!

Discussion 1: Week 2-Exploration Project Ideas

KINDLE Sep 26, 2013 I'm toying with the idea of doing some exploring of where authors get the knowledge for their books whether it is learned within a classroom setting, researched, or simply based off of personal experience. And maybe even going deeper as to which method makes for the better message in the book. how the book inspires parents as they read to their children and how children take away the messages in those books.! !

! Sherri Winans ! Sep 27, 2013! I loved how you talked about this in our meeting, Kindle, and I've been thinking about it since. You described how you figured out something about your daughter's behavior through a story you were reading with her. And I've been thinking about that aspect of children's literature, the parent-teaching part of it, and how much of it the authors even realize they are doing. You know what I mean? I'll try to think if I've heard authors talk about this before, about being aware that they are teaching parents as much as children. I remember when I realized that a bit part of my stepson's first-grade teacher's job was to teach the parents. Ha! I hadn't been aware of that until I was a parent in need of some teaching....! Some past students in this class have thought about how parents and child readers get different messages out of books, how some books are layered with two sets of meaning, and that is maybe another way to think about the idea you're looking at here.! I'm interested!! Sherri! !

!
!

! ASHLEY A MILLER ! Sep 29, 2013! I love your idea of doing your exploration project on 'where authors get the knowledge for their

books'. I also love your idea about 'how a book inspires parents'. Those are very interesting questions in hand and I can't wait to see how your project progresses. :)

!
!

! PATRICK H SMOLINSKY ! Sep 29, 2013! I always imagined that authors got their knowledge for books from deeply analyzing personal experiences, which could really come from anywhere. The sheer amount of description you see in some books makes me wonder also, how do they come up with these things?! Great question Kindle. I am also interested to see the differences between fiction and non-fiction: Some authors create entire universes that only exist in their mind and in between the covers of their novels. For example The Lord of the Rings, I can't help but wonder what inspired J.R.R Tolkien in creating such a well described and laid out world that never before existed. Can't wait to see your progress. !

!
!

! KINDLE ! Sep 30, 2013! Those are things I didn't think about Patrick. I kind of hope that maybe you do something with that. I have wondered where authors come up with their plots and description for books just like The Lord of the Rings. If you do I would very much love to see what you find. I am going to kind of slim it down to just children's book as it peaks my interest having two young children. I'd really like to know where what I am reading or they read themselves is coming from. I truly hope to find some "light bulbs" !

! Emily ! Sep 30, 2013! Hi Kindle! Those are both great ideas! My sister wanted to be a writer when she was younger. I !

wonder if she had the resources to learn about where to get her information and how to inspire parents she would have chosen that career instead of a math professor

!
!

! ERIN M TRAYNOR ! Oct 1, 2013 Great idea!!! Discovering how one might write a book and choose the material would be interesting. I bet some of the information would also be useful for parents when looking into a book to choose to read together, or for the child. ! !

! AMANDA K HUGHES ! Oct 2, 2013! I really like your idea! I think that a lot of things that authors write might come from a combination of experiences in their lives. I think that it will be interesting to see what you find on this subject.! ! !

! ADALIA I BERGERON ! Oct 4, 2013 Kindle, I think that is such a great idea! Where the material is learned would be very interesting to find out, whether authors are taking this from their own experiences or if they are drawing from what they learned in a class room setting. If you end up writing about that I'd love to read it and see what you find out and think about it, that sounds like a very intruiging subject. ! ! !

! SHERRI L COPE ! !

Oct 6, 2013! I love this idea and I am very interested in it as well . I would love to be able to write one someday and your project may be all I need to get going :)! !

! KINDLE ! Oct 7, 2013! I hope that what I find will help you get started to. how great would that feel to have taken something like this project and be able to help move someone forward in something they love to do. Sherri I really hope this is helpful for you when I get down to writing it and all information secured!! !

! CHANTELL A CARD ! Oct 7, 2013 I think that's a really interesting idea!I think exploring the ideas and research that makes an author develop there story will be really interesting.! ! !

! KINDLE ! Oct 7, 2013! Thanks everyone for all the support and great comments. I hope that I can find what I am looking for and shed light on it for everyone here as well. "

Discussion 2: Week 5.1-Do a reading and take another look at a picture book

! !

