The Summer Kids Talk Turkey (Vultures)

We're back! I'm teaching a small group of mixed-age kids for six weeks this summer, and will be blogging off and on with them. Today we worked on letter Vv, painted volcanoes, and read Vulture View written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins. You can read what April Pulley Sayre has to say about Vulture View at her website. Sayre's nonfiction picture books for young children are among my favorites. Check her stuff out the next time you're at the library. I guarantee your kids are going to love her books. 

Annalee: I like the picture where he found some food. I liked that bear climbing a tree. I like this picture. He's sitting in a tree fluffing up his wings. I saw a baby hedgehog today when I was going to my school. It was running across the road.

Arthur:  I like this page because they are eating this animal because it's dead. It was smelly.

Teagan: I will tell you which part I love. I like this part. [Illustration of the rotting bones of an animal whose species the children debated. Their guesses ranged from buffalo to elephant. It looks to be in the cattle family to me.] Here's all the parts of this animal. I don't know what it is.

Camryn: All I know is that these animals might be extinct. The vultures fly. When it's cold, they go down, and when it's sunny they go up. They're looking for something good to eat.  They like to eat something dead. Not that snake! Not that fox, because it's alive! They want to eat this deer because they like stuff that is dead and real stinky.

John: I learned that vultures are good for the earth and they eat all the dead stuff. And when the bad stuff drops into the ground and touches all the plants and stuff, they die. So the vultures are the animal garbage people. I liked when the vulture was gliding and soaring through the air at the second page.

Olivia: I was going to talk about these guys that are skeletons. This is a ram, and that's a pig. And this deer I'm talking about because he's dead. They're going to eat it, because they like eating animals that are dead. And I like vultures that fly in the sky. I like snakes. I like foxes. I like vultures that stand on branches. I like bears. I like vultures that go in a family tree.

J.J.:  I learned about that vultures eat yucky food. I think there's a big ant on this page.

A Very Good Cause

Marianne, a friend (and Hogarth parent) who works for Pearson Education recently told me about We Give Books. This year alone, the Pearson Foundation, in partnership with the Penguin Group, is planning to donate more than a million books to children who do not have books. You can drive the effort simply by reading free books on-line at We Give Books. You'll find picture books for children through age ten, with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. There are read-aloud books, and books for older children to read independently. New books are added each month, and you'll find special seasonal offerings, as well.

How does it work? For each book you read, one book will be donated to the organization of your choice. And it doesn't cost you a penny. When you first log on, you'll be asked to register and choose your designated charity from among several literacy organizations. You can even switch up your designated charities to spread the wealth.

Did I mention it's free? (I know that I did. Three times. I just want to over-emphasize that it doesn't cost you anything to be a hero.)

Aside from contributing to the very worthy cause of child literacy, if you're a picture book author you'll be able to "research read" within your genre. If you're a parent, you can teach your child about philanthropic giving as you read with him or her. Older children can experience the joy of giving as they read books on-line on their own. Teenagers could even design a service project around We Give Books. Everybody wins, but only if you log on now, register, and start reading.

It's free, by the way.

This post originally appeared at The Write Sisters' blog on April 26, 2010.

Read It Again!!

The CPG and EK children read an out-of-print old favorite, Little Cloud, by Robert Tallon. After I finished reading it, cries for me to read it again went up from the CPG kids. I wasn't at all surprised. Over the years, Little Cloud has elicited this response over and over. What a shame that a book kids connect to so strongly has gone out of print. I'll never understand the publishing industry!

Creative Play Group Responses:

Teagan: The lightning knocked off the mountain's nose and it fell off. I liked when it knocked off the nose. See! The lightning's touching the nose. His nose fell off and he said, "Aaaaw!! My nose!!" Look it. He blowed his nose when it was off him on the grass. He was tearing [crying] because his nose fell off in the dark.

Maeve: The cloud was near the big mountain. The big mountain scared everybody. He knocked off his nose because he didn't want him to be mean. The mountain grumbled. I liked it because he knocked off his nose.

Aria:  There was no more water for the animals. I like this one. [Illustration showing Mean Mountain's nose on the ground.] His nose is all sad.

Brady D.:  It was a story about Mean Mountain and Little Cloud.  I liked when Little Cloud wanted to go to the other side of Mean Mountain. The water was drying up because there was no rain. Mean Mountain scared away the clouds. I like this part. "Blast off!" He got his nose!

Ryan:  Big Mountain was mean to the clouds and he said, "Go away!" The water went all up because of Mean Mountain. I think he drank it all, so now the tree said, "I need water." Little Cloud was going to bring his friends. Mean Mountain was mad at Little Cloud. All the clouds gathered up and Little Cloud was the leader. When they got to the mountain the lightning shot Mean Mountain's nose. And then clouds rained and filled up the water.

Lindsey:  Little Cloud rained. The nose fell off.

Alec:  I like that page because it's scary. Mean Mountain is mad.

Aidan C.:  The tree didn't have any water because it didn't rain. Little Cloud broke Mean Mountain's nose off because he was mean to him. He was going, "My nose! My nose!"  I like that part.

J.J.:  Little Cloud got all his friends and made the big mountain's nose fall off because the mountain was mean. The water was drying up and the animals were really thirsty.

Aiden R.:  The animals needs some water, and even the trees.  The water is getting all dried out. There was no rain. This is my favorite. [Illustration in which lightning streaks out from Little Cloud, knocking off Mean Mountain's nose.]  His nose just fell off! The thunder was just cracking it.

Early Kindergarten Responses

Keegan:  There was a little cloud that couldn't get over the mountain because the mountain was mean. There wasn't a lot of water for the animals and trees. I liked the part where his nose broke off. And he kind of looks funny with his nose off. I think he's supposed to be The Old Man in the Mountain, but I'm not sure. This book kind of looks old. 

Daniel:  It's about a cloud who saves a valley from the bad mountain. He always scares the rain clouds away because he looks mean and scary and throws pebbles and rocks. The valley dried up. Little Cloud got all of his friends. Little cloud struck a light of thunder and knocked off the mountain's nose and brought water to the pond so they could drink and live. The last page was the mountain crying at his broken nose.

Allison: The mountain laughed at the cloud. All of the animals didn't have water. Lightning knocked off the mountain's nose. All of the animals and the trees had water.

Brady K.:  Little Cloud found Mean Mountain. Lightning came out of Mean Mountain's nose. It fell on the ground.

Bella:  I like the Little Cloud story because he had an idea to make lots and lots of rain because he wanted to make Mean Mountain's nose fall off. The water hole wasn't filled. So Little Cloud went to talk to a tree and the tree whispered because he wanted some rain. And then Little Cloud wasn't afraid of Mean Mountain.

Annalee: The mountain broke his nose because the lightning strucked him. The tree needed the water. His leaves were falling off and the leaves were very dry. The water was going away because the sun was up.

Sophie:  Where's the nosy part? [Flips through book to find illustration of Mean Mountain's grounded nose.] Well, the mountain's nose came off and he was just looking at it, crying. And the nose melted, because I see the green. [It's actually the nose's shadow.]

Leah:  The tree was whispering to the cloud because every time the clouds went by Mean Mountain scared them away. Little Cloud and all the clouds filled up over the sea with water. They made a big cloud all together with Little Cloud in the lead, and then they went to Mean Mountain and then lightning struck from Little Cloud onto Mean Mountain's nose. His nose fell onto the ground and it was gathering all the dust up. I just saw something! You [in my blue shirt] and the [blue] end pages match!

