Jen Robinson's Book Page

Last week I found two articles related to the joy of learning that I thought were worth sharing in more detail. In the first, father and teacher Tony Sinanis urges educators to look more closely at school practices that take away the love of reading. In the second, math teacher Mr. C. shares his approach to moving from textbook-based math to real-world math, and the positive response from students. I'm encouraged to see these two teachers both encouraging others to make learning (whether reading or math) more joyful for students. 

Great points here! A plea from a father to other #educators: Let's Not Kill The Love Of #Reading http://ow.ly/qOqa307H1UA  @TonySinanis

Tony Sinanis: "The list could go on and on but the point is that somewhere along the line the reading Paul was doing became more about meeting someone else's expectations than they were about nurturing and growing his love for reading...

I do believe that some of our instructional practices (many of which I was guilty of using as a teacher myself) are actually killing the love of reading instead of nurturing it. When did we stop reading for the joy of reading? Although I am not a literacy expert or reading specialist myself I do think there are some things we could do to help grow a love of reading..."

Me: In this strong post, educator Tony Sinanis writes from a father's perspective about various educational practices that he's seen that appear to be taking away his son's love of reading. He offers suggestions based on his experience, and also references several other articles on this topic (including one by Pernille Ripp, whose work I share frequently). 

My own daughter is only six, but I already worry about the practices she will encounter in school that I fear will dampen her joy of reading. (Reading logs, accelerated reader programs, book reports, etc.). I do whatever I can at home to make sure that reading is something she enjoys and looks forward to. But I shouldn't have to guard against my daughter's school HARMING her love of reading, should I?

I think that Dr. Sinanis does a nice job of discussing this issue without blaming teachers, by focusing on how the drive for accountability leads to practices that book-loving parents can see are not helpful. 

Teaching math? Get REAL! | Teacher Mr. C shares his journey from #math textbooks to real-world lessons @cherandpete https://t.co/n7F5Cx93it

Mr. C.: "(After putting away the textbook and taking kids outside for a snow-based lesson) The students were completely engrossed in their math and really seemed to be getting it. Their computations were based on something that was relevant, tangible and real to them....

Over the course of the following years I slowly strayed further and further from the math text to the point where I am today; the math text collects dust on shelves in the back of my room. Finding content is easy! Math is all around us and we have tools at our finger tips to bring real math to our students!"

Me: This post (via Dr. Doug Green) caught my eye because I try to do this with my daughter. Not only is real-world math more fun for kids, using real, tangible examples reinforces constantly that math is important in life. So much better than dry worksheets (no matter how those worksheets strive for relevance by using the names of kids in the word problems). 

© 2017 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. This post may contain affiliate links. 

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage (plus a couple of links from last week, when I did not post very much and did not do a roundup). Topics this week include: #arts, #BookLists, #DiverseBooks, #GrowthMindset, #math, #RaisingReaders, easy readers, growing bookworms, reading, screentime, teaching, the Cybils Awards, and The Snowy Day.

Awards + Book Lists

The 2016 #cybils finalists are here!! http://ow.ly/TJST307AP21  | Check out these well-written and kid-friendly titles, by category

#Cybils blog: 2016 Finalists: What’s Being Said | Some of our favorite reactions from authors, publishers, etc. http://ow.ly/97z2307J9jS 

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day 31 – The Best #PictureBooks of 2016 — @FuseEight  w/ links to another 30 #BookLists  #kidlit http://ow.ly/Is0D307CRRw 

A Final Review Round-Up of Books for Beginning Readers from @mrskatiefitz  http://ow.ly/hUCS307CRtT  #EasyReaders #ChapterBooks #kidlit 

Diversity

The PC Police Crack Down on . . . Kids Books | Meghan Cox Gurdon @WSJ calls for creative space for #DiverseBooks https://t.co/KC1ucqNL4F 

A Renaissance of Children’s Literature re: quality + recognition of #DiverseBooks says @literacious  #kidlit https://t.co/cBbPVTFJmK

‘We need diverse books,’ they said. And now a group’s dream is coming to fruition. #DiverseBooks @washingtonpost http://ow.ly/bVRU307JD1q 

E-Books + Screens

Science Says You Should Still Keep #Reading Print Books Over #e-Books | @good via @drdouggreen https://t.co/0wTQH5BsEq

Toddlers + Touchscreens: What Does the Research Actually Say? @MarnieKaplan @bellwethered @LarryCuban @drdouggreen https://t.co/dvzLR1PRZX

Growing Bookworms

Easy Ways to Get Your Kids (by age range) to #Read More This Year @ImaginationSoup @ReadBrightly   | Under-schedule! http://ow.ly/N0mg307H68a 

Three Keys to Creating Successful #Reading Experiences for less than avid readers from @pernilleripp  http://ow.ly/6ABt307H128  | Patience!

