Mrs. P's Reading is Cool Blog

When we read aloud, we change the world! #WorldReadAloudDay Ideas to celebrate

February 1, 2018 is World Read Aloud Day! I am excited to share some World Read Aloud Day ideas that you can to implement in your classroom. Also be sure to check the World Read Aloud website full of ideas too. 

                                                                                                     
Many teachers are Skyping with an author, but fear not, if you didn’t connect with one, you can still find plenty of ways to celebrate.

• Create a special story time in your classroom. Let your students all take turns reading a sentence or page from a story.
• Tune into a online event. The NY Public Library is hosting one at noon EST
• Need some ideas for books to read?  I just participated in #ReadYourWorld celebrating Multicultural Children's Books.  What could be better for #WordlReadAloudDay than reading a story about another country?  Here is a website filled with book reviews that can serve as a valuable resource for your classroom.

I have participated in two #WorldReadAloud stories coordinated with teacher extraordinaire Sean Forde. I met Sean Forde on Twitter and was sent a page of a book to read using Flip Grid. Below you will find the videos that were created from people all over to globe. The story traveled many continents to be read. And that’s what makes it so much fun to share. Students can see people from all over the world reading together.

What is amazing about these little videos is that can help students develop their vocabularies, and their reading and language skills.

Enjoy these read-alouds read to you by people from all around the globe! They were put together using Flipgrid and Book Creator.

 

 

 

 

Dragons Oh My! This is my special announcement on the winners of my 9th Annual “Be a Famous Writer” Contest

 
Drumroll please, or better yet, how about a little fire burst from a fire breathing Dragon!

 

Whew, that was hot!  But not as hot as the news I have to share!! The theme for the contest this year was the word Dragon. It brought a lot of very creative entries from K-4 schools across the country. 16 states entered the contest and the most entries came from TX and NY. Many of the stories came with illustrations too, which we loved receiving.

The grand prize was chosen by a panel of celebrity judges that included best selling author, Josh Funk. He’s the author of Dear Dragon (one of his many wonderful books), so who better than to judge a story about Dragons right? and Matthew Winner, elementary library media specialist and co-founder of literacy podcast All The Wonders, and of course me - Mrs. P ( some of you even know me as T.V. Actress Kathy Kinney).  Some of the things we considered in the winning selections were: Originality, creativity, compelling narrative, humor, sense of adventure and the development of a theme or point of view.

O.K. with another giant fire plume from a Dragon...
The GRAND PRIZE winning story, is.. from Ms. Young’s class at Brywood Elementary School in Irvine California. The story is called: "The Royal Fondue Party". The judges loved the creative problem solving of the characters, and how well the story flowed with it’s well written dialogue.

  

The winning classroom will be filled with actual books, audio books and digital books thanks to the sponsors of the contest: Mackin Educational Resources will provide a $500 gift certificate and audio book company Tales2GO will provide a classroom license valued at $250. Judge and author Josh Funk is also providing a copy of his book “Dear Dragon”. Award winning author Elissa Brent Weissman is also providing copies of her book “Our Story Begins” to the grand prize winner and will be Skyping with them. 2nd and 3rd place schools will also get a copy of “Our Story Begins”. Wow, that is something to breath fire about isn’t it! Oh, and wait, did I mention this story will also be illustrated by Robin Robinson and will premiere on my YouTube Channel in March? Yes, I will read this wonderful story for all of the world to see.

 

Boxes of beautifully illustrated books with music CD’s from Cantata Learning are also being provided to Ms. Haber’s 2nd graders at William Floyd Elementary School in Shirley, N.Y. who took 2nd place with their entry, “The Cursed Dragon”, and 4th graders from Mrs. Smith’s class at the Collegiate School in Henrico, VA, who took 3rd place with their story “Fly”.

Powell’s Books provided gift cards that were given out to:
4th place winner “Tail of a Tofu Dragon” from Ms. Hogan’s 4th grade at Silver Oak Elementary, in San Jose, CA
5th place “The Dragon, the Dragonfly and the Statue” Ms. Macinnes 4th grade at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

 

A host of other schools were also named to my extra special honor roll and given gift cards and special honor certificates because their stories had something extra special, like the story “There be Dragons” from Ms Bish’s class at Hope Chinese School-Gaithersburg in Germantown, MD. I’ll be making this story into a video too. You all know I am a strong advocate for anti-bullying and the inclusiveness theme of this story touched me so, that I thought it should have a place on my playlist.

Also on the honor roll are:

• The Dragon Hero - Mrs. Bullers 4th grade at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster, PA.
• Change of the Dragon - Mrs. Berghoff 4th grade at South Elementary School in Jackson, MO.
• The One Dragon - Ms. Plume’s 4th grade at Drummond Elementary in St. Ann, MO
• (Untitled - “He woke drenched in sweat…”) - Ms. Parker 4th at Mackintosh Academy in Boulder, CO
• The Tale of the Dragon and Chinchillas - Ms. Miller’s 4th at Lancaster Mennonite School in Hummelston, PA
• Bob’s Stuck - Ms. Vester’s 3rd grade at Harrison Street School in Geneva, ILL
• Joey the Dragon School Bus - Ms. Tiemens 1st grade at Meadow Ridge Elementary in Plymouth, MN

And because I love to encourage creativity in classrooms, 7 other schools are getting a copy of the book “Our Story Begins”, sent directly from Simon and Schuster. These schools all submitted stories that had a little something extra.

