I looked at the blog Children's Literature Book Club, and responded to a post at:
http://childlitbookclub.blogspot.com/2009/01/walt-disneys-alice-in-wonderland-retold.html#links
I also looked at Planet Esme, and responded to a post at:
http://planetesme.blogspot.com/2009/01/gift-to-world.html#links
Finally, I looked at I.N.K., Interesting Nonfiction for Kids, and responded to a post at:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1337206901491734394&postID=9017536561809147631&page=1
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Traditional Literature
Traditional Literature
Author: Jerry PinkneyTitle: Little Red Riding Hood
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Date: 2007
Age Level: Primary (K-2) or Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
A sweet little girl meets a hungry wolf in the forest while on her way to visit her grandmother.
Strengths:
· This book shows multiculturalism.
· The watercolor paintings used as pictures in this book are fantastic.
· This book shows students it is a bad idea to speak to strangers, even though the stranger in this book was in the form of a wolf.
· This is a fun retelling of the folktale that many students will already have heard.
· This book shows Little Red learning a lesson, to follow directions, which is important for students to learn.
Concerns:
· This book may be frightening for the younger grades. It is very blunt, unlike some other versions of the story. For instance, when the wolf goes in to see the grandmother, he “gobbled her down whole.”
· This telling of the story has the wolf eat Little Red Riding Hood, before she is rescued by the woodsman. I think this is too graphic for children.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book can be used when studying traditional folk tales.
· This book can be read aloud by the teacher, or by students if they are practicing their intonation.
· This book could be acted out by students, perhaps in a reader’s theatre.
Author: Tololwa M. Mollel
Title: The Orphan Boy
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date: 1990
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
Though delighted that an orphan boy has come into his life, an old man becomes insatiably curious about the boy’s mysterious powers.
Strengths:
· This book demonstrates that sometimes you have to accept things, and trust people, without always asking for a reason why.
· This book teaches words that some students may not be familiar with, such as what a drought is.
· This book is set in Africa, which gives a different perspective that what many books these days do.
· This book shows that it is important to follow directions and believe what you are told, so that you do not make the mistake the old man did, and ruin a secret.
Concerns:
· This book has some religious undertones that parents may not be pleased with.
· The story ends rather abruptly, and it may be hard for students to catch what has happened.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book teaches students what a folk tale is. They could use this book as a starting point to write their own folk tales, perhaps about the stars and planets as in this one.
Author: Eric Kimmel
Title: The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol
Publisher: Holiday House
Date: 1981, 1995
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
Stories about a clever man who lived by his wits as his pockets were always empty.
Strengths:
· This book is compiled of a number of short stories, which are each funny and show Hershel’s great ability to get around things.
· This book made me laugh out loud at parts, I think students would really enjoy it.
· Although there are many separate stories in this book, they are all about the same characters, which allows the book to flow a bit more than it would otherwise.
· The plot is exciting and fun, which makes the reader want to continue reading.
· This book shows students how to reason through and get around problems, such as not having money.
Concerns:
· This book shows Hershel lying to get away with things, and I think that is not a great lesson for students to learn.
· Other than that, however, I found this to be a great book that students would enjoy reading or having read to them, and found no other concerns.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read aloud to students, one short story at a time, as a reward for completing work, or behaving well.
· This book could also be read individually by students, although it may be a bit long for a 3rd or 4th grade student.
Author: Paul Zelinsky
Title: Rapunzel
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books Date: 1997
Age Level: Primary (K-2) or Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
A retelling of the German folktale in which a beautiful girl with long golden hair is kept imprisoned in a lonely tower by a sorceress.
Strengths:
· This book gives background information not told in the traditional fairy tale version of Rapunzel, which I think is very helpful in turning it into a children’s story.
· The pictures of this book are very descriptive and follow the story well.
Concerns:
· Some of the images in this book of the sorceress may be too frightening for young children.
· This book shows a very unrealistic view of life. Children may come out of hearing this book thinking that all they have to do is sing prettily in order to make a boy fall in love with them.
· This book does not show much of concept of time – one page Rapunzel is young and almost the next she is being proposed to.
· This book also gives children the idea that by crying into a blind person’s eyes, they will be able to see again.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· I do not think I would use this version of the book in my classroom. It was too explicit, and did not seem particularly appropriate for young children, despite the fact that it is a children’s book.
