Runny Babbit

I love getting lost in a good book, but sometimes there is not enough time in the day!  On those days, I encourage you to get lost in a poem!  Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein is one of my all time favorite poetry collections for children.  This collection of poetry took Silverstein twenty years to compile and was published several years after his death. If you and your child need a good laugh (and a mental workout), you need to get your hands on Runny Babbit.

The introductory poem explains the layout of the book:

     Way down in the green woods
     Where the animals all play,
     They do things and they say things
      In a different sort of way-
     Instead of sayin' "purple hat,"
     They all say "hurple pat."
     Instead of sayin' "feed the cat,"
     They just say "ceed the fat."
     So if you say, "Let's bead a rook
     That's billy as can se,"
     You're talkin' Runny Babbit talk,
     Just like mim and he.

Children LOVE these poems! They find it hilarious that the characters speak funny.  You will find it hard to read, but you will laugh too.  This selection of poetry shows children how fun it can be to play with language.  They will want to rearrange the letters and create their own silly poems.  

When reading these poems, just have fun with them.  See if your child can read it the way it is written and then see if they can put the poem "back-to-normal."  Challenge your child to talk Runny Babbit style.  It is much harder than you think and it takes a lot of phonetic skills to be able to do so!

Turn off your television, gather your child next to you on the couch and share a laugh or two!

Mysteries of Harris Burdick

As I have shared before, I love Chris Van Allsburg! His stories transport the reader into another world.  One of my all times favorites is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  It is by no means a new book.  It was published in 1984, so it has been around for awhile.

The story offers a very important, but fictional, introduction to the reader.  As it is told, Harris Burdick wrote fourteen stories with fourteen illustrations.  He dropped his illustrations off to a book publisher and was never seen again.  The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a collection of his drawings.   Each drawing has a title and a caption.  The rest of the story is left to the reader's imagination!

The drawings are erie, magical and beautiful at the same time!  As you examine each picture you will begin to tell a story. I promise!  You cannot look at the pictures and not help but wonder what the story is behind it.  Because of this, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a great book to practice the skill of inferring.  There is no right or wrong answer - only your child's background knowledge and the illustration clues to weave a story of fantasy.

This book is a great spring board for a writing activity!  Look at one of the pictures with your child.  Read the title and the caption.  Talk about what might be happening in the picture.  What could the story be about?  After having a solid conversation, let your child write the story he/she thinks belongs with the illustrations.

I bet your child will surprise you with his/her story!   When I was teaching, I would get twenty-six completely different stories and I was always amazed with my students' creativity!

Grab this book.  I know you and your child will love it!

Stay tuned.  In October, fourteen authors are going to tell their tales of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick!  I cannot wait!

The Little Red Pen

Has your child ever wondered what goes on in their classroom during the night?  I know I thought about it as a kid.  I thought my teacher lived in my classroom!  The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens is a story about classroom supplies and their nightly adventures.  Papers need graded, but only Little Red Pen is willing to do any work.  All the other supplies have an excuse as to why they cannot help the Little Red Pen.  However, the Little Red Pen finds herself in some deep trouble.  Read the story to see if they other supplies help her out!

On top of this just being a cute story, it is a GREAT book to read if your child has been studying personification. Personification is giving human traits to non-living objects. As you read the story with your child point out a few times the author uses personification (personally, I love the eraser).   After reading the story with your child you can practice personification!  Grab an object and brainstorm ways to give it human traits.  How could you personify the refrigerator?  The couch?  Their are endless possibilities.  If you lead with an example, your child will want to keep personifying objects because they will find it fun!  

If you are a teacher, this is a great story to convert into a Readers' Theater Script!  Each character's dialogue is written in a different color!  

The Plot Chickens

Who doesn't love a story about chickens?  The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane and Herm Auch is not just any story about chickens.  This story is about a chicken, Henrietta, who loves to read and write!

This book is genius on many levels! First of all, it is about a chicken and for some reason children love chicken stories.  Secondly, it is visually appealing! It has an almost comic book feel to it. Kids will be drawn into the story through the illustrations.  Lastly, and in my opinion most importantly, this book teaches the writing process. Who knew a children's book that talks about the writing process could actually be interesting?

Summer break is just around the corner.  How often does your child write during the summer?  I know it is hard to get students to sit down and write a five paragraph essay, but that is not a fun activity! This is a book that actually inspires young children to write their own stories.  At the end of the story, they will want to be just like Henrietta.  

Be sure to capitalize on your child's momentary interest of writing with a follow-up activity.  Review with your child the rules Henrietta followed when writing her story.  Write them out on a poster so you can easily refer back to it.  Follow each rule and create a story with your child. Do not make them do this on their own.  The magic of writing this story is writing it together!  After following the rules, gather up some fun paper and let your child get creative with "publishing" their story.  After finishing the final "published" copy, it is time to celebrate.  Gather some kids in the neighborhood and hold and author's party (better yet, have the kids in the neighborhood write stories too).  Serve some cookies and punch and let your child share their story with their friends! 

This is a GREAT book for teachers to serve as a springboard for a creative writing unit!  If you are a teacher, get your hands on this book.  I know you will love it.