As you are Doing your Holiday Shopping, Keep This in Mind!

Have you read the book "An Awesome Book" ? Have you heard of Dallas Clayton?

Prepare to be inspired...

Awesome Book Tour from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.

What an amazing initiative! How many children are enjoying reading this book because of his project! Whoever gets books in the hands of children, deserve a round of applause. If you are interested in getting a sneak peak of the book click here, if you would like to pre-order click here. Thanks to Hula Seventy for posting this at Poppytalk! I love when people share and spread great findings with others! Feel free to do so!

What about you? What do you dream of?

Stella

Shades of People

Every time I see a book at the library with the cover full of photographs, it catches my attention immediately. I wasn't disappointed at all to pick this book up. Shades of People by Shelly Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly show us through a collection of beautiful photographs the different shades of people. What I love about this book is the rich collection of words used to describe the different shades of people. They use words such as copper, tan, almond, coffee, cocoa, creamy and ivory to describe all the amazing shades. Portrayed in a such a positive way with rich vocabulary this is another one of those books I love to collect and share with my ELLs.

People that follow my blog know how much I love language and learning new exquisite words. I love reading books that give children an opportunity to be word explorers as well. I have reviewed several books that are your perfect companion if you want to go on a journey of learning new words with your students. You can find a review here and here as well. Savour they journey!

She did it again!!

I'm a big fan of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and I was more than excited to see that she published a delicious follow up to the bestselling Cookies and Christmas Cookies. In this new book entitled Sugar Cookies Sweet Little Lessons on Love she defines words associated with love. By using the experience of baking cookies, Amy helps readers understand all the dimensions of LOVE from waiting to lick the bowl together (considerate) to being honest if the cookies tastes funny (constructive). And of course, t the end of the book you will find a recipe to Sugar Cookies.

As a person who loves languages and words, I think this book is one of those GREAT mentor texts to use in the classroom to invite students to be language observers and word learners. The context of the story which is baking cookies is familiar to many students and it is a fantastic way to learn more sophisticated yet every day words. If the context of baking cookies is not familiar to the students, then I couldn't think of a better season than this one to provide our students with this experience while learning and acquiring more vocabulary! This book is definitely another treasure to be added to my personal library.

Animal Poems & Others

POETRY FRIDAY




I have two great books I would love to share with you today for Poetry Friday. First African Acrostics A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley is one of my latest finds. I must say that a couple of things caught my attention right away. First of all, the acrostic poems are literally a delight to read. Captivating titles such as Eye to Eye, Untamed or The Watcher are some of the titles that matches the acrostic poems. Another amazing feature are the photographs that goes along with the acrostics. Photographer Deborah Noyes sure did a fantastic job capturing a strong image of each animal. I can see this book becoming a great mentor text for upper intermediate grades (grades 4 & up) that would like to see how acrostics are done in fun, creative ways.


I also enjoyed reading the Nature Notes found at the end of this book where the author gathered relevant information about each African Animal. You will also find the photographer's note where she shares information about Namibia, a country in southern Africa where most of the pictures were taken.


The second book that is also now part of my Poetry collection is this creative book entitled A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk A Forest of Poems by Deborah Ruddell and Joan Rankin. Are you ready to go for a walk through the forest? Are you ready to live through the four seasons as you explore the different creatures that surround this amazing environment? Well, that's what this book is all about. During your hike, you will encounter squirrels, an overachieving beaver, and quite the snail. My favorite poem is definitely the one about the weaver.


Biography of a Beaver


Bucktoothed Cleaver
Tree Retriever
Building Conceiver
True Believer
Waterproof Weaver
Overachiever
Roll-up-Her-Sleever-
Hooray for the Beaver!


I hope these two brighten up your children's literature world like they brighten up mine! Happy Friday. Enjoy the journey!

Thank You Mary Lee and Franki!

NCTE's National Day on Writing is finally here!

Our amazing friends over at A Year of Reading compiled all the amazing writings from our Kidlitosphere World into this amazing Writing Gallery Title " A Lifetime of Reading". You simply can not miss it. Grab a cup of coffee or better yet apple cider, sit back and enjoy reading a wide variety of writing from your favorite Kidlitosphere writers. My World/ Mi Mundo was present with a short piece entitled Pay It Forward with a Good Book.

Mary Lee and Franki, thanks for your hard work! It looks fantastic!

THe celebration continues...

My Name is Gabito The life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another wonderful biography written by Monica Brown. Again, she did a terrific job portraying and talking about the amazing Hispanic writer in an authentic and accessible way for children to understand. I particularly enjoyed how Monica Brown discusses Gabriel's passion for stories...

"The more words Gabito learned, the more stories he told..."

"The more people Gabito met, the more stories he told..."

"The more things Gabito saw, the more stories he told.."

What a powerful way to send this message across: Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a storyteller, he was on one of the greatest writers in South America. He has written over 30 books including Love in the Time of Cholera, and his most brilliant novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. In 1982 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Colombia and the rest of the world celebrates his success as a writer, novelist, and journalist.

THe celebration continues...

Here at My World/Mi Mundo we keep on celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with books recommendations. Since it is Poetry Friday, I thought I will share this fantastic book about Gabriela Mistral, our first Latina Nobel Prize winner in 1945. This book titled My Name is Gabriella/Me Llamo Gabriella by Monica Brown talks about the love and passion that Gabriela had for words. This book is written in first person and describes Gabriela since her early years as a school child when she decides to change her name and teach herself how to read. Gabriela Mistral is actually the pseudonym for Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga. Then the book takes us when Gabriela becomes a school teacher. She was a very active woman in education in Mexico and Chile. Monica Brown captivated Gabriela's passion for expression and words really well through this book. As a teacher and as poet Gabriela encouraged children around the world to express themselves through writing and mostly, to follow our dreams. This book is the second book in the Luna Rising's bilingual biography series.

Gabriela Mistral is definitely one of our biggest pride in the South American Literature World. I want to celebrate Gabriela in our Poetry Friday and encourage anyone who wants to find out more about the life of this amazing woman to keep on reading. Trust me, she is an interesting person to discover. Here are a couple of interesting facts about Gabriela Mistral:

* Gabriela was born in Chile. Both of her parents came from Basque and Indian heritage.

*Her father, who was also a teacher, abandoned them when she was 3 years old. But before he left, he made a garden especially for Gabriela.

* At age 16, Gabriela started working as a teacher's aide so she could support herself.

* One sad event in Gabriela's life are reflected in some of her earlier poems like the suicide of her boyfriend in 1909. Most of her first poems are written to him. Gabriela's writing helped her cope with the sadness in her heart.

*Gabriela Mistral was the principal of an important school for girls in Chile.

These are just some basic facts about her. There are so many interesting stories to discover about Gabriela. During Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to make sure she has a page in My World/Mi Mundo.

"What the soul is to the body, so is the artist to his people." Gabriela Mistral

The Sad Mother

By Gabriela Mistral

Sleep, sleep my beloved

without worry, without fear

although my soul does not sleep

although I do not rest.

Sleep, sleep and in the night,

may your whispers be softer

than a leaf of grass

or the silken fleece of lambs.

May my flesh slumber in you,

my worry, my trembling

In you, may my eyes close

and my heart sleep.

Love Poetry Friday! Please stop by Susan Writes where Poetry Fridays round up will be! Have an excellent weekend!