A quilt can be many things besides a cozy coverlet.
In this picture book, MOOSHKA, A QUILT STORY, for Karla, her very special quilt that was sewn by her grandmother, is a friend, a companion and a story-teller. The quilt’s name is Mooshka and with each strip of fabric, Mooshka smells different – sometimes even yummy- toasty – and talks different. Every night Karla listens and Mooshka talks. Every night, that is, until new baby sister, Hannah, arrives.
For Karla her whole world changes when baby Hannah is moved into Karla’s room. Karla’s room changes, but also her whole family. Karla is angry. Mooshka becomes silent. No more stories.
The illustrations are a dazzle of fabric patterns. The story about the connection between generations and making room for a new one, is heart-warming, realistic and with a surprise ending.
Would you mind telling us a little about your childhood?
My mom was a high school English teacher and my grandmother was a storyteller, so stories always seemed to be bouncing off the walls of our house. I always felt that stories helped explain the world. I always wanted to write, and I did write, short stories and poems and songs and pieces of dialogue. I grew up in River Forest, Illinois and I loved to bake and read and ride my bike and play my flute — oh, I loved that flute. I would practice every day, sometimes several times a day. I wanted to get so good — okay, confession: I wanted to be the best in the school I wanted to be first chair in the orchestra and when I was in 8th grade, I did achieve that. I remember the first time I ever went to the symphony orchestra. My music teacher took our class and it was a concert for young people — we sat in the balcony, and I was so excited by the sound of a full orchestra. For a long time I wanted to be a professional musician. I moved from the flute to the guitar, I taught myself to play. I wrote songs. Music was my joy. It still is!
I had lots of best friends over the years — we had lots of pets, like cats and a mangy dog my sister named Wolfie. We had parakeets and turtles and fish and hamsters. I actually snuck a hamster on an airplane — my dad bought it for me when I was visiting him in Des Moines. And I remember sitting next to a man in a uniform, and I had covered the hamster cage with my coat, but you know hamsters — they never stay still. Any my hamster Brennan wasn’t too crazy about airplanes, so he got in his wheel and started going round and round. The wheel was noisy and I tried to hum so the guy sitting next to me wouldn’t notice.
“What have you got in there?” he asked.
“Well, uh…”
It was a long ride, but the guy didn’t turn me in. I never tried that again, although, since I’m confessing, I used to sneak my adorable kitten Love onto the bus. She had golden and cream fur and I had a winter coat with fake fur that looked just like her. So she would snuggle on my chest and her nose would poke out, but you could hardly tell because of my coat. We went everywhere together. (more…)
In Almost Home, the reader gets a sense of protagonist Sugar Mae Cole’s progressive downward spiral into devastating poverty, homelessness, and life as a foster child. Sugar Mae is a good kid working to maintain a positive outlook on life as the walls of stability shatter all around her. In the novel, author Joan Bauer also reveals the life-changing influence that a teacher can have with an at-risk child, such as Sugar Mae. Yet, in real life, how can an educator succeed in instructing on an academic level when the vital needs of a kid like Sugar Mae cannot be met in the classroom alone? How does one teach a kid in such deep despair? The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has published an informative document that seeks to answer these daunting questions.
In How Teachers Can Help Students that are Homeless, State Superintendent Tony Evers states, “Teachers must remember that they cannot possibly meet all the needs of a child who is homeless. However, if they can remove just one frustration, it can make a tremendous difference for that child.” He goes on to list an number of ways to lessen the stress of assimilating into the traditional classroom setting, all the while maximizing the instructional time the student is spending in school. Evers touches on ways to minimize frustrations and feelings of shame and hopelessness. He does so by suggesting ways to stabilize the emotional, social, and physical needs of the troubled child, even though their presence in the classroom community may be sporatic.
Evers also says that, “… school may be the only place of stability in a child’s life,” which is a crucial plot point that wonderfully weaves throughout Bauer’s Almost Home. Read this book and walk beside a child in need…a child who very well may be a member of your classroom community today.
We’re in difficult times for many families. The economy has led to a degree of job loss, relocation, situational poverty, and homelessness that is creating havoc in the lives of many children. Families are being reconfigured out of necessity. Military conflicts are causing additional separation and heartbreak. The foster case system is over-burdened, the daily lives of the children affected by these changes are under huge stress. Never have books been more necessary.
This month, ReaderKidZ will recommend books that can help. Books in which children can find others in the same situation. That will help them feel less alone and more hopeful. ALMOST HOME by Joan Bauer is one of these books….
Rodney Rat has a problem. He can’t pronounce his “r’s.” What’s worse? He’s a rodent. A wodent. Not surprisingly, Rodney is teased by his classmates with questions like “… how does a train travel?” (Wodney’s reply? “A twain twavels on twain twacks.”)
Wodney tries to keep a low profile. He hides inside his jacket. He gnaws lunch alone. But then, a new student, Camilla Capybara, arrives and ALL the rodents are overwhelmed. Camilla is bigger meaner, and smarter than everyone put together.
When the teacher selects Wodney to lead the afternoon game of Simon Says, he figures he’s toast. But those “r’s” that come out as “w’s” help Wodney save the day. And smartypants Camilla Capybara? She heads out west, never to be seen or heard from again.
