Title: A House for Hermit Crab
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 1987
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Hermit Crab has outgrown his shell and much to his dismay he has to find a new one. He looks around and finds a shell that he will fit into, but it is just so plain! Hermit Crab decides that the shell will do but it needs something to make it feel more like home. Hermit Crab begins to find some friends that will join his shell that will make it much less plain, and boring. Just when Hermit Crab finished his long journey and had decided that his house was perfect, it began to feel a bit small. Hermit Crab realized that even though he had come to love all of his friends and his new shell, that he must go and find a bigger one. It was hard for Hermit until one day when he saw a smaller hermit crab wondering by that didn’t have a shell because she had outgrown her shell. Hermit Crab told her that he had outgrown his shell too, he asked her to promise to be good to his friends and that she could have his shell. This time when Hermit Crab ventured out to find a new shell it wasn’t as scary as he remembered. Hermit Crab found a big shell, that looked pretty plain...and then thought of all the possibilities!
Evaluation:
I really liked this story, I thought that it had so many different positive qualities that the reader could take from it. The author used personification to tell the story about change. Of course a crab can’t talk, or ask all of the other stuff in the ocean to come and be a part of his shell, but it does provide a setting for readers to relate the story back to their own lives. Eric Carle did a really nice job of showing how our main character grew as the story went on. The reader saw just how nervous the crab was to leave his shell the first time, but by the second time he was excited about the possibilities that were in front of him. I also enjoyed how the author used foreshadowing by telling the reader that Hermit Crab was beginning to outgrow his new shell, but we didn’t actually see him move out his shell until the next page. This would allow the reader to process the text and even make a prediction about what might happen. Eric Carle also did a nice job of using allegory with this story, as we often see with many of his stories. Like we already mentioned the story can be seen as a story about accepting change, but it could also be looked as a story about diversity and understanding that it is okay to be different. I think that it also could be about survival, what did the hermit crab do to survive, he could have chose not to find a new shell and what would have happened.
Illustrations:
Like always the illustrations by Eric Carle are some of my favorites. He does a great job with this story of making the reader feel like you moving along with the hermit crab. The illustrations really add to the text, by supporting it as pictures clues and not distracting from the text.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on allegory. Students would have a piece of paper and draw the same picture on both sides, but tell a different story for each side of the paper. This would be one of our first steps in understanding how one thing can mean or represent two separate things.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Draw Me a Star
Title: Draw Me a Star
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date of Publication: 1992
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
It all starts with a star, so the artist drew a star. Then the star wanted the artist to draw a sun, so the artist drew a sun. This continued throughout the story the artist built a beautiful world with stars, suns, people, houses, dogs, flowers, among many other beautiful things. At the end of the story we see the rainbow ask the artist to draw the dark night, and a star. Then we see the artist fly through the sky on a shooting star.
Evaluation:
This was an interesting story by Eric Carle. I believe that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways, which could either be good or bad in this case. I particularly enjoyed this story because it brought out the main characters inner artist as the story went on. We saw the character grow as the story went on because at the beginning he seemed shy about drawing his star, but towards the end he was drawing whatever was asked of him. It seemed as if he became more confident as the story progressed. I worry about this book because I think that parents/teachers could find the similarities between the story and biblical stories to be concerning and/or offensive. Another spot that may stir some controversy would be the illustration of the nude man and woman. The illustration is done in classic Eric Carle art, but it is a nude illustration which may or may not be troublesome to some. Carle does do a nice job of using metaphors in this story, which are supplemented by his illustrations.
Illustrations:
As previously mentioned the illustrations are classic Eric Carle artwork. They are beautiful and what we have come to love from Carle. However, there is a surprising illustration of a nude man and woman that may surprise both young readers and their parents if not warned ahead of time. The illustrations work wonderfully along side the text helping show the metaphors that Eric Carle had built into the story.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson will focus on metaphors. Students will get to be an artist or sculptor, by using whatever art supplies available to them they will build their own piece of art. Students will then use a metaphor to describe their art.
Example: This lump of paper is as heavy as mashed potatoes.
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date of Publication: 1992
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
It all starts with a star, so the artist drew a star. Then the star wanted the artist to draw a sun, so the artist drew a sun. This continued throughout the story the artist built a beautiful world with stars, suns, people, houses, dogs, flowers, among many other beautiful things. At the end of the story we see the rainbow ask the artist to draw the dark night, and a star. Then we see the artist fly through the sky on a shooting star.
Evaluation:
This was an interesting story by Eric Carle. I believe that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways, which could either be good or bad in this case. I particularly enjoyed this story because it brought out the main characters inner artist as the story went on. We saw the character grow as the story went on because at the beginning he seemed shy about drawing his star, but towards the end he was drawing whatever was asked of him. It seemed as if he became more confident as the story progressed. I worry about this book because I think that parents/teachers could find the similarities between the story and biblical stories to be concerning and/or offensive. Another spot that may stir some controversy would be the illustration of the nude man and woman. The illustration is done in classic Eric Carle art, but it is a nude illustration which may or may not be troublesome to some. Carle does do a nice job of using metaphors in this story, which are supplemented by his illustrations.
Illustrations:
As previously mentioned the illustrations are classic Eric Carle artwork. They are beautiful and what we have come to love from Carle. However, there is a surprising illustration of a nude man and woman that may surprise both young readers and their parents if not warned ahead of time. The illustrations work wonderfully along side the text helping show the metaphors that Eric Carle had built into the story.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson will focus on metaphors. Students will get to be an artist or sculptor, by using whatever art supplies available to them they will build their own piece of art. Students will then use a metaphor to describe their art.
Example: This lump of paper is as heavy as mashed potatoes.
No, David!
Title: No, David!
Author: David Shannon
Publisher: Scholastic
Date of Publication: 2000
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K- 1 (ages 3-6)
Summary:
The story centers around David, a mischievous little boy who is constantly up to no good. We see David being told No, No, No, as he tries to get to the cookies, then he goes running down the street naked! David keeps on going and continues to drive his mother nuts by continuing his crazy behavior. At the end of the story David breaks a vase and we see a tinge of sadness in David’s eye, then we read the last page that says, “Yes, David, I love you!”
Evaluation:
This story by David Shannon offers a great deal to a young reader. He uses a type of text were it allows a young reader to know what words they will see, and can begin to “memorize” the text. This can be helpful to some readers because it allows them the chance to begin the process of word and letter identification as well as building confidence in themselves. The author also did a nice job with making David seem goofy enough that every child could find a little bit of themselves within David somewhere. The theme of the story is a very relevant and important one for both children and adults. The story is important for children because it allows them to see that even though David is being goofy and acting crazy that his actions do have consequences. The story is also important for adults because it serves as a reminder that it is not all about the “No” but about the “I love you” and the “Good job” too. It is easy to get caught up in the “No” and forget about the “I love you” and “Good job.” David Shannon uses allegory very nicely in No, David! This story can be interpreted in different ways, depending on you chose to look at it. No, David! may not have a tremendous about of literary elements within it but you can certainly use it as a starting point, or a great discussion piece about behavior and personal connections.
Illustrations:
David Shannon does not disappoint with his illustrations in this story. They are vibrant and exciting to look at. David is illustrated wonderfully, in a odd sort of way. The illustrations are one of my favorite parts of this story.
Mini-lesson:
With this book I would focus on analogy. The students would be put into think, pair, share partners and then would compare themselves to David, how are they the same or different.
Author: David Shannon
Publisher: Scholastic
Date of Publication: 2000
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K- 1 (ages 3-6)
Summary:
The story centers around David, a mischievous little boy who is constantly up to no good. We see David being told No, No, No, as he tries to get to the cookies, then he goes running down the street naked! David keeps on going and continues to drive his mother nuts by continuing his crazy behavior. At the end of the story David breaks a vase and we see a tinge of sadness in David’s eye, then we read the last page that says, “Yes, David, I love you!”
Evaluation:
This story by David Shannon offers a great deal to a young reader. He uses a type of text were it allows a young reader to know what words they will see, and can begin to “memorize” the text. This can be helpful to some readers because it allows them the chance to begin the process of word and letter identification as well as building confidence in themselves. The author also did a nice job with making David seem goofy enough that every child could find a little bit of themselves within David somewhere. The theme of the story is a very relevant and important one for both children and adults. The story is important for children because it allows them to see that even though David is being goofy and acting crazy that his actions do have consequences. The story is also important for adults because it serves as a reminder that it is not all about the “No” but about the “I love you” and the “Good job” too. It is easy to get caught up in the “No” and forget about the “I love you” and “Good job.” David Shannon uses allegory very nicely in No, David! This story can be interpreted in different ways, depending on you chose to look at it. No, David! may not have a tremendous about of literary elements within it but you can certainly use it as a starting point, or a great discussion piece about behavior and personal connections.
Illustrations:
David Shannon does not disappoint with his illustrations in this story. They are vibrant and exciting to look at. David is illustrated wonderfully, in a odd sort of way. The illustrations are one of my favorite parts of this story.
Mini-lesson:
With this book I would focus on analogy. The students would be put into think, pair, share partners and then would compare themselves to David, how are they the same or different.
The Loathsome Dragon
Title: The Loathsome Dragon
Author: David Wiesner & Kim Kahng
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: 1987
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Genre Designation: Folk
Readability Lexile: 1-3 (ages 6-8)
Summary:
This is a story about a beautiful princess whose father the king falls in love with a beautiful but mean lady. During a moment of jealousy, the new queen turns the Princess into a dragon. This is when the prince decides that he must save his sister and show the King who the new Queen really is. The story shows the problems that arise for the Prince as he tries to free his sister, but continues to run into problems as the queen tries to foil his plan. In the end we see the Prince beating the queen and releasing the princess from the Queen’s spell, and in return turning the Queen into a frog.
Evaluation:
When I started this blog, I decided that no matter what the story was I would always start my evaluation with the question of whether or not it was a good story? In my opinion this story was not one of my favorites, for this reading level. The word choice within the story goes well with this genre, however this could lead to some difficulties when young readers are trying to read and process the story. I found the story a bit long and bland, which I think can be attributed to some of the text used. The story didn’t really show a lot of character growth because we didn’t really know a lot about the characters before they began dealing with their problem. Even though the story is set in a far, far away time the way in which the characters are developed make it a fantasy story that young readers will have a hard time relating to. The author did use foreshadowing in the story by letting the reader know what would need to happen in order for the Princess to be released from the spell. We also saw this when the King brought the Queen home and he told us that she was beautiful on the outside but had an evil side as well. As the reader we also saw personification in the story by seeing the snake exhibiting human traits, as well as the frog at the end.
Illustrations:
The illustrations were nice, however I felt like they did not lend themselves to a young reader who may be using them to decode what the text may be telling them as well as they should have. At times the illustration gave a vague image of what the text was communicating to the reader.
Mini-lesson:
This mini lesson will focus on rhyming. Students will make their very own crown. We will start by allowing the students to pick a colored piece of paper. On their crown they will write either snake or frog and then write words that rhyme focusing on keeping the “ake” or the “og” letters to make their word family. Once the students have written their words we will work together to connect their crowns to sentence strips so they can be Kings or Queens for the rest of the day.
