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It’s always so nice hearing your voices discussing children’s literature. :o) This book seems really interesting. I never would have imagined a book on pirates being thought-provoking!

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[…] One Thousand Tracings […]

Hi, Thanks for your very cool review. Of all the books that I have illustrated this is certainly one of my favorites. Do check out my website for more of my books, especially my first authored and illustrated book. “Josuting with Jesters”.

Cheers, Martin Springett.

[…] Mei Ming and the Dragon’s Daughter** […]

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[…] Just One More Book’s great little podcast on one of my favorite doggy books in the world: Let’s Get a Pup! by Bob Graham. […]

My nephew will love this! Thanks.

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hi my names yasra and i would just like to say that this book is absolutely brilliant. during this school term we have had ghanian students come to our school to see what education is like here (in england). lets get to the point on this evning named the globe (a multiculterul event) we read through this book and we performed a play on this it turned out to be brilliant.
we had perfect story and perfect timeing. it took us 9 whole school days to perform this. it was a great challenge but we had great fun listen to it. my favourite carector is the anzu bird its sooo cool. an amazing book!

I’ve got this on hold now from the Library. Thanks!

You’re welcome. We hope you enjoy the book and we’d like to hear what you think.

Mark

This is a great book. It is a simple and fun read for the kids that gives them insight to the importance of the underground railroad. I used it with a class of third grade students and it helped them to understand the clues slaves used to travel the underground railroad. At the end of the book the words to the song and sheet music is available. Our music teacher learned the music and song and taught the students it during music class. It was great! The kids still know the song one year later.

[…] Follow the Drinking Gourd […]

[…] Follow the Drinking Gourd […]

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As a 5th and 6th grade teacher in Washington, D.C., I have been struggling with how to teach my students about recycling. My challenge is that it is common for my students to see older kids throwing trash wherever they roam. This book sounds like it could raise interesting discussions about what happens to trash and how what we think is trash could be reused. Giving them the idea that they can be creative may give them ownership over the trash they would otherwise throw away.

I am a second grade teacher in Washington, DC and I have had several conversations with my students about recycling. We looked out of the class room window and talked about several items that could be recycled. There is a pool just outside the window and we counted how much trash was inside and if it looked like a good place to swim. We also talked about what the trash could be used for. This book would be great for next year because we have a project where students could collect trash with their parents and make thing out of them.

Without reading the book, I found the references made to events that take place in the book clever. In my 5th grade class we discuss several “curent event” issues and I think this book would offer great discussion to the understanding of how to make better use of the items we consider trash. I appreciate how this story offers and encourages students to think outside of the box when it comes to trash- providing them with creative options. This book would also be a great segway to discuss other earth conscience topics such as global warming.

The Dumpster Diver sounds interesting and worth reading considering its approach to recycling. I am currently doing my practicum at an elementary school in Washington, DC. I am with 1st grade students and we recycle in our classroom. Everyone participates but I believe a book like this would bring insight to the issue of recycling. It sounds like with the creative language and illustrations used within this book, interesting discussions about recycling would surface. I definitely plan to look into this book. Thank You

Andy Spann :)

What a lovely conversation about my book! You really DO “get it”–thanks so much for your insightful and entertaining comments! (I didn’t fully realize the child-appeal of “Rule Number TWO!”)

I was just in Seattle where a bookstore called All for Kids sponsored a contest where kids submitted items crafted out of junk. Photos of the winning creations will be posted soon at www.allforkidsbooks.com. One of my favorites was a very simple project: a wind chime made out of miscellaneous metal items (I think I remember an old faucet, a spoon, etc.).

I really do hope that parents and teachers can use this book to inspire the children in their lives to be creative with “junk”–goodness knows, we all have so much of it!

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[…] Mark speaks with Janet Wong about the concept behind her book The Dumpster Diver, how she incorporates her own life in her books, and her participating in the meet the author series of books. As a treat, Janet reads one of her poems. […]

This sounds like a very inspiring and engaging chapter book! I am delighted that the author depicts such colorful and diverse characters. My students will love and will gain much from being able to see people like themselves working together to navigate the world, cooperatively working towards a goal, and confidently making tough choices. Through our critical literacy focus we will explore thoroughly the issue of considering options and choosing a nonviolent approach. Children need to see examples of and learn how to weigh their options for how to react in challenging situations. Mention of Ghandi and MLK will also provide a valuable link for discussion about peaceful action.

Kristin,

Thanks for listening and for sharing your thoughts.

Do let us know what you think of the book, once you get your hands on a copy. We’d love to hear your perspective and the perspective of your students.

Andrea

This book sounds very informative. It seems as if it may relate to some inner city children, and just how their lives may play out. For children to get into the characters of the book really helps the critical literacy aspect of how children view themselves in the characters eyes, this is great. Also,the history dealing with the great leaders in the past, helps children to understand that certain people struggled to make a statement about mankind. To also show children that it was not always this way, and you don’t have to accept it. But you must go about it in a certain manner. Working cooperatively together to produce one common goal.

