Make Way for Ducklings and Gender Stereotyping

Last week, my third grade class and I read through Time's Top 100 Picture Books of All Time.  As we clicked through the list, my students "oooohed" and "aaaahed" over the books they knew, and questioned the ones they had yet to read.  That list can be found here.

After having what might be considered a small tantrum about some of the classics my students had never read, I made it my mission to make sure my students were familiar with many of the older texts.

One of these books they hadn't read was Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  Published in 1941, this staple of my childhood follows the delightful journey of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their ducklings as they find a safe place to live.

Make Way for Ducklings has received many accolades, including winning the Caldecott in 1942.  This sweet entry into Anita Silvey's Children's Book-a Day Almanac also calls attention to this classic book.

Soon after I finished the book, one student raised his hand and asked, "So, why did Mr. Mallard just leave Mrs. Mallard when she was sitting on the eggs and teaching the ducklings?"  

Silence.  

He was referring to the section of the plot where the father duck leaves before the ducklings hatch in order to find out what else there is to see up the river from their nest.

This began a firestorm of conversation. 

"Because he's the dad!  He's allowed to leave to provide for his family!"

"Nuh uh.  The mom needs a vacation too."

"The mom needs to stay and sit on her eggs!"

"Yeah but the dad duck could sit on the eggs too!"

"It's like they say, 'A woman's work is never done.'" (This one cracked me up.)

During the conversation, I was half-laughing, half-very curious about the emerging talk of gender stereotypes taking hold of these nine year old kids.

I've read Make Way for Ducklings hundreds of times: to myself, to my own children, and to my students.  I admit that Mr. Mallard's desire to leave has indeed crossed my mind.  

So I am left with the following thoughts:

1. No matter how many times one reads a book to children, the response and reaction can never truly be predicted.

2. Stereotypes pop up in the most unpredictable places.

3. Conversations about stereotyping can and should occur in the most unexpected places.

4. Allowing children to respectfully and excitedly disagree with each other is appropriate.  And needed.  Controversy=engagement.

5. Community read-alouds to an entire class provides a foundation to springboard thoughts and discussions on other days and in other formats.  

What classic picture books have you read recently that have similar underlying messages or issues?

Must Read in 2015: Finally, Commitment

Full disclosure:
I had a difficult time writing my #mustreadin2015 list this year.  Strange, because I had no challenges blogging my 2014 list last year.  You can find that list here. 

I did not want to commit this year.  The piles of books next to my bed are growing like weeds.  How can I commit to any of them and not to others?

These are a small portion of the stacks in my house, and most of these aren't on my lists.  
#help #trainwreck 

So, I am telling myself, "Self, these are the books you will definitely read.  The others that you will also read (because there will be others), can just be added to the list as you go."

Be sure to check out Carrie Gelson's blog to see her list and many others!
http://thereisabookforthat.com/2015/01/03/mustreadin2015/

Here is my list for 2015, in no particular order:  
(And thank you to my nerdy husband T$ and nerdy friends Lesley, Jason, Michele, and even #strohreadsnation for encouraging me to stop procrastinating and just commit already.)


MG Novels
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier Read Jan. 2015
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli Read Mar. 2015

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier Read June 2015
Jack by Liesl Shurtliff Read June 2015
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern Read Jan. 2015
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
Revolution by Deborah Wiles
The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
Greenglass House by Kate Milford
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner Read Apr. 2015
Bird & Squirrel on Ice by James Burks Read Feb. 2015
Bird & Squirrel on the Run by James Burks Read Feb. 2015
The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett Read April 2015
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Read March 2015
One For the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr Read August 2015
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Read Feb. 2015
Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan  Read Mar. 2015
All the Answers by Kate Messner
The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare Read June 2015
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Read Apr. 2015
The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky by Holly Schindler Read June 2015
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart Read June 2015
Nnewts by Doug TenNapel Read June 2015
The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg Read June 2015
The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold Read June 2015
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate Read July 2015
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley Read July 2015
How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue by Jess Keating
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods Read August 2015
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord Read August 2015
Brixton Brothers: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett Read August 2015

