The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

We're determining setting can be tricky since the story does not always tell us. We must use the pictures to find clues. Next time we go the library, we're going to look for a book on eco-regions, so we can learn the differences between forests and plains and deserts and mountains.

Rachel had read this book before and was very excited about re-reading it. But the art segment of the journal was challenging: "Horses are hard to draw!"
Main character: The girl
Setting: Villege (village) and forest
Here's what happened: The girl tryed (tried) to liv (live) with the wiled (wild) horse.
My favorite part: When she turned into a horse.















Audrey had a hard time with this journal entry. She couldn't remember the girl's name. We never learned her name.
Main character: The girl
Setting: Flat land
What happened: The girl took a nap. There was a storm. The horses ran and got tired. The wild stallion said she could stay.
My favorite part: When the girl met the stallion. There was a rainbow after the rain.

The Funny Little Woman

Another folk tale, this one retold by Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent, gave us a very rich story with lots of fun components. I noticed the girls tended to give the same answers for their journals when we they filled them out at the same time. For this book, I separated when it was journal time and got better responses.

Rachel focused on the middle and the climax of the story.
Main character: The funny little woman.
Setting: Monsters' houes (houses)
Here's what happened: She had to macke (make) dumplelngs (dumplings) for the monsters.
My favorite part: When the monsters dranck (drank) the sea water.










Audrey preferred the beginning of the story, and drew a mountain of dumplings on the woman's table. She wanted me to know they weren't in the story but would "look good as a decoration."

Main character: The little woman
Setting: Japan
What happened: There was a hole. It got bigger. The woman fell in the hole. She chased her dumpling.
My favorite part: When the hole got bigger and she said, "My dumpling! My dumpling!"

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

This folk tale was Audrey's choice (probably because it had animals in it). We learned that folk tales have a special place in the children's non-fiction section of the library. This book turned out to be more complex than I had anticipated. In the same progressive style of The Farmer in the Dell or The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly, this fable leads us through a dizzying domino effect that shows all actions have consequences.

Here is Rachel's take on the book by Verna Aardema and Leo and Diane Dillon:
Main character: The forest anamils (animals).
Setting: Jugle (Jungle)
Here's what happened: The anamiles (animals) were mad because the mosquitoes were buzzing in people's ears. SLAPP! Mosquitoes buzz in people's ears because they want someone to talk to.
My favorite part: When the mosquito told a lie to the iguana.





Audrey, a fan of slapstick, loved the sound effects we inserted when the modern-day mosquito met his demise at the end of the book.

Main character: Mosquito
Setting: In the Wild
What happened: The animals got mad at the mosquito.
My favorite part: They POW'ed the mosquito -- I mean they slapped it.

Day one: Can we sustain the enthusiasm?

"Mom! Mom! MOM! The poster came!"

Yesterday, the quest began. When the girls crashed through the door after school, Rachel handed me the Caldecott-winner poster and wanted to know when we could go to the library. We spent a half-hour examining the poster while we waited for 2-year-old sister, Miranda, to wake up from her nap.

We picked out which books we had read before. Only three for me, two for Rachel and one for Audrey. What a surprise! I had imagined that these books would have been integrated more into our pop culture, like Curious George or Dr. Seuss. "Madeline" was there, as was "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Jumanji," so some have been made the jump to other media.

Next, we tried to pick out which books were fiction and which were non-fiction. A few non-fiction were quick to spot ("Abraham Lincoln," "Animals From the Bible"), but others kept us guessing.

We decided to mark the books on our poster with stickers, as we read each one and complete our journal entries. (I suspect the girls woke up their sister when I went to hunt the stickers, so they could hasten our trip to the library.)

The poster was a huge hit. It is such as strong visual -- it is the key to making this project so special for the girls. Thank you, Mrs. Lack, for giving us the idea and for finding this gorgeous poster for us.

Perma-Bound makes these posters each year. This one must be brand-new because when we took the poster with us to the public library, the librarian wanted one too! Pictured is the 2009 poster from the Perma-Bound website. Ours must be 2010.

-- Mom

Where the Wild Things Are

Rachel picked the Maurice Sendak classic as the first book. She had read it before and already knew she liked it.

Main character: Max
Setting: Max's room
Here's what happened: His amajanushon (imagination) was he saild (sailed) in a boat. He fond (found) where the wild things are.
My favorite part: When he was the king.













Audrey was hesitant on her answers but was excited about drawing her own interpretation.

Main character: Max
Setting: The Wild
What happened: Max went into The Wild.
My favorite part: When Max played king.

The concept

My oldest daughter received "The Wizard of Oz" for her 7th birthday. All the stores were sold out of the DVD. She got the book instead. And she was hooked.

The gauntlet was thrown. What's next, Mom?

Last summer, I had dared her to read 100 books. I promised her a family vacation if she could do it. We skipped the picture books and went for the early readers: Amelia Bedelia, Frog and Toad, Dr. Seuss. That challenge cost me 3 days at a water park.

Now, my inclination was to seek out more early chapter books, but I didn't want to fight her attention span. Her copy of "The Wizard of Oz" was beautifully illustrated by Charles Santore. (Kathie, this was the best birthday present ever!) I couldn't find any more of the series illustrated in the same way, and I didn't want to discourage her with a stack of Oz sequels that didn't capitalize on the art.

About the same time, her school librarian noticed how impressed Rachel was with the award-winners in the library's collection. She ordered a Caldecott poster for us and had it laminated. Gauntlet right back at you, kid.

Our project is to read every Caldecott winner by the end of the school year. Rachel is onboard, as is her 5-year-old sister, Audrey. As we read, we will check off each book on our poster, and log each book in our Caldecott reading journal, reprinted in this blog.

The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the most distinguished American picture book for children. Only one is awarded each year, and it began in 1938. That means there are 72 books waiting for us.

Thank you for supporting us on our project. Who knows what we will find on our reading adventure!

-- Mom