Brooke B.:  Little Cloud went to Mean Mountain and Mean Mountain wouldn't let Little Cloud go over him, but Little Cloud went around him. The valley had no water, and the tree whispered, "Can you bring some water?" Little Cloud asked her friends if they would help her, and they did. And then Little Cloud shot a big lightning bolt at big Mean Mountain and cut off his nose. And then he let water into the valley's waterfall and Little Cloud stayed in the valley.

Hayden:  All of the clouds said, "Hey come back, Little Cloud!" He just floated away and met Mean Mountain. He was crabby. When you be crabby, that means you're mad. Everybody is so hot because there's no water to play in . The tree whispered, "Please make it rain." And Little Cloud go back over Mean Mountain, and Mean Mountain blasts him off to the stars. Little Cloud got an airplane and taked one little snooze. That's what I do when someone's going to come over to my house. And then Little Cloud said, "Hey, why you all sleeping?" The clouds said, "Shhh! We're taking a little nap." Than all of the clouds maked an arrow, and went back to Mean Mountain. And then the mountain did some thunder. All the thunder came to Little Cloud. Everybody was so happy because Little Cloud brought the rain from the ocean. Then Mean Mountain cried because all the clouds knocked his nose off. He got a big tear coming out. And then Little Cloud saved everybody's life.

John: I liked when Little Cloud struck a streak of lightning and it knocked off Mean Mountain's nose and he said, "My nose! My nose!" And he groaned.  And that's it!

Let's Talk About Books!

I wasn't planning to blog today, but Emelyn asked if she could talk about books with me. Of course I said, "Of course!" Emelyn and her pals decided to talk about Beaver's Lodge by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert. We are weaving the room this week,  and read Beaver's Lodge because our sculpture just might be a beaver's lodge. Or it might be a giant spider web. Or maybe it's a pirate ship.

Emelyn:  The beaver falled and he had blood. Maybe he got the blood on this pointed stick right here.

Christel:  First Beaver fell down, then he got hurt. He got pointies by those sharp sticks. Beaver's dam was all into rubble. And then Bear came and they brought him to Bear's house and then he fell asleep. I love the mouses on the pages! Squeak! Squeak! One little mouse is swinging. And then Bear and Porcupine fixed Beaver's dam. They decorated the dam. That shoe doesn't look like a shoe. It looks like a shark. There was none door! Beaver said he would chop himself in.

Arthur:  I want to talk about the end papers. Beaver is falling down and the porcupine is scared because it's going to fall down on him and the bear is going to catch him.

John:  Beaver was filling some holes in the top of his lodge. He fell down and his lodge broke and he got hurt. Beaver was sad. He was not sad because he got hurt, he was sad because his lodge broke. Hedgehog called Bear to come along and help him with all of his cuts. I liked when they were building the lodge and they had to decorate it. And I liked when the lodge was there and it was all fixed and it had Bear and Hedgehog on it. Bear was a stuffed animal, and Hedgehog was made from twigs and shells and mud. Right before that when Beaver was feeling better from all of the leaves on his cuts like Band-Aids, I liked it.

Camryn:  I liked the part when they build the new lodge. The other one fell down. That's all I want to talk about.

On the Road with Mr. Goody Wuthrie

We had a traveling theme in Early Kindergarten this morning when we read This Land is Your Land written by Woody Guthrie and illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen, and The Trucker written by Brenda Weatherby and illustrated by Mark Weatherby.

Bella [Blogged about This Land is Your Land]: I like the golden valley. It has flowers, wolves, and bulls [buffalo]. I like all the colors. I like that. [Statue of Liberty] I think I saw it on Wonder Pets. I like that [a rainbow]. I saw a rainbow before with my daddy.

Hayden [Blogged about The Trucker]: The little boy fell asleep in his room and he had a dream, except it happened. His truck got bigger, and bigger and bigger and he got into the truck. And the truck had to stop so the people could walk by. And those are so cute!  What are they? [Me:  Deer.]  Oh, I like deers! On the alphabet line, reindeer starts with "R." I like this page because he blew the tire, but he needed help putting the big tire back onto the truck. He can't do it if it's raining.

Keegan [Blogged about The Trucker]: I love the fact that trucks have been around for millions, and millions and millions of years. A lot of the old ones didn't survive, they got scrapped. The toy truck transformed into a humongous big rig. And some rigs are so huge, they're bigger than a big house and they could hold millions and millions and millions of tons!

Daniel [Blogged about The Trucker]:  He was playing with his truck, and it became bigger, and bigger, and bigger and bigger until it was big enough so he could fit in it. Some kids saw him in the truck and they did the truck signal and it meant they wanted him to blow his horn. And on the next page he drove on the highway, and then he was bored so he called on the radio. Then he saw a truck that was stuck in a hole. The storm went by and there was trouble. A tire popped and it was called bubble trouble. The tow truck came to help him and followed him a ways, and then he pulled off the road to take a nap. It was a dream! And he was with his Dad to work. His Dad was a truck driver.

John [Blogged about The Trucker]:  The truck got bigger and bigger and bigger and then BOOM! It got humongous. He first checked all the equipment, and then he went to the lumber yard. At the bus stop, the kids wanted him to honk his horn. They gave the signal and then he gave a big, BOOOOOOM! He passed a deer crossing sign. Then he needed some company so he called up someone on his radio and he said, "Anyone out there got your ears on?" Then he was going past a tow truck that drove off the side of the road, and the big truck helped him back on the road. Then the storm came and thunder and lightning went, BOOM! BANG! Then he said, "I lost a bubble!" That means he lost a tire. He needed help to put the tire back on and then the tow truck was grateful enough so he put the tire back on. And then he got happy again and he was at the lumber yard. And then it was time to get his shut-eye. It was all a dream, and then his mom and his dad put him in his seat and he went to work with his dad. He works driving a truck at the lumber yard.

Sophie [Blogged about The Trucker]:  My favorite part was when that guy [the tow truck driver] was stuck there. The other truck pulled him out.

Leah [Blogged about This Land is Your Land]: They thought they had a job here, and then one people had no gas because they didn't have much money. Mr. Goody Wuthrie was strolling down the highway. Me and Sophie were lying on our backs because we were pretending we were seeing the Redwood Forest. They're so tall. There he is walking. It's Mr. Woody Guthrie.

Brooke B. [Blogged about This Land is Your Land]: Mr. Woody Guthrie was walking down that ribbon of highway. I like this page because I like how they like painted the mural and how they created the playground.

Annalee [Blogged about The Trucker]:  The truck is growing bigger and bigger. He's driving it. He didn't know how to drive. There's deer right there. I saw deer in Colorado. I went with Abby. We visited my cousins.

Dev [Blogged about The Trucker]:  He was playing with his toys and the truck began to be big. He could ride it. He was talking on his radio. The rain starts to go. It was raining hard. At the end the truck went small again.

Arthur [Blogged about This Land is Your Land]:  The policeman comed, three of them, and they wanted to give them gas, but they couldn't because there was no gas there. A lot of things were damaged because some burglar or some bad guy putted some fire on it. On the next page they fixed it. I like this because they think it's a rainbow, but it's really not a rainbow. It's a brick wall painted like a rainbow. Mr. Woody Guthrie is really a singer. The fog is moving on this page.

Arthur [Blogged about The Trucker]: I want to talk about something on the end. They want some food. That's all!

Here Comes the Sun/Son! (Doo, doo, doo, doo!)

The EK kids read and discussed Gerald McDermott's 1975 Caldecott Medal Winner Arrow to the Sun. March was such a wet and dreary month here in the Northeast, we just had to celebrate this first sunny day of April by reading a book featuring the sun.  Arrow to the Sun is a perennial favorite, and this year's crop of kids enjoyed it as much as my first class back in 1980.

