Hi There... Recently I found a blog post called "On My Bookshelf",which is a monthly link up for sharing great books you have read for personal pleasure, books that you have read for development of your teaching skills, or as additions to your classroom library. This post was written by
The Literacy MavenI stopped by this site and thought okay...well...I have read literally tons of books for pleasure; tons for educational development and an infinity of children's books that I have used in my classroom library that are now in my daughter's Kindergarten Special Education classroom (I volunteer in her classroom 2 days a week and love it)! Since I have taken the plunge into retirement, which DOES NOT feel like retirement because I am doing more now than when I was teaching and actually wonder...how did I find time to teach? I really think the answer is simple...teaching took up ALL my time at school and at home! So now I have time to do what I want to do any time I want. That being said, I thought I would share a few of the books that I have read over the years and a few I am reading right now that fit into the suggested categories!
Here are some of the books I have read for enjoyment:
Still Alice by Lisa Genova, which is a great book about a psychology professor diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Through this novel there is a strong message about self worth and the ability to remember. I could not put this book down because it is something that could touch our lives in some capacity and has touched my life as my Mother-in-Law, who has since passed had,
Alzheimer's. It was simply a touching story and I could identify with and understand the difficulties of the characters were experiencing.
Another book I read for pleasure was called
Left Neglected again
by Lisa Genova. I guess she might be competing for my favorite author spot, but I have too many other favorites books I have read by other authors as well. This story, like
Still Alice is also a tale about something that could happen to anyone who may have a head injury. I truly think anyone young and old can identify with the protagonist Sarah especially in this fast paced world we live in. I am not going to give you any further details...you will have to read the book to find out the plot of this one!!! But...I might add that what happens to Sarah could happen to any one of us who may be addicted to our cellphones.
So, now onto the book I am reading right now! It is called
What Alice Forgot ...hmmm 2 books with the same name for the main character...does that mean something? Wait...I also have a friend named Alice...never mind, I am sure it is just a coincidence!
Anyway...this one is a romantic comedy with a very realistic plot, to a certain extent. The characters do have problems that might face some families, if not more than some...I can certainly identify with a few myself. This a good read for young and old. It is funny, human, possible, and shows what can happen if we run though life and then find ourselves where we wanted to be in 10 years, but maybe we did not really want everything that might come about in this journey called life! Maybe this story is a lesson to slow down and not race through life without remembering who we really are...I am still reading this one and my daughter is reading it, too...so I can only guess how it turns out and I am not divulging any secrets...#sorrynotsorry!
On to educational development...one of the best books I have read was a while ago. It was called
The Power of Words by Paula Denton EdD. It speaks to how we can talk to our students and gives us language to use in many classroom situations that might arise...pick up this book. It is an easy read and you will not be sorry. You may even solve some problems that you have been dealing with in your classroom.
Favorite children's books that I think should be in your library. There are literally a million, but I am just going to give you 2 titles that you may or may not have read! Being an "oldie, but goodie," these books are from a long time ago!
Morris and the Disappearing Bag published in 1975 and
Noisy Nora created in 1973. These books are both authored by Rosemary Wells. Children can easily connect with the storyline of both and they are great books to teach about family relationships and problems that can happen between siblings. Both of these stories were sitting on my children's night stands and had a special place on their bookshelves. My daughter Katie used the Morris story to create a diorama book report when she was in elementary school. I also used Noisy Nora during Guided Reading to teach the reading strategy Making Connections. ( I had tons of copies...about 20 from the good ole days! If you have not already read either of these books, grab a copy and read them with your real kiddos or school kiddos...I think you will LOVE them both!
Okay...there you have it...assignment complete and as I am sure you know, there are many books I could have included in all categories,but this post would have been entirely too long and you would be asleep by now or would have turned your computer OFF! So until next time...Happy Reading!