5 Reasons to Try #Audiobooks with Kids from @growingbbb  http://ow.ly/vqVe307IRAm  | e.g. #5 Adds more #ReadAloud time into your child's day

Growth Mindset

Pokemon Go Helps #Teachers Develop a #GrowthMindset | a reminder to try learning from kids by @mssackstein https://t.co/5m1Tl5KSXq

Kidlitosphere

Morning Notes: #kidlit news from @100scopenotes | I WANT the #SnowyDay stamps coming soon http://ow.ly/5cTE307H4Vo 

On Reading, Writing, Blogging, and Publishing

What #kidlit will survive 100 years from now? David Thorpe reflects on #LittleHouse + #GreenGables http://ow.ly/6bHJ307H4BR  @AwfullyBigBlog

I can heartily agree with some of @mrskatiefitz 's 2016 #Kidlit #Reading Pet Peeves http://ow.ly/A25f307s3R0  - esp. "prescriptive + preachy"

ParentingUnplugged Ideas to Keep Kids Busy (+ connect with them) While You Cook Dinner from @momandkiddo  http://ow.ly/NSkh307H4pd  #parenting

Schools and Libraries

Four concepts to help #teachers in Moving from a Classroom of Kids to a Community of #Learners | @bethhill2829 https://t.co/h3artQvBvS

STEAM

The #arts help kids with #math, critical thinking + fine motor |Cory Rosenberg @MotherNatureNet  http://ow.ly/pKJP307CS3M  via @drdouggreen

© 2017 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Little Big Girl
Author: Claire Keane
Pages: 32 
Age Range: 3-5

Little Big Girl by Claire Keane is a particular take on what happens when a one-time only child becomes a big sister. We see various vignettes of "Little Matisse" as she scoots up onto the counter to "brush her little teeth" and puts on her "little shoes", shown as small compared to those of her parents. When she travels in the back of her parents' car, we see how little she is, compared to the big city. But when Matisse meets her baby brother, she has an instantaneous shift in perspective. Suddenly her clothes and shoes and fingers are big, in comparison to those of the baby. Keane tells us about this perspective shift in words, but she also shows us in pictures, with Matisse growing larger relative to the background in many of the later images. 

Two things make Little Big Girl stand out for me in the sea of new sibling books. The first is the use of the perspective shift, as described above. When else in life does someone go from being small to being big overnight? Keane's bold illustrations capture this beautifully. The second this is the sheer joy that Matisse shows in her every interaction with her brother, and his clear fascination with her. While I think that it's useful to have books in which the new sibling cries a lot and is annoying and takes away attention, I found Little Big Girl's pure focus on a positive to be rather a joy. 

Like this: 

"He slept in a little bed, and wore the clothes Matisse was now too big for.

Suddenly, Matisse realized that she wasn't actually little at all.

She was big."

The first line of this quote is accompanies by a tender image of Matisse kissing the sleeping baby in his cradle. The second shows her putting on his tiny little shoes. We see her medium-size shoes, still small compare to the surrounding shows of mom. And with "She was big" we see Matisse looking at herself in the mirror, a stylish preschooler with hands on hips, self-confident and growing more so before our very eyes. 

Little Big Girl is not a complex book, but it's a nice, positive spin on what happens when someone becomes a big sister or a big brother. The illustrations are heart-warming (just look at that cover above), and the minimal text will keep the attention of even the youngest of big sisters. Little Big Girl would make a great gift for anyone you know who is expecting a second child. Recommended!

Publisher: Dial Books (@PenguinKids) 
Publication Date: November 8, 2016
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2016 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Happy New Year! Today, I will be sending out a new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on growing joyful learners, mainly bookworms, but also mathematicians and learners of all types. The newsletter is sent out every two to three weeks.