Author: David Wiesner & Kim Kahng
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: 1987
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Genre Designation: Folk
Readability Lexile: 1-3 (ages 6-8)
Summary:
This is a story about a beautiful princess whose father the king falls in love with a beautiful but mean lady. During a moment of jealousy, the new queen turns the Princess into a dragon. This is when the prince decides that he must save his sister and show the King who the new Queen really is. The story shows the problems that arise for the Prince as he tries to free his sister, but continues to run into problems as the queen tries to foil his plan. In the end we see the Prince beating the queen and releasing the princess from the Queen’s spell, and in return turning the Queen into a frog.
Evaluation:
When I started this blog, I decided that no matter what the story was I would always start my evaluation with the question of whether or not it was a good story? In my opinion this story was not one of my favorites, for this reading level. The word choice within the story goes well with this genre, however this could lead to some difficulties when young readers are trying to read and process the story. I found the story a bit long and bland, which I think can be attributed to some of the text used. The story didn’t really show a lot of character growth because we didn’t really know a lot about the characters before they began dealing with their problem. Even though the story is set in a far, far away time the way in which the characters are developed make it a fantasy story that young readers will have a hard time relating to. The author did use foreshadowing in the story by letting the reader know what would need to happen in order for the Princess to be released from the spell. We also saw this when the King brought the Queen home and he told us that she was beautiful on the outside but had an evil side as well. As the reader we also saw personification in the story by seeing the snake exhibiting human traits, as well as the frog at the end.
Illustrations:
The illustrations were nice, however I felt like they did not lend themselves to a young reader who may be using them to decode what the text may be telling them as well as they should have. At times the illustration gave a vague image of what the text was communicating to the reader.
Mini-lesson:
This mini lesson will focus on rhyming. Students will make their very own crown. We will start by allowing the students to pick a colored piece of paper. On their crown they will write either snake or frog and then write words that rhyme focusing on keeping the “ake” or the “og” letters to make their word family. Once the students have written their words we will work together to connect their crowns to sentence strips so they can be Kings or Queens for the rest of the day.
Ogres! Ogres! Ogres! A Feasting Frenzy From A to Z
Title: Ogres! Ogres! Ogres! A Feasting Frenzy From A to Z
Author: Nicholas Heller
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Date of Publication: 1999
Illustrator: Jos. A. Smith
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-3 (ages 5-9)
Summary:
An interesting take on a children’s alphabet book. This is an alphabet book that is unlike many that have come before it. When the reader opens the book we are invited into the basement, where we see ogres feasting on letters from A to Z. Each page pulls the reader in as we see the ogres eating through the alphabet. Each ogre is unique in their own right as they eat their letter, yet always giving a hint about what letter might be coming up next.
Evaluation:
This is definitely a creative take on the standard alphabet book, however I am not sure if it is the most accessible piece of literature for a reader at this level. The books focus is on “eating through the alphabet” but then the words used to represent the letters are incredibly difficult. For example the letter “A” is represented with, “Abednego adores anchovy butter,” For a beginning reader these words could present a rather large challenge. While this book may not be for all young readers, I can see how the words within the book can be discouraging for a young reader and may in turn shut down completely. This book does do a nice job with the use of alliteration, even if the words are a bit difficult. As previously mentioned the author does also work in the element of foreshadowing by including a word with the upcoming letter at the end of sentence. I do feel as if the story has some very positive aspects. The first being that the illustrations are lively and exciting, which are a lot of fun for the reader to look at. I think that this book would be a nice tool to use when beginning to teach students about alliteration or foreshadowing. The book uses these elements over, and over again and they are easy to see. I don’t believe that I would use this as an alphabet book however because while it serves the purpose of letter recognition it makes it hard for the student to move beyond that point of sounding out the word.
Mini-lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on learning the alphabet. We would the story as a read aloud and then each student would get to make their own ABC book. They would write the letter and draw their very own special goofy picture to go with the letter!
Author: Nicholas Heller
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Date of Publication: 1999
Illustrator: Jos. A. Smith
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-3 (ages 5-9)
Summary:
An interesting take on a children’s alphabet book. This is an alphabet book that is unlike many that have come before it. When the reader opens the book we are invited into the basement, where we see ogres feasting on letters from A to Z. Each page pulls the reader in as we see the ogres eating through the alphabet. Each ogre is unique in their own right as they eat their letter, yet always giving a hint about what letter might be coming up next.
Evaluation:
This is definitely a creative take on the standard alphabet book, however I am not sure if it is the most accessible piece of literature for a reader at this level. The books focus is on “eating through the alphabet” but then the words used to represent the letters are incredibly difficult. For example the letter “A” is represented with, “Abednego adores anchovy butter,” For a beginning reader these words could present a rather large challenge. While this book may not be for all young readers, I can see how the words within the book can be discouraging for a young reader and may in turn shut down completely. This book does do a nice job with the use of alliteration, even if the words are a bit difficult. As previously mentioned the author does also work in the element of foreshadowing by including a word with the upcoming letter at the end of sentence. I do feel as if the story has some very positive aspects. The first being that the illustrations are lively and exciting, which are a lot of fun for the reader to look at. I think that this book would be a nice tool to use when beginning to teach students about alliteration or foreshadowing. The book uses these elements over, and over again and they are easy to see. I don’t believe that I would use this as an alphabet book however because while it serves the purpose of letter recognition it makes it hard for the student to move beyond that point of sounding out the word.
Mini-lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on learning the alphabet. We would the story as a read aloud and then each student would get to make their own ABC book. They would write the letter and draw their very own special goofy picture to go with the letter!
The Book Thief
Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date of Publication: 2005
Illustrator: Trudy White
Genre Designation: Historical Fiction
Readability Lexile: 9-12 (ages 14-18)
Summary:
The Book Thief is set around the Holocaust and how it affected a young girl named Liesel. Liesel was forced at a young age to live with a foster family in Germany, in hopes that she would be safe. Liesel could not read or write but when she came across a grave keepers handbook she knew that she must keep it. As Liesel began to learn to read and write while living with her foster parents the Hubermann’s her love for books continued to grow. The way that Liesel went about getting her books was by stealing them, which proved to be problematic for her. Liesel forms relationships with those around who are her age, those who are older, and even grew close in very different ways to her foster parents. Liesel hated Hitler but she had to keep her hatred to herself because if anyone found out she and her family would be punished. As the story went on we found Liesel affected by the war in numerous ways, both directly and indirectly. Towards the end of the story there is a massive bombing and we find that only one of our characters that lived in Liesel’s neighborhood survived. We also find out who our narrator was throughout the book. Throughout the entire book we are being told the story, yet we have no idea who is talking to us as the reader. At the end we finally find out who it is, and if the reader made a prediction we can find out if we were right!
Evaluation:
The Book Thief is a truly thought provoking story. The book takes a little while to get going but once it does it grabs you and doesn’t let go until the very end. The author does a nice job of blending the historical elements nicely with the story of Liesel. It makes the book feel like it could have really happened, or maybe that there are even stories very similar to Liesel that we will never know about. The author allowed the reader to see tremendous character growth from a variety of characters within the book. I liked how the author didn’t limit character growth only to our main character but also to many of our supporting characters and even some that we had closer to the end of the story. The language within the book seemed like it fit really well with the time that it was set in. I like how the author included German phrases through the book, however I do feel like this did make for a tough read at times. I also found that the book was hard to follow at times because there were so many voices speaking that I found myself lost as to who was speaking when, I can see how some student readers may also run into this problem at times. I liked how the author used similes through the book, often times describing what the narrator was seeing as they watched what was happening to the characters. In my opinion the author also used pun throughout the story, because there were those spots were the author wanted the reader to make the choice for ourselves as to what they were trying to get across. We also saw the use of personification within the story by giving our narrator human traits.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are few and far between in this book, but they leave a big impact on the reader. The illustrations are drawn to look like pencil drawings, which make it seem like Liesel herself drew them. It adds life to the book and makes it seem like an even more realistic, true story.
Mini-Lesson:
The focus of this mini-lesson will be to process the section that we read by using a simile to explain how we compare to a character and their behavior that we read about today. This will also indirectly help teach compassion and understanding by allowing students to see that even though we may not experience the exact same thing, that we may have an understanding of how somebody could have been feeling by own experiences.
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date of Publication: 2005
Illustrator: Trudy White
Genre Designation: Historical Fiction
Readability Lexile: 9-12 (ages 14-18)
Summary:
The Book Thief is set around the Holocaust and how it affected a young girl named Liesel. Liesel was forced at a young age to live with a foster family in Germany, in hopes that she would be safe. Liesel could not read or write but when she came across a grave keepers handbook she knew that she must keep it. As Liesel began to learn to read and write while living with her foster parents the Hubermann’s her love for books continued to grow. The way that Liesel went about getting her books was by stealing them, which proved to be problematic for her. Liesel forms relationships with those around who are her age, those who are older, and even grew close in very different ways to her foster parents. Liesel hated Hitler but she had to keep her hatred to herself because if anyone found out she and her family would be punished. As the story went on we found Liesel affected by the war in numerous ways, both directly and indirectly. Towards the end of the story there is a massive bombing and we find that only one of our characters that lived in Liesel’s neighborhood survived. We also find out who our narrator was throughout the book. Throughout the entire book we are being told the story, yet we have no idea who is talking to us as the reader. At the end we finally find out who it is, and if the reader made a prediction we can find out if we were right!
Evaluation:
The Book Thief is a truly thought provoking story. The book takes a little while to get going but once it does it grabs you and doesn’t let go until the very end. The author does a nice job of blending the historical elements nicely with the story of Liesel. It makes the book feel like it could have really happened, or maybe that there are even stories very similar to Liesel that we will never know about. The author allowed the reader to see tremendous character growth from a variety of characters within the book. I liked how the author didn’t limit character growth only to our main character but also to many of our supporting characters and even some that we had closer to the end of the story. The language within the book seemed like it fit really well with the time that it was set in. I like how the author included German phrases through the book, however I do feel like this did make for a tough read at times. I also found that the book was hard to follow at times because there were so many voices speaking that I found myself lost as to who was speaking when, I can see how some student readers may also run into this problem at times. I liked how the author used similes through the book, often times describing what the narrator was seeing as they watched what was happening to the characters. In my opinion the author also used pun throughout the story, because there were those spots were the author wanted the reader to make the choice for ourselves as to what they were trying to get across. We also saw the use of personification within the story by giving our narrator human traits.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are few and far between in this book, but they leave a big impact on the reader. The illustrations are drawn to look like pencil drawings, which make it seem like Liesel herself drew them. It adds life to the book and makes it seem like an even more realistic, true story.
Mini-Lesson:
The focus of this mini-lesson will be to process the section that we read by using a simile to explain how we compare to a character and their behavior that we read about today. This will also indirectly help teach compassion and understanding by allowing students to see that even though we may not experience the exact same thing, that we may have an understanding of how somebody could have been feeling by own experiences.
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For School?
Title: Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For School?
Author: Barney Saltzberg
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date of Publication: 2007
Illustrator: Barney Saltzeberg
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
This light hearted story is about a spunky pig who is supposed to be getting up and ready for school. Momma pig checks in with Cornelius to see if he is aware of the time, out of bed, made his bed, dressed, and all of the other things that we need to do before we leave for school. It just doesn’t seem right though, and Cornelius is just not ready to go. At the last moment it comes to Cornelius and momma pig that he needs a kiss goodbye, it was exactly what he needed! Cornelius runs right off to school, but what school is he going to?
