Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Women's History Month - Celebrating Florence Nightingale & Eleanor Prentiss

Thank you everyone for signing up for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  It is going to be an amazing year of sharing nonfiction books with one another.

To celebrate Women's History Month, I will be sharing different books about women over the next several Wednesdays.  In today's post, I look at Florence Nightingale and Eleanor Prentiss.  Though they were contemporaries of one another, their paths would not have crossed.  Florence lived in England and traveled primarily in Europe.  Eleanor grew up in Massachusetts and spent years learning to navigate a schooner, which eventually led her to sail from New York City to San Francisco in record-breaking time.

Both of these women are remarkable in their dogged-pursuit of the things they loved, which at the time were careers that women did not typically pursue, especially for Eleanor. As for Florence, yes, there were female nurses in her time, but her skill and knowledge led her to develop systems and practices that would influence nursing and patient care for years.

If you are looking for picture book biographies on these amazing women to be used in classroom or school libraries, I would definitely recommend the following books.

Florence Nightingale by Demi (Henry Holt & Co, February 4, 2014) - I have not read or seen many picture book biographies on Florence Nightingale so I was curious about this one. Demi has created a biography on Florence Nightingale and her early years and what influenced her to pursue nursing and the conditions of hospitals and patient care as a career and life-long mission.  Despite suffering from ill-health for much of her adult life, Nightingale never allowed it to detour her mission and focus.  Her influence was so great that it is felt today with the work of the International Red Cross.  

One of my favorite lines in this book is at the end...

We remember Florence Nightingale today as the driving force behind improvements in nursing during her time and as a woman of extraordinary vision, who believed that no problem, however big it seemed, was ever too big for her to solve.

Dare the Wind: The Record-breaking Voyage of  Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud by Tracey Fern; Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, February 18, 2014) - Tracey Fern brings to life both Eleanor Prentiss and her love of the sea.  As I read through this picture book biography on Prentiss, I was caught up in the race she undertook from New York City around Cape Horn to San Francisco.  When her schooner ran into trouble, I was amazed at how she was able to navigate out of it. 

Two of my favorite lines in the book were...

Then Ellen remembered what her papa had taught her long ago: a true navigator must have the caution to read the sea, as well as the courage to dare the wind. 

There is no glory in second place, Ellen thought.  Now is the time for courage.

Look for both of these picture book biographies at your local independent bookstore or public library.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below:

Slice of Life - Listening to First Graders Read - #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.
_______________________________

I started and deleted 3 attempts to write this slice.  Sometimes I am hesitant to post my thoughts. However, I am really running out of time. So, my post is going to be short and sweet.

Sometimes, I get to take a step out of my busy schedule and spend some time with students.  and I very much miss the daily interactions with students. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to six first grade students reading and responding to comprehension questions. On some level, I really love first graders,  They enjoy working with you 1:1 and they can be quite entertaining.  Additionally, if you have not worked with first graders, you may not realize how diverse they are in their ability to read.

As I listened to them read and talk about what they read, I realized just how diverse they were.  One student read beautifully with expression and more.  He said he was reading Harry Potter at home.  However, he really struggled to talk about or verbalize what he read.  Another student was not as strong or fluent an oral reader, but he was able to discuss what he read with great accuracy and understanding.  As I listened to him, I found myself impressed with how articulate he was and he was supposedly an English Language Learner. 

When I listened to another student, I had to refrain from laughing.  He had a tendency to skip the endmarks and pause at the end of the line. No wonder he said ugh when he read "tasted with your tongue a butterfly".  It really read "....tasted with your tongue. A butterfly...".  Another student whispered certain words, even when he said them correctly, since he did not confidently know the words. 

There were more examples from the day, but I just wanted to share a few of my highlights. If you have not read with a child lately, go find one and read.

Slice of Life - Clydesdales vs. Thoroughbreds - #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.
___________________________

On Sunday, a friend of mine ran and finished the Los Angeles marathon.  This goal was apparently on her bucket list.  A little over ten years ago, another friend ran the L.A. marathon as well and has since run many more half marathons as a means of keeping fit.  A third friend and I were talking about these two friends and running.  We were proud of their accomplishments, especially since neither were gifted with a natural runner's body.  They trained hard to reach their goal and should certainly be proud of what they did and continue to do.  As we were talking, I joked that in some ways all four of us were created more for endurance than speed. Slow and steady not lightening fast. 

Sometimes though, I dream I was a thoroughbred. Agile, fast, sleek, spirited.

And then I wake-up and realize that I am a Clydesdale. Sturdy, broad, strong, steady.

Though one is not technically better than the other, just different, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be a thoroughbred.  Work horses are very much needed. They have purpose and meaning. However, in my mind, we tend to take our work horses for granted.  Do we spend more time fussing over our thoroughbreds bestowing attention and prizes on them while assuming our work horses will always be there? Fast and sleek may win sprints and short distance races. Strong and sturdy can go the long haul.

There is an element of humor in this post, and the horse comparison can only be taken so far, and yet, the real life application is very present. Are there students or teachers that we take for granted because they are steady and dependable? We go to them when we need something done because of their work ethic but maybe overlook them at other times? Every student in our classes and every teacher or administrator on our staff need to be treated at times like they are as important as a prize winning thoroughbred horse.  There are times when we need the personality and spirit of a race horse to mix things up and to sprint towards that finish line. However, most growth and learning in individuals and classrooms comes over time and requires perseverance and strength.  And it is in those moments when I know I have worked slow and steady and with great strength that I have celebrated some of the greatest accomplishments of my students.

