Eating Fractions

Written and Photography by: Bruce McMillan

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Math, Character Education

Summary:

     Eating Fractions illustrates the story of two friends who share their food by cutting it up into fractions to share amongst one another and with their dog. The children enjoy cutting up the food into halves, thirds and quarters. McMillian has used pictures of the friends dividing up there food along with simple drawings of each food with fractions displayed on each fraction of the food to show that the real portions of food are in fact a portion of the whole.

     Children will love the simplistic way in which the book is written and in which it displays dividing up a whole into equal parts to make a fraction. The pictures in this book really do tell the story, making it easy for children to go back to it on there own with little assistance from an adult while maintaining their ability to understand the story and concept.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     Eating Fractions is a wonderful book to use with young children to introduce fractions as being parts of a whole. It is also a great book to open up discussions with children about sharing and how all members of a group should get equal amounts in order to be fair when sharing.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Tell the students brought in a special treat which you would like to share with them in class today: bananas. However, you were quite sleepy when you packed your bag today and did not bring enough for everyone. You only brought 12 bananas with you and there are 24 children in the class today. Tell students that you are very sad, because you wanted to share and are not sure how you can do it fairly so that everyone gets some. Tell that you are going to read them a book while you try to figure out what to do to solve your problem.

*During Reading: Point out to students how the two boys were able to cut up their the different parts of their meal so that each of them could have some. Ask the students if the boys were getting the same amount of each food?

*Post-Reading Activities: See if any of them come up with a solution to your problem and whether or not it could work for the amount of bananas that you have so that they can be shared equally. Carefully cut the bananas in half and count them with the children to see if you now have enough for everyone to get an equal share (you may want to have someone put paper towels down on the students desks ahead of time, if you can, to save time once you begin cutting). To extend this activity, after the students have finished eating their snack, give them a contruction paper template of a pizza. Ask the students to show you how they could share their pizza with three friends equally, between the four of them, so that each of them would get an equal amount.

About the Author/Photographer:

     Bruce McMillan was born in Boston, Mass but grew up and attended school in Maine. He began his love for literature as a young child, riding his bike into town each week to spend his hard earned allowance on books while he made his way through the Hardy Boys Series. McMillian always loved to take photographs, with a professional camera given to him by his dad at the age of 9, and sold his first one as a teenager (a photograph of his former home, now the summer residence of George H.W. Bush). He describes that while he has always loved reading and the spoken word, it wasn't until he was a "big kid". He states that he taught himself about writing while working as a island caretaker on McGee Island one summer. By the end of that summer he wrote his first published work, an article for the DownEast Magazine. During his last few weeks on the island, McMillian had also taken the photographs for and outlined his first book, Finestkind o'Day, which featured his own child.

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Ten Seeds

Written and Illustrated by: Ruth Brown

Recommended for: Children Ages Birth-5

Themes: Science, Math, Character Education (Responsibility)

Summary:

     Ten Seeds tells the story of a little boy who has planted ten flower seeds in his garden. However, throughout the story the the seeds, seedlings, shoots and plants are picked out or trampled by a slue of animals and people one by one until just one flower is left. At the conclusion of the story the flower drops ten seeds so that the whole cycle may start again.

     Children will enjoy this counting book, counting down from ten to one, and watching the seeds as the grow into a flower. They will be sad to see some of them do not make it but will be able to make connections to this process and what they may have seen in their own gardens or those in their neighborhoods. The pictures are simple yet realistic, and will really draw the children into the story.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This story is wonderful to use with children when discussing plants and how the grow from seeds. It will be interesting for them to see that not all seeds will make it to being made into plants and that even though many animals help them to survive, there are also accidents that keep them from maturing.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss with students all of the things that plants need to grow: food, water, light, and oxygen. Explain to them that most plants make their own seeds, and with help from the wind and bees they are able to spread these seeds to help new plants grow. Tell them, that they are going to listen to you read a book today and learn more about how plants grow.

*During Reading: Discuss with students the changes that are taking place among the different plants as they grow. Give them opportunities to make connections with times that they have seen plants grow as well as time where they have seen plants get trampled.

*Post Reading: Give students an opportunity to plant their own flower seeds in a cup. Explain to them that we are going to keep them in a safe place to keep them from getting trampled so that they can grow into flowers. Ask them what other things the plant may need: food, water, sunlight, and oxygen. Explain how we can give them these things: oxygen: all around us in the room; light: we will put them in the window to get sunlight; food: we will plant them in potting soil which will feed them the nutrients in the soil; and water: we will have someone in the class water them each day as a job.

Let the students take their flowers home once they have sprouted to share with their families, remind them to keep them in a safe place.

About the Author/Illustrator:

     Ruth Brown was born in England, her family moved to Germany after the war but Ruth returned to England in 1953. She was always talented when it came to drawing, and began attending Art College at the age of 16. She earned a National Diploma in Design in 1961, and then became an Asssociate at the Royal College of Art in London, where she met her husband, Ken Brown, also a student at this college. She orignially worked for BBC doing children's programming but eventually got her start illustrating children's books for other writers. In 1978 she published her first children's book, which she authored, through the encouragement of a friend (Crazy Charlie).

