The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald, F. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York:  Scribner.

I first read The Great Gatsby when I was a junior in high school.  I enjoyed it then.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to read some books multiple times.  But since I mainly teach British literature, I haven't had Fitzgerald shoved down my throat.  I actually had only read Gatsby once until I decided to re-read it before the movie.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle, E. (1969) The very hungry caterpillar. New York:  Scholastic.

The public library in my county gives a new book to children on their birthday.  Brody received The Very Hungry Caterpillar for his first birthday.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I ever read this book before.  I know it is very popular for early elementary classrooms.  In fact, the caterpillar is EVERYWHERE!

Still Reading

I promise that I haven't quit reading or writing.  Life is just very busy at the moment.  I finished my first year of graduate school!  Yay!  The school year ends this week! Yay!  We are currently moving, so I haven't had much time to update this blog.  I'm not really sure if anyone reads this anyway.

The Monsters' Monster

McDonnell, P. (2012). The monsters' monster.  New York:  Little Brown Books.

Partrick McDonnell has received a Caldecott Honor for his work with the picture book Me...Jane.  McDonnell should receive the Caldecott for his work on The Monster's Monster.  His artwork is beautiful and simple to accompany such a simple, yet heartwarming story.

Romeo and Juliet

Coville, B. (1999). William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. New York:  Dial Books.

I am a huge Shakespeare fan.  I even wanted to name my son William (my husband said no).  My love affair with Billy goes back to my freshman year of high school.  I was in a rather small English I class with students who should have been in an English II class.  I felt really out of place.  That teacher will always be an important person in my life, because she introduced me to Shakespeare.  We read both Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Night's Dream.  I got to read for Juliet and Helena.  My teacher told me that I was a talented reader and truly understood Shakespeare; I'm not sure if she really meant it, but she gave me a lot of confidence.

The Runaway Bunny

Wise Brown, M. (1942) The runaway bunny. New York:  Harper.

I have posted on the relationship between father and son with Guess How Much I Love You, The Runaway Bunny is about the relationship between mother and son.  It is a conversation that a first makes the reader nervous--the young bunny wants to runaway.  But in the end, the bunny realizes that no matter where he goes, his mother will be with him.

Jane Eyre

Bronte, C. (1847). Jane Eyre. London:  Smith, Elder and Company.

Jane and I have a love/hate relationship.  I have read this novel numerous times in the past ten years.  I first read Jane Eyre in my AP English IV class in high school.  Since this is the first year I'm teaching the same course, I thought it was an appropriate novel.  This time, the novel must have spoke to me, because currently, Jane and I are kindred spirits.  Or maybe the fact that my students are actually enjoying the plot made me like the novel this time.