Author: Jane Yolen
Title: Sleeping Ugly
Publisher: Coward-McCann, Inc
Date: 1981
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
When beautiful Princess Miserella, Plain Jane, and a fairy fall under a sleeping spell, a prince undoes the spell in a surprising way.
Strengths:
· This book teaches students that what is in on the inside is more important than what is on the outside.
· This book teaches students the importance of being kind and having manners, and how in the end these can prove to be very important qualities to have.
· This book is a spoof of the original fairy tales, and is fun to read and different.
· The pictures that accompany the text follow the story well and are fun to look at for the reader.
Concerns:
· Plain Jane is considered to be ugly in this book. I think students are being taught that looks do not matter, but at the same time, think that they shouldn’t be taught that being ‘plain’ means being ugly.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read by students on their own, or could be used by the teacher in a unit on fairy tales. The teacher could use this book to demonstrate differences between types of fairy tales.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Graphic Novels
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Title: Middle School is Worse that Meatloaf
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date: 2007
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a graphic novel telling the tales of Ginny, a 12 year old starting middle school, through notes and receipts, and other creative forms other than straight writing.
Strengths:
· This book is a great way to get students who are hesitant to read to get started. Because there are not big blocks of writing, and the pages are filled with just notes and other such items, it is more fun and easy to read.
· This book is humorous, and easy to relate to for students.
· This book shows how difficult it can be to lose a parent and have the other get remarried, which is something that students in the class may be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· This book may be a bit hard to follow for students who are not completely focused on reading it.
· This book says some things about eight graders that I do not think are entirely appropriate for elementary school students, such as the fact that one eighth grader drank a wine cooler on the bus and tried to kiss her teacher.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book can’t really be read aloud to students, and thus would be better suited for being read by students on their own. It would be a great addition to the classroom library because it is a different format that most books, and is fun and exciting to read.
Author: J. Torres
Title: Days Like This
Publisher: ONI Press, Inc
Date: 2003
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a comic book about 3 girls who are discovered by a woman starting her own record company, who want to make it big in the music world.
Strengths:
· This book uses dialects to show multiculturalism.
· This book is a bit dated, but can help introduce students to information about the past, and what records were.
· Realistic conflict is shown in the storyline, such as Christina’s father disagreeing with the idea of her making a record. This is something many students will be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· In this book, the African-American woman refers to the white woman as “Mrs. Anna”, but Anna calls the African-American woman simply “Lillian”. I thought that seemed discriminatory, and may cause for questions.
· There is an allusion to drinking because you are upset about something, which is not appropriate for students.
· The heavier girl is called out as being ‘fat’, whereas the other two girls get referred to as ‘skinny’.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read individually by students, and could perhaps be acted out as a class play.
Author: Satoshi Kitamura
Title: Comic Adventures of Boots
Publisher: Farrar Straus Grioux
Date: 2002
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
This is a comic book of a few short stories about a mischievous cat named Boots.
Strengths:
· This book demonstrates some problem solving techniques.
· Children may appreciate that this book has nothing to do with schoolwork, but can be something they can read on their own just for fun.
· This book may be a way to get struggling readers to enjoy reading. It is simple, easy to read, and quick to get through.
Concerns:
· This book doesn’t really seem to have a point to it.
· The storyline of this book is very basic and broken up, because it is a number of short stories. This makes it kind of hard to follow, and even harder to get into it and be interested by it.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used in a classroom library for students to read to themselves. The teacher could turn this into a reader’s theatre, or just have students take turns reading the parts of different characters aloud.
Author: Ted Naifeh
Title: Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom
Publisher: ONI Press, Inc
Date: 2004
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a comic book about two friends who have been apart for awhile and are now learning all of the ways that they have changed since they last saw each other, but still want to look out for each other.
Strengths:
· This book shows conflict between friends who have been apart for awhile. This is something students may have gone through themselves, and thus may be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· The narrator speaks in a dialect that is difficult to read smoothly, so it is a bit difficult to read. This may be hard for struggling readers.
· The characters commonly call each other “buttface”. Although this is not a ‘bad word’ per se, it does seem to encourage name calling.
