Sunday Salon August 31st

Back to School Time

According to the equinox summer is not over, according to my district figuratively speaking it is. Summer fun and lazy days reading in my comfy chair surrounded by four hounds has come to a close and with it a sense of sadness. Truthfully, when the end of
August comes my thoughts shift to the classroom and planning for the year begins. My summers are spent resting, relaxing and reflecting and I do that by reading and always have. Rekindling the flame of passion to teach for another year is critical for the students and the teacher. On Thursday when the students arrived this past week, I was hyper with happiness. Judging from the students enthusiastic faces they felt about the same. First days of school are always very special, as are the last days. The time in between can be arduous, can be frustrating, can be stressful, can be hilarious, can be fulfilling and can be the most rewarding of many careers. As the library/media specialist I get to know all the students pretty well. This past week my students returned and there was nothing better than getting big hugs from an overwhelming number of returning students. To use the ubiquitous phrase in advertising...PRICELESS!

Sharon Creech:
Hate That Cat,sequel to Love That Dog

My Back to School Review
Creech makes writing look so easy as Jack returns in the sequel to Love That Dog. This time he must contend with a dreaded fat cat. In Hate That Cat, the reluctant poet becomes a wonderful storyteller as he models poems in the spirit of famous poets. After receiving a tiny black kitten as a gift, despite his aversion to the big black cat, he comes to love that kitten. He uses his little kitten as the subject of his poetry as he creates sounds with words to help his deaf mother hear. I can’t think of a better book to use when teaching elements of poetry with each page being a potential lesson. Creech proves once again that a story or novel can be told using poetry. Teachers may want to use this as a read aloud or for shared reading. This book had me laughing, smiling, crying, and chuckling with joy. Hate That Cat is utterly entertaining.

Heretic's Daughter

Heretic's Daughter,is now available in stores getting rave reviews. I have re-linked the review I did on Heretic's Daughter this week. Some of you may have missed it before the release. Please check it out.