School starts and "booktalks"

We're abuzz with school starting preparation. So when does school start for us? Tomorrow for Linda at Teachers College, Wednesday for me at Queens, next week for David at Ramapo and Sue at New York University and Sophie, in first grade at a NYC public school, The Anderson School. Dot, my long-time friend and a captivating presence on my blog and in my book Rosie the Riveter, started last week. She's a middle school librarian and here's her report:
Hi Penny,
We started last week. It was one BUSY week! Everything seemed to go well. The 6th graders seemed confused, but no one was crying.
On the second day of classes, the reading teachers brought their students to the library for 20 minutes to select books. They never want to give up much time for this, so I can’t really do indepth booktalks. I had two carts selected; one for 7/8 grades and one for 6th grade. I gave 30 second book talks for about ten books to each group and really whipped through them fast. Almost every book I “talked” went out! I’m hoping teachers get the value of doing that, rather than letting the kids just float around the library.
I enthusiastically second Dot's comments re the power of "booktalks," a terrific technique for anyone--parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, librarians and strangers--who want to share their passion for reading. Yes, strangers; several years ago a stranger--a woman whose appearance initially made me think she might be homeless--who was standing next to me in the mystery section of an independent bookstore turned to me and said,
"Do you want to read a wonderful book?"
"Sure."
With that she headed off to another section with me in tow, plucked a nonfiction book, Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time, off the shelf, and handed it to me. Intrigued I bought it, read it, and loved it.
p.s. you can also do "articletalks."

Road trip

We--Sophie, Linda & I--are off on a short road trip to the Mystic, Ct. & Newport, RI! Last fling before classes start for me & Linda next week. Sophie's start the following week. We'll see the beluga whales in Mystic, tour Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont's mansion in Newport where she held lavish fundraisers for suffrage, etc . On Wednesday, August 26th, we'll celebrate Women's Equality Day--the anniversary of women finally winning the right to vote (the resistance to woman suffrage is a mind-boggling story). You can download a brochure about Women's Equality Day at http://www.nwhp.org/.

Sophie

Sophie's home! We've had two fun-filled days catching up, including checking out familiar places, e.g., the pond at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, which, as you can see is covered with duckweed! Sophie spied a frog & pulled out a pocket magnifying glass; her Daddy gave it to her, she said. (The one beaded braid is what remains from the many beaded braids she and her cousins got during their time at Mallorca.)

Sarah Jones

Here's a link to my daughter-in-law Sarah Jones' fabulous performance, "Sarah Jones As a One Woman Global Village," at the 2009 TED conference. Those of you who saw Sarah in "Bridge and Tunnel, her Tony-award-winning one-woman Broadway show, will be delighted to see some of her characters again. Those of you who go to Queens College--listen for her character who "teaches" at Queens College. All of you, I'm sure, will love Sarah and her characters.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sarah_jones_as_a_one_woman_global_village.html

Wonderful Writing and Stone Creek Woman

It's been tooo0 hot to do much more than dust and in the process refamiliarize myself with my books which are stacked everywhere. (Even now at 9 pm sweat is dripping down my face as I write in my un-air conditioned basement!) Anyhow, today I uncovered a beautifully done book--Women in the Wilderness: Writings and Photographs, selected and edited by Susan & Ann Zwinger. On p. 92, there's a gorgeous photo of a slot canyon followed by an excerpt from Unspoken Hunger by Terry Tempest Williams, a wonderfully descriptive & evocative nonfiction writer. The piece begins with: "Few know her, but she is always there--Stone Creek Woman--watching over the Colorado River. Over the years, I have made pilgrimages to her, descending into the Grand Canyon. . . .It is always a pleasant journey downriver to Mile 132--Stone Creek, a small tributary that flows into the Colorado."
With the thrill of recognition & connection, I exclaimed, "I know that place. I've been there!" Jumping up, I retrieved a copy of my account, Grand Canyon Magic, of my long ago paddle-raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. On p. 28, I read this:
Day Nine, I woke up feeling more rested this morning, maybe it's because I dreamt that I was being towed down the river in my tent.
We spent the morning hiking Stone Creek Canyon. The trail wandered back and forth across the creek, over red rock and multi-colored boulders, through lush vegetation to about a thirty-foot waterfall, surrounded by a profusion of greenery.