Evaluation:
This story was a great quick read, that gave the reader good laughs and allowed foreshadowing and prediction. The author uses repetition within the story allowing for a newer reader to predict text that may be coming next. It is my belief that this is a nice tool for young readers, because it allows them to see words that they may be comfortable with as well building confidence with their reading skills. The story does a nice job of telling a new student about the importance of getting up and moving in the morning for school, even if it is a little bit different! I don’t think that this story lends itself to as many literary teaching elements as I would hope to see in a truly good children’s story. However, with that being said I do feel as though it has a good message about morning routine and getting ready to school. I also do feel that the story could be used as a good tool in using picture clues and prediction about what is going to happen. Our main character does not end up going to a “regular” school but ends up going to a clown school which explains some of the goofy things that were happening earlier in the story.
Illustrations:
The illustrations were a nice addition to the story. They were easy to understand and not overwhelming. As previously mentioned the illustrations actually served as an extra tool to infer more meaning that wasn’t explicitly told to us by the text.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on prediction. I would read the story two times, but the first time it the cover would covered with construction paper so the students wouldn’t be able to see it. I would then read the title and ask the students to make predictions about the story based on the text alone. Now we will read the story this time the students will get to see the illustrations, we will stop and make predictions throughout the story. At the end we will discuss how their predictions stayed the same or changed from before they saw the illustrations until after they saw the illustrations.
Author: Barney Saltzberg
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date of Publication: 2007
Illustrator: Barney Saltzeberg
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
This light hearted story is about a spunky pig who is supposed to be getting up and ready for school. Momma pig checks in with Cornelius to see if he is aware of the time, out of bed, made his bed, dressed, and all of the other things that we need to do before we leave for school. It just doesn’t seem right though, and Cornelius is just not ready to go. At the last moment it comes to Cornelius and momma pig that he needs a kiss goodbye, it was exactly what he needed! Cornelius runs right off to school, but what school is he going to?
Evaluation:
This story was a great quick read, that gave the reader good laughs and allowed foreshadowing and prediction. The author uses repetition within the story allowing for a newer reader to predict text that may be coming next. It is my belief that this is a nice tool for young readers, because it allows them to see words that they may be comfortable with as well building confidence with their reading skills. The story does a nice job of telling a new student about the importance of getting up and moving in the morning for school, even if it is a little bit different! I don’t think that this story lends itself to as many literary teaching elements as I would hope to see in a truly good children’s story. However, with that being said I do feel as though it has a good message about morning routine and getting ready to school. I also do feel that the story could be used as a good tool in using picture clues and prediction about what is going to happen. Our main character does not end up going to a “regular” school but ends up going to a clown school which explains some of the goofy things that were happening earlier in the story.
Illustrations:
The illustrations were a nice addition to the story. They were easy to understand and not overwhelming. As previously mentioned the illustrations actually served as an extra tool to infer more meaning that wasn’t explicitly told to us by the text.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on prediction. I would read the story two times, but the first time it the cover would covered with construction paper so the students wouldn’t be able to see it. I would then read the title and ask the students to make predictions about the story based on the text alone. Now we will read the story this time the students will get to see the illustrations, we will stop and make predictions throughout the story. At the end we will discuss how their predictions stayed the same or changed from before they saw the illustrations until after they saw the illustrations.
Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! A story of friendship in two languages
Title: Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! A story of friendship in two languages
Author: Eric Carle & Kazuo Iwamura
Publisher: Orchard Books
Date of Publication: 2001
Illustrator: Eric Carle & Kazuo Iwamura
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
This story is about an animal who is on an adventure to go see their friend, but along the way they pick up even more friends. At the end of the story we find out that all of the animals were going to find their human friend. Once all the animals are with the boy we meet the boys friend who is a young Japanese girl. This were the story picks up in Japanese. The reader can then turn the book over and start the story again by following the illustrations and the words that are written in Japanese. In the middle of the story there is fold out where Eric Carle’s illustrations meet with Kazuo Iwamura’s illustrations.
Evaluation:
This story is not a tremendously difficult read. It allows a young reader to learn the rhythm and text by having the same conversation between different animals throughout the course of the story. The author also guide the reader by giving visual clues as to which character was speaker when. I think that this was a great tool for the author to use because it allows new readers to have a visual representation of how there can be more than one character speaking within one story or even page. This is something that I believe can be very difficult for a new reader to understand and process. Like many children’s books Carle does a nice job of using personification in his story. The animals all exhibit human traits by talking, singing, and dancing. The story could also be interpreted as exhibiting allegory. I point this out because the story can have more than one meaning. It can be seen on the most superficial level, which is that the story is about friends that like to have fun together. However, the story could also be interpreted as being about inclusion and not excluding friends that may be different than you. Another interpretation that could be taken when looking at the story as a whole would be how other people around the world communicate their thoughts and language. Eric Carle also uses a small amount of onomatopoeia in the story as well. The reader can see examples of this when the animals “talk” to the human friend in their animal language.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are interesting because it is a little bit different than classic Eric Carle books. This story not only had Eric Carle illustrations but it also had Kazuo Iwamura illustrations as well. I loved how the illustrations were also done in different ways, so the reader was able to see how the same story could be illustrated in different ways.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson will focus on personification. Students will get to pick an animal from the story and have the animal tell us about where they were coming from and what they were doing. The students will tell us if this is something that could really happen? Or if we were using personification. How can we know?
Author: Eric Carle & Kazuo Iwamura
Publisher: Orchard Books
Date of Publication: 2001
Illustrator: Eric Carle & Kazuo Iwamura
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
This story is about an animal who is on an adventure to go see their friend, but along the way they pick up even more friends. At the end of the story we find out that all of the animals were going to find their human friend. Once all the animals are with the boy we meet the boys friend who is a young Japanese girl. This were the story picks up in Japanese. The reader can then turn the book over and start the story again by following the illustrations and the words that are written in Japanese. In the middle of the story there is fold out where Eric Carle’s illustrations meet with Kazuo Iwamura’s illustrations.
Evaluation:
This story is not a tremendously difficult read. It allows a young reader to learn the rhythm and text by having the same conversation between different animals throughout the course of the story. The author also guide the reader by giving visual clues as to which character was speaker when. I think that this was a great tool for the author to use because it allows new readers to have a visual representation of how there can be more than one character speaking within one story or even page. This is something that I believe can be very difficult for a new reader to understand and process. Like many children’s books Carle does a nice job of using personification in his story. The animals all exhibit human traits by talking, singing, and dancing. The story could also be interpreted as exhibiting allegory. I point this out because the story can have more than one meaning. It can be seen on the most superficial level, which is that the story is about friends that like to have fun together. However, the story could also be interpreted as being about inclusion and not excluding friends that may be different than you. Another interpretation that could be taken when looking at the story as a whole would be how other people around the world communicate their thoughts and language. Eric Carle also uses a small amount of onomatopoeia in the story as well. The reader can see examples of this when the animals “talk” to the human friend in their animal language.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are interesting because it is a little bit different than classic Eric Carle books. This story not only had Eric Carle illustrations but it also had Kazuo Iwamura illustrations as well. I loved how the illustrations were also done in different ways, so the reader was able to see how the same story could be illustrated in different ways.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson will focus on personification. Students will get to pick an animal from the story and have the animal tell us about where they were coming from and what they were doing. The students will tell us if this is something that could really happen? Or if we were using personification. How can we know?
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
Title: “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date of Publication: 2002
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-1 (ages 4-7)
Summary:
All the animals wonder why the sloth is so lazy and slow. All the sloth did all day and night was hang upside down in the tree. Many of the animals asked sloth why he was so slow, but sloth didn’t answer. Then one day the jaguar asked, “Tell me, why are you so lazy?” Sloth thought for a long, long, long time. Finally, sloth had an answer and told the animals about why he is the way he is.
Evaluation:
This story is a nice story to introduce students to timing. Eric Carle does a great job of forcing the reader to slow down, and really read the words when they look at this story. The story has a lot of words that would work nicely for new readers to use their sounding out skill on while reading through the story. Eric Carle uses alliteration throughout the story, which can be seen even in the title of the story. The story does a nice job of reading the reader at the end of the story that everything is not always a race, and that sometimes we can go slow just because. The artwork that Eric Carle does is nothing short of beautiful. The way it looks so “unprofessional” makes it almost more relatable for a reader. The story could be used to introduce animals, sloths to be more specific. It could also be used to introduce understanding and accepting others differences, as well as not judging others to quickly. The story has so many purposes that it can be used for a variety of reasons, and that in itself makes it a good to story in my opinion.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are exactly the type of illustrations that we have all come to know and love by Eric Carle. The different colors he uses as well as the shapes you can find within the specific animals is almost a lesson in itself. The illustrations go very nicely with what the author is trying to communicate to the reader.
Mini-Lesson:
For this mini-lesson the focus would be on sloths and alliteration. As individuals each student would come up with an “S” word. We would then come up with an entire class sloth alliteration. We would then as a class see how long we could be sloths by moving slowly, slowly, slowly for a little bit of our day.
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date of Publication: 2002
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-1 (ages 4-7)
Summary:
All the animals wonder why the sloth is so lazy and slow. All the sloth did all day and night was hang upside down in the tree. Many of the animals asked sloth why he was so slow, but sloth didn’t answer. Then one day the jaguar asked, “Tell me, why are you so lazy?” Sloth thought for a long, long, long time. Finally, sloth had an answer and told the animals about why he is the way he is.
Evaluation:
This story is a nice story to introduce students to timing. Eric Carle does a great job of forcing the reader to slow down, and really read the words when they look at this story. The story has a lot of words that would work nicely for new readers to use their sounding out skill on while reading through the story. Eric Carle uses alliteration throughout the story, which can be seen even in the title of the story. The story does a nice job of reading the reader at the end of the story that everything is not always a race, and that sometimes we can go slow just because. The artwork that Eric Carle does is nothing short of beautiful. The way it looks so “unprofessional” makes it almost more relatable for a reader. The story could be used to introduce animals, sloths to be more specific. It could also be used to introduce understanding and accepting others differences, as well as not judging others to quickly. The story has so many purposes that it can be used for a variety of reasons, and that in itself makes it a good to story in my opinion.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are exactly the type of illustrations that we have all come to know and love by Eric Carle. The different colors he uses as well as the shapes you can find within the specific animals is almost a lesson in itself. The illustrations go very nicely with what the author is trying to communicate to the reader.
Mini-Lesson:
For this mini-lesson the focus would be on sloths and alliteration. As individuals each student would come up with an “S” word. We would then come up with an entire class sloth alliteration. We would then as a class see how long we could be sloths by moving slowly, slowly, slowly for a little bit of our day.
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate The Wash
Title: The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate The Wash
Author: Trinka Hakes Noble
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 1980
Illustrator: Steven Kellogg
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
When a young girl starts telling her mom about her class field trip to the farm, she says it was boring until the cow started crying. The reader soon learns that there was nothing boring at all about the field trip that day. The chaos that ensued that day ranged from falling haystacks, pigs on the bus, kids throwing corn at each other, Jimmy’s boa constrictor running loose, hens and chickens squawking everywhere. Which all ended with a pig coming home and boa constrictor staying at the farm.
