Sarah's Book Blog: September 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Exploring New Things

Library Mouse: A World to Explore

Written by Daniel Kirk

Published by Scholastic Inc.

30 Pages

I chose this book after flipping through the book and loving the illustration. Sam is a little nerdy mouse who lives in a whole of the library. His favorite things to do are read and write. One day he meets Sarah, who is polar opposite of safe Sam. Sarah is an explorer who loves adventure. Sarah begs Sam to go on adventures with her, but he is far too afraid. Sarah decides to read and write about adventures with Sam instead. After they did some research, they set off on an adventure together. Sam was scared, but he loved it afterwards. The book leaves you guessing, but I think that Sam has a small crush on Sarah.

The illustrations really grab the reader’s eye. The full pages of smooth and colorful images are captivating. The pictures give a wonderful perspective of the view from a mouse’s standpoint. The proportion of the talk bookshelf to the tiny mouse help you to fear as Sam fears exploring the very top.

This book could be tied into a science lesson, where older elementary students could research famous explorers. With the younger elementary age students, the book could also be useful. The students could write about a fear they have, and how fun it could be overcome that fear. It is interesting to see how opposite personalities attract in this story. This could be a great topic to point out and discuss amongst the class.

ED, ER, & ING

Happy Endings: A Story about Suffixes

Written by Robin Pulver

Published by Scholastic Inc.

26 Pages

Juvenile Fiction

Honestly, I chose to read this book out of pure curiosity. The story was not as good as I had hoped it would be. The story seems to be centered around the ends of words and children in classroom learning about them. With the word endings being highlighted a different color I found the entire book rather difficult to read. The story starts off with children that are excited about the school year coming to an end, so their teacher Mr. Wright decides to teach them about suffixes because they will need to know them for their next school year. Well, some of the words decide to jumble themselves up and have their endings come at the beginning, and that made the book very hard to read at certain points. The main purpose of this book was to show how important suffixes are and to encourage the young readers as they tackle their word endings in the future. I think that it served a purpose, it just wasn’t that great of a story book.

The images in this book look like a painting by an elementary student. The images also serve a purpose in assisting the student to be engaged in the book. The simple painting sets them at ease, because initially they can already relate. The different colored parts of words help the student visualize the difference in words and word endings.

This book could clearly be used in a Literacy Lesson to teach about word endings. The students could divide into groups and each be assigned a page of the book. Each group would pick out the suffixes and write them out on paper. Once they wrote out the suffixes, they could change the prefix to make a new word. Depending on their level, the students could even take it a step farther and write their own story with their new made up words. The book has not received any awards.

New Dinosaur in the Class

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School

Written by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Published by Scholastic Inc.

31 Pages

Fictional Poetry

This book stuck out to me because it reminded me of one of my favorite movies when I was a child, The Land Before Time. The story is a comparison of what a dinosaur might do at school, and what a dinosaur actually does at school. By starting off with several questions about things a dinosaur may do, the author engages a child’s attention. All of these questions are centered around things that children obviously shouldn’t or don’t do at school. So, by presenting these questions in this way, children can relate to the story and realize some of the things they are and aren’t supposed to do. The last part of the story revolves around statements about what a good dinosaur does do at school. Some of these statements are simple things like raising our hands, helping out, being friends with everyone, etc. This was a great book with a poetic style that really relates to the kids who read it.

The illustrations in this book are humorous. They have distinct lining around every object in each picture. It does a great job showing proportion for the dinosaur to the students and the classroom. The images nicely fill up the pages. I found very interesting and helpful in every picture the actual name of the different types of dinosaurs were minutely written somewhere near their body.

As stated earlier, this book would be exceptional for reestablishing classroom rules. If the class was starting to lose focus and control, then you could use this book to show how ridiculous it looks to others when students are misbehaving. This book could be used for a science lesson on all of the different types of dinosaurs in the book. It could also be used during a poetry lesson, or a lesson taught about rhymes and word endings. This book has not received an award.

Snow Family

Snowmen at Christmas

Written by Caralyn Buehner

Published by Scholastic Inc.

29 Pages

Poetry Picture Book

I chose to read this book because it’s about a snowy Christmas, and that never happens around here. This story quickly became one of my favorites. I had no idea what the plot would be, and I was really surprised to find out that it was nothing like I thought it might be. The story was based around snowmen’s Christmas Eve. The snowmen are like one big family. They leave their homes and get together for their own Christmas party on the town square. It was really cute how they danced together, and they even had their very own snowman Santa Claus. The story ends with the snowmen going back to their homes and bringing smiles to the kids on the snowy Christmas day.

