Literacy Now

This week members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) share recent books all around the theme of math. Each title takes a different mathematical perspective from counting, adding, subtraction, graphing to multiplication. Building math skills through literature can create confidence and make learning fun. Literature could be used as a way to introduce new math concepts, review math theories and/or have students independently explore math ideas.

GRADES K-3

Armstrong-Ellis, Carey F. (2012). Ten creepy monsters. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

This fiendishly clever counting book features characters not typically found in books introducing math concepts—monsters. The endpapers are covered in spider webs with spiders dangling from the threads, and the book opens with an oceanside graveyard scene in which monsters are rising from their burial mounds. One of them clutches a bag filled with something. After all, it is Halloween night. Ten different  monsters—a ghost, a witch, a zombie, a werewolf, and a vampire among them—gather together on the first pages of this book written in rhyming text, before setting out on their journey. But before they can wreak any havoc, one by one, bad things happen to them. By the end of the night, only one monster remains, and his identity will surprise some young readers. The acrylic illustrations showing the expressions on the monsters' faces as they lurch toward town add another layer of hilarity to the story. The illustration of a zombie clutching the foot he lost along the way and the artistic depiction of a swamp brew-splashed toad wearing a witch's hat and glasses are hilarious. A perfect Halloween read-aloud but a great way to relieve malaise on any day, this picture book also helps young readers learn to count as the monsters fall by the wayside in gruesome fashion. 

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Brown, Margaret Wise. (2012). Count to 10 with a mouse. Illus. by Kirsten Richards. Bath, UK: Parragon.

From the author of Good Night Moon (2005) and Runway Bunny (2005) comes another engaging book that is filled with adventure, rhyme, and fun. Children may even forget that they are learning to count while reading this title.  The book opens with the rhyme, “There was a little mouse no bigger than a mole, who lived in a round place that he called a hole” (unpaged). This particular small grey mouse is very friendly and familiar, inviting readers to turn the page to see what happens. The mouse does everything with style. He finds a book with one hole, and then runs inside the hole in order to see the different creatures on the pages. His adventures become exciting when he discovers fish, monkeys, butterflies and other creatures, but they take a dangerous turn when he meets six pussycats. Thankfully, they are busy untangling themselves, and the mouse escapes. Phew! After the mouse encounters a clock, the author reminds readers of the nursery rhyme, “Hickory, Dickory, Dock,” before nimbly moving the story back to its original focus. Readers will enjoy finding out what happens when the mouse reaches the number ten. Perfect for reading aloud, this title provides a place to begin conversations about numbers. The book would also be useful as a mentor text to teach writing to older students.

- Rani Iyer, Washington State University, Pullman

Formento, Alison. (2012). These bees count! Illus. by Sarah Snow. New York: Albert Whitman.

This is a counting book and so much more. Mr. Tate takes his class on a field trip to visit Busy Bee Farm. Farmer Ellen is ready to give his class a tour of the farm and gives each student beekeeping gear so they are safely protected to take a close look at the bees and all the activity surrounding the hives. As the children approach the bees and hives the counting begins. The author has included a detailed note at the end providing even more information about the lives of bees and the work they do. Detailed teacher’s guide, book trailer and resources at the publisher’s website.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Gershator, Phillis and Mim Green. (2012). Time for a hug. Illus. by David Walker. New York: Sterling Children’s Books.

Any time is time for a hug. Watching the clock throughout the day, two little bunnies go through a typical day for any young child. Starting at 8:00 in the morning the bunnies wash their faces, get dressed, brush their teeth, play with puppets, read books, ride bikes, climb trees until it is time for bed. With clocks on every page indicating the passing hours, each hour has time for a hug. Be ready for National Hug Day on January 21. Also visit the author’s website or use the “Draw a Math Story” lesson from ReadWriteThink.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Holub, Joan. (2012). Pumpkin countdown. Illus. by Jan Smith. New York: Albert Whitman.

