How to use this Page

*Concept book, preschool to kindergarten
*Forest creatures as main characters
*The layout is one of the best parts of this concept book. It’s a cute idea and well executed!

Short, short summary:

Each pair of pages asks, “Who is in the forest, dark and deep?” and then there is a circle cut-out previewing the next page and animal. For example, there’s a bird, squirrel, and fox. Each animal has a page with a rhyming answer, such as: “Foxes on the prowl–creep, creep, creep.” The end talks about nocturnal animals. There’s a lot to look at and explore with this book–especially for young children.

So what do I do With This Book?

1. You can talk to young children about the forest habitat and what plants and animals they would find there. You can also ask questions like, “Would a penguin belong in this book?” You could even do a KWL (Know, Wonder, Learn) chart if you wanted to further the study of this habitat.

2. Ask children to predict what the next page will say based on the cut-out circle pictures and the predictability of the repeating text and rhyming words.

3. Talk about the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals after reading the last page of the book. What animals do children see in the last illustration? Are all of those nocturnal animals? What does this mean?

Add a Comment

*Picture book, fantasy, preschool through second graders
*Little Miss Muffet as main character
*Rating: David Conway has written a clever picture book, incorporating many of our favorite nursery rhymes that we can share with a whole new generation of children. And of course, Melanie Williamson’s illustrations are cute, cute, cute!

Short, short summary:

Little Miss Muffet is tired of being in her nursery rhyme. She is tired of that spider always scaring her. So, she decides to go to the next page of the book and jump into that nursery rhyme. But each time, she’s unhappy–it’s not so fun falling down the hill with Jack and Jill or running away with the spoon (turns out the dish gets a bit jealous). She winds up causing utter chaos in nursery rhyme world, so she sneaks back to her own rhyme. . .

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Read the NEW way the rhymes are written with Little Miss Muffet put in. See if the children notice the difference. Are they familiar with the other rhyme? How has it changed? Have children repeat both rhymes after you!

2. SO, Miss Muffet still has her problem at the end of the book. Let children problem solve and come up with a way to solve her problem. Could she go to a completely different book? Is there a nursery rhyme that would work for her? Could she befriend the spider in some way?

3. Study these illustrations! They are full of things that are not in the text. What do children notice? How do the illustrations work to tell the story with the text? Let students draw their own illustrations with Miss Muffet in their favorite nursery rhyme after studying the ones in the book.

Add a Comment

*Concept book for preschoolers/kindergarteners
*Little “pirates” as main characters
*Rating: Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors is so cute and perfect for the little guys and gals in our lives who are learning their colors AND fighting to take a nap!

Short, short summary:

Danna Smith tells us about the colors in our little pirates’ lives, using fun rhyme, while Valeria Petrone fills in the blanks with cute and clever illustrations! For example, let’s look at GREEN. “Mark the spot. We must be brave! Find GREEN treasures in a cave.” The illustration is of the two boys finding green boots in the attic. The story continues as the boys enjoy being pirates, and their mother tries to round them up for a nap. Who will win this power struggle?

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Whether you are reading this to a room full of preschoolers or to your own at home, you can find pirate treasures in the room that are the same color as some of them in the book. What do you have in your room that could be considered a YELLOW treasure? What about GREEN? Make a list together.

2. What rhyming words do your little guys hear when you are reading this book to them? Ask them to raise their hands or point to the page every time they hear a pair of rhyming words. See if they can name some of the pairs when the book is over.

3. Pirate vocabulary runs rampant through this book. Many of your young pirates may know words like “mast” or “loot.” But others might not. Make a list of the words you think are pirate words before you read the book. After you read it and share the illustrations, see if children can define any of the words, using context (text and illustrations).

Add a Comment

I am thrilled to share with you two super cute picture books by a TexHEN named Aunt Judy, who writes and illustrates (SO CUTE!) Chickens on the GO! and Chickens in the Know!. Aunt Judy was generous enough to send me both of her picture books, which I am sure any young reader will LOVE, and so I am keeping one for my daughter and giving one away to a lucky reader! To win Chickens in the Know!, please leave a comment below. You can either say, PICK ME! or SOUNDS GREAT! or tell us your favorite professHEN, such as constructHEN workers or librariHENS. That’s what this book is all about–how the world is full of people who have different jobs, and we need EACH ONE to make the world go around.

The book I am keeping, but one you can purchase from Aunt Judy is Chickens on the GO! It is the perfect classroom book for young children and the perfect home school book for your young readers. The premise is that the world is made up of people who are different nationalities such as: JapHENese, BritHENS, AfricHENS, and AmericHENS. (SO CUTE–I’m telling you!) Aunt Judy tells readers something about the people/culture in each country she covers–in a catchy rhyme. She makes the point that everyone is different, but that’s okay! (Perfect in this world of bullying–the old-fashioned and cyber way) The repeating phrase in the book is: “It doesn’t matter where we’re from. We’re all chickens–let’s have fun!”

You can use Chickens on the GO! to discuss with young children how differences make us unique and special and even how where we are from affects our lives, but that’s what also makes us special. You can do geography lessons with this book–showing students where each HEN comes from as well as have children do more research on each HEN’s culture. The possibilities with this book are endless. Aunt Judy has several resources on her website, too at http://www.chickensonthego.com/Lesson%20Plans.htm. Don’t miss the lesson plans and puzzles she has created.

If you are interested in finding out more and purchasing this book, Chickens on the GO!, or its companion about careers, Chickens in the Know!, please see Aunt Judy’s website at: http://www.chickensonthego.com/books.htm
.

Don’t forget, you can win a copy. On the back of the book, it says these books are for ages 1 to 99–no kidding! So, let me know your favorite professHEN or just say PICK ME! Contest ends on Sunday night, December 11 at 8:00 pm CST. Winner must have a U.S. or Canada mailing address.

Add a Comment

*Picture book, preschool through 2nd grade
* A silly goose as the main character
*Rating: Silly Tilly is my kind of picture book. It is filled with all sorts of fun and rhymes and vibrant illustrations.

Short, short summary:

Silly Tilly is a very silly goose. For example, she takes a bath in apple juice. She took a nap in scarecrow’s pants and packed Piglet off to France. And the other barnyard animals are just plain tired of her silliness. She stops her antics, and then Hetta Hen realizes she hasn’t laughed since Silly Tilly did something silly. So, the animals apologize, and we get to see our lovable goose right back at her silliness.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. You cannot ignore the rhyme in Silly Tilly. Before reading, ask students to raise their hands if they hear any rhyming words. Ask them to remember at least a pair and tell it to you to write on chart paper when the story is over. Students/children can brainstorm more words that rhyme with the ones in the book. For an “advanced” discussion, what is Eileen Spinelli’s rhyme scheme?

2. When Silly Tilly changes whom she is for her friends, everyone suffers. No one is happy. This is a pretty deep concept for kids to understand, but oh so important. Use the characters in this silly book to get kids to see how important it is for each of them to 1. be themselves and embrace their uniqueness and 2. not expect other people, especially their friends, to change to please them.

3. Kids will have SO MUCH FUN making up their own silly things that Silly Tilly can do on the farm. You can either help them with the rhyming words or just do it with creativity–not worrying about the rhyme. Students can write down one of the silly things and illustrate it. Put these together in a class book–a Silly Tilly sequel.

Add a Comment

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*An un-scareable bear as the main character
*Rating: Scare a Bear is a very cute and fun picture book with wonderful and bright illustrations young children will just eat up!

Short, short summary:

Scare a Bear opens with the question: “Do you know how to scare a bear?” This leads the reader (and the kids in the book) on an adventure first trying to figure out how to scare a bear. The text asks: “Would you bang pots and pans? Would you rattle some cans? Would you shout? Would you yell? Would you ring a loud bell?” From here, several more BIG questions are asked and these include, “What if the bear isn’t easy to scare? What if that bear wants to go for a swim? What if that bear wants to fish from your boat? What if that bear wants to beg for some dinner?” and more. After each BIG question is posed, three more questions are posed as solutions to the first BIG question. Then the BIG question is repeated. At the end of the story, the children figure out how to scare the poor bear (who seems to just want some companionship!). This book reminds me of the circular structure and silliness of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Do a shared writing (or individual for older students) activity where students try to answer the question: “How do you scare a bear?” The repeated sentence beginning would be: I scare a bear by ________________________. Once you have written everyone’s responses, they copy down their sentence on to a piece of paper and illustrate it. You can put these together to create a class book or a nice classroom display.

