God Got a Dog - A Gem

Cynthia Rylant and Marla Frazee.  Another perfect combination.  Using sixteen poems from God Went to Beauty School, they've created a beautiful collection in God Got a Dog.  Who doesn't love these two talented women?
     What I imagine most is Marla chatting with Cynthia about this book, these poems, during their collaboration.  And, me only wishing I could have been a fly on the wall... okay, actually a fellow reader/writer sitting with the both of them at the table as they chatted.  Can you imagine?  Cynthia Rylant, a writer's writer/illustrator.  Marla Frazee, a writer's writer/illustrator.  Two talents that God has put together to create this book... two talents that we all admire.  Imagine.
     Now there might be a few biblical scholars who would disagree with Rylant's interpretation of God.  But, they can't argue with the fact that she's a brilliant writer who writes from her heart, a wordsmith beyond compare.  And her words, coupled with Frazee's illustrations make a reader's heart happy.  And who doesn't need a heart that's happy?  God himself said so in Proverbs 15:13 and Proverbs 4:23.  A happy heart is good medicine! 
     My favorite poem in the entire collection is "God Went to India."  Perhaps it's because it reminded me of my mom and her love for elephants (I have two from her collection).  Perhaps it reminded me of my daughter and her recent life-changing trip to visit the orphanages in India.  But, perhaps it's because of this beautiful section:

 God understands mourning

better than any other emotion,

better even than love.

Because He has lost

everything He has

ever made.

You make life.

You make death.

The things God makes

always turn into

something else and

He does find this good. 

But He can't help missing all the originals.

      
     So, Rylant fans.  So, Frazee fans.  We have a new gem for our collections.  Two of our friends have come together to create this special book.  God does do good work.  And, we can only hope that these new-found friends collaborate and come together on the pages of another book... sooner than later. 

     In the meantime, I'll be sitting at my table with the two of them, reading God Got a Dog. Imagining that they, too, were wishing that were HERE!  Imagine.  

... and our hearts are happy!

Reading in the Wild - A Preview

For the past several weeks, I've had the pleasure of prereading the final manuscript of Donalyn Miller's new book Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits which will be published in November (it's kind of fun, turning over page after page of 8 1/2 x 11 paper).  

The cover... beautiful!

Having a friend like Donalyn is one of the blessings we have as teachers, isn't it?  Whether you've spent time with her at dinner, listened to her speak at a conference, or heard her whisper her beliefs to you as you read The Book Whisperer:  Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child you have, indeed, met Donalyn.  

Donalyn is a teacher's teacher.  She's passionate about her work with readers and in helping us become better at our craft.  What impresses me most about Donalyn is her sincerity.  She believes so strongly in "cultivating" and "awakening" the reading lives of young readers.  I imagine the blood that flows through her veins likely contains "read" blood cells. 

In her new book, she, along with Susan Kelley, share five important lifelong habits that they believe readers need in order to prosper.  They share ways to nudge children to be "readers in the wild."  It's sprinkled with the rituals and routines that Donalyn, and Susan, know from experience will cultivate the types of readers we want children to be and to become, both in the classroom and out of the classroom.

I'll write more about this book as it gets closer to the publication date, but I have a strong inkling you'll want to preorder it!  

I was reading the other day and ran across this marvelous quote by Terry W. Glaspey, "Books provide the most helpful of road maps for (an) inner journey.  They show us the tracks of fellow travelers, footprints left by earlier pilgrims who have trod the path that stretches before us.  Their luminosity helps to light our way.  As we read we realize we are not alone."  

And, that's how I feel about this new book by Donalyn.  She, along with her friend Susan, are luminaries for teachers, no matter our experience.  There's a reasonableness to their work.  It causes us to focus, reflect, and make meaningful decisions about the learners in our care.  Grounded in thoughtfulness, this book will nudge us as teachers... and, in turn, stretch the readers with whom we work.

What are the five habits?  I'll mention those in a future post.  But, for now, know that you're in for a treat from Donalyn (and Susan).  In the meantime, read wildly... think deeply... and discover the habits YOU have as a reader.  After all, aren't the very habits we possess the ones we want our students to emulate?  Then ask yourself, "How am I teaching my students to do the same thing?"  Donalyn has.  As fellow travelers, we should too!