A Bit of Me

A Bit of Me is sponsored each week by There's A Book

My Dream Job

My dream job would be to work for a nonprofit organization that supplies free books to people.  I would drive all over and deliver these books to all ages.  Not too big of a bookmobile, but just comfortable enough to drive.

This is a picture of the bookmobile at the Hunterdon County Public Library in New Jersey where I grew up.  According to their website, it is still going.

JOG and BLOG

Let's get moving!!

We can all benefit from fresh air, sunshine and exercise.  Get out those audio books and join me for Jog and Blog 2011.  Dedicate some time to walking, running or jogging while listening to that next great read on your list. 

Hit the gym or the track and then don’t forget to come back!

Gather here during the month of April to share your Jog and Blog experiences.  As I get older, I need some extra motivation to get myself out for a jog.  A good book can help!  I also use audio books to get me through that dreaded chore of grocery shopping – ugh!!

Follow my blog to keep up with the Jog and Blog activity and you will be entered to win an Amazon Gift Card in April.

A Bit of Me

Share A Bit of Yourself each week at:
There's A Book                              

I C Dead People 

This might sound a little weird but if I could pick a super power, I would want to be able to talk with those on the other side.

When I was a child, I remember asking my Mom if she would come back and tell me what it was like after she died.  I get drawn in by fiction related to this topic.  One of my favorite Orson Scott Card books deals with this subject.  You can read the first chapter of Treasure Box on his website.

Join us for World Read Aloud Day

Join us from March 1st through March 9th at BookBlogFun to celebrate World Read Aloud Day!

A Bit of Me!

 

This Weeks Question: What is the single best trip you’ve ever taken?



Last summer we took our kids on a trip to Hershey Pennsylvania.  We stayed at  Hershey Lodge which has amazing accommodations, recreational activities, mini golf and three pools.  We visited Chocolate World and Hershey Park.

It was 4th of July weekend and very, very hot but we lounged around the pools and played in the water park.  The entire town was filled with the aroma of sweet milk chocolate...mmmmmmm! 

I had been to Hershey Park on my 8^th grade class trip and remember having tons of fun with my friends.  This family trip was a Christmas gift given to us by my Mom who knew we needed a nice family vacation last year.

The Lunch List

We all have a book that we carry around trying to read a few pages while sitting in a waiting room, standing in line, or on our lunch break.

If the book you are carrying around happens to be for middle graders, share with us on our website for kids.  Visit BookBlogFun and click on the tab for 3rd through 6th graders.

Post a comment on the blog and share what you are reading on your lunch break.

Authors/Illustrators/Publishers - You can also make a suggestion what we might want to read next.

What I read this week.

This fabulous weekly recap is hosted by Shelia of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.


I love reading with my daughter!

 

My daughter is at a great age for discussing books.  She definitely has her opinions about what she likes and what she doesn’t like.  There is an excitement between us when we read a book together.

She came home with a book from her school library called The New Girl, Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot.  I was leaving to get on a plane when I saw it in her backpack. 

I said, “Oh, Meg Cabot, can I read that?” 

She said, “Mom, I’m going to read it this weekend.” 

I said, “You will be busy with your friends this weekend, I know you will not have time to read it, let me take it.” 

She said, “When will you be back because I have to return it on Wednesday.” 

I said, “Tell your librarian that I have it, she knows me, she won’t mind.” J

Anyway, I never read it while on my trip either but since I have been back we have been taking turns reading it.  She read the first half and then I caught up with her.  Now she is on the last two chapters and I will follow.

Allie Finkle is a girl in fourth grade who has just moved and starts a new school.  Allie deals with many things that young girls can relate to such as worrying about her underwear showing as she hangs upside down on the playground.  And hmmmm……  on her first day of school there are only little kids on the playground.  Is she getting to old to be seen on the jungle gym?  But she can deal with it.  She has rules in her mind that make things easier.  Girls will want to know these rules to help with friendship, family and school. 

So I asked my daughter, “What do you think about Allie’s Rules?”

She said, “Weird!”

I said, “Why, which rule is weird?”

She said, “Her rule that says: Always ask old people what to do because they know everything.”

I said, “What’s so weird about that?”

She said, “Nobody knows everything – only God.”

I said, “What do you think is Allie’s best rule?”

She said, “The rule that says: When you are starting your first day at a new school, wear something good so people will think you are nice.”

I said, “I made up a rule for Allie.”

My daughter looked at me like, you can do that?

I said, “My rule is: Always have your Queens with you.”

My daughter said, “yeah!”

You will have to read this book to find out who “The Queens” are.  Better yet, read it with your daughter!!

We also read BOO-HOO MOO by Margie Palatine.  Visit BookBlogFun for our review!

