Dr. Seuss

My name is Amber Edwards. I teach 7th grade math. Reading has always been my weakness and my least favorite subject. I went to Christopher Newport University and earned a BS in Biology. After school I decided I wanted to teach and entered teaching through the lateral entry program. I decided that teaching Math was my passion and am in the Masters of Elementary Education Math Specialist Program. As a 7th grade teacher I spend my day teaching the one subject I am passionate about, Math.  I admire elementary teachers because they have to be enthusiastic and a specialist in all of the subjects which is a huge challenge. .

Growing up I spent most of my time outside playing. When I did stop to read I enjoyed reading a variety of Dr. Seuss books. I also enjoyed reading these books to my younger brother when he was a toddler.

What I liked most about the Dr. Seuss collection was the rhyme and excitement in each story. I also like the illustrations in Dr. Seuss books. I have a lot to learn in this class because I have no experience with teaching or analyzing children's literature. I have a lot to learn in this class. 

Hello! My name is Lindsey Russ, and I am also part of the Math Specialist Masters Program. I received my undergrad at Appalachian State, where I could have sworn to you that I would be getting my Masters in reading! Things change, but my love for reading has not.

I chose the text Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, though StellalunaI is in a VERY close second. I remember multiple family members reading this book to me, and probably because I didn't give them much of a choice. I think I loved the relationship between Sal and her mother and I was intrigued that I could relate to this child, yet the story clearly took place "a long time ago", at least in my mind. The "Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk" of the berries hitting the pail are so vivid, and every time I hear someone talk about the game, Kerplunk, I immediately think of this book. This has always been one of my favorites, and it hit closer to home when I shared this book with a school I student taught, that had a extremely low SES. A lot of these children had never had a blueberry. Though it was somewhat heartbreaking, it led into a wonderful opportunity to bring them in  and expand on this amazing text the next day! When you can not only share your love of reading picture books with students, but have them lead to discussions and opportunities that otherwise they would not be exposed to is a beautiful thing.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Hello...I am Cece Chatman.  I am a graduate student at NCSU in elementary math education. I am also participating in a children's literature course.  The one book that created a lasting impression on me in my youth (around age 3) is Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears  retold by Verna Aardema. It was one of the books that my mother read to me each time we visited our local library in Wilson NC. which was 4-5 times a week! I was  very curious and  inquisitive back then. My mother would go to the bean bag chair next to the window, pull me in her lap, and weave the tale about the mischievous little mosquito. It was also one of the first books I saw with a hint of another world that really existed (Africa). My world at that time existed of  small, identical wooden houses lined along both sides of an unpaved road. The same scenery each day almost devoid of  bold colors outside an occasional flower or weed. When my mom opened the book for the first time, I kept touching the pages. The color and contrasts were very bright. I also loved that I saw someone who had skin like mine. I loved looking at the illustrations so much that  I can still visualize the cover of the book at random. I think I love to read even now because my mother loved to read and she was my first teacher of reading. I love children's books because they can capture the  hearts and minds  of children and adults alike. My mother died when I was 11 years old. My memories of our trips to the library  are precious to me. Therefore, this book will always be a part of my history and soon it will be a part of  my daughter's  history as well just as it was for my  two sons who are now 12 and 14.

The Rainbow Fish

     Hello, my name is Kelley Dieffenbach (Dee-fin-bok) and I am participating in the Math Specialist Graduate program at NC State.  My passion and excitement for reading is made very obvious to my students when I read aloud.  My teammates have told me many times they know I'm doing a readaloud when they can hear my voice ringing through the walls.  I can't help it, I just get so excited! This passion stemmed from growing up in a home with an abundance of books, as well as witnessing my family constantly reading.

     My favorite book as I was growing up was The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.  Initially, I was drawn to read this book because of the beautiful illustrations.  However, it later became my favorite story for more than just aesthetic reasons: I truly enjoyed the lesson the story taught.  I loved reading along as the main character transformed from being a selfish braggart to a kind, generous friend.  This story gave me the hope that throughout my life I would come across many altruistic people who I could also share myself with.

Connections through reading

My name is Brittany Rosell and I am attending the Math Specialist program at NCSU. I went to undergrad at Elon University.

In elementary school, I loved reading! I used to read whenever and wherever I could. My parents and siblings used to read to me all the time and I remember taking frequent trips to the library with my mom. Once middle school hit and the comprehension got harder for me, I didn’t enjoy reading as much. My favorite book growing up was Shiloh, written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I chose this book originally because it had a dog on the cover, but ended up loving it! I was able to make a connection because I had a dog growing up and at the time, I was about the same age as the boy in the book. Another favorite book of mine was Matilda, written by Roald Dahl. I enjoyed reading this book because her magic always made me laugh and I was amazed by how smart she was! Also, I thought Miss Honey was the biggest sweetheart and I wanted to have her as a teacher! I still enjoy reading this book and watching the movie as well. 

