This year’s Monarch winner, the Illinois children’s choice award for grades K-3, was just announced.  At our school the winner was Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude.  But it is interesting to note, that closely behind were the books Skippyjon Jones and Precious and the Boo Hag.  As I think back through these and previous year’s winners I am noticing a pattern.  The students in my school are voting on the memory that we make together with the book as much, or more, than on the book itself. 

A couple of years ago a title which I thought fairly weak garnered many votes from our students.  But I read it with a spot-on British accent, if I do say so myself, and the students remembered that.  So I am certain that it is the read aloud memory that motivates these young voters.   

This year we read Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude together in three large group sessions in the library.  Usually I read aloud in individual classrooms weekly, but during Monarch we read at least one in large groups.  Since Motorcycle Dude actually has three voices – two characters with bubble conversations and a narrator, I had two teachers help me read in each session.  They say teaching is 90% theater, and there is no doubt when you ask teachers to help you read a book like this one!  The kids AND the teachers made a memory! 

Technical details:  I shared the photos of the book by using a digital visual presenter and a screen.  The teachers reading were up front by the screen.  I photocopied the pages of the book for the two teachers reading so I could highlight their parts for them.  It isn’t easy to recognize, otherwise, and I wanted to make this as smooth and painless for them as possible.  Obviously the copies were for the read aloud performance and were destroyed immediately after.  (I’m counting on that to fall within fair use for education.  Although I did copy the entire work, I don’t think I cheated anyone out of sales.  I think we probably promoted sales!)

With Skippyjon Jones I had the students participate.  There are several spots in the book where the text can be sung to the familiar tune of the Mexican folk song Las Chiapanecas. The book has in-text prompts for the clap-clap.  (The tune is familiar to our students, I think, because it is used at White Sox games to rev up the crowd!)  The kids love doing the clapping while I read aloud.  If they don’t do it in rhythm I make them do it again until we get it right as a group.  Kids value true success more than false self esteem! 

I was a bit worried about Skippyjon Jones as a read aloud as it has garnered criticism as racist with its mix of real Spanish and imitation Spanish words:  “el blimpo bumblebeeto bandito”  I do want to be aware of promoting stereotypes, no matter how clever and funny a book might be, so I did point out to the students that Skippyjon is using his imagination and pretending; some of his words are really Spanish and some are just silly and made up. 

We have very few Spanish speaking students in our school, but I watched them each carefully as we read.  Truly they enjoyed the book as much or more, and a student in the first group proudly translated an unfamiliar phrase for me!  Perhaps this is an example of adults over-thinking a potential problem, and kids just enjoying the moment?  Kids understand that Skippyjon is about imagination, not cultural relations.

Our school’s third place winner, Precious and the Boo Hag, was read aloud by one of the third grade teachers who is the queen of scary stories.  I don’t particularly favor scary stories, so this was perfect.  Miss Amy had the time to read to each class since she has a student teacher right now and actually must leave the room for certain time periods.  The students loved her “performance” of the book, so I’m betting it got a higher percentage of votes than at other schools.

One of Miss Amy’s students is moving, and today was her last day at our school.  She came to the library to tell us goodbye, and hugged me three times telling me how much she likes ”my stories”. 

My thanks to the Monarch committee for the work that they do that allows us a special annual focus on twenty wonderful books.  What a privilege to work with children and books.  What a privilege to serve as the extension of creative authors and illustrators as we read aloud.  What a privilege to make memories together! 

Note:  For the very first time our school winner matched the state winners, not only for first, but for second place!