! KINDLE Oct 22, 2013 I actually read Giraffes Can't Dance with my daughters. My oldest daughter is really fond of reading it to my youngest as well. Before she could read the words she would "read" the story from the pictures and a little from memory to my youngest daughter. The books pictures enabled her to read the book without knowing the words. Now of course she can read that book with the words in a flash. But my youngest loves to look at the pictures and listen. She laughs at the funny positions the Giraffe gets into of course voice inflections certainly help with that as well. We also have an ABC book that my youngest and I read on a very regular basis. I say read but there really are not words. For example it will say A is for Apple but then in the picture it has lots of things that begin with the letter A so look for all the A words we can find. It's really impressive to watch first hand how the pictures change the story or make the story in the case of the ABC book for children. For adults we tend to really like to read and create the scene in our heads. I think that reading as children with pictures has created the skills in us to be able to do that. For a child as young as my youngest the pictures make more sense to her than the words do. Until she begins to talk fluently those pictures will continue to mean more to her than the words. My oldest is just getting to the point where she can develop the scenes in her head without the aid of illustrations however she enjoys both types of books, which is good cause this mama is ready for her to grow up.

!
!

! MARIA R VANROOYEN ! Oct 22, 2013! I think you are right about the development of our imagination skills. I think the pictures that we see our childrens books help us to form new pictures in our imagination in the future. I have many different stock pictures in my mind, from books past, that can be elaborated on in my mind to form new pictures for new books.! !

! TABITHA R EGAN ! Oct 22, 2013! I love when children read "just from the pictures!" I love that that is an option. Once i was reading with my nephew and he's only two but he preferred to read it to me. He began at what he remembered and slowly as he made it through the book and he couldn't remember he just began looking at the pictures and telling me what was happening there. Such a cool thing to watch. I think for the most part I could do without illustrations but if they are especially beautiful or colorful I can enjoy them. ! !

!
!

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! even when the story line is off isn't it cool to see kids essentially write their own version of the story. I just love it. I love hearing my kids come up with that kind of creativity. And to know the artist illustrated the book so well my 6 year old (5 years old then) could read her little sister a story without know all the words. She just told what she saw. So cool I love watching them learn and grow. coolest thing EVER!

! ANDREW A HIGHET ! Oct 22, 2013! Something that struck me while reading your response is how a child who is unable yet to understand the words on the page might comprehend the images they see. Are they able to articulate what they see with their limited mental vocabulary? When do they become able to associate the picture they see with the words on the page and with other pieces of the memory and knowledge.! ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! andrew I am not an expert so if you want a real psychological answer you'd need to research but I can tell you from personal experience that my kids have listened to the words and looked at the pictures and have associated the words with their picture counterparts although I do a lot of facilitating in that. pointing to the appropriate animal when I say it for example. But I think that my older daughter was pretty spot on between age 2 and 3. The more she heard me read the more words she put into her vocabulary. My younger daughter is 18 months and she has begun to do the same. Of course at her age her recognition and verbalization are not matching up REALLY well but lots and lots of practice :) is that helpful? !

! PATRICK H SMOLINSKY ! Oct 22, 2013! I think it is great how you appreciate both picture books and chapter books for children. I agree that picture books are incredibly important in forming our ability to read. They are our first real experience with reading and help foster a love a reading at a young age! Just like your children are growing up, so are the things they are reading. ! ! !

! Anna Hewitt-Veum ! Oct 23, 2013! I never really thought about how the little details and pictures stick with children like the way words are formed to adults. Those pictures are a paragraph of words that a child can comprehend and remember and as Kindle pointed out, her daughter could read a bock via pictures to her younger daughter. I think that process is incredible. just simple pictures can create a whole story, a whole experience to a child. Those illustrators are geniuses! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! YES GENIUSES!!!!

! Emily ! Oct 23, 2013! Hi Kindle! That is so cute that your oldest daughter used to "read" to her little sister, I remember when I was babysitting two little girls and the oldest was doing the same thing. That was the best bedtime story I've ever heard! lol! When I teach Sunday school, we have similar books to the ABC that you were describing and I like to do the same things with the kids. I teach 12-18 months and it fun to watch them recognize the connection of words and the pictures! ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! My younger daughter is 18 months and I love this age and watching the connections be made. ! ! ! !

! My Main Post: !

Discussion 3: Week 5.2- Kadir Nelson and Jerry, Brian, and Andrea Pinkney

! KINDLE Oct 25, 2013 Something I find so interesting is how much I appreciate the pictures in children's books but how little attention I pay to the illustrator of those pictures. I am sure to note the authors as my girls both seem to have favorites. But their favorite authors come from the story and the pictures. My sister is an excellent artist and listening to Kadir and Jerry I feel like with how much she loves to draw and loves children's books that she could very easily make that her career. I think out all three interviews my favorite is of Brian and Andrea Pickney. The ones from Kadir and Jerry are inspiring and reminding that the artists put as much work into the book as the author does. But Brian and Andrea are pretty inspiring. How they wrote a piece of history into an enjoyable children's book is amazing. making it understandable and a teaching tool for children. Those are the books I LOVE for my kids. and to do it as a couple is also inspiring. Like a power couple. just a unique team and a unique story with beautiful illustrations. I think I will probably look into their selection of books and buy a few for my girls. A great teaching tool but also a great overall read!

