PPBF: Giraffe Problems

Today I'm feeling grateful for my final author visit of the school year.

0

PPBF: Lefty

Today I'm thinking about pizza.

2

PPBF: My Friend John

This month, I'm on a crusade to celebrate Christmas peace.

0

PPBF: Just Ask!

Today I'm grateful to have started my morning on a Zoom Call with an AmAzInG school family in Wentzville, MO, where I was scheduled to go on March 20th.

What fun to bring this quick reminder about wellbeing to them!

2

PPBF: Oddrey

In our gratitude challenge, the word for the first day was sufficiency.
I love that word.
What are you grateful for that's sufficient in your life?

Today I'm grateful because PPBF is back ... and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I forgot that we weren't doing it last week and posted a PPBF review anyway ... so, in case you missed it, here's the link to Stand In My Shoes by Bob Sornson. 
It's got empathy written all over it and is such a worthwhile read!

And now, get ready to walk in Oddrey's shoes for a spell.

Title: Oddrey

Author & Illustrator: Dave Whamond

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Date:  October 16, 2012

Suitable for ages: 4 - 7
Themes: self-esteem, differences, acceptance
Fiction
Brief synopsis: Oddrey doesn't mind marching to the beat of a different drummer even though not everyone appreciates her differences. What will happen when she has to be a tree in her school play and ends up branching out to "save the show"?
Opening page:  Oddrey had always known she wasn't like everybody else.

Resources:

*Read a Quill & Quire review of Oddrey {here}.
*Download Oddrey activity pages from the publisher {here}.
*Find out more about Oddrey from CanLit {here}.
*Shining Willow award page and activity suggestions {here}.
*Compare and contrast it with Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb. 
*Ask students if Oddrey is a good name for this child
and let them support their answer in writing.

Why I like this book:  What's not to like. There's an adorable little odd-bird child with a smile that takes up her whole face who doesn't mind standing out in a crowd. In fact, she embraces it and actually revels in it a bit, even when it isn't necessarily applauded, appreciated or accepted. And though sometimes it left her feeling lonely and left out, Oddrey's ability to think for herself and "make the best of any situation" comes in handy. A lot. And then there's the play - The Wizard of Odd! Isn't that clever? When there's a problem at showtime, it's a resourceful, brave Oddrey (dressed as a tree) who not only roots for her friends but branches out to help them when they're struggling on stage. That's what friends are for, right? Here are my Wizard of Oz friends after our presentation at the 
2009 CEP Forum, just before we accepted our NSOC award. 
What, if anything, connects Dorothy and Oddrey?

Oddly enough, we just did our Self-Esteem Shields last week in small group feelings class. There aren't many parameters; basically students draw about what makes them unique. Here are a few of my faves:

This second grader drew a vase that tipped over and, even though the water spilled out, the flowers continue to thrive. Love this one,

 especially since she lost her father recently.

 This third-grade girl decided to draw a C for character and her flowers growing out of character soil. She explained that all of the fruit she drew represents to good stuff in her life because of her character choices. Yay! 

This one tugs at me because she included me in her family (MG)!
Is my heart swelling or what?

Have I mentioned there's a new Oddrey book - Oddrey and The New Kid - on the market now? But that's another review for another time.

Let's hear it for those cool, courageous kids 
who have healthy self-esteem and who celebrate standing out.

To see today's other PPBF picks, 
head to Susanna Leonard Hill's blog next.

25

A Taste of Colored Water

What does colored water taste like?  If it’s red, might we suspect that it’s cherry or strawberry?  Purple?  Grape.  Yellow?  Lemonade perhaps.  Well, when Abbey Finch tells cousins Lulu and Jelly that there is a colored water fountain in the city, their imaginations run wild trying to figure out what colored water must look like and taste like.  They can’t help but wonder why they don’t have bubblers (that’s what we call fountains in Wisconsin!) that dispense colored water.  When they get a chance to go with Uncle Jack into the city and see these special fountains for themselves, they find themselves amid civil unrest.  What will they discover and what will they learn?

Coming at an issue using a reverse-discrimination twist in his treasure A Taste of Colored Water, author Matt Faulkner addresses the 1960’s civil rights movement with grace and finesse.  Weave this book into your MLK, Jr. celebration or February’s Black History Month. Try this - invite only a certain group of kids to meet you at the carpet for the story.  Say, "Only blue eyed children get to hear the book today," and see what transpires. Today’s learners may find it difficult to imagine a time when segregation existed at all, must less for something as basic as a drink of water or a seat on the bus.  Use the story as a springboard for a discussion about rights, privileges, and justice.

With online dictionaries in the computer lab, students can look up, define and explain words like colored, segregation, discrimination, acceptance, open-mindedness and tolerance, then discuss the Civil Rights Movement.  Be ready for some interesting observations and inquiries. As a follow-up discussion, have students share about a time when they were excluded from something.  Ask them to thoroughly explore why they were left out as well as what that experience was like when it happened.  They can also reflect on how it felt.  Finally, go on a scavenger hunt in the library to find other books with a similar theme. (NOTE:  Ron's Big Mission by Corinne Naden is also worth checking out!)


What's your favorite January pick?  Is it themed around Resolutions, Chinese New Year, MLK Day, Penguins or Snowmen?  Why not link it up over at Learning With Mrs. Parker.

7