Farmer Mixenmatch is giving a tour of his farm and especially the pumpkin patch to Ms. Blue’s first grade class. He shows the children his petting zoo, gives them a ride on the tractor, shows them the corn make and also the education center at the farm. Holub has used rhyming verse to travel around the farm and have readers count things on each page that they discover on the farm. Answers are upside down at the bottom of the page. Her countdown actually starts and 20 and works the numbers down as children explore the farm and readers explore for answers. The endpapers of the book have many more facts about pumpkins. This will be a fun book to use before any fall field trips. Teachers will find a math related lesson plan idea entitled “Exploring Sets through Math-Related Book Pairs” at ReadWriteThink.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Holub, Joan. (2012). Zero the hero: A book about nothing. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Although this is a book literally about nothing, it’s a book dealing with a very important mathematical concept. The book’s focus is Zero, the place holder in our numbering system. But despite the other numbers’ disparaging remarks about his value, Zero is much more than a place holder, and this book tells why. Although Zero is sure he has value, the other numbers taunt him because he is useless when it comes to counting. Knowing that he has heroic characteristics, Zero develops a self-identity crisis since he only acquires value when placed next to another number, say a “1,” to make a “10.” He’s also frequently mistaken for other round objects such as the “6” or even a doughnut or the letter “O” and is useless when it comes to addition, subtraction, and division. Once the other numbers recognize that multiplying themselves by Zero makes them equal to nothing, they flee from him, and in shame, Zero rolls away and hides. After some challenging story problems and a round-off game make them miss their friend, the numbers become distracted and are captured by Roman numerals. Zero saves them with his ability to reduce anything to nothing through multiplication. As in last year’s E-Mergency!, the book brims with delightful word play and ink, pastel, and colored pencil illustrations that provide distinct personalities for each numeral. Math never has been so much fun.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University, Pullman

Long, Ethan. (2012). The wing wing brothers math spectacular! New York: Holiday House.

The Wing Wing Brothers, five hilarious duck brothers, present a circus-like show that has fun with math concepts. In three acts, the brothers try to outdo each other with their laugh-inducing tricks like spinning plates, juggling and throwing pies. Each acts presents a different math concept including greater than and less than, addition and subtraction while creating math problems within the reading circus acts. The final act includes a disappearance the readers will have to ponder and figure out the solution. This book offers such a fun approach to not only these math concepts the story problems to be solved. Teachers will appreciate the page at the end that relates Common Core State Standards to this book.  “Writing and Math with Shopping Lists” can be found at ReadWriteThink. The author’s blog/website is filled with fun for young readers.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Marzollo, Jean. (2012). Help me learn subtraction. Photographs by Chad Phillips. New York: Holiday House.

Marzollo’s popular “I Spy” books are favorites among children. She has turned that same style of book making to the math arena and this is the third book in the Help Me Learn Math series. Chad Phillips’ photographs add the actively visual appeal of this book and each math problem as a wide variety of real objects displayed to create the math problem written in rhymed text. For each subtraction problem the author has created the vertical and horizontal setup of the math problem and in some cases a basic little word problem presented as dramatic play. Explore some “Math Center Activities” at ReadWriteThink. The author discusses why she wrote this book on her website.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Menotti, Andrea. (2012). How many jelly beans? A giant book of giant numbers. Illus. by Yancey Labat. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Learning about big numbers should be portrayed in a big book and the oversize format of How Many Jelly Beans does just that. Aidan and Emma are offered some jellybean and so Emma says she will take 10. Aidan quickly comes back with his response that he wants 20 … and the jellybean battle begins. Each child asks for more and more jumping their requests by hundreds and thousands until they are realizing really big numbers! Emma challenges Aiden with the questions, “You can’t eat five hundred jelly beans.” This prompts the concept of dividing into so many per day and how many over a year’s span. The exaggerated fun spins off ending the book with a huge fold out page depicting a million jellybeans. This will be a great companion book to use with “Lucky Beans” by Becky Birtha to give this introduction to counting jellybeans a context. Teacher resources for this book are available at the publisher’s website. ReadWriteThink offers the lesson plan, “Giant Story Problems: Reading Comprehension through Math Problems.”

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Weill, Cynthia. (2012). Count me in: A parade of Mexican folk art numbers in English and Spanish. Figures by Guillermina, Josefina, Concepción and Irene Aguilar. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Told in English and Spanish, this beautiful counting book celebrates the Mexican July festival, Guelaguetza. The Aguilar sisters have used their craft to illustrated this book in the traditional folk arts of Oaxaca, Mexico. Balloons, firecrackers, musicians, and giants are all part of the festivities depicted in the figurines crafted to bring this festival of sharing to the printed page for both English and Spanish readers. Learn more about the world famous women artists, The Aguilar sisters. For a little deeper look into Mexican folk art, visit the Deep Space Sparkle website or another lesson idea comes from the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Zullo, Germano. (2012). Sky high. Illus. by Albertine. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Keeping up with the Joneses is taken to extreme heights in this clever book about greed and proportion. With very little text, this title tells the story of two competitive neighbors who embellish their already attractive abodes in an attempt to outdo each other. The respective two-story houses of Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelles and Willigis Kittycly Junior are impressive enough on the book’s opening pages. But what they have is not enough, and page by page, they add embellishments to their dwelling places. One adds a solid gold door, and the other counters with a Carrara marble column inlaid with diamonds. After that, the competition is on, and each one hires highly-priced architects who create mosaics fashioned from emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, design billiard rooms and rooms that can accommodate 8,000 guests, even attaching an antiques gallery, a wave pool, and a tennis court. Glimpses of what’s being brought into the inside of the houses—a stuffed Bengal tiger and a library of rare books, for instance—reveals even more of their excess to readers. Eventually, enough is enough, and once both buildings tower into the air at 4,025 feet—a line on the side of the right-hand page indicates this height—one structure topples since it can’t support all the rooms at its top. Although the other building still towers into the sky, its owner isn’t necessarily the victor since even the simple act of having a pizza delivered ends up being impossibly complicated. Readers will shake their heads at the two men’s greed and consider this an adult game of Jenga, the tumbling block game. The very black and white illustrations are exquisitely detailed and fascinating to examine.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 3-6