YA Novels
Paper Towns by John Green Read Jan. 2015
100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith Read Feb. 2015
Winger by Andrew Smith Read June 2015
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey Read Jan. 2015
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall Read Feb. 2015
The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith Read June 2015
The Selection (#1) by Kiera Cass Read June 2015
The Elite (#2) by Kiera Cass Read June 2015
The One (#3) by Kiera Cass 
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Read August 2015

Adult Novels
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Read Jan. 2015
Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson Read Jan. 2015 thanks to T$.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Read Mar. 2015
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey Read Mar. 2015 thanks to T$.


Join us!




PS I also got married this past November (in a bookstore!), so I guess "commitment" is a theme. You can read about my little love story here.

He's promised to blaze through my #mustreadin2015 list "like Sherman through Atlanta."  

GUEST BLOGGER! Book Smiles by Lesley Burnap

Ball. That word brings so much joy to my dog, a small, leggy Chihuahua mix. Morning. Noon. Night. I am required to throw the round, bouncy toy until my arm is ready to break off. Inside or outside, it doesn't matter, she just loves the chase!

Ball, the nearly wordless picture book by Mary Sullivan, gets my vote for a #booksmiles post. Just take a look at its cover to catch a glimpse of the dog’s enthusiasm for the ball. Take off the dust jacket and underneath you’ll get a visual treat! (I won’t spoil it for you here!) Open the book and you are greeted by simple, uncluttered line drawings depicting just one day in this dog’s life. The range of emotions exhibited by the dog will elicit squeals of laughter and get you to keep turning the page to discover what happens next!

       

Ball. This clever book takes just one word and shares a special story that young and old will enjoy! Just be sure to include your favorite fur-ball when reading Ball! Well, I’d love to stay longer but my ball-tossing skills are suddenly needed!

(Want to know more about the process to make this 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book? Check out this interview with Mary Sullivan on KidLit TV: http://tinyurl.com/ojx7rtx)

Mia said I had to choose this book. It’s her favorite.

Lesley Burnap (@auntierez)

(Thanks for posting for me, Ann!)

Book Smiles 5

Four days late isn't too late to post for #booksmiles, right?  In my defense, I was traveling out of state and didn't have strong wifi... and no I was NOT shaking uncontrollably and in the fetal position due to lack of internet service so don't even think that.  I thumb my nose at that silly connectivity.

The following book totally made me smile!  I learned about it from my friend Carolanne @RobeyLMC and it's on the Young Hoosier book list this year.

A Home for Bird by Philip Stead:

Vernon, the toad, finds a Bird and makes it his friend. He spends the entire book trying to help Bird find its home.  In the end, you will definitely be smiling as you discover where Bird belongs!  

Check it out!

And join us for #booksmiles!  Write about a book that makes you smile and post it to Twitter using the #booksmiles hashtag.  Happy reading!

Books Make Me Smile 4

Last week I found yet another book that made me smile.  Shocking, I know.

Well, technically, it didn't MAKE me smile.  I chose to smile.  I choose to be smiling now, even though I am completely late with my #booksmiles post!  Yay me for being on time!  Ha!

Last week, I was camping out at Kids Ink bookstore in Indianapolis.  It's the cutest little indie with lots of knowledgeable staff.  I like to plop myself down on the comfy chairs and read through all the new stuff.  I came across this book:

Froodle is an adorable and hilarious book about Little Brown Bird who dared to wonder what else she could say instead of "peep."  She was tired of singing the same old song.  Throughout the text, and mixed in with laugh out loud speech bubbles, all the birds of the neighborhood try to come to terms with Little Brown Bird's new song.

