Hello Book Bums families!
November has arrived, and this week in the newsletter we have several book recommendations for the month. Dr. Christy also shares lessons on the letter e and the growth of a writer.
As this month of gratitude begins, we are grateful for all of you who are part of the Book Bums community!
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Word of the Week
plethora (pleth-uh-ruh) noun/person, place, or thing - a large amount of something, more than you need
The famous author received a plethora of fan letters.
From our Bookshelves
Where the Lost Wander, by Amy Harmon, is a love story that takes place on the Oregon Trail. That statement should be enough to convey this is not a sappy, sweet story. There are trials and heartbreaks endured, and some readers will not feel the story is worth the strife.
I enjoyed the tale of John Lowry and Naomi May, because it provided a glimpse into what life was like for both the pioneers and the natives living in or traveling along the 2,170-mile route that crossed through present-day Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon during the mid- 1800s. I’ve long been fascinated by those who left the only life they’d ever known and risked everything for a chance of something better.
This is the first of Harmon’s books that I’ve read. Many readers say they’ve enjoyed many other books she’s written including What the Wind Knows, A Different Blue, The Law of Moses, and The Bird and the Sword.
I would say this book is a bit “steamy,” but it’s also a bit gruesome, so be aware if either of those is a deal breaker for you.
Tips for Families
Let’s pause and create space to honor an important, month-long holiday: Native American Heritage Month. It kicks off November 1st.
The history and heritage of Native Americans (also Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) are connected to all our lives, so it is right and good to honor the culture and contributions of the first inhabitants of the U.S.
Some ways to celebrate Native American Heritage Month include:
• Read a book about Native Americans or enjoy this one by watching this video.
• Learn about the land you live on. Try this site to learn about the Native Americans who called Ohio home. You’ll learn that the word Ohio comes from the Iroquois word ohiːyo that means “the great river” along with lots of other interesting facts.
• If you’ve never visited Fort Ancient in Oregonia, Ohio, this would be a beautiful time of year to go. You simply must explore the kid-friendly museum. Check out this site for more information.
Literary Calendar
• November is Picture Book Month as well as Native American Heritage Month!
• If you are a a parent, grandparent, or caregiver for little ones, you probably spend a lot of time reading picture books; but if that's not your current role, it may have been a while since you enjoyed the art and language of a well-written picture book.
• Here are two more lovely Native American picture books to explore: Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia Grossman and Sylvia Long is a counting book featuring gorgeous, native rugs and blankets. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Tradition by Kevin Noble Maillard explores this delicious food through shape, color, sound, and more.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
When your kids are reading or writing, it might be helpful for you to know the following information so you can be of assistance:
E is the most used letter in the English language (as you probably know if you’ve ever watched Jeopardy). Here’s why: It represents the sound /e/ as in exit, but it does so much more!
- It can make a vowel say its name. It jumps back, over one consonant, and it tells vowels to “Say your name;” and when it follows another vowel, “. . . the first one says its name.”
- It follows v (and sometimes u) when those letters are at the ends of words, because no word can end with a v and very few words can end with u.
- It can change the sound of c and g. Usually, c says /k/ and g says /g/ BUT e (and i and y) can tell c and g to make their soft sounds. (e.g., center & gentle)
- It ensures that every syllable has a vowel—even if we don’t hear it. (e.g., hazel & bubble)
- It distinguishes singular words from plurals. (The word moos could mean there was more than one moo. Adding the e makes clear that moose is an entirely different word. It’s not a plural of moo.)
- It can be added to make short words look more like words and not just random letters. (e.g., awe, owe, etc.)
- It tells us when the t-h is voiced/it makes its buzz sound. (e.g., bathe, loathe, etc.)
- And it can be there for no reason at all. (done, where, some, were, come, etc.) These are simply irregular spellings.
Remember that it’s not helpful for kids to see you throw your hands up and exclaim that this language of ours is ridiculously complicated. At Book Bums, we make it our business to teach kids how words work. If we can help them to understand it (And we do!), it can’t be that complicated, right?
Tips for Teachers
While closing up at Book Bums one evening, I saw this diary on the table just inside the doorway. It was where we keep paper and crayons for kids to use while waiting to work with their tutors or for their siblings who are looking for something to do.
Do you know what Ellie wrote here? She wrote, “Ellie’s diary” in a way that made sense to her at the time. It works, doesn’t it? The e can do magic and tell the i to say its name. Of course this isn’t the standard spelling of diary, but Ellie conveyed her message well enough. Her spelling is phonetically accurate—and it makes us smile. I held this diary in my hands for a long time, and I truly marveled at children’s ability to gain access to this complex, code-based language of ours.
Though we always strive to honor kids’ approximations when they’re spelling, we should often share, when the moment is right and the message can be received in such a way as to honor all the things they’re doing well, the standard spellings.
Ellie deserves to know that diary will be spelled differently when she sees it in books. She deserves the option of making the correction or deciding to let it remain as it is for it is an excellent attempt to spell a tricky word.
You could write the word diary on an index card, give it to her, and simply say, “If you want to write the word diary the way it looks in a book the next time, here’s how. It’s a tricky word. Your way was such a smart guess!”
Think of it like broccoli in your teeth. It’s perfectly fine to have broccoli in your teeth—it happens to all of us, but wouldn’t you rather have someone tell you about it?
Practical Grammar
The words opposite and apposite sound nearly identical and that can make using these words confusing.
The word opposite is the more familiar of the two. It means the reverse or totally different side of something.
Apposite means suitable, pertinent, or appropriate.
His remarks are apposite to the present discussion.
Interestingly, the words apposite and opposite have a common Latin ancestor, the verb ponere, which means "to put or place."
Wordology Workshop
• The Latin roots pon and posit do come from the Latin verb ponere and mean to put.
• In addition to opposite and apposite, you can find them in English words such as component, position, and postpone.
• A word of caution - not all words with the letters pon come from this root. Other Latin roots like pont and ponder also contain the pon letter group.
News from Book Bums
Well, we’ve done it again. We’re out of tutors and we need to hire some more. If you know someone amazing who might be interested in joining our team, please share this link with them: https://bookbums.com/recruitment/
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