It's Monday, What are You Reading? #IMWAYR March 24, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading is a meme began by Sheila at Book Journeys as a way to share what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and what is in store for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading. I first learned about it from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki of Unleashing Readers and have become a regular linked up blog. Thanks #PLN

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown 

or according to my grandson "BB's creepy book"

What a surprise I had as I began reading Coldtown. On page 7, I learned that I lived in a coldtown. This was a little unsettling. I know it's fiction but still....there are some pretty mysterious things that take place in our fair city. 

Coldtown does indeed start out with a shocking beginning as Tana wakes up in a bathtub, a bit damp from a dripping faucet. after a night partying with friends at a sundown party. Apparently you lock yourselves inside and get wasted but at least you are safe from vampire attacks...that is unless some knucklehead forgets to shut a window. As Tana stumbles out of the bathroom she begins to smell something metallic and sweet and discovers something horrific. But wait, there's more! Her ex-boyfriend is found alive and tied up to a bed but who is that also tied up on the floor next to him? You will have to delve into this very unusual adventure if you dare to read more.

What we are reading in the library:

We began our first Bluebonnet Book Club book this week. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.  I asked Drew what message he wanted kids to take away from his story. My students liked what he had to share. It's important that kids understand that what they say and do matters and that they can make a difference in the world.

@JuleeMurphy I want them to know there are no rules regarding art. And that they have a right to speak up if they don't like something. :)
— Drew Daywalt (@DrewDaywalt) March 2, 2014

Students read The Day the Crayons Quit aloud in small groups. I encouraged them to take a good look at the pictures before deciding how they would portray their assigned crayons. I heard some pretty funny little voices. Everyone loved Peach crayon's letter best. After reading, the kids wanted to explore art with their favorite color of crayons. I also showed a couple of videos. One was How Crayons Are Made. Next week, we will begin writing letters from a crayon's point of view and sharing them with each other. 

If you would like some resources or ideas to use for this book. check our "under construction" 2014-15 Bluebonnet Book Club wiki

I continue to listen to Fire while driving. It's a bit long and my commute is short. I find myself sitting in the car slowly gathering up my purse and whatnots just so I can hear a bit more before heading inside the house.

I also read a series of books about Spring to the little kiddos. Books like City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems and Lois Ehlert's Pie in the Sky. The little three year olds loved both books. They gave them both a hip hip horray and cheered even louder for The Day the Crayons Quit.

What's up next on my TBR pile? Minion by John David Anderson. I recently received an ARC in the mail and look forward to seeing what our little superheroes are up to in this latest installment of John David Andersons' Sidekicked series. My students will come up to me asking for Sidekicked by asking "where is that book where the kids go into a secret room by using a vending machine to buy pork rinds?" Love it.

A few months ago, my librarian friend Kim and I lead a PD session on motivating readers through visual displays that pop with color, style, and unique looks. I shared how I am the queen of boxes. I can take a look at a discarded box and see a multitude of clever uses for it. My favorite is a large box that a IMac computer arrived in. It is almost pyramid in shape and I have turned it into a two sided display with handles. I also found four over-sized computer boxes that I covered in green paper and spelled out R E A D. Sometimes I switch them around to read D E A R. They are perfect for my library.

This week, I visited librarian Mary Ester. She grabbed my hand and pulled me around her library showing off all her amazing and creative displays she and her assistant had made out of boxes and thanked me for our PD session. I love what they did with some really cool shaped boxes. My favorite is her use of Ipad packing material. She painted them and inverted them and thus creating a book stand. These remind me of little cell phone stands.

Happy Reading!