Shel Silverstein

Out of all the poets we have been reading in class, Shel Silverstein is my favorite! His sense of humor is hilarious. Even better than that though is the memories it brings up for me. My brother LOVED The Giving Tree more than I could even express in words. Growing up he honestly thought it was the coolest book ever! Then in middle school Shel Silverstein showed up again in my life. I used to participate in these speech competitions. I competed in poetry and prose and I used the Silverstein poem "Sick" for one of my competition. It won me first place many times, so I am VERY thankful for the warm-hearted poem. So in honor of Shel Silverstein I have written a poem about his life!

Uncle Shelby served in the U.S. Army,
He wrote for the Newspaper call Stars and Stripes.
He lived in Japan and also Korea,
Everytime people read his work they said oh my, oh mia!
Shel has also written alot of songs,
Everyone loves it, from children to moms!
He had two children of his own,
But sadly died of a heart attack in his home.

Kind of a morbid ending, but some good information none the less! :)

POETRY!

One thing I regret so much growing up is never being read poetry! My parents were wonderful encouragers of readers, but poetry was never really read to us. We had exciting stories and fun books, but never poetry. It is exciting that I have been given an opportunity to be exposed to these fun poems! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Child's Anthology of Poems and I can't wait to have this book on my own children's shelf. I can't wait to read these poems to my children. I felt like a little kid as I read these poems. I laughed at the silliest things, but they just made me REALLy happy!Sitting in class, I remember hearing Mrs. Robinson talk about how much her boys thought Boa Constrictor was HILARIOUS! I can't wait to have moments like this with my kids. I can't wait for them to fall in love with poetry.

The Winter of Red Snow

Trying to figure out the next of my outside readings to pick, I began talking to my friend about books she loved when she was growing up. Her family is the most patriotic family I have ever met. Every Labor Day Weekend they have a family get together called "Yeah America". At Yeah America they celebrate America and freedom and our country's history. Therefore it is no suprise when she reminded me of the series of books called Dear America. These books are so neat. The Scholastic website describes the series of books as “Travel back to the earliest days of America through the diary pages of these courageous girls. Follow their amazing journey – as told by incredible authors – through the growth of our great nation.”


I found a list of all of the books in the series

TITLES (In order by historical chronology):



A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620 by Kathryn Lasky


I WALK IN DREAD: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691
by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439249732
Ages 9-12
203 pages

Deliverance Trembley lives in Salem Village, where she must take care of her sickly sister, Mem, and where she does her daily chores in fear of her cruel uncle's angry temper. But when four young girls from the village accuse some of the local women of being witches, Deliverance finds herself caught up in the ensuing drama of the trials. And life in Salem is never the same.


STANDING IN THE LIGHT: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 by Mary Pope Osborne


LOOK TO THE HILLS: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl, New York Colony, 1763
by Patricia C. McKissack
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439210380
Ages 9-14
192 pages
April 2004

Lozette, or Zettie, is an orphaned slave girl who arrives with her French masters in New York Colony at the end of the French-Indian War. There, she must reconsider her loyalties when she is confronted with new landscapes, new conditions and new conflicts.


LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: The Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson, Greenmarsh, Massachusetts, 1774 by Ann Turner


THE WINTER OF RED SNOW: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777 by Kristiana Gregory


A LINE IN THE SAND: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas, 1836 by Sherry Garland


VALLEY OF THE MOON: The Diary of Maria Rosalia de Milagros, Sonoma Valley, Alta California, 1846 by Sherry Garland


SO FAR FROM HOME: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847 by Barry Denenberg


ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 by Kristiana Gregory


ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY: The Santa Fe Trail Diary of Florrie Mack Ryder, The Santa Fe Trail, 1848 by Megan McDonald


SEEDS OF HOPE: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory, 1849 by Kristiana Gregory


A PICTURE OF FREEDOM: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia, 1859 by Patricia C. McKissack


A LIGHT IN THE STORM: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861 by Karen Hesse


WHEN WILL THIS CRUEL WAR BE OVER?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 by Barry Denenberg


THE GIRL WHO CHASED AWAY SORROW: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864 by Ann Turner


I THOUGHT MY SOUL WOULD RISE AND FLY: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865 by Joyce Hansen


THE GREAT RAILROAD RACE: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory, 1868 by Kristiana Gregory


LAND OF THE BUFFALO BONES: The Diary of Mary Ann Elizabeth Rodgers, an English Girl in Minnesota, New Yeovil, 1873 by Marion Dane Bauer