A Family Book

My name is Leslie Frink and I am a NCSU graduate getting my Master's in Elementary Education. I received my undergraduate degree at NC A&T State University. I am glad to be apart of this great program and your literacy class Dr. Griffenhagen.

 If I had to choose my favorite children book that would be hard because their isn't just one to pinpoint. The Dr.Suess and Berenstain Bear books were and are still my favorite books to read. The reason I chose these book is because in 2003 my house burn down to the ground, and these books were what I cried about they were in the house before I was born in 1991. They were my mother's book and I learned the most from these books and they helped me to begin my reading journey. From as early as I can remember my mom was in the army and she would work late nights or leave for duty but she picked up one of these books to read to my sister, brother and I before she left. She would call and make my daddy or older sister read to us before bed. We started reading to each other as me and my younger brother learned to read ourselves. I can always remember my mom referring to the Messy Room the Berenstain book when me and my brother tried to avoid cleaning it was always so funny. We would wake up to her reading Happy Birthday  To You by Dr. Suess the morning of our birthday. When my nephew was born we reordered the Dr. Suess series these were his first books to read, and then his siblings.  When we visit the local library I try to find as many Berenstein bears books for us to read as an auntie I use them to teach underlying messages :-). I always hope they can take away something like I did. I just want them to enjoy and have that wonderful experience like I had with reading. So I thank these authors because these books first came out between the 1930s (Dr. Suess) and 1960 (Berenstain 'books) and they will always have my heart. It started as a family book , but its now more than that to me. 

Bunnicula

I am Heidi Meyer, a NCSU  graduate student working on my Master's of Elementary Education and Math Specialist program. I grew up having parents who read to us every night. I had a lot of books growing up that I really enjoyed, I read the Babysitter Club series and the box car children series when I was in Elementary school. I wouldn't say I was an excellent reader, definitely drifted away from "enjoying reading" as I got older and the less pictures books had (I'm a visual learner) moving into middle and high school. 

I'm not sure why this book stuck out in my mind the most but I grew up in Chicago, where Halloween was always a celebration in my family. I grew up in a large family and Halloween was one of the many holidays we ALL got together. I remember my cousins and I running through neighborhoods for candy and drinking cider in the cold weather with my parents/aunts/uncles etc. We read this book every year - maybe it was the "suspense" of the rabbit in the story, or that I had dogs growing up and I just related to having pets etc. but I LOVED this book. 

I put the Dollhouse Murders because it was my first chapter book I LOVED! Maybe it's the mystery and the thrill of the story but I still remember everything about this book and have considered reading it to my 3rd graders as a read aloud this year. It was SUCH a good book, I definitely remember reading it more than once! 


          

Sammy Keyes

Hi!

I am Maryam, a former NCSU graduate back at NCSU to get my Master's in Elementary Education! I am really excited to take Dr. Griffenhagen's class this semester.

I grew up not enjoying reading by myself as much as I enjoyed reading to others. I would pretend read to my stuffed animals. I didn't really get into books (enjoy reading) until middle school. In 6th grade, I discovered the Sammy Keyes series, and I could not put those books down! All throughout my middle school years, I read Sammy Keyes books and then found another author: Joan Lowery Nixon. I found out I loved mystery novels! After finishing reading all Joan Lowery Nixon's books, I found another author, Lois Lowry, who wrote mysteries. I continued my mystery books' reading until high school when I stopped reading for fun. I didn't enjoy reading the required novels for my high school English classes, but in college, I, once again, fell in love with reading children's books for class! I absolutely LOVE reading children's picture books or young adult novels now! Excited to learn about more wonderful children's books this semester!

Say Hello, Vanessa

Hello all! I am Candice Knott, a NCSU  graduate student working on my Master's of Elementary Education and Math Specialist program. When I was younger my mother subscribed us to the Weekly Reader Book Club. It was like Christmas was waiting for me in the mailbox once a month! One book that came spoke directly to me as a child in a military family that moved a lot. Say Hello, Vanessa, written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and illustrated by Lillian Hoban was a story about a young small mouse that was scared to make new friends. She was encouraged by her mother to make friends and say "hello" to the others. I remember feeling like this little mouse was feeling the same way I did every time I walked into a new classroom or in big crowds. I was a small voiced little girl, that was often mistaken as not social and not friendly. I keep that book in my classroom today and use it to show my students that even us "grown ups" remember children's stories that helped us love reading and work through some difficult times. Whenever I have a student added to my class, I spend a bit of time with them and read this with them. So very often, as we finish the story, the child will say that they knew how she felt and loved how in the end Vanessa shined!