· This book shows ghosts and other unreal characteristics of people, but plays them into the storyline as if they were real. I think that may be confusing for students.
· This book may be a bit too frightening for students. It’s not outright scary, just has some creepy undertones to it.
· There are a few curse words in this book, though they are few and far between.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could potentially be in a classroom library, though I don’t think I would have it in mine. Students could read it individually, but I would not recommend it to them myself.
Author: Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser
Title: You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Date: 1998
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
In this wordless story a young girl and her grandmother view works inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the balloon she has been forced to leave outside floats around New York City, causing a series of mishaps that mirror scenes in the museum’s artwork.
Strengths:
· The fact that this book does not have words can really be seen as a plus, because it tells the story in a way that even beginning or struggling readers can understand.
· I like that in the illustrations the part that they are focusing on is in color, and the background is in black and white. It really draws the reader’s eye where it’s meant to go.
· This book teaches students in a fun way about a cultural experience of visiting the Met.
· This book also teaches students about New York City itself, and musicians, mimes, and other such happenings on the streets of New York.
· Some of the illustrations include actual photographs of artwork from the Met, which helps show students what it looks like.
Concerns:
· Not all students may respond well to the wordlessness of this book. Some students may prefer a book that has words to go along with the pictures.
· There are many side stories within the overall story of visiting the museum, and this may be difficult for some students. Some may get overwhelmed and shut down and not gain any information at all.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book is too long to be read as a class, in my opinion, even though it doesn’t have words. I think it would be best used if read individually by students so that they can spend as much time as necessary looking at the pictures and gaining information from it.
Title: Middle School is Worse that Meatloaf
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date: 2007
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a graphic novel telling the tales of Ginny, a 12 year old starting middle school, through notes and receipts, and other creative forms other than straight writing.
Strengths:
· This book is a great way to get students who are hesitant to read to get started. Because there are not big blocks of writing, and the pages are filled with just notes and other such items, it is more fun and easy to read.
· This book is humorous, and easy to relate to for students.
· This book shows how difficult it can be to lose a parent and have the other get remarried, which is something that students in the class may be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· This book may be a bit hard to follow for students who are not completely focused on reading it.
· This book says some things about eight graders that I do not think are entirely appropriate for elementary school students, such as the fact that one eighth grader drank a wine cooler on the bus and tried to kiss her teacher.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book can’t really be read aloud to students, and thus would be better suited for being read by students on their own. It would be a great addition to the classroom library because it is a different format that most books, and is fun and exciting to read.
Author: J. Torres
Title: Days Like This
Publisher: ONI Press, Inc
Date: 2003
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a comic book about 3 girls who are discovered by a woman starting her own record company, who want to make it big in the music world.
Strengths:
· This book uses dialects to show multiculturalism.
· This book is a bit dated, but can help introduce students to information about the past, and what records were.
· Realistic conflict is shown in the storyline, such as Christina’s father disagreeing with the idea of her making a record. This is something many students will be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· In this book, the African-American woman refers to the white woman as “Mrs. Anna”, but Anna calls the African-American woman simply “Lillian”. I thought that seemed discriminatory, and may cause for questions.
· There is an allusion to drinking because you are upset about something, which is not appropriate for students.
· The heavier girl is called out as being ‘fat’, whereas the other two girls get referred to as ‘skinny’.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read individually by students, and could perhaps be acted out as a class play.
Author: Satoshi Kitamura
Title: Comic Adventures of Boots
Publisher: Farrar Straus Grioux
Date: 2002
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
This is a comic book of a few short stories about a mischievous cat named Boots.
Strengths:
· This book demonstrates some problem solving techniques.
· Children may appreciate that this book has nothing to do with schoolwork, but can be something they can read on their own just for fun.
· This book may be a way to get struggling readers to enjoy reading. It is simple, easy to read, and quick to get through.
Concerns:
· This book doesn’t really seem to have a point to it.
· The storyline of this book is very basic and broken up, because it is a number of short stories. This makes it kind of hard to follow, and even harder to get into it and be interested by it.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used in a classroom library for students to read to themselves. The teacher could turn this into a reader’s theatre, or just have students take turns reading the parts of different characters aloud.