MY HEART IS ON THE GROUND: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania, 1880 by Ann Rinaldi


MY FACE TO THE WIND: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, A Prairie Teacher. Broken Bow, Nebraska, 1881 by Jim Murphy


WEST TO A LAND OF PLENTY: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi, New York to Idaho Territory, 1883 by Jim Murphy


A COAL MINER'S BRIDE: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti


DREAMS IN THE GOLDEN COUNTRY: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 by Kathryn Lasky


HEAR MY SORROW: The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City, 1909
by Deborah Hopkinson
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439221617
Ages 9-12
188 pages

Angela and her family have arrived in New York City from their village in Italy to find themselves settled in a small tenement apartment on the Lower East Side. When her father is no longer able to work, Angela must leave school and work in a shirtwaist factory. She plays a part in the drama and turmoil that erupt as workers begin to strike, protesting the terrible conditions in the sweatshops. And she records the horrors of the Triangle Factory fire and the triumphs and sorrows of the labor movement.


VOYAGE ON THE GREAT TITANIC : The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 by Ellen Emerson White


A TIME FOR COURAGE: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, Washington, D.C., 1917 by Kathryn Lasky


WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES AGAIN: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer, New York City to the Western Front, 1917 by Beth Seidel Levine


COLOR ME DARK: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North, Chicago, Illinois, 1919 by Patricia C. McKissack


MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL: The Diary of Bess Brennan, The Perkins School for the Blind, 1932 by Barry Denenberg


CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift. Indianapolis, IN, 1932 by Kathryn Lasky


SURVIVAL IN THE STORM: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas, 1935
by Katelan Janke
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439215994
Ages 9-14
189 pages

In 16-year-old Katelan Janke's first Dear America book, we meet Grace Edwards, a little girl growing up in the heart of the Texas panhandle, in the midst of the Dust Bowl. Fierce, dust-filled winds ravage the plains and threaten the town's agricultural livelihood, creating poverty and despair among Grace's neighbors. Will her family's farm survive?


ONE EYE LAUGHING THE OTHER WEEPING: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York, 1938 by Barry Deneberg


MY SECRET WAR: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York, 1941 by Mary Pope Osborne


EARLY SUNDAY MORNING: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 1941
by Barry Denenberg
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439328748
Ages 9-14
156 pages

In her diary, 12-year-old Amber describes moving to Hawaii in 1941 and experiencing the horror of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.


WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? The Diary of Molly Mackenzie Flaherty, Boston, Massachusetts, 1968 by Ellen Emerson White

I read the Winter of Red Snow and it was AMAZING. I brought it over to my grandparents house over Easter and I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was living the life of the family. Seeing the soldiers come in and out of my town and hearing bad news. I felt like I was one of the girls that at the age of 12 had to help take care of her little sisters, and help wounded soliders fighting for our independence!

The Library

I had THE MOST EXCITING DAY EVER YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!

I rediscovered the public library. I forgot just how cool it is! I went to go have coffee with a friend in Downtown Bryan, and wondered into the library. I came out with a library card and 6 books. I felt like a child in a candyshop. I stayed upstairs in the "Juvineille" section for over an hour. I read all sorts of books that I remember from my past. What I loved the most was the smell and the oldness of the books! Everything looked so worn in and it was like a haven for people who love reading!

On a lighter note, this reminded me of a Sesame Street skit called "No Cookies in the Library". I have attached it here. I hope You like it!

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

As I was trying to figure out the next outside reading I wanted to explore. I thought long and hard about what I loved when I was a child. Then I remembered Ramona! For some reason I always think of my sister. I imagined my sister as Ramona when I think about what she'd he like if she was real. She is sassy, fun, and oh so tough. Beverly Cleary is BRILLIANT at creating this "Ramona World". Kids LOVE her! I want to meet her!

A little insight into the book. It is the adventure o the first year that Ramona gets to ride the school bus to school. But, now that Dad is going back to college and Mom has to work full time she stays with Howie's grandmother after school. That wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for Willa Jean.

Remember when you were 8 years old and there was the snotty 4 or 5 year old who thought they knew everything. Well that is Willa Jean, and since Ramona is the know-it-all she doesn't like it at all! My favorite part is when Willa Jean make Ramona play "castle" and she is the princess which leaves Ramona to be the prince....

