Because of my father’s business, as a child, I was repeatedly transferred to various elementary schools all over the US. I remember being asked if my dad was in ‘the service’. At the time I didn’t know what they we asking. But, prolific author Kimberly Willis Holt certainly does, as is revealed in her absolutely charming Piper Reed series. Every one of the five books in the series is truly remarkable. Holt has masterfully created an inquisitive, warm, funny, sensitive, likeable protagonist who struggles with dyslexia and discovering the nuances of being a Navy brat.
There is a scene in the latest book in the series, Piper Reed, Rodeo Star, where Piper must say goodbye to her friends who have been transferred to Norfolk. Her friends are in the SUV and she must let them go. She sees their mother coming outside carrying her purse. Piper says “…so I knew what that meant. My stomach ached something awful, like I’d swallowed a basketball (45).” The words I knew what that meant speak volumes. Piper is familiar with the pain of separation. She’s been in this place before. Yet, spunky Piper will survive because that is what Navy brats do.
Consider reading this lively Piper Reed series with your child over the summer months, won’t you? Together you’ll laugh, cry, and possibly bond a bit closer while doing so. If not this series, I cannot more vehemently encourage you to read with or to your children often throughout the summer months. Sharing a story, connecting with a character, discussing the delights and dilemmas characters face – these are all memories to treasure together forever. I know this to be true. I read with my kids when they were little and we’re all still glad we did.
For now, wishing you lots of summertime love, laughs, and entertaining page turns.
Summer is a time to read for FUN – whatever and whenever. When I was a kid I would hide a book under my shirt and climb up in my grandmother’s apple tree, away from chores and little brothers. My dad was a basketball coach, and to raise money for team uniforms, the players and Dad would borrow an old pick-up truck and drive around collecting stacks of newspapers to take to the paper mill for money (way before these green recycling days). If my big brother and I helped, we got to sort through the stacks for comic books – our summer reading! Libraries did not exist anywhere near our small town in central Illinois. No book stores either. Just me and Archie, Superman, maybe Nancy Drew and a few spooky mysteries – books and comics that I read and re-read within the secluded canopy of an apple tree.
Here are a few fun choices that kids will find irresistible – books for “truck-guys,” and a shivery mystery to sneak-read with a flashlight while snuggled in a sleeping bag with a good friend close by, a tummy full of roasted marshmallows, and ghosts circling the tent.
Last and quite challenging, Shaun Tan’s whimsical and head-scratching, LOST AND FOUND.
Happy summer everyone!
DRIVE by Nathan Clement may be the biggest, best construction site and truck book ever. When your young reader has re-read DRIVE, hand him Clement’s JOB SITE.
GRANDPA’S TRACTOR by Michael Garland is a book for a child to share when visiting with grandparents. What a delight to page through with an early-reader on your lap. The discovery of a broken down old tractor sparks the unfolding of memories that bring smiles and captivate interest, even if the young reader or listener has never seen an old red tractor. The text and illustrations trigger remembering and imagining – a beautiful book to share.
THE MYSTERY AT MARLATT MANOR by Anne Loader McGee is a fun “who-done-it” with the right ingredients for a summer’s spooky read: a haunted manor, a missing fortune, a disappeared daughter, friendships forged through detective snooping, and a ghost named Violet. Tuck this ghost story in your children’s backpack as off they go for a night of camping and ghost stories in the back yard.
LOST & FOUND by Shaun Tan is an unusual collection of “short-story-picture book tales” that will give any reader some head-scratching. This collection is not a graphic novel, not a comic; it is full of fun and serious, mysterious, fascinating, important-to-think-about ideas and images. This book includes three of Shaun Tan’s picture book/short tales and will interest readers of all kinds – from the most reluctant to the brightest. For readers who enjoy puzzling details, LOST & FOUND offers a wide variety. Shaun Tan’s movie short, “The Lost Thing,” won an Oscar this year. Read the story. Watch the movie. Imagine tentacles and tubes…and rabbits.
Find an interesting interview with Shaun Tan HERE:
To find out, I went to an expert. Laura Wolfram is the Director of Library Services at Town School for Boys in San Francisco, where I volunteer.
Laura, kids often have assigned summer reading. What can you recommend that the boys generally LIKE to read over the summer? What’s hot right now?
It very much depends on the individual boy and his tastes. For sports fanatics, there are great sports series books out there for a variety of reading levels. A lot of third and fourth-grade readers enjoy the Jake Maddox series, for example, and older readers are often excited about Tim Green’s more sophisticated sports-themed novels. Boys who want adventure, fighting, and maybe fantasy often gravitate towards John Flanagan’s The Ranger’s Apprentice series, or the Alex Rider novels which feature a teenage spy.
I think series books are great summer vacation reads, since they tend not to feel like something a teacher might assign, and because once a kid gets hooked on one book series, it’s pretty easy for him to figure out what to read next without much guidance from a teacher or librarian.
Readerkidz and I could not agree more.
