Flora and Ulysses

I look at squirrels a bit differently after reading this book.  Ulysses nods a lot during the book and it’s adorable.  We are in the last parts of this story and every time I finish reading for the day, they scream “NoOOooOOOOo!” But, the school day is about to end, and you’d be wondering where they were if I didn’t send them home.  I love that they are like this when I’m reading a book.  Here’s a little secret:  They are like this during EVERY.  SINGLE.  BOOK.  I.  READ.  They hang on to every word.  They crane their neck to see the occasional pictures.  They discuss the book with one another…even when I’m not leading the discussion.  The giggle.  They belly laugh.  Having a book in common, a book we are ALL connecting with, is magical.  Truly.  It's a moment when your reading level doesn’t matter and you can talk about the book with EVERYONE in the class.  This is about ALL of us being on the same page.  All of us falling for the characters in the book.  Rooting for them.  Booing them.  One of my favorite things about this book is how they say this line “George Buckman, how do you do?” when I’m reading.  It’s something Flora’s father says, mostly out of nervousness, every time he meets someone, even if not for the first time.  At this point, I just say “George” and they say the rest.  As I said, magical.  We talk about the books and write about them on our anchor charts (which are displayed around the room) and then in our Reader’s Notebooks too.  Talking and writing about the books we read is really an important part of what we do.  I love reading with your kids.  It’s one of my favorite things about my job.