The Joy of Children's Literature

If you are a fan of the Madeline books, you will be thrilled with this news I just received! You may remember the classic children’s book series, Madeline, from your own childhood. The Madeline books, written and illustrated by renowned artist and writer, Ludwig Bemelmans, told the story of a young schoolgirl in Paris and her adventures throughout the city. This September, Ludwig’s grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, will be releasing the first Madeline book in 50 years, the eagerly anticipated, Madeline and the Cats of Rome . The Madeline titles have already sold over 11 million copies worldwide. The Paris skies are grey and rainy, so Miss Clavel and the twelve little girls set out for Rome, where just like in Paris, Madeline manages to get herself involved in some tricky predicaments. Allowing a whole new generation to experience Madeline’s adventures, Madeline and the Cats of Rome combines a lively story with luminous gouache and watercolor illustrations. Marciano, a self taught

One of these men is a rock star, one thinks he's a rock star, and one is a rock star illustrator of children's picturebooks. If you picked Lane Smith in the picture to the far right as the rock star illustrator, you're right! (You decide between the other two which is the rock star and which thinks he's a rock star). The blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a wonderful interview with Lane Smith and his wife Molly Leach along with illustrations from many of his books including his two newest books, Big Plans and Madam President . Listen to an interview with the fabulous Lauren Child on NPR as she talks about her latest book in the Clarice Bean series, Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now , and about her successful "Charlie and Lola" books and their television spin off. Cynsations has a wonderful interview with author Joseph Bruchac in which he talks about four of his books that he considers his favorites and about his newest book Buffalo Song .

This post is dedicated to teachers who are working very hard this time of year to create beautiful reading spaces in their classrooms. The photos featured to the left are of the reading "corner" in Wendy Melzer's second grade classroom. I was so lucky to have Wendy in my children's literature course and then doubly lucky that she let me observe in her wonderful classroom. What a treat! Wendy has created a classroom that from the moment you walk into the room, you know she is a book lover. It is part of who she is and how she teaches. Just look at the wonderful Caldecott bookcases! These books are prominently displayed to show their award winning illustrations and to entice kids to read them. Wendy's students learn all about the importance of illustrations to reading comprehension early in the year. By then end of the year, they are artistic connoisseurs! Last year, the students decided to have their own award, "The Melzercott" that they awarded to the b

I am a huge fan of Mem Fox, not only as a children's author, but also as a teacher educator. I remember feeling validated and impassioned by Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Teaching, Learning, and Living ( read Mem's thoughts on Radical Reflections here ). When Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever , came out in 2001, I wasn't surprised to find it just as affirming and inspiring. Mem Fox came to my area on tour for the book and I was lucky enough to attend. She is everything you would hope a read aloud guru would be and more! I was so thankful to have a book by a famous children's author that conveyed, in no uncertain terms, the importance of parents and other adults reading aloud to children from birth on . I emphasize ON because we should never stop reading to our kids, whether our own children or the students we teach. Reading aloud is the single greatest gift we can give them (besides our love and attention)

From Education Week , reported by Kathleen Manzo: "Two well-known commercial reading programs, which have been adopted by some of the nation’s largest school districts and have met the strict requirements for research-based programs under the federal Reading First initiative, failed to earn ratings from the What Works Clearinghouse because they do not have any studies that satisfy the agency’s rigorous evidence standards. Reports on Open Court Reading and Reading Mastery , both highly structured texts published by the Columbus, Ohio-based SRA McGraw-Hill , were released Tuesday by the clearinghouse, a program of the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, to vet effectiveness studies on educational programs and practices." Read the rest of the article here .

Welcome Back to School by Kenn Nesbitt “Dear students, the summer has ended. The school year at last has begun. But this year is totally different. I promise we’ll only have fun. “We won’t study any mathematics, and recess will last all day long. Instead of the Pledge of Allegiance, we’ll belt out a rock ’n’ roll song. “We’ll only play games in the classroom. You’re welcome to bring in your toys. It’s okay to run in the hallways. It’s great if you make lots of noise. “For homework, you’ll play your Nintendo. You’ll have to watch lots of TV. For field trips we’ll go to the movies and get lots of candy for free. “The lunchroom will only serve chocolate and Triple-Fudge Sundaes Supreme.” Yes, that’s what I heard from my teacher before I woke up from my dream. From: Revenge of the Lunch Ladies published by Meadowbrook Press

The start of a new school year has sparked quite a few organizations, groups, and individuals around the blogosphere to post back to school resources. Take a look at these juicy tidbits! The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy offers teachers and literacy coaches ideas for classroom organization. Reading Rockets Back to School Newsletter features a plethora of ideas including: Back to school night, 90 minute literacy block, creating a welcoming classroom for ELLs, looking at the literacy coach, and a nice selection of articles on graphic novels which includes a video by Gene Yang, author of American Born Chinese, on the making of a graphic novel. Suite101.com offers practical advice for parents on cultivating a child's love of reading in the age of Internet, television, and video games. This would be a great article to send home to parents during the first week of school. Looking for ways to find out about great books to bring into the classroom or for your students to connect with

I absolutely love the first day of school! I love everything about it...from the smell of new school supplies to the anticipation of meeting a new teacher and classmates to the joy of seeing old friends again. Teachers spend a great deal of time prior to the first day of school arranging their classrooms into inviting spaces that reflect their joy and expectations for learning. This carefully crafted environment sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Just as the clasroom environment must be intentionally arranged, the first day read aloud must be intentionally selected. Why? What's the big deal about the first read aloud? Just as the classroom environment sets the tone for learning, the first read aloud sets the tone for creating community. I think Mem Fox says it best, As we share the words and pictures, the ideas and viewpoints, the rhythms and rhymes, the pain and comfort, and the hopes and fears and big issues of life that we encounter together in the pages of a book,