Have You Filled A Bucket Today?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy. 
Every Wednesday, I'll review non-fiction picture book. (It may not always be a picture book. 
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other non-fiction books are shared this week!

Title: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 
Author: Carol McCloud 
Illustrator: David Messing 
Publisher: Nelson Publishing and Marketing 
Publication Date: May, 2006 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Through sweet, simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heart-warming book encourages positive behavior as children see how easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love on a daily basis. 
What I Think: Peanut read this book during the first week of school with his class. He came home and told me about how he wants to try and fill other people's buckets. I was kind of familiar with the book but hadn't read it so I picked it up at Anderson's Bookshop last week. It's important to talk to kids about helping others or doing things for other people. Over the summer, we volunteered at Feed My Starving Children and it was a great experience for Peanut but I love that this book talks about everyday things that we can do to help others.
     This book has simple text that explains what it means to be a bucket filler or a bucket dipper and how to be a bucket filler. It seems like a great idea to have a name for being a bucket filler. Now when Peanut isn't being very nice to his little brother I can remind him about being a bucket filler and it does make him stop and think about what he's doing.
     Building relationships at the beginning of the school year is super important before we hope to teach anything. As a teacher, I spent time learning about my students at the beginning of the year, talking to them about their interests and books they liked to read and writing autobiographies. Now, as a coordinator, I still believe strongly in developing relationships with the teachers and staff that I work with because if I don't first build that respect and rapport with them, I'm not going to be effective in supporting them in integrating instructional technology. This book is a great way to share a common message for how we treat others in class and an important reminder for me as I work with teachers that there may have been other people or instances that dipped into their buckets in the past but that I want to work to fill their buckets up and support them as much as I can.
Read Together: Grades 1 - 5 
Read Alone: Grades 1 - 5 
Read With: One by Kathryn Otoshi, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, Wonder by RJ Palacio 
Snatch of Text:  

"You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say

or do something kind, or even when you give someone a smile.

That's being a bucket filler." (p. 12)

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections  
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something to fill someone else's bucket and how it made that person and you feel.  
Topics Covered: Relationships, Friendship, Integration - Social-Emotional 

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