Review 5 -Read a Rhyme Write A Rhyme

Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme is a book with poems which are about things that most children enjoy, and begin with more concrete things (like talking about dogs) to more abstract things (like talking about oneself). The poetry is actually very good! The author did an excellent job of picking out poems that showcase the theme, but also have some substance to them and are entertaining to read.

Written by Jack Prelutsky, Read a Rhyme Write a Rhyme, gives three poems examples on a certain theme  and then it challenges its young reader to write their own poem using a Poem Start. Poem Starts give students the first few lines of the new poem in order to give them a push in their writing. Poem Starts are well done, creative and help children who may struggle with starting out the boost they need to write well. Here is an from the book; the theme is snow.

One Thing I Know

Snow's cold
Snow's white.
Snow's soft.
Snow's bright.
Ine thing
I know-
I DO
LIKE SNOW.
 --Ivy O. Eastwick

I will write an ending to the poemstrart (my addition will be in red).

Snow Poemstart

It's snowing on the treetops,
It's snowing in my house.
A mouse is running through the snow,
It's snowing on the mouse.

It's snowing in my backyard,
It's snowing outside my door.
Springtime, please come soon,
I can't take the snow anymore.

As you can see, I'm not a fan snow. A teacher can show the class his or her poemstart by writing on the board, or by projecting it on touch responsive board. Teachers may also want to use this book to aid with teaching words that rhyme, writing poetry with an ABCB rhyme  pattern (or rhyming patterns in general). Rhyming lesson plans would work very well. Here are a few: rhyme time,  reading, writing, rhyming, and rhyming lesson

Review 4- Dear Hot Dog

In all honesty, I found Dear Hot Dog- Poems About Everyday Stuff, to be a delightful book. My partner is not really sure how children would respond to these poems. [She doesn't] know if children would find the poems boring, or if they would find them relatable and like them. I think children (K-2nd grade) would enjoy these poems alot.  It is a 'typical' book to use in the classroom. However, some of the language in the poems can spark children to think deeply and to use very descriptive words when they are writing.

Summer Sun

Sometimes, though,
you play rough,
get too hot
and burn my nose.
Then I hide inside
till yawning evening
when you slip
drowsily
behind the
grassy hills,
and your
snoring sounds like
katydid and
cricket songs.

I found the language in some of the poems fragrant and beautiful.

Surprisingly, I found it difficult to find teaching resources online using this book. I did find tons of lesson plans for students to improve in their writing of poetry. I believe that Dear Hot Dog will help children look at anything and see it as a potential topic for poetry.

I like how the book pictures the children completely happy and satisfied with simple things. Contentment might be a character trait to go over with young students. One poem is about socks. While reading it, I thought to myself, I am just as happy when I am putting on a pair of thick socks on a cold day. I love how this book depicts the care free love young children have for the simple things in life.

A good writing assignment could be, after having read this book, the teacher could put a bunch of class room items in a bag. Each children could pick one, then based on what they took out, he or she could write a poem about it.

Review 3- Hip Hop Speaks to Children

As my partner has said:  "this book should be a staple in any classroom from grades 3-5 because it really welcomes and engages those who cannot relate to the traditional type of literature provided in the classroom",  I completely agree with this statement.

Edited by Nikki Giovanni, Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a vibrant, powerful, collection of jazz, blues, and hip hop music that can be summed up into one word: poetry. Nikki Giovanni masterfully has taken poems and music that was not originally intended for children but has preserved the soul of the content and made it palatable for young learners.  Here is a short explanation of the book by Nikki Giovanni. A teacher may want to cut this down to about a minute and half as not to lose her students interest.

Nikki Giovanni explains Hip Hop Speaks to Children

The month of April is National Poetry Month. I think this book would be a great tool to use to get children excited about poetry during this month. The beauty of this book is that just in case the CD gets scratched or is not with the book when it is borrowed from the library, a teacher can download the instrumental version of many of these song “poems”.  I posted several of the instrumental or full version of the music below.
 Ham and Eggs
Funky Snowman
Everything is Everything 

I loved that the book has Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang. My family probably believed I wasn’t really doing work while I was listening to it. But like me, students will most likely dance and get into the music. The instrumental version can be used for a writing assignment. Students can write their own Rapper’s Delight and perform it using the music. Students will most likely enjoy  as well and it is worth listening to in the classroom.