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All the World

Written by: Liz Garton Scanlon

Illustrated by: Marla Frazee

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Poetry, Multi-culturalism, Character Education

Summary:

     A wonderful rhyming poem that points out that all around the world there are people doing similar things. While the words in this poem are beautiful, it is really the pictures that tell the story. Through each section, children are able to see different cultures and different places.

     Children will enjoy the illustrations and making connections to them as they listen to the poem. Each and every illustration help the children with their comprehension as they go hand-in-hand with the words of the poem. The illustrations aide the children in making connections to the theme of the poem: that we are all living under the same sky and are the same despite our differences.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This is a beautiful book to use to discuss with children that although our classroom is filled with children from differnt cultures, we all have many similarities. It will also help them to connect to children all around the world who also go to school, visit the beach, and watch the birds fly by.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Show students two pictures of children of different culture who are in different places, for example: one being of a white child sitting on the beach playing in the sand and another being of a mexican child standing in an outdoor market. Ask children to tell you what is the same or is similar about the two pictures (both are children and they are outside). Record their anwers using a Venn Diagram. Now ask them what is different or is a difference between the two pictures (the color of their skin, and one is in the sand while the other is on a street). Again, record their answers on the Venn Diagram.

*During Reading: Allow time for students to take in the illustrations as you read the poem. Ask some questions to the students, pointing out the different characters/cultures included in the illustrations. Give them opportunities to share connections that they make: text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world.

*Post-Reading Activities: Give students a piece of white paper and ask them to draw a picture of something that is the same everywhere in the world (they can use examples from the book). Model this for them by drawing a sunset. Use the story starter: All over the world ____________ (All over the world the sun sets), and encourage them to write a sentence to go with their picture.

About the Author:

     Liz Garton Scanlon grew up in Wisconsin and Colorado, but currently lives in Austin, Texas. She describes herself as a mother, and author and a teacher. Scanlon says that she has always loved reading and traveling, that and her daughters have been her inspiration for writing childrens books. Which she says that she enjoys because it makes her happy, gives her hope, and she feels that writing for children brings out the best in her. When she isn't writing or traveling, Scanlon enjoys playing cards on the floor, spending time with her children, yoga, and taking her old white dog for walks. She also maintains her own blog which she invites her fans to visit.

About the Illustrator:

     Marla Frazee currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, three sons, a dog and a cat. Frazee states that this is the town where she was born and where she has lived her whole life, as many people insist that she must be from New York. Not only did she graduate from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, she has also taught children's book illustration there for 20 years. She works out of a small studio cabin under an avacado tree in her backyard.

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Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School

Written by: Herman Parish

Illustrated by: Lynne Avril

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Character Eduation, Children with Special Needs

Summary:

     Young Amelia Bedelia embarks on her exciting first day of school. Unfortunately, young Amelia gets herself into all sorts of sticky situations as she takes everything she hears literally, such as: glue yourself to your seat Amelia. Young readers can follow Amelia as she confuses name tag; sit wherever you like; when you hear your name, say it; keep your nose in a book; sing like birds; and many more school experiences gone wrong.

     Children will enjoy pointing out Amelia's mistakes as seeing the silly pictures that show Amelia's foolish actions. The illustrations are fun, engaging, and humorous and should keep the young readers actively engaged and wanting more.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This would be a wonderful book to use to talk with students about how some children may have more trouble following directions than others. It also is a wonderful way to introduce that we can help others to do the right thing through being careful and thoughtful in what we say.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Talk with students about the rules that you have within your classroom. Explain to the students that sometimes it is easy to do what your being asked to do and sometimes it is more difficult. Explain to them that sitting on the carpet can be difficult to do for a long time, after a while you start feeling uncomforable and you want to move around or you see something interesting and you sit on your knees to get a better look. Explain that some children have more trouble with this than others. Tell the students that you are going to read a story today about a child who has trouble finding directions.

*During Reading: Have students point out some of the mistakes that Amelia Bedelia makes on her first day of school. Have them make some connections as they read to times where they too have been confused or excited and had trouble doing what it was they were supposed to be doing.

*Post-Reading Activities: Discuss with the students ways in which they can help each other in a kind way and record them on a chart/board. Some examples are: someone is sitting on their knees and you can't see-tap them on the sholder and ask them to sit on their bottom; or Hector keeps yelling out-tap him on the sholder and ask him to raise his hand and wait his turn; etc. Emphasize that it is best to be patient and to use your manners when helping others to do the right thing.

**Within our classrooms we all have the impulsive student that can be a constant disruption. It is important that we teach our students to be tolerant and kind and to help that student to make the right choices. While Amelia Bedelia makes mistakes and takes things literally, she is also impulsive and can teach the children about this problem. It is important to point out how patient her classmates are with her and that everyone makes mistakes.

About the Author:

     Herman Parish is the nephew of Amelia Bedelia creator, Peggy Parish, and has continued her legacy of Amelia Bedilia books.  He has added 19 children's books to the Amelia Bedelia series with his most recent additions being set in Amelia's childhood, in contrast to his aunt's books about her adult life. He currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey and enjoys speaking at conferences to librarians and educators.

About the Illustrator:

     Lynne Avril has illustrated over 65 childrens books, and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her dog Stetson. She has spent most of her life working as a freelancing graphic artist, and continues to also do magazine work, and creatiepainting which she displays in the Paulina Miller Studio Gallery in Pheonix.