Newsletter Update:  In this issue I have five book reviews (all picture books - I have several middle grade reviews coming up), one post with my daughter's latest literacy milestone (appreciating audiobooks), and one post with links that I shared recently on Twitter.  I also summarize my reading, and my daughter's reading, from 2016. 

Reading Update: In the past two weeks I read one middle grade and three adult novels. I read/listened to: 

• Sarah Rubin: The Impossible Clue. Chicken House Press. Middle Grade Fiction. Completed December 18, 2016. Review to come.
• Charlaine Harris: A Bone to Pick (Aurora Teagarden, Book 2). Berkley. Adult Mystery. Completed December 21, 2016, on MP3.
• Charlaine Harris: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (Aurora Teagarden, Book 3). Berkley. Adult Mystery. Completed December 26, 2016, on MP3. I like this rather light early series from Charlaine Harris. It does not (at least so far) feature the supernatural.
• Cate Holahan: The Widower's Wife. Crooked Lane Books. Adult Thriller. Completed January 2, 2017. This is an intriguing thriller told from multiple perspectives that will keep readers guessing, and was my first read of 2017. 

Looking at my list of books read for 2016 overall, I find that I read 50 children's books (not counting picture books), 13 young adult books, and 90 adult books, for 153 books total. In past years I've had a very rough goal of 50 books in each of the three categories. Clearly, my reading has shifted quite a bit from YA to adult books. This reflects that fact that I do most of my reading these days in the form of audiobooks. Adult novels tend to be longer, and hence better value for my Audible credit dollars. I'm also dipping into a bit more nonfiction in my digital reading. I don't have any specific goals for reading in 2017. I always want more time to read, and that's something for me to work on. Of course my biggest reading-related goal will be ensuring that my daughter continues to enjoy reading. 

My daughter concluded the year with 1406 books logged as read by her or to her. This was only a slight decrease from last year's total of 1446 books, which is pretty good considering that a) we read far fewer books than usual in November and December; and b) she's been including longer chapter books in the mix. Her favorite series to read on her own right now is definitely The Lunch Lady series by Jarrett Krosoczka. I even snapped a photo of her lying on the floor reading one of the books while my husband and I were still finishing Christmas dinner. We're also up to Chapter Four of the first Harry Potter book, and she is quite excited about that.

It has been truly amazing watching how her reading ability (not to mention her level of interest in reading) has progressed over the year. Many thanks to all of the authors and illustrators whose work has inspired her, and to the teachers who have helped her along the way.

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms. I wish you all a book-filled and peaceful 2017. 

© 2016 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: The Princess and the Frogs
Author: Veronica Bartles
Pages: Sara Palacios
Age Range: 4-8

The Princess and the Frogs is a reinvention of the classic Frog Prince story featuring a princess who wants a pet frog, but who has no interest whatsoever in princes. Princess Cassandra has everything she could ever want, except for a best friend. She decides that what she needs is a pet who matches her favorite green dress and will play with her all day. The Royal Pet Handler eventually brings her a frog. She has a great time playing with the frog, right up until she loves the frog so much that she kisses him on the head and he turns into a prince. He wants to marry her, but she just wants a pet frog, and so sends him off to work in the kitchens. This happens again, and again, until a solution is found. 

Who knew that ALL frogs were princes in disguise? Hopefully this is just in Cassandra's kingdom, because otherwise, things could get a bit awkward. I just love that Cassandra, confronted by prince after prince, keeps saying: "Princes aren't pets. I want a frog!" She's a delightful heroine, with a big smile, round glasses, and a determination to play and read. Who wouldn't like her? 

My favorite page is one in which Cassandra has sent all of the princes away and is attempting to prove to herself that she doesn't need anyone. We have:

"Cassandra played in the empty courtyard and read books in the silent library.

But even her favorite green dress didn't make her happy. And she still didn't have a friend."

This is accompanied by images of Cassandra jumping rope, while two bored servants turn the rope for her, and having a sad tea party with a real cake and a stuffed rabbit. Finally, she sits dejectedly in a hopscotch grid. The bored servants cracked me up. And perhaps I thought of my own only child, constantly begging for playdates (though never with frogs). But I do quite like the way that Sara Palacios brings Cassandra to life. 

The Princess and Frogs is an engaging story featuring a non-traditional princess with a refreshing twist on happily ever after. It will make kids, especially girls, laugh. Recommended for home or storytime use. 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (@HarperChildrens)
Publication Date: November 15, 2016
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2016 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).