Cover Story
Book Talk!

Reading books is one thing. Now, with passion, skill, and a little bit of chutzpah, educators are getting kids to talk about them--like grown-ups do.

Ah, to wallow in the magic of a good book. Unearth its meaning. Hold it to the heart. Toot about it. It's one of the simple pleasures many educators live for--the gift, too, they long to pass on to their students.

Yet in many classrooms, it's not always easy to make reading for kids a pathway to such joy, or some wondrous exercise in self-discovery, or even the great social event many experts say it can be. Testing demands, instruction mandates, overcrowded classes, resource shortfalls--all can short-circuit teacher creativity and stymie student chatter.

But across the country, NEA members are showing that with passion and a bit of will, reading can be taught successfully and, at the same time, celebrated--playfully, cheerfully, and with rigor. Through such innovation as student-led reading circles, in-class book clubs, author studies and "literary cafés," members are turning reading into a social treat for their students--all the while making it a tool for self-exploration, for honing writing and thinking skills, for pondering social issues, indeed, for developing a love of literature for the joy of it.

Driving this train is not simply great teaching, but the books themselves. "We've never been in an age where there are such rich children's books--they've just never been better," says Susan Hepler, a children's literary consultant and co-author of the forthcoming book, Books Your Kids Will Talk About! State-of-the-art printing techniques, luscious art commingling with text, nontraditional styles--this is all part of it. But, says Maria Salvadore, the book's co-author, it's also the ideas. "There's never been such diversity and range of themes--blended families, social activism--or even such authentic voices," she says. "For the first time, for example, we have a book that portrays, in a high-quality way, a situation where the father is incarcerated. When you think about it, that's pretty amazing."

(What book is that? See page 10 for this and other chat-inspiring offerings in a new title from the NEA Professional Library.)

Given this current trove of literary treasures, educators are being inspired to buck more traditional ways of engaging their kids around books. For them, it's no longer good enough to simply quiz kids on what a book is "about" or who its main characters are. Rather, "It's giving kids a chance to talk to each other the way mature adults talk about books," says Barbara Kapinus, NEA's reading specialist.

"You wouldn't, for instance, pick up Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, a book about Black children in the South, and ask kids, 'What's the main idea?'" she says. "You'd ask, 'Who are these people? What are they struggling with? What does it remind you of?' It's about giving them a chance to really interact with the text and respond to it"--and then, through discussion with each other, sift through and turn over what is revealed.

Kapinus grants that teachers must develop know-how to successfully mold thoughtful, active readers this way, but many educators are doing it--and seeing results.

Creating a Haven
Take Debbi Tehrani, a fifth-grade teacher at Jones Lane Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Tehrani readily admits to doing things with, well, zeal. Collecting 3,000 children's books on her own during her 13 years of teaching, then stuffing them into every nook and cranny of her classroom is just one of them. "I just love to read and really want my kids to share that love," she says. "When you surround kids with books, they just can't help getting into them. They talk about them all the time."

But in Tehrani's classroom there's a method to the madness. In addition to reading aloud to her kids every day--"It builds such a sense of community and creates a closeness to your students"--she holds a daily "reading workshop." She starts each workshop with a mini-lesson--about everything from how to choose a book and comprehend better to how to conduct a good discussion (watch the eye contact, respond politely, etc.). Then once a week students write a letter to her about a book they've chosen. And she writes back, to express excitement about their discovery or to suggest they try a related book or author.

Labor intensive, yes. "But a lot of times in those letters they make a connection between what they're reading and what I'm reading to them--or what's happening in their lives," says Tehrani.

And that's just the start. The students also craft personal "reading profiles"--revealing which genres they like, whether they're prone to giving away surprise endings, how fast they read.

"I try to get them to know themselves as readers, because really, many don't," Tehrani says. They carefully review each other's profiles and Tehrani then organizes them into "book clubs" based on similar reading habits. Each group meets once or twice a week, plans what and how much they will read, then holds discussions, which Tehrani tapes and evaluates. "They just love it," she says. "They feel it's a grown-up thing, and they're really sharing ideas enthusiastically and using the strategies we've talked about. It's just opened up a whole new world to them."

Making the Author Connection
Hundreds of miles away in rural Holly, Michigan, Kathy Highfield says she's knows the joy precisely. She, too, uses book clubs with her third and fourth graders at Rose Pioneer Elementary School--but with some added twists. She often focuses, for example, on a particular author to buttress her yearlong literacy theme, "Our Story Lives." For three years her literary guru of choice has been the popular Michigan-based author Patricia Polacco--mostly because her books are autobiographical. "They have real-life issues and are very meaty--and the more books of hers you read, the more you get a sense of her as a person."

After going through a book or two, Highfield says, the kids begin making connections to their own families and it spurs lively talk--even a desire to write. "They think about their own lives--'I was teased once. Oh, I can write about that'--and so it helps them as authors, too." Character and story development, how to use an illustration--all that, she says, become fodder for discussion and experimentation. And the results are often startling.

