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