It was late afternoon one day last spring, almost twilight, that mellow time after children are gone and planning is finished, when conversation rambles among friends in empty classrooms. Jennifer Allen and I were discussing favorite books on professional development, and I said in passing, "Well, nothing will ever top Walking Trees by Ralph Fletcher for me. That's the best book ever on teacher change in schools." Jen gave me a surprised look. "Ralph wrote a book called Walking Trees?" I was stunned and replied, "You've never heard of Walking Trees?"

We have been friends and colleagues for 15 years, and talking about professional books together is about as elemental as breathing for us. Jen Allen is the kind of teacher who has read just about every important book published in the last couple decades for teachers - whenever I want to get caught up quickly on the latest and best new resources, I ask her to tell me her new favorites. How is it that she could have missed Walking Trees, that it never came up in our conversations over the years?

If the title is also new to you, Walking Trees chronicles Ralph's early days as a staff developer in New York City Schools. The events take place in the 1980s, but there is timeless quality to his searing and honest portraits of teachers willing to change their instruction...and those who aren't. The reason my copy of the book is so dog-eared is because the writing is so eloquent, and often funny. Because Fletcher's background is as a journalist and writer, he never adopts the jargon and euphemisms so common in the profession. You'll never find a "resistant teacher who is not getting her needs met" in one of his workshops. Nope - that teacher is a "snarling lump of inertia." Just as often you meet teachers who approach their work day after day with such hope and optimism, you can't help but think of similar colleagues who provide you with inspiration each day.

If it's such a wonderful book, how come not everyone knows about it? Because there are thousands and thousands of books published every year, many mediocre, not enough time to browse even the stellar ones, and we assume too much about the books we share.

Who Has the Time, All the Time?

Recently I was talking with Franki Sibberson about the problem of keeping up with all the new books published each year. She mentioned a young teacher she'd just had dinner with the night before. They were chatting about books, and Franki mentioned Strategies That Work. The colleague had never heard of Strategies That Work. This young teacher is well-read, but she began teaching in the year before Strategies was published. That first year wasn't about keeping up with the latest new professional books, it was about survival. And somehow that gap hadn't been filled since. She was embarrassed, and vowed to go out and buy it the next day.

I thought about all the young teachers out there, and those of us who aren't so young. How easy it is to have gaps in our reading of professional books. Think of how busy you were in your first year or two of teaching - how much time did you have to devour new professional books? It would be strange for anyone not to have a few lean years in their professional reading - those early years of teaching, raising families, and just figuring out the culture of a school community are packed.

Sometimes a gap isn't really a gap, either. One teacher's wonderful read is another teacher's ho-hum discard. The value of knowing what books colleagues value isn't necessarily creating a new shopping list of books - it's learning what books serve as markers in our growth as teachers. Those differences are what make each of us unique as teachers and learners.

With that in mind, I asked this question of recent contributors to Choice Literacy:

If you had room in your bookbag this fall for just one children's book to use in demonstration lessons, and just one professional book to share with colleagues, what would you choose? Why?

I hope their responses get your mind buzzing with thoughts of your own short list of essential texts. I hope even more that you'll share your choices with colleagues and get into some spirited discussions about what makes a children's or professional book essential...or not.

Debbie Miller chose Choice Words by Peter Johnston - "It's one of those books I read again and again and I always find something new!" For a children's book, she selected A Circle of Friends by Giora Carmi - "It's a thoughtful, "beautifully pictured" wordless book that gives teachers great opportunities for modeling thinking strategies, and our youngest readers opportunities for practicing the same independently or with a partner."

Ruth Shagoury likes Crafting Authentic Voice by Tom Romano - "I realize I have used this book with new teachers at both the elementary and secondary levels, as well as when I work with veteran teachers in inquiry groups. The theme of finding and crafting your voice is powerful, and it is also a very practical book, filled with ideas for writing with students and colleagues alike." For a children's book, she selected The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor - "I love its focus on the importance of really listening to one thing, learning all you can about it, and the magic that emerges from those moments of deep listening. It's wonderful to us for themes of teacher research, case studies, having conferences. . .and children of all ages seem to resonate with the theme and the gentle pen and ink drawings."

Jennifer Jones recommends Frank Serafini's The Reading Workshop "I like the book because it is a terrific quick and dirty snapshot of reading workshop, great for teachers just digging in. The other reason is that Frank really emphasizes the importance of establishing a sense of community, which is so important early in the year." For a children's book, she chose Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox - "I stole this activity from Ralph Fletcher, but it's a good one and every classroom I have done it in it has been a hit. The book is about a little boy who discovers treasures that help an old woman remember. I read that book then take this box that I have filled with treasures that remind me of special things. I refer to it as an idea box, others have called it a memory box. I have things in the box like a picture of my husband on our wedding day, one of my cat's toys, great grandma's hankie, a magnet from a vacation in Hawaii....all of these items remind me of things that I in turn could write about...."

Shari Frost likes Strategies That Work and Reading with Meaning for their indispensable resource lists. For a children's book, "The texts I need at the start of the year have to be strong memoirs. I like Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came and When I Was Young in the Mountains."

Franki Sibberson also likes Peter Johnston's Choice Words - "No matter how many times I read this book, it helps me think about the words I use with students. It is one I reread at this time in the school year because the messages we give students early in the year set the stage for the year's learning." A favorite children's book, especially for early in the year, is Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy by Scott Menchen - "I am always looking for a great picture book that can be used K-5. This one fits that requirement. I can use it with young students as a great simple text to share-one that they can read on their own because of its patterned text. Because it talks about all of the things that make you happy, it can be used to start conversations and to build community with all ages and can serve as a great book for generating entries for writers' notebooks in the upper elementary grades."

Jennifer Allen picked an older book as her "professional must-have," Learning Together Through Inquiry by Kathy Short and colleagues - "This is an old favorite but in an age of testing and meeting standards this text is a great reminder of the energy generated when students are interested, motivated, and engaged in their learning." Her favorite children's book is much newer, Ralph Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams - "I love the short vignettes, which are great for modeling writer's craft and memoir. Kids love the stories and can identify with the childhood adventures."

"The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) picked What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington and Reading Essentials by Regie Routman - "These are simply the books that have influenced us more than any others in our careers." For a children's book, they selected the Dragon series by Ruth Stiles Gannett, which includes My Father's Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland - "This series is perfect for the beginning of the year where we are building listening stamina with all of our students. Each chapter is about 10 minutes of visual images and exciting adventures."

I've already mentioned my love of Walking Trees by Ralph Fletcher, an older but classic professional book. My favorite children's book to use in classrooms is even older, The Bat-Poet by Randall Jarrell. This story of a young bat learning to write and confer with his peers draws in young readers with the delightful sketches of Maurice Sendak. Older readers can learn deep lessons about the writing process, even from a book that is over 40 years old.

There you have it - more than a dozen well-worn and well-loved books we've already packed in our book bags and pulled out a few times this month. What dog-eared text will you reach for as soon as you finish reading these words?