30 Days of Gratitude: Days 10, 11, & 12

Due to a few other posts these past few days, I missed posting my Gratitude Posts. I am catching up with listing 3 things today.  Sometimes we look for the big things to be thankful for like getting a promotion or meeting some famous that we admire. However, there are so many small things that we overlook.  Here are three small things...

I am thankful for homemade hot chocolate and the cooler temperatures that make hot chocolate a special treat.

I am thankful for being able to get a personalized signed copy of a special book for my 9 year old niece. 

I am thankful for the smiles and hellos and unexpected hugs from students when they see me in the hallway or when I enter their classroom. 

it is the small things that make the days memorable and put a smile on my face.

Picture Book Pick of the Day: 

Marilyn's Monster
by Michelle Knudson; Illustrated by Matt Phelan
Candlewick Press (March 10, 2015)
Audience: Preschool to Grade 1
Fiction * Monsters * Friendship
Indiebound | WorldCat

This is one of my personal favorites of 2015. I think it captures how I feel sometime. 

Of course I also love Phelan's drawings.

And this just captures one part of the story that resonates with me. A wonderful story of friendship and taking charge rather than passively waiting by for something to happen. 

Picture Book Pick of the Day: The Whisper

The Whisper
by Pamela Zagarenski
HMH Books for Young Readers (October 6, 2015)
Audience: Grades 1 to 3
Fiction * Imagination * Storytelling
IndieBound | WorldCat

About the book: 
Step inside the pages of a little girl's magical book as she discovers the profound and inspiring notion that we each bring something different to the same story. Two-time Caldecott Honor artist Pamela Zagarenski debuts as an author in this tender picture book about the joy of reading.

My thoughts on the book:
This has been a good year for picture books. There are so many that I have loved and I don't envy the challenge facing the 2016 Caldecott committee. In addition to the ones coming from illustrators living in the United States, there are also so many amazing picture books coming from Canada or other countries. 

However, I am excited that Pamela Zagarenski is from Connecticut, and with two Caldecott Honors to her credit, there is no doubt that she is eligible for a Caldecott. 

So, I am putting it out there. I want this one to win a Caldecott on Monday, January 11, 2016.

The Whisper is magical and has lovely illustrations.  Yes, the illustrations are very much Zagarenski's signature style. However, what she does with her illustrations is charming and produces a beautiful result. 

In addition to the gorgeous illustrations, I was delighted with the story of a young girl who discovers how to use her imagination to weave stories.  Though at first, the girl finds the idea of creating stories to be a challenge, her imagination and storytelling grows with each page. 

In the background of the story is a fox who collected the words that had escaped from the book as the girl ran home. More of his story comes at the end. 

I was excited to find this book during a recent trip to New York City. I loved it enough to carry it back to California with me. Look for a copy of The Whisper at your local Indie Bookstore or Public library. 

Day 9 of 30 Days of Gratitude:
Today, I am thankful for picture books. For the amazing authors and illustrators who create beautiful books for us to enjoy like the one above. I am also thankful for how picture books have developed over the years and the technology that allow books to be produced in the way that showcases creative, imaginative works of art that also tell a story. 

Picture Book Pick of the Day: A Dog Wearing Shoes

A Dog Wearing Shoes
by Sangmi Ko
Schwartz & Wade (September 29, 2015)
Fiction * Dogs * Adoption
Audience: PreK to 3
IndieBound | WorldCat

About the book: 
This sweet and hilarious doggy adoption tale features a pooch wearing—wait for it—bright yellow shoes.
 
When Mini finds a small moppet of a dog, with fluffy ears, no collar, and wearing yellow booties, she understandably wants to take it home. Despite Mom's insistence that the dog probably already has a family, Mini gets attached and is awfully proud of her new pal, who can sing, sit, and give both paws. But when the pup runs off one day at the park, Mini comes to understand how someone else out there might be missing the little guy too. 
 
This story, by a debut author/illustrator, perfectly captures the undeniable bond between dog and owner.

My thoughts on the book:
As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I smiled. And the story doesn't disappoint either. It is a simple concept. A lost dog found by a child but the dog belongs to another. 

However, despite the simple theme, Ko adds so many wonderful twists with her art. You can see it in the facial expressions above and the sparse use of color. And the dog has yellow shoes. 

Despite what might seem as a story with a predictable outcome, Ko has fun with the journey making it fun for the reader as well and it nails the rollercoaster of emotions at finding a dog and wanting to keep the dog and then needing to find the owner of the dog. At the end of the book, the author includes information about "how to adopt a dog".

I look forward to future books by Ko. Pick up a copy of this book at your local indie bookstore or public library.

Day 8 of 30 Days of Gratitude:
Though I have never found a dog that I wanted to take home with me, I did find and adopt two adorable kittens who are now active and happy young cats at 18 months old.  

I am thankful for the work of the Pasadena Humane Society for all they do to foster and adopt out hundreds of cats and dogs each year.  

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 7

Since I started 30 Days of Gratitude, I have been searching for quotes and inspiration to reflect on or to add here. Today's inspiration came from SoulPancake and a short video on An Experiment in Gratitude. 

SoulPancake: The Science of Happiness - An Experiment in Gratitude:

So, who would you write your letter to? Hmmm, might be a great companion to 30 Days of Gratitude - Once a week, send a letter to someone who has influenced you.

My picture book pick of the day:

Bug in a Vacuum
by Melanie Watt
Tundra Books (August 25, 2015)

A humorous look at the stages of grief from a bug stuck in a vacuum. Watt has an amazing sense of humor.

30 Days of Gratitude Post: Day 6

In looking over the week, I have a few things to be thankful for. 

This past Monday night, I had a chance to attend The Marvels event hosted by Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose. Brian Selznick was delightful and entertaining and I was thrilled that Jax was able to attend with me. She has been a big fan of his books and enjoyed the chance to finally meet him.

This is exciting for me. After years of wanting to see our classrooms using a workshop model for reading and writing, we have a number of classrooms piloting the Units of Study from Teachers College Reading and Writing Program. Children engaged in reading, excited about a book, sharing what they read with others makes my heart soar. 

I have had the pleasure to work with Ms. Muthiah's 2nd graders this school year. Watching these young writers learning to think and write as scientists during the Informational Unit has been a blast. Seeing the growth in them as writers in just a couple of months is remarkable.

My picture book pick of the day:

Sidewalk Flowers
by JonArno Lawson, Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books (March 2015)

This wordless book is one of my favorites of 2015....I keep reading and sharing this one.