Oliver Has Something To Say

By Pamela Edwards
Illustrated by Louis Pilon
Published in 2007

     I really liked this book. The illustrations were great. Right when I turned the page before the book even started there was a picture. I had no idea what was going on but I think it would start a good class discussion of what they think the story will be about.
    The main character, Oliver, is having trouble finding his voice. Everytime someone ask him a question it seems that someone else is answering for him. I feel that this is something that happens often to kids. Many students can relate to Oliver. Fortunately his teacher is kind and helps Oliver find his voice to make his own choices. To the families surprise one night Oliver shouts and tells them all about how they were wrong when they answered for him. This story can not only encourage students who are shy to speak up but also those students who always tend to blurt and speak for others. Hopefully they will realize that although they may just want to help, they should let others speak for themselves.
     An activity you could do is have the students write or draw their own story. They can write from personal experience or make it up. Discuss how things might have been better if they would have just told to truth right away.
  

Doug-Dennis and the Fly-Away Fib



By Darren Farrel
Published in 2003



     This book was almost like a play. There was a narrator and then the characters in the book. It all starts when Doug-Dennis and his friend are bored and decide to go to the circus! There Doug eats ALL of his friends popcorn, but when asked about it he denies and just tell an itty-bitty lie. This turns into another lie, and another, and another, until Doug is so far up in the sky with all the other lies. Some are big and some are small, and some are just goofy. While there he realizes he doesn't like it too much and misses his friend. The only way down though is to tell the truth.
      This book is great to read to kids to show how lying isn't a good thing. How one can lead to another and give a snowball affect. For younger children this would be great since it is an easy read, they could read along with you. Also when kids are younger they tend to lie about smaller things as to not get in trouble. Not saying they are the only age group that lies but it will happen.
     I really did not like the illustrations in this book. I'm not a fan of when pictures make animals look unproportional and scary kind of like in this book. With that being said since it does have a great underlying relatable message about lying I would use this in my classroom. For example while reading this allow we can talk about if the students think it was good for him to lie? What would they have done? Also as the lie keeps getting bigger do they think he should keep going or stop? Before reading that he has to tell the truth to get down, maybe have them express their ideas of what he should do.

Here is a great website for this book!

Two Bad Pilgrims

By Kathrn Lasky
Illustrated by John Manders
Published in 

   This children's picture book is also a graphic novel. They use this type of writing to show different perspectives and time periods throughout the book. An old man is telling the story and out side the boxes the pilgrims will interrupt and it will go into their story.  Although I read that this book is for younger ages I think it could be used by a wide range. It incorporates history with humor and a lesson. While reading this book I even learned a thing or two about the pilgrim's voyage to America.
    As a teacher I am not sure if I agree with everything in this book. Some of the language I don't believe is suitable for younger ages or the topics discussed. They say words like stupid, dumb, and there is some name calling. I read "The Lorax" to kindergartners before and I think they say the word stupid and I was shocked to see how the students took this. It started with oh that's a bad word, and then went off on a crazy tangent. The subject of their bad behavior stems from kidnapping Indians and blowing things up. Which I thought was unnecessary. I would use some of the pages to read aloud to a class if I did a social studies unit on the pilgrimage to America. They could relate the story to things they have already learned.

Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody

By Michael Rex
Published in 2008

    Well I hope we have all heard of the children's book "Goodnight Moon." This book is a funny and somewhat scary rendition of that. The bunny is replaced by a little monster boy. He still says goodnight to his surroundings just as the original book, but of course his are a little different since he lives in a cold tomb in a black lagoon! There is a werewolf and bat, and of course a goon.
     The illustration went with the story. The colors he used were darker so you got the feeling you were in the lagoon! Along with that some of the illustrations were a little scary, I wouldn't use this book on kids who get frighten easily.
     As a teacher I could use this book to help define parody or introduce that many times people do spin offs of books. The students could make a compare and contrast chart.

Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window

By Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
Published in 2000


   I remember this particularly series being very popular when I was a student therefore I decided to chose this as my series book to read. I want to become familiar with a series I think my future students will be reading. What I liked about these books is that I did not neccessarily need to read teh first book. There were a few things I was confused on, but this is a series where you could pick out any of the books and still understand what is going on. As a reader I really enjoyed it. There was mystery, adventure, and humor every now and then. It was probably one of the books I finished the fastest and finished all in one sitting. I just had to find out what happened in the end!
    As a teacher I think this is a great series for kids who like Harry Potter, or mystery/spooky kinds of books. Although some of the things these three children do is quite ridiculous it is a page turner. There are some bigger vocabulary words, but a reader who isn't as strong would still understand what is going on.

