Week 2 Readings- Alicia

My Week 2 Readings were-

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss & The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!....need I say more?  This is one of my all time favorite books written by the great Dr Seuss.  It tells the story of a miserly grinch that lives in a cave 'Up on Mountt Crumpet' above a town called 'Whoville" which is filled with the festive cheer of the Whos.   For 53 years, the Grinch watched Christmas come and go and he thought this year....IT MUST STOP! The story then goes on to describe the misadventures of the grinch and how he tried to stop Christmas from coming....he strips Whoville of EVERYTHING Christmas...every tree, wreath, beast and crumb.  Happy of his triumph that cold winters night, he returned to Mount Crumpet to recount his plight.  To his sickening demise he heard the Whos singing...he had not stopped Christmas...what was he thinking!  Just at that moment, his heart began to grow and he filled with a warmth he never knew.  The Grinch has a change of heart and sleighs back down the mountain....mush Max...MUSH!  He finally arrives back down in Whoville where he returns all the things he stole the night before and is welcomed as the guest of honor to carve the roast beast.  This story is such a classic....for me it never gets old.  I love the rhyming of the narritive as it adds so much excitement when reading it, the words almost jump off the page.  This book also has a positive warm and fuzzy message about giving and sharing and shows how good it makes you feel to be included no matter how different you are. 



In keeping with the Christmas theme this week, the second book I read was The Polar Express.  This story takes place in the imagination of a little boy on Christmas Eve patiently waiting to hear the jingle of a bell...anything to indicate Santa had arrived to his house.  Instead of hearing sleigh bells, he hears 'a hissing steam and squeaking metal' (pg 1).  It was a train, not just any train....the Polar Express!!  The story takes us on a journey to the North Pole where Santa chooses one child from the train to give the first gift to.  This is where the little boy, who can choose anything he wants, asks Santa for a bell from his sleigh.  As the night progresses and dawn approaches the little boy is delivered back to his house, he realises he has lost his special gift.  As Christmas morning is now here, he and his sister open all their gifts, he finds a small box that contains the special bell.  The children reing the bell and hear the most amazing sounds...however the parents do not hear a thing.  This part of the story makes me sad as it shows how the magic of Christmas is lost as people grow up.  Except in the case of the little boy...he still to this day hears the sweet sounds when he shakes it as he knows exactly where it came from. 

This book is a nice story to read around Christmas time and can be included in a study of how different cultures celebrate this time of year.  The illustrations are very warm and hazy transporting the reader into a dream like state.

Weel 1 Readings (Alicia)

My week 1 readings were:

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon & Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Stellaluna tells the tale of a young bat who is separated from her mother because of an owl attack and her subsequent adventures trying to figure out who she is. She meets a family of birds who accept her as part of their family on the condition she adapt to the bug eating, daylight flying lifestyle they lead.  This book uses a lot of comedy that shows just how silly it is when Stellaluna tries to act like her fellow birds and when the birds start to hang upside down acting like bats.  I really like this book as it touches on concepts such as loss, growing up, acceptance, friendship and how someone from different backgrounds can learn from one another and live in harmony.  I feel this is a great classroom read as it can be incorporated into a lesson on bats or read anytime of the year to reinforce the positive message of accepting and celebrating our differences. 


Blueberries for Sal is a fun read (for the younger primary grades) as it tells the story of a mother and her daughter going up to the mountain to pick blueberries to can for winter.  While on the mountain there is a chance meeting as a bear and her cub are on a similar adventure, eating blueberries to plump up for the upcoming winter.  As they continue to pick blueberries, both Sal and the bear cub get separated from their mothers and start to follow the 'wrong' mother around the blueberry batch.  Eventually both mothers realise that the wrong child is following them and start searching for their own children.  They are quickly reunited and continue picking blueberries.  The story ends simply by Sal and her mother returning home to the kitchen to can their fruit and momma bear and her cub returning home as well preparing for the long winter ahead.  I really love the illustrations in this book, they are simple in style/color but complex in technique.  It brings back childhood memories for me as my siblings and I used to go strawberry picking and then can it for the winter just like Sal and her mother.  It's just a sweet little story.

Books 1 & 2 Kate, the Cat and the Moon and Sidney the Little Blue Elephant

Kate, the Cat and the Moon
is a picture book written by David Almond and is illustrated by Stephen Lambert.  This tells the story of a girl named Kate and her adventures as she turns into a cat. The picture book allows the reader to experience and explore Kate's imagination as she changes into a cat and roams the countryside, free to do whatever she wishes and to go wherever she wishes.  Kate firstly explores her own home and visits all her family members as they sleep, she then proceeds to explore the vast countryside where she meets a fellow cat and explores the surrounding hills.  Kate later returns home and transforms back into her orginal self and goes to sleep.  In the morning Kate is excited to share her adventures with all her family.  This is a very unique and magical picture book.