Evaluation:
I remember loving this story when I was younger, which is I picked it out at the library. However, when I finished reading it I found myself questioning whether it was really a good book. Of course it is still a fun book, but a good story I don’t think so. I looked through the story multiple times and could not find the use of any literary elements. What troubles me most about the story is that there is no consequence for behavior within the story. The students act all sorts of bonkers and then not only do they bring the pig home but we end the story with them going to play and the mother smiling and waving. I am not sure if the author was trying to teach us anything with this story or if she was simply trying to give us a good laugh. The author also only gave one character a name and that was Jimmy, all the other characters were nameless and acted as a group rather than individuals. However, on an entire different note this book does offer a slight look into a farm and the animals that live there. This book could be used as an opening into a farm unit. It could cause excitement, as well as discussion about the importance of keeping the animals separate, feeding them, visitors etc. All in all, this story is not one that I would use within my classroom unless I had a very specific purpose for it. It would be up to the reader to make a purposeful meaning out of the story by recognizing that our actions both good and bad do have consequences. Or finding a link between the story and an upcoming unit that will be taught.
Illustrations:
I was not overly impressed with the illustrations. While they offered a lot of details for students to look at, there were some things that concerned me. There was not a lot of cultural diversity represented in the illustrations. There were two African American students and the rest were all Caucasian characters. At times the illustrations seemed a bit overwhelming due to the amount of chaos that was trying to be conveyed through the illustrations.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on action and choices. After reading the story as a class, we would have a class discussion about good choices that were made in the story and bad choices made in the story. Once our list is made we would then see what we could do differently so that the bad choices could be good choices next time.
Author: Trinka Hakes Noble
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 1980
Illustrator: Steven Kellogg
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
When a young girl starts telling her mom about her class field trip to the farm, she says it was boring until the cow started crying. The reader soon learns that there was nothing boring at all about the field trip that day. The chaos that ensued that day ranged from falling haystacks, pigs on the bus, kids throwing corn at each other, Jimmy’s boa constrictor running loose, hens and chickens squawking everywhere. Which all ended with a pig coming home and boa constrictor staying at the farm.
Evaluation:
I remember loving this story when I was younger, which is I picked it out at the library. However, when I finished reading it I found myself questioning whether it was really a good book. Of course it is still a fun book, but a good story I don’t think so. I looked through the story multiple times and could not find the use of any literary elements. What troubles me most about the story is that there is no consequence for behavior within the story. The students act all sorts of bonkers and then not only do they bring the pig home but we end the story with them going to play and the mother smiling and waving. I am not sure if the author was trying to teach us anything with this story or if she was simply trying to give us a good laugh. The author also only gave one character a name and that was Jimmy, all the other characters were nameless and acted as a group rather than individuals. However, on an entire different note this book does offer a slight look into a farm and the animals that live there. This book could be used as an opening into a farm unit. It could cause excitement, as well as discussion about the importance of keeping the animals separate, feeding them, visitors etc. All in all, this story is not one that I would use within my classroom unless I had a very specific purpose for it. It would be up to the reader to make a purposeful meaning out of the story by recognizing that our actions both good and bad do have consequences. Or finding a link between the story and an upcoming unit that will be taught.
Illustrations:
I was not overly impressed with the illustrations. While they offered a lot of details for students to look at, there were some things that concerned me. There was not a lot of cultural diversity represented in the illustrations. There were two African American students and the rest were all Caucasian characters. At times the illustrations seemed a bit overwhelming due to the amount of chaos that was trying to be conveyed through the illustrations.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on action and choices. After reading the story as a class, we would have a class discussion about good choices that were made in the story and bad choices made in the story. Once our list is made we would then see what we could do differently so that the bad choices could be good choices next time.
One
Title: One
Author: Kathryn Otoshi
Publisher: Publishers Group West
Date of Publication: 2008
Illustrator: Kathryn Otoshi
Genre Designation: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
One is a story about the color blue, although he enjoys being blue he sometimes wishes he could be sunny like yellow, or bright like green. But overall he is happy being blue, except for when red comes by. Red is a hot head, and picks on blue. When this happened blue would start to feel bad about being blue. All of the other colors knew that what red was doing to blue was not cool, but none of the colors spoke up to red. Then one day it just took one, a different shape that had bold strokes and sharp corners. Red grew angry that this one was getting all the attention from the rest of the colors. Red tried to pick on one, but one wouldn’t budge and stood his ground. One told the colors that if someone is mean and picks on you to stand up and, “No.” The other colors grew strong and turned to numbers too! Even blue grew strong and stood up to red. All the colored numbers stood up to red who grew very, very small and began to roll away. Then it came to blue, “Can red be hot... And blue be cool?” Soon enough red counted too.
Evaluation:
This story was simply amazing. The author used paint splotches to represent the characters. The splotches stretched and changed as the moods of the characters changed throughout the story. The author blended rhyming, personification, and similes. The author used rhymes within single sentences but also between sentences which allowed the reader to feel as though the colors were connected to one another. The color splotches were given so many human qualities that as you read the story you almost start to picture what the color would look like if it was a person. The author also uses similes when blue compares himself to the other colors using the word “like”. Even with all the different literary elements that the author used within the story, she also did an amazing job of making the story about inclusion and bullying yet not hitting the reader over the head with the theme. The illustrations, the word choice, the use of colors and numbers is simply brilliant. The only minor negative point I have regarding this book is that all the color splotches are referred to as “he” there is female representation. Even with that being said, I can’t say enough how much I LOVED this book. It has been one of my favorites that I have looked at through all of my literature evaluations so far. I have a hard time finding the words to truly explain why this book has touched me the way it has, and maybe that is all that needs to be said. There is something special about this book, I recommend that everyone at least reads it once for themselves and decides if it as memorable to them as it was for me.
Illustrations:
I can’t tell you enough how great these simplistic illustrations were. They were “simple” splotches of paint yet used in a way to express how they were feeling. It was amazing how so little could tell so much.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on alliteration and emotions. Students would pick what color represents them. They will then go and get a white paper plate and write their alliteration about their color. Once done students get water colors and get water color their plate with that color to make their color splotch.
Example: Peppy Pink People...
Author: Kathryn Otoshi
Publisher: Publishers Group West
Date of Publication: 2008
Illustrator: Kathryn Otoshi
Genre Designation: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
One is a story about the color blue, although he enjoys being blue he sometimes wishes he could be sunny like yellow, or bright like green. But overall he is happy being blue, except for when red comes by. Red is a hot head, and picks on blue. When this happened blue would start to feel bad about being blue. All of the other colors knew that what red was doing to blue was not cool, but none of the colors spoke up to red. Then one day it just took one, a different shape that had bold strokes and sharp corners. Red grew angry that this one was getting all the attention from the rest of the colors. Red tried to pick on one, but one wouldn’t budge and stood his ground. One told the colors that if someone is mean and picks on you to stand up and, “No.” The other colors grew strong and turned to numbers too! Even blue grew strong and stood up to red. All the colored numbers stood up to red who grew very, very small and began to roll away. Then it came to blue, “Can red be hot... And blue be cool?” Soon enough red counted too.
Evaluation:
This story was simply amazing. The author used paint splotches to represent the characters. The splotches stretched and changed as the moods of the characters changed throughout the story. The author blended rhyming, personification, and similes. The author used rhymes within single sentences but also between sentences which allowed the reader to feel as though the colors were connected to one another. The color splotches were given so many human qualities that as you read the story you almost start to picture what the color would look like if it was a person. The author also uses similes when blue compares himself to the other colors using the word “like”. Even with all the different literary elements that the author used within the story, she also did an amazing job of making the story about inclusion and bullying yet not hitting the reader over the head with the theme. The illustrations, the word choice, the use of colors and numbers is simply brilliant. The only minor negative point I have regarding this book is that all the color splotches are referred to as “he” there is female representation. Even with that being said, I can’t say enough how much I LOVED this book. It has been one of my favorites that I have looked at through all of my literature evaluations so far. I have a hard time finding the words to truly explain why this book has touched me the way it has, and maybe that is all that needs to be said. There is something special about this book, I recommend that everyone at least reads it once for themselves and decides if it as memorable to them as it was for me.
Illustrations:
I can’t tell you enough how great these simplistic illustrations were. They were “simple” splotches of paint yet used in a way to express how they were feeling. It was amazing how so little could tell so much.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on alliteration and emotions. Students would pick what color represents them. They will then go and get a white paper plate and write their alliteration about their color. Once done students get water colors and get water color their plate with that color to make their color splotch.
Example: Peppy Pink People...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
What If...?
Title: What If?
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Date of Publication: 2010
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Genre Designation: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-1 (ages 4-7)
Summary:
What if...? is a story about a beach ball and 3 seals. The story starts with the reader seeing a picture of a boy kicking a beach ball out to the ocean, it ends up drifting out to two seals who begin playing with it. After sometime though the ball ends up back on land, which leads one of the seals to the land as well. This is when the seal comes upon another seal, and we are asked our first what if question. The new sea lion plays with the new one and leaves out the original sea lion in the ocean. The story progresses and we see only the word “or” this is when we see a picture of the original sea lions playing together again, and the sea lion on the land being left out. Our third and final what if question is when all three play together.
Evaluation:
When I first looked through this book I thought for sure I was not going to “like” it. However, I could not have been more wrong. It is definitely one of those books that you must understand before trying to use within the classroom. The author did a great job of using allegory. This story has a literal meaning which could be that the seals all wanted to play with the ball. It also had a symbolic meaning of how sometimes it is hard to include all of our friends without hurting feelings. The illustrations within the book are great and really tell the story. There is such minimal use of text within the story, that it really allows the reader to imagine for themselves how the seals are feeling. The author did a nice job of bringing a real life “problem” to the fantasy world. By allowing the reader to relate to the seals and tell the story with their own words, they may be able to make personal connections a little bit easier. I loved how the author allowed the reader to see multiple choices through the story. We saw how the seals playing together were feeling, but we also saw how the left out seals felt as well. I think that this story allows for a great discussion about problem solving skills, group play, other friends feelings, and so much more.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are very nice in this story. They are a nice balance between vague enough to allow the reader to make their own assumptions and conclusions, while providing enough information were it is not a complete question as to what is going on.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on analogies. Students would make “masks” to compare how they would have felt if they would have felt if they were playing and they were in a situation like the seals. The students will then tell about a time they felt like the seal. We will use construction paper to make 3 masks (1 for each of the 3 situations mentioned in the book) then the students can glue their mask to a popsicle stick. Student Example: “One time my sister and cousin didn’t let me swim with them.” The student would then hold up their mad, sad or whatever feeling mask they made for that situation to show how they felt.
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Date of Publication: 2010
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Genre Designation: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: Pre-K-1 (ages 4-7)
Summary:
What if...? is a story about a beach ball and 3 seals. The story starts with the reader seeing a picture of a boy kicking a beach ball out to the ocean, it ends up drifting out to two seals who begin playing with it. After sometime though the ball ends up back on land, which leads one of the seals to the land as well. This is when the seal comes upon another seal, and we are asked our first what if question. The new sea lion plays with the new one and leaves out the original sea lion in the ocean. The story progresses and we see only the word “or” this is when we see a picture of the original sea lions playing together again, and the sea lion on the land being left out. Our third and final what if question is when all three play together.