2. Most of the sentences in here are questions. Students are just starting to write questions and remembering that these must end with a question mark, so drawing attention to this in literature with few words, such as Scare a Bear is helpful for students. As a fun activity, work on changing some of the questions to statements or exclamations and putting the proper punctuation at the end. For example, the question: Do you know how to scare a bear? at the beginning of the story could be changed to: I know how to scare a bear! (and you can discuss whether or not you should put a period or exclamation point and how either would actually work.)

3. Rhyming words are a must with this book! They are everywhere, and these words help beginning readers learn to decode. Make a list of rhyming words on chart paper for them to use in their writing. At home, you can make a notebook of rhyming words!

Add a Comment

*Picture book, fantasy for preschoolers through second graders
*Bats (the animal) as main characters
*Rating: The strength in Bats at the Ballgame is definitely the illustrative talent of Brian Lies–cute concept and some clever text, like Cricket Jacks!

Short, short summary:

Told in rhymed verse, Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies is the story of the bats’ baseball game against a tough opponent. How could any bat forget?/In all the countless years we’ve met,/it seems the team we’ll play tonight/has beaten us in every fight./ With beautiful illustrations, the reader is treated to the bats preparing the playing field and the spectators buying Cricket Jack, mothdogs, and infield flies–all snacks suitable for bats. When the game begins, the narrator’s team is off to a slow start once again through the 6th inning. In the 7th inning, there’s finally some action, but it’s for the other team. So the rest of the story is about whether or not the bat ballplayers can overcome this action and win the game.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is a great book to share during summer school, in those warm spring months before school is out (or your home school children are ready to have a break), or even in the fall around World Series time. There is quite a bit of “baseball lingo” in here, which your boy and girl baseball players will appreciate. Ask students to make personal connections with the text, as they have all probably at least played baseball/softball in P.E. or at recess. Ask them to write a paragraph about what this book makes them think about in their own lives. (It could be any sporting event, actually.)

2. You can teach word choice and sentence fluency, two of the 6 + 1 traits of writing, with this book. Word choice is an obvious lesson since Lies has written descriptive text, and it rhymes. Don’t you love the way he chose to write Cricket Jacks instead of Cracker Jacks? Even that one simple word makes an entirely different book–this is word choice at its finest. As for sentence fluency, when you read a rhyming book like this out loud, your students can really hear how the text flows. Look at the punctuation, too, and/or transition words to see how these keep the text flowing.

3. Brian Lies has beautiful illustrations. Give your students a chance to study them. What do they notice? How do the illustrations and the text work together to tell the story? If your students really love his work, then share (and compare and contrast) one of his other books such as Bats in the Library.

Add a Comment

*Funny, realistic picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Preschool boy as main character
*Rating: Parts by Tedd Arnold can easily become your favorite book–as a kid and as an adult.

Short, short summary:

This poor boy thinks the glue that is holding him together is not working. He find pieces of hair in his comb. Something fell out of his nose, and he is sure it is his brain. Then there’s the skin on the bottom of his foot, and the last straw–his teeth–how will he eat? He gets some masking tape to try to hold himself together; but finally, his parents remember to tell him that this is a normal part of growing up!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. The first time you read it to children see if they think something is really wrong with him or if this is just the body’s way of growing. Ask children if these similar things have happened to them, and give them a chance to tell their stories (so allow for some extra discussion time when reading this book aloud!).

2. We all know at the end of the book that the boy has found ear wax, but can your students make a creative story about what he really found in his ear? For preschoolers, you can do this as a shared writing activity and each student can draw their own illustration. For first graders, they can write a short ending to the story. Encourage them to be creative with what the boy found in his ear!

3. Use this book in a health unit to talk to students about what is really holding our body together–bone, muscles, skin, blood vessels, etc. etc. For younger students (such as two or three-year-old kids), you can talk about the parts they can see!

Add a Comment

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Bear as main character
*Rating: Ugly Pie is the ideal picture book–cute story, wonderful illustrations and a takeaway activity.

