Friday, April 1, 2011

Friday Feature-Book Lover's Books

Today I have three books about one of my favorite subjects...books.  Books about books! Two are new finds and one is a favorite.  I would love to hear your favorites!

1. Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile (2011) by Gloria Houston; ill. by Susan Condie Lamb

This hardcover just came in my Scholastic order and I knew from the cover I was going to like it.  Miss Dorothy loves books and people at a young age and she decides to become a librarian.  Her dream is to be the librarian at the "fine brick library just like the one where she checked out books in the center of the town square in her hometown in Massachusetts."  She goes to library school at Radcliffe, graduates and gets married.  Her husband wants to live on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mts, far away from her hometown.  Her dream changes but she still becomes a librarian, sharing books with lots of mountain people.  The illustrations are beautiful, capturing the Appalachian countryside with great color.  I read it aloud to one class and they were quiet and thoughtful by the end.  It is based on a true story from the author's recollections of Miss Dorothy's bookmobile.
2. The Wonderful Book (2010) by Leonid Gore

I love many of Gore's books-they are quirky.  This one is no exception.  Several animals find a book in the forest and invent ways to use the object.  Rabbit makes it into a house, bear makes it into a hat and the mice use it for table. When a boy comes upon the book and begins to read it the animals find out the true purpose of the book.  As the animals nestle down to listen to the story it reminds me how many children automatically tuck into your side as you begin to read.  Very charming!

3. Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook (2003) by Michael Garland

If you haven't experience Miss Smith's fabulous storybook you need to find it at your library.  She is a funky brand new teacher and she takes the boredom out of any day by reading from her amazing book.  While she reads (and students eyes get big as saucers) the stories come alive and suddenly the characters are next to the kid's in class.   A perfect way to illustrate how our imaginations work as we read!  When I read this aloud last week one student said "Mrs. Holt, you need to get a book like THAT!" 

What new treasures have come alive for you this week?
Happy April Fool's Day!  I played one great trick on a class and was delighted to pop back in to their classroom and say "April Fool's"-they laughed and laughed!!

3 comments:

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I love the sound of the Miss Dorothy one. Great choices.

NatalieSap said...

I read Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook to a few classes at the beginning of the year, and they seemed to like it okay. I loved it, but I guess I didn't convey it well enough! My favorite book book is without a doubt We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems. I still haven't received it at my library but can't wait to share it with kindergarten at the end of the year!

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