Author: Ted Naifeh
Title: Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom
Publisher: ONI Press, Inc
Date: 2004
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a comic book about two friends who have been apart for awhile and are now learning all of the ways that they have changed since they last saw each other, but still want to look out for each other.
Strengths:
· This book shows conflict between friends who have been apart for awhile. This is something students may have gone through themselves, and thus may be able to relate to.
Concerns:
· The narrator speaks in a dialect that is difficult to read smoothly, so it is a bit difficult to read. This may be hard for struggling readers.
· The characters commonly call each other “buttface”. Although this is not a ‘bad word’ per se, it does seem to encourage name calling.
· This book shows ghosts and other unreal characteristics of people, but plays them into the storyline as if they were real. I think that may be confusing for students.
· This book may be a bit too frightening for students. It’s not outright scary, just has some creepy undertones to it.
· There are a few curse words in this book, though they are few and far between.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could potentially be in a classroom library, though I don’t think I would have it in mine. Students could read it individually, but I would not recommend it to them myself.
Author: Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser
Title: You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Date: 1998
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
In this wordless story a young girl and her grandmother view works inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the balloon she has been forced to leave outside floats around New York City, causing a series of mishaps that mirror scenes in the museum’s artwork.
Strengths:
· The fact that this book does not have words can really be seen as a plus, because it tells the story in a way that even beginning or struggling readers can understand.
· I like that in the illustrations the part that they are focusing on is in color, and the background is in black and white. It really draws the reader’s eye where it’s meant to go.
· This book teaches students in a fun way about a cultural experience of visiting the Met.
· This book also teaches students about New York City itself, and musicians, mimes, and other such happenings on the streets of New York.
· Some of the illustrations include actual photographs of artwork from the Met, which helps show students what it looks like.
Concerns:
· Not all students may respond well to the wordlessness of this book. Some students may prefer a book that has words to go along with the pictures.
· There are many side stories within the overall story of visiting the museum, and this may be difficult for some students. Some may get overwhelmed and shut down and not gain any information at all.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book is too long to be read as a class, in my opinion, even though it doesn’t have words. I think it would be best used if read individually by students so that they can spend as much time as necessary looking at the pictures and gaining information from it.
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Author: Jane Yolen
Title: Commander Toad and the Voyage Home
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Date: 1998
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
Commander Toad leads the lean green space machine “Star Warts” to find new worlds, but runs into trouble when he sets course for home.
Strengths:
· This book is good for readers who are need help getting hooked on reading. It is fun and exciting, but fairly simple to read.
· This book is very expressive – it incorporates sounds such as “Aaaaa-ooooo-ga” to really emphasize the story.
· The pictures in this book complement the story well, making it easier for beginning readers to follow the story, while not actually being a picture book.
· This book has some rhyming, which can be helpful to students’ phonemic awareness development.
Concerns:
· This book is relatively easy to read, but has some difficult vocabulary, and a lot of hyphenated words, such as swamp-side, and high-rise, which may confuse students.
· Some of the references in this book, such as the name of the ship being “Star Warts”, will likely go right over students’ heads.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used individually by students to practice reading.
· This book could also be turned into a reader’s theatre, to practice fluency, because of its large number of characters and spoken lines.
Title: Commander Toad and the Voyage Home
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Date: 1998
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
Commander Toad leads the lean green space machine “Star Warts” to find new worlds, but runs into trouble when he sets course for home.
Strengths:
· This book is good for readers who are need help getting hooked on reading. It is fun and exciting, but fairly simple to read.
· This book is very expressive – it incorporates sounds such as “Aaaaa-ooooo-ga” to really emphasize the story.
· The pictures in this book complement the story well, making it easier for beginning readers to follow the story, while not actually being a picture book.
· This book has some rhyming, which can be helpful to students’ phonemic awareness development.
Concerns:
· This book is relatively easy to read, but has some difficult vocabulary, and a lot of hyphenated words, such as swamp-side, and high-rise, which may confuse students.
· Some of the references in this book, such as the name of the ship being “Star Warts”, will likely go right over students’ heads.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used individually by students to practice reading.
· This book could also be turned into a reader’s theatre, to practice fluency, because of its large number of characters and spoken lines.
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Title: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Publisher: Random House
Date: 1992
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
Eight year old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic tree house, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.
