Literacy Now

by Timothy Shanahan
University of Illinois at Chicago
April 2, 2014

photo credit: Rubin 110 via photopin cc

I recently wrote a blog entry titled “Ten Things Good Writers Do” for a group of Chicago high school students, at their request. As such, this essay provides subjective advice from an experienced writer, reviewer, editor, and reader, but does not offer research or resources on how to teach someone to write more effectively. 

The following list provides teachers with some research-based resources on teaching writing:

• Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Olson, C. B., D’Aoust, C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, D., & Olinghouse, N. (2012). Teaching elementary students to be effective writers: A practice guide (NCEE 2012-4058). Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute for Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
  http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practice_guides/writing_pg_062612.pdf

• Graham, S., & Perrin, D. (2008). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools. New York: Carnegie Corporation.
  http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/writingnext.pdf

• Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can improve. New York:  Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education, 2010.
  http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/WritingToRead_01.pdf

 

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Timothy Shanahan is a member of the International Reading Association’s Literacy Research Panel. Reader response is welcomed. E-mail your comments to LRP@/.

You may have heard of Debbie Rickards, our April 2014 Member of the Month. This Louisiana teacher is the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) Chair for the IRA 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans. She also wrote an article about Common Core-related sessions for the Conference Issue of Reading Today. In this interview, she shares inspirational stories of motivating students and following Donald Graves’ maxim: “The teacher is the most important learner in the classroom.”

When did you know you wanted to become a teacher?

I chose this career when I was seven years old. I’d sit my two younger sisters, plus a slew of neighborhood kids, on the floor of our garage, in front of the small chalkboard my dad had installed for me. I’d be the teacher and the younger ones my students. I’m not sure how much the other children enjoyed it, but I had a blast! I had a few other career wishes as a pre-teen—at one point I wanted to be a secretary and at another the U.S. President—but I always came back to teaching. And after 38 years, I haven’t regretted it for a second.

Which books influenced your decision to become an educator?

I don’t remember any books that impacted by decision, but I certainly can credit my mom and dad for instilling the reading habit in me. Voracious readers themselves, they bought books and magazines for my sisters and me, took us to the library, and developed the daily habit of reading for enjoyment. How could I not become a reading teacher?!

Which professional development books have you found influential in your education?

Perhaps the book that has had the biggest influence on my professional life was Writing: Teachers and Children at Work by Donald Graves. When the book was first released in 1983, I’d been teaching for eight years, I’d just finished my master’s degree, and I thought I knew pretty much all I needed to know about teaching young children. The book, however, revolutionized the way I taught writing. In turn, it changed the way I thought about learning, which, in turn, changed the way I thought about good instruction. My teaching became much more differentiated, student-directed, and project-based. I also realized then, and it holds true today, I still have a lot to learn!

How did you begin your career, and what led you to your current position?

I began my career in 1975 teaching first grade in a four-room schoolhouse in Kettle River, Minnesota. Since then, I have taught in several districts in Texas and Louisiana, and I have worked on graduate studies and leadership development along the way. I currently am an instructional coordinator at Shreve Island Elementary School in Shreveport, Louisiana, working with teachers on developing effective instruction and curriculum.

What can literacy educators do to motivate kids to want to read?

In the olden days when I was first teaching, it was not unusual for teachers to use worksheet after worksheet after worksheet to develop students’ reading skills. One day, my colleagues and I were complaining about this, and one of us said, “We should have our students just read the damn book!”  “Read the damn book!” became our mantra as we began making instructional decisions that would both teach and motivate our students to read. Though we certainly did more than simply place books in the hands of kids, we became much more thoughtful about the reading habits and motivation to read we were developing in our students. Reading great books aloud, having thoughtful discussions together, using well-crafted books as mentor texts, sharing my reading habits, offering a plethora of good book choices, and providing plenty of time to read are all important factors in ensuring that my students want to read avidly on their own.

How long have you been a member of IRA? How has membership influenced your career?

I’ve been a member of the International Reading Association and its state affiliates for over thirty years, and I couldn’t have become a good reading teacher or a good instructional leader without IRA. The Reading Teacheris my go-to guide for improving my instructional practices. My association with the Louisiana Reading Association, in particular, has had a profound influence on my motivation to become a leader. I was proud to serve as the state president in 2011-2012, and I will forever value the close relationships I have developed through LRA and IRA.