Well Clydesdales may not have the same pizzazz as a thoroughbred, they certainly get cute commercials:

It's Monday! What am I reading? From Picture Books to YA - March 10, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

There are weeks where getting time to settle in for a longer book can be a challenge.  Sometimes even finishing a picture book can be a challenge. I am looking forward to spring break in another week and some time to actually read some of the MG and YA novels that are piling up.  Over the weekend, I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours to tackle a pile of picture books and early readers.  If you want to see the full list, click here.  

Here are the top picks from the pile....

You are My Baby: Garden by Lorena Siminovich (Chronicle Books, March 25, 2014) - The You are My Baby board book series for infants and toddlers is a two in one board book.  The lower left hand corner is a smaller board book incorporated into the larger one. I do not usually get super excited about board books, but this one is well done.  Of course, it's Chronicle Books and their art department is top-notch when it comes to unique designs.

You are My Baby: Ocean by Lorena Siminovich (Chronicle Books, March 25, 2014) - This companion book to the one noted above is just as well done. Definitely worth giving these as gifts to the infants and toddler readers in your life.

Maple by Lori Nichols (Nancy Paulsen Books, February 20, 2014) - Nichols captures a special relationship between a little girl and her tree in this beautifully illustrated picture book. Also, good for preschoolers with a new baby at home.

Peggy by Anna Walker (Clarion Books, March 4, 2014) - Some picture books are quirky and Peggy is one of them. A chicken out on an adventure in the city. Yep, it will be interesting to see what children think of this one, but adults will get a chuckle out of it and admire the artwork as well.

Penguin in Peril by Helen Hancocks (Templar Books, February 11, 2014) - Another quirky book that will hold the attention of the inquisitive reader. I enjoyed how the penguin out smarts the cats.

Do Not Open! The Story of Pandora's Box by Joan Holub; Illustrated by Dani Jones (Simon Spotlight, March 1, 2014) - Easy Readers are always a bit of a challenge to write and finding ones that are stand outs among the spinning racks is not easy.  I thought Holub does an admirable job simplifying Pandora's Box for beginning readers that provides readers with readable text and a good story.

Robot, Go Bot! A Comic Reader by Dana Meachen Rau; Illustrated by Wook Jin Jung (Random House, June 25, 2013) - If Level 2 easy readers are a challenge to find, Level 1 readers are even harder.  Beginning readers will love this one.  Simple but fun.

Guppy Up! by Jonathan Fenske (Penguin Young Readers, February 7, 2013) - Fenske has a good sense of what beginning readers need in a Level 1 reader.  Guppy combines early concepts with readable text.

So, what are you reading?

Slice of Life - International Women's Day - #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.
_________________________

Created by Sarah & Catherine Satrun

Saturday was International Women's Day.  On Sunday, I saw the "We Are All Wonderwomen!" image on faceback and went in search of the original source.  Before I continue with what I want to say, I would like to acknowledge the women who created the image and to state that no harm or infringement is intended by sharing it here.  Sarah Satrun , a Chicago-based artist, along with her twin sister Catherine created this smash-up parody of the Dove Ad and Wonder Woman.  (Note: If you are interested in purchasing this print, the Satrun sisters have an Etsy page with the image available for sale.)  Thank you Sarah and Catherine for a great image.

Last Sunday, my Slice touched upon Women's History Month and Women Mentors.  Throughout the month, I am going to circle back to this topic.  In this year that I am trying to reconnect with meaning and purpose, part of that means trying to figure out who I am as a woman both professionally and personally. 

In 2010, Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook presented a TEDTalk on Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders:


In March 2013, her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead came out.  Sheryl Sandberg's TEDtalk follow up - So we leaned in...now what?


As I was listening to Sandberg's talks, I was struck by a few things.

First, as women, we need to ask what would we do if we were not afraid?  I think there are many times that as women we step back because we are afraid of how others will perceive us and we prevent ourselves from taking chances that would allow us to do or accomplish those things that we desire.

Second, we need to stop underestimating ourselves. I love this section from her talk Why We Have So Few Women Leaders.  I think it captures the attitudes of many women in many different situations.

And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves, and women attribute it to other external factors. If you ask men why they did a good job, they'll say, "I'm awesome. Obviously. Why are you even asking?" If you ask women why they did a good job, what they'll say is someone helped them, they got lucky, they worked really hard. Why does this matter? Boy, it matters a lot because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table, and no one gets the promotion if they don't think they deserve their success, or they don't even understand their own success.- Sheryl Sandberg

Finally, we need to ban the word bossy.  To quote Sandberg, the next time we hear someone say that a little girl is bossy we need to respond with  "That little girl's not bossy. That little girl has executive leadership skills."  I am not advocating rudeness or bullying type behaviors by any means whether it be by women or men.  However, I have seldom to never heard a man in business or a professional setting be referred to as aggressive.  The term used is assertive.  A woman does the same thing and she is aggressive.  We need to change the lens in which we view behavior and then change our language.

Recognize and celebrate the women around you.  They come in all shapes and sizes and different personalities and abilities.  They are daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives, mothers, grandmothers, friends, and colleagues. They are incredibly strong, and have an amazing capacity to love and feel.  Celebrate that we are all Wonderwomen!