Strengths:
· This book is exciting, but easy to read.
· The text in this book is very simple, and thus good for beginning readers.
· This book has some good facts about dinosaurs, which are incorporated into the text and students will inherently pick up on.
· This book is the first of many like it, and is a good start to a series which many young students can enjoy. Beginning readers will feel excited to be able to read a series, but the books will be on their level.
Concerns:
· The language in this book is not particularly imaginative. For example, when teaching students how to write, the teacher generally tries to get them to use synonyms for the word "said" rather than just stating "said Annie" all the time. In this book, however, "said" is used quite often.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read aloud to students, or could be kept in the classroom library for students to read on their own. This book could be used in a unit on dinosaurs.
Author: Mo Willems
Title: There is a Bird on your Head
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Date: 2007
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
This book is about a pair of friends, an elephant and a pig, who must figure out how to deal with the fact that birds have built a nest on the elephant’s head.
Strengths:
· This book demonstrates the basic principle of reading spoken sentences, written in text bubbles, similar to comic strips.
· This book is very simple, which makes it easy for beginning readers to read on their own.
· This book is funny, and the pictures complement the story well.
· This book teaches students basic manners, such as asking for something if you want it to happen.
Concerns:
· The students should be reminded that elephants and pigs cannot actually speak, and that this story is not something that could actually happen.
· This book is not a traditional format, and thus may be difficult for beginning readers to read on their own.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read alone by students, or could be out loud by the teacher. It could also be used for choral reading, where the whole class reads aloud with the teacher, because it is short, but expressive.
Author: Pam Conrad
Title: The Tub Grandfather
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 1993
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
When the Tub Child discovers his missing grandfather asleep under the radiator, the whole Tub family rallies to wake him up.
Strengths:
· This book is fun and imaginative, and one of my personal favorites.
· This story relates something that all relates to most children, taking a bath, and playing with toys.
· The illustrations show movement, but with just small changes in the tub people. This really captures that they are toys and cannot move much, but also still conveys that the toy has moved, or is looking a certain direction.
Concerns:
· I wonder if this book would give students a false hope that their toys may be alive as well.
· I wonder if this may cause students to contemplate where their grandfather/grandmother may be, if they have passed away. I wonder if students may take this to mean that their grandfather as well may be lying somewhere asleep under a radiator.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· I would use this book to read aloud to the class, and perhaps have the students act it out.
· This book could encourage student creativity and imagination, and students could write a story like this on their own.
Author: Lois Lowry
Title: The Giver
Publisher: Laurel Leaf Books
Date: 1993
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This book is about a society in which everything is strictly regulated and everyone is raised to be exactly the same as everyone else.
Strengths:
· This book could really give students an appreciation for the freedoms that they have. Because it shows a society with such tight rules and no room to speak out for yourself, it will make students realize that what they have is a blessing.
· This book seems very realistic, and thus pulls the reader in, really wanting to know what will happen next.
· The terms in this book are very appropriate. For instance, the town that they live in is called “Sameness”, and in that town, everyone is supposed to be exactly the same.
Concerns:
· This book may raise a lot of questions with students, about different types of societies. It may be hard for them to separate this fictional society from those that actually appear in America.
· This book shows a lot of pain and struggles that Jonas, the main character, must go through, as well as some insubordination to authority figures.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used to teach students about different lifestyles. It also has a very abrupt ending, and could be used to foster students’ imagination, by asking them to write an alternate ending, or to add an extra chapter to the book.
Poetry
Author: Kobayashi Issa
Title: Today and Today
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date: 2007
Age Level: Primary (K-2) or Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
This book is a collection of haikus that tells the story of the four seasons.
Strengths:
· This book shows students what haiku is, and how it can be used creatively to make a story.
· This book is inspirational.
· This book has beautiful pictures.
· Although the text of it seems very simple, because each page contains just a haiku, there is so much more to the story than there seems, which can help students understand how they can express so much in so few words.
Concerns:
· Younger classes may not understand the concept of the haiku, and how they all fit together to tell the story.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used when teaching students about poetry. It will show them a practical application of a haiku, as well as how to use poetry to create stories.
Author: Woody Guthrie
Title: This Land is Your Land
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Date: 1998
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
This book is a story version of the song “This Land is Your Land”, a patriotic tribute to America.
