Kevin Henkes Week: Day Four

Remember back in July when I started Kevin Henkes Week and then fell off the face of the earth? That is no way to treat your tribute to your favorite picture book author! Six months later I am making good on my promise to finish the week. Here we go...

Today's book is Chrysanthemum. Another of Henkes' sweet little mice, Chrysanthemum adores her unique name. "(She) loved the way her name looked when it was written with ink on an envelope. She loved the way it looked when it was written with icing on her birthday cake. And she loved the way it looked when she wrote it herself with her fat orange crayon." But then, she started school. Of course all the other mice have names like Tom, Sam, and Jo. And of course they all tease her that her name scarcely fits on her name tag, and--in the author's brilliant words--"Chrysanthemum wilted." And so the story goes. Every day at school the children tease her about her long flower name, and every evening at home her parents try to cheer her up. Says her darling father, "(Your name is) precious and priceless and fascinating and winsome." Though her parents help her feel better about herself, Chrysanthemum is still heartbroken by the ridicule of her peers. Until the day they meet the music teacher who happens to be named after a flower herself. Delphinium Twinkle. (This is why I love Kevin Henkes. Does it get more clever or charming?!) And of course Mrs. Twinkle is "an indescribable wonder" to all of her little mice students. And suddenly Chrysanthemum doesn't seem like a silly name after all...

This is quite possibly my favorite Henkes title. Clever and moralistic (but without being in your face) as always. Read it, read it, read it!

A Beloved Canadian Author

Don't you know that one of the great perks of being a teacher is summer vacation? Even though I didn't teach last year, I still took great joy in our summer getaways! We have been busy in Oregon and Canada (not to mention that we moved into a different apartment-two thumbs down to moving!), so I apologize for my lengthy absence. I also apologize for cutting Kevin Henkes Week short. I can't believe I would do such a dreadful thing to my favorite author! Rest assured, dear friends--there will be a continuation!

For today I thought it would be appropriate to highlight an author from whence I've just come--Canada. His name is Robert Munsch, and I bet you've all read this book of his:

You know, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." It's a tender one, with a particularly sweet ending. I won't say much more, because I'm just positive that you've all read it and probably half of you have it memorized. If you haven't read it, you should. Truthfully, though I like and recommend it, it's not my favorite of his.

My favorite title by Munsch is called The Paper Bag Princess.

Elizabeth, the protagonist, is not your average princess. As the story begins, Munsch describes her as a beautiful princess with expensive clothes set to marry a prince named Ronald. But then a dragon smashes the castle, takes Ronald, and leaves Elizabeth with her clothes burned off and all alone. The only thing around is a paper bag, which becomes her new outfit. She determines to find the dragon and save Ronald. When she finds the dragon, she is not intimidated, and promptly outsmarts him, leaving her to rescue Ronald. The ending of this book is not your average princess-story ending, and I shall not spoil it for you. But it is HYSTERICAL and you will love it! (And you will LOVE Elizabeth!)

While in Canada last week, my cousin Christina introduced me to this new book of his, called Zoom!

It's a great story about a girl who is in a wheelchair, and convinces her mother to get her a new, faster, more powerful chair. But it's not powerful enough for her, so she gets the bigger one. But that one's not fast enough either, so she gets the better one, and so on and so on. It's rather comical and what Mr. Cropper and I love about it, is that for once the handicapped (is that term still PC or not?) character isn't some slight, sad little thing where the moral of the story is "Aw, that's so nice that the kids were nice to the poor girl in the wheelchair."* Instead, she's got a feisty personality, and zest for life and loves the power and exhilaration of these machines. Very cool. Christina and I recommend it.

*Blogger's note: That's not a bad moral to have! I just rather enjoyed Munsch's different take!

Get to know this clever author--Robert Munsch. You will love him!

