Picture Book Month - Week 1

Highlights from the library:

It's a unique challenge trying to convince 70 fourth graders you just met 7 weeks ago at a new school that picture books are cool.  And totally aimed at them (sometimes), or at the very least worth their attention.  After the incredulous inquiries ("Wait...Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants don't count?"), I may be cracking the surface... When sharing favorite picture books, one boy started...."I don't remember the name of it, but it's about a boy who finds a camera in the ocean..." Before he could go any further a collective gasp and sigh and murmurs of agreement erupted throughout the class.  "Flotsam!" another boy called out.  And...we're getting there.

Next, when sharing I Will Not Read This Book with a first grade class, there were some great comments as I read the title outloud ("No, Ms. Broderick, please read it!") and then as I continued along with the story and came to the part where a "dragon blows smoke in my eyeballs", a boy in the front row covers his face and says "OH! I can FEEL it!". Sometimes it's the little things that can make your day.

The students at Zervas who are more well versed with my love of picture books (and endpapers!) totally ate up this opportunity to check out huge amounts of picture books (15+ for some of them) - I'm hoping they have wheelie backpacks...

Now I'll get back to devising a better scheme for tracking my own reading between two schools and home.  I told the kids my personal goal is 100 books - 72 to go!