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Mostly Monty: First Grader

Written by: Johanna Hurwitz

Illustrated by: Anik McGrory

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Science, Character Education, Special Needs

Summary:

     Mostly Monty is the story of first-grade student Montgomery Gerald Morris as he struggles with trying to make friends and fit in with his classmates. Monty has asthma and this keeps him from doing the things that other students enjoy, like: running outside, owning a pet, and joining in sports teams. Monty is very bright and loves to read, in fact he reads at a fourth grade level. Monty struggles a bit, at first, with the perceptions of being a first grader; as he tries to check out a non-fiction book at the library and not a picture book and the librarian tells him that he will have to wait a few years. Monty finds that it is easy to make connections with the adults at the school and learns more about himself through these relationships. Throughout the book, Monty learns to be more comfortable with himself and to celebrate all the wonderful things that he can do. He is able to embrace what it means to be Monty and ends up making friends by sharing his wonderful learning techniques.

     Children will enjoy this story because they will find that it is easy to make connections to Monty and his experiences within the first few pages. The book is split into sections, which makes it manageable for young students to maneuver throughout the chapters. Children will enjoy learning about Monty and his struggles to manage his asthma and to connect to his peers and be comfortable with himself. They will also enjoy celebrating with Monty when he finally finds a way to make friends through doing what it is that he enjoys, reading.

Suggestions for Classrooms:

     Mostly Monty would be an excellent selection to use for a classroom Read Aloud, covering a small section with the students each day. Monty also explores the lifecycle of a caterpillar as it turns into a moth and facts about kangaroos, integrating some Science into this selection. Children will also learn a great deal about how responsible Monty is as he begins his quest to retrieve lost objects which were forgotten an left behind by his peers and his insights into lying and wasting food.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss the medical condition of Asthma with the students. Explain to them what and inhaler is and that it is used to help children who have trouble breathing by making it easier for their lungs to take in oxygen. Tell them that as a class, we are going to be reading about a student who has asthma.

*During Reading: Read through a section of the book each day and allow the students to make connections with what you are reading: text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world.

*Post-Reading Activities: After reading each section, have children complete a Reader's Response in their writing journals. Day 1: How would you feel if you came to school on your first day of school to find out that your teacher's name is Mrs. Meany?; Day 2: How would you feel if you had to use an inhaler in front of the class and everyone was staring at you?; Day 3:Write about a time when someone told you that you could not do something that you really wanted to do, how did that make you feel? Continue to do this with each section to encourage the students to make connections to the text and to Monty as a character. When you finish reading the book, encourage the students to write their last entry as an advertisement for the book, encouraging others to read it too by explaining why they like it.

About the Author:

     Johanna Hurwitz cannot think back to a time where she did not enjoy reading books. She explains that she also began her love for writing early on and wrote her first book at the age of nine, complete with illustrations that she ellicted from a classmate. However, Hurwitz was married with children of her own before she had any of her work published. Her first series, The Riverside Kids was loosely based on her own family. While she, and noone else in her family, ever had asthma she chose to write about a child with asthma because she saw that noone else had. Monty bears some of her own characteristics, including her love for reading and researching.

About the Illustrator:

     Anik McGrory lives with her husband, children and two dogs in Tarrytown, NY. She enjoys traveling and has lived in many different parts of the world. On her website she talks about the process that she takes when making her illustrations, from stick figure-like sketches to her finished paintings. Her step-by-step layout of how she makes her illustrations is very detailed and would be helpful for children who are interested in learning more about the process.

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Mighty Monty: More First-Grade Adventures

Amazing Monty: More First-Grade Adventures

The Carrot Seed

Written by: Ruth Krauss

Illustrated by: Crockett Johnson

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Science, Character Education

Summary:

     A story about a young boy who plants a carrot seed and is hopefully that it will grow, even though everyone else tells him that it won't. He continues to protect his seed by picking the weeds around it and keeping it watered and watching with hope that it will grow. Then one day the carrot grows, just as he thought it would.

      Children will enjoy the simple and predictable pattern of the story. This pictures are also simple and will allow children to feel as though they can read the story independently. They will enjoy the happy ending and the wonderful picture of the gigantic carrot that grows from the little seed.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This is a wonderful book for teaching children about persistence and believing in themselves. It teaches them to keep working hard and believing in themselves, even when others may put them down. This book can also be used to assist with teaching a Science lesson about plants and what they need to grow.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss the parts of a flower with students (stem, roots, leaves and flowers) and what all living things need to grow in comparison to what all living plants need to grow (food, water, shelter and sun).

During Reading: While you are reading the book give students opportunities to make connections with the little boy (modeling for them ways in which to make good connections. Such as, Have you ever grown something? (I like to grow flowers in my garden, I plant new seed and small flowers each year just like the little boy: text-to-self)  and Have you ever felt that you could do something, even when other people told you that you couldn't? (I read a book called Amazing Grace, the other children told her that she couldn't be Peter Pan because he is a boy but she practiced anyway and got the part: text-to-text)

Post-Reading Activities: Have students plant a seed, tend to it, and watch it grow (using a clear plastic glass, soil, seeds, and water). The students will enjoy taking care of their plant and watching it grow. This will teach them to be responsible for their plant in order to help it grow.

About the Author:

     Ruth Krauss and Crocket Johnson were married in 1941 and collaborated on several children's books, including: TheCarrot Seed, How to Make the Earthquake, Is This You?, and The Happy Egg. Krauss wrote many children's books but also was an author of theatrical poems targeted for an adult audience. 