! RACHAEL S EARHART !
Oct 26, 2013!

I also really enjoy the illustrations in children's picture books. I think its the drawing piece that really draws the reader in to the book in the first place. I remember having a friend in grade school that was an amazing artist pretty young, he actually ended up being a tattoo artist a few years after high-school. Its defiantly a natural given talent!! !

! PATRICK H SMOLINSKY ! Oct 26, 2013! I love how children's books can teach stories and history without boggling down young readers. The illustrations and stories can be so captivating that readers are unaware they are learning but instead caught up in a great story! I agree with you: Kadir, Jerry, Brian and Andrea are amazing artists that really help captivate and embody the stories they are illustrating for. It is great that you are thinking about these books for your own kids and can see their unique powers as teaching tools! Making learning fun is an experience every kid needs :)! ! !

! SHERRI L COPE ! Oct 27, 2013! "Power Couple " -- nice choice of words. I found myself thinking how great it would be to work with your spouse that closely as well as doing your own work. Power couple is perfect terminology for them. They truly have the gift and ability to make a huge difference in this world with their work. Enjoy that time with your girls, my kids are older and I feel I am going to have to wait for the grand kids to have that time with. !

! Other Posts with my responses: !

! SARA VWICH Oct 22, 2013 i think it was interesting learning how Kadir Nelson knew from a young age he wanted to pursue illustrating. It's not entirely surprising that he paints what he "knows" because of his experience being raised in an African American family, but it's sort of a personal touch that he incorporates and you can sense from his illustrations. When I watched the Pinkney video, I liked how Jerry said he doesn't paint pictures, but he paints ideas. It's kind of funny how Jerry, Brian and Andrea Pinkney are related and pursued similar careers. It's also cool to see how even though they are

related, they have unique, personalized ways of telling the story with their illustrations. With their (the Pinkey's) passion for their cultural history and portraying realistic "issues", they promote positive messages in their quality pictures to all audiences of children readers

!
!

MARIA R VANROOYEN Oct 22, 2013 I too find it interesting to learn Kadir Nelson knew he wanted to be an artist from a young age. It must be great to have that kind of talent and to be able to express oneself in such a dramatic way. I really enjoyed the idea that his artwork reflects what he knows. Artwork portraying all types of people needs to be commonplace and average. I am happy when I see many different illustrations of many different types of people. This diversity at a young age helps our children to integrate better with our melting pot of ethnicities.

! !
!

KINDLE Oct 25, 2013 I find it really interesting that Kadir knew right off that he was an artist. I think its a hard concept to grasp for people who are less than artistic. I guess though its the same as knowing that is NOT your field. I have always known I was not artistic. and since I was about 5 just knew that I wanted to be a nurse. I have gone thought the thought process of the degree being too demanding. But always came back. and here I am back again. Its very interesting how somethings we just know. makes me curious is to why we just know those things and others struggle to figure out "what they want to be when they grow up" ! !

! DARCI L PETERSON ! Oct 25, 2013! I think that a lot of times children really do know what they want to do at an early age. It is society that tells people they can't make it or that they won't make enough money to follow their !

dream. What if Nelson was discouraged from drawing and illustrating? We wouldn't be able to see all of his amazing art!

! TABITHA R EGAN ! Oct 26, 2013! I'm glad you pointed out that it was funny how the 3 Pinkneys had pursued similar careers! I think that's crazy. I just now realized that they were all related! Well I knew that Brian and Andrea are married but I didn't connect them with Jerry. That's hilarious and weird. And then when you said that I thought about their personal stories and how you can see their different meanings in the way they draw. They are really unique for having chosen similar careers and cultural passion.! !

! ANDREW A HIGHET ! Oct 27, 2013! The point you make about the Pinkey's having varying styles is really interesting to me, as it really demonstrated how varied the styles in this form of illustration are. There are so many ways to approach the same idea and still allow that idea to show through.! !

!
!

! ERIN M TRAYNOR ! Oct 27, 2013! I loved that they told the lunch counter story and was able to place this in a children's book. It is so important for children of any race to know what has happened throughout our history. With my oldest son, when he learned about how there was segregation at one time.....he has a hard time wrapping his mind around it. It goes to show that children's books can offer sooooo much benefit to a child's life. ! !