Big Red Lollipop

By Rukhsana Khan
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Published in 2010

      This author was born in Pakistan and moved to Canada at a very young age. Since she is of a different culture you can see this through her books. With the book that I read I could tell by one first reading her name and two the way her characters were illustrated. Also the names of the characters in the book were represented her background. The base of the story was similar to many. The main character is invited to her first birthday party but her younger sister wants to go as well. Her mother makes her bring her and not only is this embarrassing, but her sister eats her big red lollipop she had saved from the party. Vivid would be an understatement in describing her emotions. One day though her younger sister came home with a party invitation. Of course the youngest wants to go now. Begging and pleading their mother stands by her rule. She must take the youngest sister. This is could be the ultimate payback, but instead the eldest ask her mother to let her go to the part by herself, and their mother agrees. Later that day her sister brings her home a big green lollipop!
    I enjoyed the moral of the story and I think this is a good book that shows retaliation is not the answer. It is always good to help one another. Even students who do not have siblings could relate to this story.
      Also I liked how the illustrations helped set the mood of the book. They were focused mainly on the characters of the story. You could see the emotion on their faces. I also liked the page where she was chasing her sister around the house. It gave a birds eye view and the path they took followed the text.

This is this authors official website!

The Misfits

By James Howe
Published in 2003

     I enjoyed how this book was set-up. I liked how they had their forums written down and Howe did not just include this dialogue in the text but made it look different. As if we could see how Addie was writing and recording all of their discussions. This I think helped the characters come to life and seem real. Also each of these characters had something about that made them different, a "misfit" actually. Which I think everyone can relate to. Whether it be visible or not there is something about everyone I think that makes them not fit in with the rest of the crowd. Lowe picked somethings that usually makes a junior high student stick out and applied them to  the characters. Making them relatable to the reader.
     I also liked how they didn't win the election. Although they didn't get everything and change the world and thoughts of their fellow peers with one simple campaign, they did make a statement. They began a movement.This story also has its' comical light hearted moments as well, where you can't help but laugh out loud.
    I am still undecided if I would use this in my classroom. I think I may be able to find a better book to represent these issues but I am not sure.

The Giver

By Lois Lowry
Published in 1999

      I vaguely remember this book from when I was in school. I can not recall if I read it myself or if it was a different reading group. Either way as a reader today I really enjoyed the book. When I was reading it the book "The Handmaids Tale" popped into my mind. I remember reading that my freshman or sophomore year of college and it was also about a Utopian society. This book kept my turning the pages wanting to know more. I liked how the author would introduce certain events, but leave out important details out at times. We the readers would slowly unfold these details later as we kept reading. For example how the previous giver to be before Jonas was actually the giver's daughter. Also although this is a science fiction book, the author almost had me believing as if it was real, or at least possible. I believe this was partially because of the way he developed the characters. We felt as if we knew some of them because we knew their inner thoughts. Also the dialogue throughout the book and the way Lowry portrayed mood and tone.
      Since their is so many things going on in this book I am unsure of how I would use it in my classroom. On one hand I feel as if it is a great book to use to have the students reread and do character analysis  or find certain symbolism and other literary devices. Also it is a great book to introduce the idea of the Utopian society. Bringing up questions and debates of what is better or right. Everyone being safe and censored, or living in an imperfect but uncensored world?

   

Whole-y Cow! Fractions Are Fun!

By Taryn Souders
Illustratred by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Published in 1977

    As a reader I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations also assisted in explaining and expanding on the text. As a teacher with a math specialization this book is one I would definitely have in my classroom! Fractions are very tricky, they go against most math concepts we know. I just recently took Elementary Math Methods and learned that I actually knew very little about fractions. Yes I could do all the correct procedures to solving different equations, but conceptually I had no idea what was going on. I was unable to tell you why you did something. Thankfully I now know a lot more after that class. This book is very interactive and would be a great read aloud to a math class. You could read a few pages a day followed by a discussion on the concepts discussed and math activity pertaining to the specified concepts. Fractions can be difficult for many kids and adults alike. I feel as if bringing in another way of teaching, through a book, along with other ways could help make the concepts of fractions clearer to students.
     
 
Here is an example of to a guide I found online
 

WHAT A DAY IT WAS AT SCHOOL!

     This book is a compilation of many different poems, written from the students point of view. They all involve different activities he did throughout his school day. I as a reader really enjoyed this book. The poems were light and funny. I also liked how they all rhymed and I could relate to most of them since I am a student as well.



By Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by Doug Cushman
Published in 2006

     As a teacher I feel like this book is a great set of poems for students to start with. They are fun and their rhyme scheme make them easy to read. When students first start being introduce to poetry I think it is good to have them read poems that relate to their lives. This poem would do just that. Also we did an acting out of the poem (I can't remember the exact name for the exercise at this moment. It was easy and fun to do with this poem. I feel like I could give this to my students and they would feel comfortable at trying their first attempts of acting and adding sound and pitch to these poems.
    With each poem their is also a very colorful illstrations. For example in one he talks about his science experiment and how he made this big green monster thing and it shows a picture of him in a messy lab with the big green monster eating his stuff. Instead of the dog eating his homework his homework ate his dog.



No Talking

By Andrew Clements
Published in 1949

    I can't say that I loved this book but it wasn't bad. It was an easy read, and good for students who like this author. I remember reading Frindle as a kid and loving it. This book is somewhat similar. The base is a fifth grade class who are pegged as the "Unhushables" for they never seem to be able to keep quiet. Until one day a bet was made and silence feel across this fifth grade class. With this new found silence many have a lot more time to think and with this new ideas emerge. Will this bet finally close the gap between the boys and the girls, or push them to do even more stunts that promote their segregation.
   Although I wouldn't use this book with my lessons or for group discussion I would have it on a suggested reading list. Or if I did have a problem within my classroom between the boys and girls I may suggest  everyone reading this book.

It's NOT the Stork



By Robie H. Harris
Illustrated by Michael Emberly

    Where to even start with this book. My first reaction was that this is not a book I would have in my classroom. Especially if we are not in a science or health classroom were this is being openly discussed. I do think though that the book was very informational. If a parent needed suggestions on how to talk about the ever daunting "where do babies come from question" this book has the answers. I like how they are very informational and do not sugar coat anything or make up words for different body parts that may seem more appropriate. Also I particularly liked the page titled girls do this, boys do that. At first i was apprehensive since children should not fall under gender roles and stereotypes with the activities they do. The book actually had both sexes doing every activity. Like girls dance, boys do too. Although it is still somewhat of a stereotype since the girl was mentioned first but I think it is good for children to see that the activities they chose to do shouldn't be limited to whether they be a boy or girl.
   When having a discussion with other classmates though it was brought up how this book does not address where babies come from with a same sex partners, or children born a hermaphrodite. Since these things do occur everywhere I think that I should do my research and find books for all types of parents.

Skin Again



By Bell Hooks
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Published in 2004

      I actually really enjoyed this book. It addressed the issue of how some people have a different skin color then you, but in a way that made it more about being individual and not being defined by the way you look. It wasn't just another book about racism. I liked how the author spoke of how the skin is just a cover. It can help you trace someones identity "but then again the skin I'm in will always be just a covering. It cannot tell my story." I also liked the almost awkward flow of the book, I read it in my head like it was a blues poem (sorry if that doesn't make sense).
     Although this is a very simple to read children's book I would use it for any age level. Through out our K-12 yrs and our lives we struggle to find an identity for ourselves. Is it how other perceive us or how we perceive ourselves? What makes you, you. This book could start a great discussion on how everyone is different, not just with skin color but with our hobbies, interest, and lifestyles. Incorporating this book into a classroom opens a door to many activities. You could have students write a response or do an artistic response on what makes them them, trying not to use physical features. Let people in on the inside as the author says.

Each Little Bird That Sings

By Deborah Wiles
Published in 2005

   When I read the back of this book and realized it was about a girl who's family owns the town funeral home I wasn't all too sure what to expect. I thought oh boy I picked a real depressing one. I was wrong though. Yes at times I found myself almost crying but It wasn't because it was all about funerals. It is about this young girl going through many transitions in her life. Losing two family members, her best friend changing, and many other things. The story is also told from her (Comfort) perspective. Which I thought really brought mood to the story and helped you relate with her character. One of my favorite parts is where she lists top ten things to do at a funeral. She also writes her own obituaries, but unfortunately they don't make it to the newspaper. Her daring adventure of finding herself really made me enjoy this book and I would definitely suggest it!
    One of the things I liked about this book is that the text changed throughout. Since she kept a journal and made a lot of newspaper articles these were distinguished throughout the text in different font and format. It made it seem like Comfort had given you the article herself. I also noticed there was a lot of personification used when talking about nature and this helped bring out the importance of this aspect in the book. This book does a good job of covering the topic of death in not such a serious tone, but it doesn't make it a joke either. For response from my students I would definitely have them do a character list. Not because there are a lot of important ones but because their names are just so darn funny. Also I think this would be an excellent book to have the class or small group do the time line activity. Where they graph the level of tension. Also a visual representation of each chapter with a bookmark would be great, just to see what parts of the story the students are finding important.