Kevin Henkes Week: Day Three

Meet Wemberly. As you can tell from the title, she's a worrier. She worries about the tree in her family's yard falling on their house. She worries that her doll, Petal, needs a carseat. She worries because she is the only butterfly in the Halloween parade. But the biggest worry of all comes when Wemberly starts school. But don't you worry. Wemberly's teacher, Mrs. Peachum, introduces her to a little mouse named Jewel. These two darling, shy, anxiety-laden mice find strength and calmness in each other as they play all day together. At the end of the day Mrs. Peachum calls "Come back tomorrow." And Wemberly's reply? "I will. Don't worry."

Here's why I ADORE this book: Besides the fact that Wemberly is completely darling and a totally relatable character, I love this book because it is so darn funny! True to form, Henkes has sprinkled hilarious nuances throughout this book.

Favorite nuance #1: Wemberly's little comments. Sitting in the bathtub, "Mama, what if I shrink?" Looking at the crack in the wall, "What if it gets bigger and something comes out of it?"

Favorite nuance #2: Wemberly's grandmother. She is seen throughout the book saying things like "Worry, worry, worry. Too much worry." Best part about Grandmother? She's got dangling earrings hanging from her mouse ears, rectangular spectacles, and a purple T-shirt that says "Go With The Flow." She's got roller-blades on, and she's using a cane. Come ON! How much do we love Kevin Henkes?!

Kevin Henkes Week: Day Two

You've been properly introduced to Lilly. Let me tell you about two other books she stars in.

First, Julius: The Baby of the World. True to form, this Henkes title is an absolute crack-up. In this story, Lilly gets a new little brother. She is not so fond of Julius (sound familiar, parents?).

"But her parents loved him. They kissed his wet pink nose. They admired his small black eyes. And they stroked his sweet white fur. Lilly thought his wet pink nose was slimy. She thought his small black eyes were beady. And she thought his sweet white fur was not so sweet. Especially when he needed his diaper changed. 'Julius is the baby of the world,' chimed Lilly's parents. 'Disgusting,' said Lilly."

And so she uses her magic wand in an attempt to make him disappear, teaches him his letters and numbers in the wrong order so he can't be as clever as she is, and tells him a story called "Julius, the Germ of the World." As you can imagine, there is a full page spread hilariously depicting Lilly's numerous sessions in the uncooperative chair. But can you guess what happens when Cousin Garland comes to the house and insults new baby Julius? Oh, just wait until you read the scolding Lilly gives Cousin Garland!

Here's why I love this story: It is real. Who can't relate to this family dilemma? But Lilly's parents continue to show love for her and praise her and remain patient with her until she realizes how much she loves Julius. Once again, I think Kevin Henkes is a genius at writing moralistic stories that aren't sappy.

Second, Lilly's Big Day.

In this fairly new title, Lilly appoints herself to be the flower girl at the wedding of her teacher, Mr. Slinger, and the school nurse, Ms. Shotwell. As she practices her slow walk and holding a bouquet, her parents try to help her understand that Mr. Slinger and Ms. Shotwell may have different plans in mind. Undaunted, Lilly writes a note to Mr. Slinger declaring herself "the world's best and most famous flower girl." Catching on, her sweet teacher asks her to be a special assistant to his niece (the actual flower girl). But, in a surprise ending, Lilly ends up saving the day. And you know Lilly. She saves it with style.

Kevin Henkes Week: Day One

In the spirit of theme weeks, I decided we simply must devote a week to Kevin Henkes. If you are new to the blog, or have forgotten who this wonderful man is, rest assured. Day one is review. Click HERE to read about Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.

Eric Carle Week: Day 5 (Your Turn)

Well friends, the problem with having "Eric Carle" week is that he has published just a few more titles than 5. So, it's your turn. Please add a comment and let us know of another Eric Carle book that has not been mentioned. Tell us what you or your children like about it. Thanks for sharing!

Eric Carle Week: Day 4

Eric Carle's stuff is just SO fabulous for the small ones. I've mentioned before that his illustrations are very appealing to young children. Also, his use of repitition is extremely valuable to an emergent reader. Today's book has both of those qualities and is also a great example of the way he teaches simple concepts through stories. It is called The Very Busy Spider and is about--well--a very busy spider. She hangs out in the corner of the barn spinning her web. As each of the barnyard animals ask the spider to do something else, she doesn't answer--as she is too busy spinning her web.