Hayden: When the boy tried to find his Daddy someone put an arrow to the sun and the boy gets on the arrow and then he goes to the sun and he sees his father up there. He had to go in the Kiva of Lions. And then he had to go in the sea lions [serpents]. Then he trapped the lions. Then he curled up the sea lions. And then he goes into the bees. He trapped them. And then he goes in the lightning. He got hisself rainbowy. The father sended the boy back to earth. I liked when he goes in the lions and the sea lions.

Brady:  The boy turned into an arrow to find his dad. Arrow Maker maked the boy into an arrow and shooted him up to the sun. The father said he had to go into the Kivas. They were lions, snakes, bees and lightning. His father shot him back to the earth. My favorite part was when the boy turned into the arrow.

Brooke N.: His dad said, "Kill the bad guys." The bad guys were the snakes and the bees and the lion. The boy was brave. My favorite part was when he was fighting the bees. [I ask which Kiva she would enter.] I would fight the bees.

Bella: I liked it 'cause of all the pictures. It looks really cool, and I liked it when he goes through the lava [Kivas]. My favorite was the lion. [I ask which Kiva she would enter.] I would go through the lions.

John:  It was about a boy looking for his father. He asked the bow and arrow maker to shoot him all the way to the sun. Then he met his father. The father told him he had to go in four Kivas. The Kiva of Lions, then he tamed them. The Kiva of Snakes, then he turned them into a circle. The Kiva of Bees, then he turned them into honey. The last was the Kiva of Lightning. On the last Kiva he got static shocked and formed into a color just like his father. Then his father shot that arrow right back to earth, then I think the boy was king of the earth.

Annalee:  His dad told him, "Go to the lions." He tamed them.

Leah:  I love this part. She [Arrow Maker] gave the biggest arrow that she made to him. I liked the lightning part because I liked the colors.  And then the father shot the arrow back down. He [the father] was the sun. 

Keegan: It's kind of cool because I like these people. I like the buildings because they're Indian-style and I like that because it's like a hundred years ago and I like that. It's about a boy who went up and found his father up on the sun. He got shot up there by an arrow. His clothes changed up on the sun.

Daniel: In the Lion Kiva he made the lions not be so mean. Then it was the snakes. He made them not be mean. And then bees. He made the bees not be so mean. Near the end he was in the lightning place then when he came out he was looking different. Before he was in there he lookeded black with one flower in a circle around it. After he was like black with orange and blue and green and pink all over him, just like his dad. Then he was shot on an arrow back down to earth and everyone was nice and the mom was watching down on them.

Dev: I like this page where the arrow goes to the sun.

Allison:  He was going to the lions. I like that part.

Arthur:  I like it because he tamed the lions and he tamed the snakes. And because he tamed the bees and because he tamed the lightning.

Perfect is Perfect

I found Perfect the Pig by Susan Jeschke on a visit to the Harvey-Mitchell Memorial Library last week. I read it in the aisle, and was dangerously close to making a spectacle of myself. I was nearly moved to tears! I am a VERY critical reader, so any book that can stir that level of emotion in me screams to be shared with my students.

Leah:  He lived with his mommy and his mommy didn't even know he was there. Perfect wished for wings, and one day one pig fell in the road and Perfect pushed him on his paws, and then the pig turned her into wings. And then his brothers and sisters said, "Go away with the birds!" And then the birds said, "Go away with another family!" And then a little girl spotted her and then she picked up her and then she took very good care of her. And she named her Perfect the Pig, and then she feeded her and then she drawed a lot of pictures of her. And then one day Perfect flew up to the ceiling. And Perfect didn't like waiting in line and he didn't like walking on the pavement so she carried him. And then Perfect got lost. And then a mean man, he ran home with the pig. And then he feeded him garbage. And then he trained him to fly. Then he tied him to a pipe. And then he bought a cute little costume for Perfect the Pig and he took him for a show and all the people clapped their hands. And then when the man got back he got a cage. Perfect was crying. Then the little girl looked for him, and then she saw Perfect's picture and she got a ticket and she went in there and it was Perfect! And then the judge said, "Let the pig choose." And the pig choosed the little girl and they lived happily ever after.

Hayden: I like when he had a dream he was having wings. When he got wings, these pigs said, "Get out! You can sleep where the birds are!" But the birds didn't let the flying pig in the nest.

Annalee: I like when she was looking in the sky for the flying pig. She was worried.

Bella:  Perfect's wings hurt. He couldn't fly. He's a bad guy. He put Perfect on the leash and he yells at him. Then Perfect saw the girl. He could fly again!

Brooke N.: They were getting milk from the mother so they could get strong, then the little pig went out and he got wings. And then the pig said, "Get out!" And then the birds said, "Get out of this house!" And then the lady found her when she was lost, and then she got a bath and then she went to sleep. And then she got food and she went away. She got out and then a bad guy got her away and she didn't like garbage. And then she went in the show. She was crying because she didn't know what to do. And she was in a movie, and then she saw her family. And she choosed her. And then it was a happy ending.

John: I liked when the pig could fly and flew all around and it could fly really high. And I liked when it went lower and lower and lower then higher and higher and higher.

Kaitlyn: This part was scary. That guy had a scary voice when he waked the pig up. I thinked he was going to eat him. He trapped him in a cage and he gave him garbage. He tied him around a pipe and then he dressed him up and the pig looks kind of sad. The mean guy's happy because he's evil. When she [Olive] was looking for him [Perfect], she loved him, and he loved her. Perfect was sad at the mean guy's house.

Christel: This page [where the pigs banish Perfect from the pen and the birds refuse to let him stay with them] was really mean. I didn't like this bird. It looked like a crow and it was really mean. They didn't like Perfect because they didn't want him. He was trying to get a family. That's so cool. I wish I could draw like that. Look at this grass. That's pretty grass! I like this part where the pig's flying. And I like the big submarine. You should tell the library.

Emelyn: I don't really like it when he tied him to the pipe. I thought he was going to be there forever. I thought he was going to be with the mean man forever. Perfect was sad. The man put him in a cage because he wants him to stay there. I thought he was going to be there forever.

Mack:  I want to talk about the one where he was in the cage. I thought he was going to be trapped forever. He felt like he was going to be trapped in there forever and he was crying. That made me worried.

Brady L.: He hooked  him up because he had wings.

Eva:  He [the mean man] looks like he has goblin teeth. Goblins only have two teeth. I don't like that guy. I like that cute, little pig. You know which one makes me feel happy? [Flips to illustration in which Perfect and Olive are reunited.] That one because the pig sees the lady and the lady sees the pig and then she gets to bring him home.

Katherine:  I like this page because the woman's being nice to him. She's giving him a bath in this one. Perfect is happy because he's smiling.

Arthur: My favorite page is this because the bird said, "You can't live in this!" [Closes book and points to cover illustration.] I like this because it has a bed. I just love beds.

Don't Bite the Leprechaun!

Today, in both EK and PK, we read Clever Tom and the Leprechaun, retold and illustrated by Linda Shute. A few of the PK kids wanted to blog about this story, which is a faithful retelling of the Celtic fairy tale The Field of Boliauns.

Camryn: I like that part. He's finding the leprechaun. He had gold. His name is Tom. I have a show of Tom and Jerry! Leprechaun. That's a long, long word!

Kaitlyn: Tom tried to bite that guy. [The illustration depicts Tom holding the leprechaun close to his face. This particular illustration is not the cover art. Tom has an angry expression on his face, and appears to be ready to bite the leprechaun.] He wanted the leprechaun to give him his gold.  He grabbed his shovel. He was going to start shoveling. He shoveled everywhere. He shoveled a hundred one. He was digging but he couldn't find the treasure because the little guy tricked him. He told the kids about it, and the little guy laughed. And that's the end!

Katherine:  I like this part. I like when he grabbed the leprechaun. He wanted gold.