The illustration in this book is beautiful. The pictures are top to bottom of every page throughout the entire book. This is one on of my favorite picture books that I have seen. The images are so fascinating.

This book could be used during a poetry lesson as a read aloud. It could also be a guide for students to use their imagination in writing. An appropriate time to use this book would be near the holidays. Any age elementary would enjoy it. This could also be taken so far as to explaining what snow is and how it is formed in a science lesson. There are no awards currently to this books name.

Leaves, Pumpkins, & Fall

The Fall Festival

Written by Mercer Mayer

Published by Scholastic Inc.

32 Pages

Fiction

I love the Mercer Mayer books. This one was particularly interesting since the Fall season is coming up. This book wasn’t one of my favorites. There was no real storyline to follow or character to identify with. The main character in the story is a young child that has a passion for all that the Fall season has to offer. He loves apples, hayrides, and pumpkins. His family goes to several different places where they do all kinds of Fall activities. They even go to this festival where they have a pumpkin launching contest. Their dad even wins them a prize before they leave. The story ends on a sad and weird note by the little ones eating too many apples.

Mercer Mayer uses similar illustration in all of his books. The colors are not too bright but not too dull. Every single facial expression in the book can tell you exactly how the characters are feeling. If the words were taken away from the book, there is great possibility it would be equally as good. The pictures are great enough to tell the story by their selves.

This book reminds of one that may be used in a classroom during Response to Instruction. This would be a great book for students to use for partner reading. The best time to use this book would be around the Fall. Students could form groups to make a list of their favorite things about the specific season, and then share and compare with the other groups. Students could also write about what they want to do during this upcoming Fall. The teacher could then teach a lesson on different seasons and their characteristics. This book is not a winner of any medals.

The "Unique" Duckling

Duckie Duck

Written by Kate Toms

Published by Castle Steet Press

24 Pages

Fiction

This book immediately struck my interest. The title reminded me of one of my favorite childhood stories, The Ugly Duckling. It turns out that this story was similar to The Ugly Duckling, and it was still very amusing. Duckie is the name of the little duck that the story is written about. From the start of the story to the end, the writer makes it quite clear that Duckie is not like all of the other ducks. The central theme of this story is repeated constantly and I think that it’s great for younger children to know that being them selves is so important. They should always be who they are, and if that’s different then it’s perfectly okay. Through a series of comparisons between Duckie and his friends, the writer sets Duckie apart. He doesn’t like to swim or fly. He doesn’t even like to quack, so he whistles. I’m glad Duckie was always the outcast, kind of like The Ugly Duckling.

The images in this book are imitation of sewed fabric. The pages are full of seams that make the picture look like cloth put together to make all sorts of shapes and animals. The text is just as creative as the pictures. It takes the form of many different colors and fonts.

This book would be extremely effective in most grades, specifically lower elementary. The storyline and vocabulary is simple and entertaining. The bright colors all across the pages will grasp the attention of a young child. This book would be great to use in classrooms with students of extreme differences. The students could write about the way they feel as if they are different. They can explain why they think they stick out, and discuss why it is a great thing to be unique. Duckie Duck is not an award winning book.

Simple & Sufficient

The Best Teacher Ever

Written by Mercer Mayer

Published by Scholastic Inc.

23 Pages

Fiction

I decided to read this book mostly because the title reminded me immediately of my favorite teacher. She was an older lady, kind of like the character on the front cover. The story is very well –rounded and the author did a great job of incorporating a simple central theme to it. The main character is a student that adores his teacher Miss Kitty. He briefly describes her and all of the different ways that she goes out of her way to teach and encourage her class. With teacher appreciation day quickly approaching, he decides to get Miss Kitty the best gift ever. Through a series of misfortunes he finds himself on the bus with nothing but a handful of plucked flowers from his front yard. Well, he leaves the flowers on the bus and must draw a picture for Miss Kitty as a last minute gift. All of his friends had gotten her these big huge presents, but she loved his picture the most and she put it up on her bulletin board. This is why I loved this book. Its intention is to show that it’s the thought that counts and that sometimes the simple things are the best things.

The illustrations in this book are full of facial expressions amongst every character. The images are very busy, yet detailed. Each picture has a lot going on. Most of the images have a disappearing edge, which gives the picture character. It seems as if the purpose is simply to just add effect for the viewer.

