Joyful Noise

An introduction to the Joyous worlds of our fanciful friends…

Butterflies!

Beetles!

And Book Lice!

Oh My!

These beautiful bugs can be found in:


A Newberry Honor Book!

Poems with
Two voices.
Two parts,
that play
with each other
throughout the poem.

This is just one of those poetry books you have to listen to out loud. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried reading these poems in print, but saying two parts at the same time can get very confusing. What a relief that we have an audio version! Four talented voices interplay with fourteen tantalizing poems. Poems about insects no less. Rejoice you Science teachers and science friendly students! Rejoice!

Fleishman, Paul. (1988). Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices [CD]. New York: Recorded Books Productions, LLC (1997).

Civil Disobedience!

The Joyous book fairy presents...



(a.k.a.: what Thoreau really meant to say)

"Seen from a lower point of view, the Constitution, with all its faults, is very good; the law and the courts are very respectable...such as a great many have described them; but seen from a point of view a little higher, they are what I have described them."

(a.k.a. - if you are one of those amoeba based lifeforms, you won't see the flaws in our government. Lucky for you, I'm here to critique it.)

"If a man is thought-free, fancy-free, imagination-free...unwise rulers or reformers cannot fatally interrupt him."

(a.k.a.: you'd have to be really dumb to not notice the tragic effects of an idiot wielding power)

"If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations."

(a.k.a. Idiots, like our congressman, who like to hear themselves talk. They wouldn't get anything done if we didn't butt in.)

"This American government — what is it but a tradition, though a recent one...each instant losing some of its integrity?"

(a.k.a.: our government is corrupt!)

"I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto, — 'That government is best which governs least' "

(a.k.a. Give us back our rights!)

Want to read more?

Well you can't.

This book is banned! Verboten!

Fahrenheit 451'd!

presents

BANNED BOOKS ONLINE

Visit them here at: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html

This digital library presents full text versions of books that have been banned throughout history. The reasons for each ban are presented as well as essays and other weblinks with information about the author and their work. Here you'll find Candide, the Canturbury Tales, Arabian Nights, and Macbeth (among others).

Care for something more recent? How about files from a legal suit when a research group took The Recording Industry of America up on a challenge to "break into their digital database"? Or a list of the most challenged books of the 90s? Books like Harry Potter, Bridge to Terebithia, Kaffir Boy, The Witches, Go Ask Alice, and Mommy Laid An Egg.

Thoreau, H. D. (1849). Civil Disobedience. Retrieved from http://onlinebooks.libraryupenn.edu/banned-books.html.

Red Hot Salsa

To be young and Latino.

To be young and American.

How do you keep your identity when you are torn between two or more cultures? As Raquel Valle Senties put it:

“My heart has no room for two countries as [my heart] has no room for two lovers.”

These are the stories of Mexican and Latin American teens, trying to figure out who they are. Told from the mouths of 28 influential Latino and Mexican American poets, whose poems were especially picked in a struggle to portray every aspect of bilingual life. Poems appear in both English and Spanish. In her translations, Carlson fuses the romance and passion of the Spanish language with the candidness of English. The result is vibrant flow of words, colored by well-known Spanish phrases and cognates. The poems are centered around five themes: language and identity, home, love, family, and victory. The resounding idea is the freedom that comes from a sense of cultural belonging.

In the words of Luis J. Rodriguez:

“Here you have a way. Here you can sing victory.”

Carlson, L.M. (Ed.). (2005). Red hot salsa: Bilingual poems on being young and Latino in The United States (L. M. Carlson., Trans.). New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Keesha's House

Seven teens.

Seven problems.

All running away.

Stephie

Jason

(whose pregnant)

(her boyfriend)

Dontay

(a foster kid)

Carmen









(in juvie for a DUI)

Harris

(questioning)

And Katie

(abused and tired of it)

Somehow they all know Keesha


(she doesn't ask questions)

Who lives with Joe.

(everyone deserves a home).

Need to address some issues with troubled teens? Read this poetic novel. No, literally, the whole thing in told in poems. Which makes it great for language arts classes where students need that extra motivation to keep their interest and attention. “Novel” in both style and character. Introduce your students to Keesha and be henceforth known as the cool teacher.

Frost, H. (2003). Keesha's House. New York (Francis Foster Books)

The Wednesday Wars (Audio Book)

A Newberry Honor Book!

My English teacher hates me. From the first day she saw me she rolled her eyes. Maybe she got an eyelash in them, I reasoned. Yeah right! Now, it’s inevitable. I’m stuck with her every Wednesday after school…just me and her. All because I’m Presbyterian! She’s trying to kill me. I just know it!

Look, I can take a lot of things.

Cleaning rat cages…

Chalky cream puffs...

but...

Shakespeare?

This means war!





It’s good as a book…but even better on tape. You’d never think one person’s voice and tone could bring such depth to a story, but Joel Johnstone manages to do it. Your class will be in both stitches and tears. A must read for any English teacher who takes their job…and their students…way too seriously!

The Dark is Rising

Meet Will.

He's eleven.

And, he just found out
he's the last of a race of immortal warriors
destined to rid the world of
the Dark forces.

