Mrs. P's Reading is Cool Blog

"The Flying Horse" will Gallop into the Hearts of Young Readers!

The Flying Horse will Gallop into the Hearts of Young Readers!  Written by Sarah Maslin Nir with illustrations by Lyle Frazier

I first became acquainted with author Sarah Maslin Nir when I read her memoir “Horse Crazy”. This book inspired me to start riding again in my sixties after a long hiatus from having my own horse. Even though “The Flying Horse” is the first in a series of fictional middle-grade novels, we are never too old to read a good horse story. 

"The Flying Horse" tells the story of a horse and a girl growing up and the events that happen to bring them together. The chapters alternate between a 7th grader named Sarah (just like the author) living in New York City and a Netherlands-born horse named Trendsetter.  Sarah and Trendsetter both are trying to live up to the expectations of others. Sarah as a top student and Trendsetter with his breeding legacy. Sarah’s decision to no longer do homework, because she is bad at spelling, and Trendsetter’s crooked hoof bring these two together with the help of a cast of wonderfully written kind characters in this charming story.   

The writing is lyrical and memorable. Describing how horses don’t celebrate birthdays was one of my favorites. “Each morning is a reset: a day to wake up, shimmy the dust off one’s fur, flick the wood shaving out of one’s tail, and take on what comes.” And it continues in a lovely prose from here. 

There’s kindness in this book which I really liked, especially for young readers.  There are beautiful lessons imparted throughout the book, like the importance of being resilient.  Sarah’s grandmother, Frieda, and her teacher, Ms. Moses, really understand Sarah and some of these moments even brought a little tear to my eye, as they were so tender and positive. If everyone had a teacher like Ms. Moses the world would be a better place.

This story, and I predict the two others coming in the series, will be on young riders bookshelves for years to come.  It is reminiscent of stories from my childhood, where I wanted to read passages over and over again. I felt for Trendy like I did for Misty back to my own childhood and reading Marguerite Henry’s “Misty of Chincoteague” book. 

I still fondly remember the day I finally got to go to Chincoteague Island when I was 20 years old to see the actual ponies I had fallen in love through reading. I imagine horse girls everywhere will now dream of seeing the beautiful Lipizzan horses from Nir’s rich descriptions in this book. 

This book will truly make your heart soar! Gallop over to your nearest bookstore and add it to your collection! 

 

The Art of Storytelling - How Writing Contests Can Nurture Creativity in the Classroom

A caveman runs into his cave, takes a seat by the fire and, still trying to catch his breath, tells his family about the huge black wolf that jumped on him just moments before, and how he escaped a horrible death by hitting the toothy, drooling beast on the snout with a tree branch till it roared in pain and galloped away into the woods. The caveman didn’t realize it but he was one of the world’s first storytellers. He was beginning a tradition of passing stories by spoken word from generation to generation, changing and improving them with each retelling, and eventually engraving them on the printed page, preserved intact for future generations like an insect trapped in amber.

And who knows? The caveman’s story about the wolf might have evolved over the centuries into “Little Red Riding Hood,” a fairy tale so ancient no one is really sure whence it came. But it’s a story that is still read by parents to their children and is one of the most popular videos on my storytelling website, www. MrsP.com. Here is a Download Create your own story.   worksheet for your students to start telling their won stories.

I decided to build my website around the art of storytelling (in the sense of reading classic stories to an audience) because it creates a special bond between the reader and the listener. The reader, with only words and the passion of her voice, is helping the listener create their own special version of a story, with their own specific images from their own imaginations. No two listeners will ever have the same experience hearing a story because each listener is an active participant in its creation. It’s the difference between watching a baseball game on TV and going outside and playing your own game. Unless you get beaned in the head by a line drive, odds are creating
your own game will be more fun, memorable and fulfilling than just watching someone else’s creation.