Play, Mozart, Play!

By Peter Sis
Published in 2006

    Peter Sis was the author I explored more in depth for my project and I was pleasantly surprised at the variance of the books he wrote. One type he did was biographies such as this book. This kid friendly biography of Mozart does a great job of depicting his life. Sis chooses important events that would make sense to kids, and then does a great job of illustrating them. I felt as if the words helped me understand the story. Instead of the usual the pictures add to the words of the story. I learned that Mozart was talented as a young child and his stern father helped him practice and become the infamous artist he is today. I say he is stern not because it says it in the book, but throughout the book he is represented by a dark silhouette. We never actually see him.
   This would be a great book to incorporate into teaching as well since it is geared towards the younger ages, and during that time most of them write about themselves, because that is what they know best. This book could be an introduction into writing biographies of themselves or other things prevalent in their life such as a sport they play, family member, or animals.

The Starlight Princess and Other Princess Stories

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     I really enjoyed this book. It contained many stories I have heard many times, but also some that were new to me. Also each story was about a different princess around the world. Many cultures and countries were represented with this book. At the beginning it even contained an artist introduction which I though was very interesting and helped me understand how the illustrations were formed. Each story flowed very well and not only told the story but gave a description as well as to the reasons behind the decisions and behaviors of some characters. It was like you had a secret insight to the fairy tales.
   Since the illustrations were embroidered it added an almost 3d affect to the pictures. I felt as if i could feel the texture of the pictures if I touched them. Also I liked how the illustrations were inserted throughout the story varied. Sometimes a whole page would be a picture, others both pages with some words, sometimes there would just be a small illustration in the corner.
     Overall i really enjoyed this compilation of stories, I found them interesting and I would use this book in my classroom. It is easier to read then some fairy tales, has great illustration, and a good variance of stories. They even have a story about a prince so male students won't feel left out!

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella

By Tony Johnston
Illustrated by James Warhola
Published in 1998

       Although as a child I have read many retold stories of classic fairy tales, this one was new too me. Princesses have always been the most beautiful girl in the book, but in this story beauty means having huge feet and being the most hairiest creature around. As you can see from the title of the book. It is a forest version of the classic tale. There is still the evil stepmother, and two evil step sisters,"beary" godfather and of course the infamous ball. But instead dancing the event to win the princes hand in marriage is rolling him off the log and in log rolling competition. Although I found this rendition comical I am not sure if I would select it for my students. There was some language that I would not agree with and I personally didn't enjoy how the forest creatures spoke as if they were cavemen.
       Although I was not a fan of the dialogue I really enjoyed the illustrations with the book. They incorporated a lot of green tones and I loved how the forest creatures looked. The illustrations were also very detailed. The mood of each page could be guessed just from looking at the pictures. I like this because sometimes in class you will have students look at just the cover or certain illustrations to analyze and guess what the story will be about. Just from looking at the cover I feel as if this could start a great pre-reading conversation of what the book is going to be about.

The Spirits in the Leather Bag from Trickster tales

Retold by Richard Walker
Published in 1998

   This includes numerous tales. The one I am going to focus on is one I really liked called The Spirits of the Leather Bag. This story is of a selfish prince. Since he was young he had an old servant tell him magnificent stories every night, when asked to retell them though the prince did  not want to share. After each story was told the spirit of that story was put in a bag kept by the prince. Of course after many years the bag became crowded and the spirits became angry. The seek a most awful revenge, but will they succeed? It is a tale of a faithful servant and how stories need to be retold and shared to everyone.
    I really liked this book because I had never heard of many of these tales. Also each one came with some sort of lesson learned by the main character, which then enlightens the reader as well. The vocabulary is not dumbed down and is for a wide range of readers. The pictures also help depict the story and events going on. They are very detailed and colorful and add life to each page. Also I liked how the faces of the animals or people were not simple at all. You could tell by looking at them what emotion was being portrayed.

