17th January New School Year List 3: Goal Setting

The teachers will say "I want a book to start a discussion about goals and goal setting. What do you recommend?"

Hard, because as always there isn't one picture book that does that. There is quite a lot of overlap with books that I would recommend for Growth Mindset because goal setting is an important component of classroom communities that focus on it. If students get to set their own goals and take ownership of them, perseverance will be evident.

Teaching using mentor texts helps learners to see how people (characters) who set and achieve  goals demonstrate perseverance and grit to succeed. For this reason many picture book biographies make wonderful mentor texts. 

Here are some books that I suggest teachers use as discussion starters for thinking about goals for the year.

• Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker Rees

• The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

• After the Fall by Dan Santat

• Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges and Sophie Blackall

• Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

• Someday by Eileen Spinelli and Rosie Winsted

• Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

• Thanks for the Feedback by Julia Cook and Kelsey De Weerd

• Because  by Mo Willems & Amber Ren

• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman & Caroline Binch

• Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jackson and Kadir Nelson

• The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora

• My Strong Mind III I Set Goals and Work Hard to Deliver Them by Niels Van Hove

16th January New School Year List 2: Separation Anxiety

As the school I work at has seven preschool classes as well as four classes of each of Kindergarten to Year 2, there is always a need at some time for books that address the worries that go with being separated from a parent while at school. Most teachers have their favourite 'go to' book for this purpose, but it is always good to have a few more at hand in case the specific one they want is on loan at the time. If you're a parent you might like to adopt the Willa Perlman idea of kisses in your pocket from the book Pocket Kisses.  

At one stage this was very popular in our preschool, but the library copy of the book fell apart and hasn't been replaced. Just looking though, I see that it is still available. 

Separation anxiety is a normal rite of passage for young children. It is common at drop-off time, but can occur anytime and with even the sturdiest of children on a 'bad' day. Picture books enable adults to address the angst of separation with humour and warmth and as many of them feature animals, there is a distance from the child which means they can smile at the animal's quandary. Most children just need reassurance that their parent will return to pick them up.

Below are some books from our library that I have recommended over the years. The beginning titles are usually all that is needed to reassure students that their parent will return. Often I send the book accompanied by a plush toy that accompanies the book so that the child has something to hold while the story is read and discussed. Chester  and Llama Llama Red Pajama,  but we have an owl baby and a duck which stands in for Puddle.

Most teachers know and use The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, but there are many others:

1. Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt and Jane Dyer

2. Puddle's Big Step  by Amber Stewart and Layn Marlow

3. The Kiss Box  by Bonnie Verburg and Henry Cole

4. Llama Llama Misses Mama  by Anna Dewdney

5. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

6. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

7. Will I Have a Friend?  by Mirriam Cohen and Lillian Hoban

8. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and Judy Love

9. Love Waves  by Rosemary Wells

10. Mama Don't Go by Rosemary Wells

11. The Invisible String and The Invisible Web  by Patrice Karst and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff  (an earlier version of The Invisible String was illustrated by Geoff Stevenson)

12. Mum Goes to Work  by Libby Gleeson and Leila Rudge (earlier edition illustrated by Penny Azar)

If you do not have these or the child is older look for these:

• Tomorrow I'll Be Brave  by Jessica Hische

• My Strong Mind  by  Niels Van Hove

• Parachute  by Danny Parker and Matt Ottley

• That's Me Loving You by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

15th January New School Year List 1: Rule Setting

I'm finding it hard to comprehend that I am going back to school next week. Where did the break go? Between lock down for me or friends and family I feel like I have seen no one and done nothing much except read and watch television. Oh woe is me.

I have been putting together lists of picture books for my classroom teachers to use as they begin a new year with a new class. I get lots of requests for books at the beginning of the year on friends; rule setting;  goals; separation, etc and usually the requests are on the run and I miss things that I later wish I'd supplied them with. So this year a list of suggestions for some situations. 

Today I thought I would do 'rule setting'. Child development suggests routines and rules are beneficial for children. Rules help children feel safe. Rules say, “Someone cares about me.” Rules mean, “I know what to expect.”  Here’s a dozen books to help start a discussion with your class. Of course this is not a definitive list but these books are in our school library and suitable for students 5 to 8 years old.

1. You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip & Kate Hindley

2. Rules of the House by Mac Barnett & Matt Myers

 

3. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

 

4. A Visitor For Bear by Bonny Becker & Kady MacDonald Denton

5. Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman

 

6. Rufus Goes to School by Kim T. Griswell & Valeri Gorbachev

 

7. Maurice the Unbeastly by Amy Dixon & Karl James Mountford

8. The Station Mouse by Meg McLaren

9. Noodlephant by Jacob Kramer & K-Fai Steele

 

10. David Goes to School by David Shannon

11. Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller

 

 

12. What If Everybody Did That? By Ellen Javernick & Colleen Madden

1st January 2021

2021 a new year! I want to be positive despite being in lock down, so I thought about books that I found helpful, hopeful or inspiring that I have shared with teachers in the last few months of school. Here's a few...

1. Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls and David Litchfield

'Rain before rainbows. Clouds before sun. Night before daybreak. A new day’s begun.'

This book and these words feature on a television ad here in Australia at the moment, and each time it is on I think of the joy I had sharing this very hopeful book with Kindergarten and the discussion of rainbows that occurred after it. 

Great poetic words and then there is the  bonus of illustrations by David Litchfield.

2. Hope the Rainbow Fairy  by Rosie Greening and Lara Eade 

While this isn't great literature, for my under 8 year old library audience the fairy genre is popular and it does have a very positive message about staying well and safe.

3. And the People Stayed Home by Kitty O'Meara, Stefano Di Cristofaro and Paul Pereda

This book started as a poem written in March 2020 by Kitty O' Meara, a retired teacher. It went viral on the internet and has now been illustrated.

'O’Meara’s thoughtful poem about the pandemic, quarantine, and the future suggests there is meaning to be found in our shared experience of the coronavirus and conveys an optimistic message about the possibility of profound healing for people and the planet. Her words encourage us to look within, listen deeply and connect with ourselves and the earth in order to heal.'

4. Windows by Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley

'Windows shows how five kids from different parts of the world connect and draw strength from their communities from behind the safety of their own windows. 

Heartwarming, hopeful and surprisingly funny, Windows will resonate with families all over the world and become a valuable time capsule of what life was like in 2020.'

5. What We'll Build  by Oliver Jeffers

'What shall we build, you and I? 

I'll build your future and you'll build mine.
We'll build a watch to keep our time.'

A father and daughter lay the foundations for their safe and secure life together, something all children want to know they will have.

I'm sure there are other books I could add to this list, but I work with a young audience where I want the message to be positive, hopeful and uplifting. They may not be books to start a new year with a new class, but given 2020, we never know when we might need to pull them off the shelves again.