Each page goes something like this: "'Oink! Oink!' grunted the pig. 'Want to roll in the mud?' The spider didn't answer. She was very busy spinning her web." Simple as that. But think of everything we've learned from that simple exchange. We've been introduced to a picture of a new animal and know what the animal is called. We know what kind of sounds the animal makes and a characteristic or behavior of the animal. Pretty great, huh?

In the end the spider finishes her web and we learn a characteristic of spiders-- "And the spider caught the fly in her web...just like that!" And now we know what spiders look like and what spiders do. Just like that!

Eric Carle Week: Day 3

Here's one that I just read for the first time:
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said the Sloth

First of all, I love how Eric Carle's illustrations are so him. You could recognize his stuff from a mile away. And while it is beautiful, and NOT easy artwork, it is something that children can imitate, which is one thing that makes him so popular with the little ones. This particular story is about a sloth who hangs out in his tree day and night. The other animals passing by mock him and ask him why he is so lazy. He doesn't answer for a while. And then, he announces that while he may be slow and even lackadaisical (and a whole slough of other perfect adjectives that Carle uses), he is not lazy.

There are several "teaching moments" in this story. There's the alliteration moment. The "what on earth is a sloth?" moment. The many new vocabulary words moment. The "how should we treat those who are different than us?" moment. The "let's make some watercolor pictures of our own" moment. Read it with your child and take those moments. You will both love it!

Eric Carle Week: Day 2

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Everyone knows it. Everyone loves it. All I have to say is that if you don't have this book in your personal children's library, you should. It's a must! And it's as low as $1.29 on Amazon. So there you go!

A Gift Book for the Mister

Although I have no idea when I'll be back in a classroom as Mrs. Cropper, I've decided to keep up on my teaching license rather than let it lapse. That means attending workshops and such, which is SUCH a treat. I spent the last 2 days in an incredible children's literature class at our local library. Our instructor is the director of the library here and besides having decades of experience with children's literature, he has a passion for it. He also served on the Caldecott committee in 2000, which is big. (Note: I'll have to do a post describing the process these committees go through to choose Caldecott and Newberry winners. It's fascinating.) Anyway, you can bet that after a whole weekend of this, Mrs. Cropper is feeling rejuvenated and more excited than ever to share her findings. One thing I decided during class yesterday is that we need to have theme weeks on this here blog. So, without furthur ado, I give you...

ERIC CARLE WEEK

Today's Eric Carle book is quite timely. In fact, you have exactly one week to rush out and buy it because I think it makes a most tender gift for the father figures in your life. The book is entitled Mister Seahorse.

Yes, it is all about seahorses, fishies, and other under water creatures. And, of course, it is rich with Carle's watercolor and collage illustrations. He also uses super neat plastic overlays to show the way these creatures camouflage themselves down there in the depths. All of that aside, however, this book is about daddies. And it is sweet and delightful. Here is what Mr. Carle says about Mister Seahorse:
"Dear Friends, In most fish families, after the mother has laid the eggs and the father has fertilized them, the eggs are left on their own. But there are exceptions such as the seahorse, stickleback, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish, pipefish, bullhead catfish, and some others. Not only are the eggs cared for by a parent but--surprise--that parent is the father. And this is my story about them. I hope you enjoy my story."

Mrs. Cropper hopes you enjoy it, too! Come back tomorrow for more Eric Carle...

This Week's Rainbow Book--Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Introducing-my favorite children's author: Kevin Henkes. I know! A favorite? What? How can I pick one favorite? But alas, it's true! I think Kevin Henkes is absolutely the man. Everything he does is magic. I love his unique little rodent-characters and all their nuances. I love his simple, perfect-for-his-stories artwork, and I love how he loves what he does. Here's what he says: "I used to live with my parents and brothers and sister and work at a card table in my bedroom. Now I live with my wife and son and daughter in our own house and work at a drawing table in my own studio. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to be a real author and illustrator. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Do you not love him already?

