A spider persuades a family to keep him around to be the family pet!

I want them. I need them. I love them. Beautiful earrings. Glorious earrings. What will a young girl do to get her ears pierced? Will she walk the dog for a year? YES! Will she clean her room every day for a year? YES! Will she be nice to her brother for a year? YES! Well, maybe for six months...

This story has inspired in me a great Literature Connection Activity. Make sure to come check out our Balloon Farm projects in the Library at the end of the week. We will have become First Grade Balloon Farmers! Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer, but he didn't farm like my daddy did. He farmed a genuine, U.S. Government Inspected Balloon Farm. So begins this enchanting original tall tale. Set in the rural south and populated with a truly unforgettable cast of characters--including, if you look very carefully, a rabbit, a Tyrannosaurus rex, a cat, a chicken, a cow, and a pig hidden in each remarkable illustration--this is a book that is filled with wonderful impossibilities and magical imagination. Told in the great tradition of summer nights and front porch yarns, Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm will lift your spirit right off the ground, just as it does Harvey Potter. Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer but not like any farmer you've ever met. He didn't grow corn, okra, or tomatoes. Harvey Potter grew balloons. No one knew exactly how he did it, but with the help of the light of a full moon, one friendly child catches a peek of just how Harvey Potter does it. And keeps some magic for herself. "This is the best sort of fantasy imaginative, inventive, and believable. Harvey Potter is a wonder he's the owner of a genuine U.S. Government Inspected Balloon farm. And Nolen's tale about this man, narrated by the African-American girl who learns balloon-farming magic from him, is equally wondrous.... This title should sail onto every library shelf. May Nolen grow a bumper crop of books." School Library Journal. "Downright glorious."Publishers Weekly(starred review).

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Mrs. Nicholas enjoyed reading this story and inspiring us, with our new 'looking glasses' to go out and see the world daily!

A Song Book that we have been enjoying as a class to start out our year!

Mr. Tulley surprised me one day by coming out to Brighton for lunch and he brought this book. It is a beautiful story of how no matter what is on our outside it is what is in our hearts that really makes us beautiful in the eyes of one another. I cry every time I read it! Rink Bowagon is not like other boys. Not only does he live on Lonesome Mountain, a "hotbed of strange and exotic talents," but he is shy, quiet, and sprouts flowers from his body during each full moon. Shunned at school, Rink keeps to himself--until a kind, honest girl named Angelina Quiz with a short right leg joins his class. Rink instantly likes her and decides to ask her to the school dance, painstakingly crafting her a pair of snakeskin party shoes with one extra-thick right sole to balance her out. When Rink shows up at Angelina's door with green shoes and pink roses in hand (they had previously sprouted from his head), her heart flips, and the rest is history. This quirky, beautifully told story of individuality, love, and kindness (and the benefits of corrective shoes!) is illustrated with soft, luminous acrylics on visibly textured board. Artful compositions, intriguingly varied perspectives, and a gorgeous palette make these whimsical, expressive paintings suitable for framing. An odd, lovely offering.

Ok- This may be one of the funnest books ever to read aloud and to read over and over in a classroom. The humor is subtle and pulls from many classic stories and other popular characters. One of my FAVORITES is when the which writes in the sky above the farm, "Surrender Piggies" as to pull from the "Wizard of Oz." You may see your child put their finger to their forehead and call out, "PROBLEM" when one is encountered. The characters in this story do this and we use the line all through the year. A fun way to build an "inside the classroom joke" so to speak as soon all the kids will say it whenever a problem arises! LOVE IT!

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A precious and simple story that shows a powerful small moment through the words and the illustrations. The children are able to clearly see that the setting does not change in this Small Moment.

A wonderful example of a small moment. (I do clip the last page so as the students do not see the next "small moment" of the kids getting their lunch. This would be considered the next moment if we were writing in our Writing Workshop.) This book can be purchased on Borders website through their used books for a very small price. You may also come in and borrow one of the copies I have. This is a book even my 2 year old loves to hear as it's filled with such fun language and use of imagination!

A silly, but fun story of a Duck who is trying to create the perfect soup. In his quest there is a silly mix-up and his friends think HE has become the soup. Shows fun and silly action over a short span of time. Has great sound words and use of different types of text styles for emphasis. Lots to talk about and enjoy, read after read with this book!

