Summertime Shopping

Summer shopping for me is so much fun because I can spend more time thinking about what I buy. During the school year, I am hoping to pop into the bookstore quickly finding books recommended to me or that I have on my list of "need to buys." Summertime gives me exactly that...time to think about what books I enjoy, how I will use them in my classroom and how I can help get my students excited about reading. This summer I will admit to you that I have already spent $300 on new books or books on my list (shhh...don't tell my husband). I know that the books that I invested in will help me help my students in a variety of ways. In the next few posts I will share my rationale for my purchases ( this will help me feel better about spending all that money too). Seriously, I think by sharing books and new books in my classroom, I am modeling lessons in identity and book choice. To me these lessons are crucial in helping kids discover their love for reading.


Melanie Watt Basket: My new addition: Scaredy Squirrel at the beach
I already have a Melanie Watt Basket that the kids love to read from. Melanie has written the Scaredy Squirrel series (visit this link at year of reading to get to know more about Melanie and Scaredy) and a book called Augustine. The favorite in our room this year was a book called Chester. Melanie's newest book is part of her Scaredy Squirrel collection and is called Scaredy Squirrel at the beach. If you know Scaredy, you know he has a lot of voice. This is something I know I will encourage my writers to think about as we read the collection. Because of its voice, it also is appealing to readers and the series factor adds yet another reason for kids to visit this basket again and again. Scaredy insists that everyone put on No.65 sunscreen before reading his new book. Though Scaredy's series is fiction, Melanie cleverly incorporates features of non-fiction in this book. As Scaredy is planning to build his own beach, readers experience some "how-to" writing. Scaredy has a page dedicated to what he needs to get started for building a safe beach with labels and pictures and then an illustrated 6-step plan. Readers will enjoy reading through Scaredy's passport, itinerary, and beach map. Scaredy is always prepared and not much of a risk taker but this adventure is sure to inspire writers to take some risks in their own writing!

Stay tuned for more summer finds!!