Adler, David A. (2012). Perimeter, area, and volume: A monster book of dimensions. Illus. by Edward Miller. New York: Holiday House.

A cast of monsters set out of their 3-D movie to invite the little monsters in the audience on an explanation of the movie set and several math concepts along the way. The monster characters measure each other demonstrating their height and weight. They measure the movie screen and talk about perimeter. They even measure the volume in the popcorn box. A detailed teaching guide/lesson plan is available at the publisher’s website. Read more about this prolific author on his website.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Beaumont, Holly. (2012). Multiplication made fun. New York: DK Publishing.

When children need to learn their times tables this beginner’s guide with a wise owl calculator will help make multiplication fun. The book begins with a basic review of what numbers are and discusses the importance of counting. Then it moves into the difference between addition and multiplication, showing how we can count larger amounts by multiplying. Next, the book explains each number two through twelve on individual pages sharing the different multiplication problems. If children get stuck with a multiplication problem they can spin the wheels till the numbers appear in the owl’s eyes and the answer shows in the beak. Throughout the book are tips for grown-ups with suggestions about helping children. This would make a great addition for teachers and families.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Kelly, Jamie/ Jim Benton. (2012). School, hasn’t this gone on long enough? New York: Scholastic.  

Jamie hates math and writes all about this hatred in her diary. Her best friend, Isabella, is good at math and is willing to help her and in exchange Jamie can help Isabella with language arts. Summer school is threatening on the horizon if Jamie does not bring up those math grades and Isabella’s house is getting a pool! Check out the author’s website for more on The Dumb Diary series including the book trailer for this new Year 2 series. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Mahaney, Ian F. (2012). The math of baseball. New York: Powerkids Press/Rosen Publishing.

This is part of the series Sports Math from Powerkids Press. Read aloud or individually various aspects of the sport of baseball are explained through the use of mathematics. From the dimensions of a baseball field, to batting averages, hitting distances, strikeouts, scores and statistics the entire sport is covered with figures that deal with addition, subtraction, measurement, percentages and more. Photographs, charts and diagrams add to the appeal of the book and bring a real-life use of math to young readers. Find more math and baseball ideas at The Teachers’ Corner.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Morrisette, Sharon. (2012). Toads and tessellations: A math adventure. Illus. by Philomena O’Neill. San Franscisco, CA: Charlesbridge Publishing.

Set in Renaissance Italy, young Enzo is a hoping to become a magician like his father. The cruel castle housekeeper approaches Tessel, the local shoemaker that she needs 12 pairs of dancing shoes for the princesses in the castle and demands the shoes must be made from a single piece of leather. Tessel turns to Enzo for help. His father is away so Enzo must step up to help his friend but his magic goes awry when he turns Tessel into a toad. With Tessel’s daughter Aida for help, they discover a mathematical way to geometrically cut the 12 pair of shoes from one piece of leather. Notes at the end of the book provide some history of mathematics and tessalations. Over twenty tessellations are sprinkled throughout the book for young readers to discover. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Slade, Suzanne. (2011). Multiply on the fly. Illus. by Erin E. Hunter. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Even in nature numbers are an important part of our world. This picture book combines insects and multiplication together to make learning much more exciting. Each double page spread shares a rhyming multiplication story with a new insect. For example, “Five lonely grasshoppers / sound their mating song. / Each strums two shiny wings. / How many play along?” Then the mathematical equation is shared with a question mark inviting students to figure out the answer. Other insects highlighted include fireflies, luna moths, dragonflies, soldier ants, honey bees, ladybugs, pirate bugs, walking sticks, monarch butterflies and spittlebugs. The back matter includes information about insect body parts, the life cycle of insects, information about comparing and contrasting insects, and a multiplication table.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

GRADES 9-12

McKellar, Danica. (2012). Girls get curves: Geometry takes shape. New York: Hudson Street Press/Penguin.