What are you looking forward to doing at the Annual Conference in New Orleans?

Learning is always number one on my list, so I can’t wait to attend sessions with presenters I admire and topics I need to study. The exhibit hall is awe-inspiring, with its size and wealth of materials. And who can resist four days of great New Orleans food? 

What do you consider to be your proudest career moment?

One proud moment occurred when I was tutoring Delaney, my second grade student struggling with literacy development. I had worked hard to help her become a strategic reader, and when she came to a line in the text we were reading—“Fox was on the phone”—she stopped at the word phone. I thought it would be an easy word for her, especially with the illustration of Fox making a phone call. I was crestfallen when seconds passed and she didn’t attempt the word. Making the most of wait time, I waited. When Delaney finally read the word correctly, I asked her how she had deciphered the word. Imagine my surprise and delight when she responded, “I thought of the word Philistines in the Bible and I knew the ph sound went f. So I tried it on phone and it worked.” Talk about metacognition!

What do you like to do when you’re not wearing your educator hat?

Is it a cliché to say “Reading?” If I have my Kindle app and plenty of books, I’m a happy camper. My five grandkids would be insulted if I didn’t mention them, and of course, “Grandmother” is the best job title in the world.

What’s the best advice you could offer someone new to the profession?

Again, I’m returning to Donald Graves and his most important words: “The teacher is the most important learner in the classroom.” Without a doubt!

Sara Long is a content manager/editor at the International Reading Association.

Bear and Bird (Sleeping Bear Press, 2014)
Written by James Skofield and illustrated by Jennifer Thermes
Pre-K through Grade 3 

Bear and Bird is the story of an unlikely friendship between a helpless bird and a helpful bear. The book begins with Bear finding a fledgling bird who has fallen from her nest. Bear must decide whether to help the bird or leave her alone, and she decides to help. She carries the bird to a nearby branch to recover and finish growing.

Over that summer, Bird and Bear grow into a friendship with Bear helping Bird to find places to eat berries. When it comes time for winter, Bird helps Bear by warning her that there are hunters on the prowl, and Bear should stay safe. As Bird readies herself to leave for the winter, the author conveys a feeling of sadness as the newfound friend prepares to leave for the winter. After winter’s end, Bird returns safely to find Bear and their friendship blossoms through another summer. This cycle continues over several summers until one spring, when Bear does not come out from hibernation.

Bird comes back as usual that spring and is flying through the area calling for Bear when she finds a much younger bear in her place. Bird asks about Bear and learns that she did not wake up that spring. The new bear that Bird encounters is the grandchild of Bird’s friend Bear. The young Bear begins a cautious friendship with Bird and finds a way to keep grandmother Bear’s memory alive. Bird feels sad at the loss of her old friend, yet hopeful in beginning a new friendship as well.

This book combines the theme of the circle of life with the death and new friendship while treasuring the memories of a lost friend. Children can be introduced to the topic of death through the gentle words in this story.

Cross-curricular connections: Science, Art, Social Studies, English

Ideas for Classroom Use: 

Unlikely Friends
The purpose of this activity is to discuss the friendship between Bear and Bird, and its unlikely development.

Prior to reading, discuss friendships and ask the children to think about why people are their friends. Encourage them to think about their friends as they listen to the story. While reading, direct children to focus on the pictures and the things the friends do for each. After reading, discuss why it was strange for Bird and Bear to be friends. Determine what the relationship should have been between them.

As a closing activity, discuss unlikely friendships in the children’s lives—perhaps share a story from your own life. Encourage children to talk about friends that they have that they may not have expected. Have students create a list together of what makes a good friend. Post the friendship thoughts in the classroom as a reminder of being a good friend.

Cycles in Life
The purpose of this activity is to expand on the circle of life in a science related way. Discuss the migration cycle for birds as well as the hibernation pattern for bears. Have students think of other animals or creatures that follow a cycle. Encourage them to talk about butterflies, frogs, etc. Have students work independently or in small groups to illustrate the life cycle of an animal of their choosing. Younger students may need help with research to show them that cycle. Have students illustrate each point in the cycle and then label, or dictate the label. A page folded into four parts may be helpful for them to process the life cycle.

Feelings
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to think about the possibility of having more than one feeling at the same time. Discuss the fact that Bird was sad at the loss of her friend Bear but happy to find Bear’s grandchild to be a new friend. Talk about times that the students have felt more than one way at the same time. Use the example of summer (happy with school being out; sad to be away from school friends).