My partner brought up a very good question concerning grammar since most of the poetry here is written in African American vernacular. She wonders “How do you introduce these poems to the students? Would you tell them that this is not the ‘proper’ way to speak? If so, wouldn’t that alienate the students who do speak that way, basically going against what you are trying to accomplish by welcoming them into the classroom community? How do you approach a topic such as this”?

It is the teacher’s job to correct students’ grammar, in my opinion. I’m sure there is a way to do so without alienating students. I would explain that families and communities communicate in a certain but the way that I am teaching you is the correct way to say it or write it. To further illustrate my point I will use the poem: why some people be mad at me sometimes. I probably would make this poem title and a few more sentences part of the morning meeting message and have the students tell me how could this be said and written the right way. I think that sometimes we shrink back from telling students that there is a right and wrong way to do, write, and say things. When we do this, we are ultimately hurting our students.

Review 2- Emma's Poem

Linda Glaser's children's book, Emma's Poem, is simplistic account of the life of the woman who wrote arguably the most famous poem about The Statue of Liberty. Emma's Poem is an ideal book to dove-tail  a unit on Citizenship in Social Studies. With it's painting like illustrations by Claire Nivola, this book will grab the attention of upper elementary school  learners and tug at their hearts as well.

As my partner has already stated Emma's Poem is a book about Emma Lazarus, a wealthy Jewish woman who had grown up in New York City with “plenty of everything.” Although she herself had never experienced suffering and poverty, she was moved when she visited Ward’s Island and saw the newly arrived immigrants, many of whom were sick and hungry. Of these immigrants, most were Jewish, like Emma, and they had left [Eastern]Europe because their friends and relatives were being killed. Emma felt as though it was her duty to help them, so she tried her best to raise awareness through her writings. Some people helped, but many felt that these immigrants would “ruin the country.” Although, at this point in time, “women kept their thoughts quiet,” Emma was a well-known writer and she was asked to submit a poem to raise money to erect the Statue of Liberty in the New York Harbor. Emma imagined that the Statue of Liberty was there to welcome the new immigrants, since that would be one of the first things they saw when they arrived, and wrote a beautiful poem for them. Many years later, Emma’s poem was placed inside the entrance of the Statue of Liberty and was sung in classrooms around the country.

This book is a teacher's dream-come-true! In simplistic language and short phrases, a teacher able to expain many things.

1. Where  did the Statue of Liberty come from? Why do we have? What does it mean? Has the meaning changed of the years? Does it mean different to different people?
2. (In light of Social Studies Core Curriculum-Grade 4) How have individuals (Emma Lazarus) help to strenghten democracy in the United States? Culturally  how has American society developped and changed? What events have played a part in uniting all Americans
3. How were early immigrants treated? What does the Statue of Liberty mean for immigrants?
4. How were the poor treated? How are they treated now?

There are a plethora of websites that offer excellent resources for parents to use to educate children on immigration, U.S. citizenship, and poetry. Here are just a few that like Emma Lazarus' famous poem, The Statue Liberty, and U.S Citizenship/Social Studies: BrainPop,  PBS,  thirteen, and my personal favorite, A Read-Alound Lesson Plan

Review1- Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It

Written by Gail Carson Levine, Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It is a hilarious devious poetry book of false apologies. Even the Table of Contents is a bit rude as all forty-seven poems have the same title: This is just to say. 

The author's introduction is found about five or six pages  after the first few poems much to the editor's great chagrin. Gail Carson Levine writes a nasty little false apology to her as well.

This is juts to say

Instead of at the beginning

I slipped

this introduction

in here

where

my editor excruciatinly loudly

screeched

it does not belong

Forgive me

I also shredded

her red pencil and stirred

the splinters into her tea

Gail Carson Levine's sinister humor was inspired by William Carlos Williams, a poet and physician who wrote a famous false apology (a note) to his wife after he had eaten her plums. You can read the poem, if you follow the link, here.

Although, this book was inspired by William Carlos Williams and it is written for elementary school children, I found it difficult to find teacher materials specifically by Williams for this age group. I believe his poems may be more suitable for junior high  and high school students.  I'm sure if teaching elementary school children "false apologies" through poetry, would go well with parents.

