Books, books, and more books...part 1

Hi, friends. Nothing says summertime like a glass of cold lemonade. Or in my case, a pitcher of Sangria, tangy citrus lemonade. Basically, it's a mixture of the juice of several lemons and limes with honey and raspberries added in for good measure (vodka is purely optional). It is so yummy.

Although I have officially been out of school for 17 days, I spent the better part of four days purging my 4-shelf file cabinet (which I gave to a colleague), one day in G/T training, and made a whirlwind overnight trip to Lubbock for my daughter's new student orientation. I am gonna be a Red Raiders momma!

So, my summer has been off to a slow start. But, now, I can start to relish in (part of) my Amazon book order. Some of these books I found through this amazing blog Books that Heal Kids.

Pink!by Lynne Rickards is a story about a boy Penguin named Patrick that wakes up one day and is horrified to discover that he is pink. He goes in search of flamingos due to their similar color, but soon figures out he doesn't fit in with them. He returns home and realizes that despite his unusual color, there's no place like home.

My Mouth Is a Volcano! by Julia Cook is a book I desperately needed last year for one of my kiddos. I could have read it to the class (and to him at least once a week) as a good example to show how (constant) interrupting distracts the speaker and others' learning.

Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells is not new, but I wanted it to go along with these great literacy activities from DeAnne over at First Grade and Fabulous. This packet includes cause and effect, retelling, and sequencing events. She is indeed fabulous!

I got Conscious Discipline: 7 Basic Skills for Brain Smart Classroom Management by Dr. Becky Bailey because of all the great things I have read about it from Heather from Heather's Heart. She is not doing a typical book study per say (no reading deadlines), but she just started posting how it has changed her classroom discipline and how she interacts with her students. She has 25 posts on CD, and I haven't even read them all...yet. But, I will now :)

Pink Tiara Cookies For Three by Maria Dismondy is the typical story of a friendship between two girls that is interrupted when a new girl moves to their school. Thus, the friendship triangle begins.

I love using children's literature for author studies, to supplement academic content, and for teaching citizenship lessons through character discussions.

I would love to hear from you! What new books have you found recently? What are your go-to read aloud favorites?