Williams describes Stone Creek Woman as emerging "from behind a veil of water. . . with her redrock face, her maidenhair ferns, and waterfall of expression." All those many years ago, did I see Stone Creek Woman? Not according to my written record, but I do now through the connection via William's vivid writing.

Scrabble

Last night--we play Scrabble every night--I "wrote" BLOVIATE--for 101 points (we don't keep score but I couldn't resist adding up the points because the "b" was on the triple word square!)
"Do you know that word from speaking or reading?" Linda asked.
"Reading," I replied.

Dot's summer reading

Readers of my book, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, "know" Dot Chastney; they've seen her grade school picture and read about her experiences growing up during World War II. Shortly after I interviewed her for Rosie, Dot moved to Florida where she is a middle school librarian, a continuation of her long career as an awesome & inspiring librarian. We have great e-mail conversations about books, reading, schools, kids, etc. (you'll find Dot in other posts & comments). Recently she sent me the list of books she read this summer. When I asked her if I could post it she replied:
Sure! You can also add that by far and away my favorite of the past six months is HUNGER GAMES, Book One by Suzanne Collins. It is also futuristic, and I prefer historical fiction or non-fiction. However, this kept me flipping the pages until I finished it. Book two is coming out in September and I can’t wait to get it. Our lower school 5th graders are reading it and I would say it would appeal to any age, right through high school.
Here are the books Dot read & her comments:
Hi, Penny,
Here’s a list of the books I read this summer:
SHIFT by Jennifer Bradbury, my favorite. Two boys bicycle across the country after high school graduation. One disappears near the end of the ride.
THINGS THAT ARE by Andrew Clements. This kept me reading, although I thought it was somewhat implausible. A blind girl has a boyfriend who has the ability to fade. She learns that a man who also has the ability to fade is stalking her boyfriend. The FBI contacts her because they are hunting for this man. It seems they fear someone with this ability could use it to threaten the safety of the country.
THE SKY INSIDE by Clare B. Dunkle. I had to force myself to keep going with this one--a futuristic, perfectly ordered society where children are genetically engineered. When the young children are taken away, a boy who loses his little sister begins to question why they were taken and sets out to search for them.
THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY by Victoria Forester. Also had to force myself, although the character development here was somewhat interesting. As the story moved along, some of the characters turned out to be different than they first appeared. It’s another story of a child with a unique ability who is taken away and placed in an underground school where she will be brainwashed and forget about her ability to fly. As she realizes what is happening to her and the other kids, they begin to plot an escape.
WHISPERS FROM THE BAY by John Tkac. (He is a local author; lives in Delray Beach.) A young boy living in Florida has a unique connection to dolphins. He actually talks to them and they carry on whole conversations with him. It’s the first book in a planned trilogy. When a friend and neighbor is kidnapped, he enlists the help of the dolphins to find and free the girl. Honestly, there is no way I can picture a kid having a conversation with dolphins who say, “Hey, Mike, you should fish around here. There are big sailfish in these waters.”
That old saying, “Truth is stranger and a thousand times more thrilling than fiction” seems more TRUE than ever. My next read definitely will be non-fiction. (I added the boldface!)
Dot Emer,
Middle School Librarian
Schmitt Library
Saint Andrew's School
Boca Raton, FL 33434

The summer months when Sophie visits her mother's family in Europe, I write and send her & her cousins short nonfiction stories about various events; most recently I sent one, illustrated with photos, about the powwow (see previous posts with video). Moments ago I finished one (writing short pieces is time consuming; every word counts!) titled "Uncle David and Aunt Crystal and the Dresser." The gist is: David and Crystal moved a tall, heavy dresser (it's behind them in the car) from the third floor of our house to their apartment, only to discover that it made their bedroom toooo crowded. My stories always end with a "What do you think. . ." In this case: " What do you think is going to happen to the dresser now?" I illustrated the story with photos, including this one of David and Crystal saying "Hi, Sophie!"
(When they're not moving dressers, David is a history professor, Crystal is finishing her dissertation.) click on pic for lager image.