About the Illustrator:

     Crockett Johnson was the pen name of David Johnson Liask, who worked both as a writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is also famous for being the creator of the Barnaby cartoons that were in the daily newspaper but did hand over this job to Jack Morely and Ted Ferro in 1946. In the later part of his career, Johnson found a love for geometric shapes and painted over 100 canvas paintings using these shapes.

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The Bear Snores On

Written by: Karma Wilson

Illustrated by: Jane Chapman

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Fantasy, Science, Character Education

Summary:

     This is a story about a bear who is hibernaing for the winter. While he is sleeping in his den, several animals come in to get out of the storm to get warm and dry again. They make a fire, tea and popcorn and even begin to dance but the bear continues to sleep. The bear finally wakes up, after a tiny flake of pepper flys onto his nose. He is very grumpy about being woken up but mostly about being left out of all of the fun. His new friends quickly explain that they will be happy to make more and they stay and enjoy the fire and snacks together.

     Children enjoy being introduced to the new animals throughout the story and the anticipation about the bear waking up. The enjoy making connections to the characters and talking about: how the smell of food wakes them up so why does it not wake the bear? and sleeping through all of the fun. They also enjoy the part of the book where the bear finally wakes up and are surprised when he does not yell at the other animals. young children enjoy the repitition, as they start to feel that they can read the book on there own after hearing it several times. The illustrations are beautiful and make it easier for the children to understand what is going on in the story and to make predictions.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

*Pre-Reading Activities: Show the students the cover of the book, pointing out what you see on the cover (bear, mole, gopher, raven, mouse, rabbit and badger) in order to point out the characters which will be introduced throughout the book. Explain to students that this book is a Fantasy book, that the events in the story tell us this because they can not really happen.Tell them to look for details that tell you that this is a fantasy as you read.

*During Reading: Ask students questions as you read about the events that are happening in the bears den. Who made the fire? What are they eating? Where is the bear? Why is the bear sleeping so much? etc.

*Post-Reading Activites: Ask students to tell you what happened in the story. Ask them to give you details from the story that tell you that it is a fantasy. Ask students to write a sentence about the bear in his cave and include a picture.

About the Author:

     The Bear Snores On is just one of the Karma Wilson's Bear series, which also include: Bear's New Friend, Bear Wants More,Bear Feels Sick, Bear Feels Scared and Bear Stays up for Christmas. Karma Wilson grew up in the wilds of Northern Idaho with her mother, who was also a writer. She explains that she spent her days outside playing and reading and often doing both at the same time. While she didn't plan on being a writer, something she though boring, her interest in children's picture books and her children inspired her to give it a try. The Bear Snores On became her first published children's book and has paved the way for many more. She now lives on a small ranch in  Montana with her husband, their three children, a cat, two dogs and four horses.

About the Illustrator:

     Jane Chapman has illustrated The Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More, both by Karma Wilson, and Mommy Mine by Tim Warnes. She currently resides in Southwestern England with her husband, Tim, and their son Noah.

Amazing Grace

Written by: Mary Hoffman

Illustrated by: Caroline Binch

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Character Education

Summary:

     Grace is a young girl with a wonderfully creative imagination. She loves to read stories and make believe that she is the characters. Grace often will act out the parts of her favorite characters from these stories with her friends, family, and even while all alone. When Grace finds out that her class will be putting on the play Peter Pan she decides that she wants to play the part of Peter. However, Grace's classmates tease her that she cannot be Peter because she is a girl and she is black. Grace is very disheartened by their comments but continues to prepare for the auditions with the encouragement of her family that she can be anything that she wants to be. Grace ends up getting the part of Peter and the encouragement of her classmates after they she how perfect Grace is at playing the part of Peter.

     Children will love the wonderful illustrations included in this story which show Grace as a playful and happy child. They will be compelled to cheer her on when the other students doubt her ability to play Peter. The story and the pictures reflect a multicultural classroom which can be reflective of many public school systems in America at this time. Children will love to see Grace persevere despite the comments made to her by others putting her down. This story teaches children to believe that they can achieve anything with hard work and practice.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This book would be a wonderful selection to read to students as both a Character Education piece as well as for discussing Character and Plot.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss with students that when we read stories, often the main character faces some kind of problem. What it is that they do to solve that problem is called the solution. For instance: If I came to school today and forgot my pencil that would be a problem. Ask the students, what could I do to fix this problem (borrow one from a friend, ask the teacher to borrow one, etc.) and record their answers on a t-chart (one side listing problems and on the other side solutions). Give them a second problem: I can't find my favorite eraser (ask a friend to help you look, use another one, borrow one from someone else). 

     Explain to children that today we are going to read a story and the main character is going to face a problem. Ask them to listen for what she does to solve her problem, that is called the solution.

*During Reading: Stop throughout the story to give students opportunities to express how they think Grace is feeling. Pay attention to: how she may feel when the other students are telling her that she can't play Peter in the play? when her Grandma takes her to the ballet? when she auditions for the play? when she finds out what part she got.

*Post-Reading Activities: Go back to the t-chart that you created with the students before you began reading. Ask the children to tell you what problem Grace had and record it on the left side of your chart. Then ask the students to tell you her solution, or how she solved her problem, and record it on the right side of your chart. Discuss with the students the character Grace, what about her makes her so special or Amazing as the title suggests. If time permits, give the students time to complete a character chart writing down Grace's character traits.

