Khristina's Book Blog

  The poetry anthology I chose is My Dog May be a Genius by Jack Prezutsky. This is a collection of funny poems that kids would get a absolute kick out of. Most of them involve people or animals doing funny things. One of my favorite ones that I read is "I Know You Won't Believe Me" which is from the perspective of a student to a teacher and what happened to his homework. Here's an excerpt of the poem,  "I rummaged through the closets, the kitchen, and the den, expecting that my homework would soon be seen again. But when I saw the ashes,  you should have heard me shriek- my dragon burned my homework, just like he did last week."(Prezutsky, 2008, pg 13). Jack Prezutsky's collection of poems in My Dog May be a Genius are so funny and lighthearted. The thing that makes this collection of poems stand out to me is how each one has a rhyme scheme or a rhythmic pattern. These poetic devices are a big part of what make these poems so much fun to read and for st...

      The two contemporary realistic fiction books that I read and love are Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones.      Those Shoes is about a boy named Jeremy who wants the newest pair of black high tops with two white stripes, but they're too expensive. Almost of all of Jermey's friends at school start getting these cool new shoes which just makes Jermey want some even more! Jermey and his grandma search three thrift stores on the hunt for these shoes, and they actually end up finding a pair! But... they're too small for Jeremy. Jeremy decides to buy them anyways and tries to squeeze his feet into them, but they just truly don't fit. He notices that his friend Antonio has shoes that have to be taped together just to work and... Antonio's feet look smaller than Jeremey's. In the end, even though Jeremy was sad he didn't have those shoes , he chose to give the pair he had to Antonio. This b...

  The two Folklore books that I chose to read were Cinderella and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The Cinderella book that I read was illustrated by Ed Bryan. I really love this version of Cinderella because it's the same beautiful story, but modernized a little more with Ed Bryan's Illustrations. For example, at the end when it says Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after the illustration is of them playing ping-pong in the palace. I just think kids would really enjoy these updated illustrations to go along with story they've heard time and time again. Cinderella falls under the type of Folklore known as Fairy Tales. The Three Billy Goats Gruff book that I read was a version retold and illustrated by Janet Stevens. The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a story that falls under the type of Folklore known as Folktales. I was familiar with the folktale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, but it had been a while since I had read it. It was great to reread it...

  The books I chose for this blog are: The Bad Seed by Jory John and Pete Oswald The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald What do You do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom The Bad Seed  is a cute picture book about a seed who started out not so bad, but went through something hard that made him sad and hurt which made him become a bad  seed. In the end, the bad seed decides he doesn't want to be bad anymore. He's not perfect at it, but he's trying and other seeds notice. Such a cute book that a think a lot of kids can connect with. Kids go through hard things which can cause their behavior to change so much that they forget what it was like to be "good." This could encourage kids that they can be happy again if they just try just like the bad seed. This book is definitely a picture story book because the story is told using both the text and illustrations equally with each giving the story exactly what it needs to be told well. The Good Egg ...

  The award winning book I chose to read for blog post #3 is Los Gatos Black Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Los Gatos Black received the Pura Belpre Award for writing AND illustrations in 2008.  This is a book to read around halloween. I absolutely love the integration of some Spanish words. This makes it where I can still read it as a teacher, but I would be able to connect with my Spanish speaking students as they hear words in their own language. There is enough context in each sentence that it still allows students who only speak English to comprehend. However, this would be such a great opportunity to allow the Spanish speakers to be proud of their language which is so important to encourage as a teacher. I think kids would absolutely love this book because it does have the spooky halloween creatures which is always fun, but [ SPOILER ] at the end the thing that all the monsters are scared of is the kids who come to the door a...

  Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. I had seen this book multiple times and even thumbed through it a couple times, but never really took the time to intentionally look at the illustrations. I absolutely love how Mo Willems made his book come to life through the illustrations he created. Each background/setting of the story is a black and white or faded photograph. Then, the characters in the story are colorful drawings that stand out so well against the real life, photograph background. The way Mo Willems takes 2 dimensional photographs and draws his characters into the scenes is just phenomenal. It seems like such a simply thing, but to have a photograph of a sidewalk and make it where his characters are walking right along that sidewalk or with the picture of the old, rundown laudromat and how Trixie and her father are just drawn right into this picture is just amazing. The illustrations are just so creative and different from other styles of illustration...

  Books. To lose track of time from getting lost in the pages and becoming part of the story is just a feeling like no other. I absolutely loved reading in elementary school. I was a good reader and was grateful that reading clicked for me in early elementary. The school that I went to was all about the Accelerated Reader (AR) program, and my little, competitive self was all over earning those AR points. I remember there was a big chart posted in the hallway and every kid had a little bus with his or her name on it that would be moved up according to the amount of points he or she had, and I took pride having my bus in one of the top 2 spots. I read a variety of things and always looked forward to going to the school library to check out new books. Some of my favorites I remember reading in elementary school were the Junie B. Jones series, Magic Tree House, A to Z Mysteries, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I wouldn't describe myself as "the girl who was always reading" because ...

  I really enjoyed reading the section from Stafford and his honest view and experience of his writing process. His comparison to fishing was eye opening. Sometimes, all you need is a nibble when you're starting to write and then you just go from there. I how he said, "If I put down something, that thing will help the next thing come, and I'm off" (Stafford 1978, 18). One type of notebook entry that caught my attention was the section titled, "Starting with Little, Nearby Things." This connected with the quote by Stafford that Bomer included a little prior in the textbook. I'm a visual learner and how I see things has a big impact on my thoughts. So, to be able to just look around the room or space with my thoughts wide open, I can create a story from a door, dart board, or a sticky note (current things that are in the room with me). But, just like the book mentioned it might not just be a narrative that is written based on what is seen, but maybe writin...

"Okay, everyone have their hula hoops ready?" I ask. Heads adorned in hijabs and 6 small, masked faces look back at me with pure excitement. "Remember, you want to try and be the last one to let your hula hoop touch the ground!" I explain. Hands tightly grip the hula hoop and sparkling, dark brown eyes look at me eagerly to begin the countdown. "3, 2, 1, Go!" I exclaim. All the hula hoops start spinning, little bodies moving inside them keeping the colorful hoops from stopping. "Y'all are doing so great! Keep it up, Usman!" I encourage. I smile as the sound of giggles escapes from the lips of each kid inside their hula hoop. "Just sit inside your hula hoop once it falls!" I instruct. Riyaz. Saifullah. Nasrina. 3 looks of disappointment glance my way. "Y'all gave it your best! Let's cheer on our friends!" I encourage. Hands clap and shouts of "you can do it" fill the air. Usman. Roya. Zahara leaps with joy...

  Some of my book connections were that this story is about a boy named Jordan who is starting at a new Private School, even though he'd rather be starting Art School. In this book we see Jordan's journey as he faces challenges such as fitting in, racism, and typical, every day middle school struggles. When it comes to my "head" connections, my thinking was changed while I was reading because, at first, I was reading it as all  white people being displayed as Andy. However, as I kept reading, I realized the author was trying to display hardships through Jordan's experiences. My "heart" connection is tied to my "head" connection because I was definitely flustered at first with white people being represented by Andy because I know that I, personally, try my best to treat everyone like they are important and valuable. However, as I continued to read my heart changed because I saw myself reflected in Liam. So, even though there are definitely peopl...

  My mom has always told me, "reading is like a movie in your mind." Last we talked about how for some people reading isn't like a movie and a lot of people agreed that they don't experience that when they're reading. However, for me, I really do see a movie in my head as I'm reading, and the more I read of a book the more detail is added to the movie I see in my head, or my mind's eye. Obviously, fiction and books with characters and a plot make richer pictures in my mind compared to non-fiction texts. I do feel like if it's a shorter text like a short story then the picture is more like a painting. However, when I read novels my mental picture as I'm reading is very similar to a movie. When I read novels, not only are the visuals compared to that of a movie, but so is how I hear it. The characters have voices that match their gender, but the narrator voice is my own inner voice. I picture characters as they're described by the author and then...

  How does your current book travel around with you? What exact part of your backpack, pocket, purse, or whatever is involved? I'm currently listening to an audiobook, so my book travels around with me in my pocket since it's on my phone. When I'm walking around my phone is in my back pocket, but when I sit down I put my phone somewhere near where I'm sitting.  What are the regular sections of your day? What little reading appointments might be possible in there? Most of my days consist of my job at HFBC from 7am to 3:30pm. However, a couple "reading appointments" I have put in my day are my 20min drive to and from work. I look forward to those drives, even in traffic, because I'm able to get further along in my audiobook which gets better every minute. Another reading appointment that I sometimes include in my day is that little bit of time in my evening before I go to sleep. What are some possible places for reading? How might different places go with di...

  A little slice of my life I'd like to share would actually be an experience I had today! I had a volunteer interview today at Prestige Learning Institute (PLI) and it was a great experience. PLI is an organization that works with immigrant and refugee families by providing ESL courses for parents and providing childcare and an after school program for children. I really wasn't sure what to expect when I pulled into the parking lot of PLI. I walked in the door and the first thing that caught my eye was a beautiful metal map on the wall and then "Welcome" written around the room in more than twenty languages! Then, I was greeted by Kelsie who showed me around their facility. I saw their classrooms, meeting areas, and offices. It was great to see behind the scenes of how their ESL programming is ran. However, the highlight of the tour was the childcare area! They said they only recently added the new childcare area, but it was painted in bright colors and was the perf...