My questions are:

1. How could a teacher teach poetry using this example in a positive light?
2. How would parents react?
3. Would this type of poetry benefit younger learners?

All and all, I think Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It is loads of fun and would make students laugh. I think it's good to teach children humor from various prespectives; sarcasm can be seen in literature. It doesn't seem wrong to me that's it's a part of creative writing and poetry. As my partner stated this book is "Absolutely brilliant! The poems all follow the same verse-like pattern, although they do not all rhyme. I mean, it doesn’t exactly send the best message, since false apologies aren’t necessarily nice, but it’s a great read and many children would unquestionably love it"

Review of Fiction in Verse

 Hola Fellow Children´s Lit Bloggies:

 Here I have written a list of the 5 children's books which I have read and written reviews.

1. Blues Journey- Walter Dean Myers
2. Step Gently Out- Helen Frost
3. Zorgamazoo- Rober Paul Weston
4. Out of the Dust- Karen Hesse
5. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village- Laura Schiltz

All of these books are under the Fiction in Verse genre (Novel in verse). They vary in age appropriate-ness, but they were all usable books to complement units in either E.L.A, Science or Social Studies.

Feel free to read these books to your kiddies and comment.

Happy Reading,

El

Text 5- Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Written by Laura Amy Schlitz, a school librarian, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!Voices from the Medieval Village, is a unique collection of monologue and dialogue poems that would be a perfect addition to  an elementary Social Studies curriculum. This book of miniature plays was inspired by the students of Schlitz's school who were studying the Middle Ages and were really getting into it; they were building catapults and miniature castles.  Schlitz wanting to extend the students learning created characters for the students to act out, such as Taggot the Blacksmith's Daughter; Pask the Runaway; and Jack the Half-wit.



The book is set in a medieval manor in England; the year is 1255. Although the characters are all children from ages 9-15, they vary in class and life situations. Some are nobility such as Isobel the Lord's daughter, others are very poor like Giles the beggar, all have their lives in some way interwoven with those around them.

In eighty-one pages, Schlitz addresses difficult issues in life, and issues that would have effected the lives of children that lived in the thirteenth century.

My father died last winter-

also the chickens. Choked themselves-

thrased and turned sick, after all the trouble I had

plucking their grass and cleaning their muck

and not one egg.

On the side margins of each page, there are captions that explain what the words and expressions used mean. For example, when people said choked in the thirteenth century they were referring to  "gapes" an illness caused by roundworms blocking the trachea so that animals would choke to death. Throughout the book there are also pages dedicated to explaining customs and events that happened during this time. Students will find short yet descriptive information  on: medieval pilgrimages, The Crusades, Jews in medieval society, and even one on the practice of falconry. All pages are accompanied with lively colorful cartoon-like illustrations.

This book is a great resource to ignite students as they study the Middle Ages. It is written so that 20 students get speaking parts in a play. I love how it is fun but not fluffy. It allows children to see what life was like for the rich and for the poor; for Jews and for Christians. A great conversation can follow the study of this unit of race and class in equalities. Teachers may want to ask: What are some themes here (in the Middle Ages) that we still see today? Have there been any improvements?

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village makes a unit on the Middle Ages come to life. 

Text 4- Out of the Dust

It's not very often that a book written in verse tugs at one's heart strings or makes one value familial relationships like Out of the Dust does. Karen Hesse does not shield young readers from the harsh realities of living in a place where the weather dictates the course of one child's life and how life can change from day to day.

Billy Jo is a young girl; an only child. Her parents have tried several times to have more children but each time the baby miscarried and her family was left with another disappointment. Joyously the news spreads that  Billy Jo's mama is pregnant and this time every one believes the baby is going to live. They have gotten further along with this pregnancy than any of the others and twelve year old Billy Jo can't wait to meet her new brother.

One day, Mama decides to use the bucket of water next to the stove to cook breakfast. However, it is not a bucket of water, it is  pail of kerosene. The kerosene spreads all over mama and she turns into a pillar of flames. Shortly after, Billy Jo's mama dies. The baby is delivered but he too dies. The book continues with Billy Jo and her father trying to survive from day to day in the midst of greiving and in the midst of dust storms that have destroyed their crops, and taken their very desire to continue on.