Christel: Tom wanted the leprechaun's gold. He was peeking at the leprechaun trying to see what he was doing. Now this one's kind of crazy. [Looking at illustration showing an extreme close-up of Tom's face.] He grabbed the leprechaun. He been mean to him.

Mikayla: He wanted gold. He took it. He bite his shoe. He couldn't find the gold.

Emmett: The guy was angry at the leprechaun because he wanted his gold. The leprechaun lied and he buried his gold under one of the stalks, but he lied. It was a great story.

Each Peach Pear Plum

The Creative Play Group children read Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. This rhyming romp through story land has a hidden picture element that preschoolers just love.

J.J.: I like it when he [Tom Thumb] hides in the tree. Finding the pictures is a little hard. And I like it when I see the bears. I liked the bear part. I like the part where she [Bo Peep] was looking for the sheep and they [Jack and Jill] were tumbling down the hill. I like the whole entire thing!

Aria: The mouse was going to eat the pie. Snow White [Cinderella] was dusting. It's [Baby Bunting's basket] floating in the river. [Starts reciting.] Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. The cat said, "I'm just a cat!"

Ryan: I like when the witch screamed. Look at her face! I like when Robin Hood said, "Ha, ha, ha! I'm going to get her!" I like when you could only see one leg. It was hard and easy to find the pictures. I'm smart! I like when the baby went, "Me! Me!" He was happy. I like when the baby bear thought he was the Dada, but he's not. The Dada's right there.

Brady D.: I like this part. They [Jack and Jill] fell down the hill. I like this page. [The last illustration.] They were all there.

John: I like when Robin Hood was trying to shoot the witch and the cat said, "I'm going to hold on tight!" I like when they all hided in the picture ready to get out and eat everything, and when they all jumped out they ate and ate and ate until they were too full.

Maeve: I like the wicked witch. She wanted all the stuff from her friends. He [Robin Hood] was shooting that [arrows] at the witch's broom stick.

Arthur:  I like this because they were all hiding. It's a hard time finding them.

Lipstick on a Fish: You Have to Love Leo

The Prekindergarten children read Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni today. I love Lionni's work. When I want to read a story about friendship or acceptance to my students, Lionni's books are always at the top of my list. Fish is Fish engaged the children with humor and suspense, and with illustrations that stretched their imaginations.  

Emelyn: I liked it when the fish is not in the water. He wanted to go see his friend Frog. He couldn't breathe. The frog throwed him back in the water.

Katherine: The fish wanted to see where the frog went and the frog throwed him back in the water when he went on land. He wanted to see what all the things were like that the frog saw. He thinked all the people they looked like they were fish and they were all riding on a cow that looked like a fish.

Camryn: I like when the fish was on land and he was upside down. He wanted to see his friend again. His friend helped him jump back into the water.

Mack:  The tadpole turned into a grown-up frog and I liked it when the fish was out of the water. He wanted to see everything in the world 'cause the frog told him. My favorite part was when he thought everything was like him.

Acadia: I like the one with all the birds because I like all the colors. They look like a fish, but with those. [Points to the gills.] I don't know why it's like a fish. I like it because all the colors are like a rainbow.

Summer [Who has been listening to Acadia.]:  Me, too!

Kaitlyn: I like when the frog was a baby. I like this [illustration] because she's wearing lipstick and she's a fish. And she's wearing clothes! The fish doesn't know what they look like. My second favorite one is where he was trying to like get out, and he couldn't breathe. In the last part the frog picked him up and put him back in the pond and he sat with his fish friend.

Christel: I like the pretty fish that look like birds. And I really like the cow because it has a funny cow/fish tail. I love that there's beautiful flowers and the mom and the beautiful birds and the beautiful butterflies.

Yellow Jackets, Wind and Fire

Last week, New Hampshire experienced a windstorm that left more than 300,000 folks in the dark. Those of us without wood stoves or fireplaces were also left in the cold. I decided to read Fire Race, A Karuk Coyote Tale retold by Jonathan London and illustrated by Sylvia Long to the EK and PK children. It retells the Karuk tale of how fire came to the people. The story opens with a group of shivering animals huddling together for warmth. I couldn't help but think of the thousands of people who ended up doing much the same thing last week after the storm.

Fire Race is retold with such intense drama that you are sucked right into the story. One of my students actually covered her eyes and peeked between her fingers at the pictures depicting the evil Yellow Jacket sisters. (I've watched parts of my favorite Quentin Tarantino films that way myself!)

A few of the children wanted to blog about the story and about their storm experiences. Thankfully, there were no yellow jackets to add to the chaos that was the Great New Hampshire Windstorm of 2010.

Hayden: The animals were cold because there's been no fire. The bees had the fire. I liked when the frog got fire in his mouth, when the frog got a branch with fire on it. I liked when the bee stinged the turtle. I think the bees have been naughty.

Leah:  The animals lived in a dark wood and it was cold. And then the wolf knocked on the bee sisters' door. And then he said, "If you close your eyes, I'll make you more prettier." And then he took the fire and he ran off. And then he tripped and then the eagle caught the fire. And then the mama tiger got it. And then the fox got it and jumped up and ran off. And then the bear got it. And then the caterpillar got it. The turtle got stinged and then the frog got it. The frog ate the fire. I thinked he was going to catch on fire. He didn't. He was under the water holding his breath and the fire. And then the bee sisters gave up. And then the frog hopped out and put the fire log on the branch. And then everybody asked if they could get warm. [Windstorm discussion.] While I was driving I saw a lot of trees on the wire. And guess what! When I drived back, I saw a tree on someone's house!

Daniel: The coyotes were pretty cold and they needed to eat their food raw. I liked when he went to steal fire from the yellow jacket sisters. When their eyes were closed he took a charcoal from the fire and ran away. When the yellow jacket sisters opened their eyes they chased the fox and the eagle caught the fire. Then jaguar thought they were going to sting him, then they went after him. Then the ant got the fire, then the turtle got it and the turtle got stung and then the frog came in and swallowed it. He hopped in the water and the wasps flew around in a circle one, two, three times and flew away. And the frog hopped out and spitted out the fire. Then one of the frogs asked the old and wise one how to make fire, and then it was the end.

Brooke N.: I like when the wolf got into the bees' house. He was stealing the fire because he wanted to make himself warm. And then he was playing a joke and then he stole the fire. [Windstorm discussion.] The winds were starting to make the trees fall down. We didn't have no water when we lost power. We went to Nana's house. Daddy stayed at home because he had to go work.

John: The animals didn't know that you could make fire from bark, so they wanted to get the fire from the yellow jacket sisters. The sisters wanted the fire all to themselves. I like when the turtle's tail got stung because he went into his shell. [Windstorm discussion.] It was really, really windy, and I bet my Dad got confused when the power went out because his computer went out. The power went out when the TV was on.

A Good Book is Timeless

The Creative Play Group kids talked about a book published 75 years ago. Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack is every bit as appealing to the 2010 child as it was to the 1932 child.

Aiden R.: My favorite animal was the hen because I liked the hen.

J.J.: The little boy needed a present for his mama. He asked all the animals if they would give him something for his mama's birthday party. My favorite animal was the cow.

Lindsey: It's his mama's birthday. I like the chicken one. A cow! Moooo! A hugging bear. [Looking at illustration of the boy giving his mother a bear hug.] He's so silly.

Olivia: He wants to give something to his mom. The hen said to give an egg to his mother. [I ask what he gives his mother.] Maybe a big bear hug.

