Pura Belpré Challenge: Grandma's Gift by Eric Velasquez

Pura Belpre Challenge Begins!

Today I read the 2011 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner to my own two children who are in first and second grade.  They seemed to love it and my son even made a text-to-text connection to Too Many Tamales (awwwwwww!).

What was it... {drumroll please}

Title:   Grandma's Gift

Year Published: 2010

Author/Illustrator:  Eric Velasquez

You May Know Him:  as the author/illustrator of Grandma's Records and illustrator of I, Matthew Henson

You May Find Him:  at his blog

Review You May Not Have Seen: 

Kirkus Reviews, September, 2010

The Delta/Plus

I had recently purchased Grandma's Gift for my own school library's collection, but I had not realized that it was a Pura Belpré winner.  I also had not read it (blush, blush).

This book may have won an award for its rich, realistic illustrations, but to me the story was just as compelling.  This is a wonderful book that both teachers and librarians can use in many ways.  Pair with "Too Many Tamales" to discuss holiday traditions.  Read along-side "The Story-Teller's Candle" to talk about Puerto Rican Christmas traditions, both past and present.  Use it to discuss the concept of "gifts".  What was Grandma's gift?  You could also use this book to study community or illustrate the differences between city life and country life.  The list really does go on.

This book is one that I will be reading to my students year after year.  

Now to find that copy of Grandma's Records... 

15 Second Book Talk in the Stacks (These are when I'm in the book stacks with my students and they hold out a book to me and say, "Have you read this one, Mrs. Blaine?".  I have about 15 seconds.):  

"This is one of my new favorite books that recently won an award for best illustrations.  It's about a boy who spends Christmas break with his grandmother.  First he helps her make a yummy traditional Puerto Rican recipe and then they go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where they see a self-portrait of an important artist.  Can you guess what artist that might be?  Do you think you can guess what language he and his grandmother share?  Have you spent any special times with your grandmother or grandfather?  If you have, you'll love this book as much as I do."

From the the award-winning illustrations to the story itself, Grandma's Gift gets five out of five Dog Ears from me!

Thank you My Own School Library for providing me with this copy of Grandma's Gift.

2012 Goals for the New Year

Ah, goals for 2012. Sounds frighteningly like resolutions, doesn't it? Meh, I'm not so big on resolutions, but I do like to set a goal or two...

In 2011 I fell short on some and surprised myself with others.

For example, when I look at my GoodReads goal for 2011 I want to laugh myself silly. This year I don't think I will be too worried about meeting a number goal, but rather a genre goal. I am woefully inattentive to fiction "for boys" and I need to remedy this. I'm starting off the year with book one of the Ranger's Apprentice Series and so far I'm enjoying it.

Another goal didn't sneak up on me until October: NaNoWriMo. And that minor goal (to write at 50,000 word novel during the month of November) took me until the end of December. December 31st to be exact. But I did it. Will wonders never cease?

I've joined the Nerdy Book Club members in their quest to read copious amounts of award winning books, but decided that instead of the Newberys or the Caldecotts I was going to choose the road less taken and read the Pura Belpre award winners and honor books. I don't suppose that reading the delightful "The Storyteller's Candle" to my third grade students in December had anything to do with it, but perhaps...

And finally the wonderful Page in Training has cooked up a scheme to introduce more non-fiction to students, both young and old. I'm happy that she's allowed me to work with her on this year-long project called Passport Nonfiction. I'm excited to see where it takes us and how it evolves. Join us!