I will feature many of his books in the near future, but today I start with my favorite (using that word again?!) of his characters and the first of his titles I discovered.
Meet Lilly. She is the snazziest rodent you ever did see. She wears red cowboy boots and everything! She is excited, she is loud, and sometimes she is sassy. SASSY. I actually like this about her because she gets in trouble for it (and has to sit in the uncooperative chair). And as a result, she learns. Without cheesiness (well, actually, there usually is cheese involved, as a lot of Henkes' stories are about mice...but it's actual cheese, not the sentimental stuff) or hitting you over the head with it, Kevin Henkes brilliantly teaches morals-even to the sassiest of mice and children.

But we're getting off track. Lilly stars or co-stars in several of Henkes' books, but I think Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse is her best. In it, we read the story of how dearly Lilly loves school, particularly because of her teacher, Mr. Slinger. "Mr. Slinger was as sharp as a tack. He wore artistic shirts...Instead of 'Greetings, students' or 'Good morning, pupils,' Mr. Slinger winked and said, 'Howdy!'" Lilly loves Mr. Slinger so much that she decides to be a teacher when she grows up (instead of a surgeon or an ambulance driver or a diva--her prior ambitions). But then one day Lilly comes to school with some new treasures from her Grammy. "Lilly had a new pair of movie star sunglasses, complete with glittery diamonds and a chain like Mr. Slinger's. She had three shiny quarters. And, best of all, she had a brand new purple plastic purse that played a jaunty tune when it opened." As you can imagine, Lilly becomes quite disruptive with all her new wares, and Mr. Slinger takes them from her for the day. In her sassy SASSY rage, Lilly draws a terrible picture about Mr. Slinger and slips it into his bag...

I will let you read it to find out how things turn out. (Don't worry! Kevin Henkes' stories have happy endings!) But promise me that you WILL read it! If you don't, you'll miss learning what the Lightbulb Lab is (I copied Mr. Slinger and set up one in my classroom--it was a hit!), you'll miss all of the clever dialogue, and you'll miss Lilly, Mr. Slinger, and all the other rodent-students doing interpretive dance. There--that seals the deal. I'm sure you'll read it now.
Enjoy Lilly and stay tuned for more Kevin Henkes Rainbow Books.

Where I Was and What I Hope Your're Reading

Remember that funny scene in You've Got Mail where Tom Hanks' character, Joe Fox, is trying to write an explanation for not showing up to meet Kathleen (Meg Ryan) at that coffee shop? (Of course, he did show up, but didn't reveal that he was, in fact, her cyber-friend.) And as he sits at his computer he comes up with this convoluted story about a business trip in Vancouver and being stuck in a building during a power outage and the phones were out too, etc. etc...

I know that was a random intro to this post, but roll with me. I was thinking it has been so long since my last post, that I felt like I owed some sort of an explanation for my absence! (Not that you're all just chomping at the bit for Mrs. Cropper's next amazing post, but still...) So I thought of how we've been busy with family in town and with things at our church, etc., but none of those are the real reason. See, usually I blog at night when Blaine has gone to bed and Taylor is doing his homework. But guess where I've been lately during that quiet evening time? I've been deep inside Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! A couple of weeks ago I realized that if I didn't hurry and read books 5 and 6 of Harry Potter, I wouldn't be ready for book 7 on July 21st! And so I dove in to book 5 and have been almost as bad a Harry Potter junkie as many of my friends are 24 junkies! Taylor keeps asking me, "Who do you love more--me or Harry Potter?" And the other day as he was commenting on something about the book I sassily snapped, "Taylor--you have only seen the movies! You don't even know Harry Potter!" At this he chuckled and said, "You're right, Anne. I don't!" I'm sure in his head he was thinking "And neither do you, because he's not real!"--as he so often has to remind me about Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. :)
So now my question for you is, are you ready for book 7--Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?

If you haven't read any of J.K. Rowling's series, I am here to say, READ IT! I was super late getting on the bandwagon. I was just sure I wouldn't like it because I don't generally like fantasy. I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I really only read book 1 because I figured every elementary school teacher needs to be well-versed in Harry Potter. But then, like my friends predicted, I became totally enchanted by the unbelievably magical, ingenious, complex world that Rowling has created. It really is wonderful literature, and the writing gets better with each book.