Mr. Popper's Penguin

My name is Katie Long; I am in the Math Specialist masters program. I also completed my undergraduate coursework at NC State.

I have always struggled as a reader especially when I was younger.  I learned to read when I was in second grade by going to a tutor in the mornings.  I choose the book Mr. Popper’s Penguins because this book was the first book that I actually enjoyed and felt confident in my reading. It made me laugh and got me excited to read ahead to see what happen next in the story. In this story Mr. Popper is a painter in Oklahoma. He gets two penguins and they have 10 baby penguins in Mr. Poppers house.  It is funny to imagine all the places they tried to put the penguins I still today have a copy of Mr. Popper’s Penguin in my Kindergarten class just to remind myself to enjoy reading.

Nursery Rhymes

Hi. I am Dawn Holland and I am in the Master's of Education- Math Specialist program at NCSU.

As a young child, I remember my grandmother sitting with me on the floor and reading to me from an old book of nursery rhymes and finger plays. She would read them to me and with me and we would do the finger plays that matched the words. I loved this time with her.

Unfortunately, reading was not a priority, nor was it encouraged by my parents growing up. I don't remember being read to often.  I remember having a set of the Little Women books and a Charlotte's Web book. I think I read them, but I can't say that for certain.

When I became a parent, it was important to me to read to my boys each day.  Our early favorites were Good Night Moon and  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We eventually grew into longer books such  as Koala Lou and The Kissing Hand and then chapter books.

 My favorite was Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney.  Little Nut Brown Hare is trying to show his mom just how much he loves her by doing things such as extending his arms or describing a distance like to the moon. But Big Nut Brown Hare always has bigger arms and will say to the moon AND back in response to Little Nut Brown Hare. It's a sweet story that illustrates the depth of love a mother has for her child and just how immeasurable that love can be.  I hope my boys will remember this book when they have their own children.

The School Story

My name is Katie Strickland and I am in the Math Specialist masters program. I completed my undergraduate coursework at NC State and am a proud member of the pack.

One of my favorite authors when I was growing up was Andrew Clements. His stories always captured my attention because they were about students who were my age. I own several of his book that he has published and even have multiple copies of some. I still go out and buy his latest books and read them before I put them on my classroom bookshelf so that I can talk to students about them. Whenever my students ask what book I should read, I always point them in the direction of Andrew Clements.

The book that I enjoyed the most that Clements wrote was Frindle.  The main character Nick reminded me of myself because he was curious things like what makes a word a word. Nick creates the new word (Frindle) to use instead of the word pen. I loved how he took something that his teacher had taught him and he used that to create his own word. His word went on to be a word that all of the people in his school used instead of the word pen. This book was enjoyable because it made me realize that even I could do something like create a new word.

Stellaluna

Hi! My name is Courtney Wagoner and I am a senior at NC State. I am taking this class to complete my English minor, and I am very excited because I have always had a passion for children's literature!

Growing up, a memorable book for me was Stellaluna. I remember I would always ask my mom to read it to me. I have a close relationship with my mom, so when I was little, we bonded over reading books together. I definitely have my mom to thank for beginning my love of reading.

I loved Stellaluna because I always loved when Stellaluna was reunited with her mother, and I also loved that along the way, she met new friends. Even though she went through the traumatic event of being separated from her mother, she made the bird family her new family. It is still a meaningful book to me because it reminds me that good can come from seemingly dark situations, and it is also a reminder that regardless of differences, we can all respect one another, learn from one another, and care for one another- and that we are more like each other than we may realize at first!

I began to read at a young age, and I have always really enjoyed reading. In elementary school, I enjoyed books so much that I stole a book from the reading station in Kindergarten, and I read it every night. I used to read books to my pets and to my stuffed animals, as well as to anyone who would listen. In middle school, I joined Battle of the Books and was exposed to many different books and read all of the time. I never went anywhere without a book. In high school, I started a book club so that I could share my passion for reading with others and discuss them. Now, I'm finishing up my English minor because I have enjoyed English classes at NC State so much!

This year, I celebrated my birthday by going to my favorite book store in the world (below)! It's a huge, well-organized book store that my family visits every time we are vacationing in Florida. A room full of books is my happy place. :)