  When I reflect on my literacy experiences from 6th through 12th grade, I can pinpoint a negative shift from middle school to high school. The time when I loved reading the most was definitely 7th grade. It started with having the summer assignment of reading "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. It was the first book in a while that had actually hooked  me. I'm not usually someone who re-reads books, but I definitely read "Hunger Games" a handful of times! Then, my positive literacy experience in 7th grade only grew once school started. Ms. Matthews was my 7th grade English teacher, and she actually helped me to enjoy  reading and writing! In elementary school, I always loved math and science so much more, and reading was just a "have to" instead of a "want to." In elementary school, I read books solely for the purpose of gaining more AR points, but I didn't find joy in reading. That was, until 7th grade, Ms. Matthews overflowed with a lov...

  My One Word: Renew      This word popped into my head almost instantly when I was thinking about what my One Word would be. I think this word fits well because in the midst of the chaos and changes over the past year, I have felt beaten down and broken. However, at the start of this new year I have been striving to take actions the help renew my heart, spirit, and emotions. My daily, ultimate reminder is that I am made new through Jesus. My brokenness is restored, my burdens are lightened, and my joy is found in him. I know this all to be true, but life still throws curveballs and I constantly need the reminder that I am and can be renewed.      All of us, including our students, can get  overwhelmed and feel beaten down. They can feel these things because of situations at home or even from the stress of school. As teachers, it's important for us to build relationships with our students so that we're able to tell when they are fe...

I read Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. This book hasn't received any major awards. This is one of my favorite books that I've found to do my blogs on. This book is about a boy name Jeremy who really wants a specific pair of black and white shoes, but his family can't afford them. Jeremy finds a pair of those shoes in the thrift shop, but they're too small for his feet. Jeremy doesn't care, and crams his feet inside those shoes and buys them. However, they're way too small and hurt too much to wear all day at school, so he wears the pair the guidance counselor gave him even though almost all the other kids make fun of him for them. There's a boy named Antonio whose shoes have to be taped up to keep them together. Jeremy notices that Antonio's feet are smaller than his, so he knows what he has to do. He gives his pair of black and white shoes to Antonio, and they become friends. This book is super sweet, and demonstrates what it really means to be humble. ...

I read This Is the Way We Go to School by Edith Baer. This book hasn't received any major awards, but is a great book to show diversity. This book is about children all over the world, and the different ways they get to school. I love that at the end it gives a list of where each of the children are from. I love the overall book, but it makes it even better because it rhymes. I think the appropriate grade level would be kindergarten to fourth grade. I would read this book in my future classroom. The way I would incorporate this book in the classroom would be to open up a graphing activity to see the different ways students in our class get to school. I would want to focus on diversity, and that there are differences even in the same classroom and celebrate it.

I read Anansi The Spider by Gerald McDermott. This book is a Caldecott Honor book. My favorite part about this book is the illustrations. I love the different shapes and colors that are used to bring this story to life. This book is about a spider named Anansi who has six sons. Anansi gets into some trouble, but all six of his sons come to his rescue. Anansi wants to reward his six sons with this bright, white ball of light he found, but he can't decide who to give it to. He gives the reward to the god of all things while he makes his decision. In the end, Anansi never chose which son to receive the reward, so the god of all things put the reward in the sky for all to see. The reward becomes the moon. I liked this book. I think the appropriate grade level would be kindergarten to sixth grade. I would read this book in my classroom. I think it would be so fun for students to create their own version of how different things came to be like stars, the sun, grass, trees, etc. Just to g...

I read The Snowy Day  by Ezra Jack Keats. This book received the Caldecott Medal in 1963. This book is a cute book. It's about a little boy named Peter and his day of adventures in the snow, and he has a dream that the sun melted all the snow away. However, in the end, the next day has just as much snow and more. My favorite part about this book is with the tracks in the snow and how they're connected directly to the text. The text says "like this" and "like that", and it's making the reader look at the illustrations. I think the appropriate grade level for this book would be pre-k to third grade. I would definitely read this book in my classroom. I think this would be a great book for ELs to hear when going over the seasons, and specifically winter because it paints a great picture with words and illustrations of what winter looks and feels like.

I read  The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith. This book received the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1993 and the Texas Bluebonnet Award in 1995. This book is absolutely hilarious, and I've never read any book like it! My favorite part of this book is how a character, Jack, is a narrator and he's affected by the story, pages, and even the words. It's honestly hard to give a summary of this book, but pretty much it's a group of fairytales that have had major changes to their storylines and it's super funny! In The Princess and the Frog, the frog tricks the princess to just get a free kiss. In Little Red Riding Hood (Running Shorts), Jack, the narrator ruins the story, so they leave their story refusing to tell it. Then instead of the gingerbread man, it's the Stinky Cheese Man who no one will chase no matter how fast he runs because he stinks so bad. I absolutely loved this book and the humor that's throughout it. I th...