Danica McKellar, actress and mathematician, has written her fourth book for girls. Her earlier books, Math doesn’t suck, Kiss my math, and Hot X: Algebra exposed worked at removing the math “nerd” stereotype for smart girls. Her latest book deals with geometry. NPR interviews author Danica McKellar in addition to the website devoted to this book.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

SKY COLOR (Candlewick, 2012)
Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Pre-K through Grade 3

SKY COLOR describes the thought process of a child named Marisol when she is faced with a dilemma of painting the sky in a school mural. Marisol, as well as the people around her, considers herself to be a true artist. In the fashion of an artist, she wants everything to be just perfect in her works of art. She also encourages others to explore their artistic side as well.

Marisol is excited when her class is allowed to paint the mural in the school’s library. Everything is going well as the students work together to brainstorm, design, and draw out the concept of the mural. The trouble begins when Marisol cannot find the color of the sky that she feels is most accurate—blue. Over the next pages, Marisol’s thought process is modeled through her riding the bus home, thinking on the porch, dreaming, and waking up to a rainy day. She finds the true sky color and is able to finish her portion of the mural with great success.

This book will be great to introduce critical thinking and thinking outside the proverbial box. Students should be encouraged to think about the world beyond their comfort zone and consider other possibilities.

Cross-curricular connections: Science, Art, Math

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Color Mixing

The purpose of this activity is to review or teach the primary and secondary colors. Marisol was set on using blue for her sky color and could not figure out a way to get blue. Before reading the story, have students try mixing various colors of finger paint or tempera paint to see if they can create new colors. Encourage creative thinking of ways to mix colors and chart what blends result in different colors. Is there more than one blend of colors to make a certain color? Have students determine which colors could never be created by mixing other colors. Then show and discuss the colors wheel in reference to primary and secondary colors.

Read SKY COLOR to the students after the color mixing and discuss the colors Marisol mixed and created and see if any of her colors matched the student’s creations. Then, encourage them to use their newly created colors to create a picture. Have them dictate/write the description of their picture and why they chose the color to paint with. Encourage creative thinking and use of colors.

Tree Changes

The purpose of this activity is to foster creativity in looking at the world around the school/home and thinking beyond the present. As a group, read the story SKY COLOR. Ask students to focus on the things that are different than expected in the story. Discuss what was different than their expectations through the book. For instance, when I read this story to my classroom, they were fully expecting Marisol to have discovered a way to make the color blue for the sky. When I turned to the final page, they were all amazed.

Children should be able to pick up on this difference without much direction. Discuss the fact that items can appear different at different times of the day, such as the sky, and at different times of the year.

Have students brainstorm, as a group for young children or in small groups for older grades, a list of things that change their appearance. Encourage children to accept all answers even if they don’t agree with them. Discuss the lists and allow children to justify their thoughts. Fall, in most areas, is a perfect time to observe these changes quite easily in the color changes of a tree.

As a follow up project, have students create a drawing, story, or painting or a tree without using the traditional colors of brown and green. Have students dictate/write their reasoning for the colors they chose for their tree. Students can showcase their creations in an art gallery like Marisol did and collect feedback from other students.

Sky Graph

The purpose of this activity is to introduce/study changes in the sky, and introduce the concept of graphing to young students and review graphing with older students. Read SKY COLOR to the students and discuss the changes in the sky Marisol was looking at. These observations can be done over a series of days or weeks. Have students keep a log, journal, or chart of the sky color over an assigned amount of time. For younger students, this may be best done once each day during school time, and once each evening with parents over the course of a week. Have students record the color of the sky at each of those intervals.

As a group, in pairs, or individually, depending on the age of the students, transfer the observation information into graphs. Each student’s graph may be a bit different depending on the times they observed the sky. Determine with students if there is a color that is more prevalent than the others. What is sky color?

Create a definition as a class of what sky color is based on the observations and graphs made. Write a poem or short story with illustration of “sky color.” Each child should be encouraged to express their own thoughts as the sky looks different through each set of eyes. Dictate/Write the stories and display along with illustrations in an art gallery (bulletin board) display for other classes to see as well.

Additional Resources and Activities:

A Classroom Guide for Sky Color
This PDF guide contains activities suggested by Peter Reynolds for use with his book, SKY COLOR. The file has ideas for classroom use, as well as a little background information on how the book was created. The author has also included a couple printables for use with his activities.

Why Leaves Change Color
This website provides background information about why leaves change colors in the fall. The US Department of Agriculture details how weather affects trees, what creates the colors, the best places to see fall colors, and how the leaves help to enrich the soil after they fall. This is easy to read background information to accompany the “Tree Changes” project.

