How to encourage reading

Mo Willems: My Favorite Picture Book Author

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

Picture books.  We can all name favorites, but have you found the ones with the very incorrigible pigeon begging to stay up late?  Or the idealistic pig and her best friend, the very practical elephant named GERALD? 

 Haven’t seen ’em?
Then you must go to a book store or library and find them, now.  Look under “W”, for Mo Willems.  Digital versions won’t do; you need the real thing.
My first encounter with Mo came when I picked up Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale.  Willems uses a clever combination of photography and drawings to illustrate this hilarious family situation: Daddy loses Knuffle Bunny, the beloved toy of his young daughter, Trixie.  At the laundromat. 
When I read “Trixie went boneless,” I knew I had found the work of a fellow parent who had a great sense of humor.  (If you don’t understand “boneless”, you obviously haven’t dealt with an unhappy two-year-old.  Read the book anyway.  You’ll still laugh.)
The opening pages of Knuffle Bunny reveal Willems’ ability to combine kid friendly plot and humor with adult wit.  First, we see a happy, bright eyed couple on their wedding day.  Then we see that same couple with stubble (the guy) and bags around the eyes (both guy and girl), holding a screaming pink baby wrapped in a blanket.  I always chuckle at those pictures; the kids don’t understand why.

But they love Mo’s books too, and we check them out repeatedly.  I finally broke down and bought the entire Knuffle Bunnyseries in hardback so I can enjoy them whenever I want. The Piggie and Elephant books repeat words and phrases, great for beginning readers.  The story never gets boring because Willems puts such humorous expressions on his characters’ faces.

In an NPR interview, Willems explained that he enjoys writing for kids because to them, everything seems big and important.  That’s why his characters grapple with really difficult issues like injustice, loss, jealousy, and the desire to drive a bus. 
Best of all, Willems appreciates the important role of anyone who reads aloud to kids: teachers, librarians, and especially parents.  He calls us “his orchestra”, and he counts on us to be silly and zany when we read his books so that kids will see that reading is fun and books are cool.
 I love this guy. 
Willems has won numerous awards for his books and also six Emmys for his writing on Sesame Street.  You can find more information about him and his books at his website, and you can follow “The Pigeon” on Twitter.  (He’s really funny.)
Have you read any of Mo’s books?  Which is your favorite?  Reply in the comments below, and thanks for stopping by.
Julia
Improving vocabulary

Vocab from We Bought A Zoo

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 7 Comments

Last week, we rented We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon as a Benjamin Mee, a recently widowed dad struggling to start his life over.  Before his wife’s illness, he worked as an investigative reporter, so he has some word nerd tendencies.  

In one scene, he argues with his 13 year old son Dylan on the way to school.   Eventually, Dylan mutters, as many adolescents do, “Whatever.”   Mr. Mee launches into a tirade (as I might); he hates the word “whatever” and insists that Dylan come up with a better word to replace it.  


Dylan offers “pernicious”, an excellent substitution and a testimony to his dark side. Of course, since Mr. Mee is a writer, he can rattle off a definition immediately when his younger daughter asks for one.  Can you? 


Pernicious \pər-‘nish-əs\ adj. from Latin pernicies, destruction; highly injurious or destructive




Word Nerd Workout:  Can you offer a synonym for pernicious, one not already used here?    Better yet, can you also come up with a replacement for “whatever“?  Something as clever and descriptive as Dylan did?  Leave your suggestions in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!

See my posts on other fun Word Nerd Words:

Julia
How to encourage reading

Summer Reading: Ideas for Kids

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 4 Comments

Only two weeks into summer vacation, and it’s started already.  I’m not going to mention the “b word.”  I forbid my children to use the “b word”, because they have bright minds and should be able to find interesting things to do.

Yet, lately they’ve found a way around the “b word.”  They say:  “Mom, there’s nothing for me to do.”  Can you relate?  Any word nerd worth his or her sobriquet (Don’t remember that one?  See the vocab page) should have one reply:  find a cozy corner and READ!

But how to find something good to curl up with?  Since my children have already read hundreds of books (literally; I am blessed), finding new material for them poses a challenge.  However, last summer, I found great resource to help me:  Some of My Best Friends Are Books, by JudithWynn Halstead.   It intends to provide information for gifted readers, but if your child is a voracious reader, and not necessarily identified as gifted, this book still would be helpful.

 Some of My Best Friends… explains intellectual and emotional development and bibiotherapy.  It also provides suggestions for how to choose good literature and set up book discussions.  But the most beneficial component is an annotated bibliography over 200 pages long.  It lists, with brief descriptions, books for every age, by age group, from preschool to high school.  It also includes discussion questions for each book based on topics like moral development and drive to understand. 

The bibliography includes old favorites, like Harriet the Spy and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, as well as some more recently published books that I have never heard of.   Even better, my kids haven’t heard of them either.


Yesterday, I sat down with note cards (I love note cards, especially the fun, color coded ones) and started jotting down book ideas for each kid.  I starred suggestions that might work well for family reading time.   (I use that extra hour of summer evening light to read aloud to my kids; they also enjoy reading to each other.  It nurtures love for books and also gets the children settled and calm even if the sun is still out!  Later in the summer, I might use that time to read something they wouldn’t choose on their own, like a classic or a biography.)