Evaluation:
When I first looked through this book I thought for sure I was not going to “like” it. However, I could not have been more wrong. It is definitely one of those books that you must understand before trying to use within the classroom. The author did a great job of using allegory. This story has a literal meaning which could be that the seals all wanted to play with the ball. It also had a symbolic meaning of how sometimes it is hard to include all of our friends without hurting feelings. The illustrations within the book are great and really tell the story. There is such minimal use of text within the story, that it really allows the reader to imagine for themselves how the seals are feeling. The author did a nice job of bringing a real life “problem” to the fantasy world. By allowing the reader to relate to the seals and tell the story with their own words, they may be able to make personal connections a little bit easier. I loved how the author allowed the reader to see multiple choices through the story. We saw how the seals playing together were feeling, but we also saw how the left out seals felt as well. I think that this story allows for a great discussion about problem solving skills, group play, other friends feelings, and so much more.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are very nice in this story. They are a nice balance between vague enough to allow the reader to make their own assumptions and conclusions, while providing enough information were it is not a complete question as to what is going on.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on analogies. Students would make “masks” to compare how they would have felt if they would have felt if they were playing and they were in a situation like the seals. The students will then tell about a time they felt like the seal. We will use construction paper to make 3 masks (1 for each of the 3 situations mentioned in the book) then the students can glue their mask to a popsicle stick. Student Example: “One time my sister and cousin didn’t let me swim with them.” The student would then hold up their mad, sad or whatever feeling mask they made for that situation to show how they felt.
Piggie Pie
Title: Piggie Pie
Author: Margie Palatini
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date of Publication: 1995
Illustrator: Howard Fine
Genre Designation: Children’s Fantasy
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Piggie Pie is a fun story about Gritch the witch who is trying to satisfy her appetite for some Piggie Pie. After going through her cookbook Gritch finds one BIG problem, she is missing her main ingredient...the pigs! Gritch thinks, and thinks about where she would find some nice plump pink pigs. Gritch finds the perfect place right in the phonebook, Old Mcdonalds Farm! Off she goes and of course Gritch sees plenty pink plumpy pigs when she is flying into the farm. The pigs act fast and decide to trick Gritch the Witch. When she lands there is not a pig in sight, there are ducks and cows but no pigs. Gritch is starting to get angry so she goes straight to this Old Mcdonald Fellow, she asks him where all his pigs are. He tells her that he has no pigs. Gritch is frustrated, exhausted, and starving. Out of nowhere this big bad wolf comes up and tells Gritch to give it up, he has been chasing those pigs for ages and he has had no luck. Gritch decides to ask big bad wolf if he would like to come home with her for lunch... after all he still has some meat on his bones but little does she know that big bad wolf is thinking the same exact thing!
Evaluation:
Piggie Pie was an extremely fun story, with a surprising amount of laughter. The way the author brought in other fairy tales throughout the story was a pleasant surprise. The story did a great job of using alliteration and rhyming throughout the story. When alliteration and rhyming are used in children’s stories sometimes it can make it rather difficult to read the story aloud because you find yourself tongue tied. This was not the case with this story. The author did a great job with word choice throughout the story and mixing both alliteration and rhyming in a way that it did not affect the flow of the story. The author also used personification within the story by giving human traits to some non-living things. The reader saw this when the pigs and wolf were talking to Gritch the witch. The story goes back to the age old theme of out smarting the “bad person” and this is exactly what the pigs did to Gritch the witch. This story is a great read when it comes to alliteration, rhyming, and having a good laugh.
Illustrations:
I loved the illustrations in this book! They were lively, vibrant and brought a whole new life to an age old tale. The pictures went really well with the story that was being told and added great imagery to the words that were being read. I actually have gone back and looked through this book a few times just because I enjoyed the fun, humorous illustrations that much myself.
Mini-lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on alliteration. Students will be split up into small groups, 3-4 students per group. The students will then pick one of the pre-selected objects that have already been placed on one of our tables within our classroom. The groups will then take their object and come up with an alliteration for it. Example: Item: Flower, Alliteration: Farrah’s Fancy Flower Fumbled. Once the groups have come up with their alliteration, they will draw their object and write their sentence. This will be the beginning of our alliteration ABC book.
Author: Margie Palatini
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date of Publication: 1995
Illustrator: Howard Fine
Genre Designation: Children’s Fantasy
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Piggie Pie is a fun story about Gritch the witch who is trying to satisfy her appetite for some Piggie Pie. After going through her cookbook Gritch finds one BIG problem, she is missing her main ingredient...the pigs! Gritch thinks, and thinks about where she would find some nice plump pink pigs. Gritch finds the perfect place right in the phonebook, Old Mcdonalds Farm! Off she goes and of course Gritch sees plenty pink plumpy pigs when she is flying into the farm. The pigs act fast and decide to trick Gritch the Witch. When she lands there is not a pig in sight, there are ducks and cows but no pigs. Gritch is starting to get angry so she goes straight to this Old Mcdonald Fellow, she asks him where all his pigs are. He tells her that he has no pigs. Gritch is frustrated, exhausted, and starving. Out of nowhere this big bad wolf comes up and tells Gritch to give it up, he has been chasing those pigs for ages and he has had no luck. Gritch decides to ask big bad wolf if he would like to come home with her for lunch... after all he still has some meat on his bones but little does she know that big bad wolf is thinking the same exact thing!
Evaluation:
Piggie Pie was an extremely fun story, with a surprising amount of laughter. The way the author brought in other fairy tales throughout the story was a pleasant surprise. The story did a great job of using alliteration and rhyming throughout the story. When alliteration and rhyming are used in children’s stories sometimes it can make it rather difficult to read the story aloud because you find yourself tongue tied. This was not the case with this story. The author did a great job with word choice throughout the story and mixing both alliteration and rhyming in a way that it did not affect the flow of the story. The author also used personification within the story by giving human traits to some non-living things. The reader saw this when the pigs and wolf were talking to Gritch the witch. The story goes back to the age old theme of out smarting the “bad person” and this is exactly what the pigs did to Gritch the witch. This story is a great read when it comes to alliteration, rhyming, and having a good laugh.
Illustrations:
I loved the illustrations in this book! They were lively, vibrant and brought a whole new life to an age old tale. The pictures went really well with the story that was being told and added great imagery to the words that were being read. I actually have gone back and looked through this book a few times just because I enjoyed the fun, humorous illustrations that much myself.
Mini-lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on alliteration. Students will be split up into small groups, 3-4 students per group. The students will then pick one of the pre-selected objects that have already been placed on one of our tables within our classroom. The groups will then take their object and come up with an alliteration for it. Example: Item: Flower, Alliteration: Farrah’s Fancy Flower Fumbled. Once the groups have come up with their alliteration, they will draw their object and write their sentence. This will be the beginning of our alliteration ABC book.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday
Title: Tuesday
Author: David Wiesner
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date of Publication: 1991
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
Tuesday is a book that revolves around the idea of what happens after we go to bed at night. It all starts with the simplistic sentence of, “Tuesday evening, around eight.” From then on there are no more words within the story until the very end, only pictures. We as the reader see frogs on lily pads flying around town, with big frog smiles on their faces. The readers follows the frogs as they continue move through town flying by a man eating a late night snack, a grandma sleeping in front of her television, getting chased by a dog, and then returning the favor by chasing the dog, and then before we know it the sun is starting to shine again. The frogs begin to hop off their lily pads and back into their ponds just in time for the town to wake back up. As the reader we see the town all a fluster trying to figure out just what happened last night with cops, detectives, and reporters looking at all the wet lily pads everywhere. Then we are at the end and we read the only other words in our story which reveal that we are now a week later around eight.
Evaluation:
I thought that this was a great story for many reasons. This story allowed the reader to use the picture clues to follow the story whether they knew what the two sentences said or not. I also loved how the author/illustrator allowed for the reader to interpret the story in many different ways by not having words on every page. The illustrations within the story allowed for each reader to interpret the story with the same big understanding but allowed for readers to have their own twists, and thoughts and to me that is sometimes the most amazing part of literacy. The plot is something that we think is so unreal that it makes it almost magical, and that in itself makes it part of the reason why this story is so great for this age group. This story may not be the strongest book to use when working on character identification, or setting, but I feel it would be a good story to use when working on beginning, middle, and end. The story allowed me as the reader to feel as though I was flying on my own lily pad with the frogs on that Tuesday night, because the illustrations were so well done.
Illustrations:
As previously mentioned, the illustrations within this story are a major component of reading and understanding the story. The illustrations allow the reader to follow the frogs along their journey while using their own imaginations to make their own inferences about what and why the frogs are doing what their doing. The illustrations are the kind were it allows the reader to make a thoughtful inquiry the first time, but allows for them to come back and look a little closer and see that they may have just missed some smaller details that could play into the story that they are building within their mind. The illustrations are really the backbone of this story, however they don’t tie the reader down to processing the story in one specific manner.
Mini Lesson:
After reading this story, I immediately thought of doing a mini lesson involving creating our own book and then from there putting on a stage show or a play of our book. Each student would get to create their own story about what they would do after everyone else was asleep. We would then illustrate our book, either using water colors just like David Wiesner or many different art supplies to allow for more creative processing. Unlike our Tuesday book we would write out as much of our story as possible, so that we can continue to work on sounding out our words, letter writing, etc. Finally, once our books are done we would have the choice to read our story to the class or act the story out to the class on our class stage.
Author: David Wiesner
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date of Publication: 1991
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
Tuesday is a book that revolves around the idea of what happens after we go to bed at night. It all starts with the simplistic sentence of, “Tuesday evening, around eight.” From then on there are no more words within the story until the very end, only pictures. We as the reader see frogs on lily pads flying around town, with big frog smiles on their faces. The readers follows the frogs as they continue move through town flying by a man eating a late night snack, a grandma sleeping in front of her television, getting chased by a dog, and then returning the favor by chasing the dog, and then before we know it the sun is starting to shine again. The frogs begin to hop off their lily pads and back into their ponds just in time for the town to wake back up. As the reader we see the town all a fluster trying to figure out just what happened last night with cops, detectives, and reporters looking at all the wet lily pads everywhere. Then we are at the end and we read the only other words in our story which reveal that we are now a week later around eight.
Evaluation:
I thought that this was a great story for many reasons. This story allowed the reader to use the picture clues to follow the story whether they knew what the two sentences said or not. I also loved how the author/illustrator allowed for the reader to interpret the story in many different ways by not having words on every page. The illustrations within the story allowed for each reader to interpret the story with the same big understanding but allowed for readers to have their own twists, and thoughts and to me that is sometimes the most amazing part of literacy. The plot is something that we think is so unreal that it makes it almost magical, and that in itself makes it part of the reason why this story is so great for this age group. This story may not be the strongest book to use when working on character identification, or setting, but I feel it would be a good story to use when working on beginning, middle, and end. The story allowed me as the reader to feel as though I was flying on my own lily pad with the frogs on that Tuesday night, because the illustrations were so well done.
Illustrations:
As previously mentioned, the illustrations within this story are a major component of reading and understanding the story. The illustrations allow the reader to follow the frogs along their journey while using their own imaginations to make their own inferences about what and why the frogs are doing what their doing. The illustrations are the kind were it allows the reader to make a thoughtful inquiry the first time, but allows for them to come back and look a little closer and see that they may have just missed some smaller details that could play into the story that they are building within their mind. The illustrations are really the backbone of this story, however they don’t tie the reader down to processing the story in one specific manner.
Mini Lesson:
After reading this story, I immediately thought of doing a mini lesson involving creating our own book and then from there putting on a stage show or a play of our book. Each student would get to create their own story about what they would do after everyone else was asleep. We would then illustrate our book, either using water colors just like David Wiesner or many different art supplies to allow for more creative processing. Unlike our Tuesday book we would write out as much of our story as possible, so that we can continue to work on sounding out our words, letter writing, etc. Finally, once our books are done we would have the choice to read our story to the class or act the story out to the class on our class stage.
