Happy Summer Reading TLS: A Book List for You and Yours, & Staff Spotlight on Super Jessica!

“Rock, stone, pebble, sand
Body, shoulder, arm, hand
A moat to dig
A shell to keep
All the world is wide and deep
Hive, bee, wings, hum
Husk, cob, corn, yum!
Tomato blossom, fruit so red
All the world’s a garden bed...”

from: All the World
Liz Garton Scanlon
Ages 3-7

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away
Elanna Allen
Ages 3-7
http://www.itsymitsy.com/

Should I Share My Ice Cream? (Elephant and Piggie)
Mo Willems (author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, etc)
http://www.mowillems.com/
In Should I Share My Ice Cream? Gerald has a big decision to make. But will he make it in time?

Bubble Trouble

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121099478
Mabel blows a bubble that engulfs her brother and then the trouble begins!

Art & Max
David Wiesner, Caldecott-winning author who also wrote Tuesday, Flotsam, and The Three Pigs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuIsAIKiNgY
Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media

Press Here
Henre Tullet
http://www.madiganreads.com/2011/06/press-here-review.html
Very interactive!

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Philip C. Stead
3 and up
A friendly zookeeper who always made time for his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ZI0GAKBeI

Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
Philip C. Stead
3 and up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhuiaxm65FY
When Jonathan's parents decide that he has gotten too old to have a stuffed animal, they trade his favorite bear, Frederick, for a toaster, so he sets off aboard a boat, looking for Frederick. Along the way he assembles a ragtag crew, including a mountain goat, a lonely circus elephant, and even a friendly whale.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
A West-African folktale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSlrhC0GTQ

Beautiful OOPS celebrates mistakes!
Barney Saltzberg (author of Good Egg)
All ages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZjMYdQjGM

Me...Jane
Patrick McDonnell (the creator of the beloved internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS)
All ages
A book about Jane Goodall.
www.rootsandshoots.org = global program that Jane Goodall founded and that “engages and inspires youth through community service and service learning”

For the very young:

Peek-A-Boo
Janet and Allan Ahlberg
A classic book for toddlers

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury
Oxenbury’s signature multi-cultural babies grace the pages of this book.


For the forever young :)

Children: The Challenge
Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D.
“The classic work on improving parent-child relations-intelligent, humane, and eminently practical.”

Raising Happiness:10 Simple Steps For More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents
Christine Carter
A perfect book for parents of TLS – “nothing without joy”
Ideas about gratitude that make me feel grateful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEmRw9ms85k&feature=related

Last Child in the Woods
Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle
National best seller, Last Child in the Woods, is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/

I Love Dirt : 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature
Jennifer Ward (Foreward by Richard Louv)
Dirt, leaves, worms, bugs, stars, raindrops and watching trees grow...all of that fills I Love Dirt to capacity with 52 activities for parents and kids to do together.

A new feature of the blog will be our "Staff Spotlight":

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

**shines** on Jessica Larson, better known as SuperJessica at TLS. She is super for many reasons: Mom of Vera and Gus being one of them and posting the blog another! She currently teaches with Paige and Michelle in the “Mighty Me’s” classroom.

Jessica has her BFA degree from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, with a major in photography. Jessica says, “I fell in love with art as a kid, specifically photography. There is true magic to be found developing a print in a darkroom, watching the image slowly rises to the surface.

In 2000, I got the idea to make t-shirts with myself on them and have my friends wear them. The shirts took off and I named my company Super Jessica. I wanted to be like Hello Kitty or Andy Warhol (same thing, right?). Once I had my son, I got very BUSY and had to put SJ on the back burner. I have promised myself that I will return to it... in 18 years or so!

Q & A with SJ:

Jessica, what book will you be reading over the break?

We are currently reading The Hobbit with our son. We have just escaped the elf king and are heading towards Smog. If I can find some spare moments I'll be reading "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. It's a beautifully written story about Smith and artist Mapplethorpe's rise to fame.

What was the last movie you went to see?

Man of La Mancha with Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren. I’ve been singing it to the kids all week.

What book has had the biggest impact on you?

I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 14, and it was the first book that truly spoke to me. He perfectly expressed so much of what a teenager feels. The book still gives me chills.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you? Amy Sedaris, if only so that we could hang out.

If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Don't take yourself so seriously (and let your Momma sleep in on the weekends).

Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

I don't understand the question! One of my favorite mantra's is "Would you rather be right or happy?” My answer is always BOTH, but I'll take happy.

What is your happiest childhood memory and what makes it so special?

Walking through the woods early in the morning. There is some serious serenity listening to the birds in dappled light.

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old? I grew up in the DC suburbs during the 1980's. I clearly remember wanting to be either a painter, a political scientist or a corporate art buyer, a job that only existed in the 80's! I think that was Whitley's major in "A Different World".

What do you value most or hold most dear (other than Gus and Vera :) at TLS?

I truly work with amazing folks. Everyone here is completely devoted to making the lives of not just the kids, but also their co-workers awesome.

Thank you to Jessica for sharing and for all of her awesome support!