! SOPHIE N KORTLEVER ! Oct 27, 2013! I liked when Kadir said that too, because even all creators add a little bit of themselves to everything they produce, and it is that element that brings things to life. If an illustrator were to paint the pictures for a book just for the money, I believe we would be able to see the lack of passion and connection with the story itself. I relate that to the video of Jerry Pinkney, when he talked about how much he loved working with the author Julius Lester.! ! !

! AMANDA K HUGHES ! Oct 27, 2013! I think that it is amazing when someone takes something that they wanted to do as a child and pursues it as an adult. I am a person that doesn't know exactly what I want to do but seeing a person that is driven so much towards a goal and they do everything that they can do to achieve the goal is amazing.! ! !

! MARIA R VANROOYEN Oct 22, 2013 I have always been a no illustration kind of a reader, since I was about 10years old. I have been under the impression that illustration is kind of distracting. I felt like I didnt want someone elses interpretation invading my interpretive space. After watching the videos in this section I am more sympathetic toward illustrators. I see that many of them have the same kind of connection with the characters that I have and that they are trying to bring that character to life in the proper context for the reader. I see that the illustrators have as close a connection with the

story as the authors do and they wish to convey their inner beliefs and interests through their artwork.

!
!

! Anna Hewitt-Veum ! Oct 23, 2013! I have to admit I always thought pictures got in the way of what I wanted to see. I felt like I was given an illustration that was supposed to be what the text said rather than what I wanted to see. But as previous posts mentioned, what is on the page is a lot to do with what the Illustrator knows and sees, that is their picture and interpretation, not my own, That is something I have to remember when looking at books with illustrations. ! !

! KINDLE ! Oct 25, 2013! I dont appreciate pictures of any kind in most of my reading because I like to decide for myself what the scene looks like and the characters. For a children's book though the pictures are so important. They really engaged the youngest of readers. My one year old loves to "read". And while my now 6 year old was learning to read she used the pictures to create the story. and I have to say she was pretty close to the wording of the story just by interpreting the pictures. for awhile thats how she read to her baby sister. Now of course she reads the real words but my youngest is very content to look at the pictures. She gets ready to turn the page for me after she has thoroughly examined the pictures. Its great to watch that development unfold. I dont think we realize how much those pictures have helped to shape us as readers and have helped us to be able to create the characters and scenes in our heads. (this is actually my next think piece topic)! !

! YULIYA MOROZ ! Oct 25, 2013! I loved reading picture books because of the illustrations! But its true, the older I got, the less !

pictures I wanted. I wanted to see the story through my own eyes, which is great how we can alternate between picture and chapter books.! !

! CHANTELL A CARD ! Oct 26, 2013! I also have not read many books that have illustrations."The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was the first one book in a long time that i read that had pictures in it.I also find it distracting in some ways, i am always looking at the pictures first and trying to figure out what is coming up next.I do think it is nice for children to get to see pictures of what the author is trying to get across in the book but i also think they don't get to use there imagination much.! !

! Emily ! Oct 27, 2013! Hi Maria! That's interesting that you always been a non illustrations kind of reader. I've always loved them because it helped me to picture what the author had intended in my head. It kept me from changing the character's image that I had already previously built from my first impression to a more accurate figure. I found that when I had to readjust my character's image, it distracted me from the intended story.!

! SOPHIE N KORTLEVER Oct 27, 2013 I agree with you, because as I got older I began to realize that I dislike the movie adaptations of some of my favorite books, because they limit so much of the story and almost never match what I think the characters look like. But after reading your post, I realized movie producers are essentially the same as illustrators, trying to bring stories to life, but they do it in 3-D. I have a

little bit more compassion towards movie producers now (although I think I will still always favor books).

!
!

SHERRI L COPE Oct 27, 2013 While I loved the works of the illustrators I too prefer my books without illustrations. I prefer to use my imagination and like to create my own images. All to often I have imagined certain scenes or characters in a story a certain way only to be frustrated that the image on the next page was not what I was thinking.

Discussion 4: Week 8- Exploration discussion

!
! "

