Oh...exciting Tuesday....

Anyone that reads this blog knows I am a HUGE fan of Mo Willems! His books are fantastic, and most importantly the children love them! You can find my earlier posts about him here and also here.  Well, his latest and greatest book on the series of Piggie and Elephant is out! And you may buy it here. I am going today after school to get my copy and may I just say....

HAPPY TUESDAY! THE RELEASE OF THIS BOOK MAKES MY DAY!

I am still here...

and ready to start posting more frequently again! I had to do some "taking care" of my health, and now that I got my energy back, I am ready to share with you some new findings in the children's world of books. And because I was "out" of the blogging world for a while, today I will post a super-special extra edition of My World-Mi Mundo (with a little bit of everything!).

First, I would like to invite you solve The Mystery by Maxwell Eaton III. Yes, I did say mystery because, you see, after Max and Pinky paint the barn, "someone" comes during the night and paint it all over again BUT with a different color, or a different design. Well, Max and Pinky are frustrated, of course, so they decided to look for clues, and to do some interrogation. In the meantime, you will read some funny remarks from the other farm animals in the barn (silly and funny!). Well....the ending does has a surprise. Well, let's see if you can solve the mystery while you read this book...Please check it out! 

I can picture many little ones in my classroom devouring this book (interesting choice of words!). After all, dinosaurs are HUGE in the children's world. I still see my fifth grade students fascinated when they find out a new fact about dinosaurs. The Pop-up Dinosaurs Galore! by Giles Andreae is definitely a book for your younger students (K-2). It shares one cool fact about The T-rex, Pteranodon, Triceratops, Diplodocus and the Giganotosaurus. Written in a rhythmic way makes it even more fun for this book to be read aloud over and over. Besides, there is something to be said about Pop-up books, now try to picture the reaction of a dinosaur pop-up book... yes, definitely a winner. This book will be HUGE and POPULAR with our younger audience!

And now, I would like to share the CD  that my first and second graders have been listening to during Writer's Workshop. The children love it and so do I: Dean Jones Nappers. 

This time of the year is so lovely here in the United States. Fall is definitely my favorite season, although, it doesn't last long enough. I've been doing a lot of walk lately, and carrying my camera with me everywhere I go. So, I will leave you with one of my favorite pics from this season. Happy Fall...and enjoy those leaves before they are gone!  

What's coming up this week? 

*some more new findings in the world of children's books

*I will also be sharing some of the process that undergoes in putting a Cultural Festival together as I am getting ready for mine (December 17!!!)

* I will be attending the TESOL conference on Friday and hope to share some new multicultural books, findings, tips and suggesting when working and teaching English Language Learners. 

Stay tuned!

Goodale Park, Columbus, OH Fall 2008

Words, Words Everywhere

I love books that teaches or encourages children to learn, play or discover new words. When I am saying this, I don't have only the ELL children in mind, but actually ALL children regardless whether English is their first, second, or third language.

Books like Christmas Cookies: Bite-Size Holidays Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

are books that invite children to learn new words in context, in a world that makes sense to them. In this latest book, the author invites us to take a journey during the holiday season, zooming in events that give you hope, peace and joy. Children will definitely understand words like perseverance, thoughtful, moderation and appreciative because the context, the story is one anyone will enjoy and appreciate. 

The first time I picked up a book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal was when I read Cookies: Bite-sized Life Lessons. Since then, I fell in love with her books!  Needless to say, I am excited about her latest book since it is just perfect for this Holiday season (it is crazzzy that I am already thinking about The Holidays!)

A Classic with a Twist

For the ones interested in finding different versions of classic fairy tale stories like The Three Little Pigs, let me introduce you to another version: The Three Horrid Little Pigs  by Liz Pichon.

In Liz Pichon's version of the Three Little Pigs, Mr. Wolf is a nice, thoughtful character who happens to be a builder! He is helpful and considerate and all he really wants is to help the Three Little Pigs who are just terrible (and lazy) at building houses. These three little pigs have a huge attitude problems, no wonder their mom kicked them out! 

Funny, great dialogue, silly twist and great illustrations is what made The Three Horrid Little Pigs such a great companion to my fall afternoon!

Regardless of what state you live in the USA...I hope you are enjoying this FALL weather as much as I do. Happy Reading!