3 in 3 (and tea) Episode #4

It's time for another episode of 3 in 3 (and tea) with Debbie Ridpath Ohi and me!  We feature 3 children’s books by Canadian authors and/or illustrators and share a few tips and resources for using them in the classroom. 

In Episode 4, we explore a picture book and a middle grade novel about girls taking on new challenges, and a bonus middle grade novel with a touch of bling! (If you want to catch up on other episodes, you can find them on Debbie's 3 in 3 playlist -- or click here: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3). After you watch the video, click on the titles or book covers below to find out more about the books and a few teaching ideas. 

Picture Book:

Lucy Tries Hockey

Summary:   Lucy learns a new sport and a little about being brave and the importance of practice. With lots of hockey vocabulary, this story will inspire kids to talk about their own adventures with one of Canada's traditional sports. 

Learn about the book creators:

Author: Lisa Bowes 🍁

Illustrator: James Hearne🍁

Visit the publisher:

Orca Books🍁

Activities & resources HERE.

Middle Grade:

Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster

 

 Summary: Alice tries a new experience when she enters a Victorian cooking show with her dad. She soon finds out someone is sabotaging the contest and has a mystery to solve with her new friends. A fun and tasty read with lots of learning about friends and family relationships.

Visit the author online:

Rachelle Delaney 🍁  

Visit the illustrator:

Morgan Goble 🍁

Visit the publisher:

Tundra Books/Puffin Canada 🍁

    

Activities & resources HERE.

 

Bonus Middle Grade Novel:

Nikki Tesla and the Fellowship of the Bling

Summary:  Nikki Tesla and her friends have a mystery to solve and it involves a mysterious ring. I love the way this story blends science with action and a cast of characters that all have their own special skills.

Visit the author:

Jess Keating🍁 

Check out the illustrator:

Lissy Marlin

Visit the Publisher:

Scholastic

Activities & resources HERE.

 

**Want to know more about Canadian author/illustrator Debbie Ohi? Visit her website where you'll find lots of great downloads for teachers!

**We're very grateful to The Faithful Sidekicks for writing and performing our theme song! You can learn more about them at their website. 

Learning from Picture Books – MITZI TULANE, PRESCHOOL DETECTIVE in WHAT’S THAT SMELL? by Lauren McLaughlin & Debbie Ridpath Ohi

I enjoyed this sweet, funny book about a young girl and her family.

Summary from the publisher:

Mitzi Tulane may be only three years old, but she sure knows how to follow a trail of evidence and solve tough mysteries. From the strange happenings in the kitchen to the sudden arrival of every family member she’s ever met, Mitzi pieces together the clues and (finally) realizes that she’s . . . in the middle of her own surprise birthday party!

Kids and parents will laugh along as Mitzi sorts through not-so-subtle hints and comes to her conclusions. Readers will love figuring out the surprise ahead of the private-eye protagonist! Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s bouncy illustrations bring an extra layer of fun to Lauren McLaughlin’s clever story.

Mitzi Tulane, Preschool Detective in What’s That Smell? was written by Lauren McLaughlin and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. It was published in 2017 by Random House Children’s Books.

Opening:

“Mitzi Tulane knew every smell that came from her kitchen. As a detective, it was her job to know what happened at 123 Maple Street.”

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really liked the idea of Mitzi being a detective to find out more about what was happening in her own house. It’s also very sweet that she turns to her baby brother, Kev, to think things through. The author has nicely shown the perspective of a young child with Mitzi’s observations and conclusions (“Everyone one in the whole wide world was standing in Mitzi’s living room.”) The illustrations follow this same perspective and most scenes depict the world around Mitzi from her eye level. I also enjoyed the subtle humor that often seemed designed to give adult readers a chuckle.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

I don’t often come across fiction picture books that focus on the sense of smell, and I liked the concept of using it to solve a mystery. This different way of telling a story about a birthday was refreshing. The illustrations show diversity in the skin colors of family members, and it was interesting to read interviews with Debbie that explained the reasoning for her artistic choices (http://debbieohi.com/bk-mitzi-creation/).

Ages: 2 - 5

Grades: preK - 1

Themes:  birthdays, family, detectives

Activities:

Draw a picture of your own birthday party. Who was there?

Go on a “smelling walk.” Use your nose to smell what’s in the air around you and try to identify what you are smelling.

What is your favorite smell? Draw pictures or make a list of smells you like—and smells you don’t like.

Check out the Teacher's Guide on Debbie Ridpath Ohi's site for more activities.