• http://www.jackieurbanovic.com

A group of children get the thrill of a lifetime when they decide to cut short their walk home in Crews's new picture book. Though they know the freight train might round the bend momentarily, the kids opt for playing along the tracks instead of walking on their familiar route. Charged with excitement, the escapade turns to fullblown alarm when the train whistle sounds, sending the youngsters scrambling to safety at the last minute. Crews's economical text deftly explores a roller coaster ride of emotion in just a few paragraphs, highlighted with effective onomotopeia-Whoo wh(,o; klackity, klackity, klack. The underlying childlike sensibilities here-taking a risk to the limit, for example-authenticate the author's voice throughout. The story, an extension of the characters first introduced in Crews's nostalgic Bigmama's, is a perfect foil for the artist's masterful renderings of trains. A predominantly warm, earthy palette sets a serene and playful mood at the outset, followed by several dark, wordless spreads that show freight cars rushing past, ready to speed right off the page. Scenes portraying the frightened children are equally effective in this out of the ordinary drama set forth with uncommon artistry.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

An example of a Small Moment story that will be used as we learn to write our own Small Moment story. You will find that the heart of the story is when the riders of the subway work together to find a way to rescue a bird that is trapped on their train. We will return to this book again and again. We will use this as a touchstone text to model cooperation during our study of Hands are For Helping NOT Hurting and also for the theme of Team-work when the time is right.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

There are no words to describe how beautiful this story is about using our "Hands for Helping, NOT Hurting."

A precious story of a pink piggy who loves her self, just the way her self is!

Note: This book is available in our Library.

An older story, but wonderful. The kids and I will begin in the first weeks of school exploring the I Care Rule: We Listen to Each Other. This is a book I read and then we of course go ourselves on a "listening walk" around Lindbom. We pay close attention to the sounds of our shoes, the wind, the other children learning and the sounds of nature. We follow up this activity by coming back into the classroom and recording the sounds that we have heard. Reading and going on your own "in home" listening walk can greatly enforce this lesson and encourage your child to pay attention and appreciate all that surrounds them.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A relatable story about making sure you are always being the friend you would want to have.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A story of a little girl and her father who go out for a walk together to LISTEN to the world around them. We did this on the first Friday of school and then recorded all the sounds we heard around us. This is not only helping us to become better listeners, but we are learning to follow directions and find places in the school.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A beautiful CD for any family that loves to enjoy music together!

Another relatable story that uses punctuation in unique ways. The kids are able to pick out all sorts of different "punctuation" marks and the reason they are being used is clearly heard when read by the children. This is also a very readable book by most First Graders making it an even more powerful Touchstone text. *Also, did I mention this is one of my FAVORITE illustrators!*

A tight Small Moment story that uses interesting punctuation to create sound and build suspense about going on the "Rollercoaster." The punctuation is bold and unique which allows the children to easily identify marks and the text is usually quite familiar so children can easily relate to the storyline and how this story could be read. Check out this author for sure! Especially: "Santa Clause. The World's Number 1 Toy Expert" One of my MOST favorite holiday books.

• http://www.MarlaFrazee.com

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A young boy goes out into the world after a tremendous snow storm. This is a great circle story that we will also use again and again for our story mapping and retelling work. This character is also very fun character to think deeper about. Check out the use of dashes in the word S-L-O-W-L-Y just like in the story Rollercoaster. The kids are very keen to make this connection.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Thanks to Niki's Dad for coming in to share a story with all of us!

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A young girl is confident to not give in to the peer pressure to act, dress, and do the same things as all the others in her class. She takes risks and is willing to put her ideas out into the world for others to learn from as well. This book can also be found on the Tumblebook website through our class Links page.

Little Swimmy is forced to go out into the underwater world on his own. Instead of being afraid he goes out seeking new adventures and willing to take risks so that others can experience the world as well.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A woman who loves books as much as Mrs. Tulley.

A perfect match for our "BIg Words of the Week" that we do in the classroom. (Wish I would have written this book!)

A precious books that helps children build vocabulary.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A great story of being true to yourself and learning that others, in time, will often see this uniqueness as a gift. Theme: Believe in Yourself

A classic beauty that brings students to the theme of: Harmony with Nature.

A Small Moment story of working together as a team to rescue a bird. Theme: Teamwork

Kids will notice the setting - supporting characters - the problem - the solution and then be able to work towards the theme of "teamwork." Students have also connected to the theme of "cooperation" from vocabulary used in our "big word of the week."

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A beautiful small moment story that children can relate to easily. The text is simple, yet can be used for modeling great "deeper thinking" strategies later in the year.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A story about putting in the work to become a reader!

I want them. I need them. I love them. Beautiful earrings. Glorious earrings. What will a young girl do to get her ears pierced? Will she walk the dog for a year? YES! Will she clean her room every day for a year? YES! Will she be nice to her brother for a year? YES! Well, maybe for six months...

A young boy talks to an ant trembling in the shadow of his sneaker. This playful story brings up questions about ethics and peer pressure, encouraging the very youngest citizens to decide for themselves: to squish . . . or not to squish.

Eight and a half-year-old Joey convinces the monsters under his bed that his older brother Dan would make for a tastier meal.