When reading chapter 1 Believing in Living Literature, I really enjoyed looking at The Living Literature Curriculum Model. I feel that the most important part of this model is the extention that mentions what Teachers Who Know and Love Books Believe. This is a very strong area and is sort of the foundation for determining the success of the other branches. To "believe all children can learn" sets an expectation for the children to learn and can build confidence in the student as well if they know that you know they can learn. The "power of literature" and understanding it can influence what literature you will use with the students. Knowing different types of poetry, literature, and books can be helpful when selecting material that the teacher knows will affect and impact the student. I truly believe that what we believe influences how we teach and may somewhat impact what it is we will teach (aside from what we have to through curriculum).

Children's Literature- Authors

Eve Bunting- Iwas intrigued when I read a short Biography on Eve Bunting (http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-bunting-eve.asp). It mentioned that she was born in Ireland and has continued her cultures tradition of storytelling. I have read several of her books earlier in my life and had sort of "forgotten" about her. I read a review on a book that I hadn't heard of before by her called Fly Away Home. Immediately I wanted to go find this book and read it as it talked in simple words about a homeless father and son in an airport. In a review of the book, it mentioned that the book instills hope in the reader as the boy in the story finds a bird that has been trapped in the airport for days, finally finds an open door and at the right moment gets the opportunity to fly away home. This is a suttle way of identifying the feelings of the boy in the story with that of the reader and creates a hopeful feeling. The site Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site that I read the review of Eve Bunting's book can be used as resourses for ideas in activities to follow the reading of the story of not only this, but many different titles (www.carolhurst.com).