Sidney the Little Blue Elephant is written and illustrated by Sharon Rentta. 
This picture book introduces the reader to Sidney, a shy elephant and his friends Betty the mouse, Rufus the dog, Neville the frog, Gloria the cockatoo and Oscar the sausage dog.  All of Sidney's friends are significantly smaller than him, this is never an issue until one day Sidney and his friends go to the park as they all want to ride bikes, but Sidney is not too sure.  Sidney insists that all his friends start riding and he will catch up because Sidney has a secret, he cant ride.  As Sidney's friend's ride off to race as Sidney starts to practice how to ride his bike.
   
As Sidney's friends reach their destination they realise Sidney is no where in sight so they decide to look everywhere for him.  They eventually find Sidney has crashed into a small pond.  Sidney has to suck up his pride and explain to his friends that he in fact does not know how to ride a bike.  Sidney's friends help him out of the pond and help Sidney learn how to ride his bike and all race to the the ice-cream van together.  I was attracted to this book as it was a very well illustrated and appealing picture book. 
   

Petrina's Personal Reading Program Week 2

This week I have continued the theme of exposing children to complex themes on the journey towards understanding ‘big ideas and complex thoughts’ (Text, pp. 489 & 494). 

David Miller’s book, Refugees, may be viewed on multiple levels.  The first is concerning the destruction of habitat and the consequences for the animals therein.  The second views the story as a metaphor for refugees, and the dangers faced in their attempts to seek safety in a new land. I particularly like the paper-sculpture that is used to illustrate the story, in addition to the way the images pre-empt the text (e.g. surveyor’s equipment in the image when the idyllic environment is being described in the exposition, and the numberplate ‘RESCUE 1’ on the truck that carried them away in the climax to the story).

John Heffernan and Andrew McLean’s My Dog uses first-person narrative to emotively tell Alija’s story:  That of a young displaced boy in Eastern Europe, with powerful themes of ‘home’, ‘belonging’, ‘injustice’, ‘war’ and ‘hope’.  The watercolour illustrations add richness to the storyline, especially through the depiction of pain and suffering … hopelessness and hope.

Post Script:

Other life-enriching picture-books I’ve read connected to this theme include:

Liz Lofthouse, Ziba Came on a Boat

Mary Hoffman, The Colour of Home

John Marsden and Matt Ottley, Home and Away

Aliki Brandenberg, Painted Words and Spoken Memories

'The Rabbits' & 'One Grain of Rice'

'The Rabbits' by John Marsden (illustrated by Shaun Tan)


I found this book to be very confrontational both within the text and the images, but it has really stuck with me. There were some big themes such as invasion, war, industrialisation, exhaustion of natural resources and even the stolen generation, which made me enjoy the book more than I thought I would. Definately one of the best picture books I have ever read.




'One Grain of Rice' by Demi

I actually chose this book because I am using it as a teaching resource for a maths lesson on growing patterns. Not only is it a beautiful story about a poor village girl and an Indian raja, it also introduces the reader to a very simple, yet affective mathematical growing pattern. The ultimate message is really about greed and sharing and the pictures are beautiful and bright. Overall, a lovely book, with a great message and a maths lesson thrown in for good measure!

About Me (Alicia)

My name is Alicia Bennett (this is also a first time to blog).  I was born and raised in the USA.  I lived in upstate NY approx 1.5 hours from NYC in a small town that is now referred to as the northern suburbs as the city continues to sprawl outwards. 

I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a focus on 'Time Based Media'.  I have a solid background in graphic design and worked in that field on and off for 10 years as it's hard to find work in that field.  I had to find other ways to supplement my income so I worked as a substitute teacher in my home school district for a couple years during the day and in an acquired brain injury facility for almost 4 years at night.  Needless to say I was exhausted and decided to travel....hence, bringing me to Australia over 9 years ago the first time.  I met and married my Australian husband and have since started a family last year.  I enrolled in the LMPM course as I was bored in my current career and wanted to get a 'real' job.  I have always loved school and learning...I really don't know any different and can't imagine not being at a school. 

At the present time we are planning to live here for the short term...but are flexible as to where we actually put down roots.  I would love to move back 'home' within 5-10 years but really have to go where the jobs are. 

You can also find out more about me and see what I do at www.aliciabennett.com .

So that's me in a nutshell!

A bit about me ( Maddy)

I am also new to the blogging experience, I am a novice in the computer age that seems to encapsulate my generation but I sometimes like to think that I am more capable than what I am. 

My name is Madelyn Deegan, but prefer to be called Maddy. I am currently enrolled in LBPM, Bachelor of Education Primary and Middle Teaching and have currently completed two and a half years of my course. My uni life has been filled with ups and downs enrolments and deferrals which in hindsight is frustrating but at the time seemed like the right option. I have delved into Human Movement, Psychology, Tourism and Event Management and have appeared to finally have found my niche' in LBPM.. 

I have a major interest in Aboriginal Culture and would love to teach on the lands once I have completed my degree. Every year i participate in a Trek run by Mercedes College which takes year 10 students from four schools up to Mimili Community at the top of South Australia where we have the opportunity to learn and interact with the Mimili students and teachers to bridge the gap and create life long connections. 

I love playing netball, tuesday night movies and have a mild addiction to cheese and thats a bit about me.