The Accident

I got
burned
bad.

Daddy
put a pail of kerosene
next to the stove
and Ma,
fixing breakfast,
thinking the pail was
filled with water,
lifted it,
to make Daddy's coffee...
The flaming oil
splashed
onto her apron,
and Ma,
suddenly Ma,
was a column of fire...

Ma
got
burned
bad

July 1934

During this fire, Billy Jo's hands got caught on fire as well, as she tried to put the flames out on her mother. The burns effect her confidence, she no longer plays the piano which her ma taught her how to do so well. She deals with the pain of her hands... and her heart. Pa doesn't know how to relate to her. The book has shadows of Billy Jo and her father finding their way back to one another.  The reader has to get to the end to discover if they ever do especially since the dust storms threathen their lives everyday. Will they ever get a decent rain?

Brillantly written, Karen Hesse helps young readers to think deeply and soberly about hardships. This scenario is very realistic and could happen to any family, although the book takes place in the 1930's.

Teachers could use this book to aid with talks about the United States post-Depression. I also think it could be used to aid in teaching Science for upper elementary school students. How were children and families affected by the dust storms? What causes dust storms? Where are they most likely to occur? This story makes the study and investigation of weather relevant and applicable to everyday life and circumstances.

Text 3- Zorgamazoo

Here is a story that's stranger than strange

Before we begin you may want to arrange 

a blanket,

a cushion,

a comfortable seat,

and maybe some cocoa and something to eat.

Unlike any other novel written completely in verse, Zorgamazoo is a wacky, luny story of a young girl named Katrina Katrell who runs away from home (because guardian wants to have her brain removed, of course). Katrina meets lovable non-adventerous Morty the Zorgle who wants nothing more than a  quiet life. His hopes of a quiet life are dashed when all of the country zorgles of Zorgamazoo go missing. Katrina and Morty set out to find out what happen to the zorgles. Are they still alive? Will they ever be returned to their beloved Zorgamazoo? This novel follows Katrina and Morty as they discover the answer to these questions and more?

Robert Paul Weston takes the cake with this zany tale of imaginary fantastic beasts and places. As an adult I found it difficult to this novel of 283 pages down.  The way it is written is nothing short of unique and grabs the readers attention the whole way through. One of the special feautures of Zorgamazoo is that there are entire pages that are dedicated to one or just a few words to give emphasis to what is happening in the story.

So if you've no time for the whimiscal things

for pirates and gadgets and creatures and kings

if you spurn the fantastic to never return,

then

PUT

THIS

BOOK

DOWN...

for it's not your concern.

I like that the book has themes that are a bit scary; at times it reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Katrina Katrell runs away from her guardian that wants to give her a lobotomy, she lands on the turf of a local gang, she runs away from mechanical bugs, she brings free from a prison, and escapes other dreadful circumstances just in the nick of time (all with Morty's help, of course).

Older elementary school learners will find this book extremely entertaining. It also expands students' vocabulary since there are many words that they do not use in everyday speech.

      "Dear sir,"

       he recited, beginning to read

       the document's pompous, punctilious screed

      "On behalf of the Bureau of Heroes and Quests,

       we acknowledge your deed, which plainly attests

      to your selflessness, bravery, vigor and verve,

      as well as your steely, unwavering nerve.



Specifically, fourth and fifth graders would get the most of this book. I think it's perfect for a read aloud time. Also, teachers could use this book to complement the E.L.A unit on poetry. Students can also write their own wacky story in verse or create an alternative ending.



Text 2- Step Gently Out

Beautifully written in a poem form, each page of Step Gently Out has one or two lines beckoning you to pay close attention to the world around you. This colorful children's book with its live photography and large letters draws you into a quiet moment, where you focus only on the words on the page and the picture of the small creature that is displayed with each piece of the poem. I love books that transport you to different places! Step Gently Out does just that; it slows you  down and makes you pay attention to what nature's smallest creatures have to offer you. 

...be still

and watch

a single blade of grass.

An ant

climbs up

to look

around.

A honeybee flies past.

The language of the book is lyrical like a song and at the same time it is as quiet as a whisper. It seems to me it should be whispered when read aloud. You wouldn't want to scare the creatures away, now would you?