August

This August instead of relocating to our bungalow on the barrier island off the coast of NJ, we're going back and forth in order to keep up with our work projects, i.e.,Linda's starting new research projects, etc.; I'm starting a new book & finishing the picture research for my forthcoming book Stirring Up the World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship, etc. Happily we're both mostly engaged, even love, much of what we do work-wise because it's tempting to stay at the Shore when, for example, yesterday the ocean water temperature 74 degrees!! the waves rollicking. Kayaking on Barnegat Bay we saw many Great Egrets, a Little Blue Heron and Osprey (see picture).

The Indian Hoop Dancer

More from the powwow--this is the Hoop Dancer. My previous post has more details about the powwow and another video.

Powwow

Last night we went to a powwow at the Queens County Farm in Floral Park, NY. It was fabulous. Here's a clip of Keith (whose last name I didn't catch, but I'll try to track down), a Plain Cree from Alberta, Canada, doing the Chicken Dance-Indian. The announcer explained that it's a male "showing off" dance. It is also done during a "long and strenuous healing ceremony that lasts four days and nights." The singers and drummer are the Silver Clouds. I labeled this post "Teaching with Nonfiction" because typically the life and times of American Indians are taught as long ago history. This experience and video (I'll post more) are resources for me to use with students.

Ah, technology

Just had a Skype call with Sophie and her two cousins--Alexa (a few months older than Sophie) and Georgia, who is a few years younger. It was a first & really fun. They're in Mallorca until Saturday, then back to Zurich. Before Sophie left, she wanted to plant her own garden so together we extended the flower/herb garden that is by the back door.
"How is my garden?" she asked.
"Fine," I replied. "I'll send you a picture."

The caterpillar mystery

Arriving home this afternoon after two days at the Jersey Shore (no Glossy Ibis sighting, but a magnificent Great Egret), I spied an Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly in my garden. Wanting to photograph it for Sophie, I grabbed my camera and quietly walked toward the butterfly, took some pictures, and returned to help Linda unload the car. On my second trip into the house, she said, "Look--what's that on the kitchen floor?" Not quite believing my first impression, I knelt down to confirm that it was a Monarch butterfly caterpillar(Danaus plexippus)--right there on our kitchen floor! How it got there, I don't know, except that perhaps it "hitched" a ride on me when I was in the garden??
Perhaps our friend, "Sue the Science Educator" knows--I just left a message on her phone--"Hey Sue, how did a Monarch buttefly caterpillar get on our kitchen floor?" (click on image to enlarge)

Glossy Ibis

Monday morning--a thrilling sight!!--After ten years of kayaking on Barnegat Bay, we spotted a Glossy Ibis (it was a juvenile) on the west side of one of the islands in the Bay! Linda & I got a good long close look, but I was so transfixed I forgot I had my camera, until the ibis took flight and then I snapped this picture. Look closely (click to enlarge), you'll see its long downward curved bill. David & Crystal arrived in the early afternoon & we headed for the ocean side of our barrier island. The water was clear, clean, 66 degrees with waves breaking every which way. Linda & Crystal stretched out on the sand. David & I swam/played/in the waves. He skillfully rode in on them; me, I got tumbled upside down a couple of times.
As we were packing up to head back to cook dinner--lobster bisque, scallops, Jersey corn, Jersey tomatoes & zucchini, Jersey blueberries, etc.-- I spontaneously asked David to riding in on one more wave so I could take a video to post for Sophie--he did, which meant we were still there when four pelicans flew by just off shore! (No video, 'cause I forgot to press the button.)

Sophie's Adventures

Last week we had a wonderful 5-days with Sophie; wide range of activities from taking her with me to my Nonfiction Literature for Children class at Queens College to kayaking on Barnegat Bay where she spotted baby swans. A few days ago she & her mother left for Switzerland where her mother's family lives; actually right now she & Katrin, plus an aunt, uncle, & two close-in-age cousins are in Mallorca for two weeks. Jonathan--Sophie's Daddy met them there. She returns mid-August with lots of exciting adventures to share!