Why Picture Books Are Important

I really enjoyed the blog series Why Picture Books Are Important over at Picture Book Month. Every day in November, there was a new post from a picture book champion with key reasons why we need to read picture books. For example:

Author April Pulley Sayre:  “A picture book can refresh you, teach you, comfort you, and help you set sail into real life with inspiration.”
                                             
Author and illustrator Steve Jenkins: “…picture books nurture the imagination and help a child make sense of the way the world works and the way other people live.”

Author Heidi Stemple: “As children grow and learn to read aloud and then on their own, the love of story they learned from picture books follows them.”

Author/illustrator Rosemary Wells: “[Picture books] create a huge opportunity for parents to share golden talk time with their kids. Nothing on a screen can do this.”

Author Wendy Silvano: "There isn’t a time that can’t be made better by reading a picture book… at any age."

Now that my children are past the "picture book stage" I really miss that time we had cuddling up together to share a good book. Luckily, as a kindergarten teacher, I still get to share great picture books with my students. It's so wonderful to hear the connections they make to the stories and their suggestions for what might happen next or a different ending.

When was the last time you read a picture book? What are some of your favourites?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Dot

I know this is a picture book, and not technically targeted for readers of middle grade books. But since International Dot Day was on September 15^th and this is a book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, I decided to feature it today. If you're a regular follower of my blog, you know I did this last year too, but this book is one that stands up to re-reading! Plus, it’s one of my favourites!

Today’s pick: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Candlewick Press, 2002

Publisher’s Description:

An enchanting invitation to self-expression - from the illustrator of the Judy Moody series

Her teacher smiled. "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."

Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says.

That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.

With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark - and follow where it takes us.

My take:

I think anyone, no matter what their age, can relate to the feeling of not feeling good enough to even try. I know I’ve felt that way as a kid (I was terrible at sports) and sometimes still as a writer (there are days when I want to give up).

This book has many important ideas about taking a chance, practicing, persevering and feeling proud of your accomplishments. I love the idea that something simple like a dot could change someone’s perspective. It’s worthwhile to think about how a bit of encouragement plus some time for thinking and experimenting can lead to something amazing.

I also love the illustrations in this book, the simple lines and beautiful colours seem just right to convey the story’s message.

How I discovered this book:

This book has special meaning to me. As a volunteer at my daughter’s school, I attended an assembly where the principal read this book to the entire school. The principal passed away a year or two later, but when I read the book, I think of him and how caring and fair he was to the students.

Other info:

Peter Reynolds is the illustrator of the Judy Moody series of books. He is also the co-owner of a bookstore, The Blue Bunny, in Dedham, Massachusetts. He has a twin brother named Paul.

The Dot has won many awards, including the Chapman Award for Best Classroom Read-Aloud, Irma S. and James H. Black Honor from the Bank Street College of Education, The Christopher Award, and was named an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner. It is also an animated film by Scholastic/Weston and FableVision.  

On the publisher’s website, there’s a great quote from Peter Reynolds, “…when it comes to expressing yourself, you can invent your own rules.”

 

Other picture books written and illustrated by this author include:

Rose’s Garden

The North Star

So Few of Me

The Best Kid in the World

My Very Big Little World

Ish (a sequel to The Dot)

Sydney’s Star

 

For more, visit Peter Reynold’s website or The Dot website.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the incredible Shannon Messenger. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!

I'm Bored Contest!

Yesterday was the release day for illustrator (and my critique buddy) Debbie Ridpath Ohi's picture book I'm Bored, written by Michael Ian Black.

To celebrate the release of I'm Bored, the MiG writers are posting all week on something related to being bored or potatoes! Commenting on one (or all) of our posts gives you chances to win your very own copy! Tweeting also gets you extra entries.

International Dot Day

I don't usually post on Thursdays, but I heard today was International Dot Day and I couldn't resist. The Dot by Peter Reynolds is one of my favourite picture books.




To celebrate, I made my own dot:

For more about this book, check out Peter Reynold's website. 

Do you have any creative dot ideas? Hmm...cupcakes with dots on them would be good, too.

My Brain Has Been Taken Over by Aliens

I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and that doesn’t usually work to my advantage when it comes to my writing. For me, a tired brain usually leads to a day that’s devoid of writing ideas. Or words that come out stilted and are extraneous to the story, like a long, unproductive detour. But strangely, yesterday I got an idea for a picture book. And not just an idea – I had whole phrases, vivid visual images, and a full-blown character. It spilled out as I was driving (fortunately my daughter didn’t mind being a note-taker) and later, refused to let me sleep again.

It’s almost scary the way the writing part of the brain takes over your mind when you least expect it.