About the Author:

     Mary Hoffman currently lives in West Oxfordshire and enjoys writing books for children and teenagers, including picture books as well as fantasy and historical novels. She explains on her website that she grew up with two older sisters and even taught herself how to read before she began school herself. Hoffman also describes that like Grace she loved to act out the stories that she read and she even wrote plays for her and her friends to act out. I would imagine that her character Grace has much of the same characteristics as she did when she was a young child. Hoffman explains that her husband is half-Indian, likely a reason that she has chosen to write her books with a focus on many cultures.

About the Illustrator:

     Caroline Binch lives in West Cornwall with her two cats and a dog. She says that her illustrations are inspired by people and places around her. She likes to focus her writing and illustrations on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative ones. This is most likely why she chose to illustrate the book Amazing Grace as it portrays a positive message to young children to never give up and to work hard to accomplish their dreams. Binch states that she enjoys spending her free time relaxing doing yoga, taking walks, dancing with the music up loud, and laying in the grass enjoying the day.

The Wise Woman And Her Secret

Written by: Eve Merriam

Illustrated by: Linda Graves

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Character Education

Summary:

     Townspeople travel a long distance to reach the wise old woman to learn her secret of what it is that makes her wise. They impatiently demand to know her secret so that they can get back home to their busy lives. Instead of telling them her secret, the wise old lady tells them that they must search to find out her secret. So the townspeople spend the day search, growing much more impatient as the day goes by. That is, except for little Jenny who admires the beauty of all that is around her. After searching the well, the townspeople throw a green coin on the ground and continue there search. Jenny becomes facinated with this coin and begins to ask the wise old woman all about the coin. With this, the wise old woman tells Jenny that she has discovered her secret: the secret of wisdom is to be curious.

     Children will enjoy this story because it keeps them guessing about what the wise old woman's secret could possibly be and why the townspeople want it so badly. The illustrations are very elaborate and show the emotions of the characters. The illustrator has done an excellent job in showing the wonderment in Jenny's eyes, and children will easily pick up on the fact that Jenny is not like the rest of the townspeople and instead has more in common with the wise old woman.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This is a wonderful story for analyzing a Character and comparing different characters within a story.

* Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss with students that sometimes when we read stories that their are characters that are a lot alike and others who are very different. For example, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Happy is very kind and happy but Grumpy always seems to be in a bad mood. However, Snow White is very kind and the Seven Dwarfs are all very kind to her as well. Ask students to give you examples of other characters in stories who are very different. Now have them tell you about characters who are alike.

Tell them that today they are going to listen to you read a story and that you would like to think about the characters and in what ways they are alike and what was they are different.

* During Reading: Stop and ask the students to describe the characters and their actions throughout the story. Discuss how the characters actions may make the other characters feel: Why do you think that the woman told one of the townsmen to say please to the wise old woman? Why do we say please? How do you think the man felt when the wise old woman would not tell them her secret? How did Jenny feel when she found the feather and the twig? How did the townspeople feel about her discovery?...

* Post-Reading Activity: Depending on the students needs, you can either complete a Venn Diagram as a class comparing two of the characters or they could work on this activity independently. If you decide to do it as a class, I would compare The townspeople and Jenny. Dicuss with the students the way that the townspeople treated the wise old woman. Ask them to describe how the wise old woman treated the townspeople. Many students will probably choose to compare Jenny and the wise old woman as they have much in common. Fill in the information that they give you in the diagram, noting how the characters/groups are alike and how they are different.

About the Author:
     Eve Merriam grew up in Pennsylvania, raised by Russian parents who orignially named her Eva Moskovitz.She began writing poetry as a young child, seven years old, and never stopped. Besides being a published poet, Merriam also works as an author of books and articles for adults and children, aplaywriter and a teacher. She states that she has always been facinated with rhymes and word play and enjoyed reading and writing stories and poems all of her life.

 About the Illustrator:
     Linda Graves lives in Massachusetts with her husband and enjoys illustrating childrens books. She studied painting portraits under Daniel Green and her books often include elborate illustrations of people. She has her own website where you are able to view some of her book samples and learn a little more about her style as an illustrator.

Who Said Coo?

Written by: Deborah Ruddell

Illustrated by: Robin Luebs

Suggested for: Children Ages 2-8

Themes: Fiction, Poetry, Character Education

Summary:

     Lulu the pig is trying very hard to get some sleep when she keeps getting disrupted by noises outside of her window. Each time she tries to investigate where the noises come from and then she tries to go back to sleep. After being disturbed several times, Lulu shoo's the birds outside of her window. This time she hears another sad noise, a boo hoo. Lulu realizes that she hurt the birds' feelings and appologizes to her friends. She invites them in for some cocoa and then they all try to go to bed. This time they are startled by rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo. Lulu politely asks him to come back at two, and the rooster is happy to do so.

     Children will enjoy this story because it of its simple language and rhyming scheme. The pictures are simple but give the characters human-like qualities. It is wonderfully entertaining and would make an excellent bedtime book for young children.

Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This is a wonderful book to share with pre-school and kidergarten aged children to highlight ryming words. Children will enjoy pointing out rhyming words throughout the story; the words rhyme consistently throughout the selection: coo, who, moo, shoo, two, and you. This book also points out the importance of using good manners, a point which can never be emphasised too much with young children.
*Pre-Reading Avtivities: Chilren will listen to a rhyming song, where they will identify rhyming pairs and non-rhyming pairs using hand gestures.
*During Reading: Stop throughout the story and have children identify rhyming words.
*Post-Reading Activities: Have students draw a picture about their favorite part of the story.

About the Author:
     Deborah Ruddell grew up in Illinois with her twin sister, Robin, and three younger siblings. She always had playmates to be creative and express herself with. She comments that she enjoys her job because it allows her to do all of the things that she most liked about growing up: doodling, daydreaming and watching the world go by. Being the youngest of five children, I would imagine that Deborah spent a great deal of her time entertaining her siblings and this may have encouraged her to pursue a career in writing children's poems. Oddly enough, her twin sister is also a children's book author and illustrator. Ruddell maintains her own website complete with activities for children, a listening library, and teaching guides.

About the Illustrator:
     Robin Luebs also grew up in Illinois with her twin sister, Debbie (yes, the author of this book), and three younger siblings. She and Debbie enjoyed oppotunitites to paint together on their porch as children; her mother was very supportive of her daughters creative exploits. Robin has always enjoyed creating pictures, and because of her mother's support and encouragement she has continued to make this an important part of her life. Robin, like her twin sister, is lucky because she is able to continue doing something that she loves for a career: writing and illustrating children's books. Robin Luebs also maintains her own website which includes a gallery of her work, information about her, and fun activities for children.

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

Retold by: Dawn Casey
Illustrated by: Anne Wilson

Recommended for: Children Ages 9-12

Themes: Folktales, Social Studies, Science and Character Education

Summary:
     The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales is a collection of folktales from across the world which have an emphasis on the Earth and caring for it. This collection include folktales from: Australia, Nigeria, the American Southwest, Bali, Kazakhstan, India and Wales. Along with each folktale is a description of the culture of the area which the tale comes from and a learning activity to extend lessons learned within the folktale.
     Children will enjoy these stories as they will enjoy the opportunities to be exposed to stories from other cultures, the tales are very descriptive, they would be able to predict many of the events in the story, and they all have happy endings. As a read aloud, these stories would give wonderful opportunities for visualization. The activities selected to go along with each folk tale would also be fun ways in which for the children to tap into their creative energies and furthur connect to the stories and cultures.

Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This book could be used in several different ways within the classroom beyond learning simply about Folktales: 1) to extend Social Studies units when studying about different cultures and countries of the world; 2) to extend Science lessons about the Food Web and Food Chain; 3) to educate students about recycling, conservation and waste in connection with Earth Day, and 4) as a Character Education piece (as stories deal with themese of Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Giving, and Manners).
     For this selection, I would personally choose to include this book as part of an Earth Day Unit which I would plan for the month of April combining both Science and the study of different cultures. I would first discuss with the students the fact that Earth Day is a holiday held every year in the United States of America on April 22nd. On Earth Day we celebrate the earth by doing extra to care for our environment, however, all over the world different cultures have been celebrating the Earth in different ways. I would also make a list with the children of ways in which we can help to care for the Earth (recycling, cleaning up after ourselves, riding the bus instead of driving, etc.) in order to see what their Schema is.

*Pre-Reading Activities: I would choose one story from the book to read to them (maybe on a week as part of an Earth Day Unit), in this case it will be Grumpy Gecko, which is a Folktale from Bali. I would read to them the section about Bali, which describes the culture of Bali asking them to close their eyes and visualize what Bali looks like as I read the description. I would the students to take a moment to describe their vision to an elbow parter, in a few minutes they would then switch roles and hear from their partner. If possible, I would then show them a picture of Bali to compare to the picture that they had in their minds. I will also give the students a moment to let them ask any questions they may have before I being to read the selection.
*During Reading: I would read the selection to the students once without interuptions, asking them to try to visualize the characters and their actions as I read (set a purpose for reading).
*Post-Reading: As a class, we will fill out a flow-chart to show how each characters' actions had effected one another.
I would also use this story again the next day as an opportunity to do Reader's Theater with the students, giving them all parts to perform. We could practice these roles throughout the Unit and invite parents and family members to come in on Earth Day to observe our performance of Grumpy Gecko.

About Dawn Casey:
     Dawn lives with her family in England and has published two books with Barefoot Books (The Great Race:2006) and has previously worked as a primary school teacher and in publishing. She has always enjoyed folklore and believes that it looks deeply at who humans are within.

About Anne Wilson:
     Anne also lives with her family in England and has illustrated four projects for Barefoot Books (Storytime:2005, The Great Race:2006, and We're Sailing Down the Nile,2007). She gets the inspiration for her pictures from the traveling experiences which she has had in her life. Anne Wilson graduated with her MA in illustration from St. Martin's College of Art in London.

Buy or Read Reviews of the Barefoot Book of Earth Tales on Amazon.com

The Pigeon Wants A Puppy!

Written and Illustrated by: Mo Willems

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8 years old

Theme: Fiction

Summary:

     Pidgeon very enthusiastically describes how very badly he wants a pet puppy of his very own. He describes all the fun activities that he could enjoy if only he had a puppy of his very own, like: riding on it's back. That is until he actually comes face to face with a real live puppy and quickly changes his mind to really wanting a walrus of his very own.