Of course, the storyteller can help the listener create her or his own version of a story by offering an enthusiastic performance. The best storytellers let down their guards, forget they’re dignified adults and become the characters and feel the emotions. I like to use different voices for the different characters in my stories, and I rehearse them just as diligently as any of the parts I’ve played in my other life as an actress in Hollywood. Sometimes it gets a bit complicated, especially in stories with a lot of characters: “Oh, dear – did the Mad Hatter have a British accent and a lisp, or was that the Cheshire Cat?!” Somehow, though, I’ve always managed to sort things out at the last second and have avoided any embarrassing and tragic voice mix-ups!

One of the greatest joys of my life as a storyteller is reading aloud stories written by children. Every year I host my K-4 Be-a-Famous Writer contest for classrooms. The winners have their stories read by me on YouTube Channel for everyone to hear. It’s so much fun, such an infinitely good time for both my heart and soul, to help bring to life the world of a child’s imagination! And what makes me just as happy is what the writing contest teaches kids: how much power they hold in their words and their thoughts. Even a caveman could see there’s no better lesson in life than that.

Details on the writing contest can be found here.  Your classroom could be filled with books and technology from my amazing sponsors.  You might also consider visiting my online learning lesson to spark imaginations in your classroom.

         

Picture Book, Wanda’s Wart, Both a Halloween Tale & Discussion opener for Bullying

For October I have a great  picture book, Wanda’s Wart, to share in my Magic Library.  It is even more special that it was written by illustrator Robin Robinson, who has illustrated most of the stories at my YouTube Channel.  The story is very timely for October as it can enjoyed as a Halloween tale, since the star of the story is a witch, but more importantly it is a story that deals with important topic of bullying, and October is National Bullying Prevention Month.

Wanda's Wart is an all-ages indie picture book about the importance of friendship, honesty—and not being afraid to stand out for what makes you an individual.  This story may be a tool for dealing with certain kinds of bullying, and for kids who run the risk of suppressing their interests and talents just to fit in.  We may not all be the best witch in our class, but we could all be a little more fearless about being ourselves, warts and all.  

                                      


                                                    Enjoy my interview with Robin:
 
What inspired you to write Wanda?  I was bullied mercilessly as a kid, and I heard a lot of mixed messages.  Was I asking for it?  Was it my fault somehow for being different?  What did I expect if I stood out?  These were more important questions to me than why they bullied—I understood how hard the lives of most of my tormenters were, but that didn't help me!  This isn't a story about bullies learning not to bully or getting their comeuppance, because that isn't something I have much to say about.  This is a story about dealing with it.  The things people teased me for ended up being some of the most important aspects of my personality and my life.  If I had succumbed to the hegemonic effects of the bullying, I would have lost who I was—and am.  I still have friends to this day I met when I was a bullied elementary school student, and they are very precious to me.

What message do you hope children will take away from the story? I'm not sure that I can hope my message will become a part of folk culture, but I'd like to give kids nuanced stories about the things they face now, without telling them they have to be magically virtuous to deserve a happy ending.  Wanda has a lot more to face, many more childhood problems that aren't easy to navigate, and which magic will complicate rather than solve!

You have illustrated so many of Mrs. P stories, have there been some favorites? Tell me about them: I have so many favorites!  The Be a Famous Writer competition is a blast for me, getting to read stories written by kids always brings me back to my elementary school days and it is great to be in that mindset while illustrating.  The Peanut Butter and Jelly Hotdog felt so real, and The Magic Piano also hit home for me—I'm a bit introverted myself.

Do you have a favorite children's story?   Kid lit is my life, and I have too many favorite stories to list, but I've always gone back to Alice in Wonderland and Tove Jansson's Moomintroll books as my essential reads.   Alice is so exactly what dreams feel like, and so full of both the frustration and wonder of being young and nothing making sense.  The Moomintroll books have the sweetness and charm of Pooh, but sharper wit and more Bohemian ethics which really speak to me, plus her artwork is so simple, funny, and haunting at the same time that I'm always in awe of it.