Arthur: This is my first favorite page because it has a chicken. The chicken said, "Could I give you some eggs?" And then the little boy said, "My mom already has eggs." And then they gathered along and then they saw a goose. The goose said, "Could I give you some feathers to give you a pillow?" And the boy said, "I already have a pillow." And then they gathered along again, and then they found a goat. And the goat said, "Could I give you cheese and milk?" And the little boy said, "We already have cheese and milk." And then they gathered along again, and then they found a sheep. And the sheep said, "Could I give you some fur?" And then they gathered along again, and then they met the cow. And then the kid said, "Do you have anything for my mom for Valentine's Day?" "Yes, I do," the cow said. And then the cow said, "You should go to the bear." And then one person gathered along and it was the kid, and then he was running. And then he finally got to the woods and saw him, and then the kid said, "Do you have anything for my Valentine?" "No, but I could show you what I could give you for Valentine's." And then he whispered in his ear. And then his mom guessed all of those things that they wanted to give them, and it was a bear hug.

Carter: Carter didn't really like the book much. [I'm sure he wouldn't have liked it much as a 1932 child, either.] He said, "Nothing happened." He did like the boy, though.

Alec: Here's the bear and here's the little boy. I don't know what his [the little boy's] name is. He was a friendly bear.

Aidan C.: I like the part where the little boy said to his mother, "I got something to show you." It was the part where he gave her a hug.

Aria:  He's sad because he don't have anything for his mother's birthday. He saw a chicken. He runned with the chicken with him. Then they saw the goose. He saw a goat. And he saw a sheep. And they saw the cow. And then he ran up the hill. Then he saw the bear. I like the bear! And the bear whispered in his ear and said, "Give your mama a great bear hug."

Lions and tigers and boats. Oh, my!

The CPG children read and discussed Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long. As you read through their comments, you'll see the children were delightfully scared by the boat's misadventures. It's obvious that de Seve and Long have written the perfect "thriller" for the preschool set. They've given their readers just the right scare factor, with the happy resolution coming soon enough to diffuse the tension.

Aria: I like this part in the tub. I like the boy and the boat. I like this part, but he let go of the boat. The boat got lost. I like this part, 'cause he said, "Boat! Boat!" I like this part 'cause it's pretty scary. The weather blowed it away. I like this part, cause he [the big boat] said, "Move!" He's sad 'cause he misses his boy.

Alec: The [tub toy] shark looks happy. The boy's in the tub with his boat. [Flips to illustration of a speedboat with flames and teeth painted on its sides.] It's scary! Those are bad boats! [Flips to illustration in which the boy and boat are reunited.] That boy said, "Boat!" The end.

Teagan: [Flipping to illustration of a speedboat with flames and teeth painted on its sides.] I'm going to the shark one. The boat shark. It maked me freak out. The speedboat's yell did. When he said the thing. ["Move along!"]

John: I liked the picture with the speedboat. The speedboat had flames and some teeth and lots of yellow on it and a white cover on the top. The speedboat zoomed by and kicked up a lot of water and the speedboat went really, really fast. The toy boat got wet. The speedboat screamed, "Get out of my way!"

Maeve: [Flips to illustration of a speedboat with flames and teeth painted on its sides.] I like when the scary boat was shooting by. The boat's scary. My favorite part was the teeth.

Aidan C.: The toy boat escaped from the boy. I like the part when it was scary. The part when it was dark. The toy boat got lost and he couldn't find his friend. They were together in the end.

I wish I was in this book.

This week the EK kids are blogging about alphabet mystery written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by her son Bruce Wood. And, yes, I meant to write the title all in lower case letters because that's the way it appears on the cover.

Hayden: When the Big "M" said he was going to eat the little letters he was going to put them in his soup. He was yelling at the letters. I like when Little "x" flew on the pencil and got to the castle.

Brooke N.: Crooked "I" said, "If you wake up 'M' he's going to throw you in the soup!" It was funny. And then the flewed off and then they goed in the castle.

Sophie: I liked the end because it had a birthday cake. It said, "I love you Mom."

Bella: Little "x" floated away on one of the pencils. He ran away because nobody wanted to work with him. And then all the other little letters took one pencil and they floated into the night sky. They goed right here. That's a castle, and there's the pencil Little "x" took parked. Crooked "I" was so crooked because he crooked hisself by hisself.  Maybe. Big "M" had paint and beads on him. He was a little bit naughty, but then he started crying because he missed his Mommy. Look it. That's Big "M's" shadow. He made the little alphabet shake because he wanted to make them alphabet soup and they were sad because they were going to miss their mommy. And then the Big "M" misseded his Mommy, too. See? Now he's crying because he misses his Mommy. The big tears are falling on the little alphabet. And look it. They're all picking things for all their moms. My favorite was the beads. They flied off, and Crooked "I" and Big "M" flied off on a pencil with all the other little letters. They made a birthday cake and then they put kisses on the cake. It was little "x."

John: All the letters were sleeping in their beds, but little "x" wasn't because he drove in one of the pencil cars to a castle. He left because the kid who had the whole alphabet didn't use him. And there's something funny about when they went out the window -- "z" was in front and "a" wasn't in front. They went backwards not forwards. And there was a castle with lots of different color flags. And little "b" was the bravest and said, "We're looking for little "x." And Crooked "I" said, "Come in, but don't awake The Master!" And when the Big "M" said, "I'll cook you in the alphabet soup," the letters shivered. Little "x" told him M also stands for mother. Big "M" cried because he hasn't give his mother a present in so long. Big "M" told them they could each pick one present for the kid's mother. My favorite present was the "j" jack-in-the-box.

Arthur: The best part was when all the letters picked out things. My favorite was the "t" because it had a Teddy Bear. I like the pictures. I think the artist used crayons to draw the pictures. I like to draw stuffed animals and animals. I like Star Wars and one more thing. Actually two more. I like to draw cars and I like to draw Super Heroes. 

Annalee: I like when the "x" flied away. I like this picture. He's (little "x") singing a lullaby to the big "M." He's kind of mean. He was going to put the little letters in the soup. The little letters were shaky.

Leah: I really like the abcs in it. I think the artist made the letters so beautiful because he used colorful ink. And I love that they took home the "I" and the "M" 'cause they love them 'cause the "M" was going to make them into alphabet soup but then they made him into nice and then he was getting to put on the cake. It said, "I love you Mom." It was so cool that they took off on the pencil. It was so beautiful on the ground. I wish I was in this book.

You say goodbye, and I say hello.

This past weekend I went to Kindling Words (KW) in Vermont. KW is a retreat for published children's authors, illustrators and editors. Because so many folks want to attend, the retreat spots are awarded in a lottery.

The Picture Book Project actually came up in conversation over the weekend. A couple of the attending authors are regular Picture Book Project readers, and they had a few suggestions. (After scolding me for being such a blog-slacker last month.) They suggested if I keep each post to just a few kids, it will be easier for the reader to follow, and for me to manage.

As you read on, you'll see I took their advice. Each blog entry will include contributions from only a few of the children. I'll keep track of who has blogged, and encourage all of the children to blog at least once each month.

Today the PK kids read the 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner The Hello, Goodbye Window written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Chris Raschka was at KW this year, leading the illustrator thread. It was a complete kick to sit in on two of his illustrator sessions, and I couldn't wait to get back to school to read this book to the children.

Acadia:  [Looking at the dinosaur-in-the-window illustration.] It's not real! They're extinct! I don't know why she saw the head of a dinosaur in the window. I don't know why she saw the pizza and the queen. How come did she see these in the Hello, Goodbye window? [I ask, Were they really there?] Noooo! She was just pretending they were there. I like to pretend I'm a Princess Fairy.

Christel:  I liked that the Poppa was squirting the hose at the little boy. The little boy liked it. I liked that the Mommy and Daddy were going to work. I like that the Grandma has curly hair. I like that there's so many stars up in the sky so-o-o-o-o big. It's kind of cool how the artist did the circles in the sky. I like that she said the cat was a tiger. If I was there, I would just walk near the tiger. I want to show the Grandma that it's just a kitty. I like that he took a nap. I wish they were making so fun things and being noisy.

