But, since most of my weekend was spent writing, I had to push back a video blog. So today will just be a regular post, but I hope you still enjoy it. In August, I discovered a book at Barnes and Noble that I wish I had written. This book made me long to be a first grade teacher again. The days I spent in a first grade classroom harvesting poets. I love first graders! They’re hilarious! I love that they are natural poets. I love that by simply choosing the right book as a mentor text, they could write profound and brilliant poetry. (Even the boys who hated writing and would have rather been playing hide and seek on the playground.) So when I discovered this book, it brought me back to my days as a first grade teacher. I really wish there were a job called First Grade Poetry Teacher or even First Grade Writing Teacher. I would still be teaching the younger ones if there were. This fabulous book is called My Blue is Happy by Jessica Young. (From Amazon) What is your blue like? A lyrical ode to colors — and the unique ways we experience them — follows a little girl as she explores the world with her family and friends. Your neighbor says red is angry like a dragon’s breath, but you think it’s brave like a fire truck. Or maybe your best friend likes pink because it’s pretty like a ballerina’s tutu, but you find it annoying — like a piece of gum stuck on your shoe. In a subtle, child-friendly narrative, art teacher and debut author Jessica Young suggests that colors may evoke as many emotions as there are people to look at them — and opens up infinite possibilities for seeing the world in a wonderful new way. I can’t tell you how much I love this book! But here are a few reasons: 1. It introduces similes to young kids in a very easily understood way. 2. It helps them see the world on so many levels. Color has power, emotion, and we all see it differently. 3. It’s a great mentor text that gives kids an easy structure to replicate. 4. It has a great message that everyone sees color in different ways. My favorite color in the whole world is brown. I loved to tell this to first graders because they would all squeal with shock and laughter exclaiming that brown wasn’t a real color and why didn’t I love purple and pink like most girls? But just like the little girl in this book, I saw brown in a different way. In the book, her dad sees it as an ordinary paper bag, but she sees it as chocolate syrup! I hope you get a chance to check out this book. It’s simply amazing. Also, Jessica Young has some fantastic resources on her blog for teachers in K-2 and 3-5 that go along with this book. (Not all teacher resource materials are created equal, but I have to say hers are really good!) http://jessicayoungbooks.wordpress.com/teachersandkids/ The rest of Jessica’s website is pretty fascinating as well. There are adorable pictures of her as a child! One thing in particular that I loved on her site was the following quote:
I’m inspired by things people (especially kids) say and do; sensations, like the sun on my face, or the taste of ice cream; memories of being a kid; music, art, and books; names, random facts, and the sounds of words. I couldn’t agree more! I tutor a 5 year old in reading and each time I’m with her she says the most profound things! I keep telling her mom she’s a natural poet. For example: She lifted up a book and sniffed it and said, “Mmmmm….I love the smell of books!” Or another time I was writing her sight words with a marker and she said, “It’s like you can hear the sound the letters make.” Kids are amazing and such natural poets. We just have to really listen and pay attention to them. And then expose them to great mentor texts like My Blue is Happy! If interested in colors and words and similes, check out the following webpage. It’s a word lover’s candyland. http://www.words-to-use.com/ Here are some other favorite books to inspire young poets: Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neil The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin And finally…since I didn’t do a video blog, I’ll share a poem from the book I was working on this weekend. (Which coincidentally goes along with the topic of this blog.) The historical fiction novel in verse is set in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The novel is told in the alternating point of view of an eleven year old black girl, Matty, and an eleven year old white girl, Laura Lee, who both are riding the Cleveland Ave. bus. Hope you enjoy! (Poem inspired by the following photograph found here: http://www.creativephotography.org/study-research/educators/reframing-america/palfi1c.html) (***Update...I just realized that this poem I chose to share is actually dated Oct. 21st 1955 in the book and today's date is October 21st! Crazy how that worked out.) October 21, 1955 Painted on the wall ---Matty This part of the bus for the colored race. Colored. That’s a funny word as if we have red and purple stripes or green and blue polka dots or yellow and orange starbursts Other day, teacher told us to draw pictures of our favorite color I drew dark chocolate vanilla beans butter toast fallen leaves squat mushrooms dried figs copper pennies dogwood twigs brown sugar cherry coke grizzly bears dried oak cinnamon sticks speckled hens caramel candy turtle’s skin pussy willows baby deer maple syrup root beer Teacher told me to do it over because brown is not a real color © Mandy C. Yates
10 Comments
Charlotte Dixon
10/21/2013 10:45:10 am
No video, but beautiful words and many thoughts to contemplate. Thank you for a pleasant break in my day, Mandy :)
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10/21/2013 01:33:27 pm
Mandy,
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Mandy
10/22/2013 03:33:12 am
Thanks guys! I greatly appreciate it!
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10/22/2013 04:13:26 am
This book is so simple, yet so profound! And your poem, Mandy, is heartbreaking.
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Mandy
10/22/2013 09:45:21 am
Awe! Thank you Deborah. That means a lot. :)
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Jessica Young
10/22/2013 12:03:36 pm
Thanks so much for all your thoughts on My Blue. I really appreciate having another teacher's perspective on the book (and on the teacher resources, too). It makes me really happy that it resonated with you. I love what you said about children being natural poets, and your poem made me teary.
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Mandy
10/23/2013 11:48:20 am
Thanks Jessica! That's so sweet.
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10/24/2013 06:42:15 am
A wonderful book choice, Mandy! I am so inspired by color that I am always happy to find good books about it. Mondays with Mandy have been a real treat - your effort has produced GREAT results!!
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Mandy
10/29/2013 12:11:58 pm
Thanks Tracy! I really appreciate your feedback. :)
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We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with awesome Aussie debut author and former student Amanda Lieber who will be focusing on Aussie kidlit. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info. 4th Mondays will be a mystery for right now. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
September 2023
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