Picture Books, A PLN, and Possibilities: A Thank You

August 10 for 10

Nothing like having a big event and then disappearing for 10 days. Since completing our Picture Book 10 for 10 August event, I had to shift gears to get in back to school mode. Lots to do!!! I couldn't, however, not say a few words about our event.

Wow!

It's really all I can say. When Mandy, of Enjoy and Embrace Learning (Mandy's reflection is here), and I developed this crazy scheme of a picture book round up to share 10 books every classroom library should have, we had no idea it would turn into such an event. The response was much greater than we anticipated thanks to so many friends and bloggers who thoughtfully participated by sharing the books they love having in their libraries.

Picture Book Must Reads!

The result was a "jog" of 40 blogs; each sharing their 10 favorite books. There are many spins and twists on the event that are worth checking out so make sure you go through all 40 steps. Here are a few of the twists you won't want to miss (all are in the jog as well):

• Boy Books: Katie shared 10 Books Boys Can't Live Without at Creative Literacy.
• Story Elements: Nancy shared 10 books by telling about the story elements she teaches with her favorites.
• Teaching Suggestions: Dawn shared her list with some great suggestions for teaching with picture books in your classroom.
• Monthly Favorites: Esme shared her favorite books for each month.
• Native Authors: This list is amazing (and so is the information shared)! Debbie shares her 10 favorite children's literature titles about American Indians. I know American Indians are underrepresented in my classroom library so I'm looking forward to checking out the books on this list. I hope to find some new titles for my classroom.
• African American Titles: Here's another list you won't want to miss. Karen shares her 10 favorite African American titles.
• "Chicken Soup" for the Teacher's Soul: You absolutely cannot miss Ann Marie's 10 days of stories about her 10 favorites (day 1 is here). I'm not sure how to manage to link to all of them, but they start on August 11th. In each post Ann Marie shares a story behind the book she has chosen.
• Books for All: Susan shared an intermediate and a primary list of favorites.

A PLN: My Inspiration

We were thrilled that so many of our friends and local bloggers joined the event. This group is always an inspiration to me. They keep me learning, buying books, and trying new ideas. You won't want to miss these: Literate Lives, Raising Readers and Writers, Two Learning Journeys, A Year in Reading, Learn Me Sumthin', Wandering and Wondering in Libraryland, Teaching in the Tech Frontier, Teaching in the 21st Century.

In addition to old friends, I added many new blogs to my reader. Make sure you stop by: Carol's Corner, Chicken Spaghetti, Write Now! , Welcome to Our Wonderland: My Little Artist, Who's Learning Is It Anyway?, Keene Public Library, ProseandKahn's Journal, All-en-a-Day's Work, What We Read and What We Think, Reading is Thinking.

Twitter

Mandy couldn't have said it better when she said, "Technology is a powerful tool to connect people. Technology is a powerful tool to share ideas." I was completely unprepared for the power of a hashtag, #pb10for10, and my Twitter friends @Saskateach from A Work in Progress, @LiteracyCounts from Room to Grow, @bookblogmamma from Ready. Set. Read!, @mrs_honeysett from The Hive, @tessasdad from Stay at Home Dad in Lansing, @TeachJohnson from Random Thoughts of a Teacher, and @JulieHedlund from Write Up My Life. In addition to many many other Twitter colleagues who helped spread the word. What a wonderful PLN!

Special Mentions

I would be remiss to not thank a few friends who helped spread word of the event.

Thanks to:

@MaryLeeHahn for sharing the information about the event with the Kidlitosphere. This really helped get the event off to a great start. Mary Lee, you rock!

Nancy Ehlrich (@NancyTeaches). Nancy not only passed word along through Twitter, but she also wrote an article about the event at Examiner.com. Thanks, Nancy!

Brenda at Choice Literacy (@ChoiceLiteracy). I was surprised to see a link to the event jog on the August 14th Big Fresh Letter. It made my day! I'm not sure how Brenda keeps up with everything going on in the Literacy world, but her site is a constant resource for so many educators. Much appreciated, Brenda!

Special thanks to everyone who contributed (there are so many more!). It was such fun because all of you joined in the conversation. I'm truly honored to be part of this learning community!