Short, short summary:

Ol’ Bear is hankerin’ for Ugly Pie, but he doesn’t have all the ingredients. All he has is some molasses. So, he goes out looking for Ugly Pie. As he comes to each of his friends, they offer him a kind of pie, but Ol’ Bear really wants that Ugly Pie. They do give him some ingredients each time; and by the time he gets home, he can make his Ugly Pie. He sings a cute rhyme each time, too: “My-oh-my! But I’m still itchin’ for some Ugly Pie.” The very end of the book is a recipe for all the little cubs out there who are hankerin’ for Ugly Pie.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Obviously, kids will want to make the recipe just like Ol’ Bear, but bring some math instruction into it. For advanced students, you can ask them to double or half the recipe. For some students, they just need practice with reading a recipe or even following directions. Look over your objectives you need to teach (at home schools, too) and use this as a fun activity and lesson!

2. Ask students to write about a time they were “hankerin’” for something and what they did to get it!

3. Word choice (one of the six plus one traits of writing) is very strong in Lisa Wheeler’s Ugly Pie from the playful use of language on the first page to the little rhyme Bear sings throughout. Ask students to pick a “favorite” word to tell you when they hear you read it aloud. Make a list on chart paper of these favorite words. Hang in the room for students to use in their own writing. (Personally, my favorite word is “hankerin’”.)

Add a Comment

photo by nblumhardt www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Animals as main characters
*Rating: A cute book with a lot of different animal descriptions that kids will love.

Short, short summary:

A Bunny is Funny takes a look at different animals you might find at the zoo. From crabs to skunks, from giraffes to lions, each animal has a rhyme and an illustration. Take for example the porcupine: “My quills act like a warning sign: Don’t mess with me. I’m a porcupine!”

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Let students or your children pick their favorite animal illustration and rhyme. Then ask them to draw their own illustration and write a sentence to go with it. You can then create your own class book: A Bunny is Funny 2.

2. Each of the lines about the animals rhymes. Ask children to put a thumbs up when they hear a rhyming word pair. When you are finished reading the book to them, make a list of rhyming words. You can also extend the activity by asking children to come up with more words that rhyme with the pairs.

3. Take a field trip to a farm or a zoo and see how many of the animals from the book that you see on your field trip. Take photographs on your field trip and compare these with the illustrations in A Bunny is Funny.

Add a Comment

photo by shoshanah www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Princess Bess as main character
Rating: Little girls who love princesses will love Princess Bess Gets Dressed, especially little girls who love princesses and underwear! (Now, I’ve peaked your interest, right?)

Short, short summary:

Princess Bess has a busy schedule. She has to dine on muffins with the queen, go to dance class, attend a joust, play chess, and much more. For each task or event, she has to change into a different outfit, of course, but she’s got a secret. She really likes to wear one thing best–and she doesn’t tell the reader what it is until the very end of the story. Well, and I’m not going to tell you either!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is a great book to practice prediction skills. In the beginning, Princess Bess tells readers that she has a secret about what she likes to wear best. But then she never gets to tell us because she is so busy. So ask students or family members to predict what her favorite outfit is. Write down predictions. Read the end of the book and see who is right.

2. Princess Bess Gets Dressed has a lot of fun rhymes. Ask children which pair of rhyming words is their favorite and then create your own sentences with these words. For example, one pair of rhyming words in the book is chess and dress. You could make up a sentence like: When I wear my blue dress, I like to play chess. Students will have fun making up new sentences with Margery Cuyler’s words as a starting point.

3. Ask students what their favorite clothes are to wear. Do they have a favorite shirt? Pajamas? Shoes? Send a note home to parents and ask them to bring in a photo of their children dressed in a favorite outfit. Children can paste or tape this photo to construction paper, write a sentence or two about their clothes, and decorate the paper for a unique wall display. If children forget photos, have a camera available, so you can take a picture of the student. You can easily do this activity at home with your children, too, if you home school.

Add a Comment

photo by mape_s www.flickr.com

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders, fantasy
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Dr. Seuss is at his best in If I Ran the Zoo–from made-up creatures to fantastical places to those ever-clever rhymes.