Now he must team up with three children
(and their Great Uncle Merry)
to find six magical signs that will
aid him in his destiny.

I don't want to give away everything,
so here's the trailer for the movie that just came out.
If you're thinking about reading the whole series,
this movie will give you a really good overview!
But don't think it covers everything!

Trust me when I say:
the books are SO much better!

The Dark is Rising series is a powerful tale based on Arthurian myths and legends. Susan Cooper is a fabulous writer and weaves her tale of mystery and suspense with masterful beauty. When it comes to epic battles between good and evil, she ranks right up there with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She happens to have quite a large following of devoted readers. I myself am one them. Perhaps you've never heard of her before this, but let me be the first to recommend her. You won't find a more uniquely imaginative author.

The Dark is Rising Sequence:

Over Sea, Under Stone



The Dark is Rising



Greenwitch



The Grey King



A Newberry Award Winning Book

Silver on the Tree



Cooper, S. (1973). The Dark is Rising. New York: Atheneum

Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie isn’t very pretty. Atleast she doesn’t think so. That is, until she has a spell cast on her, stealing her youth and making her rely on finding the beauty inside of herself. What’s Howl got to do with all this? And a moving castle?

The trailer speaks for itself...



Don’t think you can use this in class?

Bet you didn’t know it was based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones! If you’re teaching a unit on folk tales and fairy tales…use this book to break through the stereotypes. You know…the damsel in distress, the wicked witch. You’ll find in this book, the characters have a little more depth which makes for great class discussions and reports. Of course, you’ll still get the happily ever after ending. Find more ideas at:

http://www.bookrags.com/Howl's_Moving_Castle.

It’s a great end of unit read your kids will adore. Oh, and if you’re in middle school and looking for a quality end of year movie…this beats the stuffing out of Toy Story.

The Plain Janes

Meet Jane. The new girl. Ever since her mom flipped out and made the family move to the suburbs, her life hasn’t been the same. Not that it’s all bad. Even though she had to leave behind someone very important to her – in a coma -- she’s still got a piece of him to take with her. His sketchbook.

She’s also managed to find some new friends…the coolest girls in school. So what if they’re the least popular? Even when she was popular, her friends just didn’t get her style. These girls do. And together, they’re gonna use art as their weapon to wow the student body, go after what they want, and keep the town on its toes.


For any creative student out there who loves making a statement…the thesbians, the artists, the ones who think fitting in is just plain boring…this book is a revelation. It teaches that art can get you through anything…even high school. The bottom line is Art Saves. So you gotta look out for it. And support those who keep it alive. This book crosses all student groups, all stereotypes, all gender issues, and even manages to throw in some quotations from Goethe. Okay, if you actually know who Goethe is (and can pronounce it correctly), you really need to read this!

Tree Girl

I’m a dreamer. The only one in my family to go to school. My blood is Mayan. Proud. I am Gariela Flores.

I first started climbing trees in Guatemala when I was four. Ever since then, they have been my sanctuary. My home away from home. Now I am fourteen and the day of my quinceanera, the celebration of my passage into womanhood, is approaching quickly. So are the soldiers. War is on its way, and I must find a way to escape its path.

A fictional account of a Guatemalan refugee caught in the war between the government and guerillas. Like so many others, she will fight her way to the Mexican border, searching for herself…and her sister. If you find yourself teaching a unit on Latin America, please find a way to share this book with your students. Ben Mikaelsen’ s account of the savage effects of the wars in Central America on the mind of a young person is not be missed!

Mikaelson, B. (2004). Tree Girl. New York: HarperTempest.

The Wall

A Caldecott Honor Book!
(Not to be confused with that movie by Pink Floyd).

Peter Sis loved to draw. He would draw the things he saw around him. Shapes like red stars and flags…people… When he went to school they told him what to draw. He didn't mind. He drew tanks, sickles, and famous political leaders. He never questioned any of it. That is, until they started banning art, books, and music…anything that wasn’t Socialist. But it didn’t stop the West from coming in. And it didn’t stop Sis from painting in secret.



Want to know more about what Sis painted? Read The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. Use it with your students to teach them first-hand what life is like under a Communist government. Peter’s diary of drawings is sure to drum up interest!

Sis, P. (2007). The Wall: Growing up behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Francis Foster Books.

Willa: An American Snow White

Here's a riddle you might enjoy!



What
do
you
get
when
you…




Replace Snow White

with a girl named Willa...

Make the evil stepmother

a fading Shakespearean actress...

Turn the seven dwarfs into

a traveling comedy troupe...

And change the prince

into a budding film maker?

Throw in some dramatic monologues
from Willy Shakes, and you’ve got:
Willa: An American Snow White.

A Carnegie Medal Award Winning Film!

This movie is dedicated to all you thesbians out there. Go ahead, pick your poison. There’s a little bit of everything…Cinematic photography, dramatic irony, chiaroscuro. And did I forget to mention that all of the actors were cast from the American Shakespeare theater in Washington D.C.? Teachers, fool your students with this classic fairy tale and show them how Shakespeare was meant to sound.

Warning: Graphic scenes may not be suitable for use with younger children

Davenport M. (Producer), & Davenport, T (Director). (1998). Willa: An American Snow White. Delaplane, VA: Davenport Films.