nephews who LOVE it. I loved it, too! It is a great book and also a Newberry Award winner set is in the height of the Great Depression and Bud is an orphan looking for a better life. There are some difficult topics included, such as racism and Buddy's belief in vampires. Bud, not Buddy, is a character a reader cheers for! (reread my disclaimer!)
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - This is another Newberry Award winner. This is my FAVORITE book to teach. I recommend it for advanced third graders and up. However, the younger the reader, the more they need an adult with whom to discuss the content. This is the often untold story of the relocation of the Danish Jews during the Nazi invasion of Denmark. It is FABULOUS story of friendship between two ten year old girls. This book, however, appeals to boys equally as well. It is a book with secret codes to be broken! Love, love, love this book!
- The Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Who doesn't know about Little House on the Prairie? I love any great book that has an entire series to keep the reader coming back for more!
- Because of Winn Dixie by Katie DiCamillo - This book was a Newberry Honor book and, like many good books, was a better book than a movie. It's a story about a ten year old girl, Opal, whose father is a preacher and whose mother has abandoned them. With the help of a dog she rescued and named Winn Dixie, Opal heal her past and find friendship.
- Anything by Beverly Cleary! There is no disclaimer needed with these books. They are just plain fun!
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