Bear Cub

My son David just sent me these photos of a bear cub's "visit" to their apartment building located in a town in New York just across the NJ border. He reported that she was a 100 pound cub who first tried to run into their lobby and then onto a neighbor's balcony. Foiled, she climbed a tree and ate berries for three hours (first picture).
Finally she was tranquilized (pictures 2 & 3). Turned out she was a tagged cub & a "repeat offender" (picture 4) from NJ, which is where (last picture) she was relocated and set free.

Road Trip

Back from our road trip north to Quebec, east to Tadoussac, ferry boat across the wide St. Lawrence River, south through New Brunswick & Maine, west across Massachusetts, south through Connecticut, New York, home--quick summary: discovered 3 terrific used book stores; went whale watching & saw porpoises, harbor seals, minke whales and many beluga whales; long walks through beautiful forests (but, oh, so many black flies that inflicted serious damage!!)--the muffins I made (previous post) saved us several times, including the night we ended up eating muffins, a banana, cheese & crackers for dinner.
Returned late last night, up early to begin teaching a nonfiction literature class at Queens College. The pics are the front & back of a beluga whale t-shirt I bought for Sophie at the The Center d'interpretation des manniferes marins (Center for Interpretation of Marine Mammals)in Tadoussac. Quebec, of course, is French speaking so the five behaviors pictured on the back are in French, which Marilou, the super attentive guide translated as: (top to bottom, l to r) porpoising, birthing, tail flapping, eye-spying, nursing, feeding. The artist is Frederick Bach. Check out the center at http://www.gremm.org
Note: the URL will take you to a page where you'll need to click on that URL again.)

Adventures

We're off tomorrow on a road trip to Canada, one stop is Tadoussac, where the beluga whales breed in the summer. I'm psyched! I made banana-oatmeal-honey- pecan muffins to sustain us.
This is Sophie's last week of school; (the following week she leaves with her mother to spend six weeks with her Swiss relatives in Zurich, with side trips to Mallorca, Monstein, & Milan--very cool!) Instead of our usual Thursday, I picked her up today at school.
As we walked out, holding hands, I said, "Hey Sophie, this is the last time I'll pick you up at kindergarten."
"But you'll pick me up at first grade," she said with a slight question mark in her voice.
"Absolutely," I replied.
She wanted to see her garden so we headed to Englewood. After surveying it, she suggested we expand it, i.e. dig up more yard. Since I love to dig, I ordinarily would agree, but the ground is toooooo soggy! So we played inside board games (by the game rules, not Sophie rules). Then we played "ticket," which basically involves Sophie using my stack of post-its etc. to write ticket to admit me to various events.
"Who are you bringing with you?" she asked.
"Three girls and a cat," I replied.
"No cats," she said. "How old are you?" "Do you have a Blackberry?" etc.

I Wrote A Book Today

"I wrote a book today," Sophie announced from her car seat.
"Tell me about it," I replied.
"The title is My Mommy, she said. "The story is--'I love you, but who is my Mommy? This is my Mommy.'"
"I like that," I said. "Did you draw a picture of your Mommy?"
"No, Grammie," she exclaimed. "It's about a baby tiger!"
Oooops, I thought--of course, Sophie-the-animal-lover! Curious, I asked how she went about writing the story.
"I took a piece of paper and folded it in the middle. The title is on the outside. The story is on the inside. I wrote one long sentence--'I love you, but who is my Mommy?' Then a short sentence--'This is my Mommy.' I made the baby tiger say in a bubble, 'Who is my Mommy?'"
"You mean a speech bubble?" I asked.
"Yes, a speech bubble."

Nonfiction Summer Reading List from P.S. 174

Students in Marie Russell's 6th grade class at P.S. 174 in Queens put together this summer reading list of nonfiction books in response to my post about the absence of nonfiction books on lists (see May 30, 2009).
Marie e-mailed it to me with this message: "As promised, here is a list that my students put together of titles they recommend. We also read as a class the following and even though they weren't that eager to read them, in the end they rated them very highly. Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom, Dave Berger, eds. and Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of the Shakleton Expedition by Jennifer Armstrong. All of these books were part of a grant that our school library received and we were the first class to look at the books." Click on the list for a larger image.
Thank you to Marie Russell and her terrific students!