KINDLE Nov 12, 2013 I feel like I learn so many great things from these projects over the week. The direction everyone runs with their topics is so cool. Reading the title I automatically think where would I take this? what questions would I ask. A lot of times those thoughts are answered but more often it seems I have received so much more out of it. Sophie- thank you for sharing the editor process and the types of editing. you said this is something you want to do? what sparked this desire aside from just liking to read? Patrick- I think its really cool that you are able to go beyond just research and see the cultural phenomenons actually happening in your students. I know that my daughters favorite color or favorite disney movie often sparks her reading choices. I believe that it would be more prominent in a place where the culture itself is significantly different from what you are familiar with or accustom to. Emily- I have a children's cookbook. It's really very old but it's full of simple recipes and techniques my daughters and I have cooking adventures together. It's laid out pretty well with pictures and easy lingo but I never thought about looking for stories about cooking like the ones you found. I got pretty lucky that my older daughter likes to help do the mixing when I bake, you have given me so great books to nurture her like for baking. Tabitha- How inspiring that you are working on your own story. Are you doing your own illustrations as well? (you might have said so and I just missed it) While you were talking about the places you got your inspiration I smiled. I remember when Christopher Paul Curtis was talking about only writing characters he could relate to or write from their perspective I thought that was a great way to write. You will never feel forced or stretched trying to capture your characters. I really love too the kids aren't stupid they are small. That small phrase will make me look at little differently at how I talk to my kiddos and what books we read. I never thought my kids were stupid like most parents I think they are brilliant lol but I do notice myself and others putting in tons of effort to simplify things for kids when really it isn't necessary. Rachael- You had a very interesting topic one that can stir up some debates. But you handled it very well and found some great books that have feel good quality to them for you and your family. I might have been a little confused at first at what you were trying to go with. Were you

aiming for religious or spirituality? or were you considering them as one in the same? If you could let me know I'd like to re-watch them after I hear from you! Erin- What a fun project. I find that I get a lot more out of my papers and projects when I can relate them or even incorporate my kids. You touched some topics in here that if I stick to my think piece idea would be really helpful. You said your son liked the chapters in journal style? how old is he? I have wondered a lot about the way chapters are titled. My daughter is six and she seems to connect more when the chapter title says a little something about the coming chapter. So I wondered if thats something that the appreciation changes with age or if once you've decided that you like it one way or the other you stick to it. Because you also said that it reminded him a dairy of a whimpy kid? just a thought that has been in my head this week and then you pointed it out in your project. I really enjoyed listening to how you went through it with your son. I have a Kindle and I know mine is "old school" but I won't upgrade because I know that I won't read as much on it if I had the fire and had games and internet and movies at my finger tips. I read a lot and its distraction free. I didn't know the fire had those handy limit setters (wouldn't do me any good cause I could override myself) but I have been considering at some point getting my daughter one. You all have done some inspiring work. taught me so much. and given me some new directions to think about! thank you!

! RACHAEL S EARHART ! Nov 12, 2013! Hi Kindle, The topic was Spiritual Books for Children. I don't recall having the term religion or religious anywhere?! I think people have mixed thoughts as to how they see spirituality as well as religion. I see Spirituality as being in tune with ones self, being conscious of the present moment, knowing that everyone has purpose, enjoying life for what it is, and the act of generosity.! Don't get me wrong I believe that spirituality and religion complement each other but when I think of religion I think of structured religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism just to name a few which goes along with it's actual definition which is and organized group of "belief in, or the worship of, a god or gods" or the "service and worship of God or the supernatural".! While I have certain "Religious " beliefs, that was not what I was aiming for in this project. As sad as it is I understand that this can be a touchy subject which is why I wanted to generalize it with spirituality which can be found in any belief. I believe that children introduced to these values early in life will understand creativity within and outside themselves be able to practice non judgment, acceptance and truth; all valuable skills. This can also relieve the sense of fear and !

anxiety about the meaning of life, which consumes most adults minds from time to time.!

!
!

! KINDLE ! Nov 12, 2013! I appreciate the in depth clarification. I see a clearer view of your project now. I think what threw me off from understanding what you were really aiming at was your talk of god in the first couple of slides. I took your spirituality as meaning religion. which I think made it a little hard for me to follow. Thats just me getting hung up on a a single word or phrase. I have gone back and listened again and I get what you mean now. Especially about being in tune with yourself. I was thinking about your your project differently this time and thinking about my own kids and how that being at peace and in tune with yourself can really help a child. My daughter has had some big changes happen in her life and they created some serious behavioral challenges. I ended up taking her to see a counselor but I wonder if some of these book would have helped her just find peace. The counselor has worked too but I really like working through problems like bullying and anxiety through books with my kids. ! It is sad that it is touchy. but I suppose that with the definitions of spirituality and religion being different but complimentary people associate them as being one in the same. ! thank you so much for the clarity and giving me a chance to look at it again in another light.! !

! MARIA R VANROOYEN ! Nov 13, 2013 Rachael,! You had a very interesting project. The idea of spirituality is very close to my heart. The idea of being one with your self. The idea that morality and goodness can come from within us. I find that many many people confuse religion and spirituality because religion is the only thing many people know. There relationship with the people at their church, activities and controversies involved in religion, sometimes overshadows their relationship with god. Books that promote spirituality apposed to a specific religion, especially for children, can help create a lot more tolerance in the world.! ! !

! Sherri Winans ! Nov 13, 2013! Kindle and Rachael: I like this question-and-answer thing, and I love it that Kindle went back and watched Rachael's report again, to "get it." Kindle mentioned this to me today when we saw each other, too.... Good work, you two!! !

! Anna Hewitt-Veum ! Nov 17, 2013! Rachael, I think you did a really good job at explaining yourself and explaining a spiritual sense to the books rather than enforcing a religious sense. I have personal beliefs and I understand how touchy it can be explaining such topics, however you did a great job at being non-biased and factual evidence to support that children can be influenced and learn different skills by reading spiritual books. !

! PATRICK H SMOLINSKY ! Nov 13, 2013! Thanks for the feedback Kindle. It was a fun project to do and I'm always happy when I can tie class in with real life. Glad to hear you see the same thing happening with your daughters! The kids here love Disney as much as any American, I can promise you that :)! ! !

! ERIN M TRAYNOR ! Nov 15, 2013! Hi Kindle!! Thanks so much for commenting on my explorations project :)!

My son is 9 years old and before he got into his reading slump he too liked it more when chapters would explain more of the upcoming events or picture on the chapter page. As he got older and his "likes" changed the books that he was being offered that still had this style were to young for him (in subject). I think at this point he personally needs some more visual stimulation when developing his creativeness in reading. At this point the books that are journal style books don't offer a lot in the way of wording of the upcoming chapter, but do offer more pictures throughout the book (diary of a wimpy kid). Skeleton Creek had the same idea, only with videos. After adding the parental controls the kindle fire has been a lot of fun for my son and less frustration for me. I think that even the books with technology would be great for him on this device....like the 3:15 series. !

! Emily ! Nov 15, 2013! Hi Kindle! I'm glad you enjoyed my project and found my researched books to be interesting! My favorite was Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore. I felt like it had the best story and illustrations. ! !

! TABITHA R EGAN ! Nov 17, 2013! Hey Kindle. No I didn't even attempt the illustrations! haha. It was hard enough to actually write out an entire story and figure out what audience to direct it at and everything. But i had a ton of fun doing this project. I was really happy with everything that I took away from it. And I'm glad that you liked the Prelutsky quote. I found him so inspirational and thought I found a few gems in what he said.! ! !

! SOPHIE N KORTLEVER ! Nov 17, 2013! Hi Kindle,! Thanks for asking. It actually wasn't until this last year that I decided that book editing is something that interests me. When I was younger I wanted to be a librarian so I could surround myself with books all day, but somewhere along the way I decided that it wasn't right for me (I don't know entirely why but I think my family is partially an influence, because they always wanted me to have a "successful" job-they don't have the same passion for reading that I do, and I am the black sheep of the family in that way). And I knew I could never be a writer because I think that I lack the imagination and drive to try and complete a novel-I would much rather read one! I actually considered many other career fields (business being one of them) but then I started at Whatcom and my English teachers gave me confidence in my writing (which I was scared to attempt an English degree before, which can be helpful when trying to become an editor) and I discovered that once I get over fearing what others think of my comments and criticisms on their writing, that I really do love editing. It just makes more sense in my mind because I have read so many different writing styles and I can see logical connections in others' writing and where there are obvious gaps whereas in my own writing I definitely can't. I get stuck and can never convey my thoughts as well as I wish. But really what started it is that I am a natural copy editor. I can't help but correct grammar and spelling on everything I see, even if I only correct it in my head. I actually used to keep a running list of all the mistakes I noticed in books, until I became so frustrated every time I saw it and focused so much on noticing mistakes that I wasn't enjoying my books as much. I still haven't decided whether I want to be solely a copy editor, or a general editor, but in my explorations project I focused on general editors because it seemed much more interesting and informative than just a copy editor.! Hope this answered your question!" !

Discussion 5: Week 8 and 9.1-Partick Carmans Skeleton Creek

! !

! KINDLE Nov 14, 2013 I love Patrick Carman's approach to making technology work for us instead of against us. If technology is truly going to take up so much of a child's free time might as well make it useful. His books with the interactive aspects are such great ways to engage children into reading. I don't think I would have understood how to use this book when I was at the age this book is aimed towards. I mean to say the technology intermissions wouldn't have made sense to me. I hadn't been familiar with a computer till I got older...I don't imagine it would have matter though. I didn't play video games or use the internet. I had a TV time limit and played outside most days. I wasn't a big reader in my younger years but I didn't have technology at my finger tips either. I get to page turning and almost don't want to stop to watch the videos. But I can certainly see how this is appealing to a child who may not otherwise read. I have so far been very fortunate that my older daughter loves to read, if she didn't this is exactly what I would give her to help her be more engaged. I don't know many kids aside from my own and I have tried to leave limits to how much they do non-reading activities. Not always successful but we always read at the end of the day. I would like to start a kind of book club with her. Let her get started on books like this herself and my boyfriend and I will also read and then we can talk about it. I have never seen this approach (I am feeling a little out of the loop). This is a new approach for me and I see some amazing benefits to it; to draw kids in to reading. Carman's ideas about literature for young people is really interesting. He has really affective ideas for embracing the age of technology without loosing the beauty of reading a good book. His story lines are adventurous and engaging leaving children page turning and excited to read!