Ask students to illustrate through painting or drawing different ways they have felt. Look back at the illustrations in Bear and Bird and determine how they are feeling just by looking at the pictures.

You may also want students to illustrate different feelings they have through painting self portraits or using digital media, such as choosing pictures to represent different feelings. Display the artwork without labels and see if children can guess how the person is feeling by looking at the art.

Additional Resources and Activities:

Owen and Mzee
This site has a real life story of two unlikely friends and their relationship. Owen, a tortoise, and Mzee, a young hippopotamus, find comfort with each other in Haller Park in Africa. The hippo had been orphaned in the 2004 tsunami and bonded with the tortoise over the following months. The page has videos, a sing-along, a video maker, and interactive games for the children.

National Geographic: Butterflies
This video created by National Geographic gives students a look at many different varieties of butterfly and then follows one butterfly through the changes from egg to larvae, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. National Geographic also provides two additional links to find more information about Monarch butterflies and a hands-on explorer blog.

Jennifer Thermes, Illustrator
This page gives a portfolio of the illustrator’s work, a blog with thoughts from creating her books, and contact information for the Jennifer Thermes. The portfolio sections could be used to study feelings in art before the students complete that activity.

Kathy Prater is a Reading Specialist who works with students with dyslexia, an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi, and a full time pre-kindergarten teacher at Starkville Academy in Starkville, Mississippi. Her passions include reading, writing, tending her flock of chickens, and helping students at all levels to find motivation for lifelong reading and learning. She believes that every child can become a successful reader if given the right tools and encouragement. 

by Mariela Páez
Boston College
March 26, 2014

On October 2011, a group of scholars was brought together by Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda for a Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Strategic Planning Conference entitled “Infants’ Learning of Multiple Languages: Development in Cultural Context.” The meeting was a success as presenters from all over the nation shared their research and insights regarding infant and children’s language development.

One of the themes across the conference presentations was the diverse experiences and multiple contexts that young children in the U.S. face in light of the demographic transformation of this country. We also discussed how the general public is not aware of many of the important findings from research regarding this diversity nor the implications of this research for language learning across different home, community, and school settings. This meeting was the impetus for the current SRCD Policy Report “Multilingual Children: Beyond Myths and Toward Best Practices.” Under the leadership of Allysa McCabe and Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda, scholars in the field of early childhood and language development, the report addressed four important questions:

• What are the broad social and historical contexts of multilingual learners in the United States?
• What are the demographic characteristics of a multilingual family?
• Which, if any, language developmental processes and effective strategies for promoting monolingual children’s language can be applied to multilingual children?
• What home, education, and community contexts support learning multiple languages?

After reviewing the research evidence for these questions, the report presents implications and recommendations for policy and practice. The report highlights many essential messages that we need all professionals to understand when working with linguistically and culturally diverse families, including these:

• both the quality and quantify of input is important for language learning
• the need for parents to expose their children to rich linguistic environments—so they should speak the language in which they are proficient and that feel most comfortable speaking (also see “Should Families of English Language Learners Have an English-only Rule at Home?” by Nonie Lesaux)
• there is considerable evidence supporting maintaining the first language
• the positive effect of first language knowledge on, learning a second language
• the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural benefits that accrue from learning more than one language.

Perhaps as important and interesting as the report are the four commentaries included in the publication. Stephanie Curenton reminds, through an examination of rich cases of dialects in the Caribbean and African American populations, of the often forgotten fact that variation within any given language group may be as great as that between groups. In their own ways, both Lisa López and Michael López discuss issues of diversity and context, emphasizing the need for theoretically driven approaches to language policy and practice. In the last commentary, Diane August, reminds us that there is still much to be done with regards to research that can inform policy and practices that support multilingual children.

Read the full report here: http://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/documents/E-News/spr_27_4.pdf.

This article is from the International Reading Association’s Literacy Research Panel. Reader response is welcomed. E-mail your comments to LRP@/.

Community forms in many different ways. The bond can be based on geographic location or shared interests, but at other times, community forms out of friendship, common interests, or even necessity. There are even moments in which disaster strikes, and a temporary community forms with all members focused simply on survival. The ties that bind those temporary community members briefly may be just as strong as some lifelong connections.