Red Ridin' in the Hood

   This book actually has several different stories within in it, but the one I focused on was the one in the title. Red Ridin' in the Hood is a retold version of the classic tale of little red riding hood. Actually all the tales in this book are classic tales retold with some Latino culture injected into them. For example for this story the girl lives in the city and is taking food to her sick abuela (grandmother). The wolf comes along in a low rider, and the forest she walks through is actually just a bad neighborhood street called Forest Street. I liked how the story still kept to the famous tale, but had a different twist to it.
   There were only two pictures for this story but the illustrations throughout the book look like they are done in pencil and have no added colors. I liked this because the black and white made it seem old like the classic talks, but the actual illustrations were more modern. With a lot of detail to them. In regards to the text I enjoyed how there were Spanish words incorporated throughout the story. Also most of it was dialogue which I think made you form a closer relationship with the characters. This along with the detailed descriptions helped illustrate the book for me as well in my mind.

By patricia santos
Pictures by renato Alacao
Published in 2005

How the Stars Fell into the Sky

By Jerrie Oughton
Published in 1992

      This story is a retold Navajo folk tale of how the stars appeared in the sky. It started when the First Woman realized that there needed to be a way for people to know the law. After some discussion her and the First Man came to the conclusion that the best way to do this was to write them in the sky for everyone to see. It was a long and tedious task but the woman placed each star carefully into the sky day determined to write the law. When the coyote comes to help though he gets restless of this tedious task and throws all the stars up into the sky at once. Creating the sky we see today, and the people were unknowingly walking around with no law to abide by since you could not read it through the confusion of the rest of the stars.
      Many kids have questions like how did the stars get in the sky? Reading books like this from a different culture I think is a good way to help students explore these kinds of questions. Since many different people and cultures have a different answer to that one question. It also shows how people use folk talks to answer questions they have.
       In regards to the illustrations they are very simple and focus on the beauty of nature. Using basic colors and drawing to illustrate each page. The drawing are also there to reinforce the text.

The Circuit

   The circuit was not the book I was expecting it to be, but I did really enjoy it. At first i thought it was going to be your all too familiar story of an immigrant boy who comes to America with his family to find a better life. At first there are many hardships and obstacles, but in the end they get a break and eventually do live a better life. This book is not that typical story. Chapter after chapter we learn of the hardships of this boy growing up and trying to achieve the "American Dream." They come to America excited for the new possibilities but find themselves constantly struggling just to make ends meet. Each chapter was a different story of a different time in his life, they were not necessarily in chronological order. With each of these chapters though I found myself feeling as if I knew the character personally finding out what he loved, hated, and the trials of his life. From going to school where he understood no English, to his most prized penny collection, to the constant moving to find more work. Although many of us did not experience the kind of life he did growing up, I find myself able to relate to him in some way. You can't help but hope that someday him and his family will live the life they have always dreamed of.
   This is a book i would definitely consider using in my classroom. It can take on so many different angles. You can use it to make students understanding of the hardships some people face when coming to this country. The main character is most likely around their age, so it is someone that is relate able. Also I'm sure almost everyone in the classrooms family immigrated to America at some point, whether it be long ago or recently. This could be a chance for students to investigate their heritage. It would incorporate multicultural education and allow students to learn of their family history. Giving presentations in class of the things they learned. Some may even be able to interview family members as resources.

Madlenka's Dog

By Peter Sis
Published in 2002

    This story is about a girl and the one city block where she lives. All Madlenka really wants something many kids do, she wants to have her own dog. Unfortuantly her parents say no. This does not stop her. With her imagination as her guide Madlenka takes her new dog on a walk around her block. Running into all her friends, each one representing a different culture and having their own fond memories of their dogs. She also runs into her fellow friend who has a pet horse (also imaginary). With their imaginations there is no limit to the things they could do.
   One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it has mulitple layers. It shows all the things you can do with an imagination. Also it incorporates different languages throughout the book. One thing that I found very interesting that I have not seen before was that on each page in the corner there was a little picture of Madlenka's city block. It showed how she was traveling around it and used colored dots to represent the different people she talked to. At the end of the book there was a key for teh dots. As you can see this book can spark many different topics of conversation for children.
  

An Ocean World

Written by Peter Sis
Published in 1992

     This story is about a whale who lives in captivity for most of her life, until she is too big and is transported to the ocean. She has seen humans her whole life, but now for the first time she will be able to see a whale just like herself.  To my surprise the majority of this book was a picture book. It starts off with a postcard and background story of the whale. Once she reaches the ocean however her adventure is told through illustrations. The author uses colors to set the mood, and describe the weather.
     I believe this book could be used for a range of lower elementary grade students. It allows the reader to participate in the story themselves since it is told through illustrations and allows for various interpretations. One way this book could be incorporated into the classroom is by having different groups read the book and then write their own dialogue. This way you can show students different perspectives, how you can get many interpretations from the same thing, and also how people incorporate their prior knowledge into the things they read.