That said, there are plenty of standalone books that make for wonderful summer choices, too. Roald Dahl‘s books, for example, are perennial favorites, especially The B.F.G. and The Witches. Still, the most consistently popular books among our students are all series books. Kids like continuity and familiarity.
Graphic novels are also a huge draw for many of our readers. These can be a great way to support reluctant or struggling readers, or alternately, a way to motivate more advanced readers to branch out and explore new genres without committing to a full-length chapter book. For example, the Amulet graphic novels provide an exciting entryway to the fantasy genre.
I know graphic novels are hot. I spend more time crouched, re-shelving in front of 741.5 than anywhere else in the library.
My sound byte on summer reading is that it absolutely must be fun. It doesn’t matter whether a book is too easy, too hard, too familiar, too long, or too short. What matters is that the book provides a satisfying reading experience for the individual child.
Also agreed! Kids + reading + fun = life long readers. How about a grade-by-grade break down? Starting with…
Kindergarteners
Boys love the Dogzilla and Kat Kong books. Animal books in general — both fiction and non-fiction — are very popular among boys at this age, as are books about trains, cars, construction equipment, and trucks.
1st & 2nd graders
This is the age when boys start asking for war books, which can be a sticky subject for some parents. Our first and second-graders love books about military equipment, like weapons, tanks, helicopters, and other vehicles.
Of course, there are plenty of non-war books for kids this age, too! The Geronimo Stilton books have been steady favorites among second graders for the past few years.
3rd graders
Megan McDonald‘sSTINK books have a lot of appeal for boys this age. Stink is the troublemaking brother of Judy Moody, the eponymous character of one of McDonald’s other series. Our third-grade boys have also turned into big mystery readers lately. The A to Z Mystery books are popular, as are the Joe Sherlock series and The 39 Clues. The current non-fiction craze among our third graders right now is theYou Wouldn’t Want To series of books, each of which addresses the unappealing aspects of life in a particular historical period. They’re a terrifically fun way to learn about history.
4th graders
This is the age when some boys dive into the Artemis Fowl books. The Nicholas books by the French author René Goscinny also appeal to boys starting around 4th grade, continuing well into sixth or even seventh grade.
K. A. Nuzum’s award-winning THE LEANIN’ DOG is the perfect selection to begin a summer of solicitous ReaderKidZ reading. This heartwarming novel features protagonist Dessa Dean, a broken, isolated, lonely girl, and the healing power of a stray chocolate lab. Dessa Dean has given up on living outside of the confines of her home. Her life is forever changed when a warm and wonderful dog lovingly lopes into her life. It is no wonder why THE LEANIN’ DOG has been touted a best book of the year (2008) by School Library Journal. The book is simply unforgettable….trust us.
And, for some additional summertime fun, consider entering the author’s THE LEANIN’ DOG poetry contest. For submission information click HERE. Tell the author that ReaderKidZ sent you!
In keeping with the ReaderKidZ theme of Dog Days, Sharon Creech’s novel in verse LOVE THAT DOG is not to be missed. Short, poignant and profound, this tiny book packs an everlasting poetic punch. LOVE THAT DOG is a book to be savored slowly. Take care to observe the dated entries as they relate to the timid narrator’s subtle changes in literary confidence and the tender emotional support rendered by his teacher, Mrs. Stretchberry, who ultimately helps the young poet find his voice while helping to heal his broken heart.
LOVE THAT DOG is masterfully crafted. Access a complimentary teacher guide HERE and learn more about poetic terms such as alliteration, consonance, and metaphor. Celebrate “Nonsense Day,” and collect crazy words such as “tintinnabulation.” This guide extends the poetic pleasures of a wonderful book dedicated to a slobbery, smiling, yellow dog and the boy who loved him.
Ever wonder what life would be like as a dog? How your perception of the world would be formed by the hands and hearts of different types of people existing in it? And how is it that a dog’s heart is forever filled with love, even in the most unlovely of situations? The fascinating book A DOG’S LIFE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A STRAY compellingly explores these questions and more.
In it, travel with Ann Martin’s Squirrel, a dog protagonist narrator, to discover the bold, blissful, bitter, and beautiful aspects of living the life of a stray. “I can’t speak for all dogs. Not all dogs are alike. And most certainly, not all dogs have the same experiences…,” says Squirrel. This summer, take the time to read about a stray dog’s harrowing experiences and delight in the novel’s heartwarming resolution. You’ll be glad that you did.
Lastly, enter the pleasantly predictable doggy world of Mister Bud in Carter Goodrich’s charming picture book SAY HELLO TO ZORRO – a happy world, that is, until Zorro moves in. What was once Mister Bud’s own house, bed, toys, dish, and schedule must now be shared with a noisy, grumpy, grabby new dog who is not going away. He must learn to share all he cherishes with Zorro and, in doing so, finds a friend.