!
!

! ERIN M TRAYNOR

Nov 14, 2013! I completely know what you mean about not feeling in the loop of technology. I've heard all about these 39 clues books and my son has asked me about getting them, but had no idea that they were technology interactive. Honestly did not know that books like that existed until Skeleton Creek. What Carmen was explaining about why he writes books like these and the little catch that some kids need totally worked for my son. Since I never had this problem with him and reading until only a few months ago I had no idea what to do. Great books!! !

! MARIA R VANROOYEN ! Nov 17, 2013! 1. When I first heard about these books the tech part was too much for me too. My son and a few of his friends were reading the books and watching videos on the Internet. It was hard for me to believe they were actually working but they were. And I am very happy that these books are creepy enough and interesting enough to make my son willing to read if not a reading lover. !

! Candace Sturtevant Nov 15, 2013! I too didn't want to stop and look at the videos...but that probably has to do with us not being use to this new multimedia format. But with young readers these days it seems like the only reason they read the multimedia books are for the videos. Then (hopefully) later realizing reading isn't so bad afterall. It's a great technique and I'm happy that Carmen was able to use children's exposure to technology for the better.

! ANDREW A HIGHET ! Nov 15, 2013! !

In the end I ended up skipping a good chunk of the videos, I felt very interrupted while being right in the middle of everything to have to switch to a completely different form of media. The way Carman is doing it though seems well thought out for the age group he is appealing to. I would imagine that the movies were places at specific pages apart in order for kids to have a break and not become bored with the subject. For me I like to get sucked into a book and stay there.! !

! OLIVIA J JEWELL ! Nov 19, 2013! I really like the way you worded this: "I love Patrick Carman's approach to making technology work for us instead of against us." I mentioned something in my response that is very similar to this but I think you worded it best. Carman isn't trying to fight the technology that distracts so many children, he is trying to work with it to make them read more. He realizes that kids look to these technologies as a source of entertainment and fun and so he worked to make his books appear even more entertaining and fun to kids!! ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 19, 2013! I am so happy to find I wasn't the only one kind of thrown off by the multimedia format. I am really glad it exists even if its not full on my style because I really see it being a good "hook, line, and sinker" for kids. ! !

! TABITHA R EGAN ! Nov 19, 2013! First of all don't feel out of the loop. I had no idea things like this were going on. My parents got me a Kindle for Christmas last year and I have yet to use it. I think I'm waging a war with technology. For being a young adult in this generation I don't understand anything these days. !

Anyways I'm glad that you mentioned that watching the videos on line was a slight inconvenience. I felt exactly the same way! I was sort of against it at first and then I warmed up to the idea of it but it still remained somewhat annoying. I'm one of those readers that once I get hooked all I want to do is get to the ending and finish the book. Stopping to go online was a bother. But again I guess it just depends on the type of reader you are. ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! Im a total get snuggled in with my book and read it cover to cover reader. so having to stop move to my computer watch the video then get comfortable again was a little frustrating I did hoverer get used to it. Think its a really cool idea for kids probably not my style though at least not on a regular basis.

! AMANDA K HUGHES ! Nov 20, 2013! I like how you talked about yourself at that age, because my childhood was similar, I had no internet and I had limited TV but I think that for the kids now a days it is really common for them to know more about the internet and it makes more sense to them. I know my Kindergartener is already using computers and kids are so advanced in their technology. :)! ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! The amount technology is used these days astounds me. I mean I am guilty as charged but my 6 year old has computer lab at school and that seriously blows my mind. It was like a HUGE thing when my elementary school got computers. Its just so strange to look at my childhood that doesn't feel like it was that long ago and my daughters childhood. All the advances made in my

lifetime alone is just whoa!! !

