Skip to main content

And do it like this...

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) and they are never too old to benefit from and enjoy the experience. I give Reading Magic to every expectant mother as a baby shower gift, along with Koala Lou! However, it should also be required reading for every teacher.

On July 7, an updated and revised version of Reading Magic was released by Harcourt. New chapters on boy readers and phonics and a list of "Twenty Books That Children Love." I love everything about this book, but I particularly love the chapter titled, And Do It Like This (p. 39-52) in which Mem talks about how to read aloud well. And...do I have a treat for you...Mem actually reads this chapter aloud on her website!!! Hearing Mem read aloud a chapter on how to read aloud is brilliant. And there's more. She also reads aloud three of her books: Koala Lou, Sleepy Bears, and Tough Boris. There's nothing like learning how to read aloud by the master. Pure joy!

In The Joy of Children's Literature, I discuss using information from Mem's website with children. It is a plethora of information on herself and each of her books. I especially enjoyed reading Mem's description of the complicated process of writing Green Sheep. Those of us who love picturebooks know their creation is not simple, but Mem's reflection on the process shows us why.

I encourage you to read the updated and revised version of Reading Magic along with all of Mem's children's books and share them with as many people as possible.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 for 10 Picturebook Event

Picturebooks. Who can resist them? Old and young alike, there's a picturebook for everyone. But, keeping up with the best of them can be daunting. That's why you might be interested in Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek's 10 for 10 Picturebook Event . In event hosts bloggers who have chosen 10 picture books s/he could not live without and wrote a post about the titles.  Each blogger puts her/his own spin on a collection. Last year (the first year for the event) there were over 400 "must have" picture books. There are so many ways to create this list. I could list 10 of my all time favorites or 10 new releases which I plan to use in my class this year. But, I've decided to focus on 10 new nonfiction books. Why? Because nonfiction is vastly overlooked in the classroom and because these new nonfiction picturebooks are amazing! The nonfiction titles I chose to include range in age/grade level appropriateness and also include both biography and informational tex...
5 comments
Read more

"Testing the Ice" book giveaway

I would like to invite you to enter a book giveaway in celebration of the release of Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson. Sharon, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, has crafted a heartwarming, true story about growing up with her father. In the early 1950s, legendary baseball hero Jackie Robinson literally "tested the ice" for his kids who so eagerly wanted to skate on the frozen lake near their home. Under Sharon Robinson's skillful authorship and Kadir Nelson's vivid illustrations, Testing the Ice also becomes a stunning metaphor for her father's remarkable racial breakthrough. The book opens with Jackie Robinson's famous slide into home plate that won the seventh game in the world series, beating the New York Yankees and making the the Brooklyn Dodgers the world champions! Then the story transitions to the new home the Robinson's bought on a lake in Stamford, Connecticut. Told from Sharon Robinson's perspective, she and her two broth...
6 comments
Read more