Showing posts with label Writing/ Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing/ Language. Show all posts

Thursday, July 17, 2014

42. Gooney Bird Greene Collection - Lois Lowry

Gooney Bird Green Books 1 - 4
audio read by Lee Adams - superb!
6 unabridged cds (7:01) Listening Library, 2009
1 - Gooney Bird Greene  (2002) 96 pgs.
2 - Gooney Bird and the Room Mother (2005) 80 pgs.
3 - Gooney the Fabulous (2007) 96 pgs.
4 - Gooney Bird is So Absurd (2009) 112 pgs.
(382 pgs. total)
Finished 7/17/14
Early/Intermediate Readers, the characters are in the 2nd grade
Goodreads Rating: 4.01
My Rating: 4/ Loved it
Bosler Library
Setting:  Contemporary Anywhere, USA

My comments:  Though pretty much implausible, this book is nonetheless enchanting.  I've read the first book previously, loved it. This time I listened with my 2nd grade granddaughter, who LOVED it.  Lee Adams, who read it, is TERRIFIC. Mrs. Pidgeon is a dream teacher.  And all four books (which I highly recommend reading in order) are full of writing and poetry lessons.  The implausibility is Gooney Bird herself.  I've taught a lot of creative, clever, extremely intelligent kids and Gooney Bird is still not quite a a believable character for me.  But who cares?  She's great! (And so is Mr. Leroy, the principal.  Every principal in the world should take pointers from this guy....

Goodreads Review:  This four-story collection includes:

Gooney Bird Greene There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. She is the star of story time and keeps her class on the edge of their seats with her “absolutely true” stories. But do her classmates have stories good enough to share?

Gooney Bird and the Room Mother Gooney Bird wants to have the lead role of Squanto in her class Thanksgiving pageant. But that role will go to whoever finds someone to be the room mother. Gooney Bird finds a room mother alright, but promises not to tell who it is until the day of the play. But will the mystery room mother really show up?

Gooney the Fabulous Gooney Bird has a fabulous idea after her teacher reads fables to the class. Her fabulous idea is that each student create their own fable and tell it to the class! Everyone but Nicholas is excited about their stories and costumes. Can Gooney Bird find out why Nicholas is unhappy and get him to join in the fun?

Gooney Bird Is So Absurd On the day that Gooney Bird wears her special brain-warming hat to school, Mrs. Pidgeon is teaching her class about poetry. But just when things are going well, the kids get some terrible news. And Gooney Bird will need all the inspiration her brain can muster to organize the most important poem the class has ever written. 

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Secrets in Stone - Laurie Coulter

All About Maya Hieroglyphs
Illustrations by Sarah Jane English
2001, Little Brown, out-of-print
will be reissued by Black Walnut/Madison Press
March, 2010 in paper at $8.95
48 pgs.
Rating: 4
for: school-age kids
Endpapers: front: glossy crimson, back: "Glyphmaster" (see below)

This is a nonfiction account of how Maya hieroglyphs were finally deciphered - and it lookes like it wasn't until 1973 that the best breakthrough came! Fascinating information about ancient Maya culture is intersperced with the account of centuries of history of the "codebreakers" of the Maya hieroglyphs.

If you think you're going to walk away with an understanding of this intensely complicated writing, you're probably wrong. But fascinated you will be! I can't imagine learning to read these. Wow. But if you have a love of history, of the past, of archeology, or mysterious cultures still being "discovered", this will be a fascinating read.

The "Glyphmaster" at the back of the book is a series of embossed glyphs that can be lightly rubbed with pencil and paper to create names, etc. They're great for copying freehand with so many possiblilities for fun projects! Enjoy