What about an illustrator that inspired you with a children's book? Just like I have so many favorite stories, I have so many favorite authors and illustrators who inspire me!  I've already swooned over Tove Jansson, but I was very impressed with Maurice Sendak when I was young and have carried an affinity for his work ever since.  They were both daring and haunting and very very full of humanity.

Do you have any other books you are working on currently? I'm working on a VERY funny and VERY gross picture book with Portland-based comic book writer Neal Bailey which we will be kickstarting last this year, and I'm also working hard on about 3 different dummies which may eventually see the light of day!  I like getting to switch between gross-out humor and cute animals and lonely ghosts, rather than working on just one flavor of project all the time.

Where can people see your work? My portfolio is www.robinillustration.com, and I also keep two tumblrs which update frequently-- thegorgonist.tumblr.com is my art blog and tuesdayzoo.tumblr.com is a weekly challenge where myself and another wonderful illustrator, Nicole Allin, both draw a strange animal in our very different styles.  I have a shop at www.thegorgonist.etsy.com that is full of my illustrated jewelry, prints, and books, and I even have a webcomic, which is not kid friendly, at www.ushalacomic.com  I'm all over the place!  

Do you have any advice for young artists in elementary school that you would like to share?  To any young artist, know that all you have to do to be an artist is make art.  Just draw, paint, mold, strum, dance—whatever!--every day, and make sure to look at and experience lots of different kinds of art, too.  Read books, look at famous paintings, follow illustration blogs, try out for school plays—write your own plays and songs!  No one can stop you.

Robin Robinson is a young illustrator with one foot in classic lit and another in pop culture.  Her illustrations have appeared in web magazines, on indie book covers, and in many of the bedtime stories read aloud in Mrs P's Magic Library.  In 2013, she had her first book published with Penguin, a young reader's edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Her previous self-published offerings for children are the colorful romp, Meet the Bad Day Monsters and The Last Keyhole, a ghost story.  She hopes to make many more books about Wanda, Jinx, and the other little witches!

Nurturing Your Student’s Natural Storytelling Skills with D.I.Y. Bookmaking

When you were a kid, did you ever lie on the grass at recess, look up at the clouds and see all sorts of magical and wonderful images in them? I did. It was nice to know that if I’d read all my books from the library, I could always go outside and be entertained by the sky – which, by the way, makes even the biggest Imax movie screen look positively tiny. I like to share with teachers ways to nurture storytelling skills. My motto is “If you can tell a story, you can write a story”. I had a teacher who when I returned from recess would ask me what I saw up in the sky - A flock of sheep? What were they doing? Where were they headed? Why? It got my brain thinking all kinds of creative which ways.

Asking your students to tell you a story helps to develop an active mind. Kids are naturally creative; your job is to give them an environment that will let their imaginations flourish. When a students creates a watercolor they painted at school, you can get them in the storytelling mode with an open-ended suggestion like “tell me about your picture.” It’s tempting to try and guess what they created but much more fun (for both of you) to hear them weave a story to go with the picture.

A fun way to help students get into a creative mode, is to give them a pile of pictures you’ve cut out of old magazines. Ask them to create a collage - and then tell you a story about it. You’ll be amazed at what your students will come up with!

I love D.I.Y craft projects. Making handmade books out of your students story is a great way to celebrate the enjoyment of writing. It’s also a great way to nurture a life-long love for books.  Here is a PDF to Download Mrsp_bookmaking with simple instructions. You can create simple books in many ways, and the materials can usually be found around the students home:

• Cut out shapes from a brown-paper bag to use as pages for the book. Books don’t always have to be square or rectangular - try a circle. It’s also fun to use colored craft paper.
• Make an accordion book for a fun variation.

                                                                                     

• Use a hole-punch along the spine to tie ribbon, yarn or thread through it to hold the pages together.
• Or use buttons along the spine edge to hold your book together.

