This Librarian's Quick Picks: Wet Cement

Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems
by Bob Raczka
Roaring Brook (Mar. 8, 2016)
Poetry

Summary:

Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways. Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write!

Why You'll Love It:

•  While short, the poems are by turns amusing and thoughtful and make excellent use of figurative language devices. Plus, it makes an excellent mentor text for poetry units!
• A few layouts may test some readers, such as one about a home run in which one whole line is printed backward, but most students will enjoy the challenge.
• Readers will enjoy turning the volume upside down and every which way to catch every word and nuance and won't miss illustrations a bit. 

Who Should Read It:

Great for 2nd-6th grades...and here's a resource to use as you write!

What Else You Should Read:

• Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems by Brian Cleary
• Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka
• Firefly July by Paul Janeczko

This Librarian's Quick Picks: The Day the Crayons Came Home

The Day the Crayons Came Home
by Drew Daywalt
illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books (August 18, 2015)
Picture Book

Summary:

In this sequel to the fabulous The Day the Crayons Quit, instead of letters, Duncan receives a stack of postcards from crayons that have been misplaced or maligned, or are ready for adventure.

Why You'll Love It:

•  Oh happy day, another book featuring the crayons! There's so much you can do with this book as a mentor text, just like its predecessor. This time the mode of writing is postcards instead of letters, but it's still a great model for writer's workshop. 
• One of the pages glows in the dark. Nuff said...
• These postcards are sure to please the kiddos. Each crayon is in need of some sort of help: for example, the tan crayon was eaten by a dog and puked back up. Sure to entertain any young reading audience (and most older ones, too).

Who Should Read It:

Great for grades 1-4...and don't forget to check out the website that goes along with the Crayon books!

What Else You Should Read:

• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• Mix It Up by Herve Tullet
• Draw! by Raul Colon

Mentor Text In Action: The Day the Crayons Quit

I've always been inspired by other media specialists that I work with and I'm so lucky to have these ladies as friends who want to collaborate and share their work with each other. My friend Sarah of Everything Library has a knack of sparking teachers' interest with cool books in her library, as seen in this post. She inspires me to really try to connect new books with my teachers on a daily basis.

I was talking to a teacher at my school the other day and I practically begged her to read Drew Daywalt's The Day the Crayons Quit to her class when she asked me for a book suggestion on personification. There are so many great writing extensions that students and teachers can do with this book! If you haven't read it, please remedy this now.

Her students responded to the book by writing letters, much like the ones in the book, from the perspective of the different colored crayons. Here's the result: