Freckleface Strawberry Written by: Julianne Moore Illustrated by: LeUyen Pham
Being a seven year old girl with freckles and red hair is no easy thing according to Freckleface Strawberry who despises her freckles. Freckleface Strawberry who can do everything a seven year girl can do and sometimes even more gets made fun of by her friends for having her freckles which no one else in her family does except for her little baby brother. In the abundance of all these remarks being made about her freckles she decided to try to get rid of them. After having tried every possible thing from washing them away to covering them up with markers she decided to just make them disappear by wearing a face mask everywhere she went. In the end she hears her friends talking amongst themselves, worried where their red haired, freckled face friend had gone and how the new girl with the face mask is weird! At the end of this cute story you see Freckleface Strawberry happy to have all her friends back even if she did have a million freckles. They even show a picture of her when she grows up still with all her freckles and her family with her husband and two children; freckle-less.
This is a humorous book that will probably hit home to a lot of children whom have something they wish they could change about themselves. The strengths of this book are defiantly the theme and plot that work hand and hand to deliver a message that you are fine the way you are. The story is told from third person and shows an outsider looking in on Freckleface Strawberry seeing that everything she is seeing badly in herself actually makes her unique and special. This could help children realize that they are special and unique in their own way too. The pictures in this story play a huge role; there are huge pictures, multiple pictures, different sized pictures, and changing position pictures throughout this book. They stuck to the cartoon element and played on red, orange, yellow, and pink. This story could be used in younger grades as a read aloud and then as a beginning reader book in 1st and 2nd grades. Regardless, I think every child should read this book; make it not only a recommended but a required reading material somewhere throughout your lesson plans to engage children into looking at themselves and finding something wonderful about them. This could also be used in the 7th, 10th, and even college grade educational science classes as an introductory book to the heredity unit. They could figure out how Freckleface Strawberry got red hair and freckles when the rest of her family didn’t and then how her children didn’t get her freckles either. It could be a fun way to introduce a sometimes not so fun subject.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
clcik clack moo cows can type
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type Written by: Doreen Cronin Illustrated by: Betsy Lewin
If there is one thing that Farmer Brown is sure of, is that his farm will run smoothly with yummy milk and delicious eggs but when the cows get hold of an old typewriter things so haywire. The story takes place on Farmer Brown’s farm on sunny afternoons where Farmer Brown hears a strange noise coming from his barn; “Click, Clack, Moo”. It turns out that the cows are not happy with their living situations and demand through typed notes that they want electric blankets for the cold summer nights. They say that they will give no milk until they get them! Then the hens unite with the cows and say they want electric blankets too or else no eggs for Farmer Brown. Farmer Brown ends up giving in and making a deal to give electric blankets for the type writer; having the ducks be the mutual party, the ducks go to get the type writer for the farmer. The farmer gets his milk and eggs but no type writer. Now the ducks were leaving notes telling the farmer they’d like a diving board for the boring pond. The last page shows a duck diving off a diving board.
This book was hilarious and I think children would find this to be one of their favorites declaring that they want it read over and over again. The plot is quite a funny one with ironic features such as the duck getting a diving board in the end even though they were supposed to be a mutual party and the farmer getting the tables turned to where he was no longer in charge; it was the cows, hens, and ducks in charge now! The plot keeps the reader plugged into what’s going to happen next with humor and suspense to how the farmer will go about solving this problem. Every page has a unique touch with water colored, cartoon like pictures that establish a mood. An example of this is in a picture when the cows and hens stand with curious smiles and in the background is Farmer Brown mad as can be. I would use this book to read aloud to younger children or as a beginning reader book to kindergarten children. You could use this book for the repeating musical aspect of “Click, clack, moo” and have children read those lines as a group aloud as a fun way to make this book a participation book. They can also problem solve and see what they would do if they were Farmer Brown’s shoes.
If there is one thing that Farmer Brown is sure of, is that his farm will run smoothly with yummy milk and delicious eggs but when the cows get hold of an old typewriter things so haywire. The story takes place on Farmer Brown’s farm on sunny afternoons where Farmer Brown hears a strange noise coming from his barn; “Click, Clack, Moo”. It turns out that the cows are not happy with their living situations and demand through typed notes that they want electric blankets for the cold summer nights. They say that they will give no milk until they get them! Then the hens unite with the cows and say they want electric blankets too or else no eggs for Farmer Brown. Farmer Brown ends up giving in and making a deal to give electric blankets for the type writer; having the ducks be the mutual party, the ducks go to get the type writer for the farmer. The farmer gets his milk and eggs but no type writer. Now the ducks were leaving notes telling the farmer they’d like a diving board for the boring pond. The last page shows a duck diving off a diving board.
This book was hilarious and I think children would find this to be one of their favorites declaring that they want it read over and over again. The plot is quite a funny one with ironic features such as the duck getting a diving board in the end even though they were supposed to be a mutual party and the farmer getting the tables turned to where he was no longer in charge; it was the cows, hens, and ducks in charge now! The plot keeps the reader plugged into what’s going to happen next with humor and suspense to how the farmer will go about solving this problem. Every page has a unique touch with water colored, cartoon like pictures that establish a mood. An example of this is in a picture when the cows and hens stand with curious smiles and in the background is Farmer Brown mad as can be. I would use this book to read aloud to younger children or as a beginning reader book to kindergarten children. You could use this book for the repeating musical aspect of “Click, clack, moo” and have children read those lines as a group aloud as a fun way to make this book a participation book. They can also problem solve and see what they would do if they were Farmer Brown’s shoes.
The giving tree
The Giving Tree Written by: Shel Silverstein
This gifted book shows the relationship between a tree and a little boy who through the years turns to a man right before the trees very branches. When the boy is young he goes to the tree everyday to swing from her branches, collect her leaves, and eat her apples but as he gets into adolescence he starts to see the tree less and less; only visiting when he needed the tree’s apples to sell in the city for money. The boy didn’t come back until he was a man and then he came to get branches so that he could build a house. The tree was of course, happy to help because she loved him. Seasons passed and he didn’t come around for a long time again. When he came back he was old and really wanted a boat so the tree gave her truck so he could build a boat and sail away. Finally the tree was just stump when the really old man came back but that all the old man needed was a place to sit and the tree was very happy to give him that!
As you may know this is a censored book because of something that I think could very well be true but shouldn’t be censored for. It’s censored because the tree is supposed to symbolize a mother giving her all and the child only taking, not giving anything in return. I could see this story has a representation of that but I don’t think the boy didn’t want to give back; he really didn’t have too much to offer the tree. I would much rather say that the tree giving the boy everything she had isn’t a sign of weakness but more of a strength. It takes a lot to give love the way the tree did; and you simply cannot go as far as the tree did as a human but it’s nice to know that something can have that much love for someone to keep giving and giving! The pictures are simplistic sketches of the boy and the tree making it clear that the real message is in the story itself. If I were a teacher using this book in the classroom I would use it as a browsing book or as a book to use to emphasize how giving to someone is a very special act that should not be taken lightly; such as teaching manors, please and thank you. You could also use this book to look at relationships in a close way and how they can change as the people change!
This gifted book shows the relationship between a tree and a little boy who through the years turns to a man right before the trees very branches. When the boy is young he goes to the tree everyday to swing from her branches, collect her leaves, and eat her apples but as he gets into adolescence he starts to see the tree less and less; only visiting when he needed the tree’s apples to sell in the city for money. The boy didn’t come back until he was a man and then he came to get branches so that he could build a house. The tree was of course, happy to help because she loved him. Seasons passed and he didn’t come around for a long time again. When he came back he was old and really wanted a boat so the tree gave her truck so he could build a boat and sail away. Finally the tree was just stump when the really old man came back but that all the old man needed was a place to sit and the tree was very happy to give him that!
As you may know this is a censored book because of something that I think could very well be true but shouldn’t be censored for. It’s censored because the tree is supposed to symbolize a mother giving her all and the child only taking, not giving anything in return. I could see this story has a representation of that but I don’t think the boy didn’t want to give back; he really didn’t have too much to offer the tree. I would much rather say that the tree giving the boy everything she had isn’t a sign of weakness but more of a strength. It takes a lot to give love the way the tree did; and you simply cannot go as far as the tree did as a human but it’s nice to know that something can have that much love for someone to keep giving and giving! The pictures are simplistic sketches of the boy and the tree making it clear that the real message is in the story itself. If I were a teacher using this book in the classroom I would use it as a browsing book or as a book to use to emphasize how giving to someone is a very special act that should not be taken lightly; such as teaching manors, please and thank you. You could also use this book to look at relationships in a close way and how they can change as the people change!
Magic Pebble
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Written by: William Steig
Sylvester Duncan lives a normal Donkey life as a collector of unusual pebbles until one rainy Saturday at the lake when he finds a magic red pebble. Realizing that this pebble is magical he runs home to tell his parents but he is caught off guard by a hungry, mean looking lion! In a panic he wishes to be a rock so that he may escape the lion; Sylvester may have escaped the lion but now he’s stuck as a rock. Seasons pass and worried parents turn hopeless until the very end of the story when the rock is now the picnic area of his parents who find the pebble and wish to see their son yet again. The pebble does its magic and the family is reunited with a great story to tell!
The plot of the story is easy to follow, flows naturally, and will hold an elementary student’s attention from one event to the next. Once you get close to the end you hope that the parents do find the rock and wonder how they will come about changing Sylvester back to a Donkey and author does this easily and the event wasn’t forced. The art work captures the attention of the reader with its brightness and childlike appearance. A weakness about this is story however; is that it does have a picture that displays police as pigs and because of its time of publishing, this picture made was considered offensive to many police and this book was censored. I feel like in the times we live now children wouldn’t catch this as a bad aspect of this story. They may catch the stereotype of police being pigs but I don’t think they will get it at the age this book is intended for. If I were using this book in a classroom setting I could use this as a beginning book to the genre of fantasy or I could use this is a prompt to a project about “if you had one wish what would it be” where the children can think about what they would want if they had their own magic pebble.
Sylvester Duncan lives a normal Donkey life as a collector of unusual pebbles until one rainy Saturday at the lake when he finds a magic red pebble. Realizing that this pebble is magical he runs home to tell his parents but he is caught off guard by a hungry, mean looking lion! In a panic he wishes to be a rock so that he may escape the lion; Sylvester may have escaped the lion but now he’s stuck as a rock. Seasons pass and worried parents turn hopeless until the very end of the story when the rock is now the picnic area of his parents who find the pebble and wish to see their son yet again. The pebble does its magic and the family is reunited with a great story to tell!
The plot of the story is easy to follow, flows naturally, and will hold an elementary student’s attention from one event to the next. Once you get close to the end you hope that the parents do find the rock and wonder how they will come about changing Sylvester back to a Donkey and author does this easily and the event wasn’t forced. The art work captures the attention of the reader with its brightness and childlike appearance. A weakness about this is story however; is that it does have a picture that displays police as pigs and because of its time of publishing, this picture made was considered offensive to many police and this book was censored. I feel like in the times we live now children wouldn’t catch this as a bad aspect of this story. They may catch the stereotype of police being pigs but I don’t think they will get it at the age this book is intended for. If I were using this book in a classroom setting I could use this as a beginning book to the genre of fantasy or I could use this is a prompt to a project about “if you had one wish what would it be” where the children can think about what they would want if they had their own magic pebble.
Johnny appleseed
Johnny Appleseed Written by: Gini Holland Illustrated by: Kim Palmer
Johnny Appleseed as many would call him was born September 26, 1774 in Massachusetts only two years after the United States was born. John was always helpful through his childhood years to take care of his nine brothers and sisters. He started working at an apple orchard during his adolescence and seeing that the apple seeds always thrown away, he sparked a great idea. He decided to collect the seeds and travel across what was then the far west as the Great Lakes and plant his apple seeds in preparation for settlers and in doing so he sold, traded, and gave away his apples and seeds. Johnny Appleseed was known for his environmental side and was always one to put himself in nature. He lived with the animals on their terrain and this lead to many heroic and adventurous stories such as the one where he floats on a block of ice down a river! Johnny Appleseed lived to be 71 and died being well known by Indians and settlers alike so much so that his stories have been passed own for centuries leaving the children of today’s society to have him fresh in their minds.
This is a simplified biography that covers John Chapman’s life; highlighting aspects pertaining to his apple orchard empire. The setting of this story is a highly important factor; starting in the beginning with John’s father off in war with George Washington in New York. They also mention John’s favorite book being the bible which could indicate that children’s books did not exist; giving insight to the reader of how things have changed. A big weakness lies within the pages of this book that may confuse many children readers. While the book is easy to read, doesn’t show any huge stereotypes, and is very educational; it also reminds children periodically throughout the book that stories and tales that were passed down through generations finally making its way to the present, may not even be true. Such as a paragraph about John and a cub of bears; saying “The legend of Johnny Appleseed often went ahead of him…There were true stories… Other stories may have been made up”. This could have children wondering if the biography they are reading it accurate. Every page is a full realistic art piece with a lot of detail and color. The pictures help the story show asides such as what settlers did when they first came to America with John helping to build a house off on the right. The book taught me about a man I’ve never heard of and got me interested in learning more and so I’m sure it would have the same effect on a child. I would suggest having children read this book if there were doing as history report on a positive influence in our nations beginnings or as a browsing book for children about pioneer life and how one man changed it greatly.
Johnny Appleseed as many would call him was born September 26, 1774 in Massachusetts only two years after the United States was born. John was always helpful through his childhood years to take care of his nine brothers and sisters. He started working at an apple orchard during his adolescence and seeing that the apple seeds always thrown away, he sparked a great idea. He decided to collect the seeds and travel across what was then the far west as the Great Lakes and plant his apple seeds in preparation for settlers and in doing so he sold, traded, and gave away his apples and seeds. Johnny Appleseed was known for his environmental side and was always one to put himself in nature. He lived with the animals on their terrain and this lead to many heroic and adventurous stories such as the one where he floats on a block of ice down a river! Johnny Appleseed lived to be 71 and died being well known by Indians and settlers alike so much so that his stories have been passed own for centuries leaving the children of today’s society to have him fresh in their minds.
This is a simplified biography that covers John Chapman’s life; highlighting aspects pertaining to his apple orchard empire. The setting of this story is a highly important factor; starting in the beginning with John’s father off in war with George Washington in New York. They also mention John’s favorite book being the bible which could indicate that children’s books did not exist; giving insight to the reader of how things have changed. A big weakness lies within the pages of this book that may confuse many children readers. While the book is easy to read, doesn’t show any huge stereotypes, and is very educational; it also reminds children periodically throughout the book that stories and tales that were passed down through generations finally making its way to the present, may not even be true. Such as a paragraph about John and a cub of bears; saying “The legend of Johnny Appleseed often went ahead of him…There were true stories… Other stories may have been made up”. This could have children wondering if the biography they are reading it accurate. Every page is a full realistic art piece with a lot of detail and color. The pictures help the story show asides such as what settlers did when they first came to America with John helping to build a house off on the right. The book taught me about a man I’ve never heard of and got me interested in learning more and so I’m sure it would have the same effect on a child. I would suggest having children read this book if there were doing as history report on a positive influence in our nations beginnings or as a browsing book for children about pioneer life and how one man changed it greatly.
The man who cooked for himself
The Man Who Cooked For Himself Written by: Phyllis Krasilovsky Illustrations by: Mamoru Funai
Just what is cooking in the man’s house in the forest with no wife, no children and a hungry cat? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind when they read this short, cute, and realistic book about a man whose laziness leads him to find great passion. The man in our story is middle aged and won’t leave his house in the forest for anything; he’d rather sit around and be lazy. When his friend who brings him all his goods from the civilized world leaves for a summer trip the man is left to fend for himself. He actually ends up running out of food and having to fish, pick berries, and gather apples from a nearby forest tree. As he does he discovers that he has a passion for gardening as well as cooking and in the end plants a glorious garden to feed both him, his cat, and his friend!
This book is short, cute, and has a good theme. The theme in this book shows children the rewards of their hard work. The man whom spent a hard summer planting his garden would be rewarded with fresh vegetables everyday and feel good about himself in the process. This could help a child to do things that they didn’t think they could do and encourage them to not give up when they think they’ve done all they can to solve a problem; seeing this when the man is out of food and has to solve the issue right away on the account of his growling tummy. Not only that but the book also showcases a healthy life style which could bring a lot of children back to reality who have been eating large amounts of fast food and candy. The book has colored cartoon drawing that define and develop the characters of the story; the man being lazy in the beginning and turning hard working in the end, the friend being loyal, and the man’s’ cat being a good friend at all times even if he has to suffer from hunger with his master. I would have this book on my browsing shelf in my classroom and encourage children to read it during silent reading or possibly read it during a read aloud to encourage students to a healthy life style. We could start growing tomatoes artificially in our class as a project.
Just what is cooking in the man’s house in the forest with no wife, no children and a hungry cat? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind when they read this short, cute, and realistic book about a man whose laziness leads him to find great passion. The man in our story is middle aged and won’t leave his house in the forest for anything; he’d rather sit around and be lazy. When his friend who brings him all his goods from the civilized world leaves for a summer trip the man is left to fend for himself. He actually ends up running out of food and having to fish, pick berries, and gather apples from a nearby forest tree. As he does he discovers that he has a passion for gardening as well as cooking and in the end plants a glorious garden to feed both him, his cat, and his friend!
This book is short, cute, and has a good theme. The theme in this book shows children the rewards of their hard work. The man whom spent a hard summer planting his garden would be rewarded with fresh vegetables everyday and feel good about himself in the process. This could help a child to do things that they didn’t think they could do and encourage them to not give up when they think they’ve done all they can to solve a problem; seeing this when the man is out of food and has to solve the issue right away on the account of his growling tummy. Not only that but the book also showcases a healthy life style which could bring a lot of children back to reality who have been eating large amounts of fast food and candy. The book has colored cartoon drawing that define and develop the characters of the story; the man being lazy in the beginning and turning hard working in the end, the friend being loyal, and the man’s’ cat being a good friend at all times even if he has to suffer from hunger with his master. I would have this book on my browsing shelf in my classroom and encourage children to read it during silent reading or possibly read it during a read aloud to encourage students to a healthy life style. We could start growing tomatoes artificially in our class as a project.
Flora the Frog
Flora the Frog Written by: Shirley Isherwood and Anna C. Leplar
Flora is about 10 years old and like any girl enjoys school, playing, and her friends, but when the teacher announces that Flora will be a frog in the school play; she is less then thrilled. Flora wanted to be anything other then a frog for the school play and although she held these thoughts she couldn’t bare to reveal them to her excited teacher and her ecstatic mother whom made her the finest frog costume she’d ever seen once she heard the big news. No, Flora was stuck with her fat, green, frog custom and the despair of it teasing her every time she saw it. That is, until the day she saw 3 real and very beautiful frogs with spangles all over their skin hopping about. The story ends with Flora running home after discovering the real beauty of frogs deciding and announing that she would love to be a frog; but the costume needed one little tweak; it needed spangles!
The book is very large in size and every page has a huge picture of dim colors and realistic art. The writing is also large and it could be read by a younger aged child by themselves. The book makes a valuable point that everything is beautiful in its own way as well as teaching children to look at things in different perspectives for you may not see something so obvious. The Strength in this book is its style of writing that includes realistic dialogue that can bring a reader into the book and not just be on the outside looking in. The feeling of Flora in this story could happen to many children and therefore grab the reader; for instance feeling out of place or not wanting to share their feelings. I would suggest having this book be on the browsing shelf of a classroom for silent reading or perhaps even read aloud. After a read aloud session you could ask the children what they would do if they were feeling a certain way and didn’t want to tell anyone; what they could do to resolve their problem or how they could share their feelings. This could help children open up and learn to show their emotions.
Flora is about 10 years old and like any girl enjoys school, playing, and her friends, but when the teacher announces that Flora will be a frog in the school play; she is less then thrilled. Flora wanted to be anything other then a frog for the school play and although she held these thoughts she couldn’t bare to reveal them to her excited teacher and her ecstatic mother whom made her the finest frog costume she’d ever seen once she heard the big news. No, Flora was stuck with her fat, green, frog custom and the despair of it teasing her every time she saw it. That is, until the day she saw 3 real and very beautiful frogs with spangles all over their skin hopping about. The story ends with Flora running home after discovering the real beauty of frogs deciding and announing that she would love to be a frog; but the costume needed one little tweak; it needed spangles!
The book is very large in size and every page has a huge picture of dim colors and realistic art. The writing is also large and it could be read by a younger aged child by themselves. The book makes a valuable point that everything is beautiful in its own way as well as teaching children to look at things in different perspectives for you may not see something so obvious. The Strength in this book is its style of writing that includes realistic dialogue that can bring a reader into the book and not just be on the outside looking in. The feeling of Flora in this story could happen to many children and therefore grab the reader; for instance feeling out of place or not wanting to share their feelings. I would suggest having this book be on the browsing shelf of a classroom for silent reading or perhaps even read aloud. After a read aloud session you could ask the children what they would do if they were feeling a certain way and didn’t want to tell anyone; what they could do to resolve their problem or how they could share their feelings. This could help children open up and learn to show their emotions.
How That Pot o’ Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow
Too Many Leprechauns Or How That Pot o’ Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow
Written by: Stephen Krensky Illustrated by: Dan Andreasen
When Finn O’Finnegan returns home from Dublin to the town of Dingle he cannot wait to see his mother, taste her cooking, and rest his feet. Things however, seem a bit loopy; the pigs are taking baths, the cows are drinking milk, the hens are eating eggs, and his mother is defiantly not making her homemade soda bread. We then find out as does Finn that all these disturbed happenings are because of the leprechauns in the backyard building their shoes. This is when Finn decides to trick those little leprechauns into moving. You see, leprechauns are very greedy and love their gold so Finn has the leprechauns meet him in the city to show off their best shoes so Finn, a shoe expert, will grade them. Finn however, has a plan to steal their gold while they wait for him at the city; and so he doesn’t. Once the leprechauns realized their gold was missing they knew just who to blame and so when confronting Finn, a bargain was made. The leprechauns had to move to where Finn hid their gold. In the end the leprechauns of course agreed and moved to where their gold was; at the end of a rainbow. Once the leprechauns had left Finn’s family finally got back to normal.
Like any modern fantasy Good vs. Evil is played out very well in the author’s style of writing. They set Finn as the hero saving his family and the city from the leprechaun’s greediness, noise, and mischievousness. The author used their writing to make dialogue that is very realistic and imaginable even when dealing with human and fake set in another country and with fake creatures. The pictures in this book are marvelous! The illustrator used impressionistic drawings to capture the plot. Every person had a shadow, and all objects in the pictures played with how light shined on them. However, there is one weakness to this story. The story in a way tells children it’s ok to steal if it will get you what you want when Finn steals the gold and hides it until the leprechauns agree to move. This issue of stealing could be used as a advantage; a teacher could use this book as a fun way to teach a serious issue by a discussing stealing and how it is wrong to do. On the positive side a teacher would use this book during St. Patrick’s Day as a holiday book to share with the class as a festive treat!
Written by: Stephen Krensky Illustrated by: Dan Andreasen
When Finn O’Finnegan returns home from Dublin to the town of Dingle he cannot wait to see his mother, taste her cooking, and rest his feet. Things however, seem a bit loopy; the pigs are taking baths, the cows are drinking milk, the hens are eating eggs, and his mother is defiantly not making her homemade soda bread. We then find out as does Finn that all these disturbed happenings are because of the leprechauns in the backyard building their shoes. This is when Finn decides to trick those little leprechauns into moving. You see, leprechauns are very greedy and love their gold so Finn has the leprechauns meet him in the city to show off their best shoes so Finn, a shoe expert, will grade them. Finn however, has a plan to steal their gold while they wait for him at the city; and so he doesn’t. Once the leprechauns realized their gold was missing they knew just who to blame and so when confronting Finn, a bargain was made. The leprechauns had to move to where Finn hid their gold. In the end the leprechauns of course agreed and moved to where their gold was; at the end of a rainbow. Once the leprechauns had left Finn’s family finally got back to normal.
Like any modern fantasy Good vs. Evil is played out very well in the author’s style of writing. They set Finn as the hero saving his family and the city from the leprechaun’s greediness, noise, and mischievousness. The author used their writing to make dialogue that is very realistic and imaginable even when dealing with human and fake set in another country and with fake creatures. The pictures in this book are marvelous! The illustrator used impressionistic drawings to capture the plot. Every person had a shadow, and all objects in the pictures played with how light shined on them. However, there is one weakness to this story. The story in a way tells children it’s ok to steal if it will get you what you want when Finn steals the gold and hides it until the leprechauns agree to move. This issue of stealing could be used as a advantage; a teacher could use this book as a fun way to teach a serious issue by a discussing stealing and how it is wrong to do. On the positive side a teacher would use this book during St. Patrick’s Day as a holiday book to share with the class as a festive treat!
Alberts bad word
Elbert’s Bad Word Written by: Audrey Wood Illustrated by: Audrey and Don Wood
This story takes place one day at a very large, eventful dinner party with extravagant guest singing opera, playing adult ball games, and of course chit chatting amongst themselves. It’s the perfect place for a little boy to catch a naughty word floating in the air that he’d never heard before. The word however; was very small and snuck its way into the mouth of this little boy only to make its way out in a huge way. His mother of course punished him and the little boy knew that the little bad word was trouble. He rushed to see the wizard who baked a cake made with special, sparkly, nice words to replace the bad word. When the little boy came back to that party that same day, a huge mallet fell on his foot and instead of screaming the bad word. The little boy screamed other words that weren’t so bad. The bad word saw its defeat and fell into a deep hole in the ground never to return again to Elbert’s mouth!
This story teaches an impeccable lesson that there are always good words and bad words and appropriate and not so appropriate places for them. Good words should be used instead of bad words in light of bad situations and bad words should vanish forever. This book teaches children to use your best intentions and say good words to replace the bad ones even if you did hear a grown up use them. Strength in this book is shown through the use of magic to do good things. A lot of times magic are used in books to put spells on people or make something bad happen but in this story they use magic in a positive way which teachers and parents will enjoy! With cartoon pictures on every page depicting the plot in an adventurous way this book keeps a reader’s eyes attentive! A teacher could use this to show how a little bad word can turn into a big bad word easily and how to dispel things that children may use and shouldn’t say. This book is very fun and brings lightness to the subject that parents dread!
This story takes place one day at a very large, eventful dinner party with extravagant guest singing opera, playing adult ball games, and of course chit chatting amongst themselves. It’s the perfect place for a little boy to catch a naughty word floating in the air that he’d never heard before. The word however; was very small and snuck its way into the mouth of this little boy only to make its way out in a huge way. His mother of course punished him and the little boy knew that the little bad word was trouble. He rushed to see the wizard who baked a cake made with special, sparkly, nice words to replace the bad word. When the little boy came back to that party that same day, a huge mallet fell on his foot and instead of screaming the bad word. The little boy screamed other words that weren’t so bad. The bad word saw its defeat and fell into a deep hole in the ground never to return again to Elbert’s mouth!
This story teaches an impeccable lesson that there are always good words and bad words and appropriate and not so appropriate places for them. Good words should be used instead of bad words in light of bad situations and bad words should vanish forever. This book teaches children to use your best intentions and say good words to replace the bad ones even if you did hear a grown up use them. Strength in this book is shown through the use of magic to do good things. A lot of times magic are used in books to put spells on people or make something bad happen but in this story they use magic in a positive way which teachers and parents will enjoy! With cartoon pictures on every page depicting the plot in an adventurous way this book keeps a reader’s eyes attentive! A teacher could use this to show how a little bad word can turn into a big bad word easily and how to dispel things that children may use and shouldn’t say. This book is very fun and brings lightness to the subject that parents dread!
Allen Jay and the underground railroad
Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad Written by: Marlene Targ Brill Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter
What makes this story special is that the people are real and the events show cased in this story could have possibly happened. The story about little Allen Jay takes place in Ohio in the 1840’s when times were incredibly different from the way we live now. Allen Jay belongs to a Quaker family that promotes equal living among all people; in this case, African Americans. One day Allen’s father ask a great favor of Allen; to help a runaway slave. Allen’s father, Isaac was under investigation and couldn’t get caught so indeed it was up to Allen to save the slave known as Henry James. Allen Jay takes Henry on horse and carriage through the Underground Railroad to his grandfather’s house all the while hearing horrible slave stories of Henry’s past and up until that night, his life. Later that night Allen Jay’s grandfather helped Henry make his way up to Canada where everyone was equal and free.
The stories strength lies within the plot; a riveting, scary, and close to home for most young preteens plot brings a lot of life to a subject that went on only a little longer then a 100 years ago (approx). The plot shows how a slave was forced to do drastic things to gain freedom and if they don’t take the chance for freedom they would die having lived the miserable life of a slave. There are pictures on every page that resemble a colored pencil like feel. Although the pictures help move along the story, they are not as strong as they should be for the plot which has a lot of emotion and depth. I would use this is a classroom setting when studying history and the world we once lived in where people weren’t treated equally let alone fairly. I could use this to encourage children to see how things have changed and that it only took one person making small changes to change a person’s life. With the main character being so young, a lot of children could relate; I could have them write a journal entry as if they were in Allen Jay’s shoes and what they would do if they were asked to do such a dangerous thing.
What makes this story special is that the people are real and the events show cased in this story could have possibly happened. The story about little Allen Jay takes place in Ohio in the 1840’s when times were incredibly different from the way we live now. Allen Jay belongs to a Quaker family that promotes equal living among all people; in this case, African Americans. One day Allen’s father ask a great favor of Allen; to help a runaway slave. Allen’s father, Isaac was under investigation and couldn’t get caught so indeed it was up to Allen to save the slave known as Henry James. Allen Jay takes Henry on horse and carriage through the Underground Railroad to his grandfather’s house all the while hearing horrible slave stories of Henry’s past and up until that night, his life. Later that night Allen Jay’s grandfather helped Henry make his way up to Canada where everyone was equal and free.
The stories strength lies within the plot; a riveting, scary, and close to home for most young preteens plot brings a lot of life to a subject that went on only a little longer then a 100 years ago (approx). The plot shows how a slave was forced to do drastic things to gain freedom and if they don’t take the chance for freedom they would die having lived the miserable life of a slave. There are pictures on every page that resemble a colored pencil like feel. Although the pictures help move along the story, they are not as strong as they should be for the plot which has a lot of emotion and depth. I would use this is a classroom setting when studying history and the world we once lived in where people weren’t treated equally let alone fairly. I could use this to encourage children to see how things have changed and that it only took one person making small changes to change a person’s life. With the main character being so young, a lot of children could relate; I could have them write a journal entry as if they were in Allen Jay’s shoes and what they would do if they were asked to do such a dangerous thing.
The Gardener
The Gardener Written by: Sarah Stewart Illustrations by: David Small
When Lydia Grace’s dad loses his job during the Great Depression she is sent to live with her uncle in the city working at a bakery. Although Lydia leaves her family on the farm as well as her love of gardening to start work she can’t help but to bring her passion for gardening to the city. Lydia at first misses her home life ; this is apparent in her thoughts about her uncle and how he never smiles as If he didn’t want her there. She learns to bake, helps her uncle smile, and bests of all turns her uncle’s bakery and house into an explosion of flowers. At the end of the story she gets a letter from her parents that her dad has finally gotten a job and that she can come home again!
Although the Great Depression isn’t mentioned straight forward it is apparent of what is going on by the format of the pictures and letters on each page. The huge colored sketches on each page show how cheap food was at that time such as a loaf of bread for 5 cents or muffins for 2 cents. The time era is also presented though the dates in the letters, the old cars on the streets, and a picture of Herbert Hoover on the wall of the bakery. If I were teaching a social studies class I would use this to stress how deprived people were at this time and how child had to work to help the family. This may give insight to the audience of children and help them realize how good they may have it.
When Lydia Grace’s dad loses his job during the Great Depression she is sent to live with her uncle in the city working at a bakery. Although Lydia leaves her family on the farm as well as her love of gardening to start work she can’t help but to bring her passion for gardening to the city. Lydia at first misses her home life ; this is apparent in her thoughts about her uncle and how he never smiles as If he didn’t want her there. She learns to bake, helps her uncle smile, and bests of all turns her uncle’s bakery and house into an explosion of flowers. At the end of the story she gets a letter from her parents that her dad has finally gotten a job and that she can come home again!
Although the Great Depression isn’t mentioned straight forward it is apparent of what is going on by the format of the pictures and letters on each page. The huge colored sketches on each page show how cheap food was at that time such as a loaf of bread for 5 cents or muffins for 2 cents. The time era is also presented though the dates in the letters, the old cars on the streets, and a picture of Herbert Hoover on the wall of the bakery. If I were teaching a social studies class I would use this to stress how deprived people were at this time and how child had to work to help the family. This may give insight to the audience of children and help them realize how good they may have it.
One Pizza One penny
One Pizza, One Penny Written by: K.T. Hao Illustrations by: Giuliano Ferri
Translated by: Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Who knew that Chris Croc and Ben Bear living on Sunflower Street in Sunnyville would change a city in one day; That’s the big picture painted in this cute easy to read children’s book. The two main characters are a bear and a crocodile that are nothing short of the best cooks around. Ben Bear makes amazing pizza’s and Chris Croc and his cakes are to die for so it’s no wonder that on a normal afternoon of sharing their food with each other that a strange man in a limo would ask for some cake which had never been given to the public let alone for money. It was astonishing and lead to both Ben and Chris selling their foods on the street. Unfortunately no one came to buy their cakes and throughout the day they exchange the one coin that was used to buy Chris’s cake the previous day from the man in the limo back and forth for each others food that they once shared with no cost. At the end of the story a bird comes to buy a pizza and cake and sees that all the food is gone (eaten from Ben and Chris) and declared that the next day he will bring all his friends to buy their food because obviously it was so amazing because all of it was gone. The next page is a two page spread of animals selling their best homemade foods and a line that says “Isn’t it funny what one gold coin can do”.
This book is a fun, cute story about friends some what starting a revolution. And throughout this book style is defiantly a big influence in the imagery of the story. The writer uses a mass abundance of adjectives to describe not only her charterers but the food, daily events, and conversations within the book as well. The sentences are short and easy to follow along with as it moves you through the plot and will keep the child engaged and looking at the vivid pictures to conclude what the writing claims to be happening. The format of the book is great for its huge, fuzzy, impressionistic pictures that convey and add to the book’s style. They cover the whole page while the words lay upon the image. The pictures also use a wide variety of orange, green, and yellow color and are very easy to look at. I would use this book is class as a fun read aloud, to empathize sharing with one another, friendships, or how one little thing changes a lot. This could use this book as a transition book for such things has big changes in society and how they come about (pertaining back to the coin). Since the book is a beginning easy to read book I would encourage children to read it on their own as well.
Translated by: Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Who knew that Chris Croc and Ben Bear living on Sunflower Street in Sunnyville would change a city in one day; That’s the big picture painted in this cute easy to read children’s book. The two main characters are a bear and a crocodile that are nothing short of the best cooks around. Ben Bear makes amazing pizza’s and Chris Croc and his cakes are to die for so it’s no wonder that on a normal afternoon of sharing their food with each other that a strange man in a limo would ask for some cake which had never been given to the public let alone for money. It was astonishing and lead to both Ben and Chris selling their foods on the street. Unfortunately no one came to buy their cakes and throughout the day they exchange the one coin that was used to buy Chris’s cake the previous day from the man in the limo back and forth for each others food that they once shared with no cost. At the end of the story a bird comes to buy a pizza and cake and sees that all the food is gone (eaten from Ben and Chris) and declared that the next day he will bring all his friends to buy their food because obviously it was so amazing because all of it was gone. The next page is a two page spread of animals selling their best homemade foods and a line that says “Isn’t it funny what one gold coin can do”.
This book is a fun, cute story about friends some what starting a revolution. And throughout this book style is defiantly a big influence in the imagery of the story. The writer uses a mass abundance of adjectives to describe not only her charterers but the food, daily events, and conversations within the book as well. The sentences are short and easy to follow along with as it moves you through the plot and will keep the child engaged and looking at the vivid pictures to conclude what the writing claims to be happening. The format of the book is great for its huge, fuzzy, impressionistic pictures that convey and add to the book’s style. They cover the whole page while the words lay upon the image. The pictures also use a wide variety of orange, green, and yellow color and are very easy to look at. I would use this book is class as a fun read aloud, to empathize sharing with one another, friendships, or how one little thing changes a lot. This could use this book as a transition book for such things has big changes in society and how they come about (pertaining back to the coin). Since the book is a beginning easy to read book I would encourage children to read it on their own as well.
Chasing Vameer
Chasing Vermeer Written by: Blue Balliett Illustrated by: Brett Helquist
Petra and Calder are both about to turn 12, attend Ms. Hussey’s class 5 days a week, and live on the same street in Chicago but they never became friends until one strange, mysterious event brought them together in ways no one would believe. In late October Ms. Hussey’s class went on a field trip to the art museum only to find out that a famous painting had gone missing. From that moment Petra and Calder decided to join forces with an elderly woman, an unexplainable book, and clues laid out before them to find the culprit leaving codes and secret messages in the newspapers. From there on the book is a series of twist and turns through events that startle the reader that such young children are doing such dangerous things! In the end Petra and Calder find the famous painting that should have been hiding half way around the world (as FBI suggested) in their own back yard and as for the thief known as Fred who you are earlier introduced to as a minor insignificant character; he dies escaping the police!
This book is very easy to read and has the ability to capture a child’s attention easily with its unique format. The book has two grey sketches for each of the 24 chapters. The strength of this book lies in the pictures which are clues to finding out the mystery and who actually took the painting before the end. In the beginning of the book the author states that there are secret codes in the pages of the book and that a certain animal will pop up within the book to help you solve the mystery. The book is fun, inventive, and exciting with puzzles, math codes and clues that keep both children and adults entertained not only with the plot of the story but of the fascination of trying to figure out the mystery before it is revealed to you! A teacher should buse this book in her class as a book to have children browse for silent reading. It could also read as a class where each student reads certain chapters one night, and the next day at school they talk about who they think is doing the crime. It would be fun and exciting for the children to come to class to try to solve a mystery!
Petra and Calder are both about to turn 12, attend Ms. Hussey’s class 5 days a week, and live on the same street in Chicago but they never became friends until one strange, mysterious event brought them together in ways no one would believe. In late October Ms. Hussey’s class went on a field trip to the art museum only to find out that a famous painting had gone missing. From that moment Petra and Calder decided to join forces with an elderly woman, an unexplainable book, and clues laid out before them to find the culprit leaving codes and secret messages in the newspapers. From there on the book is a series of twist and turns through events that startle the reader that such young children are doing such dangerous things! In the end Petra and Calder find the famous painting that should have been hiding half way around the world (as FBI suggested) in their own back yard and as for the thief known as Fred who you are earlier introduced to as a minor insignificant character; he dies escaping the police!
This book is very easy to read and has the ability to capture a child’s attention easily with its unique format. The book has two grey sketches for each of the 24 chapters. The strength of this book lies in the pictures which are clues to finding out the mystery and who actually took the painting before the end. In the beginning of the book the author states that there are secret codes in the pages of the book and that a certain animal will pop up within the book to help you solve the mystery. The book is fun, inventive, and exciting with puzzles, math codes and clues that keep both children and adults entertained not only with the plot of the story but of the fascination of trying to figure out the mystery before it is revealed to you! A teacher should buse this book in her class as a book to have children browse for silent reading. It could also read as a class where each student reads certain chapters one night, and the next day at school they talk about who they think is doing the crime. It would be fun and exciting for the children to come to class to try to solve a mystery!
The Moon is La Luna
The Moon is La Luna Written by: Jay M. Harris Illustrated by: Matthew Cordell
Ever wanted to learn another language but not go through all the hassle of memorizing! If the answer is yes, then this clever rhyming book is for you. This book is a huge rhyme that teaches you words in Spanish all the while keeping up with the theme that a lot of words in English are similar to those in Spanish. It goes through people’s lives and shows how things can get mixed up if you use the English word instead of Spanish in everyday life. The book uses many characters from old to young, boy to girl, and doctor to grandma showing how all of them use Spanish words and how they differ from English. For instance, someone may ask for a pie in Spanish which actually means feet or at the end when someone says “see ya” and really means chair!
This large rhyming poem is very funny and will have children giggling the whole way through. The books best feature after its style of course, is its format. The book has a little poem on each of its 26 medium sized pages. Each poem contains a subject and it is corresponding rhyming of one word in English and how it is pronounced in Spanish. Along with the poem are ½ page pictures oddly placed and depicting something funny. The pictures are just enough to give the idea or joke of what is being said and are not too detailed so that the child can focus on the meaning of the Spanish word. Not necessarily a weakness, but a problem to this book is that the children have to be of an older crowd to understand some of the jokes because they have to follow along with English and Spanish words. I don’t know a bit of Spanish but when I read it I found some poems to be somewhat easy and therefore funny but in some of them I had to read it a couple times to get it. A teacher could defiantly use this book to help students learn new word in Spanish in the language unit. They can then practice their words in a skit together; maybe groups can be formed and re-enact a poem from each page.
Ever wanted to learn another language but not go through all the hassle of memorizing! If the answer is yes, then this clever rhyming book is for you. This book is a huge rhyme that teaches you words in Spanish all the while keeping up with the theme that a lot of words in English are similar to those in Spanish. It goes through people’s lives and shows how things can get mixed up if you use the English word instead of Spanish in everyday life. The book uses many characters from old to young, boy to girl, and doctor to grandma showing how all of them use Spanish words and how they differ from English. For instance, someone may ask for a pie in Spanish which actually means feet or at the end when someone says “see ya” and really means chair!
This large rhyming poem is very funny and will have children giggling the whole way through. The books best feature after its style of course, is its format. The book has a little poem on each of its 26 medium sized pages. Each poem contains a subject and it is corresponding rhyming of one word in English and how it is pronounced in Spanish. Along with the poem are ½ page pictures oddly placed and depicting something funny. The pictures are just enough to give the idea or joke of what is being said and are not too detailed so that the child can focus on the meaning of the Spanish word. Not necessarily a weakness, but a problem to this book is that the children have to be of an older crowd to understand some of the jokes because they have to follow along with English and Spanish words. I don’t know a bit of Spanish but when I read it I found some poems to be somewhat easy and therefore funny but in some of them I had to read it a couple times to get it. A teacher could defiantly use this book to help students learn new word in Spanish in the language unit. They can then practice their words in a skit together; maybe groups can be formed and re-enact a poem from each page.
Rapunzel a Groovy Fairytale
Rapunzel a Groovy Fairy tale Retold by: Lynn Roberts Illustrated by: David Roberts
A classic story of a young girl with extremely long hair kept high up away from the world is retold in this 1970’s themed story of Rapunzel. Rapunzel is a beautiful girl with ridiculously long, bright red hair, and a mean Aunt Esme and her pet crow, Roach living atop the tallest apartment building in New York City. Rupenzel was young when both her parents die and left her with her mean aunt who forbids him to leave the building declaring that it’s too dangerous for a girl such as her. So instead, to stop Rapunzel from leaving her mean aunt brings home second hand records, scarves, and belts that her pet crow has stolen from the children at the school where she is the lunch lady at. One day however, when Esme leaves, a surprised Rapunzel meets a young boy who climbed up her hair with the eagerness to meet her. The boy’s name was Roger and from that day on every time Rapunzel’s aunt Esme left, the two children got together to listen to music, talk, and even plan Rapunzels escape. Everything was set in action until one day Esem found out about Roger and kicked Rapunzel out but not before chopping off her hair. At the end of the story Rapunzel ended up finding Roger singing at a local school. Rapunzel decided to join their band and make music. Rapunzel then decided to use her fast growing, long, brightly red hair to make wigs in every style shape, and fashion.
This story was groovy (if I must say). I liked the carefree feel of the story verses the original Rapunzel and I thought the author did a great job in bringing out the characters to make them special in their own way. Esme was the horribly mean aunt who rode a motorcycle with the license plate “evil”. Rapunzel was the young helpless yet beautiful girl and Roger was the musical, inspirational hero. The author used a lot of adjectives and described the events very easily with no room for confusion. Strength in this story lies in the pictures. The cartoon pictures bring light to the situations and characters being presented in the plot. On every spread is one full page of a brightly colored picture and then on the other side is a full page of big text and a smaller picture. This layout makes it fun for a child to read and keeps them motivated to turn the next page to not only read the text but to see the fantastic pictures that go along with it. I would use this as a read aloud in a younger elementary classroom for a comparison assinment. I could read this version and then read another version and have the children compare the two. What is different about them or how are they the same. I think the children will have fun with this assignment!
A classic story of a young girl with extremely long hair kept high up away from the world is retold in this 1970’s themed story of Rapunzel. Rapunzel is a beautiful girl with ridiculously long, bright red hair, and a mean Aunt Esme and her pet crow, Roach living atop the tallest apartment building in New York City. Rupenzel was young when both her parents die and left her with her mean aunt who forbids him to leave the building declaring that it’s too dangerous for a girl such as her. So instead, to stop Rapunzel from leaving her mean aunt brings home second hand records, scarves, and belts that her pet crow has stolen from the children at the school where she is the lunch lady at. One day however, when Esme leaves, a surprised Rapunzel meets a young boy who climbed up her hair with the eagerness to meet her. The boy’s name was Roger and from that day on every time Rapunzel’s aunt Esme left, the two children got together to listen to music, talk, and even plan Rapunzels escape. Everything was set in action until one day Esem found out about Roger and kicked Rapunzel out but not before chopping off her hair. At the end of the story Rapunzel ended up finding Roger singing at a local school. Rapunzel decided to join their band and make music. Rapunzel then decided to use her fast growing, long, brightly red hair to make wigs in every style shape, and fashion.
This story was groovy (if I must say). I liked the carefree feel of the story verses the original Rapunzel and I thought the author did a great job in bringing out the characters to make them special in their own way. Esme was the horribly mean aunt who rode a motorcycle with the license plate “evil”. Rapunzel was the young helpless yet beautiful girl and Roger was the musical, inspirational hero. The author used a lot of adjectives and described the events very easily with no room for confusion. Strength in this story lies in the pictures. The cartoon pictures bring light to the situations and characters being presented in the plot. On every spread is one full page of a brightly colored picture and then on the other side is a full page of big text and a smaller picture. This layout makes it fun for a child to read and keeps them motivated to turn the next page to not only read the text but to see the fantastic pictures that go along with it. I would use this as a read aloud in a younger elementary classroom for a comparison assinment. I could read this version and then read another version and have the children compare the two. What is different about them or how are they the same. I think the children will have fun with this assignment!
Dont laught at me
Don’t Laugh at me Written by: Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin Illustrations by: Glin Dibley
Don’t laugh at me is about normal people who have certain characteristics; yet, are being made fun of. Every page of this book is related to a person or people that may have something different that makes them out of the norm. For instance, some children in the book may have glasses, or braces; making them easily made fun of with mean comments from others. The book is emotional and has the ability to bring people together touching on issues of differences in people aren’t quite as big as many may seem. At the end all the people come together sharing that they are not so different after all.
This books definite strength is having characters that are very relatable to children as they would be able to see from the big, vibrantly colored pictures. Children in the book may be in a wheelchair, be shorter, or a little bigger than the other children thus readers of this book could understand alienated feeling the characters have because the reader may have also felt that way before. The message of the book is very clear to the reader that you shouldn’t make fun of or single other people out. Another concept this is has is to teach that everyone is different and for a goof reason; if everyone was exactly the same, life would be boring. This book would be helpful in teaching children to be considerate of others feelings and could be read out loud in class to invoke children to share their thoughts and feelings about the issues being stated in the book. There is also a cd with the book in song that adds a element of emotion that I would recommend sharing with the children and perhaps making it into a sing along.
Don’t laugh at me is about normal people who have certain characteristics; yet, are being made fun of. Every page of this book is related to a person or people that may have something different that makes them out of the norm. For instance, some children in the book may have glasses, or braces; making them easily made fun of with mean comments from others. The book is emotional and has the ability to bring people together touching on issues of differences in people aren’t quite as big as many may seem. At the end all the people come together sharing that they are not so different after all.
This books definite strength is having characters that are very relatable to children as they would be able to see from the big, vibrantly colored pictures. Children in the book may be in a wheelchair, be shorter, or a little bigger than the other children thus readers of this book could understand alienated feeling the characters have because the reader may have also felt that way before. The message of the book is very clear to the reader that you shouldn’t make fun of or single other people out. Another concept this is has is to teach that everyone is different and for a goof reason; if everyone was exactly the same, life would be boring. This book would be helpful in teaching children to be considerate of others feelings and could be read out loud in class to invoke children to share their thoughts and feelings about the issues being stated in the book. There is also a cd with the book in song that adds a element of emotion that I would recommend sharing with the children and perhaps making it into a sing along.
Chicka Chicka boom boom
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Written by: Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault Illustrations by: Lois Ehlert
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is not just any ABC book. This ABC book actually has a plot that implements all the letters of the alphabet. The story starts out with A, B, and C meeting at the top of a coconut tree and leads to all the other letters meeting there soon after but as well all know, one little tree cant hold up 26 letters. At the end of the story all the letters get to the top only to fall all the way down. No sweat though, all 26 letters got right back up the coconut tree now with injuries (that obviously) didn’t stop them such as “skinned knee D and stubbed-toe E and patched-up F. Then comes G all out of breath” all made their way and soon followed the rest until they all got to the top and saw a full moon.
This book is a great way to reinforce the alphabet with previous but fresh learners but shouldn’t be used to teach the alphabet. The reason that it should only be used to reinforce the alphabet is because of its focus on plot and story rather then the actual learning of the alphabet. There are no pictures to go with a certain letter such as a apple for A or a Banana for B instead they focus on the rhythmic scheme of the letters which brings me to the strengths of the book. This book has bright, simple pictures that do include the 26 letters of the alphabet to follow the story line and catch the reader’s attention. The book also has fun rhymes and a musical touch by adding the phrase Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, which pops up every couple of pages. I would recommend using this book in class for a fun review for children who just learned the alphabet because its gives character to the letters and could be made into great participation book if wanted.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is not just any ABC book. This ABC book actually has a plot that implements all the letters of the alphabet. The story starts out with A, B, and C meeting at the top of a coconut tree and leads to all the other letters meeting there soon after but as well all know, one little tree cant hold up 26 letters. At the end of the story all the letters get to the top only to fall all the way down. No sweat though, all 26 letters got right back up the coconut tree now with injuries (that obviously) didn’t stop them such as “skinned knee D and stubbed-toe E and patched-up F. Then comes G all out of breath” all made their way and soon followed the rest until they all got to the top and saw a full moon.
This book is a great way to reinforce the alphabet with previous but fresh learners but shouldn’t be used to teach the alphabet. The reason that it should only be used to reinforce the alphabet is because of its focus on plot and story rather then the actual learning of the alphabet. There are no pictures to go with a certain letter such as a apple for A or a Banana for B instead they focus on the rhythmic scheme of the letters which brings me to the strengths of the book. This book has bright, simple pictures that do include the 26 letters of the alphabet to follow the story line and catch the reader’s attention. The book also has fun rhymes and a musical touch by adding the phrase Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, which pops up every couple of pages. I would recommend using this book in class for a fun review for children who just learned the alphabet because its gives character to the letters and could be made into great participation book if wanted.
OKie Dokie articokie
Okie, Dokie, Artichokie! Written by: Grace Lin
Okie, dokie, Artichoie the famous saying for many in the United States now make its debut as a title for very adorable story about a monkey named Marklee living in 4B and a new neighbor, Artichokie a giraffe now living in 3B. The story takes place in December close to Christmas when the plot truly starts with Marklee is first meeting with the new neighbor, Artichokie and telling him that if he ever gets too loud just to knock on the ceiling and Marklee will quiet down. Marklee soon realizes that the events of his daily life such as the alarm going off, blow drying his hair, and talking on the telephone all receives knocks through the floor from Artichokie. In an annoyed attempt to go and talk to Artichokie about his absurd knocking, Artichokie doesn’t answer leaving Marklee angry. So when Marklee accidently gets Artichokie’s Christmas mail he decided to just throw it away instead of giving it to him. In the end Marklee sees that what he has done is very wrong and decides to return the mail to Artichokie only to realize that the present was ceiling pillows because Artichokie kept hitting the ceiling on the account of his long neck. After having seen the misunderstanding the two ended up spending the whole day together and became great friends!
This detailed picture story book has great plot that could bring any child in, especially with the characters being animals. The pictures in this book are naïve but also very detailed which is a great combination. Every turn has a page full with a picture and the other with the writing to follow you along with the plot which also incorporates pictures as well. In one spread of the story book is a four picture layout of all the things that Marklee is doing to get knocks from Artichokie which was a great addition and change to the books other spreads. The pictures also give great aside to the characters such as when Marklee is knocking on Artichokie’s door to speak to Artichokie about his absurd knocks; Artcichokie doesn’t answer because he has head phones on although Marklee doesn’t know that! The strength is the plot and pictures, of course and after careful review of this book I honestly could not find one flaw. I would recommend using it in the classroom for multiple reasons. You could use it in the preschool grades as well as the kindergarten grade. In the preschool grades you may have to read it aloud because there is quite a bit of smaller text and in the kindergarten class you may be able to let the children read it themselves as a beginning reader picture book. This book could be read to teach about friendships and how it is good to work at them. This book could also teach how to talk things out; leading to a discussion about disagreements and how to resolve them. This book is a great find- read it!
