Jemmie and Prince Brat?

Mercy and Baby Lincoln?

My students today started working on a list of these as a Valentine’s Day trivia challenge–I adapted this from something I saw on lm_net last year. Many are easy, a few are tough, most get them smiling and checking out a new (to them) book.

Want to play?

VALENTINE’S TRIVA

(spoiler warning: page 2=answer key)

Photo from sloanpix at Flickr Creative Commons

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For the Littlest Ones (that’d be K-1 at my school)

Wolf’s Coming by Joe Kulka
Quick! Run and hide, wolf’s coming! One of my favorite read alouds; I swear the kids are so tense they are holding their breaths at the end–and what a fun ending!

Pumpkintown, Or, Nothing is Better or Worse Than Pumpkins by Katie McKy
Five brothers, too many pumpkin seeds, and a windy night cause problems come fall.

The Teeny Tiny Ghost by Kay Winters
Did you know? Being scary doesn’t come easily to every ghost.

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Scared of Anything by Linda Williams
A brave woman is followed by mysterious haunted clothing in the woods. The repetition and possibilities for students joining in and acting it out means it’s one I never skip reading.

A Beasty Story by Steven Kellogg
Mice venture into a dark, dark house. I love to stop and have the students say the colors and/or finish the rhyme. Pair this one with Wolf’s Coming (above) to talk about surprise endings.

If You’re a Monster and You Know It (paired with There was an Old Monster) by Rebecca Emberley
Monstery versions of the well-known songs. Listen to musical versions here.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
Witch wants pumpkin pie but that pumpkin just won’t come off the vine. Another great one for students to chime in.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler
Skeleton-hic!-tries everything, but can’t get rid of those darn-hic!-hiccups!

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
A little witch has a plan for those ghosts in her new house.

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Those in the Middle (grades 2-3)

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
Gritch the Witch needs some fresh piggies to make pumpkin pie. Too bad those farm animals are so sneaky.

Alpha Oops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis
Yes, it’s an alphabet book, but the humor with the letters (poor B!) gets the older kids giggling.

The Halloweiner by Dav Pilkey
The underdog saves Halloween night from those nasty cats.

Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee
A little witch looks forward to her first broom flight.

Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Haunted House by Doug Cushman
Skeleton reporter Dirk Bones sleuths out a pun-laced mystery.

Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer
Poor blond-haired Frankie! He doesn’t fit in at all with his monster parents.

Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen
Nonsense words create an atmospheric, suspenseful story of something lurking in the night.

Lost Gatos Black on Halloween, Just a Minute, and Just in Case all by Yuyi Morales
Great on audio, so students hear what the Spanish is supposed to sound like!

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Big Kids (grades 4-5)

Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness by Calef Brown
Funny/creepy poems that beg to be read out loud.

The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
The widow, Minna Shaw, has a magical broom, much to the ire of her neighbors.

Aliens Are Coming! by Megan McCarthy
A nonfiction account of the 1938 Halloween night panic by Orson Welles’ radio production of The War of the Worlds. Listen to snippets of the Orson Welles’ broadcast here.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
After toddler Bod’s parents are murdered, he wanders into a graveyard, whose supernatural inhabitants decide to raise him. Listen/watch to the first chapter of this Newbery winner online here.

Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex
Silly parodies of the classics students remember from when they were “little.”

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex
Hilarious poems featuring well-known monsters and villians in preposterous situations, like making sandwiches. Be prepared to sing for full effect.

Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
A spooky poem for every letter of the alphabet.

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Finally, I can’t mention October in the library with linking to this:

Carve a Pumpkin

Yes, it's me. All Knuffle Bunnied up.

So, summer vacation is finally here for me! I finished inventorying (is that a word?) all 20,000+ items in my library yesterday. Luckily, I had lots of excellent help!

Summer is writing season for me. It’s also reading season. And this summer I’ve thrown down the gauntlet with my fourth and fifth graders. We’re in a race to see who can read the most pages by the first day of school, September 1. Any student who can beat my total wins UNLIMITED BOOK CHECKOUT for the entire school year. Yes, the right to check out as many books as they want. For the entire school year. I’m keeping track of my reading on a blog. They can check it for my totals or for reading suggestions.

You would not believe how excited they are about this. I’ve run into kids at baseball games and the playground and the grocery store. I’ve overheard parents talking about it at swimming lessons. My challenge is posted on refrigerators all over our neighborhood. The kids are gunning for me–and I love it! Because, of course, though I talk tough, I hope I’ll get beat. (And I know I will. I have some HUGE readers on board.) After all, as I tell my students, the very best way to be ready for 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc., is to read, read, read over break!

Follow along on our reading blog here: http://mrswreads.blogspot.com/.

So, what are YOU reading this summer?

One of my favorite activities was my Caldecott unit with my second graders. We finished it with not a moment to spare at the end of the year. It consisted of reading lots of Caldecott books and checking out the different media used by various illustrators, then zooming in on Mo Willems and the Knuffle Bunny books. Finally, we tried our hands at creating art like Knuffle Bunny. Here are some of my favorites.

p.s. Yes, that’s me in many of the pictures. At least I’m smiling, not shushing!

p.p.s. I highly recommend the Scholastic/Weston Woods videos of Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny, Too. Narrated by the real Trixie and Daddy! And also an interview with Mo Willems.

p.p.p.s. You know there’s another Knuffle Bunny coming this fall, right? Knuffle Bunny Free!

(All titles guaranteed to bring contented sighs and/or applause when you finish them–and what’s a better holiday present than that?)

Silver packages: An Appalachian Christmas story by Cynthia Rylant

A poor boy never gets what he wants but always what he needs from the Christmas train in the Appalachians.

Lesson Notes

• Find the Appalachians on the map and talk about what it’s like to live there (4th graders study US regions).
• How is Frank paying back his debt?
• Share photo of the Christmas Train today: http://www.soentpiet.com/images/silver%20packages%20railroad%20magazine.jpg.

The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau

A magical quiltmaker won’t give the greedy king a quilt until he gives away all his treasures. But will he even want it then?

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

Stick Man must find his way back to his stick Lady Love, their stick children three, and the family tree.

Lesson Notes

• Brainstorm what kinds of things sticks can be used for.
• Have student help with the “I’m Stick Man, I’m Stick Man, I’m Stick Man, that’s me” chorus.

My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Lesson Notes

• Questions: What do we know about penguins? Have you ever wished for a present that wasn’t what you thought it’d be?
• Color bookmarks from: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/PenguinBookmark.htm. Students can list the books they read over break on the back.
• Silly penguin video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-pDuBg1r-8.
• Read Alikes:A Mother’s Journey, A Penguin Story, And Tango Makes Three, Antarctic Antics: a Book of Penguin Poems

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming

Katje, living in war-devasted Holland in 1945, gets package from Rosie, who lives in America. As their long-distance friendship grows, their communities come together.

Lesson Notes

• Find Indiana and Holland on the globe.
• Read the setting on the inside cover. What was going on in the world in 1945?
• Show pictures of Europe after the war:http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-med…
  http://millerpla.net/wp-content/Pictures…