Before rushing out to gather up your ReaderKidZ summer reading selections, click HERE to peruse through a collection of Goodrich’s marvelous covers for the New Yorker magazine. In particular, take a second to enjoy the one dated July 20th, 1998 in which a bitsy, curly-haired blonde child on the beach, surrounded by several harried cell-phone-talking-lap-top-poking adults, delights in the whooshing sound of a nautilus shell she holds next to her ear. Stunning, isn’t it? Our wish for you this summer, as this tiny girl suggests, is that you’ll cut through the chaos of life and enjoy the summer sun with a book, a child, and maybe the cold-nosed love of a dog beside you.
Check out these valuable links from Dr. Tricia Stohr-Hunt (Faculty member, School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Richmond).
This collection of 30 days of poetry – posted on The Miss Rumphius Effect – is thematically grouped by curricular subject and/or topic and is an excellent resource to return to often when searching for poetry books and ideas to use with students.
Enjoy! And many thanks to Tricia for creating such a fabulous list!
It’s the last day of National Poetry Month and this final April Book Room post is an eclectic list specifically selected with my teaching colleagues in mind. I’ve read and used all these books, either directly in my teaching, or as supplements to broaden my own knowledge of contemporary children’s poets and poetry.
THE 20th CENTURY CHILDREN’S POETRY TREASURY, selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Meilo So is a book I turn to often in the classroom. It’s chock-full of poems that cover a large variety of topics: animals to music, seasons to siblings, good moods and bad, nonsense and more.
It’s hard to chose favorites but, “A Circle of Sun” by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, “December Leaves” by Kaye Starbird, “Grounded” by Florence Parry Heide, and “What Someone Said When He Was Spanked On the Day Before His Birthday” by John Ciardi are near the top of my students’ lists.
This anthology includes many poems grouped under titles such as “Play,” “Families,” “Rhymes and Songs,” and “Calendars and Clocks.” Headings such as these make it easy to find poems to share with students any time of year. Several all-time favorites are “Clock” by Valerie Worth, “This is My Rock” by David McCord, and “I Wouldn’t” by John Ciardi.
This week a teacher at my school asked for suggestions of books with poems about spring and the weather. Among others, (including Joyce Sidman’s Red Sings from the Treetops and Sharing the Seasons, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins ) I suggested BIG BOOK OF POETRY because it, like so many anthologies, can be a wonderful resource when searching out poems grouped by a theme. Some of the topics included are: Animals, World of Nature, Around the Year, and School Time.
* * * *
FOR THE GOOD OF THE EARTH AND SUN: Teaching Poetry and AWAKENING THE HEART, both by Georgia Heard, are books I’ve used for years. I particularly like Heard’s Chapter 4 (“Crafting Poetry: Toolboxes”) in the latter, as a way to help students conceptualize the craft of poetry. Heard suggests the metaphor of “meaning and music toolboxes.” It’s one effective construct that helps kids dig deeper and understand the parts that come together to become a poem.
HOW TO WRITE POETRY by Paul B. Janeczko includes plenty of how-to’s with example poems, short writing tips from published poets, as well as “Try This…” suggestions to lead young writers to become more confident poets. There’s an additional worthwhile section called “POETCRAFT.”
POEM-MAKING: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston, is out-of-print, but it’s a book worth searching out, particularly for the chapter called “The Voices of Poetry.” in which Livingston discusses the lyrical, narrative, and dramatic (apostrophe, mask, conversation) voices.
* * * *
Of course, there are many additional resources available for those hoping to learn more about reading and writing poetry. Three excellent sites with lots of teacher/parent/librarian tips and book recommendations to get you started are:
Choose this book and let your readers experience the connection between music and poetry, words and rhythm. Young people may not know Bob Marley’s name but many will recognize his songs.
I AND I: BOB MARLEY by Tony Medina illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson is bold, powerful and beautiful. Bob Marley made his first guitar from a sardine can, a bamboo stick and electric wire; then he sang to the world about hope, never giving up, and keeping on … “don’t worry, be happy.” This book, written in verse, describes Marley’s life with the kind of poetry kids will want to read.
A circle of teepees illustrate the first poem, “The Life of a Man Is a Circle,” and show a circle reflecting the seasons of life. Simple, beautiful, thought-filled poetry:
… Our teepees were round like the . .
nests of the birds, and these were always set
in a circle, the nation’s hoop, a nest of many nests, . .
where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch
our children.
Black Elk, Lakota Sioux
SOPA DE FRIJOLES/Bean Soup by Jorge Argueta and illustrated by Rafael Yockteng is a delicious bilingual dish – words in verse and a recipe. As a reader follows this young chef in his magical methods of making black bean soup, one might think about and maybe even write a poem about one’s own favorite dish.
Another bilingual book of poetry by Jorge Argueta, A MOVIE IN MY PILLOW/Una Película en mi Almohada, illustrated by Elizabeth Gomez, shows readers how one child connects memories of home in two entirely different places – El Salvador and San Francisco. In one magical poem – zinging with energy – a bike becomes a dragon of speed and daring that transports the most homesick rider – or reader.
A FULL MOON IS RISING by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Julia Cairns, is a brand new collection and will be available just in time for this spring’s full moon in May. All poems are original and show readers a variety of ways people around the world celebrate full moon events.
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