Camryn: I like it when the medal [Caldecott medal on cover] is gold. I like blond, pink, silver, purple and gold. I like that the end papers look like mustard. I like the very big house. I liked it when the Grandma said don't touch anything under the sink because it's chemicals. I liked when the Grandma thinked it was a tiger but it was a kitty. I call my grandmother my Grammy.

Eva: I liked the part when she stayed over at her Grammy's. I like when the Grandfather was chasing the little girl with the hose. He was being tricky and he was having fun.

Arthur: They were saying goodbye to their parents. Sometimes I stand on a chair and wave goodbye to Mommy and Daddy and blow them hugs and kisses.

John:  Sometimes when my Mom goes to work, I go to my Mom's work at her daycare. If we get there early, we get to go to her desk and we get to color whatever we bring. When it's time for Mommy to work, we go into the daycare. There's toys. At lunch, Mommy meets up with us and we have lunch then she goes back to work and we go play. And then after we go play, it's the end of work and we go home. The book made me think of it.

Interested in learning a bit about Chris Raschka and his work process? Check out this video.

'Twas Eight Days After Christmas . . .

I had wanted to get this entry written and posted before Christmas, but being the good teacher I am, I waited until vacation to get really sick. I'm recovered and ready to return to class tomorrow, and thought I'd sneak this in before the children and I get back down to blogging business later this month.

The EK kids participated in the Hogarth School's 8th annual Vote for The Night Before Christmas. I read three different versions of Clement C. Moore's poem The Night Before Christmas illustrated by three different artists -- Corinne Malvern, Cheryl Harness and Jan Brett.

Malvern was the winner with 7 votes, Harness came in second with 5 votes, and Brett came in last with 2 votes. Corinne Malvern tied to win one year, and flat-out won the other 7 "elections."

Now, don't start crying, Election fraud! I do my best to assure a fair result every year. I try to remain impartial and not give any hints as to which is my favorite. The children vote privately, and do not receive a ballot to mark until they physically pick up the book for which they wish to vote. That way, they don't simply mark off the first box on the ballot.

I love this curriculum unit, and am intrigued that Malvern wins year after year. Although her version was originally published smack in the middle (almost) of the 20th century in 1949, those very traditional renderings of Santa and his reindeer still hold enormous appeal for a 21st century audience.

Last year, I found it interesting that my 11 and 13-year old nieces were appalled that Jan Brett was not the clear winner. In fact, Brett's illustrations have come in last 7 out of 8 elections.

My nieces are fantastic artists, and Margaret (the 11-year old) is an aspiring illustrator. We talked about what Brett's problem might be (at least with the preschool set) and determined that you could never put a red nose on a Brett reindeer. We think it's as simple as that. Kids just can't fit a realistic-looking reindeer into their existing reindeer schemata. I think Brett has the same problem with her Santa. That guy would never live at the North Pole. Which is kind of what New England is feeling like these days.

See You in 2010!

Happy Holidays to all of The Picture Book Project followers! The children and I are taking a break until after the New Year, and will be back with weekly posts starting the week of January 11th.  We'll see you then!

Frozen Antlers and Cold Snorts

This week the PK children talked about Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Christmas written by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller. I met Joy several years back when she was my mentor at the week-long Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. She was as delightful as Mrs. Wishy-Washy!

Katherine:  I like when all the snow was down. I like when they all didn't want to go in the tub. I like the part when she poured the cold water in the tub. I like the part when Mrs. Wishy-Washy went away and they went upstairs to take a bath. I like the part when he's [the duck] standing on [the edge of the bathtub] right there. I like the part when they got in the tub with the pink bubbles. I like the part when she came back and she yelled. I like the part when they're in the living room with the presents. I like the part when she brought all the animals in the living room. I like the part when she picked the duck up. I like the part when she gave them presents and she ate some treats with the duck. And I like the part when she shared the cookies with them. It was a fun story.

Acadia: I like this part. They're taking a bath -- a duck, a pig and a cow. I didn't know if Wishy-Washy liked that. She said, "Don't go in the bathtub again!"

Summer: She cleans the pig and the cow and the duck. The animals went up the upstairs bath because it was too cold in the outside tub. The duck has bubbles on his head. She screamed because they weren't in the outside tub. She took the presents and she give them back to Santa.

Camryn: The cow and the pig and the duck were cold in the tub 'cause they were in the snow. They got mud all over the floor. They take a bath in the bathroom. The cow jumped in the tub. Wishy-Washy screamed 'cause she saw mud all over the floor. The pig and the duck and the goose and the cow did it.

Kaitlyn:  She was trying to wash the pig and cow and duck in the cold water. They had a plan and then they got in the bathtub. And they scrubbed and they made bubbles. She came home and it was a mess. There was a Christmas tree and they standed at it. She said, "Don't ever do it in the bathtub 'cause they would get all fur in it."  She was not that mad, and then she said, "You can get into other." And she made cookies.

Eva:  Mrs. Wishy-Washy said, "Time for a bath!" The animals yelled, "No! No!" Because they didn't want a bath because it was too cold. The water turned into ice. The duck said, "I have a good idea!" They opened the door and got mud all over the floor. They went to the bathroom. It has cream and shampoo and it also has bubbles. And then they scrubbed in bubbles and shampoo. Mrs. Wishy-Washy said, "Someone's using my bathroom!" She said, "I know!" Then she found them and their faces nodded. She was going to take away their presents, but then she said, "Okay." She gave all them presents. She put her Santa hat on and gave all them presents. And she made cookies for them.

Mack:  I think when the snow was falling down on the barn and the animals gotta get clean and they were too cold to get in the bathtub. And the duck had an idea and they were doing something that they weren't supposed to do. And they were going in her bathtub room. She said, "Someone was using my bathtub room!" And the animals were nodding their heads, and that was my favorite part.

Christel: It's snowing, and I really like snow. The animals were getting covered with snow. They were freezing! The duck said, "Oh, no! My beak's going to get cold!" Then Mrs. Wishy-Washy poured a big bucket of water, and the duck said, "Oh, no!" My beak's going to get covered in rain!" And then the pig said, "Oh, no! My snort is going to get covered in cold ice!" And then the cow said, "Oh, my antlers are going to be freezing cold covered in ex-ice." That's ice that will freeze you. But then they went upstairs to get a bath. "That is warm steam," said the duck. And then the cow jumped in and said, "That was good soap!" And then Mrs. Wishy-Washy ran to get the animals. And then they said, "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Wishy-Washy." And then they were happy to have a warm bath. The end.

Mikayla liked the illustration in which the animals are bathing in Mrs. Wishy-Washy's tub.

Brady L.: The duck had a good idea and the cow and the pig came in the bathtub. And then she screamed. And then she gave the duck a big hug.

Arthur: Mrs. Wishy-Washy wanted them to go in a cold, cold bath. They didn't want to go in there. They followed the duck and goed in Mrs. Wishy-Washy's bed. No! What is that thing? A tub! She [Mrs. Wishy-Washy] screamed like a fire alarm. I like this part with all the presents. The pig got shampoo, and this cow got a scrub with a rope on it, and the duck got a bar of soap.

John: I like when Mrs. Wishy-Washy came home and she said, "Tub thiefs!" And I like the picture when all the animals were near the tree and all the presents. And I like that the animals could kiss their presents goodbye because they thought that Mrs. Wishy-Washy was going to shake her finger and tell them to go back to the tub out in the snow and the cold. And I like when Mrs. Wishy-Washy made cookies. That's it!

