Lisa’s Comments (group member since May 21, 2014)

Lisa’s comments from the Reading Rams Summer I, 2014 group.

Years ago I was attending a reading conference and decided to slip into a session where an author (Christopher Paul Curtis) was reading aloud chapter one from his recently published novel. As he read about Byron's lips getting stuck to the mirror, the audience was rolling in laughter. He stopped at the end of chapter one. Of course, the entire audience was now hooked. I believe everyone in the audience left his session and purchased his book. (What a great marketing strategy)! I have loved this book since. I love the Watson family. I love the parenting styles. Did you know that the bombings discussed at the end of the novel are based on the real Alabama church bombings that killed several young girls?

As you are responding to and reflecting on "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" consider the following questions:
1. Think about the kind of town that Antler, Texas and what is it like for Toby to live there?
2. How do you personally feel about Toby's mother's decision to leave Antler? Is she right to pursue her dream?
3. There is a lot of humor in this book. Find one of the parts you thought was funny and share with the group.
4. Do you believe Zachary's stories? Why or why not? Why to you think he tells stories about his life?
5. Why do you think Toby spends so much time thinking about Cal's brother, Wayne?
6. The friends successfully baptize Zachary in the river. What do you think this symbolizes?

I discovered this book when my triplets were in the 7th grade. It was an assigned reading and since I had never heard of, or read the book, I really wanted to. So I read it with my girls. I found the idea absolutely fascinating. So many important themes running through this novel (family dynamics, friendship, protection, jobs & careers, over coming obstacles, etc.)I really like the questions that Jenna mentioned in one of her posts about some of the unanswered questions the reader has upon conclusion of the novel. These could be great writing activities for your students.

So interesting that the book on tape was not enjoyable! Just reinforces my belief that when we read aloud to our students we need to put some "life" into our reading!!! I love Maniac! I am so gullible that while I was reading, I found myself actually believing everything was possible that Maniac was doing! I love how stories can do that to us!

While Bunnicula is not one of my favorite books, I included it on our list because it continues to be a favorite among elementary children, especially third and fourth graders!

I also love the idea of "What are the Tucks up to in 2014?" Wish I had thought of that one! Yes, it is a bit anticlimactic. I was wondering most of the time if she would drink from the spring. She made the right choice of course. It really does make you stop and think about do we really want to live forever, (on earth). Good be some great conversations with your students from this read.

Ok, I just have to say that I believe $5.00 from the Tooth Fairy is too much!!!! hahaha. I just love the teacher in the story. I really like how she tried to help Andrew not feel embarrassed or ashamed for the blue dots on his face! Yes, it is outdated, how many moms are able to stay home and play Bridge these days!!! Another, hahaha! And that Sharon is a stinker isn't she! A good writing activity that I have done with student is to ask them to write their own recipe for freckles and then we put them all together into a class cookbook. You could also have students write recipes for a variety of things, such as how to grow to be 7 feet tall, or how to get wings, or how to grow webbed feet! They can get quite creative using their imaginations.

Isn't it amazing how a picture can be so powerful!!! Makes one rethink the idea that picture books are just for the very young!!!

This book is actually based on the LA riots associated with the Rodney King incident years ago. I too love the illustrations. Very creative. My favorite line is at the end of the book when Daniel says, "They probably didn't know each other before" and it has a profound effect on the room! He did not even realize the power of his statement. Pretty cool! Isn't it amazing how a picture book can be so powerful!

Seems like most of you have either heard of, or read one of Patricia Polacco's books. She is one of my all time favorite authors. What a range of life experiences she has had. Did you know that most of her books are based on real-life events, stories, or experiences from her personal life. Amazing to me. I have not read Junkyard Wonders. I plan to check it out this afternoon. She never disappoints!

I enjoyed reading your responses. I hope you all can find a way to incorporate Isabella into your classroom, teaching, etc.! :)

I love this picture book because it demonstrates beautifully the "power" of literature. Isabella has quite an imagination! As we embark on our journey of reading this summer, I thought this would be a great story to get us started. I look forward to reading your thoughts!!!