Mentor Text ~~ Wild About Reading!

Wonderful books...

Fabulous ideas... 

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We just got back from a great, yet short, trip to Houston visiting family. We picked up my daughter, she was there for a week and we brought home my niece! We call it the "Summer Niece Swap!"

Quick pic before I share the best book ever! (According to my students...I say that about every book!)

Yummy goodness at Jimmy Changas and swimming in the pool! Felt like I was at a resort!

If you can tear yourself away from the pool picture...

On to my mentor text of the week!

"It started the summer of 2002, when the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew, by mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo. In this rollicking rhymed story, Molly introduces birds and beasts to this new something called reading. She finds the perfect book for every animal—tall books for giraffes, tiny ones for crickets. “She even found waterproof books for the otter, who never went swimming without Harry Potter.” In no time at all, Molly has them “forsaking their niches, their nests, and their nooks,” going “wild, simply wild, about wonderful books.” Judy Sierra’s funny animal tale coupled with Marc Brown’s lush, fanciful paintings will have the same effect on young Homo sapiens. Altogether, it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys!" ~~ Amazon

This is the perfect book to start reading workshop, CAFE, Daily Five, writing center, picking good fit books,..

I use this book as a springboard for getting to know my students as readers! 

After I read the book, we play, Go to..

Go to the front of the room if you like mystery books.

Go to the back of the room if you like graphic novels.

Stand by the pencil sharpener if you like to read magazines.

Go to the front of the room if you like joke books.

This gives students a chance to know who else might like that genre. 

I follow up with a written Reading Interest Inventory for my records. I keep a folder of their inventories, so when we go to the library, I can do a quick check and help guide students in picking books. I also take it with me when I go to our guided reading room to check out books for my students. 

In the book, Molly, taught the animals lessons in treating books right. This can then lead to a discussion about the class library expectations. What are your procedures for picking a book? 

The animals are so excited about the books that they decide to start writing their own. (Leads into your writing center area!) 

Throw in some poetry...bugs writing Haiku!

Love the 3rd and 4th line on this page! Look at the look on the hippo's face for winning the Zoolitzer Prize!

 This last page allows for the discussion about where students can read in the room. I always tell my students they can find a cozy place to read, as long as they read the entire time without disrupting others.

I love, love, love this book!