Okie, dokie, Artichoie the famous saying for many in the United States now make its debut as a title for very adorable story about a monkey named Marklee living in 4B and a new neighbor, Artichokie a giraffe now living in 3B. The story takes place in December close to Christmas when the plot truly starts with Marklee is first meeting with the new neighbor, Artichokie and telling him that if he ever gets too loud just to knock on the ceiling and Marklee will quiet down. Marklee soon realizes that the events of his daily life such as the alarm going off, blow drying his hair, and talking on the telephone all receives knocks through the floor from Artichokie. In an annoyed attempt to go and talk to Artichokie about his absurd knocking, Artichokie doesn’t answer leaving Marklee angry. So when Marklee accidently gets Artichokie’s Christmas mail he decided to just throw it away instead of giving it to him. In the end Marklee sees that what he has done is very wrong and decides to return the mail to Artichokie only to realize that the present was ceiling pillows because Artichokie kept hitting the ceiling on the account of his long neck. After having seen the misunderstanding the two ended up spending the whole day together and became great friends!
This detailed picture story book has great plot that could bring any child in, especially with the characters being animals. The pictures in this book are naïve but also very detailed which is a great combination. Every turn has a page full with a picture and the other with the writing to follow you along with the plot which also incorporates pictures as well. In one spread of the story book is a four picture layout of all the things that Marklee is doing to get knocks from Artichokie which was a great addition and change to the books other spreads. The pictures also give great aside to the characters such as when Marklee is knocking on Artichokie’s door to speak to Artichokie about his absurd knocks; Artcichokie doesn’t answer because he has head phones on although Marklee doesn’t know that! The strength is the plot and pictures, of course and after careful review of this book I honestly could not find one flaw. I would recommend using it in the classroom for multiple reasons. You could use it in the preschool grades as well as the kindergarten grade. In the preschool grades you may have to read it aloud because there is quite a bit of smaller text and in the kindergarten class you may be able to let the children read it themselves as a beginning reader picture book. This book could be read to teach about friendships and how it is good to work at them. This book could also teach how to talk things out; leading to a discussion about disagreements and how to resolve them. This book is a great find- read it!
Bringing in the new year
Bringing in the New Year Written by: Grace Lin
Bringing in the New Year is not only a picture book with text but is also a multicultural book. The book centers on a huge family in China getting ready for the New Year. The children of the family get new haircuts, decorate the house with spring poems, sweep the New Year off the floors, and bake special deserts for their big family gathering. The story centers on all types of things being done in preparation for the New Year to come as If the New Year were a person by the main character who is never named asking “Is the new year coming?” As we get closer to the end, the festivities start and finally we welcome the New Year with a huge Chinese celebration including a colorful dragon and fireworks. Also after the story is done there is an insert on the Chinese New Year and its traditions that have been carried on for many generations.
I would defiantly use this book in the classroom. It can be used as read aloud or a beginning reader picture book. There are very few words on every page and brightly, mostly red colored pictures that fill every page completely. The strength to this book is the pictures of course. They are cultural pictures and show many things that children in American may not see that often such a dragons in a festival, Chinese writing on the walls, and unique clothing. Each picture of the book reinforces the small amount of text provided; giving the child a clear picture of the events that happen in preparation for the New Year. The folk art in this story also helps establish a happy and joyful mood which most likely will rub off on the children who read it. I could use this in a classroom during the holiday season before school lets out for break as an impromptu for the children to share how they celebrate the holidays with their families. This could also be used to make comparisons between cultures and therefore broaden their horizon and appreciate difference in culture.
Bringing in the New Year is not only a picture book with text but is also a multicultural book. The book centers on a huge family in China getting ready for the New Year. The children of the family get new haircuts, decorate the house with spring poems, sweep the New Year off the floors, and bake special deserts for their big family gathering. The story centers on all types of things being done in preparation for the New Year to come as If the New Year were a person by the main character who is never named asking “Is the new year coming?” As we get closer to the end, the festivities start and finally we welcome the New Year with a huge Chinese celebration including a colorful dragon and fireworks. Also after the story is done there is an insert on the Chinese New Year and its traditions that have been carried on for many generations.
I would defiantly use this book in the classroom. It can be used as read aloud or a beginning reader picture book. There are very few words on every page and brightly, mostly red colored pictures that fill every page completely. The strength to this book is the pictures of course. They are cultural pictures and show many things that children in American may not see that often such a dragons in a festival, Chinese writing on the walls, and unique clothing. Each picture of the book reinforces the small amount of text provided; giving the child a clear picture of the events that happen in preparation for the New Year. The folk art in this story also helps establish a happy and joyful mood which most likely will rub off on the children who read it. I could use this in a classroom during the holiday season before school lets out for break as an impromptu for the children to share how they celebrate the holidays with their families. This could also be used to make comparisons between cultures and therefore broaden their horizon and appreciate difference in culture.
Ariel and Emily
April Kersey Picture #1
Ariel and Emily Written by: Adele Aron Greenspun and Joanie Schwarz
This endearing picture book follows two best friends on a play date sure to make any parent or youngster smile. You are first introduced to our best friends about 1 ½ years old named Ariel and Emily whose bright faces light up the dim pages with huge smiles and funny expressions. It’s shared with us that they are best friends and roam, discover, and entertain each other as well as themselves. You see pictures of them playing instruments, building blocks, and sharing snacks. This book also points out cause and effect when Emily blows bubbles and Ariel pops them or Ariel builds blocks and Emily crashes them. The book is very playful and shows friendship at its best especially at the end when playing hide-and-seek they make it known that finding each other is the best part of the game!
The picture book has an amazing theme of friendship that is very clear and abundant on every page. The scrapbook look of the pictures is created by little girls being photographed and then being placed in front of a scenic background which changes from page to page. In the first page it’s the woods in the back ground, the next is a field, and it keeps changing. The pictures also have a scrapbook boarder that clearly makes them distinctive from the page before. The pictures are also accompanied with short sentences on every page to state what the children are doing in the pictures. An example is the sentence “They share a squishy banana snack”, and the picture is the two friends laughing as they share a banana. I would defiantly recommend using this book with toddlers to show a great example of friendship and sharing. Some follow up questions you could ask the toddlers are “who’s you best friend” or “what do you like to do with your best friend”? I think the children would love to see pictures that they can relate to what with the children being young and doing activities that the readers (toddlers) do as well.
Ariel and Emily Written by: Adele Aron Greenspun and Joanie Schwarz
This endearing picture book follows two best friends on a play date sure to make any parent or youngster smile. You are first introduced to our best friends about 1 ½ years old named Ariel and Emily whose bright faces light up the dim pages with huge smiles and funny expressions. It’s shared with us that they are best friends and roam, discover, and entertain each other as well as themselves. You see pictures of them playing instruments, building blocks, and sharing snacks. This book also points out cause and effect when Emily blows bubbles and Ariel pops them or Ariel builds blocks and Emily crashes them. The book is very playful and shows friendship at its best especially at the end when playing hide-and-seek they make it known that finding each other is the best part of the game!
The picture book has an amazing theme of friendship that is very clear and abundant on every page. The scrapbook look of the pictures is created by little girls being photographed and then being placed in front of a scenic background which changes from page to page. In the first page it’s the woods in the back ground, the next is a field, and it keeps changing. The pictures also have a scrapbook boarder that clearly makes them distinctive from the page before. The pictures are also accompanied with short sentences on every page to state what the children are doing in the pictures. An example is the sentence “They share a squishy banana snack”, and the picture is the two friends laughing as they share a banana. I would defiantly recommend using this book with toddlers to show a great example of friendship and sharing. Some follow up questions you could ask the toddlers are “who’s you best friend” or “what do you like to do with your best friend”? I think the children would love to see pictures that they can relate to what with the children being young and doing activities that the readers (toddlers) do as well.
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