 

Here they are:

• (Untitled “Hi! I’m Persephone.”)  - Ms. Keller’s class at Brooks Hill Elementary in Fairport, NY
• The Dragon Swim Team - Mrs. Davison’s 2nd Grade from Meadow Ridge Elementary in Plymouth, MN
• All About Dragons - Ms. Seymour’s 2nd Grade at H.M. Pearson Elementary School in Catlett, VA
• The Dragon Returns - Miss Gee’s 2nd Grade at H.M. Pearson Elementary in Catlett, VA
• The World of Dragons - Mrs. Apac’s 4th grade at Polaris Charter School in Manchester, NH
• (Untitled - “Sea Dragons”) - Mrs. Klein’s kindergarten at Faith Elementary School in Faith, NC
• The Kissing Dragon - Mrs. Eggers 1st grade at John F. Townley Elementary in Irving, TX

And lastly I would like to acknowledge the story “Dunker the Drowning Dragon”, submitted by Ms. Stanek’s and Mrs. Malespina in Somerville, NJ. This class of students submitted a beautifully illustrated story. I have sent them a copy of a book by Josh Funk.

 

So teachers check your email. You’ll find a Buncee for your students with an audio message. Also check your mailboxes in your school office. I was just overwhelmed with the wonderful stories this year all about the Dragon. So I wanted to spread the joy of reading with as many of you as possible.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Keep Writing!  Your friend, Mrs. P

 

 

   

Celebrating Diverse Books #ReadYourWorld 3 Beautiful Multicultural Children's Books Reviewed by Mrs. P

 

I had the good fortune to be asked to be a book reviewer for Multicultural Children's Book Day this year.  I've been sharing this event online since its inception, so am thrilled to be able to participate in this way. Below are my three reviews, I hope you will enjoy them, Mrs. P of MrsP.com

The Cloud Artist: a Choctaw Tale by Sherri Maret with illustrations by Merisha Sequoia Clark. 
    
One of my favorite blog posts I've written is about lying in the grass, gazing up at the clouds, and finding a story there. So, you can't imagine my delight in receiving the beautiful picture book, "The Cloud Artist" by Sherri Maret.

This well told tale, about a Choctaw girl named Leona, who uses the sky as a canvas for her imagination, is sure to delight young readers. The protagonist is a strong young girl and we learn as we follow Leona through her journey that her strength is based in her heritage.  The inclusion of the Choctaw language version of the story on each page helps to bring awareness of her culture to readers as well.

There are many important lessons and beautiful messages to be found in this powerful story.  Following your dream, not for money, but for what makes you happy, is one that especially resonated with me.

I enjoyed how this story is about knowing where we are anchored.  The beautiful illustrations by Merisha Sequoia Clark aid in allowing readers to enter their own stream of imaginations in what lie in the clouds above.    The book has a wonderful activity page for teachers with free downloads. The author is a librarian, so the content of the activities is very good.  "This book is Existentialism for kids!"

 

Princess Sophie and the Six Swans: A Tale From the Brothers Grimm Retold and Illustrated by Kim Jacobs

 
I'm no stranger to the Brothers Grimm. I read many of their tales in my Magic Library, including The Six Swans. When "Princess Sophie and the Six Swans", retold and illustrated by Kim Jacobs arrived at my door, I was immediately captured by the illustration style harkening back to the original classics. 

This story, of an evil stepmother, a handsome king, and alas a brave protagonist named Sophie, embodies the classic fairy tale format. It doesn't stray far from the Brothers Grimm  stories, rich in symbolism and meaning.  There's a reason why they are passed down from generation to generation. "Princess Sophie and the Six Swans" is no exception.

In this tale we learn the lessons of patience and perseverance. We also learn the power that words hold.  Lovers of the Brothers Grimm won't be disappointed by this retelling!

 

 

Hands Around the Library - Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya.

 
Everyone knows I love libraries!  I spend much of my day sharing the values and virtues libraries hold.  Imagine my thrill to receive the multi-award winning, gorgeously illustrated, "Hand Around the Library - Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya. 

This true story is told in three perspectives. It contains the narrative, the visual, and the photographs of the actual event.  In some ways it's a history book too. It provides background context about Alexandria's ancient library to the modern library that is being saved in the story. It also contains additional resources to further explore about the revolution and even shares  protest-sign translations and graphic motifs that are used throughout the story.

When the first young man steps forward to join the library director in saving the library, we are comforted with the question "do our actions make a difference?" It's a book meant to spark a dialogue, whether it be about freedom of speech, protesting, or even fear. 

The community centered theme around their shared values to save the library is so well communicated through the richness and textured quality of the illustrations.  When we see the many different colored hands coming together to hold onto the Egyptian flag, we can also most feel it unfurling around the library. The message that the library brings the universe of ideas to you and is a safe place to share your ideas, plants the seed for young readers about the importance of libraries in their community.  What could be more important?

 

About Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in the home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.  

MCBD 2018 is honored to have these amazing Sponsors on board.

2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors

HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild

PLATINUM:Scholastic Book Clubs

GOLD:Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies

SILVER:Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press

BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press

2018 Author Sponsors

Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina

Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo,  Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles,  Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen,  Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and  MFL Publishing  Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham  Author Natasha Yim

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs:
MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00 pm. Join the conversation and win one of 12 five book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party! http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/twitter-party-great-conversations-fun-prizes-chance-readyourworld-1-27-18/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.