No, David!

Summary:

This is the story of David, the little boy who did everything he wasn't supposed to! What a funny story to read students about a little boy who does everything wrong and is still hilarious! He is always covered in mud, wears snorkels down the street and picks his nose!

About the Author: David Shannon

David Shannon won a Caldecott Award for this book in 1998. He also is the author of A Bad Case of the Stripes. He truly recognizes with the character David and believes that his vivid pictures truly make his books.

Theme/Skills: Problem Solving, Fiction, Humor

Grade Level: Pre-K-Grade 1

Activities:

Ask students to think about a time they've ever done something "wrong"  when they were little and didn't know any better. Have your class make a "how-to" book. How to not torture you parents, and not burn down your house like little David!

Reflection:

This book truly represents what it is to be a child. Some adults try to give a child like David a label or an IEP when he just might be a little different! Children relate great to this book and its so easy to read and go by the pictures. Even if a child couldn't read they could go by the pictures and still understand the story.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Summary:

The very hungry caterpillar is tearing through any food he can find! He continues to eat and eat and eat and many children may think "why is he so greedy?" It turns out that surprise! The caterpillar is beginning the changes to become a butterfly! 

About the Author: Eric Carle

A Syracuse native, Eric Carle is also a famous illustrator. He has made contributions to Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? and other Bill Martin Jr. books. Picking out an Eric Carle book is not hard, because of his unique type of artwork. His style is easy for children to relate to because it looks like a collage or cut out tissue paper. 

Theme/Skill: Colors, Foods, Fiction, Bugs, Science

Grade Level: Pre-K-2

Activities:

This book could be a short unit in itself. Emergent readers could be exposed to foods, their nutrition groups, sequencing the story and identifying new foods.

Reflection:
When I was working at a daycare a few years ago, so many classrooms based their room theme around an Eric Carle book. This book was by far my favorite. All the students had a different fruit and then they had a circle in a picture to connect and make the caterpillar. Great ideas!

The Giving Tree

Summary:

This is the story of a little boy who continues to "lean" on his favorite tree who continues to give him his resources. The little boy continues to use the tree throughout his life until the tree is completely gone. Ironically the little boy when he grows into a man is buried in place of the tree, ultimately representing the circle of life.

About the Author: Shel Silverstein

Theme/Skill: Fiction, Selflessness, Life Lessons

Grade Level: K-4

Activities: Ask the students to think about a person or item in their life that they could not live without. What would you do without these things? Have you ever thought about the fact that you are using it too much? How does this relate to the environment and the world using the resources?

Reflection:

This story always makes me sad, because of how the story ends. Death is a sad subject for all and what worries me is that this would be a sad note to leave on. Students may struggle with coming back from that last sour taste in their mouth. Other students may be able to find connections with the story and relate to the situations that the little boy had to endure in the story.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Summary:

This story incorporates great rhyming into the basic idea of the alphabet. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a kindergarten and first grade classic. Each of the letters has their own personality and while they're climbing up the alphabet tree, they all come tumbling down!

Theme/Skill: Alphabet, Rhyming, Fiction

Grade Level: Pre-K-1

Activities:

Label the classroom or school with letters of the alphabet and take students on a Chicka Chicka alphabet hunt. It will get them out of the classroom and identifying the letters.

Reflection:

When I was student teaching in a 6:1 Autism classroom, one of my students knew this story by heart. We also watched the cartoon version on BookFlix.com and he had the song memorized as well. Even though he didn't know the alphabet cognitively, I knew that he was still having fun and enjoyed the pictures and the stories about each of the letters.

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

Summary:

This is the classic story written by Bill Martin Jr. about a bear, what he sees and how the story passes along from the bear to all sorts of different animals.

About the Author: Bill Martin Jr.

Martin extended the popular Brown Bear book to Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You See?  As a former teacher and principal Martin truly understood what children need in their early literature books.

Theme/Skill: Colors, Animals, Fiction, Patterns

Age Level: 3-6

Activities:
Make cut out pictures of the animals in the story and have student create their own sequence of animals while the story is being read to them.

Reflection:
As an emergent reading book, this is an excellent story to read to children. Its quick, the pictures aren't overwhelming and the plot is easy to understand. So much can be done with this story. Each animal could be an art project and the students as a whole could create their own version of Brown Bear Brown Bear.