Building a caring community is an important part of teaching in today’s world. For this reason, members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group focus on multiple types of community for this week’s book reviews.

Grades K-3

Amado, Elisa. (2014). Why are you doing that? Illus. by Manuel Monroy. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

The ever-curious Chepito is sure to remind some readers of their own irrepressible children.  From the moment he awakens, the young boy questions everyone he encounters about the reasons for their actions. Each person, from his mother to a neighbor lying beneath a banana tree, takes the time to explain how his/her actions eventually lead to good food for Chepito to eat. As he observes the care with which each person treats the animals and crops, he is reminded of good stewardship.

This simple title provides excellent information about how we get our meals, knowledge that is becoming more essential in a world filled with fast food. The lively digital illustrations originated as drawings created with color pencil and watercolor.                        
-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Sadler, Marilyn. (2014). Alice from Dallas. Illus. by Ard Hoyt. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams.

Alice from Dallas prides herself on being a cowgirl. But she’s a tad insecure about her knowledge about the subject since she’s actually from Dallas, Pennsylvania. Maybe she isn’t the real deal, after all, since Pennsylvania is far from where cowgirls love to roam. When Lexis from Texas arrives at school, Alice realizes that she has some competition. All of their classmates hang on every word Lexis utters and enjoy doing what she does. After all, she's a real cowgirl. A showdown between the two girls has unexpected results, and Alice later learns the truth about her rival and her own origin.

The text has a good message as Alice realizes that winning isn’t everything, and the illustrations, created with watercolor paints and finished in ink, are filled with action and show just how determined both girls are to stake their claims on the classroom territory. Can two rival cowgirls become friends? Readers will quickly find out.

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Smith, Alex T. (2014). Claude at the beach. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

This bizarre but hilarious series about an adventuresome dog and his sock sidekick just keeps getting better, even while the two of them form their own little community. In this installment, Claude decides that he and Sir Bobblysock deserve a vacation. After packing his suitcase with a most unlikely assortment of things Claude thinks they'll need, the two friends head to the beach where they soak up the sun, save someone's life, encounter pirates, and find treasure.

Upon their return from a hard day's work, their human companions have quite a surprise as they ponder what in the world has been going on while they’ve been away from home. After all, there must be a good explanation for finding sand in one's underwear.                                                           

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Wallace, Chad. (2014). The mouse and the meadow. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications.

In a story told through rhyming text, a young mouse ventures forth into the meadow where he encounters friends and foes, including a honeybee, a caterpillar, a box turtle, a snake, and a great horned owl. The luminous illustrations are large, often allowing the intrepid adventurer and the creatures he encounters to be seen up close or at other times focusing on one part of an animal such as the snake's fangs or the owl's talons.

There is a lesson here about being ready for the challenges each day brings as well as an excellent introduction to the habitat and inhabitants of the meadow. Young readers will enjoy the book and the back matter that extends its content, making it a good choice for an elementary science class.                                                                                    

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Grades 4-6

Cutler, Jane. (2014). Susan Marcus bends the rules. New York, NY: Holiday House.

When WWII results in relocation from New York City to Clayton, Missouri for  ten year old Susan Marcus and her family, Susan is heartsick about leaving everything and everyone familiar behind her. Things are different in her new home, and it's almost as though no one remembers that the war is even being fought. There seems to be little community since her neighbors make condescending remarks about New Yorkers. When Susan becomes friends with Loretta, an African-American girl who secretly lives in the same apartment building, she encounters prejudice toward the girl and learns first-hand about the restrictive Jim Crow laws.

By the end of the book, she has encountered all manner of prejudice—toward blacks, Jews, New Yorkers, and the Japanese. Eventually, she and her neighbor Marlene concoct a plan in which the girls can spend some time together in public. The trip is eye-opening in many ways. For instance, the hatred of others toward all Asians is evident in the destruction of a neighborhood Chinese restaurant and the provocative messages left on the building where food is served. By the time the girls return from their brief trip, having bent a few rules, they are a little wiser but no less determined to create a more equitable community.

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Harper, Charise Mericle. (2014). Just Grace and the super sleepover.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.

Just Grace loves birthday parties, but when she learns that her classmate has planned an outdoor overnight sleepover for her party, she grows surprisingly anxious about all the bugs and creepy crawlies that she may encounter. Through a series of events, she finds herself telling one lie after another, even to her best friend Mimi. As one lie begets another, several classmates are drawn into the mess she has inadvertently created, and Grace feels guilty and miserable.