I found this review to be interesting and mysterious. It definitely makes me want to go out and immediately find out what all the chatter is about! The hosts seem quite taken with the book as they describe imagery, color, and magic. From their description, I believe this book is definitely one that the kids in my classroom will want to read and “get into.” Often, books that are touted to celebrate diversity are simply window dressing without developed characters. Many times these books feel stereotypical and void of real thought. It’s almost like the characters in these books have been painted brown, but the story has not. It is refreshing to hear that there are books that provide real imagery, depth, and insight with developed and complex characters. Children are definitely capable of handling the realness of this approach. My fourth grade class and I will definitely be checking this out!

I was thrilled to find such an engaging review of a book for upper elementary students. As a fifth grade teacher and as the coordinator of our school’s Peer Mediator program I love finding books that address issues of peace and conflict resolution. Soul Force and Spice Cake appears to not only address these issues, using children around the age of my students, but to do it in a funny, sad, suspensful way - key elements of a book to draw in 10 and 11 year old readers. I really liked the comment about how the book uses humor and how silly some of the scenarios are. Silliness and the ability to laugh out loud are so important to older children; we sometimes forget how necessary it is for the “tweens” to be children. The characters sound dynamic, as does the process they all go through as they grow and experience and search for the answers. The review makes the characters and the story elements vibrant, descibing the book full of “color, texture, smell, magic and music.” What more do you need to create a wildly successful read for upper elementary students? I can’t wait to read this book myself and then read it to my students.

I really like your idea of sharing books about the cycle of life and also about death with children before an actual death occurs in their lives. I lost my father as a young child and I never really had much of a conversation about it. I realize now that no one talks to children when bad things like this happen because no one knows what to say. I think reading books like this with children and discussing life with children from an early age would create an outlet for them to share feelings and reference point later when something bad inevitably does happen.

Sharon,

Thanks for listening and for sharing your perspective.

I am so sorry to hear about your childhood loss. How isolated you must have felt.

Luckily, today there are many wonderful books on the subject of the cycle of life — covering a whole range of approaches to the subject. I really believe it’s a shame that some parents are still reluctant to introduce the subject to their young children.

Thanks again for weighing in,
Andrea

My sister, gave this story to Freddie when she was younger and my sister is a teacher (most people in my family are teachers). So Freddie’s Aunt, the teacher, gave her this story, very ironic. :D This book has become one of our favorite stories over the years and it always gets me a little teary eyed when I read it. What a great story! Glad to hear that y’all like it.

-Charles

Thank you for your wonderful podcast for AMELIA’S ROAD. Obviously it is not our intention to publish sad, sad stories. But sometimes we do and we think this is a good thing because it is important to portray the world as it is, and give voice to those who live very different lives from what is considered the norm. Thanks again!

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What an important book! Wouldn’t it be great if we could all do this? Thanks for putting info about this one out there. I will get it for the recess attender in my life.

Maryann,

I agree completely.

Thanks so much for listening and for taking the time to share your thoughts with the rest of us.

I hope your recess-attender loves it.
Andrea

I wonder if this book came out before or after the movie “Mean Girls” because there seems to be a similar plot. There is also a book called “Queen Bees and Wannabees” which examines the intricacies of girlhood relationships. This book sounds like a great way to begin a discussion with children, especially girls, about bullies and what lies behind the bullying. It would also lead well into a discussion of how to respond to bullying. This is something all children deal with in some way or another and an analysis of the reaction of all the characters in the book and how those reactions feed or starve the status quo that seems to be present at the start of the book.

The title was interesting to me, which is why I picked this podcast. I was totally intrigued by Mean Jean the Recess Queen and little Katie Sue. I thought from the title that it would have something to do with bullying, but I was more interested in the life lessons I could share with my students in the character of Katie Sue. As people sometimes do, they allow the status quo to be uninterrupted. Such was the case with playground according to Jean. It was her way or the highway and nobody dared rock the boat. That is until little pint-sized Katie Sue showed up. She was a free thinker and saw no reason to abide by some of the craziness Jean dished out on a daily basis. She didn’t make a big deal of it, she just respectfully did her own thing. That’s all I want for some of my girls, to be free thinkers and NOT to go along with the crowd. Not to try to overthrow the bully and thereby become the new queen bee, but to live your life unapologetically and with purpose. It was a great discussion.

I am a second grade teacher in Washington, DC I was really interested in this book because we have had a recent episode at my school where students were being bullied into misbehaving. This occurred during lunch and not recess but I am sure my student will connect the two. The students were being bullied into throwing food. We talked about what it means to be a leader and what we can do to show others how strong leaders have to be. Anyone can misbehave when bullied to do so but it takes a special person to stand up for what is right.

I really liked the discussion of this book. Bullying is an important issue to expose all children to because you never know who might be experiencing bullying or be a bully themselves. It is sometimes like a secret life children lead that adults are blind to. A book like “The Recess Queen” really gets to the heart of the matter without making anyone the bad guy or anyone the hero. It is simply a situation that needs to be resolved in order for everyone to be happy. I think this is important because it is easy to cast the roles as completely black and white. In reality it isn’t that simple and bullying is sometimes the result of problems a child is having.

Leslie Jones
Washington DC