Emelyn didn't feel like talking about books today.

EK Kids See How the Woods Stack Up

Don and Audrey Wood have created some of my all-time favorite picture books. Their 1986 Caldecott Honor Book King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is, in my opinion, close to picture book perfection. I've been reading this story to my students for 20+ years and it never fails to delight. It has all the elements necessary to capture and keep a preschooler's attention.

Visually, it's stunning. The costumes are lavishly detailed, and the medieval setting rings completely true. The characters' facial expressions and body language leave no doubt as to what's going on in the story. It could almost be a wordless picture book, but I wouldn't lose one syllable of text.

Audrey Wood knows how to tell a story that preschoolers want to hear. She knows that this young audience needs a storyline that can be summed up in one short sentence, like this: King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out. The scene is set for the hapless little page, who has to haul the water and mop up the mess. He looks to the adults in the book for help. "King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out! Oh, who knows what to do?"

The queen, duke, knight and the rest of the king's court are all sure they can coax Bidgood out of the tub, but of course they can't. They can't because Audrey Wood knows Rule Number One of picture book writing. If you're going to have a child hero, that child hero must solve his or her own problem. So the page is left to deal with Bidgood, who proves that it really is good to be king as he battles with his toys in the tub, eats lunch in the tub, fishes in the tub, and holds a masquerade ball in the tub.

Finally, with the king's court dripping wet and calling for help, the page takes matters into his own capable hands and pulls the plug. The problem is solved by the child hero, and the king is left fleeing the draining tub wrapped in a towel that reveals just a hint of royal behind. Do Don and Audrey Wood know their audience, or what?

We actually read three books by Don and Audrey Wood in EK last week. In addition to King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, we read The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear as well as Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!

EK Kids Respond to Don and Audrey Wood

Brady K. talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear:  We didn't see the Bear. He [the Mouse] hided the strawberry under a blanket from the Bear. I like the book 'cause the Mice ate the strawberry.

Dev talked about King Bidgood's in the Bathtub : This guy [King Bidgood] was still in the bathtub. He was keep on eating some stuff. They [the king's court] called for help. He [our hero, the little page] pulled the wire [plug] out and he [King Bidgood] ran away.

Daniel talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear: It was about the Mouse carrying the ladder to pick a big ripe, red strawberry and the narrator on the radio or us, I don't remember, we said, "What about a big hungry Bear? He can smell a ripe, red strawberry from a mile away. Especially picked ones. No matter where it is or who's guarding it or where it's hidden. Or only if it's cutten in half and shared with the big hungry Bear." And that's the end!

Arthur talked about Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear:  I like when the Bear gave the Mouse the present. I think cheese is in the present.

Keegan talked about King Bidgood's in the Bathtub while looking at the illustration in which the Knight and King battle in the tub:  Is this a real story? [I tell Keegan this is a work of fiction.] But were the real ships like this? Like the toy ones? I mean are these like the toys back then? [I said that possibly kings would have had such grand toys.] I would like to have all the men [toy soldiers] and that bridge. And I don't even know what that is. It looks like a cannon. And by the way, I have karate tonight. This is my favorite page because it has all the toy ships. And this is the Knight! He's going to get rusty in that water. And look at that ship. It's sinking. There were bridges like that back in the day.

Sophie talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear: Well, the Bear really wanted that strawberry because he really sniffed it and he really wanted it. The Mouse guard it and hide it, and there was one thing to do. Split it in half and eat it. He shared it with the big hungry Bear.

Brooke B. talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear: I liked it because when the little Mouse said, "I'm going to pick this red, ripe strawberry." "Little Mouse, have you ever heard of the big hungry Bear? Oh, how he loves red, ripe strawberries. Even ones that just got picked." The red, ripe strawberry got ate by the little Mouse.

Bella talked about King Bidgood's in the Bathtub:  He's [King Bidgood] putting his hand out because he wants to get this guy [the Knight] in the bathtub so he can fish [battle]. Then he got wet. Then the Queen came. She wanted the king to eat. Then what happened then she got wet 'cause in the bathtub. And then these guys came then they got fishing. They fished in the bathtub. And then he [the Duke] got all wet. And then all these guys [the King's court] came. They danced in the bathtub. And then that guy's [our hero, the Page] just sweeping the mop. Look it! Everybody's saying, "Help!" He [the Page] pulled the drain then all the water came out. He [King Bidgood] just had a face and he got out of the bathtub. Finally!

Leah talked about Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear! "because Christmas is coming up!":  The Bear really likes presents and the Mouse didn't know the Bear liked presents. And then he looked out his window and he saw the big cave and then he wrapped all the presents up. He put them in the blanket because he was guarding it from the big hungry Bear. And then he was scared of the Bear. He was crying because he didn't want the presents away. Then he dressed up like Santa so the Bear wouldn't get his presents and then he put a little bit of presents in the blanket and then he took off to the cave with the presents. He was sharing his presents with the Bear so the big hungry Bear wouldn't see the Mouse's Christmas presents. And then he ran super fast so the Bear wouldn't eat him. Guess what? I have this book [Red Ripe Strawberry book] at home.

[I love the fact that Leah interpreted the Mouse's actions not as an altruistic gesture toward the bear, but as payment to leave him and his presents alone. Maybe that bear's last name is "Soprano."]

Hayden talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear because "I love strawberries.":  A hungry Bear almost is going to eat the strawberry so the Bear and the Mouse are going to share it. The Mouse got a ladder to get the strawberry.

Brooke N. talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear: The Mouse got a ladder and he was trying to get the strawberry and he was trying to pick it down in his door and he was trying to dig it but he locked it up and he hided it. He thought the Bear was going to eat it. And he [the Mouse] eated it.

Allison talked about Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!: He [the Mouse] puts the star on the top. He puts decorations on the door. Santa bringed presents. The Mouse put bricks on the door because of the big Bear. He was going to go inside of Mouse's house and take all the presents. He [the Mouse] locked up the presents. He was sitting on the presents. He was crying because Santa won't come. Santa put on his boots and his hat and he put a red suit on and Santa was going to the Bear's cave and then he bringed presents.

Annalee talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear: The big hungry Bear he wanted to eat the big ripe strawberry. He [the Mouse] dressed the strawberry up. I think he hid it because I think he got it first because he wanted to eat it because he got it first. He [the Mouse] ate it.

John talked about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear. He actually started his discussion at the end of the book, and then flipped around through the illustrations as he talked: I liked when the Mouse split the strawberry in half and shared it with the big hungry Bear. And I liked when the Mouse was shivering with fear. And I liked when the strawberry and the Mouse were in disguise. And I  liked when the little Mouse was guarding the strawberry. He locked the strawberry up in chains and he put tacks on the floor and put wood on the door. And I like when the little Mouse was going to bury it. And I like when the little Mouse was taking the ladder out of his house and was going to pick the strawberry. And I like when the little Mouse was running with the strawberry above him. And I like when the Bear went BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! And that's it!

Run, Turkey, Run!

EK and PK children discussed Run, Turkey, Run! written by New Hampshire author (and my good friend) Diane Mayr and illustrated by Laura Rader.

I first heard this story several years ago when Diane brought it to our critique group to read. Because I've talked about this story so many times with my adult writer friends, it was great fun hearing what the children, Diane's intended audience, had to say about Run, Turkey, Run!

EK Kids Respond:

Sophie: The farmer was chasing the turkey because it was Thanksgiving and he really, really wanted turkey. The turkey keeped on trying to get away from the farmer. He goed in the pond, he rolled in the mud, he sticked his head in the bucket, and he hid in the trees and the farmer couldn't find him. On the end the farmer had grilled cheese and peas. I liked it because the turkey rolled in the mud.