"When newer teachers stop in my class to see us do book clubs," she says, "they're always amazed at how deep these students can go in their thinking and discussion. And I think it's because we really underestimate how powerful conversation is for kids....They're taking ownership for their learning. They're really connecting to books and looking at them as more than something to get through. They're actually getting lost in them and then are talking to each other at lunch about them. It's remarkable."

Not the Same Ol' Book Review
Tammy Dorsten, a fifth-grade teacher at Kennesaw Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia, takes yet another approach. Instead of the classic book report, she assigns fun, "sometimes weird," interactive projects to spark talk. So far her kids have dressed up like the subject of a biography they've read, then "frozen" themselves in the school library to present together, as in a wax museum. When other students and other teachers wander through and turn them "on," they begin to talk in the first person about their life and times and discoveries, based on the book.

For other books, Dorsten has directed students to turn themselves into news reporters who, with camcorder rolling, conduct "in setting" interviews with another student they've prepped about their book. ("This is Johnny Smith reporting from the school library, here with the library dragon...").

They've also used cereal boxes to design a cover for a book they've read, complete with summaries and quotes and all the hype about its "real" meaning. They've recorded self-made commercials to convince their class of the value of a book they've read. And because she incorporates writing so intimately into everything her students do, "they read even more because they're now interested in finding how other authors have described something or used alliteration."

Like Tehrani, Dorsten reads aloud frequently, tapping interesting books to supplement virtually every subject. "I can use any book as a springboard into any issue I want to talk about....I'm a white teacher, but if I walk into a mostly Black classroom and ask why we have racism, or why our society is the way it is," Dorsten says, "I'm not going to get a whole lot from a bunch of a nine-year-olds. But when I open the book, they relate to a character and all kinds of issues and ideas get raised." And those are the moments she says become magical because through discussion her kids "begin to think outside the box." They start wondering, 'How does this come back to me?' And that's what I want."

--Marilyn Milloy

Resources

• NEA Success in Reading series, by the NEA Professional Library. For details, visit www.nea.org/books, or call 800/ 229-4200.
• Visit www.nea.org/readingmatters to get resources, ideas, research, and news related to reading instruction.

Part of what makes a great book fun for adults is talking about it. Kids are no different. And, in addition to the fun factor, talking about books is a powerful tool for learning. So how can you connect kids with books that will inspire and motivate them? Books Your Kids Will Talk About!, a new offering from the NEA Professional Library, helps educators and parents successfully navigate the ever-expanding universe of children's books. Authors Susan Hepler and Maria Salvadore have pooled their considerable expertise in the field of children's literature to create an annotated list of thought-provoking books guaranteed to inspire discussion among young people.

The publication's comprehensive booklists are organized around themes that are especially germane to a child's world: making friends, going to school, living in a family, growing up, acting as catalysts for change, and other important topics. Each chapter begins with a brief discussion of the theme and an inspiring classroom anecdote or author interview. There's also a section on ways in which the books can be integrated into your curriculum. Books! aspires to create a community of book lovers by fostering active discussion and self-exploration among young readers.

Books Your Kids Will Talk About! will be available from the NEA Professional Library this April. Here's a preview of some of the book's selections. Visit www.nea.org/books for more.

P = Primary (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
I = Intermediate (Grades 3-4)
U = Upper (Grades 4-6)

Books About Living in a Family

Attaboy, Sam! By Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Diane deGroat. Houghton Mifflin. (Series) (I, U). This funny novel presents a preschooler with a problem: What to give his mother for her birthday? He decides to mix all of her favorite scents in one bottle and let it ripen in his closet. Many families have celebrations that feature surprises. What makes a celebration memorable? How do different families celebrate special events? The "Sam" series also features his big sister Anastasia, who has her own series as well.

Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard. Illustrated by James Ransome. Clarion. (P, I). Using the device of hats to call up memories, a beloved great-great-aunt shares her stories with two girls, thus passing along family tales and traditions. It's a good invitation to talk about treasures--real or remembered; and "Treasures" would make a good labeled classroom display or book of writings.

Emma's Yucky Brother by Jean Little. Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. HarperCollins. (P, I). Emma is excited when her family adopts four-year-old Max, but he's not nearly as cute or as little as he was in his pictures. The transitions are difficult for everyone as Max moves from foster care into a permanent home--and for Emma, who is no longer the only child in the family. This short, expressively illustrated chapter book provides a conduit into many discussable topics, such as adoption and a child's conflicting feelings when a new sibling comes into the house.

Getting Through Thursday by Melrose Cooper. Illustrated by Neka Bennett. Lee & Low. (P). Even though Andre's mother promised a celebration if he achieved honor roll status, he pouts because he has to wait until payday. But the family imaginatively throws him a dress rehearsal party and Andre realizes how much they care about him. Waiting, promises deferred, or things we think we need but can't have are some very real challenges children deal with.

How T?a Lola Came to Visit/Stay by Julia Alvarez. Knopf. (U). When T?a Lola moves from the Dominican Republic to Vermont to help out, Miguel is mortified by her flamboyant character and her willingness to make friends with anyone. Miguel is still smarting from his parents' divorce, moving to a different community, and being different from neighbors and schoolmates. The book invites readers to talk about new situations and how families come through them.