Catch a Rainbow
This website provides an easy to complete science project showing the process of color mixing. The materials for the project are easily accessible and inexpensive. The page gives the directions, ingredients list, a printable sheet for marking observations, and a link to an easy to read and follow color wheel. The color wheel is printable as well to serve as a guide for the color mixing project.

Kathy Prater is a Reading Specialist who works with students with dyslexia, an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi, and a full time pre-kindergarten teacher at Starkville Academy in Starkville, Mississippi. Her passions include reading, writing, tending her flock of 15 chickens, and helping students at all levels to find motivation for lifelong reading and learning. She believes that every child can become a successful reader if given the right tools and encouragement.

WANT TO WRITE FOR ENGAGE? Send your name, the grade level(s) you teach, the title of book that you put to work, and a line or two about how you use it in your classroom to engage-membership@reading.org.


© 2012 Kathy Prater. Please do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise.

by Judith Hayn

Stewart, Trenton.  (2012).  The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict.  New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Co.

The Mysterious Benedict Society series, launched in 2007, introduced young readers to a intriguing set of adolescent fighters of injustice. Their mentor Nicholas Benedict is the brilliant mastermind who organizes and directs the group, but who is he really? This prequel provides the answer. Nicholas is indeed an orphan, and this tale begins with his incarceration in a new orphanage at age 9. He is an odd lad with disconcerting narcolepsy that will dog him all his life; he falls asleep when emotionally bombarded.

At Rothschild’s End, a wealthy magnate bequeathed that an orphanage be maintained in honor of his saintly wife. The Manor has fallen on hard times, and Mr. Collum, the new director, is determined to rectify financial chaos. Nicholas arrives to become the brunt of teasing and torment by a fiendish group of bullies called the Spiders, but he also finds friendship with John Cole, another orphan. Nick manages to survive by his wit and cunning while the tension surrounding each encounter with the Spiders is spellbinding.

Stewart includes essentials of the enthralling adventure story—a dark, foreboding Manor that is literally crumbling around the orphans; a locked room for imprisoning Nicholas to contain the impact of his sleeping disorder; a secret treasure that could save everyone; and a spooky, undiscovered observatory. All combine to provide Nicholas with plenty of impediments as he races to find that treasure ahead of Mr. Collum. Along the way, he discovers the value of true friendships and the inner strength that he will need as the future patriarch of the Mysterious Benedict Society. As the others in the series, this book displays Stewart’s witty and charming style as the suspense mesmerizes readers.

Read an excerpt from the book at the Little, Brown and Company website.

Dr. Judith A. Hayn is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

This article is part of a series from the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature (SIGNAL).

by William Yang

Edmodo is a free, safe social networking site specifically designed for education. My colleagues and I have been integrating Edmodo with upper elementary students and discovered that social networking can support learning in many ways.

Engaging Students with Content

Have reluctant readers and writers? With Edmodo, all students were eager to read and respond. Students who were reluctant to speak in class found it easier to share their thoughts on topics with Edmodo. They learned more about science, writing, and social studies through video public service announcements, author podcasts, and online articles that were posted to the site. Students gained additional insight through online conversations and questions they had about content.

Peer Feedback

Students processed ideas and asked for feedback with Edmodo. They learned how to effectively provide and receive feedback by cultivating questions and responses that elicited further thinking. By sharing links to sites, media, and discussions, students became resources for each other. They were more conscious of their spelling, grammar, and expression knowing that their audience was not only their teacher but also other students and adults.

Developing Online Literacies

Information on Edmodo is presented in a non-linear fashion through a timeline of posts and replies. Students learned how to make inferences from seemingly disconnected ideas and to communicate clearly through this unique format. They learned to attach codes such as tags or symbols to assist their audience’s understanding as well as manage information. They used links to online content to express ideas and conduct online conversations as a collaborative group.

Beyond the Classroom

With access outside of school, students shared content and engaged in conversations with teachers and classmates at all hours of the day. Academic conversations that began in class continued outside of the class period.  By inviting parents or other guest “speakers” to join the social network, students had access to additional learning resources.

Getting Started

There are a number of tutorials on Edmodo designed to help you get started. You can join the many teacher groups focused by subject areas or special interest. Once you are familiar with Edmodo’s format, plan on starting slowly. While students seem adept at navigating social network sites, they need support in comprehending, responding, and managing information in this format. In order for students to develop more complex responses, learn digital ethics, and effectively collaborate online, scaffold learning experiences and provide time for explicit instruction and modeling. By mediating student use of Edmodo, we can help students to not only learn content but also learn to be effective digital citizens.

For an explanation of Social Networking and a list of safe sites, please read Janice Friesen’s TILE-SIG entry on “Safe Social Networking.”