Short, short summary: Gerald McGrew says that his local zoo is a “pretty good zoo.” But it just has the normal, old animals that all zoos have. So, if Gerald ran it. . .he would do things a little differently. For example, he would travel up past the North Pole in his Skeegle-mobile and bring back a family of “What-do-you-know!” He would hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant and even brave the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind. People from all over, of course, will want to see these amazing animals at the McGrew Zoo. And as he points out at the end, Gerald would just make a few changes to the zoo. (BTW, did you know that Dr. Seuss’s father actually ran a zoo in Springfield, Massachusetts for thirty years? Write what you know, everyone. )

So, what do I do with this book?

1. If I Ran the Zoo is full of Dr. Seuss’s wonderful illustrations. You can do two activities with illustrations. You can read the descriptions of a creature to your students and ask them to draw what they imagine. You can also ask them to create an animal for McGrew’s Zoo, name it, and even write a description–depending on their age and ability levels.

2. Students can write their own versions of If I Ran the Zoo by writing about what they would do with a zoo, or they can also change the place: If I Ran the School or If I Ran a Pizza Parlor. If you have young students, you can do this as a shared writing activity with the repeating sentence: “If I ran the zoo, I would have a ____________________.” If you have older students, they can create their stories themselves.

3. Some of the places such as the North Pole, Africa, and North Dakota are real (of course). Other places, it is clear that Dr. Seuss made them up. Ask your students to give you a thumbs-up if the place you are reading about is a real place (with made-up creatures) or a made-up place. You can also make a list of both on chart paper in a T-table. This can also lead to a discussion of what makes If I Ran the Zoo a fantasy even though parts of it are real.

Add a Comment

photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*A skateboarding cow and other critters as main characters
*Rating: A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe is a fun, crazy read that will leave kids laughing and wanting more. Cute ending!

Short, short summary:

In rhyme and with super illustrations, Barbara Odanaka and Lee White tell the story of the critter cafe. The cook and the waiter are relaxing on a quiet morning when a bus full of critters breaks down and in walks five raccoons. You might think five raccoons are bad enough at a restaurant, but they aren’t even the half of it. There are elephants playing instruments and Skateboard Cow as well as macaws, turtles, lizards, lambs, and penguins (and more!). As you can imagine, all these animals are very demanding when they are hungry and make quite a mess of things at the Critter Cafe! How do the waiter and cook survive this onslaught of customers? You’ll have to read the ending to find out–and to find out what happens to Skateboard Cow!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Let students choose their favorite animal from the cast of characters, draw a picture, and write two sentences about it–something it does in the book and something it does in real life. For older students who are starting to research, you can ask them to find three facts about the animal to share with classmates. These can be displayed on a bulletin board (or on your kitchen refrigerator if you home school) with the title: “Here’s Our Crazy Critter Cafe.” You can use a checkered tablecloth as the background paper for your bulletin board.

2. The rhyme in A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe is wonderful, and some of the words aren’t usual, familiar rhyming words for your students or children. For example: tunes rhymes with raccoons, grub rhymes with Bub, and fritters rhymes with critters. Ask students to put their thumbs up every time they hear a rhyming pair. Make a list of rhyming pairs on chart paper. Ask students to add their own words to the list. Talk to students about why words rhyme. Older students can attempt their own rhyming poem with 4 to 6 lines.

3. This is a great book to talk with students about how to act at a restaurant, the dinner table, and/or a friend’s house for supper. The animals have TERRIBLE manners, so children can have fun correcting the animals’ behavior without the book seeming preachy or a guide to “This is what you are supposed to do. . .” Students can even draw pictures illustrating one half of their papers with a picture of an animal behaving rudely, and the other half of the picture with themselves using their manners.

Add a Comment

photo by mdxdt www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers (However, this can be used with elementary students during a poetry unit.)
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Red Sled is a clever book about a night time sled ride for a boy and his dad. Not to mention, there’s wonderfully bright illustrations!

