Wednesday Book Review: Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! (Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1) by Ajanta Chakraborty, Vivek Kumar

I have celebrated Diwali my entire life and enjoy spending time with my family, eating special foods, and the fireworks. Now that I have a child of my own, I wanted to learn more about the holiday.


Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! (Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1) By Ajanta Chakraborty, Vivek Kumar

As I was thinking about it, a friend posted this book on her Facebook page. It turns out it's by one of the founders of Bollywood Groove, a local dance studio that teaches Indian dance to children and adults. I ordered it immediately! I loved that the book had a note for parents, that explained how in India each home may celebrate differently:

I read it and then asked my mother and mother in law the story of Diwali. For our home, it was the same except for Dhanteras. In the book, they celebrate by buying pots and pans, and in our house we would celebrate by praying to Lakshmi (Laxmi).






Otherwise, we follow the same traditions, with the addition of blessing our businesses on the Diwali (where they pray to Lakshmi, we do it again specifically to bless the businesses for the new year).





I really enjoyed this book, with the simple descriptions of the various rituals and the "Info Zoom" on The Story of Diwali:

 One of our students checked it out!

This year Diwali was on October 30th and New Year was on October 31st (it made for a very busy weekend!). I look forward to reading this to Baby T every year and starting our own traditions!

Happy Diwali everyone and Saal Mubarak (Happy New Year).

Buy the book today: Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! (Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1)

Chakraborty, Ajanta, and Vivek Kumar. Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali: Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1. Chicago, IL: Bollywood Groove, 2016.

Wednesday Book Review: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

Book Review: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak. 

Pak, Kenard. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn. New York: Henry Holt, 2016.

This is a wonderfully simple story about a little girl walking through nearby parks/forests and then her small neighborhood and town.

She walks and picks flowers:

Looks at the leaves changing:

Walks through her town feeling a chill, and getting ready for colder weather:

This book is beautifully illustrated, and the small details will enthrall children. The small details and repetition (the small blue bird, the dog, etc.) reminds me a little of Jan Brett's books where small animals return page after page, and kids delight in finding these small friends! 

I can't wait to read this to Baby Thakkar and take a nature walk with her to find flowers, leaves, and maybe even a few other surprises! 

Read aloud the book Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, and take a nature walk, or try a themed walk!

Wednesday Book Review: Ideas Are All Around By Philip C. Stead

Book Review: Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead

Stead, Philip Christian. Ideas are all around. New York: Roaring Brook, 2016.

The basic premise is that someone is supposed 
to write a book today, but doesn't have any ideas. 

However, his dog wants to take a walk, and as they walk they see and find ideas!

I liked how he took photos of real places/things and added his own drawings at the bottom (left). 

as well as the text (in typewriter font!) to tell the story (right).

The 2 page spread below:





The way he describes things was also wonderful. As a want-to-be-writer, I loved his way of explaining that this was his childhood home:




I think Ideas Are All Around has great potential for a creative writing class or as a jumping off point for young writers (like to start Writers Workshop).

If you are doing a writing project, this book has some great ideas to find *ideas!* Want to jump start your students' writing? Read aloud the book Ideas Are All Around, grab some iPads and my quick reaction sheet and get the ideas flowing today!

Wednesday Book Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon By Kelly Barnhill

Book Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon By Kelly Barnhill

I read The Girl Who Drank the Moon in about a week! When I first got the book, my initial thoughts were that I really like the concept, and I wondered if what perspective they would tell it from - the witch? the girl? the townspeople? Enjoyably, they told it from the perspective of the witch, the girl, 4 main characters in the town, and the Bog monster. 



The Girl Who Drank the Moon reminded me of Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede, one of my childhood favorites. The chapters titles and writing had a similar style. 


I throughly enjoyed The Girl Who Drank the Moon, even though it was a little slow in the middle. I loved the concept and the way all the stories intertwined over the years and families, it was incredibly detailed and I enjoyed learning more about the witch and her relationship to the other characters. I would have liked to know more about her background, but I understood that the story had to keep moving. All in all, I would highly recommend this book! 

Wednesday Book Review: More-igami by Dori Kleber, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Book Review: More-igami by Dori Kleber, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

MORE-IGAMI. Text copyright © 2016 by Dori Kleber. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by G. Brian Karas. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Joey loves folding things. Road maps, accordions, (and a fold-a-way bed)!

Then Sarah Takimoto's mother comes to school and shows them a wondrous thing - origami!

After that, Joey has a new passion! He wants to become an origami master and knows it will take practice. He folds everything in sight, art paper, recipes, money, anything!

Then he goes to the local restaurant, because everyone knows fajitas always make you feel better. Mr. Lopez loves his pyramid napkins and asks Joey to make more!

He makes many more:


Will Joey become an origami master? Read More-igami and find out!

Wednesday Book Review: School's First Day of School, by Adam Rex and Christian Robinson

Book Review:
School's First Day of School 

By Adam Rex and Christian Robinson Rex, Adam, and Christian Robinson. School's First Day of School. New York: Roaring Brook, 2016.

School's First Day of School is an adorable book about the school building worries. The story is very cute and simply written, and encompasses a child's worries about school wonderfully. I love the relationship between the janitor and the school (the janitor explains that students will soon fill the school):

Then I love the building intrigued by a fire drill:

I also love that they end the day in the library (or what looks like the library to me, with a Read poster, shelves and tables/chairs):

The illustrations are beautiful and filled with small details. For example, I love how all the houses and the school building have "faces." Makes the school seem more personable! 

More detailed photos:



Overall, a great book to start conversations about what might be worrying a child before going to school, or to read aloud in the classroom to help students remember that everyone is worried and nervous on the first day of school, even the school itself!

Teaching an Immigration unit? Try out these resources!

Teaching an Immigration unit? Try out these resources:

Online:
Immigration Nation Game

Books:
Dear America Series (various authors)
Green, Robert. Immigration. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Pub., 2008. Print.


Laínez, René Colato, and Fabiola Ramírez Graullera. René Has Two Last Names. Houston, TX: Piñata, 2009. Print.



A different view of immigration and it's impact on immigrants - Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America. By Gail Jarrow. Calkins Creek. 2016. (Grade 5 Up)






Start at the beginning and foster conversations:
Lewison, Wendy Cheyette., and Laura Freeman-Hines. L Is for Liberty. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2003. Print.