My Children's Literature Hero-Esme Raji Codell

I was first introduced to Esme when I picked up her book, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading. In Esme's wonderful, jam-packed, idea-filled, inspiration-loaded resource for parents and teachers alike, I found the perfect reading for an at home mom with a love of literature and a love of teaching. When Esme shared her classroom ideas and emphasized that these were not just for classrooms, but for home and library alike, I cheered. I read this book from cover to cover and did not skip a section. I didn't want to miss a good book recommendation or a hint for protecting your home library. When I was done, I highlighted each and every book that I owned!
I must also mention that Esme's Sahara Special and Vive La Paris are excellent read-alouds for children in grades 4-7 . I prefer Sahara Special since so much of the book takes place in the classroom and deals with a teacher who brings the best out of Sahara, but Vive La Paris deals with the important issue of bullying on a small and larger level. When the main character, Paris, is given a yellow star from her piano teacher who is a holocaust survivor, and then wears it to school without understanding the repercussions you want to help her understand. I found myself questioning how the adults around her dealt with this delicate issue and at the same time trying to understand the power of the symbol and why it drew the response it did.
I direct anyone who may read this blog to Esme's Blog if you have not found it already! Her most recent post discussed The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the Reading Reptile in Kansas City. I must go there some day! I have her blog added to my Bloglines account so when Esme posts I am notified through the RSS Feed.