     Children would enjoy in Preschool and Kindergarten will really enjoy this story because they can identify with the pigeon's enthusiasm for puppies. They will also enjoy identifying the pidgeon's misconceptions about having a puppy and pointing them out as you read. The children will enjoy the simple vocabulary that will allow them to read this book independently as they get into grades 1 and 2.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This would be an excellent book to use with children when discussing the difference between wants and needs. It is a wonderful example for children of taking time to decide if a pet woud be the best fit for your home, before you do get it home. It allows for wonderful conversation about what types of responsibilities are involved with caring for a pet.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Create a web with students using what it is that they know about puppies to activate their prior knowledge (schema). Show the students the cover of the book and ask them to predict what it could be about.

* During Reading: Give students opportunities to comment on Pigeon's reasons for wanting a puppy. What would happen if the Pidgeon did ride a puppy?

* Post-Reading Activities: Introduce the students to a picture of a Walrus. Ask the students if they think that a walrus would make a good pet for Pidgeon? Record their answers in a new web. Give the students a chance to pretend that they are Pidgeon and to write a journal entry about a pet that they want, complete with at least one reason why they want that pet and a picture.

About the Author:

     Mo Willems has had a successful career in writing and animating children's television shows: Sesame Street, Codename:Kids Next Door. He has written and illustrated several popular children's literature series which include popular character such as: Pigeon, Elephant and Piggy ans Knuffle Bunny. He also enjoys creating and showcasing his art peices and occasionally gueststars on NPR Radio. He maintatins his own website, complete with a blog and games for children to pay.

Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest

Written and Illustrated by: John Lechner

Recommended for: Children Ages 9-12

Genre: Fiction, Science, Graphic Novel, Informational Text

Summary:

     In this graphic novel we follow the story of Sticy Burr as he struggles to be accepted by the other Burrs. This is a wonderful story about a young burr who enjoys music and art and is teased by his peers, lead by Scurvy Burr, because he doesn't spend his days on adventures that stem from being stuck to things. As a child reads this book they learn that Sticky Burr really does not enjoy being stuck to things, and the trouble that it gets him into. He emurges as an unlikely hero at the end of the book and gains the respect of all the burrs as well as the lightning bugs.

    Throughout the story, Lecher gives readers lessons about the animals and objects that make up the characters in his book. These introductions provide factual information that not only enhance the readers knowledge about its content but also about animals and objects that they will at some point of their lives likely have contact with. The vocabulary used by Lecher throughout the book is challenging and the comic book design of the book can be hard to follow. I would suggest this book to who like to be challenges and who are able to use context clues and additional sources to help with vocabulary that they are unfamiliar with.

     Children will enjoy reading this story because it is a mixture of both factual information as well as fantasy. I believe that it will appeal most to young boys through its comic book layout. Many children will identify with its theme of an outcast who saves the day. The main characters ability to overcome his fears and to help his friends provides them with the predictable and positive outcome that they expect in their stories. This book will hold their interest, and even though they may predict that Sticky Burr will save the day, they will be surprised at the twists and turns that Sticky Burr encounters throughout his days journey.
Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This book would be wonderful to use, with a collection of other graphic novels and comic books, to introduce to children the skills that they will need in order to be successful in reading books of this format. Several copies of this book, along with other lower-level comics, could be used for children to work with independently after a mini-lesson on how to read graphic novels.

*Pre-Reading Activities:Model reading cartoons or comic strips with students. Discuss how to decide the order in which to read talking bubbles when there are more than one in a square. Explain to students what a Graphic Novel is. Ask students, what do you think is appealing to people about Graphic Novels? (With any luck you will have a nice convesation about how they are like picture books but more challenging) Model with students by sharing some of the comic strips from the Sunday newspaper.

*During Reading: As students are reading, ask them to keep a journal entry noting what they find challenging about graphic novels and what they find interesting about graphic novels ( a two-column chart). They can also jot down any questions that they have as they read.

*Post-Reading Activities:Think-Pair-Share: Have each student pair with another partner (not necessarily having had to have read the same exact book) and discuss the notes that each made on their two-column chart. Ask them to decide whether they feel that Graphic Novels are (1) too difficult to read or if they are (2) interesting and fun. Give the students time to pick their top three reasons, from their charts and discussions, to suppport their case. Give each partnered group to make a case for their side of the debate as they share with the group.

     After each paired group has had an opportunity to present, have the students take a vote: Are Graphic Novels (1) too hard to follow or are (2) interesting and fun. If there is time, or on another day, give the students an opportunity to make their own graphic novel with their partner.

About the Author/Illustrator:

    John Lechner grew up with six brothers and sisters in a home where the Arts were stressed in their importance. He has always enjoyed music, drawing and writing. One of his many jobs is writing and illustrating his own books, which includes his Sticky Burr series. However, Lechner also works as an animator, musician, puppeteer and an interactive designer. He has even started his own interactive website where visitors can see his movies, view interactive storybooks, and play games that he has designed.

