The past few weeks have found me traveling... two staff development trips to Casper, Wyoming and one week in Portland, Oregon, doing a two-day "Investigating Thinking Strategies" workshop and a two-day literacy conference organized by a wonderful group of teachers at RethinkingLiteracy.org. So, I've been a bit behind in the blog realm...
Of course, no trip to Portland is complete without a trip (or two) to Powell's. While there I ran across a copy of 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter. The cover caught my eye... and the inside cracked me up.
It's about a precocious little girl who does things like try to staple her brother's hair to his pillow, walk to school backward, and even set a classmate's shoe on fire with a magnifying glass. The book has a great pattern, "I had an idea to staple my brother's hair to his pillow. I am not allowed to use the stapler anymore," throughout the text. This little girl is full a piss an' vinegar (ala grandpa in The Grapes of Wrath)... and my laughs echoed through Powell's when I read it!
Yeah, sure, she's naughty... but it I loved the illustrations and the gentle twist at the end! I love when I find a book that strikes me funny... a lot of inferring. It's a keeper and could serve as great mentor text.
I used the book as a mentor text for a group of adults I was working with in Casper. After two days of learning, I had them chart "I used to..." and "Now I need to..." It was a great way to synthesize our learning for the two days.
Glad your back. I missed reading your blogs.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're back. I wondered what you were up to. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! I have yet to find kids who love it as much as I do, but it is one that makes me laugh every time!
ReplyDelete