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Iowa
Children's Choice Award
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Third
through 6th grade students at all four Pleasant Valley elementary
schools participated in the Iowa Children's Choice Award vote
in February. Students were asked to read a minimum of 2 books
from a list of titles recommended by students across the state.
283 Iowa schools representing 23,560 students selected A Week
in the Woods by Andrew Clements as the 2005 Iowa Children's
Choice winner.
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Peg Kehret
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Personal
experience, newspaper items, and imagination provide the ideas
behind books by Peg Kehret. Using scraps of paper from her
Ideas Box, Peg creates stories of action, adventure, and suspense.
Peg has always loved to write but did not publish her first
children's book until she was 49 years old. Since that time
she has won numerous awards and honors. Peg is a volunteer
for animal welfare causes and personally raises rescued animals.
She features animals in many of her books. Her home is a log
house on a ten-acre wildlife sanctuary near Mount Rainer National
Park.
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http://www.iema-ia.org/icca.html |
photo
courtesy of
http://www.pegkehret.com/ |
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Kitten’s First Full Moon
by Kevin Henkes
It’s kitten’s first full moon
and when she sees it she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the
sky. She wants to drink it! She ends up tired, wet, and hungry
trying to reach it. This title is the 2005 Caldecott Medal
winner.
Connect to a complete list of
Caldecott Medal winning titles:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/
caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.htm
Author’s home page:
www.kevinhenkes.com |
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Actual Size by
Steve Jenkins
Eighteen
creatures are illustrated in amazing cut-paper collages in
this oversize non-fiction book. One or two sentences accompany
each illustration along with details of the creature’s length
and weight.
To read a
short review:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?
textType=reviews&titleNumber=510234 |
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Because of Anya-Margaret
Peterson Haddix
Why is
ten-year-old Anya wearing a wig? Her classmates are curious
and come up with their own explanations. In this story of
friendship and acceptance Anya’s classmates help her come to
terms with her disease.
To read
a short review:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/content.cfm?
sid=183&pid=489541 |
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Owen Foote, Mighty Scientist
by Stephanie Greene
In this
fast paced, funny story Owen dreams of becoming a real
scientist wearing a white lab coat. His plan to win first
prize in the school science fair is thwarted by an
uncooperative lizard and a misunderstanding with this best
friend.
To read a
short review:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/
titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=100349 |
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A Week in the Woods
by Andrew Clements
Mark, a
fifth grader in New Hampshire, has just moved to Hardy
Elementary. The whole school is preparing for the annual Week
in the Woods event. Mark thinks camping is dumb and he is not
looking forward to spending time with his teacher, Mr.
Maxwell.
For a
review:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/content.cfm?sid=183&pid=409951 |
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Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Jack
tries to respond to his teacher’s request to write poetry. At
first his writing is brief and angry, but he eventually learns
to love poetry through an understanding of famous poems
introduced by this teacher. He is then able to write in his
own words the story of his dog, Sky.
For a
review and comments by the author:
http://www.sharoncreech.com/novels/01.asp |
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The Read-Aloud Handbook
by Jim Trelease
This essential reference for
parents contains an annotated bibliography of more than 1000
children's books for reading aloud and gives strategies for
raising readers.
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/3books.html
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Primary
Reading Tip:
Rereading Builds Fluency
Have you ever reread a
book because you liked the characters, setting, plot, or the
feeling that the book generated? Children enjoy rereading
favorite storybooks too! This activity not only satisfies the
child’s love of the story, but it also helps the child build
reading fluency. The first time through a story is usually
somewhat labored—looking at the letters, chunks and sounds,
but the second and third time through, the child begins to add
expression and rhythm to his/her oral reading. Enjoy listening
to your child become a fluent reader!
www.readnaturally.com |
Book
Adventure
http://www.bookadventure.org
Book Adventure is a free reading motivation program for children
in grades K-8.
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Intermediate
Reading Tip:
Book Allowance
In addition to whatever
other allowance your child may receive, provide an allowance
for books. Even if the allowance allows for the purchase of
one paperback book or magazine a week, you’ve helped encourage
reading! Regular visits to a good magazine rack, along with
book purchases, provide reading material. As a parent, you
will probably want to exercise some judgment on reading
purchases, but magazines your child shows some interest in
(and which you approve) are a good way to provide reading
material and encourage recreational reading.
www.creativeteachingsite.com/read1.htm
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Literacy
Center
www.literacycenter.net
The LiteracyCenter.Net provides free learning activities for
parents and teachers to share with young children.
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Literacy Connection
www.literacyconnections.com
Literacy Connections provides
of information on reading including topics such as the
language experience approach, phonics, word study, and the
best in children's literature.
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Reading is
Fundamental
www.rif.org/readingplanet
The
Reading is Fundamental Web site offers great games and
animated talking stories for children.
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| Archived
Issues of Parents and Literacy:
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District Media Center
Links:
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