Bubbles...Up!

 

Someone asked me the other day, “What smell takes you back to your childhood?”  The first thing that popped into my head was the smell of Coppertone sunscreen infused into a beach towel.  My childhood summers were basically comprised of me walking or riding my bike to the community pool and spending hours with friends playing in the water. 

And then, a few days after that conversation, I read Bubbles…Up by Jacqueline Davies.  I was immediately immersed (pun intended) in nostalgia!  This beautiful picture book illustrated by Sonia Sanchez is all about a day at the community pool from the view point of an elementary aged girl. 

The story is told through poetic text that is just begging to be read aloud!  The words dive and dance across the pages to mimic the actions of the little girl.  Splashes of humor show up unexpectedly.

            “Bubbles…Up!  Mouth bubbles, nose bubbles, ear bubbles, rear bubbles”

            “You under-sit. You under-talk. … You under-stand.  You under-handstand.”

Parents and teachers:  This is a great read-aloud!  Don’t miss the opportunity to share it with your kids.  Take the time to explore the playful way the text is placed on each page.

Teachers:  This would be perfect for Kindergarten, 1^st or 2^nd grades.  You could pair it with discussions of summer activities, or just read it because the words and the pictures are just SO fun!!!

Solving For M - 9th article in a series of 9

 ***Skip the intro if you have already read any of the blogs in this series of 9.  Go straight to the Title and Author information.

***This blog entry is for teachers’ (and parents’) eyes only! It is intended to help teachers learn about the books on the William Allen White nominee list for this year, and then make decisions about how they might want to use some of these books during the upcoming school year.  There are 9 books on the list. This is the 9th blog in a series of 9.

The William Allen White Book Award is for kids in the state of Kansas to vote each year for their favorite from a list of nominated books. If you are a 3rd - 5th grade teacher in Kansas, this blog will hopefully be very useful. But even if you teach a grade level adjacent to these grades or teach somewhere other than Kansas, I think you will find some useful information regarding some books that have made it to the 2021-22 WAW nominated list.  

Title:  Solving For M

Author:  Jennifer Swendler

Format:  Chapter Book, 256 pages (NOT available in paperback)

This book is a realistic fiction friendship / family relationship story.  Mika is starting 5th grade at a middle school.  Her best friend is in a different “Pod” so they don’t spend much time together and Mika must try to make new friends.  Mika’s mother is diagnosed with Melanoma and it spreads to some of her lymphatic system.  Mika is very worried about her mom, but her mother tries to shield Mika by not telling her anything about the cancer or the treatments.  This makes Mika very frustrated.  Mika’s new math teacher is eccentric, but soon becomes one of Mika’s favorite teachers ever.  He has them write/draw in a math journal, and Mika uses the journal to help her sort out her thoughts about her mother.  

The math journal becomes a key component of this book.  Mika’s journal entries, which are mostly cartoon-style drawings, are interspersed with the text.  The end result is a chapter book that has a lot of graphic novel parts to it.  

This book is sure to be a favorite of teachers who like teaching math.  A variety of math concepts are covered via the math journal assignments.  I think this could be a great read aloud, especially for 5th grade since the math concepts should line up nicely with what most 5th graders would be learning in math.  I think it could also work well for 4th grade.  

I have one small concern about using it as a read aloud, though.  There are a couple of passages that reference or infer Santa Claus not being real.

From Unit 4 (approx. p. 53):  “Like when I was little and I asked her if Santa was real.  She said, “Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas, which is very real.”  So not a lie, but not the truth, either.”

  And from Unit 7 (approx. p. 107):  “I know that Mom knows that I’m getting a little old for the whole Santa thing, but she seems happy.”  

These passages are vague and probably wouldn’t draw that much attention, but I want teachers to be aware of them if they are using this book as a read-aloud. 

If you do choose to use this as a read-aloud, be prepared to show the math journal entries via some sort of classroom projection.  They are a vital part of the story and will draw your students’ attention! 

Roll With It - 8th article in a series of 9

***Skip the intro if you have already read any of the blogs in this series of 9.  Go straight to the Title and Author information.

***This blog entry is for teachers’ (and parents’) eyes only! It is intended to help teachers learn about the books on the William Allen White nominee list for this year, and then make decisions about how they might want to use some of these books during the upcoming school year.  There are 9 books on the list. This is the 8th blog in a series of 9.

The William Allen White Book Award is for kids in the state of Kansas to vote each year for their favorite from a list of nominated books. If you are a 3rd - 5th grade teacher in Kansas, this blog will hopefully be very useful. But even if you teach a grade level adjacent to these grades or teach somewhere other than Kansas, I think you will find some useful information regarding some books that have made it to the 2021-22 WAW nominated list.  

Title:  Roll With It

Author:  Jamie Sumner

Format:  Chapter Book, 272 pages (available in paperback)

This book is a realistic fiction friendship and family relationship story. Ellie has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair.  Her dream is to become a famous chef…she loves baking and cooking.  She and her mom move from Nashville to a small town in Oklahoma to help take care of Ellie’s grandpa who has Alzheimers.  

Ellie has a lot of “attitude” and tells it like it is.  This often gets her in trouble with teachers and her mother. It’s actually refreshing that the author does not make her out to be all “sunshine and cuddles”.  I think kids will see her character as being very believable and relatable. She has to start at a new school that is very small.  Ellie ends up making friends with two other kids from her grandparent’s trailer park.  

I think this book could be a strong contender as a read-aloud, especially at 4th or 5th grade.  This book is the longest of all the WAW nominees (3rd-5th grade), so it will take a little longer to get through, but it is SO worth it!  Teachers looking for read-alouds similar to Wonder by Palacio or Out Of My Mind by Draper will love this book. 

One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship that forms between Ellie and the PE teacher at her new school. I know it’s not realistic for a PE teacher to do a chapter book read-aloud to an upper elementary class, but … oh, my goodness … I wish they could!  I’ve read some books with school settings where the PE teacher is portrayed with some stereotypical negative characteristics.  This book doesn’t go there, and it brings a depth to the teacher’s character that is very refreshing.  I strongly urge elementary and middle school PE teachers to read this book for your own enjoyment.  I think it might help you see ways to reach out to students with physical disabilities.  If nothing else, it will remind you of how important, worthwhile, and fulfilling your job can be!

I often have students who are requesting books similar to Wonder or Out Of My Mind.  These kids are usually looking for stories about building relationships with family members and friends.  Most of the time, they want the main character to have some sort or disability whether it be physical, emotional, or intellectual.  I am happy to have yet another quality title to offer them.  

The author, Jamie Sumner, has a son with cerebral palsy, which really helps this book have an authentic voice.  Roll With It was Sumner’s debut middle-grade novel, though she has written a couple more since.  She has a website that includes a free downloadable discussion guide for the book.  She also is willing to do a Skype session with a class that has read or listened to her book.  I’m not sure what the cost would be, but her website has her contact information.