from youngest to oldest-
For reading aloud to threes and fours- Trucks Roll, George Ella Lyon,
illustrated by Craig Frazier. a rollicking read aloud with fill
-the-page graphically rendered trucks containing absurd cargo. Our
kids
chime in on the repetitive language and beg for me to start at the
beginning again seconds after I announce The End.
Speaking of absurd, inheriting the cartoon interactive mantle from
Pigeon Drives a Bus is Where will Fat Cat Sit? This book had them
literally rolling in the aisles
Really loving Fred Stays with Me about a girl with divorced parents who
share custody not only of her but her mischievous dog. The watercolor
illustrations have a timeless quality in sepia tones. Flawless pacing
and reflection of everyday life with a compassionate resolution create
one of the best picture books of this year.
.
Best easy reads- Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books, irresistible.
and Dog and Bear by Vaccaro Seeger
favorite non fiction- Nic Bishop does it again with Spiders, clear
factual information supporting stunning photographs. And I don't even
like spiders.
What we are reading for our mock Newbery, 5th and 6th graders
Elijah Buxton- feedback- hard to get into but for the kids who
persevered quite rewarding
Crooked Kind of Perfect- sleeper of the year, both boys and girls
report
that it was laugh aloud funny with characters that they could relate
to.
True Meaning of Smek Day- Both ends of the spectrum. Kids are
getting
the sophisticated satire and are enjoying the humor as well as the
page
turning quest tale. Students who are well-read in science fiction and
fantasy are having a great time pointing out intertextual connections.
I
was astonished by the consistency of the boov speaking English with a
consistent syntax of a second language learner. It was those kinds of
details that made me fall in love with this book and reread it again
and
again.
One class of 5th graders adopted No Talking by Andrew Clements as
their
very own. Everyone read it and the buzz has spread down to 4th and 3rd
graders. I’ll never have enough copies.
Starting to get reports back on The Wednesday Wars. Students are
appreciating the sense of time and place. They also get the family
dynamics in the times.
I have fallen for Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, an intimate portrait of
girls on the cusp that asks the question, during the 1970’s, why do
we
have to give up being imaginative strong girls in order to grow up?
Books that I am giving as presents this year-
Unwind by Neal Shusterman, not since Grounding of Group Six has their
been a YA novel with such an immoral premise. Page turning horror.
New Policeman- For my fantasy readers. Yes, we are running out of time
and one boy must save us.
For the kids in my family who have read through all of Orson Scott
Card,
The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafpr-Mbachu, The second in a series
but
stands alone.
Lisa Von Drasek
Children's Librarian
Bank Street College of Education
School for Children Pre-K- 8
610 West 112th St
NY NY 10025
lisav@bnkst.edu
212 875 4452
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