Teaching Heart Blog

So what do you prefer to read??? Do you like Broccoli books or Twinkie Books the best? Or do you like a mixture of the two? Ok, you may be going, “huh?” Let me explain: back when I first started teaching one of the veteran teachers (Mrs. Boyton – Silver Ridge) made a comment that stuck with me forever. She said she was tired of reading Broccoli books and needed to open a Twinkie Book. She defined a Broccoli book as a book you read to gain new knowledge or learning something from; like, a teaching theory book, a self-help book, or a parenting book. These books are good for your brain, like broccoli is good for your body. The Twinkie book is a book that is a story you read for pure enjoyment, you don’t gain any new knowledge from it, you just enjoy it. Like a Twinkie, it is yummy and not necessarily good for you. It is an indulgence for your mind. I just loved this way of explaining books!

I am mostly a Broccoli book kinda gal! I read some Twinkie books here and there, but Broccoli books are my kind of book. I have been getting together a few books I want to read this summer and guess what, they are all Broccoli books. They happen to be parenting books and one Teacher knowledge type of book. My choices are:

No one suggested this one…  Mom’s Everything Book for Daughters.

It just looked like my kind of book and one I can keep around for the years.  I just read the first chapter and really enjoyed it.  Here is what the back of the book tells us:
“From the whimsical to the heart-to-heart, here is a potpourri of the best, most usable, fun ways to connect with your daughter as you face the issues that concern her together. From helping her enjoy her appearance, to dealing with physical changes and sex, to becoming a lifelong learner, this book is full of frank advice as well as great ideas for

· Chick Chats: Conversations that draw you closer and help her think through an issue · Just for Fun: Whimsical ideas that’ll make you the coolest mom in the universe! · Rave Reviews: Recommended reading your daughter will love (really!) · God, Mom, and Me: Discussions over Scripture that will help you both keep God in the center of the picture · And a whole lot more! “

This next one my girlfriend is reading the girl version of and it sounded really great… sooooo   I decided to get Bringing Up Boys!

If you read the review of this book on Amazon, you will see that he has some very conservative views of things.  It will be interesting to read this and share it with my husband (one of the world’s biggest conservatives) as I read. 

This next one has been on my shelf for a few months and I have cracked it and it looks great…  Plus an added bonus is that I know the author.  She was one of my college professors who taught an awesome class called Teaching Literature.  I do believe that her class is one of the classes I learned a great deal from while in college. 

Many of her approaches and suggestions I used in my classroom and use with my son.  I actually saved my notes from this class and used them in my real classroom.  This book is Toolkit for Teachers of Literacy!

So that’s my summer reading list…  What kind of books do you like?  Are you a Twinkie kind-a reader or a Broccoli Lov-a?