Bears! Bears! Bears!

Written and Illustrated by: Bob Barner

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Non-Fiction, Science

Summary:

     A wonderful and informative book about bears from around the world. Gives children some insight into the lives of bear cubs, their relationship with their mothers, and what it is that they eat. This books gives information to children about: Polar Bears, Sun Bears, Giant Pandas, Spectacled Bears, Black Bears, Moon Bears, Sloth Bears, and Grizzly Bears.

     Children will love the wonderful illustrations and learning that young bear cubs come in many different types and they do some of the same things that young children do. They also enjoy the map located a the back of this text that shows them where each type of bear lives within the world.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This text could be used in several different ways within the classroom: to aid in teaching students about mammals; to teach children more about bears; to show children that there are several different species of bears; as a pre-cursor to a zoo trip; and as a non-fiction pair to fictional text such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and The Bear Snores On.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Discuss with students that there are many different types of bears. Show them pictures of some different types of popular types of bears and see if they are able to identify the names of each (Polar Bear, Brown Bear, Black Bear, etc.). Begin filling in a KWL chart with the students about bears. Ask them to tell you diffent things that they know about Bears, write this under the K section of the chart. Then ask them to come about with a couple of questions about Bears that they may have (select only a few, 3-4, as I am sure that many questions will come up), record these under the W section of the chart.

*During Reading: Ask the students to tell you some of the different foods that the bears eat during the book? (honey, bamboo, fish, seals, etc.) Do they all have the same diet? (no) What are some of the activities that the bears completed in the book? (climbing, sleeping, cuddling), etc.)

*Post-Reading Activities: Show the students the map at the end of the book and discuss with them that each bear is located in different regions around the world. Give them pictures of Polar Bears, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears and a Map of North America to color. After the students finish coloring the pictures, model for them how to paste them onto their map to show where you can find each type located in North America (leave your map displayed for the children to refernce to). Give them time to paste their bears on their map, just as you had done.

About the Author/Illustrator:

     Bob Barner is the author and illustrator of many children's non-fiction books, including: Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!; Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!; Stars! Stars! Stars!; Dinosaur Bones and Bug Safari. He has enjoyed drawing since the age of three and throughout his life he has written and illustrated over 25 children's books. He graduated from The Columbus College of Art and Design and has held jobs as a comic-strip Illustrator, and has worked as an art director in advertising agencies and in art studios. He now enjoys visiting schools and sharing his experiences and books with young children. He maintains his own website where visitors can learn more about him, complete jigsaw puzzles, view student work samples, and where teachers and administrators can contact him to speak at their schools.

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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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Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia

Written by: Sy Montgomery

Photographs by: Nic Bishop

Recommended for: Children Ages

Themes: Non-Fiction, Science, Social Studies

Summary:
      This book chronicles the journey of several widlife experts as they work to catch and track the white leopard in an attempt to save them from extinction. This book also give wonderful information about the country of Mongolia, as this is where this section of their expedition takes place. The author adds in information about the culture, lifestyle, topography and wildlife of Mongolia as he describes the mission of these experts.
     Children will enjoy learning about the culture of Mongolia. This book will give them a glimpse into what it would be like living in this Asian country. The book gives maps, to help children to understand where Mongolia is, as well as wonderful photographs of the people, animals and land in Mongolia. The information is presented in a way where it is interesting and not overwhelming to children, however, it would be best to break this book up into different sections in order to make it more manageable.

Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This book would be best used to support instruction on the cultures of Asia, that of Mongolia in particular. In addition, the book provides information about the wildlife of Mongolia, including: snow leopards, goats, camels, takhi (wild horse),yaks, etc.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Show children a map of the world. Point out to them where Mongolia is. If possible, show them a short video about Mongolia to peak their interest:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKtXa-UCP8 or http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/planet-earth-camels-of-the-gobi-desert.html

*During Reading: In small groups, reading groups, create a book club where you will read with students different sections of the book each day (Chap. 1- Where is Mongolia, Chap. 2- About the Experts, Chap. 3- Culture of Mongolia, Chap. 4 - Trapping and Tagging, Chap. 5- Topography, etc). With the children, point out the important details (Book Talks) from each section using a graphic organizer. *You may want to select different books to go with different Book Club groups to give students opportunities to work with different levels and to provide a greater variety of information to be shared at its conclusion.