Short, short summary: A sad lad and a sad dad take a red sled down a hill of freshly fallen snow one night. They have a ton of fun until–oops, crash! But falling in the snow is not so bad. When they go home to warm up, they are no longer sad, and now they are glad lad and glad dad. This book may sound simple, but it really is not! Patricia Thomas wrote Red Sled in the form of a chiasmus (ky-AZ-mus). This is a type of ancient writing. Here’s what she says in the back of her book: “This format creates a kind of mirror image, with thoughts, words, or even word sounds flowing toward a center point, then reversing to reflect that order as it reaches the end.” She, then, shows the reader in the author’s note the form of a chiasmus, using her Red Sled book. Very cool!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. The most obvious thing is to write a chiasmus, either as a whole class in a shared writing lesson or individually for older students. This will NOT be easy for anyone, so take your time, have fun, and play around with rhyme and the English language. Pick an easy, well-known, action-filled subject such as Patricia Thomas did.

2. Ask students to write or draw about a time when they went on a sled ride. If you live somewhere with no snow or sledding, then you can ask children to make up a story about sled riding, based on the book Red Sled.

3. This is a great book for oral reading, listening to rhymes, text patterns, and noticing the rhythm to language. Students could actually read this book with teachers because the text is large, or they could repeat after the teacher or parent. A really fun part to read with children is when the dad and boy are on the sled, and the text says, “Go! Go! No! No! Whoa! Whoa! Flip-flop stop.” Have fun with this book!

Add a Comment

photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com

Before I write about this super cute book, Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, I want to announce the winners of Clara Gillow Clark’s Hattie books from the contest I held on Tuesday and Wednesday. And the winners are. . .

*1st place: Tami R.
*2nd place: Shelby S.
*3rd place: Bailey

Thank you to everyone who left such thoughtful comments. If you didn’t win, you can purchase the Hattie books right from Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts! They are a great way to teach children about this time in United States history. Now on to Felicity. . .

*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders, contemporary, fantasy (sort-of:)
*Young girl as the main character
*Rating: Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo has great rhyme and a good message about why we really need to wash our hands–even at the zoo.

Short, short summary: Do you know why we call that cold-sniffling-body-aching-high-temperature-illness the flu? Well, if you don’t, then you need to read this book and meet Felicity Floo. One day, Felicity decides to go to the zoo. Right before, she sees all the animals, including a blue-footed booby and rare jabiru, she wipes her nose without a tissue! Her hand becomes sticky with a green, gloppy goo, which she gets all over the animals when she pets them and hugs them. Then she leaves the zoo, and the animals are all sick with flu symptoms. E. S. Redmond does a wonderful job with her humorous rhyming text and cute illustrations. This is her first book.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is an excellent book to talk with your child or your students about why it is so important that they wash their hands after they sneeze or why they should use a tissue. Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo gets this point across without preaching. You can also talk about flu symptoms and how to take care of yourself during flu season–using hand sanitizer, staying home when you are sick, getting plenty of rest, and so on.

2. Make a list of all the animals that E. S. Redmond mentions and illustrates. Divide the animals up among your students (or if you home school allow your child to pick one or two animals). Depending on the age of your students, you can have them draw a picture of the animal and write a sentence if they are young. If they are in elementary school, they can do a mini-report, such as find five facts about the animal and make a poster to hang on the classroom wall.

3. As children are listening to you read the book, ask them to give you a thumbs-up anytime they hear a pair of rhyming words. After you read the book twice, see if they can tell you some of the rhyming pairs. Put these pairs on chart paper. Then students can brainstorm other words that rhyme with these, and you can discuss what makes words rhyme.

Come back to this blog on Tuesday, January 26 and Wednesday, January 27 as I am having another book contest giveaway. This time, it is a young adult fantasy called Watersmeet!

Add a Comment

photo by Vadim Lavrusik www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, contemporary
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Looking Like Me is a rhythmic self-esteem-builder journey for young children by father/son duo Walter Dean and Christopher Myers.

Short, short summary: Looking Like Me is basically a list of all the things that a boy/girl can be. For example, in the beginning of the book, Jeremy says: “I looked in the mirror and what did I see? A real handsome dude looking just like me. He put out his fist. I gave it a bam!” Then along comes, Jeremy’s sister and tells him he is a little brother. She puts out her fist and he says, “I gave it a bam! Jeremy and brother, That’s who I am.” Thus the book continues as Jeremy takes the reader through every title that makes up who he is from son to writer to runner. And of course, each time, he gives the person a BAM! Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers is a book to read aloud to children over and over again.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is one of those books that would be a great activity for the beginning of the school year. Students could write at the top of a piece of paper, “I AM. . .” Then they could make a list of all the “titles” or “people” they are from family relationships to interests to everyday titles such as student or neighbor. You could also cut some letters out of magazines and build the words underneath the I AM with magazine letters instead of written letters to make the list more in the style of Christopher Myers’s illustrations.