                                                                                   

Remember: children are natural storytellers and encouraging this skill will pay dividends for the rest of their lives. When you’re a kid, having your ‘head in the clouds’ can sometimes be a very good thing.

 

Libraries! Creating a Love of Reading & Transforming Learning - a resource list for teachers

I love libraries. Libraries provide so many resources to us. So I thought I’d create a list of things that might be helpful to all the amazing teacher/Librarians I know!                            
         
   

• Here is a great website about just how School Libraries Transform Learning.
• How about a free toolbox to help you transform your own school library? The TYSL Toolbox from Mackin is continually updated with Tools, Tips and “Recipes” to assist teachers with their library’s transformation.
• I am honored to have my website be recognized by the American Library Association, so when you use my site in your classroom you know it’s already been pre-approved by librarians!
• Shannon McClintock Miller has created a Google Document for all of the celebrations and reading promotions that happen throughout the year that can by used in your school library!
• For parents here are some Tips for building your child's home library.

 

And remember to get a library card! It’s free!! September is officially Library Card Sign Up Month. I’ve got mine? Do you have yours? 

    

Why I Believe in Helping Students Make Their Mark! Why I Celebrate Dot Day!

I love to participate in Dot Day, a celebration about marking your mark! One of the reasons I think this is so important is that there are so many ways to do this; through art, writing, music, science, sports and many others. Of course, I am partial to encouraging students to make their mark through writing! That’s one of the very reasons I created my annual Be-a-Famous Writer contest. Sometimes the quiet one in the class in the writer, and they often aren’t out there bragging about what they have written. Dot Day helps everyone celebrate how they make their mark and even show it off!

I was so fortunate to have Peter Reynolds, the creator of Dot Day, be a judge last year for my annual writing contest. As an author and illustrator, he really knows not only how to make his mark, but how to encourage children to do the same.

   

This year, I am participating in a special event. On September 15 from 12:00-12:30pm EST, with lots of wonderful children along with their teacher/librarians Heather Fox, Andy Plemmons and Matthew Winner and Shannon McClintock Miller. Shannon will be orchestrating a YouTube Live Event.  

I will be participating with Liz Draper, a wonderful musician and music director for Cantata Learning; and Robert Forbes, amazing poet and author and long time Poem and Your Pocket collaborator. I hope you can join us! Get all the information here at The Library Voice Blog. Or follow Shannon on her Twitter for the live link the day of the event. @shannonmmiller

 

Collaboration, Communication, Creativity! How do we Build the Writing Muscle?

How do we get a classroom full of students to write? How do we help them get that idea from their head to the paper? I think that first we need to spark the imagination. We also have to realize that writing and editing are two completely different things. 


At home I like to use the kitchen timer. I sit down and just to write what ever comes to my mind for 10 minutes. I don’t even think about spelling or punctuation, I just want to get the ideas down. I want to get my creative juices flowing. When we have that need to be perfect sometimes we don’t get the thoughts down. We can always go back later and edit.

With your students, allowing them that time to not be perfect is important. This might encourage them to use bigger vocabulary words, if they know they won’t immediately be graded down for misspelling something. A little praise for going out of their comfort zone with a bigger vocabulary word, will encourage them to continue stretching that imagination. At a separate time they can learn how to spell it correctly.

I like to remember that when I am writing, it’s not about competing with another person, it’s just about doing the best you can.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak all about this topic with Matthrew Winner, an elementary library media specialist in Elkridge, Maryland. He is the co-founder and content director of All The Wonders, a children’s literature website and more.   All The Wonders podcast is posted here.

You can also find details about my annual writing contest in the attached Smore Poster. You can meet all of the amazing companies that sponsor the contest too by clicking on the poster. They will be filling your classrooms with books. I've used Smore because it's made so you can print it out!

   

I also have my online learning lesson all about this topic that you can use in your classroom.