A Little Princess

Summary:

Sara Crewe couldn't have had a more perfect life. But once her father is announced "dead" from war her life comes to a halt. She is forced to work in the school she was attending and the headmistress continues to treat her awful, while she knows the real secret to Sara's father. Sara sees her father on the street and realizes that he's alive but has lost his sight temporarily. Will Sara overcome all these obstacles to be reunited with her father again?

About the Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Also the author of Secret Garden Burnett was a well established writer and playwright in England. Growing up as a teen she herself had to overcome issues very similar to Sara Crewe's. 

Theme/Skill: Fiction, Problem Solving, Overcoming Obstacles

Grade Level: 4-6

Activities:

Assign students to write letters to Sara Crewe. If you were her friend what would you do to help her get through this time? Also ask students to write a diary entry as Sara Crewe. Would they be as optimistic as Sara?

Reflection:

While reading this book as a little girl I absolutely fell in love. This story isn't exactly relatable to my students now, but they may find some common ground with the trials that Sara had to overcome. 

145th Street: Short Stories

Summary:

This book includes several short stories that cover the tough topics that many urban children have to live with. For example, The Streak talks about how Jamie a basketball player feels that his life has all bad luck in it. Until finally his luck turns around and he wins a big basketball game for the school and gets a cute girl to go with him to the school dance.

About the Author: Walter Dean Myers

Myers was raised in Harlem, where he was shielded from the dangers of the street life from his church. Myers dropped out of high school and joined the army. As an urban child, he writes his stories from the heart and from personal experiences.

Theme/Skill: Fiction, Short Stories, Problem Solving

Grade Level: 5-8

Pre-Reading Activity:

Ask students to respond in a journal entry if they've ever felt lucky or unlucky? What made them feel this way?

Post-Reading Activity:

Have the students work in groups to re-write the ending of their favorite story in the book. Why did they make those changes?

Reflection:

I was introduced to this book at Blodgett. This book truly engages my students and they can relate to the issues covered. This book will stay on my list of books to read from now on. 

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

Summary:
This book follows suit of the other "Chicken Soup" books. It is a collect of stories and poems written by and for teens about relationships, friendships, love, learning lessons and other difficult issues.

Theme/Skill: Problem solving, Poetry, Non-fiction
Grade Level: 6-12


Pre-Reading Activity:
Discuss with students with what being respectful means. Many students may not be mature enough to handle the tough scenarios in this story. They need to be told how to be respectful when being read or reading themselves a difficult situation.


Post-Reading Activity:
Ask students if they can relate to the issues in this book. Have they ever felt like these teens have? Assign students to create their own story or poem.


Reflection:
Many of my students think they are invincible. I love reading them these stories, especially the "tough stuff" section. They seem to understand a little better now that their choices can affect them for the rest of their lives.

Street Rhymes Around the World

Summary:

Songs and rhymes such as "Ring Around the Rosie" are so prevalent in children's culture. This book combines country's all over the world's little rhymes and songs, in English and their native language. These countries include Brazil, Israel, China, Mexico, England, Greece, Russia and many more. 

About the Author: Jane Yolen

Born in New York City, some of Yolen's books have won the Caldecott Medal. Her ability of storytelling is impressive with over 300 books under her belt.

Theme/Skill: Multi-cultural, Folktales

Grade Level: K-3

Pre-Reading Activity:

Ask students what their favorite children's rhyme is. How do they know the song? Was it passed onto them?

Post-Reading Activity:

Have students work in small groups to create their own, new rhyme. They will be able to perform their creation in front of the class.

Reflection:

I'm proud of my own culture and using this book I'm sure would touch some of my students hearts because their cultures are included in the book. Street Rhymes Around the World is an overall great book to use to teach tolerance for other cultures, or to allow new students to feel welcome in a classroom. 

You're Not My Best Friend Anymore

Summary:

Molly and Ben are best friends who have a falling out because they disagree on their birthday party plans. They both say hurtful things to each other and truly want their friendship back the way it was. They continued to have their birthday parties together, but they didn't acknowledge each other. They both got each other presents that the other one would only know they would want. Their friendship is rekindled and they learn to move on past their fight.

About the Author:Charlotte Pomerantz

Pomerantz is an author of several other children's books such as Piggy in the Puddle which was shown on the show Reading Rainbow.

Theme/Skill: Friendship, Problem Solving, Fiction

Grade Level: K-3

Pre-Reading Activity:

Ask students if they had ever had a conflict with a friend. How did it turn out? What would they have done differently?