This book is fictional book but the creatures it portrays are real.  I think it would be best if read by and to 1st- 3rd graders (also a great bedtime book for toddlers). The language, albeit poetic, is very simple and easy to understanding. The pictures also make this text interdisciplinary in that a student could use it to observe insects. Moreover, in the back of the book there's a full description of every insect featured in the photos. The picture above, for example, features an Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly. The description in the back of the book tells you the best places to look if you want to encounter damselflies.

I wonder: In what way can this book develop a child's ability to read literature?

I think this book would benefit children in a few ways

1. Students would be able to focus on new words and phrases, their spelling and meaning because there are so few words. The book has some abstract phrases but the words have pictures that elude to their meaning (i.e. The creatures shine with stardust). Students can draw pictures of what they believe the new words/phrases mean or explain it to a partner.
2. Students have an introduction to common insects they may have seen before but now they get to know their names and learn a little about them.
3. Lastly, students can write their own short poem stories based on pictures they may have drawn, magazine clippings they may have cut out, or photos from home they have brought. This exercise makes good use of the book and helps the students to put into action what they have read.

I believe using books like Step Gently Out in these ways will deepen student comprehension and improve their reading ability.

Text 1 Fiction in Verse- Blues Journey

   Blues, blues, blues; what do you mean to me

   Blues, blues, blues; what do you mean to me

   Are you my pain and misery or my sweet sweet company?

Imagine being in the deep south; think Lousiana (New Orleans preferably).

Imagine you're in a hot sticky room, stuffed wall to wall with people listening to the sweet sound of southern blues. The strings of a guitar are being plucked and strummed expertly by a blues player who lives and breathes this genre of music. While you're listening, you can't help but to lose yourself. You lose yourself in the simple story of the blues player, you lose yourself in the feelings of loss and love; hardships and relationships. You lose yourself in the struggle of a people.

Walter Dean Myers does a superb job introducing young readers to blues music using  Fiction in Verse. Each page of the text's features a pentatonic or a "blues" scale. The blues scale follows the normal pattern of African music which is a call and a response. In the blues, the singer makes the same call twice and then the blues singer responds to his own call.

                             I gave my woman money, I offered her my hand

                             Gave her all my money, said, "Baby, take my hand"

                             She smiled from here to Sunday, then spent it on another man!

                            (Now you know that's wrong!)

While reading this text you can almost hear the likes of B.B King playing Ole Lucille, his guitar, in the background. Blues Journey experiences young readers to the music, reading in verse, historical realities and phrases that are new. Another feature of the text is a thorough introduction explaining what are "the blues" and a glossary explaining unfamilar words that can be heard in blues music.

I think the text is unique and the picture spark interest and questions. Although, the book has some funny blues lyrics (like the second one posted), it also has haunting verses that may intrigue readers.

                            Strange fruit hanging, high in a big oak tree
                            Strange fruit hanging, high in a big oak tree
                            You can see what it did to Willie, can you see what it does to me?

This verse deals with the reality of lynching in the deep south that was practiced in places where the blues were sung and listened to. Through the music, black people expressed themselves and the oppression and injustices they faced- I guess why the music is called "the blues".

The text,I think, it is a light and short way of introducing heavy subject matter in History and Social Studies and it can be used to help students in the creation process of their own writing peices based on  American History.

Poetry Stories

 Fiction in Verse is typically defined as "a full-length novel with plot, subplots, themes, with major and minor characters. Fiction of verse is always presented in blank verse form which separates it from the other genres of fiction literature." (Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5336792). They are often called Novels in Verse. We can think of them as poetry stories; complete stories told through poetry.

Fiction in Verse is not a new genre. I've read that novels written in verse go back to at least the late part of the 18th century with Louisa: A Poetical Novel written by Anna Seward in 1784. Fiction in Verse seemed to gain popularity in 19th century as well, with famous authors such as Tennyson penning The Lady of Shalott.

I'm reminded of Sunday afternoons in my parents home, growing up. My sister and I would sit in our seats glued to the PBS special of Anne of Green Gables. We loved her! One of my favorite scenes was watching quirky Anne (played by Meagan Follows) float down the river in a small wooden boat, quoting The Lady of Shalott. I remembered how fascinated I was with the Lady's sad story and how much I would have liked to read this poem for myself.  I had no idea that it was a full story, all I knew was that the partial story had me captivated. I always loved poetry and good stories as a child. Fiction in verse seemed to be the perfect hybrid of a genre for me.