*Post-Reading Activities: At the conclusion of the Book Club have the students prepare some sort of visual representation of what they have learned, a poster, using the information that they have collected on their graphic organizers during your Book Talks.

About the Author:

     Sy Montgomery a graduate of Syracuse University, with three degrees in: Magazine Journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communication; the French Language and Literature; and in Psychology. She has traveled extensively to do research for her books which center around the preservation and protection of animals. She has received several awards for her writing, including: the 2009 New England Independent Booksellers Association Nonfiction Award, the 2010 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award, the Henry Bergh Award for Nonfiction (given by the ASPCA for Humane Education) and dozens of other honors.

About the Photographer:

     Nic Bishop moved around a lot as a child, the son of a Biology professor he was taught to love and respect the animals found around him in each place that they traveled to and lived in. He began taking photographs at the age of 9 and as an adult decided to pursue his degree in Biology as well. He decided to travel after receiving his degree and took his cameras with him to chronicle his journey around the world, which he later turned into his first book Untouched Horizons. He decided to get into providing photographs for children's books after seeing how children responded to his work and thinking back to his love for non-fiction books as a child.

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.

Hopper's Easter Surprise

Written by: Kathrin Siegenthaler and Marcus Pfister

Illustrated by: Marcus Pfister

Recommended for: Children Ages 7-12

Themes: Fiction, Holidays, Seasons, Science

Summary:

     A young Artic Hare, Hopper, struggles with wanting to be something other than an Artic Hare. His mother explains to him that in the Spring his hair will turn brown like the Easter Bunny, sparking Hopper's interest. After his mother tells him more about the Easter Bunny, (that he is fast as the wind, and brave, and leaves eggs as gifts) Hopper longs to be like the Easter Bunny. He decides to prove to his mother that he too is brave by looking for a fox, and lucklily he escapes this problem by camoflaging himself in the snow. His quest leads him to making a new friend, a brown hare, who also decides that it would be fun to be an Easter Bunny. They decide to ask the hens for some eggs to take home and decorate. However, they end up falling and cracking the eggs and going home feeling sad and defeated. To their surprise, the Easter Bunny has left them a large egg and Momma says that he wanted them to decorate it. They go to sleep and dream of all the wonderful ways that they can decorate their egg.

     Children will enjoy this story and Hoppers quest to become the Easter Bunny. The pictures extend the story by giving the children opportunites to see how Hopper out-smarts the fox and how being both brown and white works to his advantage. They will feel connected to Hopper and his feelings about wanting to try something new, to be somethings else. Young children are very adventurous and curious about other animals and will enjoy learning more about hares and why they change color.

Suggestions for the Classroom:

     This is a wonderful book to use in conjunction with the early days of Spring and in preparation for Easter. However, it also lends itself to teaching children about how some animals are able to camoflage themselves in order to protect themselves from predators, a connection to their Science curriculum.

*Pre-Reading Activities: Ask students to share what they know about Spring: The snow melt, grass begins to grow, flowers bloom, birds sing, butterflies fly around, Easter is coming, etc. Record their answers on the board/chart paper.

*During Reading: Focus on the pictures as you read, give children a chance to talk about what they see. Why do you think that the hare has white hair? Point out that hares change color to camoflage themselves, to protect them from predators. How does being brown help the Easter Bunny hide from the hawk? Point out that the dirt below is brown and that from up high it is hard for the hawk to see the bunny, just as people look like ants when looking down from an airplane. How did Hopper hide from the fox? Try to get children to use the word camoflage which they learned earlier in the lesson. Also, encourage children to make connections as you read.