Post-Reading Activity:

Assign students to reflect on Molly and Ben's fight in a journal entry. Was the fight a big deal? Should they have disagreed?

Reflection:

The title of this book is a classic line that many children say out of spite to make their friend mad. So many students have issues with something silly that a friend did and start a fight over nothing. Some students in my class now that are eleven and twelve years old should read this story and realize how stupid some of their fights are. 

Apple Pie 4th of July

Summary:

A little Chinese girl resents the fact that her family's store is open on the Fourth of July. All she wants to do is partake in the holiday festivities, such as eating apple pie. She thinks that all Americans eat apple pie and that's it on Fourth of July. She's tired of eating chow mein and sweet and sour pork on the holiday. Soon people smell her parents' cooking and come into their store. More people by the hour buy their Chinese food and the little girl begins to wonder if their food is American too. Finally after the store closes, she gets to watch the fireworks, eat her apple pie and enjoy her Fourth of July.

About the Author: Janet S. Wong

Born in Los Angeles, California, Wong pursued a degree at UCLA. Before Wong became an author she worked as a lawyer before hand. After changing careers Wong has written several children's books and poetry books such as Hide and Seek and Buzz. The award winning author lives in New Jersey with her family.

Theme/Skill: Holidays, Asian American, Multi-cultural, Fiction

Grade Level: K-3

Pre-Reading Activity:

Discuss with students what their Fourth of July habits are. What do they do? What really means "being American?"

Post-Reading Activity:

Ask the question again about "being American." Is there a perfect definition? Have students draw a picture of what being American is, and all of their pictures should come out different. 

Reflection:

This is a good story to read to students who have different cultural backgrounds besides the "apple pie Americans." It will help them realize that being American means that you're diverse and special. Not two people need to be alike and there is not perfect definition of American culture. 

The Keeping Quilt

Summary:
This is the true story of Patricia Polacco's family "keeping quilt." Her great grandmother brought this quilt to America when she immigrated from Russia. The story of the quilt is that it has played many roles in her family's life. Sometimes it was used as a table cloth, or as a quilt or as a scarf. The quilt was changed many times through its life and new stitches, fabric and pictures were added. By the end of the story Patricia leaves us with her wrapping her own daughter in the quilt. The quilt still exists today.


About the Author: Patricia Polacco
Polacco was born in Michigan and studied Fine Arts and Art History in college. Although Polacco does write children's books, her emphasis is on storytelling. Storytelling is in her culture and she believes story telling is the best way to engage children. She currently lives in Michigan and does make appearances at schools.


Theme/Skill: Non-Fiction, Storytelling, Multi-cultural, Family
Grade Level: K-6

Pre-Reading Activity:
Introduce the word "heirloom" to the students. They probably have their own family heirlooms but never knew the actual meaning of it.

Post-Reading Activity:
After discussing the definition of "hierloom" and reading the story, ask the students to reflect and write about what they would want to pass onto their children.

Reflection:
Having heard Ms. Polacco tell this story in real life, and to have seen the quilt is not easy to describe. Her storytelling skills are excellent and for an older woman she can project that voice and give so much character to a story. This story helps emphasize how important family can be to a person.

Pizza Pizzazz!

Summary:

Mario the Pizza man bakes all sorts of different pizzas! He is able to do quick math in his head to make sure everyone gets the type of pizza that they want. He is able to make pizzas with corn, ice cream and so many other crazy ingredients to make all of his customers happy. He also is wonderful at making the pizzas into equal portions by using fractions.

Author: Carol A. Losi

Theme/Skill: Math, Food

Grade Level: 3-6

Pre-Reading Activity:

After introducing fractions to students, this would be a great book to read to enforce that topic. Students should know basic fractions such as thirds, fourth, fifths, and so on. Review these fractions before reading the book so they won't be confused during the reading.

Post-Reading Activity:

Revisit all of the fractions in the story. These events could be used in a sequencing activity to tie in ELA standards.

Reflection:

Having experience in special education, using this book to help break up a math lesson would be great. You could pull small groups and use it as a leveled reader in centers or as a whole group read aloud. All students like pizza so this is a great way to make a connection with their interests. 

Who Was King Tut?

Summary:
This non-fiction book reviews the main points about King Tut and the life in Ancient Egypt. It hits the points of the Valley of Kings, how mummies were embalmed and day to day activities.


About the Author:
Roberta Edwards currently resides in New York, New York.


