Since I have been doing nothing but going to the gym, thinking about school, being and school and sleeping, I thought I would share one of the only part of my day that might be interesting in the slightest to anyone who is not a teacher or a kindergartner.
And that part is? Books, of course!
Every year PTA lets us spend $50 on books from the Book Fair that gets set up on the 2nd week of school for Back to School night. Some teachers spend their money on books for the kids to read, or try to maximize their money by buying several books that cost $5. Not me. I savor the experience and browse the entire fair, and always pick elaborate hardcover books to add to my personal collection, that I will enjoy sharing with the kids. I can't quite express how it feels to so enjoy reading something outloud, and to see that the kids get it, think it is funny and are thinking critically about it. Honestly? It's magical. I feel so lucky to get to experience it everyday.
Below are the 2 newest books that I picked out today, and some more new and old favorites so far this year.
And that part is? Books, of course!
Every year PTA lets us spend $50 on books from the Book Fair that gets set up on the 2nd week of school for Back to School night. Some teachers spend their money on books for the kids to read, or try to maximize their money by buying several books that cost $5. Not me. I savor the experience and browse the entire fair, and always pick elaborate hardcover books to add to my personal collection, that I will enjoy sharing with the kids. I can't quite express how it feels to so enjoy reading something outloud, and to see that the kids get it, think it is funny and are thinking critically about it. Honestly? It's magical. I feel so lucky to get to experience it everyday.
Below are the 2 newest books that I picked out today, and some more new and old favorites so far this year.
This book was randomly in my collection, and I don't remember picking it out! The kids absolutely LOVED it, though, and Charlie and Lola are 2 of our favorite characters. Charlie is the voice of reason, and Lola is, well, not. The kids think she is funny without realizing that they sound and act exactly like her! I just like using her exaggerated language (her favorite word is "actual" and she inserts it in odd places) in a variety of ways. I am looking into collecting more of these books. 
Of course Mo Willems is always the go to. I just introduced all of the students to him today, and was able to show them his picture and read a few of his books. We will spend a lot of time with him this year. I can't express why I love his books so much: they are simple yet so complex. He says so much about human emotion with illustrations that contain simply a character and a horizon line, sometimes with little or no words. He includes phrasing in his statements with no punctuation, and makes it so easy to perform. Every single book of his is flawless, and I feel that my ticket to fame will be my performance as the voice of the "Pigeon" in the movie version of "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!"
Jonathon London has an entire series about Froggy and his many mishaps. Froggy always has the best of intentions, but always does something to embarrass himself. Every time Froggy ends up "looking more red in the face than green," whether it be from Froggy dumping spaghetti on his principal's head, being kissed by Frogilina or going to school in his underwear, Froggy just can't seem to do anything right. The kids always think he is funny, and love predicting what he will do wrong. They always wince (and sometimes cover their eyes) when he does something super embarrassing (like giving Frogilina a Valentine's card or a kiss) because they relate to that nervous/embarrassed feeling a little too much. I like that the books teach story structure with its repetition.
This is one of the new ones I bought today. Martha Frazee is a great illustrator, but I don't know any other books by the author. It is this year's Caldecott winner (for Children's book illustrations) and the pictures are amazing. I want to buy them in poster size and frame them, especially the one of the tree below. I don't know how I feel about the story yet, I haven't spent too much time with it.
Jonathon London has an entire series about Froggy and his many mishaps. Froggy always has the best of intentions, but always does something to embarrass himself. Every time Froggy ends up "looking more red in the face than green," whether it be from Froggy dumping spaghetti on his principal's head, being kissed by Frogilina or going to school in his underwear, Froggy just can't seem to do anything right. The kids always think he is funny, and love predicting what he will do wrong. They always wince (and sometimes cover their eyes) when he does something super embarrassing (like giving Frogilina a Valentine's card or a kiss) because they relate to that nervous/embarrassed feeling a little too much. I like that the books teach story structure with its repetition.
This is one of the new ones I bought today. Martha Frazee is a great illustrator, but I don't know any other books by the author. It is this year's Caldecott winner (for Children's book illustrations) and the pictures are amazing. I want to buy them in poster size and frame them, especially the one of the tree below. I don't know how I feel about the story yet, I haven't spent too much time with it.
This is the other one I bought today. I don't know anything about the author or illustrator, but picked it solely based on the pictures. It fits in perfectly because we are learning color words right now, and the book has beautiful illustrations all concentrating on how the colors are shown in certain seasons. The blue page has a blue tint to it, and all of the pages really reflect what color they are discussing. I also like that the color word is shown it it's actual color (not just in black print), making it possible for my students to begin to read some of the words they see. I am going to use this next week, and I am such a nerd that I am looking forward to it!
Of course I have read many more books than these this week, but these are the ones that stand out.
If anyone still reads this and cares, what books do you remember from school? I won't make it as narrow as Kindergarten (though it would be awesome if anyone remembered that! I always hope my students will!), so any grade will do.
Just to get things started: I learned how to read with Danny and the Dinosaur, Heckedy Peg and The Napping House were family favorites, and I cried at the end of Bridge to Terabithia in 5th grade.
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