Dumpy La Rue
Title: Dumpy La Rue
Author: Elizabeth Winthrop
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Date of Publication: 2001
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
Dumpy La Rue is a pig who just wants to dance! But everyone is telling Dumpy that pigs don’t dance, but Dumpy just couldn’t let that stop him. Dumpy wanted to dance and everyone, including his mom, dad, sister and even the cows and horses told him that he was crazy for dreaming of dancing. Even after all of the different comments Dumpy held his ground and showed all of his family and friends why he loved dance so much, and the joy that it brought him. Many of the animals wondered what beat Dumpy was dancing to, so that they could dance with him. Dumpy told them that they can’t hear his beat, and that they each have their own beat within their heads they just have to listen for it. Soon enough little by little the animals started to join Dumpy in the dancing. Even his parents found the joy of dance, and Dumpy never stopped spreading his love of dance.
Evaluation:
Dumpy La Rue is a very good story for this reading level because it utilizes many different literary elements, while allowing the readers to get lost in the fun. The most obvious literary element within the story would be the use of rhyming. The story uses rhyming in an effective way were the reader has to be actively involved with the story because the rhyming is not explicit. The story also uses the element of foreshadowing. There are little hints throughout the story that Dumpy would not let others stop him from dancing and that maybe he would not be the only one who ended up dancing. This could be used to help the students work on their prediction skills. When we look at the plot on the surface, of course it does not seem like it is something that can really happen. However, when we look at the plot a little bit deeper and think about the main character being a little boy or a little girl, it makes so much more realistic and believable. I am sure we have all been told sometime throughout our life that we can’t or wouldn’t be able to do something, and we may have listened or we may have been like Dumpy and said, “Nope, I am gonna show you!” and this book is the perfect example of that. The author wanted to tell the reader that people may tell us that we can’t or aren’t supposed to do something based on who or what we are, but it is up to us to make that decision. I think that the theme within this story was one that we can all learn from throughout all stages of life, and many times no matter how old can always use a friendly reminder about this. It was done in such a way that the author was not shoving the moral of the story down the readers throat, and it allowed for more than one teachable moments within the story as well. Dumpy La Rue was a great book, for many different reasons.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in Dumpy La Rue were done by Betsy Lewin and they were great. The pictures went along with the words on the page really well, which would help a struggling reader with trouble spots.
Mini-Lesson:
The focus of the mini-lesson will be working on our rhyming words. Students will chose an activity that they love or want to try like what Dumpy La Rue. Then we will build rhyming hats (materials: 1/2 construction paper and sentence strip). Students will write their word at the top and then build their rhyming words from there. It will be important to help the students break down their activity to a word, this is essential so that rhyming can occur. Example: “Playing baseball” can be broken down to ball, bat, or other items used in the game. Once this step is finished the rhyming fun can begin!
Author: Elizabeth Winthrop
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Date of Publication: 2001
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
Dumpy La Rue is a pig who just wants to dance! But everyone is telling Dumpy that pigs don’t dance, but Dumpy just couldn’t let that stop him. Dumpy wanted to dance and everyone, including his mom, dad, sister and even the cows and horses told him that he was crazy for dreaming of dancing. Even after all of the different comments Dumpy held his ground and showed all of his family and friends why he loved dance so much, and the joy that it brought him. Many of the animals wondered what beat Dumpy was dancing to, so that they could dance with him. Dumpy told them that they can’t hear his beat, and that they each have their own beat within their heads they just have to listen for it. Soon enough little by little the animals started to join Dumpy in the dancing. Even his parents found the joy of dance, and Dumpy never stopped spreading his love of dance.
Evaluation:
Dumpy La Rue is a very good story for this reading level because it utilizes many different literary elements, while allowing the readers to get lost in the fun. The most obvious literary element within the story would be the use of rhyming. The story uses rhyming in an effective way were the reader has to be actively involved with the story because the rhyming is not explicit. The story also uses the element of foreshadowing. There are little hints throughout the story that Dumpy would not let others stop him from dancing and that maybe he would not be the only one who ended up dancing. This could be used to help the students work on their prediction skills. When we look at the plot on the surface, of course it does not seem like it is something that can really happen. However, when we look at the plot a little bit deeper and think about the main character being a little boy or a little girl, it makes so much more realistic and believable. I am sure we have all been told sometime throughout our life that we can’t or wouldn’t be able to do something, and we may have listened or we may have been like Dumpy and said, “Nope, I am gonna show you!” and this book is the perfect example of that. The author wanted to tell the reader that people may tell us that we can’t or aren’t supposed to do something based on who or what we are, but it is up to us to make that decision. I think that the theme within this story was one that we can all learn from throughout all stages of life, and many times no matter how old can always use a friendly reminder about this. It was done in such a way that the author was not shoving the moral of the story down the readers throat, and it allowed for more than one teachable moments within the story as well. Dumpy La Rue was a great book, for many different reasons.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in Dumpy La Rue were done by Betsy Lewin and they were great. The pictures went along with the words on the page really well, which would help a struggling reader with trouble spots.
Mini-Lesson:
The focus of the mini-lesson will be working on our rhyming words. Students will chose an activity that they love or want to try like what Dumpy La Rue. Then we will build rhyming hats (materials: 1/2 construction paper and sentence strip). Students will write their word at the top and then build their rhyming words from there. It will be important to help the students break down their activity to a word, this is essential so that rhyming can occur. Example: “Playing baseball” can be broken down to ball, bat, or other items used in the game. Once this step is finished the rhyming fun can begin!
Actual Size
Title: Actual Size
Author: Steve Jenkins
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Date of Publication: 2004
Illustrator:Steve Jenkins
Genre Designation: Children’s Non-Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Steven Jenkins presents the reader with a guide to different species and their actual size. Not only do we find out what their actual size is, but we also find out many interesting real life facts about the animals as well. The pictures of the animals are drawn to size of what they would like in real life as well. At the end of the book Jenkins provides the reader with a glossary of animals seen in the book with a full picture as well as a complete overview of the animal.
Evaluation:
It seems like it may be hard to find interesting non-fiction books for young readers, that still hold their attention while giving them credible information. I think this book is one of the few books that I have found that does both of those things. The author/illustrator did a great job of using the illustrations to pull the readers interest in and then tell them about the huge foot that is taking up 2 pages. As the reader you never knew what was coming next because one page might have the foot of the largest land animal and then the next page might be the worlds heaviest insect, all of which are drawn to size in one way or another. The main part of the book is not overwhelmed with text and information about all the different species within the book, instead it is one sentence about each picture along with a measurement. It was just enough to keep the reader interested without getting burnt out by all the information. The book does not use a lot of literary elements but it is still in my opinion a great information book for a young reader.
Illustrations:
As previously stated the illustrations are the backbone of this book, without them the reader would be lost. The reader gets an idea of the species size based on the size of the picture drawn. The pictures are made in a way were it allows the reader to feel like they are reading a “fun” book, but brings in real life information.
Mini-Lesson:
The mini-lesson would focus on the use of simile’s. The students would come up with their own simile using two species mentioned within the book. The students then can draw a picture to represent their simile. Break into small groups and share with group.
Author: Steve Jenkins
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Date of Publication: 2004
Illustrator:Steve Jenkins
Genre Designation: Children’s Non-Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Steven Jenkins presents the reader with a guide to different species and their actual size. Not only do we find out what their actual size is, but we also find out many interesting real life facts about the animals as well. The pictures of the animals are drawn to size of what they would like in real life as well. At the end of the book Jenkins provides the reader with a glossary of animals seen in the book with a full picture as well as a complete overview of the animal.
Evaluation:
It seems like it may be hard to find interesting non-fiction books for young readers, that still hold their attention while giving them credible information. I think this book is one of the few books that I have found that does both of those things. The author/illustrator did a great job of using the illustrations to pull the readers interest in and then tell them about the huge foot that is taking up 2 pages. As the reader you never knew what was coming next because one page might have the foot of the largest land animal and then the next page might be the worlds heaviest insect, all of which are drawn to size in one way or another. The main part of the book is not overwhelmed with text and information about all the different species within the book, instead it is one sentence about each picture along with a measurement. It was just enough to keep the reader interested without getting burnt out by all the information. The book does not use a lot of literary elements but it is still in my opinion a great information book for a young reader.
Illustrations:
As previously stated the illustrations are the backbone of this book, without them the reader would be lost. The reader gets an idea of the species size based on the size of the picture drawn. The pictures are made in a way were it allows the reader to feel like they are reading a “fun” book, but brings in real life information.
Mini-Lesson:
The mini-lesson would focus on the use of simile’s. The students would come up with their own simile using two species mentioned within the book. The students then can draw a picture to represent their simile. Break into small groups and share with group.
I Hate School
I Hate School
Title: I Hate School
Author: Jeanne Willis
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 2003
Illustrator: Tony Ross
Genre Designation: Children’s fiction
Readability Lexile: 1-3 (ages 6-9)
Summary:
I Hate School is a story about a young girl who is telling an unnamed narrator about why she strongly dislikes school. She says her teacher is warty faced toad, that she is forced to eat worms, rabbit poo and coal, among many other totally absurd reasons. The reader never finds out why she hates school as much as she says does, but at the end we find out that on the day when she can finally leave this miserable place that she is full of tears because she will “really miss it!”
Evaluation:
I think that this story serves as a fun read. It also does a great job with its imagery, if the reader did not look at the illustrations at all they would still be able to build these images within their imagination because the author had great word choice. However, other than that I am not sure if I would really file this story under one of my “good story” books. One of the reasons being, that we never really get to know the main character. I like how the author doesn’t tell us why the main character “hates” school, but I feel like we never really understood at all why she disliked school. I think this might make it hard for readers to relate to the character, or the story as a whole. It almost made it to “unreal” when in reality it is a very real topic and one in which many young and adult learners can relate to. The author did include the literary element of rhyming throughout the book however, it was somewhat random and when read aloud it was hard to find the right flow or beat to read the story to. As the reader I am still unsure of what the exact message was that the author was trying to tell me within this story. I believe that it was that even after all the “stinky” stuff that goes along with school that you will still miss it. I think this is biggest pitfall of all, the theme was too muddled up with the story and then pushed in right at the end that the reader is unclear as to what is really going on with this story.
Illustrations:
The illustrations went along with the story very nicely. The details within the illustrations are a pleasant surprise that may be missed during a first read through. The pictures supported the text rather than distracting from it or being overwhelming on the page.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on the concept of hyperboles. The students would sit in a large circle as a class. We would get out the squishy ball (the ball that can be tossed from student to student during sharing time). The students would then use a hyperbole to describe something they like or dislike. It can be food, toys, school, chores etc. Example: “I love Sonic so much, I could watch it everyday for the rest of my life.” That student would then toss the squishy ball to another student and it would be their turn. Example: “ I would rather die than eat peas.”
Title: I Hate School
Author: Jeanne Willis
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 2003
Illustrator: Tony Ross
Genre Designation: Children’s fiction
Readability Lexile: 1-3 (ages 6-9)
Summary:
I Hate School is a story about a young girl who is telling an unnamed narrator about why she strongly dislikes school. She says her teacher is warty faced toad, that she is forced to eat worms, rabbit poo and coal, among many other totally absurd reasons. The reader never finds out why she hates school as much as she says does, but at the end we find out that on the day when she can finally leave this miserable place that she is full of tears because she will “really miss it!”