Theme/Skill: History, Non-Fiction, Biography
Grade Level: 3-6


Pre-Reading Activity:
Introduce King Tut and how he was a child-king. Discuss the main points of Ancient Egypt. Use this book as an extension activity or in a biography project.


Post-Reading Activity:
Ask students what else they have learned about King Tut or Ancient Egypt. Ask them if they enjoy reading the short chapter books compared to a text book.

Reflection:
As a Social Studies teacher i enjoyed seeing that this book was available for students. Although there are not many books like this for Ancient World history. Roberta Edwards does a great job of writing biographies just like this for other important figures in history. I'm sad that I could not find any information about Edwards.

Stellaluna

Summary: 
Stellaluna is a bat that is separated from her family and friends after an owl attack. She lands herself in a bird's nest and is welcomed and cared for by the Mama Bird. Stellaluna is brought up to act like a bird. Finally one day she is resting on a tree branch and is met by another bat. The new bat lets Stellaluna know that she is hanging the wrong way on the branch. Both of the bats fly away together and Stellaluna is taught the ways of being a bat, which include flying at night and eating fruit. Stellaluna then introduces her bird friends to the bat ways and remain friends. This book also includes some notes in the back of the book about bats and their characteristics.

About the Author: Jannell Cannon
Jannell Cannon currently resides in California. She has won several awards for creating summer reading programs for children as a librarian. She left her position as a librarian after Stellaluna was published. Her beginnings after college was as a graphic artist. To continue her art passion she creates pictures of unusual animals that would probably make people uncomfortable. This is a main reason why she wrote Stellaluna, to make children more aware of what fruit bats were like and how they shouldn't be afraid of them.

Theme/Skill: Fiction, Animals, Science

Grade Level: K-6

Pre-Reading Activity:
Create a K-W-L chart about bats. To continue Cannon's work, as a teacher you should use this time to talk about how not all bats are bad and bloodsucking.


Post-Reading Activity:
Revisit the K-W-L chart and fill in what they had learned. Also compare and contrast birds and bats. Let students know that truthfully, birds eat live things such as bugs and bats eat fruits.

Reflection:
I have used this book during my student teaching in a sixth grade class and the students loved it. Using picture books in class with older students allows you to focus more on plot and sequencing instead of tackling over vocabulary.

A Light in the Attic

Summary:
This is a remarkable collection of poems for children. Shel does an amazing job of using silly language and interesting pictures to capture the hearts of children and adults alike. For example his poem "Stop Thief!" is a short five line poem that claims a person stole a pair of knees and that their feet and legs won't connect. These poems stimulate the imagination and are great examples to get kids started into a poetry unit.




About the Author: Shel Silverstein
Shel actually had beginnings of his career with Playboy magazine as a cartoonist. He continued on to publish another famous book The Giving Tree. Shel's way with words has made an imprint on readers even after his death. Books are still being published of his work and you are able to work with the poems  and other fun games on his website. Sadly, Shel pasted away in 1999 due to a heart attack.


Theme/Skill: Poetry, Fantasy, Fiction
Grade Level: Read Aloud: K-2. Reading and assessing 3-12


Pre-Reading Activity:
Introduce Shel Silverstein as a person. Ask the students if they have ever read his other books such as The Giving Tree or Where the Sidewalk Ends. Also you can introduce him and his work by using his interactive website.


Post-Reading Activity:
After reading any of his poems, ask the students how it made them feel or what emotions were stimulated. Shel's magical work is able to strengthen creativity. Assign students to try and model his work and create a poem totally outside the box.


Reflection:
As a person who is afraid of poetry, I would use this book during a poetry unit. The poems are short and easy to read. Shel captures the essence of childhood so well that older students would feel youthful while reading and would find this a refreshing mix to their heavy workload. One aspect that I wish was different was that Shel included color in his illustrations. Color would provide these images with a more vivid meaning. But perhaps Shel was trying to not take away from the poems.

In Daddy's Arms I AM TALL

Summary:
This vividly illustrated book is a collection of African American poems centered around a child's relationship with their father. As we know many children of the urban and African American culture have broken relationships with their father, or their father is unknown. This book sends a message that the strongest bond can be between a child and their father. Many of the poems talk about being accepted by a father after doing something wrong, wanting to be in their fathers life, and showing gratitude towards their fathers choices.