*Post Reading: Give students a blank Easter Egg template and some crayons, markers or paints. Ask them to create their very own Spring themed Easter eggs using ideas that they came up with before reading the book, using chart as a reference and the last two pages of the book (Easter egg pictures).

About the Author/Illustrator:

      Marcuse Pfister  and Kathrin Siegenthaler collaborated to write Hopper's Easter Surprise which is one of many of Hopper's tales: Hopper, Hopper Hunts for Spring, Hopper's Treetop Adventure, Hang on Hopper. Pfister is also the author of the very popular children's book The Rainbow Fish. Pfister lives in Berne Switzerland with his wife and three children, the same town where he was born and raised. Not only is he a well accomplished write, but Pfister also illustrates many of his own books, including Hopper's Easter Surprise. He creates many of his illustrations by using water color paints and uses a transparent overlay to indicate where he would like foil stamping, if any, added to his illustrations during the production process.

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The Little Red Hen

Illustrated by: Linda McQueen

Recommended for: Children Ages 4-8

Themes: Fiction, Folktales, Character Education

Summary:

     In this version of the folktale, the little red hen spends her days busy caring for the home which she shares with a goose, a cat, and a dog. Red Hen finds some wheat which she plants in the garden and tends to all on her own. She asks for help throughout the story but the goose is always too busy gossiping, and the cat is too vain and busy preening, and the dog is always to tired. Each time that the Red Hen asks for help the others refuse or ignored her. So on top of doing all the cooking and cleaning, little Red Hen ended up doing all of the work herself. However, after the Red Hen has finished making a cake out of the flour made from the wheat, the goose, the cat, and the dog all want a piece. The Red Hen tells them that she will eat it all herself since noone wanted to help to tend the wheat, or cut it, or hall it, make it into flour, or bake the cake. After this, the cat, the goose and the dog are all much more helpful in doing the chores.
     Children will enjoy this folktale and comparing the different characters. They will be able to follow the pattern of the story with the Red Hen asking for help and her friends always saying no. The illustrations are simple and help with understanding of the story. Children will enjoy how little Red Hen develops as a character and the lesson that she teaches her friends at the story's conclusion.

Suggestions for the Classroom:
     This book would be a wonderful selection to use when teaching children about folktales, in discussing ssequence of events, plot and character development. For my sample activities, I will discuss using this version of the folktale in comparison to another version of the same tale which is illustrated by Amy Rosenburg in order to show children that when stories are handed down from generation to generation they often change a little, a characteristic of folktales.
*Pre-Reading Activites: Remind children that folktales are stories that are passed down from generation to generation and sometimes the story changes depending on who is telling it. Demonstrate this quickly with the students by playing the game of telephone (works best if they are in a circle). Whisper a sentence to the first child and have them whisper it to the child on the right of them until the last child whispers the sentence back to you (for example: The gray bear had a bug in his hair). With any luck the sentence will have changed by the time it gets back to you (The bear had a bug on him). Write on the board/chart paper what sentence you started with and what you finished with. Discuss if the new sentence changed the meaning even though some of the words change (this will vary in your descriptions.
*During Reading: Read the version of The Little Red Hen illustrated by Linda McQueen to the students.
Point out as you read what the dog, the cat and the goose are doing in comparision to the Red Hen.
Read aloud the version of The Little Red Hen illustrated by Amye Rosenburg to the students. Point out as you read what the gog, the cat and the goosse are doing in comparison to the Red Hen.
*Post-Reading Activities: Have the students compare the characters in the first version of the story to those in the second version using a Venn Diagram. Point out to students that the differences in the story do not change the meaning or the ending to the story. Explain that often Folktales are told in different versions as they are told by one person and then to another and another just as we did before we read the book (when we said "The gray bear had a bug in his hair" and it changed to "The bear had a bug on him").