Arthur: I liked it because this thing is upside down! [The cover of our copy of RUN, TURKEY, RUN! is upside down, so we needed to turn the book around and read from what appears to be the back. The kids loved it when I opened the book after we talked about the cover art and endpapers only to find we were looking at the upside-down last page of the book.] When he said, "Could he think I'm a pig when I'm in the mud?" And I liked when he saw he wasn't a pig. And I liked when he said, "Would he think I'm a duck when I'm in the water?" But he found he wasn't a duck. And when he said, "Could he think I'm a horse when I'm in this bucket?" When he said, "Would he think I'm a tree when I'm in the branch?" And he thought he was a tree! And that's all I like.

Keegan: How old is it? [I told Keegan the book was published in 2007 so it's two years old.] I'm way older than this. I'm almost five, so I'm way older than this. There's no such thing as a turkey that has a whole red neck. I did not like the book because there's no such thing as animals peeking out from a tree and talking. I don't know how old the barn is. It looks like it's red, so it's a red barn, so I think it's new. I like old barns. Up to camp there's a barn that was there before the barn that was there now. It got burned down. Hay burns once it's not dry. The year after that they built the new barn.

Leah: The turkey was sad because he was going to get cooked. And then the farmer was walking down the stairs and the turkey started running. Next the farmer was trying to get him and he went in the duck pond and then he saw him and then he went into the barn and stuck his head in the horse bucket and then he was running and his friends said, "Run, Turkey, run!" The farmer was chasing after the turkey. He was hiding behind the branches and the farmer didn't see him and then he danced along with his bunny friends. And then when they were going to get a Christmas tree they saw the turkey. And then they were going to have him for Christmas dinner and the kid said, "Run, Turkey, run!" And do you know what I liked the best? I like that the endpapers were the same.

Bella: I like how he was saying, "Pacock!" in the window. And then he got all muddy. He was trying to hide from the farmer. He was running and then he was swimming, but the farmer still knows where he was. Look it! He's sticking his head in the bucket. I'm done.

Allison: The farmer didn't know he was there [in the window]. Then the farmer was going downstairs and the turkey was running and he got mud on him because he splashed into the pig mud thing. Then the farmer was chasing after the chicken, and then he was swimming in the water. And then he got wet and he got wet, and then the chicken put he's head in the bucket, and then he was running again. And then his friends said, "Run, run!" And then he's hiding from the farmer behind the tree. Then the chicken and his bunnies were dancing. Then he was running away 'cause the farmer saw him.

Brooke N.: I liked it because he feeleded sad and the farmer went outside to get the chicken and he went in the mud and he went out of the mud and he went with the duck pool and he felled off and then his [the farmer's] shoes were all wet. And then he went in the farm and he said, "Go, Chicken! Run, run!" And then he screamed 'cause he found him in the tree.

Annalee: I liked it because the man was standing by the window. He was drinking coffee. The turkey was outside. Then the farmer whistled and he was going to catch the turkey. He ran. He went in the mud and the farmer didn't think he was a pig. They ran. He swam in the water like a duck. He went splish, splash out of the water. He went into the farm. He hid like a horsey. Then he [the farmer] had this one [the bucket] stuck on his boot. He hid like branches. He had a stick in his hand.

John: I think I have this book at home. The problem was that the farmer kept chasing the turkey and he never stopped. The turkey thought he could pretend he was a duck. And he pretended that he was a horse. And I like when all the animals said, "Run, Turkey, run!" And I like when the animals said, "Run from the farmer!" I like it because when it became Thanksgiving and they didn't have any turkey to eat the farmer was sad. And I like when the turkey was jumping around in the leaves with his bunny friends. And I like when the kid said, "Run, Turkey, run!" because they might eat him for Christmas dinner.

Brady K. said: I liked this story 'cause the turkey kept running from the farmer 'cause he was going to get eaten. The farmer didn't see him when he was hiding in the trees. That means he didn't get eaten.

Brooke B. didn't feel like talking about books today, but she did like Run, Turkey, Run!

PK Kids Responds

Kaitlyn:  The turkey had a bad day because the farmer was going to catch him. The turkey ran. The farmer looks mad. I thought it was a kid. Is the farmer a kid? He's in the mud! He got all muddy. A duck is in the water and even that turkey was in the water.

Acadia:  The farmer was going to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving. And they said, "Run, Turkey, run!" And then he was trying to get the turkey. I'm all done.

Christel:  It was crazy! He was going to get eaten by the farmer. What happened is he went downstairs and the turkey went, "Aaaah! Run. I'm going to run and run around all the way home to the woods!" He couldn't see the turkey hiding in the trees and he said, "At last! Am I safe? YES!" They find the chicken. They were looking for a tree for Christmas. "Run, Turkey, run to another tree!"

Summer:  The farmer was walking to the turkey and they said, "Run away, Turkey!" He walked down the stairs and he was coming to get the turkey. He couldn't find the turkey because of the trees.

Camryn:  The book was upside down! That was the funniest part! The farmer was chasing the turkey 'cause he wanted to eat him. He couldn't catch the turkey. He was run, run, run! They turkey hided and he got mud. He slide down in the water then the farmer went down. 
 
Katherine:  I like when the turkey was looking sad because he had a bad day because they're going to eat the turkey for Thanksgiving. I like the part when the farmer went down with the bag and he was chasing after the turkey and the turkey ran. I like the part when he was all muddy in the mud. I like the part when the pigs were yelling at the turkey and saying, "Run, Turkey! Run, Turkey!" I like the part when he was in the water and the ducks looked under the water. I like the part when he jumped right out of the water and started running again. I like the part when he was running down the hill and stuck his head into the box and the horsies looked at the turkey and said they know that he was a horse. And I like the part when the turkey ran out of the barn and the farmer was chasing after him and he was running and said, "Clinkety clank. Clinkety clank." I like the part when the turkey put the bucket on his head and his friends said, "Go, Turkey! Run, Turkey! Run, Turkey!" I like the part when he ran into the forest. I like the part when he was look at the farmer and the farmer went back home and the turkey was safe at last. I like the part when he sat down at the rectangle table. I like the part when the turkey did the dance. I like the part when the family came and the little girl looked at the turkey and said, "Go, Turkey! Go, Turkey! Go!"

Emelyn: I like this part! [In the pig pen.] I thought the farmer thought this was a pig 'cause this had mud on it 'cause pigs have mud on it. He got out! He chased him! I like the farmer thought he was a duck.

Eva: I like the part when he ran through the mud. That was silly! I like when he got in the boat and the chicken was in the boat [pond] and he [the turkey] had this thing [goggles] on his face and he [the farmer] fell out of the boat and he was all wet. And when the chicken went in the barn. He put his head in the food bucket and the farmer saw his back. That's silly!

Mack: He was going to get eaten by the farmer. He was drinking some coffee and then he went out and had a bag to catch the turkey in and he chaseded him and then he started chasing him again. The turkey was in the mud so he couldn't see him. And then the farmer started chasing him again and then the farmer looked and see him in the water and he was in the horse one and then he went in the woods and then he didn't get eaten and then the sister said, "Run, Turkey, run!"

Brady L.: The farmer was going to get this turkey for dinner. And this farmer is covered in mud because he was trying to catch the chicken, but then the ducks said, "Go, Chicken, go!" Then the chicken stucked in the bucket.  And then the farmer stepped with the bucket on his foot. And then the pig said, "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!"  That's all I know.

Mikayla: He's going to eat the turkey. That thing went in the mud. He was chasing that turkey again.

Emmett didn't feel like talking about the book, but he liked it. He said, "I'm too busy playing!" Playing is the most important thing we do here, so I agreed that he needed to keep at it.