Purchase or Read Reviews of Sticky Burr: Adventrures in Burrwood Forest

Big Al

By. Andrew Clements and Yoshi

Recommended for: Children in PreSchool - Grade 2

Fiction

Summary:

     Big Al struggles with wanting to make friends, because all of the other fish in the sea are afraid of him. The fish are afraid of all because he is so big, ugly and scary. While Al is so very friendly and does his best to fit in with the others, he is unable to warm their hears. That is until one day when the other fish get stuck in a net; Al bites through the net and frees them all. Unfortunately, Al himself gets stuck in the net and pulled up to the surface. Luckily for Al, the fisherman too feel that he is ugly and scary and they throw him back into the sea. All of the other fish are happy to see Al returned home and he now is the most popular fish in the sea.

     Children in Preschool through 2nd Grade would enjoy this book beacuse of the wonderful illustrations that it offers. The story is fun and will keep them actively engaged. Clements leaves elements of suspense that will have them hooked. They will be excited to see that the fish, Al, does have a happy ending and ends up with lots of friends. The story teaches the children a lesson about what it means to be a friend and how to treat your friends.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This is a wonderful story to use with children both for character education but also for making predictions. Children can use the pictures, as they read, to make predictions about what may happen next to Big Al and the other fish.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Show students the cover of the book and ask them what it is that they see (Fish). Ask, "Are the fish all the same or are they different?" (different). Then ask "What is different about them?"

*During Reading: Ask students their opinions about how Big Al feels when the other fish swim away and will not let him come. Give them opportunities to express their feelings about how the other fish are treating Al. Ask them questions about why Al is so nice to the other fish, even though they are not very nice to him. Children may make predictions about Al saving the other fish at the end. Make sure to highlight how Al is feeling as the story progresses.

*Post Reading Activities: Ask the children, "Was Big Al a good friend?" and "How do you know that he was a good friend". Give the children opportunities to give you qualities that made him a good friend and write them on the board/chart (t-chart). Then ask them, "Were the other fish good friend's to Al?" Give them a chance now to tell you what qualities made the other fish bad friends and write them on the other side of the board/chart. Model writing a sentence about the story using the story starter; "Big Al was a good friend because he..." along with a picture. Then give the students an opportunity to write in their journals their own sentence about what made Al a good friend complete with a picture (Leave up the t-chart so students can refer back to it for assistance).

About the Author:
     Andrew Clements grew up in Illinios but spent his summers growing up in a home in Maine. During their stays in Maine, Andrew's family spent the majority of their days outdoors and in the water, as they had no television, video games or computers there in their vacation home. At nighttime, Andrew spent his time reading and writing stories. This time in Maine very well could have been the inspiration for the setting of the story Big Al.

Book available at: Amazon.com



Big Wolf & Little Wolf

By Nadine Brun-Cosme, translated by Claudia Bedrick, and Illustrated by Oliver Tallec

2010 Batchelder Award Honor Book

Recommended for Children Ages: Preschool-Grade 2
Fiction

Summary:
     Big Wolf hapily spends his days alone ontop of the hill beneath his tree, that is until one day when a stranger, Little Wolf, decides to join him. Big Wolf is very unsure of his feelings about this stranger, but agrees to allow the stranger to join him in his daily task without saying a word. The Little Wolf begins to work his way into Big Wolfs heart as the day goes on. Big Wolf then leaves to take his daily walk and Little Wolf decides to stay behind. When Big Wolf returns he is sad to see that his new conrade is not there under his tree. Big Wold is surprised by his emotions and how much that he misses his new friend, he is unable to complete his daily chores and can do nothing but wait in hopes that he will see his new friend again. When Little Wolf finally returned then Big Wolf welcomed his new friend back and explained how lonely his life was without Little Wold. They then lived together happily from that time on.
     Children will enjoy this story as they will wonder about how the two wolves will interact. There will be many opportunities for children to predict the characters actions throughout reading the story. As Big Wolf comes back from his walk to find Little Wolf gone, the children will feel his hearbreak over his discovered loneliness. The children will be hopeful that Little Wolf will return and will share in Big Wolf's joy when he does. The children will connect with the characters and their feelings as they listen to the story of Big Wolf and Little Wolf. They will also enjoy the simple and bright colored illustrations.

Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This is a story about friendship and it teaches children to open up their world to new people. This would be a wonderful book to read to children on their first day of school as children are feeling anxious about being accepted and making new friends. This book would also helpful in working with children on Character Education and discussing what it means to be accepted and to be a good friend.
* Pre-Reading: You could talk to students about how they are feeling on their first day in a new classroom. Do they know any of the other students? This is a good way to begin conversations about how to make friends?
* During Reading: Ask students questions about how the characters are feeling: How does Big Wolf feel about the other wolf as he is getting closer? Why does he decide that the Little Wolf is okay? How do you think the Little Wolf feels about the Big Wolf? Why? Why is the Big Wold sad when he comes back to see the Little Wolf is gone? Why did the Little Wolf come back? How has the Big Wolf changed?
* Post-Reading: Discuss with the students what it means to be a friend. Have the students discuss with a partner on the rug whether or not Big Wolf was a good friend to Little Wolf? Begin a T-Chart contrasting qualities that make a good friend and qualities that do not make a good friend. Older students would be able to work on completing this chart with a partner, preferable someone who they do not already know to allow them opportunities to get to know eachother and to make new friends.

Buy or Read Review on Amazon

Nadine Brun-Cosme has also authored two additional Big Wolf and Little Wolf Books:
Big Wolf and Little Wolf, The Leaf That Wouldn't Fall and
Big Wolf and Little Wold, Such a Beautiful Orange