William Yang is an educational technology coach for the Greenacres School in Scarsdale, New York.

This article is part of a series from the International Reading Association Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG). 

Summer’s days are fleeting with fall just around the corner, and teachers have returned to their classrooms rejuvenated after vacation days spent recovering from a hard nine months of teaching and then relaxing and recharging their batteries. Sometimes time away from the classroom affords extra time to read books for pleasure and catch up on the latest book award winners. But it also provides teachers with the luxury of uninterrupted time to catch up on some professional reading that might prompt new approaches to literacy instruction or encourage radical changes in how we define literacy. Professional reading might also be the kick-start we need to make simple changes in our daily routines; for instance, spending five minutes on a poem every day or once a week or considering the effects of the CCSS on daily instruction. The International Reading Association (IRA) and other publishers released many insightful texts this year. This week the members of the IRA Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) share our thoughts about some professional texts that caught our attention and nudged us to reflect on our own pedagogy. 

Appleman, Deborah, & Graves, Michael F. (2012). Reading better, reading smarter. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Although the authors themselves may come from two different disciplines, their recognition that English teachers are also literacy teachers responsible for teaching literature but also responsible for teaching reading led to this book. They propose that teachers use what they call “scaffolded reading experiences” so that students are able to “read successfully, enjoyably, and purposefully” (p. xv). Subsequently, they provide 22 specific activities that support student readers before they read the texts assigned for class, while they read the texts, and after they have completed them. In the book’s six chapters, the authors provide tips for teaching students to use different lenses as they read as well as advice for text selection and how to evaluate student performance. After teachers digest the sample activities provided here, they will be able to create their own similar activities to accompany the texts their students read. Naturally, the authors address issues of motivation, relevance, and building background knowledge throughout the book. Most notable, though, is that the texts for which reading activities have been created are books or short stories with which teachers are already familiar, offering ways to refresh their approaches, as well as some, lesser known texts that promise to provoke rich classroom discussions. Since the books the authors discuss in the text are listed in the back matter, teachers can slowly start to transform their classrooms so that their students learn to become smarter readers.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Bromley, Karen. (2012). The next step in vocabulary instruction: Practical strategies and engaging activities that help all learners build vocabulary and deepen comprehension. New York: Scholastic.

Former IRA board member Karen Bromley has written a very practical book filled with ideas that teachers can use to help their students approach new words independently. In a teacher-friendly manner she masterfully weaves cutting-edge research into her text to build a strong rationale for each strategy and activity while addressing the following questions:

• How can I become a word-conscious and wise vocabulary teacher?
• How can I teach in ways that help students become independent word learners?
• How can I develop and deepen the vocabulary of struggling students and English language learners?
• How can I promote electronic and online word learning via the Internet?
• How can I build my students’ enjoyment of language through wordplay?
• How can I use children’s literature to build word knowledge and language appreciation?

Each chapter provides ideas for direct instruction, guided practice, and independent learning. Teachers will find this an excellent resource for enriching students’ vocabularies across the curriculum.

- Terrell A. Young, Brigham Young University Provo

Calkins, Lucy, Ehrenworth, Mary, & Lehman, Christopher. (2012). Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

In this useful book that could serve as a primer for the latest education reform movement, the authors explain exactly what the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are and how they are impacting what is taught in schools today as well as how what is taught is being assessed. After addressing the criticisms of naysayers as well as the laudatory remarks of supporters of the CCSS, they provide some suggestions as to how to implement the Standards within the existing structure of classrooms. The book contains eleven chapters intended to demystify the Standards themselves and possible pedagogical applications. After providing an overview of the CCSS for Reading, the authors examine Standards 1 and 10 Literal Understanding and Text Complexity. Chapter 4 and 5 look at Standards 2-9 with their emphasis on Reading Literature and Reading Informational Texts. Chapter 6 provides an overview of the Writing Standards with more specificity offered in the next chapters. Chapter 7 hones in on Composing Narrative Texts, Chapter 8 discusses composing Argument Texts, and Chapter 9 looks at Composing Informational Texts. Chapter 10 focuses on Speaking and Listening and Language Standards, and the final chapter ties up loose ends, reminding teachers of the link between assessment and instruction. While the book may not make readers into proponents of the CCSS, it certainly does clarify many points while also acknowledging that the route to this particular change is not clear. The book is not intended as a blueprint or a roadmap that must be followed assiduously, but it does provide a place for teachers to begin examining their instruction and a way to begin conversations about curriculum. This is essential reading for today’s teachers and would be a perfect book for a teacher book club.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Fletcher, Ralph. (2011). Mentor author, mentor texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Savvy teachers realize that there is a strong link between reading and writing. If student writers hear and read examples of good writing--texts that can serve as mentors for their own writing--they are likely to become better writers. In this book, the author provides 24 pieces of his own for teachers to use as mentor texts in writing instruction. There are stories, poems, essays, picture books, novel excerpts, and memoirs among the selections, some short, some longer. The author includes his own writer’s notes about each text so that student writers can peek inside his thinking process and follow along in understanding his own writing decisions. For some pieces, he points out specific things he wants young writers to notice while essentially opening the text and the creative process for them. There are also places in which the author explains his revision process and shows some of the revisions he made on these published pieces, something that will reassure beginning writers since they may expect their own writing to need no revision. Not only does the author provide materials to teach writing, allowing his own writing to serve as an example, but he explains how this book can be used in the classroom, complete with testimonies from teachers who offer their suggestions about where it might fit within a mini-lesson on as the focus of one aspect of writing, in a writer’s workshop or unit on writing. Best of all, readers will have the chance to marvel at Fletcher’s own writing while also learning ways to bring it and his craft into their own classrooms.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Laminack, Lester L. and Wadsworth, Reba M. (2012). Bullying Hurts: Teaching kindness through read alouds and guided conversations. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