If my local library doesn’t have all the books from Some of My Best Friends…, I can request from other libraries in the system or start searching Amazon.  Our library now allows us to borrow ebooks!  I just have to take the time to set up my Kindle and get started!

How will you find books for your kids this summer?  Can you name a few “forgotten favorites” or lost gems?  Leave your suggestions in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!

Related Word Nerd Posts:
Coming next week:  More suggestions for summer reading from my favorite picture book author!

Julia
Improving vocabulary

New Vocab from the iPad

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

We finally got an iPad, and I love every swiping moment I spend with it.  So easy, intuitive, and fun.  

My kids love it too; note the charger plugged in?  They play til it’s dead.

While I was reading the very sparse instructions that came with my new favorite device, I found this:

“The iPad screen has been treated with an oleophobic substance to resist the oil from your fingers.  Clean gently with a damp cloth.”  



Oleophobic?  “What a great word!” I cried out at 10pm.  My husband responded with a muffled “Put the iPad down and go to bed,” from his pillow.  He wasn’t impressed, but I’m sure you are.  


This word is so new (Apple is so hip), that I had to construct a definition from information in Webster’s.


oleophobic: \’ō-lē-ō-‘fo-bik\  adj; from Latin oleum – fat/oil + French phobique, Latin phobus – aversion: lacking affinity for oil 


Word Nerd Workout:  Let’s try something different this week.  We are creative and hip people; I challenge you to make your own new word using the suffix “phobic.”  In the comments below, list the word, its definition, and then use it in a sentence.  For example:

Bieberphobic:  someone who has an aversion to the sound of Justin Bieber’s music.  

Fortunately, my ten year old daughter is a bieberphobic like me.  





Your turn!  Leave your creation in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by!

Julia
Improving vocabulary

Word Nerd Vocabulary Review

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 6 Comments

It’s been four months since I’ve started intentionally working to expand my vocabulary, and as my dear “Oma” would say, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”  (“Oma” is Dutch for grandmother.  I miss her terribly, and I only hope I can be as resilient as she was in her later years.   Technically, she was German, but my father is Dutch, and that’s where the nickname comes from.  However, I digress…). 

Besides honoring Oma’s wisdom, I want to appease the teacher/coach in me who feels the need to review the words we’ve already learned.  But I promise not to turn into my intimidating English teacher, Mrs. Giles.

Flex your word nerd muscles by answering the three questions below without cheating!   (ie. no consultation of reference material or pages on this blog)  Every participant who gets all three questions correct will get lots of “link love” from me.  Translation:  I’ll post your name and links to your wonderful websites and blogs at the beginning of next month’s vocabulary review.  If you don’t have a website/blog, I’ll tweet and post about your vocabulary prowess on Twitter and Facebook.  If you are a shy and reclusive word nerd, and prefer only personal satisfaction, I can honor that too. 


Ready?  Let’s get started.

Word Nerd Workout
  1. From which would you be more likely to get tea, a sobriquet or a samovar?
  2. Which would sound more pleasing, mellifluous speech or a petulant reply?
  3. Complete the analogy.  Auspicious : Favorable :: persistent: _________
    1. pedantic
    2. inexorable
    3. preternaturally
    4. petulant

See, not too hard.  And since we are competent word nerds, I’ve decided to expand the vocabulary portion of this blog.  For the next few months, stop by every Tuesdayfor a new word to add to your personal lexicon.   I may also throw in Word Nerd Grammar Notes on some Tuesdays, and I’ll continue with reviews and literary commentary each Friday.  If you come across an interesting word in your reading, watching, or everyday conversation, please share it with me, and I’ll add it to the growing list.  

Click on the comments link below to add your responses, and thanks for stopping by!


Julia

Run for the Wall to Remember

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 4 Comments

My little town doesn’t have much.  Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, population 9000, our community has more gas stations than fancy restaurants, more farmland than developed parks.  But people matter in this little town.  Every day, but especially this week.

Have you heard of “Run For the Wall?”  Every year, hundreds of men and woman ride their motorcycles from as far away as California to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. to honor POWs, MIAs, and veterans from all wars.  And every year, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, they stop right here, to get a few meals and a lot of love.  

Children from our local elementary school crowd the park in the center of town to meet the riders, marvel at their bikes, and say “thank you.”  Sweet, high pitched voices offer songs and tear provoking tributes.  I don’t have any POWs or MIAs to pray for personally.  My father came home safely from Vietnam and married my mother in 1968.  My father-in-law also served, just after my husband was born, and fortunately returned.   But I know many families aren’t so lucky.   So I cry for them.

When the ceremonies finish, the kids sprint to the street to wave flags and watch the bikes roll out as they head north towards D.C.   Although I’m always impressed by the sight of the bearded, road hardened bikers mingled with hundreds of children dressed in red, white and blue, today the sound struck me hard: roaring motorcycle engines, horn blasts, and chants of U S A!  U S A! 

What does this have to do with being a word nerd?  I’m realizing more and more that writing about the significant events of life gives them more meaning, more permanence.   Writing this post has forced me to stop in my busy schedule to absorb the importance of what I witnessed this morning.  And I hope it will inspire you to pause too. 

At Run for the Wall, the people of my town remember, along with the riders,  the sacrifice made for us.  And most importantly, we are teaching our children to remember. 

Travel safely, riders.
How will you commemorate Memorial Day?  Do you have someone special to remember?  Take time to find out more information about Run for the Wall.  Thanks for stopping by!

Julia