! Anna Hewitt-Veum ! Nov 20, 2013! Kindle.. I'm right there with you. I had a hard time putting the book down to watch the videos. I didn't get the whole experience right away but once I figured out that the videos were important I can see how this would engage someone like my little brother who didn't want to read. Allowing him to put the book down and go online and watch something.. Makes a difference in the child being engaged!! I didn't quite make the connection until watching the ted talks. ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! I know the Ted talk totally popped a new light on for me on this. I also forget sometimes that some people don't like to read. I am such a "read in my spare time" girl and my daughters are the same. I truly think this is a great idea. I didn't know how important those videos were...the first two I blew off and actually went back and watched them because I heard all the "hype" ;)" !

Discussion 6: Jennifer and Matthew Holms Babymouse for President

! !

! KINDLE Nov 17, 2013 This was interesting. I have known whats been said about graphic novels and how they are another one of the methods used to draw kids into reading. I myself had never been interested in reading them. Reading this book was actually fun. This surprised me a lot actually. It went quickly and easily. I re-read babymouse with my daughter for fun the only down side was it was hard for her to see the words and pictures because I have it downloaded on my kindle. So I found this is not a very good type of book for reading on my kindle. I didn't have much problem with it but it was difficult for my daughter. I am going to see how she responds to this after a few days to see if she really hooks to the style of book or if it was just fun for something new to her. It was a strange thing for me to pick out of the background interviews with the Holms but it stuck with me, that was that children's book do often use rodents for the characters. something I honestly didn't notice till it was pointed out.

!
!

! DARCI L PETERSON ! Nov 20, 2013! I could imagine that this would be hard to read with a Kindle. I don't have one, I have a paper copy of the book but as I started it, your comment is actually the one that I had in mind. ! !

! KINDLE ! Nov 20, 2013! oh man it was rough. I had each page then it was followed by enlarged speech bubbles on the few pages to follow it. Made reading the words easier but it was out of context with out the characters and the environment. It took me a bit to get used to. I managed but it was different working through that mess with my daughter. I would like to in the future acquire a paper copy !

and give my daughter another chance at this style of book.! !

! DARCI L PETERSON ! Nov 20, 2013! Oh, that does sound painful. You should try it as well, it may be more enjoyable for you!! ! !

! TABITHA R EGAN ! Nov 20, 2013! You tried reading it on your kindle? That's sounds annoying. I hate being on websites on my phone because it's such a hassle. I have to admit this was probably one of the books that I really wasn't looking forward to but it wasn't bad! I enjoyed the sarcastic silly humor and thought that there were references that older kids would get. The younger ones can look up their history references and sarcasm so it helps in their learning process as well. And that's a funny point that you noted; rodents are often used for characters. It was really interesting to find out that they now started that Squish series as an amoeba. I hope it does well because I really like the idea of integrating science into comics. Even more learning!! !

!
!

! KINDLE ! Nov 21, 2013! yes yes on my kindle bad choice but in my defense when I bought my books for this class I did them all on the kindle and didn't have a clue what babymouse for president even was. I might have made a different choice all together if I had known it was going to be such a pain. Typically I love my kindle but it really hindered my enjoyment for reading with this particular book. ! !

! MARIA R VANROOYEN ! Saturday! I too was surprise when I realized how many childrens books included animals, animals doing things people do or having human mannerisms. I downloaded the book on my Kindle cloud and it turned out pretty good when I read it on my computer kindle app. (if that helps you at all for the future).! ! !

! Emily ! Saturday! I couldn't recall ever reading graphic novels when I was younger, but I wish I had. There are so clever and cool! I had a lot of fun reading this book too! I couldn't believe how fast time flew when I was reading this book, I really enjoyed it. I also didn't notice that children's books often have rodents as characters before she pointed it out. But looking back, I can definitely see it.! ! !

! BRITTANY A FRYER ! Sunday! I agree I was never much into these kind of books but definitely thought it was easy to read. I made the mistake of reading it with the little boy I nanny and he just laughed at it and wanted to read something else. This book reminds me of captain underpants kind of.! !

! YULIYA MOROZ ! !

Sunday! That is true, children books do use rodents for main characters. The strange thing is that everyone is scared of rodents. The great thing is when they are in cartoon mode they are really cute and appealing to the audience. I personally love books with rodents as the main characters. Something about them that draws you in.! ! ! AMANDA K HUGHES ! Sunday! I am not a graphic novel person. I also read it on my kindle and to my daughter and she had a hard time paying attention to it because I would point at each picture as I was reading it to her but some pages had less words and it was hard for her to follow. I definitely think that this might have been better in a real book form!

!
!

! ERIN M TRAYNOR ! Monday! I am right there with ya! I never found myself interested in comics/graphic novels and even found myself trying to discourage them in my children. I can see now why my kids like them and really am finding that these books are not what I thought they were. Kind of teaching me to "not judge a book by it's cover" hahaha