The Big Lie

No More Teasing Note From the Publisher: A mean boy always teases Katie Woo. It makes Katie sad and mad. How can she make the bully stop teasing her? The Big Lie Note From the Publisher: Jake's new toy plane is missing. No one knows where it is, except Katie Woo. But Katie wants to keep the plane. What should she do? Goodbye to Goldie Note From the Publisher: Katie Woo's dog, Goldie, was very old. Goldie became sick and died. Katie will miss her friend. She is glad that she has lots of happy memories of Goldie. In past blog posts I've talked about how I've been working with our school librarian to identify the social and emotional books in the library. This gave me an idea to start a new shelf called - Mrs. D's Picks. I laminated a little sign with my picture on it with a little blurb about what sort of books kids can find on the shelf. IT HAS BEEN A TOTAL SUCCESS! I went in the library yesterday and our librarian (who is a dear by the way) brought me over to the shelf and THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE BOOK LEFT ON THE SHELF. Build it and they will come! So since starting this little (sort of becoming big) project. I've been on the hunt for more bibliotherapy for all different ages. And they don't necessarily have to be ones I use in classroom lessons. Which brings me to the Katie Woo Series! These are SO perfect for our beginner readers. The three we recently received cover honesty, bullying, and loss of a pet. In the back of each book is a glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts for the kiddos. Check out the whole series here. http://booksthathealkids.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-review-katie-woo-books-in-our.html * Books That Heal Kids Blog *
When I was growing up, it was quite a task to find a book series featuring a female protagonist who was not white. Ramona Quimby, Nancy Drew, the Sweet Valley Twins, 95% of the Babysitter’s Club, etc. were all white. They are wonderful books and children from any race can read and enjoy stories about these characters, but I wondered what young black, Hispanic, Asian, and other races lost when they got few chances to read books about characters that look like them. If any race can read and love Ramona, shouldn’t they all be given the chance to read and relate to a black character, or an Asian one? Why don’t publishers make more of these books? Tough we are aware of the reasons why it’s important for students to read books like this, there is still a paucity of books available that spotlight racially diverse characters. Nevertheless, there are now a lot more options for young readers. I love seeing girls with their noses in books, and I was struck when I saw girls of all races reading two series starring diverse female protagonists: Katie Woo and Dyamonde Daniel . Katie Woo is an award-winning series for young readers. Katie’s series contains short sentences and nice illustrations for students just beginning chapter books. Her covers are as vivid and inviting as her stories! Katie is in first grade and she’s had to deal with the loss of a beloved pet , a bully and lying . I love that likeable series features an Asian protagonist, though it is sadly one of the few I’ve ever seen that does so. http://substitutesftw.blogspot.com/2011/06/diverse-book-series-for-young-readers.html * Substitutes, FTW! blog *