A Bit of Me

Black is Beautiful!
Funny story about color. When my daughter was three we lived in North Carolina and she was invited to a yoga birthday party with lots of little girls. They each rolled out their mats and the instructor asked them to go around the room and say their name and their favorite color. All the parents were watching as the girls took turns saying pink, purple, red. When it got to be my daughter’s turn she said so proudly…. My name is Faith and my favorite color is Black! That’s my girl.


Share a bit of yourself with other book bloggers at: There's A Book   

Books we don't want to read..................

We all have books we don't want to read.  Somehow the required reading from high school and college comes to mind when we think of this subject.  Unfortunately, many kids experience this and they get turned away from reading all together. 

My daughter has always loved reading.  I was working on my masters when she was born and was lucky enough to take a children's literature class with Kay Vandergrift at Rutgers University.  This required me to read many children's books and I read many of them with my daughter (she was just a few months old).  While taking that class, a YA class and Adult fiction class I rediscovered my love of fiction.  I had lost it somewhere in elementary school and only read fiction sporadically throughout college. 

Now my daughter is in a 2/3 GT class and is required to read quite a bit.  They read together as a class and also must do 2 fiction book reviews per month as well as a research project every few months.  There is a real difference in her when she is reading a book she enjoys opposed to reading a book that she must read for an assignment.  The book that is read together with her class is assigned to her.  She must read that book and complete literature questions.  She gets to pick the books she wants to review for her 2 fiction reviews per month.  I never want her to get discouraged about reading.  I have explained it as we all have to do some work that we don't want to do, but have fun picking the books that you love for your book reports.

I try to expose her to a mix of well known authors and pop fiction and let her choose.  My heart is so full when I see her in bed reading just one more chapter of that book that has really grabbed her.  Recently her school held a parent/child book club.  The book was chosen by the librarian and parents were invited to read with their children and then come discuss the book.  I read the first chapter out loud to our family and then my husband took the book and finished it right away.  I offered to read more to my daughter and also put the book by her bedside thinking that she might just grab it.  She had no interest.  I ended up finishing the book because I felt an obligation to the librarian at the school.  It turned out that I did really like the book and told my children about different parts that I found interesting.  However, in my daughters own little library by her bed, she chose the babysitting club books rather than Wing Nut by MJ Auch.  In my book, it was OK.  She was reading what she wanted. 

We went to the school book club meeting and I could tell that my daughter was uncomfortable that she had not read the book.  She did not know the characters and didn't have opinions on the questions that were being discussed.  I told her that it is OK to say that you did not finish the book.  I want kids to know that it is OK if you don't like a book.  We all know that feeling.  Sometimes if we hang in there with a book it gets better but sometimes it is not our style or we are just not in the mood.

BookBlog Thoughts

I started BookBlogFun for a few reasons.  First, to connect with my daughter who has shown me an amazing ability to read and enjoy reading.  Second, to reach out to parents and other children besides mine with an enthusiastic attitude about reading books and having fun sharing books.

After 8 months of BookBlogFun, I began to venture out to see who else is out there blogging about books.  I had visited Jen Robinson's Book Page a few times but began to go back more often and then I actually made some comments.  From Jen's page I visited KidLitosphere and the Cybils and it was amazing to me to see this community of book enthusiasts other than the library association members I was used to.  They even have their own book awards and conventions.  I wanted to learn more and see what these bloggers talk about.  Lucky for me, on my 45th birthday, I came acrossed the MotherReader Comment Challenge 2011.

The comment challenge opened my eyes to the tremendous amount of book bloggers out there.  Each with a slightly different twist or focus but many talking about children's books.  Just a few actually included the children themselves in the process of discussing these books.  I want to keep the focus of BookBlogFun on the kids.  Getting them involved with reading and blogging and sharing their ideas about books.  Yes the parents/teachers/adults in their lives are very much a part of motivating the kids.  Not just motivating but exposing kids to books as a hobby as a sport as a recreational activity.

I also very much enjoy discussing literacy issues and ideas with those who are out there exposed to this field.  My library science degree is part of who I am and I hope to remain active in the discipline.  However, it is important for me to seek, keep and fine tune my thoughts, attitudes and focus around reading and books.  I have to admit that some librarians can be soooooo stuffy and that is just not me.  The KidLitosphere community is a place I have discovered that brings an alternative option to communicating and relating about books. 

So, I am now kicking off this blog as my area to discuss issues, associations, and ideas that revolve around reading.  BookBlogFun will remain the space I use to get parents and kids involved in reading.  I have debated and have added more issue related content to BookBlogFun at times but I really feel that it takes away from the focus of the kid's involvement.