While the girls' teacher, Miss Lois, turns out to have some surprises up her sleeve as she shares her love for the good green earth with her students, Grace is preoccupied with figuring out how to fix things and stop having to tell even more lies. The book is filled with appealing illustrations and real-world dilemmas with which readers will relate.

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Kerley, Barbara. (2014). A home for Mr. Emerson. Illus. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic.

With quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson on the endpapers and sprinkled throughout the story, this partial picture book biography introduces young readers to the influential author and philosopher. His book-filled Concord, Massachusetts, home became his refuge, and it became the stopping place for many visitors interested in chatting with the great thinker. When a fire destroys his home, he truly finds out the meaning of community and how much he means to his neighbors. When he returns from a trip abroad, his neighbors find a way to surprise him by replacing everything he thought he had lost.

A gentle reminder of the importance of friends and one's community, the book contains digital media illustrations that are brimming with color and philosophical surprises.                                                                                           

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Grades 7-8

Angleberger, Tom. (2014). Princess Labelmaker to the rescue: An Origami Yoda book. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams.

The battle wages on at McQuarry Middle School as the students fight against FunTime, the decidedly unentertaining test preparation program the school district has purchased. The administrators have done away with all electives and replaced them with drill-and-kill exercises in order to raise the school’s scores on the end-of-the-year state tests.

As is the case in the earlier titles in this series, the students draw their inspiration from origami puppets fashioned to resemble characters from Star Wars. In this installment, someone sends the crew's case file to Principal Rabbski to enlist her help. Up until this point, the students leading the rebellion against the tests and FunTime have considered her the enemy. Thus, the decision to share the case file with her is risky since it could result in her using the information against the Alliance. As is typical for this series, there are wonderful references to Star Wars characters, sayings, and plotlines.

There are plenty of surprises in this story about a student community formed to make changes in the school’s procedures. Could it be that the kids and their origami puppets will take on Washington, DC when they go on their field trip? Teachers (and students) across the nation have their fingers crossed that it might be so. Clearly, the high-stakes movement did not begin at McQuarry Middle School.

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Brown, Skila. (2014). Caminar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Guatemala has been rocked by internal unrest for three decades. This eloquently told story thrusts readers right into the heart of the conflict and violence which comes from unexpected sources—the country’s soldiers.

Carlos is an obedient young man who does what his mother says without thinking, which turns out to save his life. When the small village where he lives is visited by soldiers looking for recruits and a band of guerrillas looking for food, his mother unexpectedly sends Carlos into the woods for mushrooms. This action takes Carlos far from his village when the soldiers return. Although he clearly does not see what happened in the village, he knows the fate of his family and friends. The soldiers slaughter the villagers, and Carlos races up the mountain to warn those who live in his grandmother's village. Forced to become a man and rely on his instincts to save those around him, Carlos depends on nature and some guerillas he encounters to help him.

The author’s novel in verse format insures that she captures the emotions and rapid events of the time period. It's unlikely that most students have any idea that 200,000 individuals like those in Carlos’s village disappeared from Guatemala between 1960 and 1996.                                                                                                                                     
-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Burgan, Michael. (2014). Tank man: How a photograph defined China’s protest movement. Mankato, MN: Capstone/Compass Point Books.

Filled with large photographs of a pivotal moment in Chinese history, this book describes how a photograph showing one man’s bravery brought hope to others. In 1987 several students protested the lack of democracy in China by gathering in Tiananmen Square. As the government grew weary of the continued protests that continued for months, soldiers were ordered to clear the area of protesters in 1989. Photographer Jeff Widener shot a photograph of one man in a white shirt standing alone against a column of tanks. Although no one knows who that man was or even what happened to him later, clearly he—and the famous photograph—represented the hope for freedom amid almost hopeless odds and military might.

Part of the Captured World History series, this title offers much food for thought about what is worth sacrificing one’s life for and one individual’s courage in confronting those tanks.                                                       

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Muten, Burleigh. (2014). Miss Emily. Illus. by Matt Phelan. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Youngsters today often hear stories of the reclusive nature of Emily Dickinson, arguably the best known American female poet. But it only takes a little research to realize that while she might not have sought out society, she enjoyed adventures and the companionship of others. This slim volume describes an evening excursion in Amherst on which she led three neighborhood children. Since the circus was coming to town, she decided that they simply had to watch as its cars unloaded their exotic wares.