This book would be appropriate for all elementary age students. The students can easily relate to this book, because the main character is a student as well. This book could be used as a read aloud during student of teacher appreciation week. It would serve great purpose in reminding the students to not lose sight of the reason for celebrating a specific person instead of becoming consumed in buying the perfect gift. The students could write about a gift that they had received that was most sentimental to them. The students could also use this as an opportunity to write about what they appreciate most about their teacher and classmates. This book has not won any awards.

There's Joy in Something Lost Being Found

Knuffle Bunny

Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

Published by Scholastic Inc.

32 pages

Cautionary Tale

I decided to read Knuffle Bunny when a friend of mine informed me that it was one of her favorite children’s books. Knuffle Bunny is about a little girl by the name of Trixie going to the Laundromat with her dad. Trixie loses her stuffed bunny somewhere along the way with no way of telling her dad what happened because she is only an infant. She throws a temper tantrum the whole way home once she realizes her bunny is gone. As soon as they arrive home, Trixie’s mother knows exactly what is wrong the minute they walk in the door. The whole family rushes back to the Laundromat to save Knuffle Bunny. Upon finding the bunny, Trixie shouts in excitement and saying her very first word.

The illustrations in this book are extremely original. All of the pictures are taken by what seems to be a digital camera. The pictures serve as the background in a black and white setting. The characters of the book are sketched and edited into the photographs. The interesting part is that the characters are in color. The unique illustration is eye catching and appealing to all ages.

This story would be great to use in a lesson about prediction. The students will begin to predict what will happen next before they even realize it. This book would mostly be used in lower elementary age, probably even preschool age. The students could draw or write about their favorite toy, and whether or not they still own it. This book is a Caldecott Honor.

The Human Race

Is There Really a Human RACE?

Written by Lee Curtis

Illustrated by Laura Cornell

Published by HarperCollins Publishers

30 pages

Fiction

I immediately grabbed up this book based on my observations from the cover. I thoroughly enjoy anything about the world and human beings. This story begins with a very young boy questioning his mom about the human race. The whole story relates the human race to an actual race that you would run. He asks a large amount of questions to discover what this race through life is all about. His mom stops him and explains the answer to all his questions is to make this world a better place. He learns that enjoying the race is more important than coming in first place.

The illustrations in this book are spectacular. I love the way the illustrator ties in the different races of this world into the race of life. The pictures contain every different human race that there is. The images are full of humor to catch the reader’s attention. It is difficult to turn the page because the images are so intriguing. The images communicate that all races can get along and be happy with each other.

This book has a rhyming pattern throughout the whole story. The teacher could easily use this book as a read aloud before teaching a lesson on rhymes. It could also be a great to use during a Language Arts lesson about poetry. One of my favorite things about this book is that it teaches students about diversity. After reading this book, the teacher could expand by discussing different cultures and the importance of each. Students could write about all of the different personalities, talents, appearances, and qualities they have seen among their classmates. This book has not won any awards.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Teacher's Can Make a Difference

Thank You Mr. Falker

Written & Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

Published by Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers

40 pages

Autobiography; Realistic Fiction

In my first two weeks of literacy block several books have been read aloud in our classes. From all of the books that have been read this far, Thank You, Mr. Falker has been my favorite. The author does a remarkable job getting your emotions involved. Trisha is anxious to start school and learn to read. She starts school and quickly figures out that reading is not so easy for her. All of the letters and numbers were jumbled up on the paper in her eyes. Trisha begins to be teased by all of the other kids in the classroom. Trisha feels hopeless when she starts to believe her classmates. She thinks she must be dumb until a new teacher enters the school in fifth grade. Mr. Falker works with Trisha everyday to help her discover her artistic talent and ability to read. With the help of a few teachers, Trisha begins to believe in herself and learns to read. The author throws in a surprise at the end when she admits that the story was actually about her own life as a little girl.

The pictures in this book are all done with water color paint. There are lots of pages, most of which take up full pages. The pages contain a strong display of the characters emotions. The images are very detailed and they do a magnificent job of helping the reader see and be in the story. Patricia is definitely very talented in her unique style of painting.

This book would be great to use in Language Arts at the beginning of a school year or at any point where students seem to be discouraged about learning or reading. Each student could write about their struggles in reading or in any other subject, and then apply the ending of the story to their own life. The students could also write an encouraging letter to a partner about what they learned from Trisha’s story and how everyone learns differently. This book really emphasizes the effect a teacher can have on a student. The students can write about ways that their teacher and classmates have had an effect on their life.