The authors introduce this important book by describing several incidences of bullying that might surprise readers and then offer a rationale for a book that seeks to address bullying through literature and discussion. They write, "We believe focused read aloud experiences with carefully selected children's literature followed by guided conversations is one way you can create a climate in your classroom, school, or district where bullying is not an accepted or rewarded behavior. A climate where an individual's humanity and human dignity trump any difference(s) and kindness is the order of the day" (p. xii). Using the Common Core State Standards as connections to the read aloud selections chosen for this book, the authors explain how the use of read aloud experiences starting from the first day of kindergarten and continuing through the elementary years will develop a framework to help children understand bullying. Looking at character analysis, comprehension strategies, reflection techniques and critical thinking and problem solving strategies, teachers can guide critical thinking discussions about bullying with young and emerging readers. The book’s seven chapters discuss commonalities and differences and offer ways to change bullying behavior. Back matter also includes activities to build community and resources for teachers. Teachers will want to learn more about one of the authors through his website. See CL/R SIG reviews K-12 books about bullying here. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Newkirk, Thomas. (2012). The art of slow reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

In today’s highly-distracting world and amid today’s rush to insure that all students are proficient readers, able to handle increasingly complex texts and types of text, this book touts the merits of reading more slowly. The author suggests that there is something to be said about savoring text rather than rushing to the book’s end. By slow reading, the author has in mind “the relationship we have with what we read, with the quality of the attention that we bring to our reading, with the investment we are willing to make” (p. 2).  In an age where there are so many distractions and calls on our time, the author is concerned that everything moves too fast for much appreciation of the writer’s craft or for ideas to be digested. To his way of thinking, readers who slow down are able to hear the voice of authors and appreciate the way sentences flow while those who read too quickly may miss the writer’s craft. Consequently, he provides six ways to slow reading down: performing, memorizing, centering, problem finding, reading like a writer, and elaborating. The book’s eight chapters are filled with ways in which students—and their teachers—can adjust their reading pace and sip, rather than gulp, the nourishment found in the books they read. Reading should not be something that is timed for speed but an experience that allows the words being encountered to have some effect on those who are reading them. Consider reading this way to be akin to water gently bubbling from a fountain contrasted with a tsunami of words. What a brave and inspiring counterpoint to the current rush toward skimming and finishing everything quickly!

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Owocki, Gretchen. (2012). The Common Core lesson book, K-5: Working with increasingly complex literature, informational text, and foundational reading skills. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

This very practical and teacher-friendly book is a “must have” resource for teaching the Common Core State Standards in K-5 classrooms. For each standard, Owocki begins by placing the standards in the context of meaningful, research-based best practices. She provides teachers with a clear description of each standard and helps them see what each standard expects from students. Moreover, teachers are able to make note of grade expectations so that they know the expectations for students in the grades before and after their own. For each anchor standard, Owocki provides teachers with guidelines and strategies to teach the standard through the gradual release of responsibility model that includes teacher demonstration, collaborative engagement, and independent application. She even provides prompts at various grade levels for teachers to use. Moreover, the instructional decision trees included in the text effectively connect assessment to planning and provide teachers with additional techniques for intensifying instruction for readers needing additional support. Classroom teachers especially will appreciate the many graphic organizers for student use. This book is the ideal tool for helping teachers in enhancing and extending adopted curricula to meet the CCSS goals.