In order to keep others from recognizing them during their adventure, Miss Emily and the children dress as gypsies and gain front-row seats on the action. The night’s adventure is told by Mac, the youngest child, who is also the son of the local minister. So strong is the bond among this small community that when Mac sprains his ankle, Miss Emily takes the blame. When Mac realizes that she relies on the youngsters to be her eyes and ears on new experiences, he and the others stage their very own version of what they saw at the circus just for her and her sister.

The text and lovely illustrations capture perfectly the awe inspired by the circus animals and their exotic trainers, not to mention the ever-fascinating personality of this poet who somehow found literary inspiration in the slugs found in her family’s garden.                                           

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Philbrick, Rodman. (2014). Zane and the hurricane: A story of Katrina. New York, NY: Scholastic/The Blue Sky Press.

Twelve-year-old Zane Dupree knows very little about his deceased father's family. When his mother makes contact with his great-grandmother and sends him to visit her in New Orleans, the timing couldn’t be worse. While he bonds quickly with Miss Trissy and tries to understand the ways of this strange city, things are about to get stranger still for Zane and his beloved dog Bandit.

The author does an admirable job of describing the hectic days before Hurricane Katrina's arrival as well as the rain, the wind, and the fast-rising waters that filled the bowl-shaped city that lies beneath sea level. As Zane ends up back in the Ninth Ward while the flood waters rise and is rescued by a kindly musician in a boat, he learns about what really matters. The book gives readers some idea of the confusion and paranoia that suffused the area during the disaster. Kudos go to the author for not claiming to have told the definitive story of Katrina, but only one of many stories from that storm and the community it tore apart.            

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Grades 9-12

Demetrios, Heather. (2014). Something real. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

“Reality” shows seem to have captured the attention of most television viewers today. But how much reality do those programs actually show and how much is staged or scripted?  Seventeen-year-old Bonnie Baker has spent almost her entire life being filmed as part of a reality show called Baker’s Dozen. The nation even watched when she was born and when she took an overdose of pills. After the show was cancelled four years ago, Bonnie changed her name to Chloe and tried to blend in with everyone else.

Just when she is feeling normal, to her surprise, her mother decides to resurrect the show, ostensibly to pay the bills and support the financial needs of the three oldest siblings who are heading off to college. Despite Bonnie/Chloe's expressed disinterest in the project, she fears ruining the family financially if she doesn’t participate. She also tries to nip in the bud a growing romance with a great guy, Patrick, since she is sure he won’t be able to handle all the publicity dating her will bring.

The author has created several likeable characters trying to survive almost unendurable attention and lack of privacy. The book raises quite a few questions about privacy and whether we become the images created for us or whether we create those images. Although the book is well written, it’s difficult to distinguish the younger siblings—maybe because they weren't important to the plot or maybe because there were just so many of them. When the entire nation thinks it’s a part of one’s community, that’s too much familiarity.                                                                                        

-Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. 

The CL/R SIG is accepting submissions to the fall 2014 edition of their journal, The Dragon Lode, through April 15, 2014. There is an open theme, and they invite manuscripts that explore contemporary issues and questions, genre study, literary theory, and research related to children's literature and reading. Manuscripts should be no longer than 20 double-spaced, typed pages. Use APA (6th edition) formatting. Author's name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address should be on a separate cover page. Photos and illustrations should be sent as a separate jpeg file. Any reference to the author that would enable the reviewer to know the author's identity should not appear in the manuscript. Submit all manuscripts to: Dr. Ruth McKoy Lowery, Co-editor.

CL/R SIG will host a special session entitled Children's Literature: The Perfect Teachable Moment on Saturday, May 10 at 3:00 p.m. at the International Reading Association 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans. The session celebrates award-winning children's and young adult books and authors. Author Nancy Bo Flood is the keynote session speaker. Her work encompasses more than a dozen books. Her recent historical fiction "Warriors in the Crossfire" is set in Saipan during WWII, and was selected on the 2011 Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS) list. The NBGS list represents selections and authors from all genres K-12, with a focus on understanding of and appreciation for the world's full range of diverse cultures, ethnic, and racial groups. The session will also include presentation of the 2014 Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS) list by members of the selection committee. Visit http://www.iraconference.org to learn more about IRA 2014 or to register.