Evaluation:
I think that this story serves as a fun read. It also does a great job with its imagery, if the reader did not look at the illustrations at all they would still be able to build these images within their imagination because the author had great word choice. However, other than that I am not sure if I would really file this story under one of my “good story” books. One of the reasons being, that we never really get to know the main character. I like how the author doesn’t tell us why the main character “hates” school, but I feel like we never really understood at all why she disliked school. I think this might make it hard for readers to relate to the character, or the story as a whole. It almost made it to “unreal” when in reality it is a very real topic and one in which many young and adult learners can relate to. The author did include the literary element of rhyming throughout the book however, it was somewhat random and when read aloud it was hard to find the right flow or beat to read the story to. As the reader I am still unsure of what the exact message was that the author was trying to tell me within this story. I believe that it was that even after all the “stinky” stuff that goes along with school that you will still miss it. I think this is biggest pitfall of all, the theme was too muddled up with the story and then pushed in right at the end that the reader is unclear as to what is really going on with this story.
Illustrations:
The illustrations went along with the story very nicely. The details within the illustrations are a pleasant surprise that may be missed during a first read through. The pictures supported the text rather than distracting from it or being overwhelming on the page.
Mini-Lesson:
This mini-lesson would focus on the concept of hyperboles. The students would sit in a large circle as a class. We would get out the squishy ball (the ball that can be tossed from student to student during sharing time). The students would then use a hyperbole to describe something they like or dislike. It can be food, toys, school, chores etc. Example: “I love Sonic so much, I could watch it everyday for the rest of my life.” That student would then toss the squishy ball to another student and it would be their turn. Example: “ I would rather die than eat peas.”
Where The Wild Things Are
Title: Where The Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date of Publication: 1963
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Genre Designation: Children’s Fantasy
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Our main character Max causes all sorts of crazy adventures when he decides one night to put his wolf costume on, which ended up with him in his room with no dinner. Once inside of his room, Max was surprised to find a forest growing which soon overtook his entire room. Max was suddenly on a voyage exploring the forest along with the “scary” wild monsters that kept surprising him along the way. After awhile Max began to grow tired of being the king of his forest, and sent his wild things away without dinner. Max left too, but this time he went back to his own room without the forest. Not only did Max find his bed, but he also found his dinner, which was still warm.
Evaluation:
I enjoy this story because it shows an entire cycle of behavior. The story shows Max choosing to misbehave, which in turn results in him being sent to his room. Once Max is sent to his room, we as the reader join Max inside his imagination as a way of calming himself down. I believe that the author Maurice Sendak does an amazing job of using Allegory within this story. We can see this literary element by comprehending the story in different ways. One way that we can understand the story would be in its literal terms, which would be that it was about a boy who got sent to his room, played with some monsters and then came back to his room and ate his dinner. Another way the story could be interpreted which may be more of a symbolic manner would be that when we are upset we can go away to where we are the king or queen, and return when we are calm and ready. The story also uses the element of hyperbole and the idea of exaggeration throughout the story. This can be seen when the author is describing the wild things or the surroundings of the forest.
Illustrations:
One of my favorites parts of this book were the illustrations. The reason being because they allowed the reader to get lost within the story as well. The illustrations a great combination of dark and mysterious yet they are not scary for the reader. There is a break in the book were it is just illustrations with no words, which I think is magnificent. It allows the reader a chance to build the story on their own, and to play with Max and the monsters all while reading the story.
Mini-Lesson:
We will be working on the idea of analogies within this lesson. The first step will be for each student to make their own monster using brown lunch bags and then decorating it with different art supplies that will be set out for them. Once this is completed the students will then start the next part of the lesson which is a short writing prompt. On a 1/2 sheet of paper it will say, “When I feel wild I...” the student will complete the sentence and draw a picture. On another 1/2 sheet of paper it will say, “When my monster feels wild it...” the student will complete the sentence and draw the picture. We will then turn the monsters into mobiles by using string and construction paper. The students will then share either with individually with the teacher or in front of the class how they and their monster’s actions compare, how are they alike and different. These can now be hung from the ceiling or sent home.
Author: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date of Publication: 1963
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Genre Designation: Children’s Fantasy
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
Our main character Max causes all sorts of crazy adventures when he decides one night to put his wolf costume on, which ended up with him in his room with no dinner. Once inside of his room, Max was surprised to find a forest growing which soon overtook his entire room. Max was suddenly on a voyage exploring the forest along with the “scary” wild monsters that kept surprising him along the way. After awhile Max began to grow tired of being the king of his forest, and sent his wild things away without dinner. Max left too, but this time he went back to his own room without the forest. Not only did Max find his bed, but he also found his dinner, which was still warm.
Evaluation:
I enjoy this story because it shows an entire cycle of behavior. The story shows Max choosing to misbehave, which in turn results in him being sent to his room. Once Max is sent to his room, we as the reader join Max inside his imagination as a way of calming himself down. I believe that the author Maurice Sendak does an amazing job of using Allegory within this story. We can see this literary element by comprehending the story in different ways. One way that we can understand the story would be in its literal terms, which would be that it was about a boy who got sent to his room, played with some monsters and then came back to his room and ate his dinner. Another way the story could be interpreted which may be more of a symbolic manner would be that when we are upset we can go away to where we are the king or queen, and return when we are calm and ready. The story also uses the element of hyperbole and the idea of exaggeration throughout the story. This can be seen when the author is describing the wild things or the surroundings of the forest.
Illustrations:
One of my favorites parts of this book were the illustrations. The reason being because they allowed the reader to get lost within the story as well. The illustrations a great combination of dark and mysterious yet they are not scary for the reader. There is a break in the book were it is just illustrations with no words, which I think is magnificent. It allows the reader a chance to build the story on their own, and to play with Max and the monsters all while reading the story.
Mini-Lesson:
We will be working on the idea of analogies within this lesson. The first step will be for each student to make their own monster using brown lunch bags and then decorating it with different art supplies that will be set out for them. Once this is completed the students will then start the next part of the lesson which is a short writing prompt. On a 1/2 sheet of paper it will say, “When I feel wild I...” the student will complete the sentence and draw a picture. On another 1/2 sheet of paper it will say, “When my monster feels wild it...” the student will complete the sentence and draw the picture. We will then turn the monsters into mobiles by using string and construction paper. The students will then share either with individually with the teacher or in front of the class how they and their monster’s actions compare, how are they alike and different. These can now be hung from the ceiling or sent home.
The Bugliest Bug
Title: The Bugliest Bug
Author: Carol Diggory Shields
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2002
Illustrator: Scott Nash
Genre Designation: Children’s rhyming
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields is a story about a bug who wasn’t sure if she had what it would take to win the big contest of the, “Bugliest Bug.” Damselfly Dilly didn’t think that she would win the contest because she wasn’t clever or frilly, but she still wanted to see who would be the Bugliest Bug of all. All of the bugs came out for the contest showing the judges why they thought they should win this great title. After watching all the bugs Damselfly Dilly started to see what the judges were really looking for, their lunch! Damselfly Dilly was a quick thinker and devised a plan to save the day along with all the bugs, but will this show Damselfly Dilly that she really does have what it takes to be the Bugliest Bug after all?
Evaluation:
The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields is a good story because it allows for the use of onomatopoeia throughout the entire story, and keeps to a great beat when read aloud which makes that more fun for the reader. The author also does a great job of blending in the use of rhyming throughout the story as well, which goes back to the great beat that is built into the story and can be capitalized upon when reading the story aloud or in ones head. As the reader we think we are going on a happy go lucky journey through a bug contest, however we begin to see some foreshadowing and see that the story takes a drastic turn. Once this happens we as the reader begin to see how our main character Damselfly Dilly needs to be a problem solver, and courageous to help her friends. Watching Damselfly Dilly help all of her bug friends shows her character growth from the beginning when she thought that she could only be a bystander of the competition, almost as if she was not “good enough” to be in it. I believe that the author was trying to tell us that we are so much more than what we look like on our outsides, and that in some of the most important times of our lives it is what we have on our insides that will really matter. This is a theme that no matter how old we are, we could always use a reminder on.
Illustrations:
I enjoyed the illustrations, they were both vibrant yet showed a somewhat realistic view of the bugs within the story. At times however, I felt the pages were a bit overwhelmed with the amount of different bugs and other pictures within the illustrations on the page and found myself wondering if a young reader could become distracted and overwhelmed by these full pages. If a reader is having a tough time sounding out the words, and then is distracted by the overwhelming pictures it may be a book that they close rather quickly instead of using a different reading strategy like picture clues.
Mini-Lesson:
If our class were learning about bugs while reading this story, we could use this book as a read aloud and then allow the students to pick a bug from within the story to perform a “google search” on while in pairs. Once the groups have “googled” their bug and found 4 super cool facts they get to pick a way to share their info with our class. This could be done by making a poster about the 4 facts, using one of the pre-made cardboard cubes to make an info box, or a mobile (something that the students have had practice with). The student work will then be presented to the class and then hung up.
Author: Carol Diggory Shields
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2002
Illustrator: Scott Nash
Genre Designation: Children’s rhyming
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 5-8)
Summary:
The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields is a story about a bug who wasn’t sure if she had what it would take to win the big contest of the, “Bugliest Bug.” Damselfly Dilly didn’t think that she would win the contest because she wasn’t clever or frilly, but she still wanted to see who would be the Bugliest Bug of all. All of the bugs came out for the contest showing the judges why they thought they should win this great title. After watching all the bugs Damselfly Dilly started to see what the judges were really looking for, their lunch! Damselfly Dilly was a quick thinker and devised a plan to save the day along with all the bugs, but will this show Damselfly Dilly that she really does have what it takes to be the Bugliest Bug after all?
Evaluation:
The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields is a good story because it allows for the use of onomatopoeia throughout the entire story, and keeps to a great beat when read aloud which makes that more fun for the reader. The author also does a great job of blending in the use of rhyming throughout the story as well, which goes back to the great beat that is built into the story and can be capitalized upon when reading the story aloud or in ones head. As the reader we think we are going on a happy go lucky journey through a bug contest, however we begin to see some foreshadowing and see that the story takes a drastic turn. Once this happens we as the reader begin to see how our main character Damselfly Dilly needs to be a problem solver, and courageous to help her friends. Watching Damselfly Dilly help all of her bug friends shows her character growth from the beginning when she thought that she could only be a bystander of the competition, almost as if she was not “good enough” to be in it. I believe that the author was trying to tell us that we are so much more than what we look like on our outsides, and that in some of the most important times of our lives it is what we have on our insides that will really matter. This is a theme that no matter how old we are, we could always use a reminder on.
Illustrations:
I enjoyed the illustrations, they were both vibrant yet showed a somewhat realistic view of the bugs within the story. At times however, I felt the pages were a bit overwhelmed with the amount of different bugs and other pictures within the illustrations on the page and found myself wondering if a young reader could become distracted and overwhelmed by these full pages. If a reader is having a tough time sounding out the words, and then is distracted by the overwhelming pictures it may be a book that they close rather quickly instead of using a different reading strategy like picture clues.
Mini-Lesson:
If our class were learning about bugs while reading this story, we could use this book as a read aloud and then allow the students to pick a bug from within the story to perform a “google search” on while in pairs. Once the groups have “googled” their bug and found 4 super cool facts they get to pick a way to share their info with our class. This could be done by making a poster about the 4 facts, using one of the pre-made cardboard cubes to make an info box, or a mobile (something that the students have had practice with). The student work will then be presented to the class and then hung up.