About the Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe
This book was his first step into children's literature. Steptoe won the Coretta Scott King Award with this book also.  Taking a leaf of out the book, Steptoe wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as an artist and illustrator. Javaka's pictures are vivid and eye-catching to all. Using this book would be a great way to introduce students to a new type of art besides the typical pictures in a children book. Steptoe uses other forms of art besides the norm in In Daddy's Arms I AM TALL. Steptoe currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.


Theme/Skill:  Poetry, African American, Multi-cultural
Grade Level: K-12


Pre-Reading Activity: 
Discuss with students what their family dynamic looks like. Who is in their family? Who lives with them? Remember not all students may have a father figure in their life.


Post-Reading Activity:
After going through the poetry and what elements make poetry. Have students make their own poem about a family member in their lives. Discuss how the poems in the book were written from a loving place and so should their poem.

Reflection:
This book could not only be used in a younger class when discussing family, but could be used in an older class to discuss cultural issues. Many students would perhaps be upset when reading these poems, but it would allow them to express their feelings.

Diary of a Worm

Summary:
This is a daily diary of a little worm, to help children understand some simple facts about what worm life is all about. Diary of a Worm explains how worms like when it rains, dig in the dirt, and how to protect themselves from birds. This is a funny portrayal of what funny things worms would say if they could talk. The main worm character talks about what he also doesn't like about being a worm, such as not being able to have a pet dog and chewing gum. By the end of the diary entries the main character feels sad that sometimes he is ignored because he's small, but his mother reminds him that the world knows they are there, and needs them everyday. 


Author: Doreen Cronin
Doreen Cronin is also the author of the wonderful book Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type and other "Diary" books to give students a "real life" perspective about different animals. Cronin was grew up on Long Island and was guided early on in her childhood to be a writer. Some of her other career paths that she thought she would take were a lawyer, police officer or a FBI agent. Thank goodness she decided to write! Many of her books grace classrooms today. 


Theme/Skill: Science, Autobiography, Fiction
Grade Level: K-3


Pre-Reading Activity:
Discuss with students if they know what the jobs of worms are. This would be a great way to introduce a science unit about nature, plants, etc. Teachers could bring in worms for the class to observe their behaviors as well.


Post-Reading Activity:
Review with the students if this is a fiction or non-fiction book. Can worms really talk? No, but could their daily life experiences be similar to what happened in the book? Yes!


Reflection:
This is a cute book to get kids interested in science. The majority of the time students do enjoy non-fiction books to learn information, but emergent readers need a funny story and vivid pictures to go along with the information. Cronin does a great job of integrating what a worm's importance is to the world while adding a funny spin and life connections. I can imagine that some students may find some similarities with the worm!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Summary:

Unlike The Lorax the plot of this story isn't as clear. The story provides teachers with a great resource to discuss rhyming words and easy decodable words that are fun to say. There are many words that have one syllable and follow long and short vowel patterns. The fish pattern does not continue through the whole book, the consistent theme of nonsense does. The Cat in the Hat is briefly seen but his name isn't mentioned. The silly story of silly daily activities end with two children sleeping with their pet Zeep. This story seems to be in the in print version of how young children would love to follow their imagination and spend their days.

 

About the Author: Dr. Seuss

The famous Dr. Suess or Theodore Geisel has written many beloved classics for children. One theme that remains is that many of his books have a deeper meaning that adults would understand as well as children. The Lorax is one of these books as well as The Sneetches. Born in modern day Germany, Seuss began his career as a political cartoonist. He has written some of children's favorite books and critics need to look at why his books are still favorites after so many years. Seuss created new words and rhyming techniques that engage children and keep them wanting more. A child could never predict what would happen next in a Seuss book.  Many authors have tried to write like the famous Seuss, but few are able to even compete.

Theme/Skill: Rhyming, Fantasy, Fiction, Poetry

Grade Level: K-2

Pre-Reading Activity:

Introduce/revisit short and long vowel sounds. Remind students of the consonant-vowel patterns that will help them read real and nonsense words correctly. Briefly provide students with some examples and a short sorting activity.

Post-Reading Activity:

Ask students to find five short vowel words, long vowel words and six words that rhyme. Depending on the level of the class these number of examples can change.

Reflection:

This book is an easy way to introduce word patterns and a way to begin poetry in an older grade with a familiar text.  To start my ESL students with poetry I would use this book because their vocabulary is so low. But the nonsense words may throw them for a loop since they may think that the words are real. Dr. Seuss never ceases to amaze readers with his catchy words and phrases. What would children (and teachers for that matter) do without him?