The Best Thing

I thought I would start this post as I do so many others. A new selection of books will join our ever-growing collection Monday morning. I just LOVE Books-a-Million and their great sales (thank you, Sarah!) ~ tons of nonfiction for $2.00 and buy-one-get-one free! Whoop ~ Whoop! So excited ~ not only for the great new nonfiction but for the fun new little picture books to add to our collection. I just love a good picture book!

Our class is so pumped to start our next unit Monday morning! We will be immersed in the world of mythology as we read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and the kiddos have been waiting on pins and needles for us to start this one!

We have some great lessons and activities ahead of us! As we have built this unit, I have found a few other texts to help us with our journey. The Ultimate Guide and The Lightning Thief graphic novel will be great additions to our fun study of mythology. As soon as possible I will share some of the fun!

 

Our kiddos experienced the double-edged sword of finishing an amazing book! We completed Jack Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt last week, and while we anticipated every word till the last just to see what adventures Jack would encounter next, we were just as sad to say goodbye to the strong, round characters of Jack and Miss. Volker. Dead End is so full of mystery and history that each day the kiddos could not wait to get to the carpet to listen! 

As happy and sad as we were to finish, we are just as excited with our latest read aloud. Dark Life by Kat Falls has captured us whole before the end of the first chapter. I cannot wait to see where Kat takes us, and Ty and Gemma,  with this one! 

I have a few picture books to share of course... 

I want to start with an amazing Caldecott winner that is so beautifully perfect. Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier, is a touching memoir of American history. My sweet kiddos had no problem understanding exactly what made Dr. King's words big!

I cannot wait to share with my kiddos one of the fun little picture books that I found this weekend. Hieronymus Betts and his Unusual Pets by M.P.Robertson is chock-full of adjectives and descriptive details! Sibling love, more-or-less, fill the pages, and no doubt we will have many connections and comparisons. I can almost see a morning meeting game come out of this one. :) Common Themes: the love of family and friends.

One last picture book to share with you tonight. I could not even begin to tell you where I picked this one up a number of years ago, but I can tell you that each year it is a favorite of the kiddos. The Magic Crystal by Brigitte Weninger is a true lesson of believing in ourselves and being happy with what we have. The illustrations by Robert Ingpen are wonderful and mysterious all the same.

Last to share is the wonderful weekend I have had... Mr. Dunn and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary on Tuesday and we have spent most of the weekend in an early celebration of sorts. It seems just yesterday that we were married. Twenty years can pass in a wink. Josh surprised me with a pretty little anniversay band. Such a sweet man he can be. ;)

I made this video a few years ago, for another anniversary, but I still love it just the same. 

Well, thanks for indulging me.

Happy Reading!