Visiting Day by Jacqueline Woodson. Illustrated by James Ransome. Scholastic. (P, I). The narrator and her grandmother prepare for a bus trip to see the girl's father, who is "doing a little time." Dad, a handsome man in khaki, also eagerly anticipates his daughter's visit. Only illustrations denote that he is actually incarcerated. The richly colored illustrations and the straightforward text focus on the joyful meeting and hoped-for eventual reunion, not the cause of the separation, and encourage discussion of the difficulty of being apart from a loved one.

The "Yang Family" Series by Lensey Namioka. Illustrated by Kees de Kiefte. Little Brown. (Series) (I, U). Four separate novels, each from a different family member's perspective, show how the variously talented Chinese-American siblings find their way in a new culture. Issues include the importance of music, helping parents understand the younger generation's concerns and desires, making friends, and earning money.

Books that Inspire Kids to Change Their World

Edwina Victorious by Susan Bonners. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (U). When Edwina discovers her great-grandaunt Edwina's feisty letters to the editor, it gives her courage to write to the mayor about a neglected neighborhood playground and other civic blights. But young Edwina is too shy to write in her own voice and adopts instead that of the aunt with mixed consequences. This book introduces the concept of community activism, writing letters about matters that need changing, and learning to speak up.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. Knopf. (U). Having moved, Roy Eberhardt is once again the new kid, tormented by the school bully and unhappy in his new home. However, Roy comes to love living in southwest Florida, where he manages to foil big business, garner support for endangered owls, and make friends in his new school. Quirky characters, exaggeration, and middle school humor are used to focus on one child's amazing impact on the world around him.

Seed Folk by Paul Fleischman. HarperCollins. (U). Hope sprouts from seeds planted by a grieving girl in her blighted urban neighborhood. One by one, others in the community see the growth and contribute to it, creating a more beautiful and promising place. This slim novel, told from various points of view, is shaped by the distinct, individual voices of those who fashion the garden and change their community.

Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Orchard. (I). Near an Appalachian mining town, Frankie waits each year by the train tracks for the annual Christmas train from which a present is tossed. He hopes for a play doctor's kit that never arrives, but as an adult doctor, he returns to work in the community that raised him. This story is perfect for talking about ways we can give back to the people and places that influence who we become. Silver Packages can also be found in Rylant's short story collection, Children of Christmas.

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet. Doubleday. (P). Depressed by the negative graffiti on her apartment building, the homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk, and the debris cluttering a vacant lot, a little girl searches for something beautiful in her life. As she talks to people in her neighborhood, she gathers enough goodwill to think of something she can do to make her world more beautiful. The little girl's encounters with the people in her daily life--her teacher, the waitress at the coffee shop, the corner grocer, and her mother-- help broaden her notion of just what is "beautiful."

Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. Illustrated b Raul Col?n. Knopf. (P, I). A child of a migrant farm family is changed forever by his experiences at a library and his fleeting summer friendship with the librarian. The book is based on a true incident from the life of Mexican-American writer Tomás Rivera, who journeyed from working as a laborer to becoming a university chancellor. How can books and reading change a person? What books could be influential in our lives?

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka. Orchard Books. (P, I). Something seemingly as simple as saying hello to another kid can cause big changes in a child's life. One-syllable words in emotive typeface integrated with expressive line drawings effectively use the form of the book to depict two boys who are changed by a bold YO! Notice how the illustrations place the two boys on opposite sides of the book's spine to mirror the wary characters' gradual friendship until they're finally on the same page at the end of the book.

Five Ways To Stir Up a "Buzz" Around Books

Maria Salvadore and Susan Hepler, co-authors of the upcoming NEA book, Books Your Kids Will Talk About!, say it's possible to get kids thinking and talking about books energetically.

• Read aloud in class. No matter how old, kids love the human voice, the drama of a good story well told. "It's hugely motivating," says Salvadore. "You're providing a shared experience between everybody in that room--and you're also able to stop and pick up on themes and ideas that fit into other curricula areas." Kids can't help but want to read more.
• Let kids help organize the class library, and recommend books to read. Letting kids say what they think, says Hepler, stirs the interest of other kids, and helps the teacher, too. "You're multiplying your own efforts by 30."
• Introduce books to students that have similar themes but are explored differently, then urge them to talk together about the common strains. It helps them connect messages and ideas on their own--even those not stated--which in turn develops critical thinking skills. "They learn the text and the subtext," says Salvadore.
• Get kids to write about what they read--in journals, response logs, in letters to each other, in essays--and urge they relate the messages to their lives. "It's no secret that the more you write, the better you read," says Hepler. And, of course, the better the read, the more you want to read.
• Involve the parents, perhaps by encouraging parent/kid book clubs. Using books as a "jumping off point for shared experiences" between kids and their guardians can excite not just the children, but the adults, too, says Salvadore.