Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt (Booktalk)

Boys don't keep journals? Kevin does. He's 12, almost 13, in the 7th grade. He's the youngest of five boys, and his parents - both doctors - are never at home. His brother Petey (the next oldest) often beats Kevin up. His journal is his way of blowing off steam. It's in poem form. Let's take a look here.

Kevin's real (private) diary is on the left. 

[Read the poem on page 6 and show both pages 6-7 to your readers.] He's taking pages from an old book and circling words and phrases on that page to make a poem within a page - a found poem. This one is very Kevin: it says, "We will die. / The smell is killing us. / TEACHER SMELL is deadly. / Barf." Okay, so it got your attention but it's obnoxious and it's not a good poem. But the poem in his journal which he wrote to himself is pretty good. He talked about words jumping out at him "like tickly little fleas / needing a good scratching. / So I scratched them." He has a great imaginative mind and a flair for words.

So basically he's living two lives: the life of his private journal which shows a really good poet and the life of a found poem graffiti artist whose sole objective is to tick off authority figures at his school.

Why do you think he is doing this? [Entertain theories.] Some of you may be right. What would you think if I told you that Petey, his brother, threw his real journal out the car window and someone found it? Will Kevin be able to keep up his poetry?

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt. 2014: Chronicle Books. 169 pages. Booktalk to grades 4-9.

Waiting by Kevin Henkes (Booktalk)

Who are these creatures sitting on the windowsill? [Give time for response.]

Let your readers study the creatures up close.

I see an owl with spots, a rabbit with stars, a puppy on a sled, a pig with an umbrella, and a bear with a kite. My favorite is the owl. What do you think they are waiting for? [Show picture, wait for responses.]



Yes, maybe they are waiting for sunshine. Is that why the pig has an umbrella: has it been raining? You think they are waiting for a person? Why do you think that?

I wonder what they're waiting for. If you look carefully at the beautiful pictures, you will find lots of great clues. Read Waiting by Kevin Henkes.

Waiting by Kevin Henkes. 32 p. 2015: Greenwillow Books. Booktalk to preschool - 2nd.

Book talk: Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

[For this booktalk, I used two props: a net and a small plush red bird. ]

[Holding the net and pretending to "net" the bird.] How easy is it to catch a bird? How quick on your feet do you have to be? Do you think you could catch a bird with a net?

[Picking up book.] Shh! We have a plan! We're going to catch that bird!

[Show picture]. Almost!

[Turn the page.] Okay, so that did NOT go well.

But remember, we have a plan.

And now we have a BOAT. You just cannot fail with a boat and a net, you know?

[Ask kids to predict what will happen with the boat.]

Yep...man in the water!

Fine! Time for a new plan!

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton. Candlewick, 2014. Booktalk to PreK-2nd grade. Also, good introduction to the concept of the refrain.

Book talk: King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bentley and Helen Oxenbury

If you're like King Jack, you have everything you need to make a castle: a big cardboard box; an old sheet and some sticks; a couple of trash bags and a couple of bricks; and an old blanket.

Now you have to protect your castle against dragon attack. You also have to protect your castle against wild beasts.

But what if your other trusty warriors leave you? Will it be hard to fight dragons all alone? It might be scary to be in your castle in the utter darkness...

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bentley and Helen Oxenbury. 2011: Dial Books for Young Readers. 2013 Kate Greenaway medal nominee. Booktalk to PK-2.

Book talk: Hello! Hello! by Matthew Cordell (2012 New York Times Notable Children's Book)

[For this booktalk, enlist the help of another person – adult or child (doesn’t matter) who holds a handheld electronic device and ignores you as you say “Hello! Hello!” You’ll also need a copy of this book.]

[You approach the other person who is engrossed with his/her device.] Hello! Hello! [You sigh, loudly.]

Okay, I’ll try again. [Walk away from the person, and then come back.]

Hello! Hello! [Sigh.] Fine, I’ll go outside.

[Show pp. 13-14]. Hello, leaf.

[Show pp. 15-16] Hello, bug.

Gee, there’s a lot going on out here. I should probably go outside more often. This stuff seems pretty interactive, and you don't even have to plug it in.

[Show pp. 21-22] Hello, horse! [Turn page, quickly] Oh my gosh! The horse said hello back to me! What is going on? [Turn a few more pages..] Gee, they all know hello…

Hello! Hello! By Matthew Cordell. Unpaged. 2012: Hyperion. Booktalk to pre-K through 2nd. Good readaloud. 2012 New York Times Notable Children’s Book.

Hello! Hello!

Book talk: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (Virginia Readers' Choice, 2013-2014)

What would you do if you found a box filled with yarn of every color?

Some of you might play with the yarn. Some of you might ignore the yarn. Some of you might give your parents the box of yarn.

Not Annabelle. She went home and knit herself a sweater, and when she was done, she had extra yarn.

So she kept knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting. Annabelle would knit for anyone or anything – human, animal, or…thing. She’d knit a sweater for a birdhouse or a pickup truck  or a house or a tree.

She enjoyed it, and it added color to her world. I’d say she’s one of the most generous characters I’ve met. Annabelle is so cool. I wish there were more Annabelles in this world.

[Gasp.] Oh my gosh! I can’t even tell you. [Pause for effect.] If I tell you something, will you promise not to get upset? [Or you could make them promise to read the book].

Someone STOLE her box of yarn. I can't say any more than that. You'll just have to read it.

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen. Unpaged.  2012: Balzer + Bray. Booktalk to primary grades. Virginia Readers' Choice 2013-2014.

Extra Yarn