Froodle reminds me a lot of Peter Brown's Mr. Tiger Goes Wild or Mo Willems' Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.  I would almost put it in a book basket titled something like "Characters Breaking Stereotypes."  I think I might just do that.

Anyway, pick up Froodle by Antoinette Portis.  It will bring a #smile to your face!

Are there books that make you smile?  Join us!  Post about the happy book and use the hashtag #booksmiles on Twitter!  Happy reading!

P.S. #nErDcampMI rules!
P.S.S. I can't wait to read the #booksmiles post from #jasontes5th!

An Intellectual Hangover

So what happens when you take nerdy, passionate teachers from around the country, stick them in one place, and let them talk for two days?

You have nErDcampMI.

Nerds being nerds.

You also might be left with an intellectual hangover by the end.  More on that later.

When I joined Twitter over a year ago, my intention was to tweet classroom events and thinking to students' parents.  I never imagined in a million years that Twitter would lead me to meet people and make actual real-life FRIENDS with other teachers who love reading and writing as much as I do.

It's such an odd phenomenon to become "friends" with someone on the internet and then meet them in real life and realize OMG THIS PERSON IS JUST LIKE ME!  WE ARE BEST FRIENDS!

I cannot even begin to blog about everything I learned in Parma, Michigan those two days.  But I will try to list a few:

1. "Building a classroom library is an act of curation." - Donalyn Miller (Yes!)

2. If you want to teach writing, you need to be a writer yourself. - Jen Vincent (@mentortexts)

3. Google docs can be easily utilized in Reader's Workshop to survey student interests and form small groups. - Franki Sibberson and Gretchen Taylor

4. Comprehension work in 3rd grade could begin with wordless picture books to allow all students access to text. - Franki Sibberson

5. "Lexiles were meant to be tools for librarians.  Not badges for children." - Donalyn Miller (Yessss!)

6. It's never easy to facilitate learning in front of a large audience, but it's easier when you have a trusty sidekick like Lesley Burnap on your side.

My sidekick, @auntierez.

7. The nerdybookclub crew is just as kind and awesome in real life as they are on the internet.

8. The NerdRun/Walk is fun, even if you are 14 minutes late and dying of heatstroke. 

Heatstroke at the 5K with @RobeyLMC.

9. If you come to nErDcampMI, YOU WILL MEET AUTHORS!  Real-life authors!

L to R: Jess Keating, (author of HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED), me, Colby Sharp

Liesl Shurtliff, author of RUMP.  I stalked her in the lunch line.

10. You will learn so much and meet so many wonderful people, that you may feel like you have an intellectual hangover when you leave.  Wonderful and exhausted.

And finally...
11. Watch out for participants from Massachusetts like these two.  They look innocent, and are very smart, but they will get under your skin and make you miss them when they are gone!  

Massachusetts friends @auntierez and @jasontes5th

Thank you so much to everyone who made nErDcampMI possible this year.  I know it was so much work, and the freebies are absolutely amazing.

Free swag

So join us next year!  July 6-7 in Parma, Michigan.  Nerdies unite!

Books Make Me Smile 3

In honor of this book's first birthday on June 27, here is a big smile and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Crayons we know and love!

Happy birthday, Crayons!

Green Crayon has a beard and glasses?

Why do the Crayons make me smile?

1. You guys are hysterical and slightly irritating.  I mean, really, you kinda act like little trainwrecks sometimes and I can't look away.

2. Your disputatious and slightly whiny personalities remind me of some children (and adults) I know and love!

3. You always replied to our tweets this year when we would ask you questions about your thinking and your lives!

4. Your Author Father visited us this spring and brought you guys with him!  It was so much fun to meet you guys in person!  That definitely made us smile.

And finally...

5. Pink is a boy crayon! Pink rocks!  
Huge smile!

Are there books that are making your nerdy heart smile?  Join us in posting about them, using the hashtag #booksmiles on Twitter!

Happy Reading!