Moses is going on a field trip with his class, and his teacher, Mr. Samuels, has a surprise. Balloons. The children are deaf, so they can’t hear the music, but they can feel it in the balloon’s vibrations.
There’s another surprise, too. Mr. Samuels introduces the kids to his friend. Ms. Marjorie Elwyn lost her hearing after a childhood illness. She lets the kids play her instruments and tells them she worked hard to learn to play. “My heart was set on becoming a percussionist…”
Children are curious about kids who are physically different and need to know that different doesn’t always mean limited. The Moses series of books is one way to introduce children to what it’s like to be hard-of-hearing.
“Mama’s got a zooming machine and she zooms me everywhere.” Together, Mama and son zoom through puddles, down ramps, across bridges. Together, they are racehorse and rider, captain and ship, pilot and airplane.
Inspired by the author’s sister, a wheelchair mom (and practicing veterinarian), MAMA ZOOMS captures the joy of the mother/child relationship and reminds readers that physical differences don’t have to mean “limited.”
“Henri Rousseau wants to be an artist. Not a single person has ever told him he is talented … But he buys some canvas, paint, and brushes, and starts painting anyway.”
Can you imagine? A toll collector, with no formal training, Rousseau begins his painting career at the age of forty. He goes to the Louvre and examines the work of other artists. He studies photographs and illustrations, teaches himself anatomy, and walks the streets of Paris collecting ideas for his paintings. Each time he enters an art exhibition, Henri is hopeful. But, year after year, the art experts make fun of him. Some even say his work “looks like he closed his eyes and painted with his feet.”
THE FANTASTIC JUNGLES OF HENRI ROUSSEAU is the beautifully told and inspirational story of a man who came to his dream later in life. His passion fueled his work, and saw him through the years when other, more prominent painters, mocked his “naïve” style. It’s as much a story for young budding artists, as it is an inspiration to us all to follow our dreams.
Markel’s words sing and Hall’s lush illustrations draw the reader into Henri’s world of far-away jungles, a world he imagined and created without ever leaving Paris! Take a peek and enjoy the trailer. Then share THE FANTASTIC JUNGLES OF HENRI ROUSSEAU with the ReaderKidZ in your life!
In many families this is an interesting question! Getting a library card is often seen as an important milestone in a child’s life. And so it should be. It is a symbol of independence–I get to pick out the books I want to read and take them home–and trust–a library card is like a credit card, providing access to valuable resources. For some children, the age for getting a library card is set in library policies. Some libraries set a minimum age, preferring that children under that age use their parent’s card. Other libraries require that the child be able to write his or her own name as an indication that the child has some understanding of the responsibility that comes with having a library card. More and more libraries today leave the decision up to the parents, allowing them to determine when it will be meaningful to their child.
Regardless of the child’s age, getting a library card is an important “rite of passage.” It focuses the child’s attention on the importance of reading, a challenge in a world filled with media, technology, and entertainment distractions. A library card gives a child a real sense of ownership in the library and an investment in reading. Children exhibit a real sense of pride when they can say they have “my own library card.” A library card also helps a child learn responsibility. Establish guidelines for library borrowing. How many books or other items can be borrowed at one time? Where are library books kept at home when they are not being used? If the library charges fines for overdue books, does the child pay if he or she forgets to return the items on time?
By the time a child enters school, he or she should absolutely have a card for the local public library and it’s never too late. It will be one of the most important school supplies your child has as the school year starts so get a new card or be sure that the registration on an existing card is up to date. Having a library card is so important that the American Library Association has named September National Library Card Sign-up Month. When it comes to academic success, a library card will provide children with access to a wide range of resources, including electronic databases and downloadable e-books–many of the resources necessary to complete class assignments and learn. If you want your child to be a reader, it’s important for your child to have a library card and use it! Often. If you want your child to be a successful lifelong learner, a library card is an essential tool. And in most cases, this is a free (tax-supported) tool your child will use often.
As you and your children begin the new school year, check out these books that include getting a library card.
For the youngest readers:
D. W.’s Library Card by Marc Brown continues the tales of Arthur, the loveable aardvark, and his friends. Little sister, D. W., gets her first library card. After signing her full name and being issued the card, D. W. is afraid she will do something wrong and lose her borrowing privileges. When she finally checks out a book, she puts it in a safe place so that nothing will happen. Big brother Arthur helps her learn how to enjoy her book while taking care of it so that she can make the most out of her new card!
For the transitional readers:
Richard Wright and the Library Card by William Miller and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie is the fictionalized account based on a scene from Wright’s autobiography, Black Boy. Unable to attend school very often or to continue his formal education beyond the 9th grade, and prohibited from using most public libraries due to segregation, Wright is determined to find a way to borrow the books that will allow him to continue learning. The illustrations and harsh historical events make this picture book more appropriate for older children.
For the older readers:
The Library Card by Jerry Spinelliis comprised of four disparate stories, each about a child who finds a mysterious blue card that turns out to be the ticket to exactly what the individual needs most at the time. With humor and poignancy, Spinelli shows how a library card can open new worlds.
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