2. Speaking of illustrations, the pictures in Looking Like Me are something to study. Each page has a photograph (at least one) under a multi-colored boy. Once you have read the book out loud to children, go back and study the pictures with them. Maybe even make a list of the photos and the words to see if there is any pattern. For example, on the page about being a runner, there’s a picture of an upside-down ketchup bottle and then a drawn illustration of a boy running. Students can even make their own illustrations in Christopher Myers’s style to go with their I AM lists.

3. Looking Like Me is an example of good word choice (one of the 6 traits of writing.) Discuss the specific words that jump out at students and why those are the perfect words to use in this story. Ask students if they think Walter Dean Myers just sat down and got these exact perfect words onto paper the first time he wrote the story. Did he have to play around with the word choice? Why does it make a better book?

Anybody who wants to share an I AM list here. . .feel free!

Technorati code: JCXNC3NYFSJ9

Add a Comment

*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, contemporary fiction
*Elementary-school-aged boy as main character
*You will want to be-bop with Doo-Wop Pop over and over again!

Short, short summary: Doo-Wop Pop by Roni Schotter tells the story of Elijah Earl, who is a shy kid who keeps to himself. He knows there are a few other shy kids in the school like Alishah and Jacob. He likes the janitor, Doo-Wop Pop, who used to sing a cappella be-pop music on stage when he was younger. Doo-Wop Pop notices Elijah and the four other quiet students at the school. One day, he gathers them all after school and teaches them some be-bop moves and talks to them about finding their song. They begin to notice the beats and rhythms around them; and before long, these five friends are performing! A rhythmic tale about self-esteem, friendship, music, and art illustrated beautifully by Caldecott Honor-winning Bryan Collier.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Read it aloud, read it aloud, read it aloud! This picture book was written for the spoken word. Your students or your children will love to be-pop with you while this book sings to them. This book is a perfect choice when wanting to show children a good example of word choice and finding the perfect words to convey a book’s message and tone!

2. Shy students unite! That’s one of the themes of this book, but it’s also about having confidence in yourself and making friends. Ask students to choose a character in the book that they most relate to. Do they ever feel like Elijah? What about Doo-Wop Pop? Students who can write should journal about the character they are most like. Students who are still at the drawing stage can draw an illustration about themselves being like one of the characters.

3. Doo-Wop Pop is the perfect picture book to use in a music class or to introduce your students to this type of music. You can also talk to students about singing a cappella since that is also mentioned in the story.

Have you read Doo-Wop Pop by Roni Schotter?

Add a Comment

by regeniabrabham www.flickr.com

Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss? I do, and the kids do. My stepson wanted me forever to read Green Eggs and Ham to him at bedtime–even though we had tons of other books. I can say it by heart now. “That Sam I am. That Sam I am.”

My stepson had a terrible time with rhyming words for the longest time. And some people may think this is no big deal. So, a child can’t tell you a word that rhymes with goat or Sam. But the thing about rhyming words is that they teach children about patterns, sounds, and spelling. When children can recognize word patterns, pairs of letters that make certain sounds, and learn to spell these, they are on their way to becoming fluent readers and writers. So, rhyming words, in my opinion, are a big deal.

With my stepson, we used Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat to peak his interest about rhyming words. When we used these Dr. Seuss books with the wonderful photos and loveable characters, he didn’t mind picking out the words that had -at at the end. When we tried to do a “rhyming game” in the car, he wanted no part.

My point is this. . .if you have a child who has trouble noticing or hearing rhyming words, then try Dr. Seuss with them. Get him or her engaged in a story. Put smiles on their faces. Then talk about the rhyming words in the story–even the ones that Dr. Seuss made up! If your child or your students still have smiles on their faces, then why not make a list of the words. Show them how the end of the words are spelled the same and only the beginning letter is changing.

Dr. Seuss was brilliant. Let’s use him and his books with our children to improve their literacy skills!

Add a Comment