Many teachers use my contest as a collaborative class project. They put students into writing groups using a Smartboard and incorporate many vocabulary words they are studying.

What Teachers Say About the Writing Contest

"More important than the mechanics of writing, is its composition and style. Sometimes we forget that. Mrs. P's Annual How to be a Famous Writer contest ignites creativity, style, voice and a connection to many genres of books for my students.  All readers can write, but my strongest writers are my strongest readers who use mentor texts to emulate structure of text and ways with words in their own unique pieces. Mrs. P connects reading and writing beautifully through her online storytelling, writing prompts and thrilling contests. My students are mesmerized by her Renaissance nature! Thank you, Mrs. P, for keeping writer's workshop alive and well."  Heather Garnett Fourth Grade Teacher The Collegiate School Richmond, Virginia

"Dear Mrs. P., Thank you for creating this contest. Writing is my favorite subject to teach, and I set out on this assignment thinking it was going to be a lot of fun as well as educational. However, what I did not realize is how much all of this tied directly into our 2nd grade reading and writing curriculum. You know there is nothing better than practical application of things taught, and I couldn’t have created anything better to model this to my students... Marti Langston Crossroads Elementary O’Fallon, MO"

 

 

Giving the Gift of Reading is Beyond Valuable & Thanks to Our Libraries it’s Free!

Even though my mother never finished high school she was a reader and she passed her love of it on to me - and I do so love to read. She took me to the library, and provided me with access to those books, and they became a big part of me. As a child if I loved a book I would re-read it once a year. Some of my yearly favorites were: Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr and his sister Ernestine Gilbreth Carey; Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. It might seem like an odd combination of books - two biographies and a fantasy tale but what they had in common was living life in a fun, creative and adventurous way. That was the kind of life I wanted as a child and it is the kind of life I created for myself and lead now that I am grown. And that is what the library provided to me, a gift that stretched my imagination and developed a life long love of reading.

Part of my mission is  to help stretch the imaginations of young students. The library holds to key to opening the door of possibilities.  Just look at the images of these libraries!  Who wouldn't want to pass through these doors?
                                                      
I read everyday for entertainment, comfort and to keep my imagination toned and ever ready for my next adventure. Giving someone the gift of reading is beyond valuable and thanks to our libraries it's free. So why not share the gift of reading with every man, woman and child you know - and of course don't forget to gift yourself. Get a library card!

Here are some fun books about the library to use as inspiration to get your students excited about visiting this magical place!

 

 

Back to School FREE Resource Roundup! Ideas to Inspire Creativity & Literacy in the Classroom!

 

                                                                                                                  

It’s that time of year when teachers are planning for their students to come back to the classroom. I’ve learned first hand from my many interactions with teachers and librarians that budgets are tight and time is limited, so I thought I would put together a list of FREE resources for inspiring creativity & literacy in the classroom. My website is always free and my Storytime YouTube channel offers the words to help early readers too.  I also know that many schools are still offering remote learning so some of the resources might help out too. 

So enjoy this list of FREEBIES!

ONLINE LEARNING lesson from Mrs. P

I help kids learn how to exercise their imagination while building effective listening and writing skills. The magic comes about by sharing the simple secret – “If you can tell a story, you can write a story.” I share techniques on how to create and share an original story. These simple and entertaining examples inspire students to create their own stories and share them both out loud and on paper. This lesson gives a student’s imagination a serious workout, encourages communication and provides tools to help them build a strong sense of self while helping to generate self-confidence. Proof positive that learning can be fun!

 
 

MUSIC HELPS TEACH LITERACY SKILLS

In this lesson I use the three “R’s”: rhythm, rhyme and repetition. Singing can help children learn to read while having fun and strengthening their comprehension in the process. So how about a little music?

