DiCamillo would be PROUD

Tonight at work, I did something really nice. After I talked about how depressing Despereaux was, I recommended it to someone. This came about when an elderly woman approached me about third grade children's books. She decided she wanted to purchase and donate 30 books to a Mosque classroom in Skokie. The children are all in third grade and come from some underprivileged situations. Most of them do not have the opportunity to enjoy nightly read-a-loud session with their parents; their parents do not yet know English and have limited access to funds. This woman decided she wanted these second language learners to have the opportunity to read. Since she did not believe she had the stamina to look for thirty books, she left me with two simple instructions: 1) find thirty books 2) make sure a third grade student of average abilities can understand (like I said, English language learners...some have a lot of skills necessary to navigate more complicated books on the third grade level and some do not). So, as she went to the cafe, I set out looking for some good books.

The first book to pop into my mind was Kate DiCamillo's Tale of Despereaux. I think deep down it is good for a third grader, especially one of average abilities (and even underprivileged...shunned mouse rises to the top). The students can learn a lot about life and how to overcome problems. So Kate DiCamillo, you would be proud of me. Not only that, I added The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane to the basket, also written by DiCamillo. Her books are very practical and are well written. They appeal to children because they have animals in them. Rule #1 about children's books: There MUST be an animal or a dragon in them. HA.

Some of the other books I chose for this class were as follows: Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Mr. Fox (Dahl was my fave in third grade and still remains close to my heart). Next was Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (had to read them in third grade). How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith, Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies and Sable by Karen Hesse were all to address everyday issues. I chose Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman and The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman to represent more John Newbery Medal winners. Another standout I chose was book one of the Babymouse graphic novel series by Jennifer Holm (I wanted them to have a graphic novel since it is fastly becoming the future of reading for kids). I then pulled an abridged version of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Doolittle (another Newbery) and an abridge version of The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling to represent the Classics. Finally within this stack of books, I placed a book of traditional European fairy tales, some beginning readers for those struggling with English and some poetry for exposure. I hope all of these books work out for the kids!

Well, it is now time for me to go to bed. I am sleepy. It was a busy day at work. It was Dena's last day and for that, I was sad.

Happy Valentine's Day.