Today, I believe the ones who will embrace this genre will still be children who enjoy well developed stories and the swaying rhythm of poetry. It would probably be beneficial to use this genre in elementary school teaching when there is specific theme or situation that needs to be taught that a fiction in verse book could explain best. Themes that include lost, truimph, etc... Also, Fiction in Verse should be taught in elementary schools for sheer fun and enjoyment. I think it would grab the imagination of students and help them learn words: how they sound(phonetics), how they are written, and how they go together.

A Reader's Identity Crisis?

I think I'm having an identity crisis.

Well, not really. Maybe a Reader's Identity Crisis. In teaching we all have to answer the questions: Who are we are readers? What is our identity? How do we discover the "reading identity" of students to effectively engage them? I think it is essential for educators to answer these questions to have a good sense of who they are as readers so that their teaching and their  classroom offer a selection of different types of literature. What teacher would want their students to miss out on something they might enjoy because of the teacher's personal perferences? 

As teachers, who we are directly effects how and what we teach. Identity is a compilation of everything we believe and is the very fabric of who we are. Our reading habits are tightly knitted into that fabric because what we read is very telling of who we are.  As a child I enjoyed reading poetry and humorous books. I was the type of kid that would walk around with 101 Joke books, or a book where you chose your own ending. I tend to be drawn to humor and the human experience. I just read a children's book today; I stole it out of a second grade reading nook about a month ago (Hey- don't judge me). I just got the chance to read it today, it's about adoption. The book deals with the raw emotion of a six year old girl finally understanding what the word "adopted" means and her dealing with her feelings of not being wanted by her birthmother. By the end of the book, the girl has found peace and understands that her birthmother did love her but had to give her up to offer her a better life, and her adopted family will always be there. 

These kinds of books are what I usually reach for in a read aloud- but how would this book grab the attention of the seven year old with his fingers in his ears because he's bored to pieces?  He would much rather listen to a chapter on Star Wars or some other Science Fiction.

As a teacher I have to recognize my own identity but offer students a variety of genres to choose from, because after all it's not about me.  If I recognize my own "Reader Identity" and I'm aware that my students do not all share my identity, then I will not have a genre identity crisis. I am able to get involved with the types of books they like in order to win them to reading as life long hobby.

A Series of (Extra) Unfortunate Events

I feel like that little girl Violet in those well-known books by Daniel Handler. You probably know him as Lemony Snicket, the clever creator of the children's books "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

Snicket takes us on a sad journey of bad things that happen to the Baudelaire orphans. Poor things! They can't seem to catch a break; and graciously Snicket warns us to "Please read something else." He lets us know that the tale of these children will not be a happy one.

I kind of feel like that. I feel like there is no hope for me. Listen to my story and see if you don't agree.

I've never written a blog before, in fact, I don't believe I write particularly well- but I have to. I am studying to become an elementary school teacher and I plan to be a fantastic one. Yes- I said it. I plan to be fantastic. Why shouldn't I plan that? I love books, teaching and children so it only makes sense that I would work hard to be a great teacher. But I have to do well in my courses- and in order to do well in my courses, I have to create a blog and write in it often. What's more, I have to open it up for others to comment on!

Woe is me! What will people think of my blogs?!?! Will they like them? Will they find them informative? Will I receive an "A" from my professor? These questions just add increasingly more stress to an extremely stressed out, over worked, underpaid, over-Thirty year old woman. My eyes are red. I need coffee but I'm too broke right now to buy a cup. Sad, sad state I'm in. I'm in a Blogger Fogger. Will anyone rescue me? Calgon take me away!!!

Yet, I must go on. This blog space will be dedicated to postings on children's literature. I will focus on how to teach children and engage them using various genres of  literature (of course, from a humorous point of view). Hopefully my professor, collegues, and random internet people worldwide who are interested in children's literature blogs, will stop in and offer their words of wisdom. And maybe have a laugh or two.

Until my next graduate work meltdown.
Enjoy reading to your children :)