- Terrell A. Young, Brigham Young University Provo

Silvers, Penny and Shorey, Mary C. (2012). Many texts, many voices: Teaching literacy and social justice to young learners in the digital age.  Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

The book’s authors collaborated in a college classroom and an elementary school classroom in order to explore critical literacy and critical thinking. The book enables them to share ideas and activities with other teachers interested in implementing critical literacy concepts developed around the ideas of social justice to children. They comment, "Critical literacy requires that the reader/consumer examine multiple perspectives and ask, 'Whose interests are being served?' and 'Whose voice is heard—or silenced?' (p. 12). Rather than an addition to a lesson or curriculum, critical literacy is a way of thinking, communicating, analyzing, and living a literate life. Critical literacy also implies the possibility of taking some kind of social action in order to support a belief, make a difference, or simply help during a time of need." This professional book offers teachers specific books to use, lesson guides for implementation, assessment tools, text set lists, student checklists, graphic organizers, diagrams, technology tools, a detailed index and more. In addition to the plethora of reading ideas, the authors go a step further in the call for action to guide students to become involved in the support and/or aid of people and causes not only within their local communities but also in a global perspective. Using literature as a starting point, they guide students into the stages of critical thinking and evaluating possibilities for action and then to develop the plan of action to conclusion. Their suggestions and lesson ideas for embedding the concepts of social justice into each of these lessons in an authentic format is accurately expressed in the Foreword by Dr. Linda K. Crafton, “By using the twenty-first century multimodal tools of learning, they show explicitly how teachers can bring curriculum to life by grounding the daily experiences of their students in authentic questions that thrill kids the most."

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Vardell, Sylvia M. (2012). The poetry teacher’s book of lists. Seattle: CreateSpace.

If you are looking for one book to help improve your teaching of poetry, then this is the one for you! This book is a treasure trove containing over 155 different lists and featuring over 1,500 books of poetry for children and teens. Interested in award-winning poetry or books of poetry considered notable?  This book contains 27 of those lists. Vardell has also includes 19 holiday and seasonal poetry booklists, 7 multicultural and international poetry booklists, 6 thematic or topical poetry booklists, 21 poetry booklists across the curriculum, 20 booklists highlight the form of poetry, 19 booklists for creating a poetry-friendly environment, 12 lists for sharing and responding to poetry out loud, 15 lists of teaching poetry writing resources, and 9 general poetry teaching resources. She also includes a poetry glossary, prompts to guide meaningful discussions about poetry, a poetry history timeline, blogs for children, blogs for teachers, and so much more. It would be hard to imagine a better resource for teachers and librarians. Anyone anxious about including poetry in the classroom will have all fears alleviated by this thorough book.

- Terrell A. Young, Brigham Young University Provo

Vardell, Sylvia, & Wong, Janet. (Compilers). (2012). The Poetry Friday anthology: Poems for the school year with connections to the Common Core, K-5 Edition. Princeton: Pomelo Books.

If there is one thing most teachers seem to be afraid to teach, it has to be poetry. Well, they need fear no more, thanks to this wonderful new poetry anthology put together by two former members of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children Committee. This visually-appealing collection features 218 original poems written by 75 poets specifically for the anthology. Arranged by grade level, from kindergarten to fifth grade, the book features one poem on each page as well as poetic connections to the Common Core State Standards. Each poem has a "Take 5!" section with many suggestions about how to perform each poem, including simple props, and ideas about how to introduce poetry to children. The compilers have even provided references to poems or other poetry books with similar themes so that if students love one type of poem or one subject for a poem, they can easily find another similar one in this book or in another volume of poetry. Back matter includes a mini-glossary of poetry terms and a list of 25 websites and blogs devoted to children's poetry. There are memorable poems from some of the stalwarts of this type of writing: Arnold Adoff, Nikki Grimes, Julie Larios, J. Patrick Lewis, Jack Prelutsky, Laura Purdie Salas, Eileen Spinelli, Janet Wong, and Jane Yolen. While many of the poems feature familiar names, verses by others, such as Guadalupe Garcia McCall and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, show that the future of poetry is in good hands.  Be careful when reading this highly-addictive anthology.  You may find yourself nodding vigorously in agreement at a poet’s sentiments about a topic or chortling in glee. Find a place for this book on your desk since you’ll be turning to it time and time again. You may even want two copies, one for your students and one for your own use.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Also, IRA's new and forthcoming book list includes:

• Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can't Teach Without by Lori Oczkus 
• Literacy and Learning Lessons From a Longtime Teacher by Regie Routman
• Guided Comprehension for English Learners by Maureen McLaughlin
• Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp
• The Literacy Jigsaw Puzzle: Assembling the Critical Pieces of Literacy Instruction by Beverly Tyner
• The Common Core: Teaching K—5 Students to Meet the Reading Standards by Maureen McLaughlin and Brenda J. Overturf
• And more!