Strengths:
· The pictures in this book are spectacular. They tell a story as much as the words do, if not more so. Some pages have alternate story lines, and tell a story about the author as well. These can be followed as well, or you can simply follow the main story line and just look at the pictures, whichever you choose. It’s a neat option to have.
· This book really turns the song into a modern version, with pictures kids can relate to, such as bright beaches and libraries.
· The refrain of the song and story, which comes up again and again in the book is fun for students, and helps younger students follow along and stay engaged.
Concerns:
· I had no concerns about this book. It was appropriate, well written, beautifully illustrated, and engaging for students, especially in the younger grades.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used for a choral reading or group sing. The teacher could also read portions of the book and have the class join in on the chorus. It really enhances class participation.
Author: Sharon Creech
Title: Love That Dog
Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books
Date: 2001
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
Strengths:
· This book is written in the form of a journal and easy for students to read and relate to.
· This book shows students that it’s okay not to understand what some poems mean, and that others may have difficulty with poetry also. It also shows, however, that if you persevere, you may find that you actually enjoy the area in which you are struggling.
· This book goes through this student’s stages of realizing his love for poetry, and can be inspiring for the students.
· This book does a great job of incorporating poetry into a storyline, and is about subject matter that students will find relevant to their lives.
Concerns:
· This book is not written in a traditional format, which may be confusing for some students.
· This book talks about the death of a dog in rather graphic terms, which may be upsetting to some students.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used in a poetry unit, to be read by the students, or even for the teacher to read aloud, a piece at a time. The class could then follow the storyline, writing their own poems, and perhaps even writing letters to their favorite authors as well.
Author: Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Title: In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall
Publisher: Lee and Low Books, Inc
Date: 1997
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
A collection of poems celebrating African American fathers by Angela Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carol Boston Weatherford, and others.
Strengths:
· I loved that the illustrations in this book were non-traditional. Rather than being simple drawings, they seem to have many layers and look to be created out of different items. This really adds to the book.
· The poems in this book are ones that, for the most part, although they are written predominately for African Americans, can be related to by everyone. I particularly like the poem called “Tickle Tickle”.
· These poems are ones that could be used in the younger grades, and just read for pleasure, or could be used with older grades, and analyzed and looked at in a deeper way.
Concerns:
· Some of the poems do not have correct grammatical form, for instance not using capitalization. It would need to be explained to the students that this is a form some poets like to use, but that this is not usual, and that for most writing they still have to follow traditional procedures.
· Some of the language in this book is not traditional English. While I think this can be useful, for students who speak with this particular dialect to recognize that others speak the way they do, I also think it is important to emphasize the meaning of using Standard English to the students.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read to the class either straight through as a book, or one poem at a time.
· This book could also be used to teach students about non-traditional ways of illustrating books, and could be a starting point for an arts lesson.
Author: Dennis Lee
Title: Alligator Pie
Publisher: Macmillan of Canada
Date: 1974
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
This book contains funny rhyming poetry for children, beginning with the much loved “Alligator Pie”.
Strengths:
· The poems in this book are great for helping students to learn about rhyming.
· The poems are upbeat and fun to learn.
· Though these poems are whimsical and don’t make much sense, they are easy to fall in love with, and the cadence and rhythm of the poems make them fun to read.
· For beginning readers, this book can help demonstrate that reading can indeed be a fun experience.
Concerns:
· These poems don’t concern real life problems, they are just silly and for fun.
· Despite this, I believe that there is a place for a book like this in the classroom. I think this book could be used, in part or in whole, to encourage students to get their work done. If they finish their work, they can hear another fun poem from this book.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· These poems could be read aloud to students, or students could perform them on their own. They could be used in a choral reading to help students develop reading fluency.
Title: Today and Today
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date: 2007
Age Level: Primary (K-2) or Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
This book is a collection of haikus that tells the story of the four seasons.
Strengths:
· This book shows students what haiku is, and how it can be used creatively to make a story.
· This book is inspirational.
· This book has beautiful pictures.
· Although the text of it seems very simple, because each page contains just a haiku, there is so much more to the story than there seems, which can help students understand how they can express so much in so few words.
