Picture Book a Day

My "new" picture books :)

So we are coming to the last days of our summer break. I cannot believe that it has flown by so quickly, but I am eager to get back in the classroom! 

In the mad rush of getting classrooms ready, we have a hallway in our building that seems to collect everyone's cast offs. Even though I cannot possibly fit one more thing in my room, the closet hoarder in me has to check it out every summer. It was yesterday that I stumbled upon a treasure of books. I didn't know whether to be completely stoked - woohoo - MORE books for me, or to be sad that  such wonderful books were being thrown out. It didn't take me long to rifle through the stack to find some of my favorite authors and illustrators. The titles and authors I didn't recognize were just as fun!

I had already been thinking about how I might go about sharing some of the wonderful picture books I love to use in my classroom, and this was just the push I needed to jump in! I thought I would try and share a "Picture Book a Day." Now those that know me, know that I usually bite off more than I can chew without thinking, but I think it will be fun to give it a shot....so here goes...

  

  

I made a serious mistake when I read this book to my class the first time. I had picked it up in a bargain bin at Books-A-Million because I loved the author/illustrator team, Sarah Stewart and David Small, and it reminded me so much of their Caldecott Honor book The Gardener. My mistake came in that I had picked up so many books that day that I did not actually read The Friend until I read it in front of my class. It was such a sweet rhyming book that I was almost in tears reading it. My kiddos were looking up at me with big eyes, but I just couldn't stop.  When I finally made it to the last page, I turned to the back cover and saw a note from the author. That was enough to put it at the very top of my favorites list! Now I look forward, even though my eyes still water, to reading this every year when I launch writing workshop. It is such a moving story and demonstration of WHY writers write!

The Friend

"To all the people across the world who have saved the lives of children by paying attention when others did not - but especially to Ola Beatrice Smith" - Sarah Stewart





We spend a lot of time looking at the illustrations and sharing the text. Lots of discussion happens regarding how writers share their own story, and because this story moves me as much as it does, we spend just as much time talking about how wonderful writers can move us. I could not imagine launching writing workshop without sharing this book!