Junie B Jones

This girl is HILARIOUS!! I never remembered reading Junie B Jones when I was younger. One of my favorite little girls in the world, though, was reading it to me the other day and I was literally cackling outloud. It was hilarious. Being a future kindergarten teacher, I was thinking how much I hope I have a student who is just like that. There are 28 books that follow Junie B.'s life throughout kindergarten and first grade. This excerpt shows a little bit of tiny Junie B.'s BIG personality.

Chapter 5: My Worstest Night Ever

It was my worstest night ever.

I didn't sleep any winks.

That's because I had to keep my eyes open. Or else the monster wouldn't stay invisible.

I heard Mother and Daddy go to bed.

"GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBODY! GOOD NIGHT! IT'S ME! IT'S JUNIE B. JONES! I AM STILL AWAKE IN HERE. 'CAUSE I CAN'T EVEN CLOSE MY EYES OR THE MONSTER WILL COME!"

Mother and Daddy didn't yell back.

"PLUS HERE'S ANOTHER THING I NEED TO TELL YOU! DON'T TURN OUT THE HALL LIGHT. PLUS DON'T SHUT MY DOOR! PLUS DON'T SHUT YOUR DOOR, EITHER!"

"Go to sleep!" grouched Mother.

I smiled very relieved.

"It was good to hear your voice," I said real soft.

After that, Mother and Daddy got in bed. And they turned out their light.

Daddy started to snore.

"Oh no," I said. "Now he won't even be awake to save me if the monster comes."

I pulled Philip Johnny Bob out of my covers.

"I will save you," he said. "I will squirt water in the monster's face. Plus I will stomple him with my giant elephant feet. And so now you can close your eyes. And you don't even have to worry about that guy."

I looked and looked at him.

"Yeah, only here's the problem," I said. "You're not actually strong 'cause you just have fluffy in you. Plus also you can't really squirt water. And so who am I kidding here?"

Philip Johnny Bob stared at me a real long time.

Then he went back under the covers.

Just then, I heard feet in the hall.

It was monster feet, I think!

They kept getting closer and closer to me.

Then pretty soon they runned right in my room!

And guess what?

It was my dog, Tickle! That's what!

"Tickle! Tickle! I am so glad to see you! 'Cause now you can protect me from the monster! And so why didn't I think of this before?"

I pulled back my covers and patted for him to jump up.

"Here, Tickle! You can sleep right on my pillow! 'Cause Mother won't even find out about this!"

Then Tickle springed right up there. And he runned all around on my bed.

He put his head under my sheets and runned down to my feet.

"No, Tickle!. No! No! You have to come back up here! Or else how will you even protect me?"

I pulled him back up.

He put his paws on Raggedy Larry. And chewed his red hair.

"No, Tickle! No! No!" I said.

Just then, Tickle springed over me. And he landed on my elephant named Philip Johnny Bob.

He holded him by his trunk. And shaked that guy all around.

I saved Philip Johnny Bob just in time.

Then I pushed Tickle off my bed. And he runned out of my room.

Philip Johnny Bob was very upset.

I petted his trunk.

Also, I hugged Raggedy Larry.

Only too bad for me. 'Cause just then Raggedy Ruth fell right out of my bed. On account of the dumb sheets weren't tucked in anymore.

Me and Raggedy Larry peeked over the side at her.

"Get her, said Raggedy Larry.

"Yeah, only I I>can't/I> get her," I said real upset. "Or else the monster will grab my hand and pull me right under the bed."

I thought about what to do.

Then -- all of a sudden -- I picked up all my friends in my arms.

"We have to make a run for it," I told them. "We have to sleep with Mother and Daddy tonight. 'Cause we will be safe with them. Plus they won't even know we're there probably. 'Cause their bed is the size of a king."

I stood on the side of my bed. Then I jumped way out to the middle of the floor. And I quick picked up Raggedy Ruth.

I ran to Mother and Daddy's room.

They were sleeping and snoring.

"Shh," I said to Raggedy Larry.

"Shh," I said to Philip Johnny Bob.

Then all of us crawled down the middle of their bed. And we sneaked under their covers.

Only too bad for me. 'Cause Mother rolled right over on Philip Johnny Bob's trunk. And it waked her right up.

She turned on the light.

I did a gulp.

"Hello. How are you today? Me and my friends are sleeping here. 'Cause we didn't think you'd mind, probably."

Mother carried me back to my room zippity quick.

Then she leaned close to my ear. And she talked very scary with her teeth closed.

"Do... not... get... out... of... bed... one... more... time," she said.

And so guess what?

I didn't.