Concerns:
· Younger classes may not understand the concept of the haiku, and how they all fit together to tell the story.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used when teaching students about poetry. It will show them a practical application of a haiku, as well as how to use poetry to create stories.
Author: Woody Guthrie
Title: This Land is Your Land
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Date: 1998
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
This book is a story version of the song “This Land is Your Land”, a patriotic tribute to America.
Strengths:
· The pictures in this book are spectacular. They tell a story as much as the words do, if not more so. Some pages have alternate story lines, and tell a story about the author as well. These can be followed as well, or you can simply follow the main story line and just look at the pictures, whichever you choose. It’s a neat option to have.
· This book really turns the song into a modern version, with pictures kids can relate to, such as bright beaches and libraries.
· The refrain of the song and story, which comes up again and again in the book is fun for students, and helps younger students follow along and stay engaged.
Concerns:
· I had no concerns about this book. It was appropriate, well written, beautifully illustrated, and engaging for students, especially in the younger grades.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used for a choral reading or group sing. The teacher could also read portions of the book and have the class join in on the chorus. It really enhances class participation.
Author: Sharon Creech
Title: Love That Dog
Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books
Date: 2001
Age Level: Upper (5-6)
Summary:
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
Strengths:
· This book is written in the form of a journal and easy for students to read and relate to.
· This book shows students that it’s okay not to understand what some poems mean, and that others may have difficulty with poetry also. It also shows, however, that if you persevere, you may find that you actually enjoy the area in which you are struggling.
· This book goes through this student’s stages of realizing his love for poetry, and can be inspiring for the students.
· This book does a great job of incorporating poetry into a storyline, and is about subject matter that students will find relevant to their lives.
Concerns:
· This book is not written in a traditional format, which may be confusing for some students.
· This book talks about the death of a dog in rather graphic terms, which may be upsetting to some students.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be used in a poetry unit, to be read by the students, or even for the teacher to read aloud, a piece at a time. The class could then follow the storyline, writing their own poems, and perhaps even writing letters to their favorite authors as well.
Author: Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Title: In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall
Publisher: Lee and Low Books, Inc
Date: 1997
Age Level: Elementary (3-4)
Summary:
A collection of poems celebrating African American fathers by Angela Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carol Boston Weatherford, and others.
Strengths:
· I loved that the illustrations in this book were non-traditional. Rather than being simple drawings, they seem to have many layers and look to be created out of different items. This really adds to the book.
· The poems in this book are ones that, for the most part, although they are written predominately for African Americans, can be related to by everyone. I particularly like the poem called “Tickle Tickle”.
· These poems are ones that could be used in the younger grades, and just read for pleasure, or could be used with older grades, and analyzed and looked at in a deeper way.
Concerns:
· Some of the poems do not have correct grammatical form, for instance not using capitalization. It would need to be explained to the students that this is a form some poets like to use, but that this is not usual, and that for most writing they still have to follow traditional procedures.
· Some of the language in this book is not traditional English. While I think this can be useful, for students who speak with this particular dialect to recognize that others speak the way they do, I also think it is important to emphasize the meaning of using Standard English to the students.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· This book could be read to the class either straight through as a book, or one poem at a time.
· This book could also be used to teach students about non-traditional ways of illustrating books, and could be a starting point for an arts lesson.
Author: Dennis Lee
Title: Alligator Pie
Publisher: Macmillan of Canada
Date: 1974
Age Level: Primary (K-2)
Summary:
This book contains funny rhyming poetry for children, beginning with the much loved “Alligator Pie”.
Strengths:
· The poems in this book are great for helping students to learn about rhyming.
· The poems are upbeat and fun to learn.
· Though these poems are whimsical and don’t make much sense, they are easy to fall in love with, and the cadence and rhythm of the poems make them fun to read.
· For beginning readers, this book can help demonstrate that reading can indeed be a fun experience.
Concerns:
· These poems don’t concern real life problems, they are just silly and for fun.
· Despite this, I believe that there is a place for a book like this in the classroom. I think this book could be used, in part or in whole, to encourage students to get their work done. If they finish their work, they can hear another fun poem from this book.
Classroom use/Other comments:
· These poems could be read aloud to students, or students could perform them on their own. They could be used in a choral reading to help students develop reading fluency.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)