Day 226: Finn's First Favorite!

It's happened. The moment I've been eagerly anticipating throughout my many nights of snuggled up reading sessions with my son. At thirteen months old, he now has his first favorite book!!!

Finn's newest must-read material is a lovely book titled A Kiss Means I Love You. Even if it wasn't for the fact that I've read this book umpteen times now and been able to watch my son's adorable reactions to every page, I think I would still love it. It uses colorful photographs to explain the meaning of different non-verbal gestures and facial expressions. The pictures capture his interest immediately and feature children from many diverse cultures.

My son loved this book immediately. After the first read, he flipped it over and opened it back up for me to read again.

He LOVES the pictures. Watching him interact with the book makes me smile every time. He laughs at the page where a little girl is laughing. He claps when the author writes "a clap means I like it." And don't even get him started on the "roar" page. It's his favorite! He pages through just to find it and giggle.

This book has not yet failed to grab Finn's attention, no matter what the circumstances. Whether it's during play, fussiness, or even some 3 am teething tears one night, this book brings Finn an instant smile.

I'll be honest, reading it eight times in a row some days has made me wish for a little variety on occasion. I've hidden it, put it back on the shelf, and tried to distract him with other reads. Every time, he finds it, points to it, and with an emphatic "THAT!" persuades me to read it again.

But what can I say? My son loves a book. What more could a mom ask for from her Reading Promise?

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman

Day 150: Wonder

Looking for a great book to share with your Reading Promise readers? Our class is in the middle of the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. I can't say enough great things about this book, but I want to wait and have my students tell you their thoughts once we're done. For now, I'll let just a few of this book's awards speak of it's wonder.

#1 New York Times bestseller

A School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012

A Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012

A Kirkus Reviews Best of Children's Books 2012

A Booklist Best of Children's Books 2012

Can't wait to hear if you add it to your reading list. You won't regret it!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Hartman

April Book Club

 No school Friday meant that BOOK CLUB could happen Thursday night.  Our read this time around was Harriet the Spy.  I must say, the LRHB and I had a tough time biting on this one.  In fact (sigh), we didn't finish the book.  Nope.  First one we didn't finish.  After watching the movie, I asked if he wanted to keep going and he said no, let's just move on.  I said we had plenty of time, due to crazy spring commitments, to finish before starting the next one.  "What's next?"  he asked.  I hadn't decided was my reply.  "No, I really am not interested in it, Mom," was the come back.

Okay.  I could beat myself up.  Or I could relish the fact that the others in the group discovered that after the first Harriet the Spy, there were others and they've moved onto those!  Yep, that's what I am going to do.  Love the fact that my club readers are finding more to love about reading.

And I introduced my boy to Amelia Bedelia tonight, by reading some of it to him. He took off and finished the first and a second book.  Yes, it is below his "reading level," but the laughing from him over her antics just warmed my heart.  My reader found more to love about reading tonight.  Isn't that what my PROMISE to him is... keep him loving reading?

Momma Holmes

Book Club Updates

We read the classic My Dog Skip by Willie Morris.  I love that this was a non-fiction read for the kids.  It took them back to a time when kids ran through their small town community with their friends, growing up together and having adventures without worrying about "predators." Yes, Mr. Morris addressed issues of the time like WW II and equality among different races, however, he touched on it as if it were truly through the eyes of a young boy, not an old man recalling his life.  Oh, did I hear about it though, for choosing this book.  The vocabulary was QUITE IMPRESSIVE and daunting for a few of us!  So be warned, if you decide to tackle this book, you can 1) keep a dictionary by your side OR 2) skip the big words and insert your own word OR 3) some of both.  I would skip a few, change a few or use the big words and just show my boy how to learn the meaning of the word from its use in the text.

I will say this, I had a hard time getting the movie for our read.  The library had one copy.  I got it and promptly had to return it.  Whoever took it after me, kept it and payed fines because I was number one on the waiting list for two weeks!  So the day of book club, I was a bit in a panic.  The other copy still hadn't been returned.  None of the box stores near me had it, but Barnes & Noble did, so I was off to buy it when I passed a Blockbuster Store.  WOW!  I didn't even know they were still in business!  Would they have it?  I looked and looked and looked.  On my way out empty-handed, I mentioned the title I was looking for.  SOMEHOW I HAD OVERLOOKED IT!  So I now have a new Blockbuster Video account.  And since it is Spring Break, I think we'll be renting some videos.

The other thing was that no one finished the book (partially due to the vocab, partially due to inability to find the book) except me.  So when I mentioned something about how it ended, the moms, wine glasses in hand, were quite alarmed at how their girls would handle it.  Sorry.  I mean, it is a book written in the 90's about a dog that lived in the 40's - it wasn't hard to predict the ending.  And in the movie, as in the book, it was handled delicately and gently and appropriately.  So don't let that be a deterrent from reading the book.  We needed an upbeat read next, so Harriet the Spy it is!