For those of you that haven't heard, I just started a new job as an elementary school library media specialist. It's an exciting time! (It's also rather exhausting, so this post is shorter, less clever, and not as well edited as I originally planned.)
This professional shift feels like the right time to start a new blog. It also feels like the perfect opportunity to join the #pb10for10 community.
Over four years of teaching elementary and middle grades educators at the university level, I've developed what I call my "teaching collection." Most of these are picture books that have served as useful mentor texts for me. I bring these texts wherever I go, whether they be in bags, in arms, or on carts.
When I arrived at my new school, the office didn't feel like mine until I brought in some of my favorite books. Perhaps it seems silly to drag in boxes of books when I will be working in a room filled with of thousands of them. There are two reasons that I had to bring the essentials of my teaching collection with me. First, I don't like taking favorite books out of general circulation if it can be avoided. Often, I use these books to teach several different lessons, so I need to keep a copy available for teaching for a week or two. At the same time, when you feature a text in your teaching (especially a text that you clearly love), kids (and adults!) will often want to check it out for themselves. Having a personal copy keeps the school's texts in circulation. I usually end up loaning my personal copies out as well if I am not using them...I can never resist giving a book to someone who wants to read it! (As an aside, in the first week at school, I've already discovered that several of these texts aren't in the school's current collection. I'm hoping to purchase them soon.)
The second reason I brought these books with me is less practical, more sentimental. Although I enjoy literature of all kinds, I have a special affection for books with pictures. The books I've compiled here are almost a security blanket for me. If I am ever unsure, nervous, or caught off guard, I know I can turn to books like these for rich lessons in literacies for our students.
Without further delay, here are 10 books I HAD to have with me as I start in my new library.
My Map Book
by Sara Fanelli
I often used this book with university students as a first mentor text for starting writing workshop. It features many different kinds of maps, from the obvious to the imaginative. It also connects with the maps and globes skills that several grades slot first in the year. I have students create multiple maps that help them get a sense of some of their stories and interests. Often, the variety in this book inspires unique maps that I haven't thought of before as well.
Actual Size
by Steve Jenkins
This book has been a favorite for years. I love the look of puzzlement when I bring out a science textbook and point out to students that the picture of the monkey is usually the same size as the picture of the elephant. Although we may know that elephants and monkeys are not the same size, textbooks don't usually facilitate true understanding of different sizes in nature. Jenkins's book helps students get a sense of the true and relative sizes of different animals. The illustrations are top notch, and beg for students to interact. I love it when they see that their head is smaller than the giant squid's eye! (As a side note, I will also spend part of every day doing focused instruction with a Kindergarten group working on math curriculum. Steve Jenkins will be one of my go-to authors for those activities.)
A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems
selected by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka
Over the years, concrete poems have become one of my favorite genres to write with students. This book has some excellent and varied examples that show many of the possibilities for concrete poems. I use different poems to inspire students to make fanciful adaptations of their own.
Show Way
by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
One of the things I am most excited about in my new job is the possibility for reading many books aloud with students. Even though I read aloud to my university students during every class, most of the time that only added up to a few books per week. With 30+ classes in my new school, I hope to be reading aloud daily. Interestingly, the first three choices on my list aren't books that necessarily need to be read aloud, front to back. They rely more on the visual and readers can pick and choose. But Show Way is one of those books that begs to be shared aloud. The repeated language in this book captivates me every time I read it.
Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge
by Mem Fox, Illustrated by Julie Vivas
This is another read-aloud favorite for me. In the past, I've used it with students as a writing invitation. I have students bring in objects that seem ordinary to others but have special personal meaning for them. Then, students write about the memories and meanings in that object. This text always seems to bring out great writing in students.
Lost and Found
by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers may be my newest favorite author. I met him at ALA this summer in Chicago and it was one of those speechless moments of awe. Most of my memories of this book involve me and my youngest daughter reading it before bed. We love the artwork as well as the simple story of friendship and finding each other.
Poetrees
by Douglas Florian
There are so many of Florian's books that I could choose, but I seem to always return to this one. Of course, since it is Douglas Florian, the poems are witty, clever, and filled with great word play. It includes many thoughtful uses of techniques like italicized text and interesting visual arrangements of text on the page to create additional meaning for the reader.
The Dot
by Peter H. Reynolds
International Dot Day is coming up, so this book is on my mind. I know the feeling of "I can't" when it comes to being creative, and I appreciate the simple way this story inspires us all to give it a try and that every small step is a step toward something. I hope my new school will be able to start a tradition of celebrating creativity in September, and all year long!
I Am the Book
poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Yayo
When I introduced myself to my new learning community, I told them many things about myself and my different literacy passions. I talked about my love of poetry, graphic novels, and informational literature. I shouldn't have been surprised that many teachers approached me throughout the week asking me to help them specifically with poetry. My university students didn't really like or understand poetry at the beginning of the semester either. I will enjoy sharing my love for poetry with this faculty through many books like this one. The poems in this collection, all about reading and books, always have immediate appeal and relevance for elementary grades teachers.
Goin' Someplace Special
by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
It's no surprise that I love library stories, and this may be my favorite. I have yet to make it through reading this book aloud without choking up. This book represents the best of what a library can be for all of us. When I am feeling off track or lost, the story reminds me how important (and rare) it is to work in a place where all readers and ideas are welcomed.
Thank you for letting me share some of my favorites from my teaching collection with you.
I will also be starting a new blog for our media center sometime soon. Once that is up and running, I'll share the link here!
