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.