If you think, "Well, I've seen the movies--that's about the same"--I am here to politely correct you. It isn't the same! The movies barely cover the basic plot and all the action scenes. But without reading the books you miss all of the excellent foreshadowing, character development, clever side-plots, etc.

If you are like me and aren't up to date in the series, I am here to cheer you on and remind you that you still have 108 days to prepare for book 7!

If you are wondering at what age your child could read it or have it read to him, here's what I have to say: Book 1 is rather simple and easy to follow. You could read it to your first grader. Some second graders can read the first book or two independently. They won't get all the vocabulary and such, but will be able to comprehend it quite well. I think book 2 is really scary though, so you may want to check it out first. As the series progresses, the books become more mature and complex--both literarily and content-wise. She has brilliantly aged the literature along with Harry, so the older he gets, the older the readers get. (So you can use Harry's age as a guide.)

I LOVE HARRY POTTER! Read it! Read it! Read it! I hope you are as excited as I am about reading the 7th and final installment. I know Taylor is excited--once I'm done reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows he just might get his wife back!

Happy (one day late) Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Well this post was going to be up by yesterday morning (March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss), but Blaine had a sleepless night followed by a whiny day (mostly Blaine whining, but then I joined in) so...

By yesterday evening I said, "what's the point of writing about Dr. Seuss's birthday now?" But I am the boss of this blog, so we're going to have a belated birthday celebration.

Dr. Seuss's birthday is a hoot at school. We read all sorts of his stuff, make red and white striped hats out of paper, and talk about his life and career. My favorite thing to do on his birthday is to have a read-a-thon (in fact the National Education Association has dubbed March 2nd, "Read Across America Day"). The kids get to bring pillows and blankets and one healthy snack and then we spend the entire morning reading. You'd think they'd get bored or restless, and of course a few kids do (and have to take a walk or two), but for the most part they just plop down with their pretzels and giant stacks of books and read read read! It's such a ball. Do it at home with your kids--they'll die about it.

I learned yesterday that it was not only Dr. Seuss's birthday, but also the 50th birthday of The Cat in the Hat. This classic is a perfect example of why we love Dr. Seuss so much and why his books are so great for emergent readers. His characters and stories are inventive and comical, and the writing is phonetic and simple, yet very clever and memorable. Even all of his nonsense words are completely phonetic, so a child learning to read can use the rules he knows to pronounce them correctly. All the rhyming and repetitiveness is perfect for beginning readers as well. That is the sort of thing that helps them learn "sight words"--those words that don't always make sense phonetically but are frequently used and crucial to reading fluently. Actually, Dr. Seuss didn't just happen to write books that help emergent readers. He wrote The Cat in the Hat in response to a complaint by a man named John Hersey that the reading primers being used in schools (this was 1954) were full of "insipid illustrations" of "abnormally courteous children." Hersey said, “Why should [school primers] not have pictures that widen rather than narrow the associative richness the children give to the words they illustrate — drawings like those of the wonderfully imaginative geniuses among children’s illustrators, Tenniel, Howard Pyle, “Dr. Seuss,” Walt Disney?” Dr. Seuss responded to this challenge by writing a book that came from a 223-word list of vocabulary words for school children. Because the list was so limiting, it took him 9 months to complete. The finished product--The Cat in the Hat.

And of course, Dr. Seuss's books are chock full of life lessons and morals. From friendship to the true meaning of Christmas to learning to try new things, his morals are clear but not sappy, which I find refreshing.

So here's what you've got to do. Read all of the classic Seuss titles with your kids. You know--The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Oh The Places You'll Go, etc. THEN, get to know some of his less commonly known greaties. Our favorites are The Lorax (I'll dedicate an Earth Day post to this poignant and clever story) and The Sneetches (an absolute must read which I'll write about another time). You've also got to check out http://www.seussville.com/. It's got a biography of Dr. Seuss, a list of all of his books, and super fun games for your kids to play.

Enjoy a day with Dr. Seuss and remember to wish him and his cat a Happy Birthday!