numbers

I have...

0 cavities
1 dad
2 sisters
3 brothers
4 wheels on my car
5 shoeboxes full of letters from friends and family
6 Old Navy flag t-shirts
8 Bibles (2 are New Testaments)
10 aunts
11 mugs
12 quilts
12.5 years full time teaching experience
13 pairs of shoes
16 pairs of pants
25 cousins
33 short sleeve t-shirts
36 journals
49 CDs
50 friends on Facebook
206 bones
and 435 books. (yes, I counted, but I may have missed a couple)

What about you?

Ella Minnow Pea

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is third book that I have read in the week since school has gotten out. Ella Minnow Pea is a person that lives in the made up country of Nollop. The story is about the country banishing, one by one, different letters of the alphabet. It doesn't seem like a huge deal when the first letters are banished, since they are letters like z and q, but then it gets more difficult since soon the letters that are forbidden from use are much more common. The story is told in letter format, many written by Ella, but others written by family members like Amos, Tassie, Mittie, and Gwenette.

Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris is a book that everyone should think about reading at least once. It was written by teenagers for teenagers. Their purpose in writing the book is to make teenagers think about what they are doing during those years between childhood and adulthood. The Harris twins believe that those years can be purposeful and give suggestions on what teens can do to make that true. There are also stories of teens that have done something during their teen years that have made a difference in the world they live in. Although this book was written with teenagers in mind, it is great for anyone to read because it reminds you that complacency is easy, but living a life that matters must be more intentional. Do Hard Things would make a great book to give to teens, whether they are thirteen or nineteen.

Spoon

Spoon is one of Amy Krause Rosenthal's new books. Spoon is unhappy because he is a spoon, and wishes that he was something else. He doesn't realize Fork, Knife, and Chopsticks wish that they were like him. And his mom reminds him of all the good things about being a spoon. Another fun book by Rosenthal that children will enjoy. Now I just have to wait til my library gets another of her new books, Little Oink.

On a Someday

On a Someday by Roxanne Henke is the latest novel that I read. If you have read some of Henke's other books, you will recognize some of the characters, but you would not have to read other books by her to make sense of this stand alone novel. This is the story of what happens when you get what you want, but also how that is not really what you wanted in the first place. Jim, Claire, and Drew (dad, mom, grown son) all have a significant role in the story. Jim owns Westin Foods in North Dakota, Claire's career as an author and speaker are taking off, and Drew is a successful loan office in New York City. Each chapter tells what is happening in the life of one of the characters, and of course, each character's life is woven into the other two. A good story, and one that makes you think about what is really important. If you have read any of Henke's other books, you would like this one. If you haven't, read this one and you will probably want to read more.

three books

Lately, I have probably finished more children's books than books for adults, and here are three that I don't get tired of reading.
Dirt on My Shirt is by Jeff Foxworthy and it is a collection of poems that I think most school age children would enjoy. I read the entire book to several of my groups of students and they seemed to enjoy them. I enjoyed reading them, too, and I think that the neatly done color illustrations make this a book I will use each year for poetry month.


The Rain Came Down by David Shannon is another great book. Yesterday I read it with three different groups of students and many of them said when we finished that they like the story. It does a good job at showing cause and effect, and the pictures really add to the story. At the beginning of the story it begins to rain, which makes the chicken squawk. In turn they cause the cat to yowl, the dog to bark, and soon it is affecting people and the whole town turns into a traffic jam.

The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant is a good for reading aloud to students that are getting introduced to chapter books. There are four chapters, one for each season of the year. It starts in summer, and it tells about Sullivan and Eva Meadows and their boys Willie and Ray. The characters are likable and it is a story that makes me wish everyone had such a good family.