I have been thinking a lot about this book since I read the news about Ivan's passing yesterday. Of course I learned about it on Twitter. It came as quite a shock. I know this is true for many people.
Even before I joined the world of Twitter, I had heard about this remarkable book. I read it last winter and knew right away that I had to pick it for my "Breakfast with Books" book club. My fourth graders and I read the book last spring and had a touching and meaningful book club discussion. I even had some of the parents in my classroom read the book with their child. This is exactly what I hope happens when I announce a book club selection.
As I became more and more a part of the Twitter PLN, I realized how important this book is to so many teachers, children, and readers. It was so cool to follow Mr. Schu on his "Let's Go South" summer road trip and feel like I was meeting Ivan right along side him.
This summer I've spent time planning what books I will read to my class, what books I will book-talk, and what books I will use for our book club. I wanted all my students to experience the story of Ivan so I had decided to read The One and Only Ivan as our second read-aloud of the year. I will be kicking off the year with Wonder.
It is going to be even more meaningful when I read this book to my class and I share that Ivan passed away on Monday, August 20th. This is such an important book that I think all children should be exposed to.
In memory of Ivan...
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