Duck On A Bike
Title: Duck On A Bike
Author: David Shannon
Publisher: Blue Sky Press
Publication Date: 2002
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
In this fun loving story by David Shannon a duck decides that he is going to ride a bike. Duck goes for a bike ride through the farm passing all the animals along the way. All the animals had something different to say about this crazy duck riding a bike, but what would happen if they were lucky enough to have a bike of their own to ride? Many young readers will enjoy this story because of the humor that is effortlessly merged into the story. The illustrations are also another key aspect of the story that will pull young readers into the story because of the lively colors, and how the pictures continue to lead from one page to another throughout the entire story.
Evaluation:
I liked this story because it showed the duck doing something that he didn’t think he could necessarily do. Even though it is presented to the reader in this fantasy type plot of a duck riding a bike, with all the animals talking to him as he rides by, it is still a story that we can all make a personal connection to. Sometimes it is often hard to find characters that show growth within young children’s literature, however I feel as if this story shows character growth as we progress through the story. The reader can see this with the other farm animals through the story. Much of the story shows the animals not being supportive and some even being “mean” about duck wanting to ride a bike. However, at the end we see the animals loving how much fun riding bikes is, and even telling duck what a good idea it was to ride a bike. Duck On A Bike uses the literary element of onomatopoeia. As the reader we can see this many times throughout the book when the farm animals “talk” to the duck by making their sounds. David Shannon also uses personification within the story by giving the animals multiple human qualities, such as talking and the ability to ride a bike. My favorite part of the book is something that some people may not even notice, and that is the very last page of the book. The last page of the book simply says, “The End” and has the duck standing there looking at a tractor. I like this because it allows for foreshadowing and prediction by the reader, without giving a definite answer.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in the book are great for a young reader because they give great picture clues. A young reader who may not be at independent reading level yet with this story, would still be able to pick this book up and read based on the pictures. The pictures are lively and offer real life colors and images that young readers can relate to. I especially appreciated how the pictures had a set point that the illustrator was trying to get across to the reader, and was not too overstimulating for the reader.
Mini-Lesson:
As a class we will focus on the last page of the book and focus on the idea of foreshadowing and prediction. What is the author trying to tell us (the reader) about duck? As the teacher the question will then be posed to the class, “If you were the author David Shannon who would your next book be about and what would their adventure be?” I would provide a few examples to help the class get their brains warmed up, and then provide them with the “cover of their book” otherwise known as a variety of colored construction papers that they can chose from. They will then decorate their cover with their main character, their adventure, and title. This will help us work on identifying main character, plot, and our writing.
Author: David Shannon
Publisher: Blue Sky Press
Publication Date: 2002
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre Designation: Children’s Fiction
Readability Lexile: K-2 (ages 4-8)
Summary:
In this fun loving story by David Shannon a duck decides that he is going to ride a bike. Duck goes for a bike ride through the farm passing all the animals along the way. All the animals had something different to say about this crazy duck riding a bike, but what would happen if they were lucky enough to have a bike of their own to ride? Many young readers will enjoy this story because of the humor that is effortlessly merged into the story. The illustrations are also another key aspect of the story that will pull young readers into the story because of the lively colors, and how the pictures continue to lead from one page to another throughout the entire story.
Evaluation:
I liked this story because it showed the duck doing something that he didn’t think he could necessarily do. Even though it is presented to the reader in this fantasy type plot of a duck riding a bike, with all the animals talking to him as he rides by, it is still a story that we can all make a personal connection to. Sometimes it is often hard to find characters that show growth within young children’s literature, however I feel as if this story shows character growth as we progress through the story. The reader can see this with the other farm animals through the story. Much of the story shows the animals not being supportive and some even being “mean” about duck wanting to ride a bike. However, at the end we see the animals loving how much fun riding bikes is, and even telling duck what a good idea it was to ride a bike. Duck On A Bike uses the literary element of onomatopoeia. As the reader we can see this many times throughout the book when the farm animals “talk” to the duck by making their sounds. David Shannon also uses personification within the story by giving the animals multiple human qualities, such as talking and the ability to ride a bike. My favorite part of the book is something that some people may not even notice, and that is the very last page of the book. The last page of the book simply says, “The End” and has the duck standing there looking at a tractor. I like this because it allows for foreshadowing and prediction by the reader, without giving a definite answer.
Illustrations:
The illustrations in the book are great for a young reader because they give great picture clues. A young reader who may not be at independent reading level yet with this story, would still be able to pick this book up and read based on the pictures. The pictures are lively and offer real life colors and images that young readers can relate to. I especially appreciated how the pictures had a set point that the illustrator was trying to get across to the reader, and was not too overstimulating for the reader.
Mini-Lesson:
As a class we will focus on the last page of the book and focus on the idea of foreshadowing and prediction. What is the author trying to tell us (the reader) about duck? As the teacher the question will then be posed to the class, “If you were the author David Shannon who would your next book be about and what would their adventure be?” I would provide a few examples to help the class get their brains warmed up, and then provide them with the “cover of their book” otherwise known as a variety of colored construction papers that they can chose from. They will then decorate their cover with their main character, their adventure, and title. This will help us work on identifying main character, plot, and our writing.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Rainbow Fish
Title: The Rainbow Fish
Author: Marcus Pfister
Publisher: North-South Books
I love this book because it can be used in so many different ways. The journey that Rainbow fish goes on is a real one that many children can make a personal connection to in one way or another. To me The Rainbow Fish is a great story because it uses such an abstract idea (a fish giving away shiny scales, such a silly idea!) to communicate such an everyday lesson to the reader. By doing it in this manner it allows the reader to make their own personal connection without feeling boxed into what they had already read in the story. The dilemma of giving up something that you really love to another person is hard, but to experience the joy of sharing is an important lesson. Of course The Rainbow Fish also has beautiful illustrations, that make the story that much more enjoyable.
Author: Marcus Pfister
Publisher: North-South Books
Summary: The Rainbow Fish is a story about a fish with beautiful shiny, sparkly scales. He would swim around all day and the other fish would admire his scales. Then one day a little fish asked the Rainbow fish for just one of his shiny scales, but the Rainbow fish yelled at the little blue fish and told him "NO, get away!" The little blue fish went and told all the other fish, because of this all the other fish decided to stay away from the Rainbow fish. The Rainbow fish didn't know what to do, without all the other fish admiring his shiny scales he just was not that happy. He went to the starfish and then to the octopus in the cave. That was when the octopus in the cave told Rainbow fish to give one of his beautiful scales to all the other fish, at first Rainbow fish said no because he did not think he could be happy. Then little blue fish showed up and asked for just one shiny scale, and the Rainbow fish decided to give him one! He felt so happy and then began giving all the other fish some of his shiny scales, until he only had one left. Rainbow fish found out that even though he didn't have all his shiny scales that he was happier than ever because he had his fish friends and shared his scales.
Eloise In Hollywood
Title: Eloise In Hollywood
Author: Kay Thompson
Illustrator: Ted Enik
Based on the art of: Hilary Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Summary: Eloise In Hollywood is a book about a young girl named Eloise who dreams of going to Hollywood. Eloise's mother calls and says that she and her grandmother must come and visit, and so the journey begins. The story then begins to revolve around all of her activities once she is there, what she does, who she sees, and all of the crazy hijinks that she gets into. Eloise begins her journey by telling us about how she will be getting to Beverly Hills, where she will be staying and how fabulous it all is. The story follows Eloise on her journey through Hollywood until she finally gets her big break and is allowed onto a movie set, auditions for a director, and becomes a big star. It all comes to an end at the end of the story when she is going down what looks to be a red carpet and says that what she really dreams to do is, "direct".
I enjoy the Eloise books, however I did think this book would be a bit hard for a young reader to follow and read. The word choice that the author chose within the book at times seemed awkward while reading and often times I found myself stumbling while reading this children's book. I think the book is a great book for a fun read, and to ignite the imagination but I would not necessarily use it as part of a lesson. I also thought the story was a bit hard to follow in the sense that the text was all over the place on the pages. There were times when I missed text and had to go back and read it because it blended into the picture so much.
Something that I did really like about this book were the illustrations. I really liked the pencil drawing look to the illustrations and the low amount of colors within the story. The times when there was color on the pages it made it "pop" that much more and didn't box me into looking at the illustrations in one manner. My favorite part of the book was the pullout illustration of the backlot that was done all in color, it was such a pleasant and unexpected surprised.
Author: Kay Thompson
Illustrator: Ted Enik
Based on the art of: Hilary Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Summary: Eloise In Hollywood is a book about a young girl named Eloise who dreams of going to Hollywood. Eloise's mother calls and says that she and her grandmother must come and visit, and so the journey begins. The story then begins to revolve around all of her activities once she is there, what she does, who she sees, and all of the crazy hijinks that she gets into. Eloise begins her journey by telling us about how she will be getting to Beverly Hills, where she will be staying and how fabulous it all is. The story follows Eloise on her journey through Hollywood until she finally gets her big break and is allowed onto a movie set, auditions for a director, and becomes a big star. It all comes to an end at the end of the story when she is going down what looks to be a red carpet and says that what she really dreams to do is, "direct".
I enjoy the Eloise books, however I did think this book would be a bit hard for a young reader to follow and read. The word choice that the author chose within the book at times seemed awkward while reading and often times I found myself stumbling while reading this children's book. I think the book is a great book for a fun read, and to ignite the imagination but I would not necessarily use it as part of a lesson. I also thought the story was a bit hard to follow in the sense that the text was all over the place on the pages. There were times when I missed text and had to go back and read it because it blended into the picture so much.
Something that I did really like about this book were the illustrations. I really liked the pencil drawing look to the illustrations and the low amount of colors within the story. The times when there was color on the pages it made it "pop" that much more and didn't box me into looking at the illustrations in one manner. My favorite part of the book was the pullout illustration of the backlot that was done all in color, it was such a pleasant and unexpected surprised.
Clemente!
Title: Clemente!
Author: Willie Perdomo
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, New York
I also really liked how the book had both Spanish and English within the book, but what I liked most was that it was intertwined so effortlessly. As a person who does not speak Spanish I was able to read along with the book, and could tell from the pictures and the other context clues what I was reading in Spanish.
Author: Willie Perdomo
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, New York
Summary: Clemente! is the story about how a young boy got his name Clemente from famous baseball player Roberto Clemente. The story has different family members tell the young boy about Roberto, his baseball stats, what a great player he was, and how he was a great father. The young boys mother also shares with the boy about how Roberto had died in a plane crash, and how everyone had hoped and wished for his safe return but the plane crash had taken his life. At the end of the story his mother tells the boy that while Roberto was a great baseball player, that he also was a man who knew what respect, faith, hope and belief in yourself were. Roberto was able to fight for what he knew was right and to believe in himself even when others were trying to bring him down, and that was why they named him Clemente.
The story is great because at first you are thinking that the young boy was named after this great baseball player because of his amazing batting average, all of his golden gloves, and his great winning record but in the end it was because of his morals, and the person that he was with and without baseball. It allowed the reader the chance to look at Roberto Clemente from another angle, the angle of being a real person and not just this famous athlete.
The story had amazing illustrations! The way the illustrations were able to get the emotion of the story across was fantastic. As I was reading the story I found myself reading the story out loud and reading in the tone that went along with the colors and the feelings that the illustrations were making me feel.
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