 

AUDIOBOOKS HELP BUILD VOCABULARY

                                                                                                                  
I love research and articles that provide information on what we can do to help promote reading! Here is a great resource from Tales2GO about how audiobooks allow children to build their vocabularies and encourage them to stretch their imaginations!   Check out these classroom and home audiobook activities and make sure you check out the lesson plans they offer. 

LESSON RESOURCES

• My imagination launcher videos help jump start imaginations.
• Try my Imagination launcher worksheet to download for your class to inspire storytelling.
• Check out my poetry fun playlists sharing simple poems to inspire students to write their own.
• Watch vocabulary fun with early readers. This helps young readers build their vocabularies by hearing and seeing the words.

Don’t miss my Teacher Page, created just for you. Filled with story playlists and blogs to accompany them with ideas for your class.

 

The Magic of Summer Reading

I created my Magic Library to share the Magic of Reading with children.  I wanted to spark their imaginations, and take them on a magical journey that only books can provide.

On my recent summer reading vacation, I was one again reminded of how easy it is to be completely swept away to another world when reading.  Books provide an opportunity to rediscover the childhood imagination, and they are a place where you can find both comfort and knowledge. Books contain magic and I found a few that I thought should be in my Magic Library for that very reason.  

My first new story is Aladdin.  What could be better to have on my Magic of Reading Playlist than a story with a healthy dose of magic?  It has all the elements of a great story.  The classic ‘rags to riches’ tale about a young man who has to learn some important lessons; an exotic setting, an evil villain, and of course, the beautiful heroine.  This story is so old, no one knows exactly where it came from.  I personally  think a genie made it appear.  The story is part of the Arabian Nights, or the ‘One Thousand and One Nights’  and although Aladdin is a Middle Eastern tale, the story is actually set in China.

The second story I have added is called The Brave Little Tailor by The Brothers Grimm.  It is also often referred to as The Valiant Little Tailor.  I was looking for the G-rated version of  The Game of Thrones when I chose this story because it’s about a quiet, little tailor who squishes seven flies with one swat and everyone thinks he killed seven men.  This leads him on a journey battling giants and courting the most beautiful girl in the kingdom. Sound familiar?    Enjoy my new Playlist and go on a magical journey for your imagination!

                                                     

Happy Summer Reading!

                                                         

Sing Along all Summer Long - The Rhythm of Summer Reading!

                                                                                       

Music has always been a way for children to remember stories and learn about the world around them. I can still remember the fun rhyming stories from my childhood. I loved singing “Old MacDonald” and the “Itsy Bitsy Spider”. They had the three “R’s”: rhythm, rhyme and repetition. I was learning to read while having fun and strengthening my comprehension all without even knowing it!

How often do you see young children just dancing to music with no instruction or training? They seem to be naturally "wired" for sound and rhythm. Besides providing enjoyment, music also plays an important role in language and literacy development. Lots of research tells us that both language and music require rhythm, and that music can help children hear speech sounds.

With summer upon us, and children having more time for unstructured play and fun reading, I thought it would a great time to provide you my favorite tips and resources for sing-a-longs and getting into the rhythm of summer reading with a little music.

• A post from Scholastic Teachers about using popular music to improve reading and to inspire writing. There is a really fun video by Taylor Swift also talking to students about how reading inspired her to become a song writer.
• PBS Parents has a nice article entitled “Boost Memory and Learning with Music”, that I also found very informative.
• Cantata Learning has a ton of resources and research for teachers like these 11 articles about how music supports learning and literacy.
• Cantata Learning shares ideas for getting in the rhythm of summer reading in this blog post.
• Teachers can share stories and songs with students using the Cantata Learning video series. Each video includes engaging on-screen storytellers, illustrations and a fun sing-a-long song.  You'll find my childhood favorite "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" here too!
• A post from Shannon McClintock Miller about ideas for using Cantata Learning Books and Music in the library, classroom and at home.

                                              

          So get into the rhythm of reading this summer, here’s a little music to get you started!  Remember, reading can be fun!!